Life in business is always changing , and if you already have a basis of loyal followers of your products on a social media site like Facebook, then you are ready to tack, turn and  weave with whatever winds of change come your way. And change will come. And only those who are ready to embrace change by utilizing new technology will be here tomorrow.

Even when it comes to fruit….

‘As fresh fruit prices fall, Australian growers are turning to social networking sites and food celebrities to woo consumers. Prices of fruit fell 4.8 per cent in the June quarter, latest inflation figures show.

The chief executive of peak horticulture body Growcon, Alex Livingstone, said plentiful supply and retailer price wars were driving down prices. ‘The flip side is the returns to growers are not good,’ he said.

Tropical Pineapples sales and marketing manager Joe Craggs, who represents 22 Queensland growers, said prices were 10 to 15 per cent lower than the same time last year.

Growers had enlisted Facebook and MasterChef Australia contestant Skye Craig to raise the profile of a fruit oft sidelined as a summertime food, Mr Craggs said.

Citrus Australia chief executive Judith Damiani said consumers were toying with purchasing cheaper fruit, such as bananas.

But Gary Fattore, a manager at national wholesaler CostaExchange, said banana wholesalers were entering their thirteenth week of sales below production cost.

A warm winter had yielded a bumper crop this year, but he hoped prices would rebound as supply dropped off in the coming months.

Apple and pear prices had softened over the last two to three months, and were 10 and 20 per cent lower than at the same time last year…….

Meanwhile, poor citrus crops in Brazil and Florida are driving up costs for beverage makers…’

For those of you not in the fruit industry…..scary isn’t it?

So are you ready for change in your industry?

Do you have a Facebook page for your business?

Maybe it’s time to get organized for change – because change is coming your way – sooner than you may think.

Source: Michaela Whitbourn The Australian Financial Review

The Fruit Salad Of Change on Facebook is a post from: OE Design Blog

‘For years after its initial release (remember when you had to be invited?), Gmail was in “beta”, or the software equivalent of “previews”.  It was years before Google stripped the beta moniker from its logo on Gmail, Calendar and a lot of its other products.

Could a consumer have told the difference over the last 5 years?  Not likely.  Beta was just Google’s way of protecting itself, yes, but also its way of saying, “We are committed to changes on a daily basis until we make our product  better, and then we’ll figure out even more stuff to change until we can better it still.”

Not a bad way to think about any product, don’t you think?

I heard a Web Marketing Guru speak about how to design a website, and he said that websites are never final; great websites are in a state of perpetual beta.

He was right, of course. By studying analytics, conversion rates, etc. we should be making constant changes to our designs to make even the smallest of improvements (increasing an surfer’s time on the site, whether they sign up for email lists, etc.).  A small improvement a day adds up to a monstrous improvement in a year.  Your website will be a conversion machine!

But why not apply perpetual beta to other things as well?

Your advertising campaign should be in perpetual beta. You should constantly be looking at your results, making adjusting, surveying, modifying, and beta-ring your campaign.   

What else?

Well, shows, as opposed to movies and books, are in perpetual beta.  Films get shot, edited and released, and are never tinkered with again.  Books are written, edited and published, and are pretty final.  But plays and musicals change a bit each night with each audience and new actors, etc.  And that’s what makes them exciting.  You can always find a way to improve.

What about non-show stuff?

Well, if you’re a yoga-ite, then you’re in perpetual beta; always stretching, extending, reaching for more.

And you know what else?  Without getting too self-helpy . . . our lives are in perpetual beta.

It takes a lot of time and a lot of hard work to take long intense looks at ourselves, our products, our campaigns, and push ourselves to make improvements . . . and then start over again.  It ain’t easy

But being in a state of perpetual beta is what leads us to professional and personal success.’

Source: The Producer’s Perspective

In A Constant State Of Perpetual Beta is a post from: OE Design Blog

Having been with the company since its inception in October of 2003, Ben, now 20 years of age,  has just been appointed as the new CEO of  ‘OE Design – The Web Designers ‘.

‘One of the key things that we have always done as a company’ Ben said, ‘is to look for ways in which we can help charities, churches, and sporting bodies to use the power of the internet to communicate their message online.’

‘In addition to providing website services for local and national businesses, we continue to provide websites for voluntary organizations both in our own nation and in nations around the world. One such organization is based in Nigeria, where we have created a website for a group that is training up young men and women to be leaders in their region.’

Ben adds, ‘With the internet there are no borders and no restrictions to the possibilities that can be achieved.’

So right now we want to offer a FREE website and six months FREE web hosting for a local sporting club here on the Gold Coast. All they have to do is go to our website www.oe-design.com and provide their contact details or call us on 1300 736 764 and  from all those who apply we will then be choosing one applicant.

Closing date for applications is February 28th, 2010.

Young CEO Wants To Give A Gift To The Community is a post from: OE Design Blog

Nothing much has changed.

So when my friend and respected mentor, Peter Irvine, who is the Co-Founder of Gloria Jean’s Coffees, author of “Win In Business”, business consultant and speaker wrote the following article, I couldn’t wait to share it with you.  Peter explains in five easy steps how we in business need to ‘Stop And Change When Necessary’.

Enjoy!

One of my favourite sayings is: “If the horse is dead, dismount”

There are people in business and life everywhere who find it hard to recognize when the horse is dead!

The current economic market either stalls companies or they make changes. This is a great time to market differently or stand out in a different way.

I have experienced many difficult times but have seen the businesses that make changes succeed, then grow and accelerate in the good times that follow.

People have asked ‘How do I know whether to persist or stop and change?’

1. Go back to the original vision and purpose

If your original vision is the right one, don’t throw it out – look at what you are actually doing to fulfil that vision. The purpose does not change, however the methods we use do. In advertising when a retail promotion for McDonald’s did not work we did not persevere we made changes and moved on, the character of McDonald’s family restaurants did not change, just the one promotion.

2. Change is inevitable – so GET USED TO IT!

If you want to build anything to last – a business, a strong family, a company department, a powerful life-testimony – it will need room to grow, to change and evolve in the process. If you don’t change your work practices as you grow –e.g. if you keep the same products and packaging, the same programs or services without variation, stifle people in their jobs by not allowing them to grow and develop, then things will either stagnate and die, you will lose customers, or you will lose your most promising staff to other businesses where they can grow.

If you want a bigger business, you will need to look at constant ways to change and improve, nothing stays the same forever.

3. See change as your friend

A sign we saw recently on a local church read “You can’t control the wind but you have to adjust the sails”.

Don’t be afraid to do things differently, change can be challenging at first but it’s also exciting, it brings freshness and life.

* Look positively at what is working in your business and what is not.
* Are the things you are currently doing fulfilling the vision and purpose originally set? Are they working but need some adjustments – could they be better?
* Are there things you are not currently doing that should be explored?
* What about your staff or team members – do they have insights and suggestions that need to be actioned?
* Are there creative ‘One Off’ ideas to try for short periods to gain momentum?

4. Develop a culture of change

If the business has operated for some time without innovation and development it becomes difficult to introduce anything new or kill off anything that isn’t productive. People become very protective of their jobs.

How do you develop a culture of change – one where people are not threatened?

* Inspire the team – make sure your team are on board with the vision and purpose.
* Keep them up-to-date with progress.
* Get them involved in working out better ways to do things.
* There are changes that just HAVE to be made where individual staff are creating morale issues.
* Introduce changes needed over a period of time, and structure your business so that it can grow and change with minimal disruption.
* Get people used to the fact that there will be constant change in order to see the vision and purpose achieved.
* Celebrate –enjoy the journey!

There are times you will need to draw a line in the sand and start afresh. If you try to band-aid over or skirt the problems they will get worse.

5. Don’t change for change’s sake

Not everything has to be changed. Beware of throwing out your purpose and direction for the sake of innovation. Look critically at your business or organization.

* Are you doing too many things?
* Are there areas that need to be axed?
* Do you need to re-launch an area?
* Or simply have a cosmetic change – eg. design work or the décor of the reception area.
* Is there need for specific staff training

Whatever the innovations make sure they are moving you in the right direction for your life and business.

More information about Peter can be found at: http://www.prirvine.com/

There Is Nothing Permanent Except Change is a post from: OE Design Blog