The Dragonfly Lives.....By Joyce Oroz

























If you have not ventured into the Dragonfly Gallery in Aromas, why haven’t you? Not a gallery groupie? Haven’t the time for snooping around a cozy establishment bursting with creativity? You have better things to do? If I were you, I would spend a precious fifteen minutes investigating the claims I make about our beloved gallery. Discover for yourself the treasures on display. If you would like to know more about the artists, I will be happy to help you any Friday between one and four o’clock. Yes, there are Dragonfly t-shirts for sale along with hand-carved wooden Santas, handmade jewelry, knitted items, pottery, quilts, cards, wooden boxes, paintings, photographs, prints and books by local authors. What more could you possibly want? The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 to 4:00, but not this Sunday because it's New Years Day. Hope I see you Friday. Make it a New Years resolution!

Now, motor on down to 380 Blohm Ave., Aromas, California.

Video by Joe Truskot


















I recently heard from my friend, Joe Truskot, who has put together a video you don't want to miss--instructional as well as beautiful to watch.


Joe owns more talents than toes, including his rose book (Central Coast Rose Manual)


You'll find this video especially interesting if you've ever served on a board of directors for a nonprofit.


Passing the white glove test.....by Joyce Oroz



Holey moley, the new year is right around the corner—time to toss the tinsel and nix the pine needles. But I’m exhausted from the holiday hoopla. Suppose I don’t feel like cleaning closets right now. Suppose Aunt Clara is coming for a visit. Read on…….here is a little story from a friend that I want to share with you. She says, "I just read about a decorating tip that I thought was brilliant and wanted to pass it on. Go buy yourself some 'Get Well Soon' cards and put them on your mantle or table, so that when people come over and the house isn't Martha Stewart ready they'll see the get-well-cards and it will give you the excuse .... that you haven't been feeling well. A woman after my own heart. Brilliant."
hugs,
AR
Thank you, AR

Lint for Christmas

"In the spirit of Christmas............

A dear friend recently wrote……
When we went to New Orleans to see our son, Dave, he took us to various art galleries and one in particular had some "strange art." One artist had collected dryer lint for the last 10 years and then stacked it, by separating the years. The price of this art was substantial and I commented, "You have GOT to be kidding me!" I was quickly chastised by Dave, to remember that, "Art is in the eye of the beholder." I try. I really do try to let these things go but sometimes I just can't. So, as soon as I got home, I started collecting my dryer lint and the attached is Dave's Christmas gift from me. I know he'll be in awe with the lint from his father's underwear, bathroom rugs, towels, t-shirts and the like. This woman artist in New Orleans has nothing on me. I even amazed myself and this is my first ever try at stacking & collecting dryer lint ~ artist that I am. Enjoy the laugh and Merry Christmas to All!
AR

Thank you, my friend, for sharing

Who's Counting?......by Joyce oroz




An original carved wood Santa by Barbara Scoles

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” Albert Einstein

In Christmas terms, the knitted tie, the potted cactus, the pet rat and the electric nose trimmer might not be counted in the “most adored present list,” unless, of course, they were given with good intensions by people who love you. In that case, they make the top of the list.

Presents are tangibles, easily sorted, rated, recycled or trashed (in extreme cases.) But sorting out the family and friend dynamics is a little tougher. Does Aunt Mary wear the skunky perfume because she knows I hate it? Did Uncle Bob burp at the table because he didn’t like his gift from cousin, Martha—tickets to a musical? Will my niece ever forgive me for buying her a sweater three sizes too big? Yes, I gave George the peanut brittle--didn’t know he was allergic to peanuts. But I’ll call the paramedics right away. And so it goes with family and friends.

Isn’t it funny how God gives us ugly bilge to work on so that we can be more prepared for the bigger, more significant problems and choices in life—like, the choice whether to be happy—or not when your world seems to be falling apart.

This Christmas, count up all the good things in your life and put them in your breast pocket. Now add up the bilge and drop it in the dumpster with the knitted tie, the cactus, the rat and the trimmer, and walk away. Feel better? I hope so. Now, enjoy the new year with a happy heart!

Sandy discovers greatest recipe ever!.....by Joyce oroz






Sandy licks her lips when she reads my recipe book, and barks a happy tune when she discovers Barbara Gilkey's peanut butter cookie recipe. Being a typical Lab, she has a full range of favorite foods. She has been known to lick up spilled oatmeal, fermenting green leftovers, kitty pooh and other undesirable organics.

Moving along, I really should be baking in the sun on a beach in the Bahamas, but the reality is, I don’t have a ticket. While my mind is toasting in the sun, my hands are busy whipping up old-fashioned peanut butter cookies in a new-fashioned way. The recipe is so simple it only has three ingredients and it doesn’t even call for flour of any kind! Are those joyful shouts coming from the gluten-free peanut gallery? Now, let’s fire up our ovens and BAKE!!

Peanut Butter Cookies

1-1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup sugar
2 unbeaten egg whites

Blend peanut butter and sugar well.
Add egg whites and mix thoroughly.

Roll into walnut sized balls,
Place on ungreased cookie sheet
And flatten each one with a fork.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes @ 375 degrees.
Cool before removing from pan.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.








Falha santista

Após digerir como torcedor e como brasileiro a derrota acachapante do Santos para o Barcelona, chegou a hora de tirar a poeira deste espaço e voltar a escrever um pouco. Desta vez, um tema que vale a pena gastar um tempinho.

Li diversos textos. Muitos deram razões técnicas para explicar a derrota. Outros foram pelo lado de que a equipe catalã tem um futebol de outro planeta. Alguns ainda enalteceram o vice-campeonato do time brasileiro, mesmo com a goleada por quatro a zero.

Penso que, na verdade, a culpa pela derrota do Santos não está na má atuação de Paulo Henrique Ganso, nas falhas de marcação que deixaram Messi e Xavi cara a cara com o gol ou o preciosismo de Neymar, que prendeu a bola demais e que não soube finalizar quando teve chance.

O grande erro, a grande falha do Santos FC está em demorar 48 anos para voltar a ser campeão da Libertadores. Talvez, se tivesse ganho em 2003, enfrentasse uma equipe normal como o Milan, e pudesse ter alguma chance.

A verdade é que não se deve procurar culpados pela derrota tupiniquim perante aos espanhóis. Há equipes que simplesmente, são quase imbatíveis. Da mesma forma que Milan e Benfica não foram páreos para o Santos de 62/63, por mais que os dois adversários tivessem muitos craques, o Santos sucumbiu ao Barcelona porque não havia como ser de outra forma.

Eusébio era gênio, mas Pelé era mito. Na mesma moeda ficaram de um lado Neymar e do outro Messi. Não é necessário procurar culpados, apontar erros. Era inevitável. O Santos aprendeu, fora do campo, como administrar um clube com o Barcelona. Agora, é hora de tirar lições e como se portar dentro de campo como o time catalão.

Fim de temporada, hora de esperar pelo que vem em 2012.

gluten-free goodies.....by Joyce oroz






This is a recipe for Cherry Date Balls by Barbara Endersbe…..
gluten-free and fabulous!
I eliminated the granulated sugar because the dates and
cherries are so sweet—your choice.

Cherry Date Balls

2 eggs, well-beaten
1 cup sugar—optional
1 cup chopped nuts---I used pecans
1cup chopped dates
½ cup flaked coconut---I used unsweetened
½ t. almond extract
½ t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt
Cooking spray
36 candied cherries
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, sugar, nuts, dates, coconut, almond extract, vanilla and salt. Place in buttered 8-inch square pan.
Bake 30 minutes, stirring mixture thoroughly every ten minutes. Remove from oven and stir well, then let cool.
Spray a little cooking oil on your hands, then shape the dough into balls around cherries. Roll in powdered sugar.


This is my gluten-free recipe for molasses cookies……hope you enjoy them!

Molasses Cookies


2 cups almond flour
½ cup millet or rice flour

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 t. teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ginger

1 t. teaspoon cinnamon
¼ t. ground cloves

1/2 cup grapeseed or olive oil

1/2 cup black strap molasses
1 egg

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
Mix wet ingredients into dry
Scoop batter one tablespoon at a time onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet
Bake at 350° for 8 minutes
Cool and serve makes about 20 cookies

Gopher Takes Down five-year-old.......by Joyce Oroz




Gopher takes down five-year-old Shoestring Acacia

It’s hard to imagine a rodent the size of a small fruitcake, taking out a ten-foot tree. The tree happened to be a shoestring acacia I had babied for five years. I planted it in a wire basket, knowing there were critters in the ground plotting its demise. I faithfully tended my little tree, giving it food, water and kind words.

Two feet down, right under my feet, the gophers were laughing and doing high-fives as the acacia roots lengthened, eventually pushing their way out of the wire cage, and deeper into the sandy earth where the greedy monsters drooled and waited.

Over the years, my favorite little tree grew straight and tall, it’s branches proudly wearing thousands of foot-long stringy (but graceful) leaves. I imagined my tree growing to twenty feet and giving refuge to small birds needing a place to hide from the local cats. I couldn’t wait for its branches to stretch out and provide filtered shade over the grass.

Under the grass the fruitcakes were busy gnawing delicate tree roots down to the nub at a time when Mother Nature was orchestrating a mighty wind storm all over California. Finally the winds diminished enough for me to go about my gardening duties. Suddenly I noticed that my tree was leaning. I dropped the hose and reached out to the acacia’s slim reddish trunk. It easily moved several inches in every direction.

Life can be cruel, but I was not about to let my tree die. I raced to the back yard, making several trips actually, gathering long sticks, rope, a large rock and duct tape. I quickly staked and wrapped the trunk until it looked hokier than the blouse I sewed in my seventh grade Home Ech. class.

I quickly stuffed half a pack of juicy fruit gum into my mouth and chewed until it was soft. Juicy fruit is a gopher killer. I didn’t make that up. I poked the wad down a gopher hole. Now, if the tree grows new roots and the gophers partake of gum (and die) I will be satisfied. Later that day my neighbor told me his cat smelled like juicy fruit gum. A flavor I love!

El emprendedor es alguien que supo profesionalizar sus sueños




Si tuvieras ganas de correr una maratón, nadar en río abierto, escalar una montaña, ¿podrías hacerlos sin tener ese impulso, ese aliento vital que motiva a buscar siempre desafíos superiores a los ya alcanzados? Seguramente, no.









Los emprendedores no escapamos a esta ley natural. Las ideas son solo eso, y no tienen gran valor por sí mismas. El emprendimiento es 10% idea y 90% ejecución; y allí reside el impulso superador que diferencia a un emprendedor de un soñador. El soñador vive de sus ideas en un plano abstracto; el emprendedor, en cambio, vive con la visión enfocada en el cielo sin dejar que sus pies abandonen la tierra.





El emprendedor, por cierto, no puede escapar ni renunciar a la capacidad de soñar. Allí es donde comienza a tomar forma la visión. El soñador tiene una visión borrosa, el emprendedor tiene una visión que se corporiza rápidamente en su mente y crece hasta lograr salir de la cabeza para empezar a tomar forma en el mundo físico.





A partir de que la idea sale de la cabeza y tomar forma de emprendimiento, el emprendedor da cada paso buscando acercarla a su visión y mejorarla. Contacta con expertos, ingresa en competencias de planes de negocios, participa en eventos de networking y trata de dar todos los pasos necesarios para que su emprendimiento tome forme, arranque, prospere, se expanda y se multiplique.







Dicen que los corredores de alta competición entrenan a diario imaginando a diario el momento de competir y triunfar. Así viven los emprendedores, ese es su impulso y aliento vital.





El emprendedor no teme al riesgo, por el contrario lo asume como un desafío y un escalón para subir más alto. Tiene en su mente, corazón y espíritu a una trilogía de socios ideales.





El emprendedor es un soñador que realizó la capacidad de convertir la idea en visión y la visión en realidad.





FUENTE: http://www.emprendedoresnews.com

The Nosy Rat.....by Art Oroz



This little ditty comes from Art's novel, Okinawa Moon....taken from a real event and a really huge rat living in the B-29 bomber he was assigned to during the Korean War.


The Nosy Rat

by Arthur Oroz


The food was eaten,
But not by the crew.
Holes in the boxes,
Yet tied up like new.

I knew twas not me,
And it was not you.
So it must be the rat,
Not the B-29 crew.

We finally found him,
As huge as a cat.
Reading the plane’s log,
So cocky and fat.

Sadly we crowned him,
Hard with a mace.
Buried him deeply,
In a box lined with lace.

En social media: Calidad vs Cantidad




Constantemente en social media nos preguntamos ¿Qué es mejor cantidad o calidad?, sin embargo, cuando se trata de evaluar a nuestros seguidores "más no es siempre mejor". La popularidad entre todos en el muro de Facebook o en el TL de Twiter, no es tan gratificante o beneficiosa como lo son las relaciones específicas en las que comparten ideas similares, pasiones y/o metas.





Si evaluamos esto objetivamente, la calidad sería un vínculo claro al ROI, al ”retorno de la inversión” para el social media marketing, ya que está claro que la ‘inversión’ en un evangelizador de tu marca es muy inferior a la ‘defensa’ o ‘beneficio’ que puedes obtener de su defensa en las redes sociales.







El fin del juego no tiene que ver el número de seguidores que tenemos, sino el de como nos involucramos en los social media para que lo que aportemos sea algo valorable en la vida real y que aporte un valor por el cual la gente esté dispuesta a pagar. 





Físicamente en los medios de comunicación social se llega a un número de seguidores con los que no puedes interactuar, sin embargo la capacidad de obtener beneficios económicos (ROI) de las relaciones sigue siendo dependiente de la forma en que las construyamos: confianza, credibilidad y el diálogo. 





Son estas las actividades que traducen a las actuaciones on,line en retornos en el mundo 1.0.





¿Dónde podíamos decir que están los errores?





1.- Exceso de tiempo y energía invertido en los medios de comunicación social, sin planes ni objetivos claros y sin medición.





2.- Exceso de inversión (esfuerzo) en la recopilación de seguidores y no invertir en el compromiso con ellos para verlos como futuros clientes.





3.- Analizar cual es vuestra proporción de seguidores con los que nunca haz interactuado (es decir, retweeted, mencionados, etc).




FUENTE: http://anunciantes.eluniversal.com

Fish for December......by Joyce oroz









It’s December, time to take a trip to the aquarium, observe
the fish, their fabulous fauna and their freaky friends. Why December? Because
Christmas is coming and the average frazzle-minded shopper-planner person needs
a little get-away. How do I know that fish relax the mind? Because it happened
to me.

I entered the aquarium with food-lists, gift-lists,
to-do-lists and lists-of-lists buzzing in my head and weighting me down.
Moments later I was laughing hysterically at three rambunctious otters romping
and wrestling in and out of the water. Their fat fluffy bodies flailed and
flounced in pretend otter fights. They were having more fun than a sea animal
should be allowed to have and I couldn’t stop laughing.

Subsequently, my grandchildren led the way to a giant kelp
tank where a scuba-girl fed a variety of fish-types from a small bucket that
held an endless supply of recycled fish parts. She talked to us in garbled utterances
as she fed small squid to passing sharks.

Moving right along, our motley party visited Betty and Bee
(penguins) at, of all places, the penguin pond. Bee did her laps under water by
pressing her beak against the glass while working her wings back and forth (about
ten miles worth), coming up for air periodically. Betty preferred to pose,
penguin-style, on the rocks above, while Reggy waddled down the path looking
studly in his black and white tux.

Then came the octopus, spread-eagle and suctioned onto his
glass enclosure. His arms were as long as mine but he had six more of them.
From there we trekked to the opposite end of the building where we found
displays of swimming jellyfish, seahorses and silvery anchovies. Suddenly my
stomach growled and I had visions of fresh pizza. Fortunately, the restaurant
downstairs had everything we needed.

After a great lunch, we climbed the stairs and stood in the
dark in front of a giant (humongous) glass tank where sharks prowled, giant
turtles did the breast stroke and tuna loafed. Or was that lunch? At that
point, my mind was so relaxed, I would be lucky to remember the way home.

Book Review of "Read My Lipstick" (Josephine Stuart Mystery)


Dear mystery reading friends, I want to share a review of “Read My Lipstick” with you, and encourage you to cuddle up with your Kindle $4.99 and enjoy my stories. Yes, I am unabashedly asking for more reviews.

By B. Altman (Reviewer)
   
This review is from: "Read My Lipstick" (Josephine Stuart Mystery) (Kindle Edition) $4.99 

Well, Ms. Oroz has done it again!! A really fun book and I found it very hard to put it down. The adventures of Josephine and her darling Basset Hound...This story takes you all all the way from Aromos,Calif. to Tahoe in the snow. There is just one crazy thing after another that happens to Josephine. I am anxious for her next book..
I loved it!

Barbara Frances in stitches.....by Joyce oroz












Today I am interviewing a very special lady, Barbara
Frances, who is a remarkable and dedicated quilter. Her quilts are hand-stitched
(even king-sized quilts, hand stitched?) It's true. I watched her making those
tiny precise stitches over and over again. The results are astounding. Her
designs are original and speak about the glory of nature.

Barbara, how did you become a quilter? Did anyone
influence you along the
Way?

I was fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by marvelous
textiles and
handwork. My mom was raised in Madagascar, and had
wonderful fabrics and
African handwork that we were allowed to take to school
for “show and
tell” at an early age. As I got a bit older, I would
visit my grandmother
and watch her take fine, tiny stitches as she made doll
clothes for me,
and I wanted to be able to sew like she did. At age
eight, I designed and
sewed my first garment out of a pink flowered flour sack.
For some reason,
my mom did not want me to wear it outside the house. Go
figure!

When we were living in San Leandro, we weren’t able to
get to the beach
very often. I was missing the ocean, and wanted to have
something that
brought the look and feel of the ocean into our home. I
thought about the
Hawaiian quilts that I had fallen in love with while on a
vacation to
Hawaii. Since I had no experience cutting a true Hawaiian
quilt pattern, I
decided to use the seaweed picture I had in my mind, and
applique it on a
natural colored background to capture the essence of the
Polynesian style.
A friend saw my work and wanted the same style of pillows
for her new
sofa, but preferred leaves to seaweed, so I created
applique patterns for
her which were inspired by the plants around my home.

Please tell us about the technique you use. What is
different about your
work as compared to other quilters?

When I started working with appliques and hand stitching,
I decided that
since I was just doing this for myself, I could do
whatever I wanted. So I
used my favorite hand stitch, the running back stitch
that was easy, fun
and created a great texture. With the exception of one
row of binding, I
prefer doing all the work by hand, while sitting in my
antique rocking
chair. I enjoy the control of doing one stitch at a time,
and there is
something very soothing about hand sewing. I do not know
other quilters
committed to using only organic or sustainable fabrics,
or doing all the
work by hand, but it is what gives me satisfaction and
pleasure.

Barbara, these quilts are truly beautiful. What materials
do you like to
use and why? Who dreamed up the wonderful designs?

As a confirmed vegan and tree-hugger, I decided to use
only environmental
fabrics. I use organic cottons, hemp, hemp blends and
bamboo fabrics. I
used only organic cotton batting in the quilts for a
number of years, but
recently switched to a bamboo batting. The pillows that I
make have kapok
inserts (kapok is the fluff from the seed pod of a
silk-kapok tree). All
my designs are my interpretation of what I see in Nature.
I often take
pictures of kelp or copy a leaf for a pattern. We were in
Maui when I saw
a breadfruit tree for the first time. As many times as I
had read about
breadfruit trees, I never realized how big the leaves
were. So I traced
several sized leaves and brought the patterns home. I am
not a swimmer, so
several of the quilt patterns are my vision of what it
would be like to
swim among the seaweed. Since the subjects are always
earth related, I
feel it is very important to use only Earth and animal
friendly fibers.

When you are not quilting, what other creative things do
you enjoy doing?

When I’m not sewing, and that isn’t often, I enjoy
working in the yard and
garden or walking on the beach. Then I get new
inspiration, and head back
to the sewing room!

Barbara, how can the public look at more of your work and
where can they
purchase your lovely quilts?

My quilts are custom order only, since there are so many
options with
size, color and design. They have been shown at the Santa
Cruz Art League
Fiber Arts show, the Pajaro Valley Quilt show and the
Pacific
International Quilt show. We have also shown them at
events, such as Earth
Day, Cabrillo Music Art and Wine Festival and the
Capitola Art on the
Beach. Some of my wall hangings are available at the
Clear Heart Gallery
in Petaluma. We are expecting the new studio, located at
our home at 399
Carpenteria Road, Aromas, to be completed shortly after
the holidays. Once
completed, we would be happy to have people stop by to
see the quilts.

Thank you, Barbara for taking
the time to educate us on quilting. We wish you all the best.
-----

Flexibilidad: clave para llevar los cambios




Muchas pequeñas y medianas empresas que nacen como emprendimientos familiares necesitan de algunas claves para su expansión y desarrollo





Uno de los rasgos de las pequeñas y medianas empresas es lograr que sus empresas tengan éxito y puedan crecer en relación a las necesidades que se van desarrollando. 







La consultora Investopedia, especializada en elementos relacionados con las empresas, señala como primer paso para el crecimiento la planificación. En este sentido cita varios consejos para hacer frente al cambio y al crecimiento en las empresas: 





Organizar: la clave del éxito de una empresa es la organización, ya que permite completar las tareas y tener control sobre las necesidades que van surgiendo. Sugieren hacer lista de tareas diarias que cubra elementos como: la revisión de los inventarios, el análisis de los capitales, el estado de ánimo de la fuerza laboral, el contacto con los proveedores, las juntas semanales, etc. 





Registros: analizar permanentemente la salud financiera. Esto permite saber cuáles son los retos que podrás enfrentar en el futuro y es un arma fundamental que debes tener al día al momento de buscar accionistas, acceder a créditos o al buscar socios. 





Analizar la competencia: es importante que ubiques quién es tu competidor, qué lo distingue (precio, producto o plaza) y qué ha implementado que le haya dado buenos resultados. 





Riesgos y beneficios: la clave para tener éxito es saber tomar riesgos calculados que puedan impulsar la expansión de tu compañía. Cuando tengas que tomar una decisión importante respecto al futuro de la empresa, pregúntate: ¿cuál es el inconveniente? ¿Qué puede salir mal? Esto te permitirá conocer si la ganancia que podrías o no obtener es superior a lo que pones en riesgo. 





Ser creativo: es importante preguntar que más se puede hacer para impulsar el camino de la empresa. Estar abiertos a nuevos enfoques y destacar ante la competencia. 





Mantener la concentración: el éxito de un negocio no puede ser inmediato. Es importante tener claro conceptos como la constancia, la experiencia y el contacto permanente. 





Hacer sacrificios: es importante estar conscientes de que hay muchos elementos para sacrificar por las empresas. 







Proporcionar un servicio excelente: la mejor manera de distinguirse del resto de tus competidores es a través de la publicidad de boca a boca y eso sólo se logra de manera positiva, a través de un gran servicio al cliente. Esto es fundamental para hacer que un consumidor repita varias veces tu marca y que esté dispuesto a hablar bien de ti con sus conocidos. 





Ser consistente: “no dejar de luchar para lograr que un negocio reditué. Mantén un diálogo permanente con tus clientes y proveedores para saber qué esperan de ti, analiza periódicamente las necesidades de tu mercado e impulsa la innovación permanente en tu negocio, pues con esto le aseguras más tiempo de vida. 





FUENTE: http://www.mipunto.com

Quien tiene un cliente tiene un tesoro




Hay varios términos que se pueden emplear para definir las estrategias de fidelización que se llevan a cabo en una compañía, algo que resulta de vital importancia en un mercado tan competitivo como el actual. Para ello, IFAES y Altitude Software han realizado una lista de algunos de esos términos que resulta esencial conocer porque quien tiene un cliente, tiene un tesoro.







- Behavioral Targeting: es una de las herramientas más utilizadas. Se trata de segmentar al cliente en base a su comportamiento en internet: qué páginas visita, el tiempo que navega por ellas, la frecuencia de sus visitas, etc. Así, se crean perfiles de cada individuo y se identifican grupos o segmentos de usuarios con perfiles homogéneos. Así se pueden realizar ofertas personalizadas a partir del mejor conocimiento de nuestro cliente.





- Churn: es el término que se emplea para describir la tasa de pérdida de clientes. Antes pertenecía exclusivamente al ámbito del marketing, pero ahora ya está presente en las estrategias de negocio de todo tipo de empresas. También se considera un indicador de la insatisfacción del cliente, ya sea por el coste del producto o servicio o por alguna incidencia en su ciclo de vida.





- Club de clientes: es una comunidad de clientes prioritarios, que tienen acceso a una serie de ventajas como la presentación de un servicio preferencial, regalos, descuentos y mayor información sobre los productos.El club se sirve de elementos caracterísitcos como tarjetas de fidelización, publicaciones, regalos y descuentos.





- Crosselling o venta cruzada: es una estrategia de marketing que permite proponer, a clientes ya existentes, productos o servicios complementarios aprovechando cualquier comunicación formal que se realice con ellos. Así se pretende maximizar la venta de productos relacionados y fidelizar ofreciendo al consumidor productos que le resulten de interés.







- Growalition: es un término creado por Ernex, una compañía canadiense de fidelización, para describir el fenómeno de la ampliación de los planes de fidelización hacia nuevas y diferentes áreas, alcanzando relaciones estratégicas con empresas que no sean de la competencia. De esta forma, las ventajas para los consumidores se multiplican y, además, el beneficio se extiende a las empresas asociadas, ya que participan en un programa de fidelidad que no podrían gestionar de forma autónoma.





- Fidelidad Espuria o pseudofidelidad: tipo de lealtad en la que, aunque se adquiere el objeto de intercambio, el cliente puede cambiar su elección sin dificultad. Los gestores deben dirigir un incesante esfuerzo hacia los incentivos. Aún así, no se puede confiar en este tipo de fidelidad ya que el consumidor es muy susceptible al cambio. 





FUENTE: http://www.marketingdirecto.com

Shaking in Her Flip Flops....by Joyce Oroz


“Allie, put your collar up like this and pull down the hood. Nobody will know who we are, you know, in case the owner’s around.”

“Right,” Alicia said as she rolled her eyes and adjusted her jacket. “Why don’t we have lunch in that little café over there?” She pointed to what looked like an old cable car attached to the side of the pier about ten feet above the water. “We can watch the boat from there and no one will see us snooping around.”

The trek to Connie’s Café included climbing back up the steep stairs to the wharf, a short walk and then down a set of wooden stairs to the ‘open’ sign hanging on the Café’s weathered door. Alicia opened the door, looked inside, and grimaced.

“These places always look a little dingy, but that’s where the best food is,” I said as I nudged her through the door. “I love places like this.” We sat down at the first table with a view of the boats. It was near the door and across the small room from a group of four noisy men who were tan, windblown and smelled of fish.

“That’s our menu, up there,” a young blond woman with big hips said as she pointed to a scribbled chalkboard-list of foods hanging above the grill. “I’ll be back in a minute.” She marched over to the men and refilled their coffee mugs.

“See anything you want, Allie?”

“No salads, guess I’ll have the chowder. How about you?”

“Chowder sounds good. I wonder if they serve it in a bread bowl,” I said, brushing someone else’s crumbs off my paper placemat.

“Don’t forget to watch the boat.”

Avery's chicken and Art's ditty on Thanksgiving Day





Alright, already! I know it's not a turkey. Happy Thanksgiving.


True Love

It can happen at once,
With a look or a glance.
Or linger so sweetly,
It must be romance.

No matter, however, how
It happened to you,.
The lawyer’s your friend,

when it’s time to be blue.

The fault lies in heaven,
You both were so true.
The flower just withered,
It lost all its dew.

Your counsel agrees,
With all of your chatter.
While counting his silver,
So, what does it matter?

El mito de la marca y el branding




La marca, entre otras cosas, es la emoción que experimenta el consumidor cuando piensa en los productos y servicios ofertados por la empresa. Y es por eso que el branding es tan impotente, explica Geoffrey James en Inc.





Aunque es cierto que el branding puede asociar una emoción con un producto, hay sólo una cosa que puede crear una emoción en el consumidor: la experiencia del cliente con el producto.





Una vez que los consumidores comienzan a pensar que los productos de la marca son malos, no hay branding que pueda cambiar su percepción.







De hecho, intentar usar el branding para corregir los problemas de un producto logra casi siempre el efecto contrario. Lo único que consigue es hacer más evidente la diferencia entre el mensaje de la marca y el lo que consumidor sabe que es verdad.





Marcas como Coca-Cola, Apple o Sony invierten millones de dólares cada año en branding, pero también es cierto que marcas como éstas tienen siempre la misma historia detrás: que llevan años proporcionando productos excelentes al consumidor. 





Apple, por ejemplo, no es una gran marca por su logotipo o por su publicidad, sino por que la gente se siente bien cuando compra sus productos.





Por lo tanto que el logo sea fuerte y potente es importante, pero mucho más es la experiencia directa del consumidor. Así lo expresa Geoffrey James de Inc. Las percepciones terminan definiéndose en el momento de la verdad que se produce en el punto de venta. 





La marca es importante. Nadie duda de esta afirmación. Una marca fuerte es definitivamente más fácil de vender que una marca débil.





FUENTE: http://anunciantes.eluniversal.com

Aromas explodes with art! by Joyce Oroz































This weekend is a “two-fer,” two fantastic art sales in one trip to Aromas! The Holiday Art Festival at the Aromas Grange is in full swing Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 4:00. It is the first time ever that the Aromas Hills Artisans have put on this kind of all-out art show and sale under one roof. That’s right -- November 19 and 20, so get your list, check it twice and then check out the goods!

What can you expect to see at the Grange? How about zillions of original paintings, (oil, acrylic and watercolor), or maybe you want to feel the fun fur knitted items or gaze into stained or fused glass creations. The pottery is excellent, not to mention the photography, jewelry and on and on. Top it all off with some homemade baked goodies!

The other half of the “two-fer” is the Dragonfly Gallery, just one block from the Grange. You can’t miss the building decorated in extra large silver dragonflies all over it. Inside you’ll find wonderful arts and crafts and gift ideas such as worsted wool chickens, decorated magical boxes, jewelry, pottery, carved wooden Santas, Photographs, paintings, hand crafted wooden boxes and so much more. Even some signed copies of my book, Secure The Ranch and copies of Kathy Nichol’s book, Smell It Like It Is.
That’s how it is and we hope to see you there!

Dónde Encontrar Ideas de Negocio




“Las ideas, como las pulgas, saltan de un hombre a otro. Pero no pican a todo el mundo.” (anónimo) 





Según una encuesta reciente, una quinta parte de las personas invierten al menos 25 horas a la semana buscando conceptualizar nuevas ideas de negocio. Ideas que en su mayoría surgen fuera de la oficina, digamos en el supermercado, mientras conducimos el automóvil o bien durante alguna reunión social.





Hoy te damos algunas sugrencias de cómo aprovechar tus capacidades mentales y los ambientes más propicios para encontar formas de ganar dinero.







Lo primero que debes tener presente es que las mejores ideas de negocio surgen como solución a necesidades primordiales que existen prácticamente en cualquier lugar.





Sé observador. Mientras estés en la fila del banco, en la caja del supermercado o en el cine. Observa siempre a tu alrededor. Trata de descubrir necesidades latentes en las personas, en los sistemas o bien problemas que te dicen a gritos “aquí hay una oportunidad !”





Pregúntate a ti mismo: ¿ Cómo podría mejorar los servicios en éste lugar ? ¿ Que producto haría distinta la experiencia en esta empresa ? ¿ Que podría crear para hacer más fácil la vida de las personas ? ¿ Cuántos estarían dispuestos a considerar mi propuesta de solución ?





Considera ideas locas. No te detengas por pensar que alguna ídea es absurda. Algunas de las soluciones más creativas han surgido como resultado de ocurrencias que alguién penso que jamás funcionarían. No te rindas ante el primer “no”, recuerda que puede haber miles que digan “si”.





Anóta tus ideas. Muchas ideas grandiosas se pierden por el simple hecho de que nunca las anotas. Cuando algo genial venga a tu mente anótalo ! Luego, analízalo detenidamente, visualiza los detalles y pregunta a las personas de tu confianza que piensan acerca de ello.





Finalmente, inténtalo! Tal vez algunas ideas no te producirán el resultado soñado al inicio (o puede que sí) pero seguramente que tarde o temprano darás el golpe.





FUENTE: http://www.planemprendedor.com

Marketing Interno




Hay un dicho, muy popular que dice, la cara es el espejo del alma; y es que por muchos avances tecnológicos, siempre nos encontraremos una cara que nos atienda. La buena atención al cliente, forma parte del éxito de la estrategia de marketing.









Ha sido, esta gran herramienta de gestión empresarial, la que ha humanizado y valorado, al capital humano de la empresa, también llamado CLIENTES INTERNOS. Sabemos, que esta disciplina, ha investigado mucho el comportamiento humano, llegando a conclusiones como que el cliente es un ser con unas necesidades emocionales que busca en determinados productos y servicios.





Es muy grande, la aportación del marketing, a la gestión estratégica de los Recursos Humanos. Al igual, que debemos saber, y tener en cuenta lo que necesitan nuestros posibles clientes, y ofrecerles la atención que requiere la venta y el servicio; también hay que saber cómo se sienten y qué necesitan, los trabajadores.





La expresión egoísmo saludable, llevada a la práctica con buena intencionalidad, beneficia la consecución de los objetivos empresariales y la mejora de la calidad de vida laboral. Siendo saludablemente egoístas, no hay nada mejor, para aumentar nuestras ventas y nuestra producción, como acercarnos y tratar a nuestros empleados, como verdaderos clientes.





Hay algo que valoran mucho los trabajadores, y si pudieran lo comprarían en la empresa en la que trabajan: transparencia, atención personalizada, y valoración de su aportación laboral. Es muy interesante, que coincide con lo que están exigiendo los clientes.







Observo con mucho interés, la atención que nos prestan los trabajadores del sector servicios, y considero que podríamos mejorarla. Deberíamos plantearnos, seriamente, si la gran cantidad de cursos estandarizados que se imparten consiguen los resultados prácticos deseados. Las grandes empresas, ante la ineficacia de la formación estándar, están apostando por la formación personalizada con el objetivo de mejorar el rendimiento laboral. También, deberíamos reflexionar sobre los métodos y sistemas de gestión de los Recursos Humanos que estamos utilizando, para conseguir lo que muy acertadamente un conocido empresario del sector hotelero plantea la calidad de la cerveza, tiene mucho que ver con las manos que la ofrecen.





Está estudiado y demostrado, que el factor económico, no es el único que tienen en cuenta los trabajadores a la hora de valorar su satisfacción laboral; de ahí la importancia del llamado contrato emocional. Considero muy importante, para mejorar la imagen corporativa de nuestras empresas, que ofrezcamos concienzudamente algo que siempre hemos presumido tener, la hospitalidad y la calidez mediterránea, tanto a los clientes externos como a nuestro capital humano.





FUENTE: http://capitalhumano.wke.es

Julie Conrad takes the cake!...by Joyce Oroz...actually, she makes the cake





























































I am very excited to be interviewing Julie Conrad today. She is a shining star in the AHA's Galaxy. I saw one of her scrumptious cakes up close that just took my breath away. It was just one of many original, beautiful, creative, detailed, yummy cakes.




Julie, how did you get started in the cake business?

Well I have had two daughters grow up in 4-H. They always competed in the Home Arts Division at the Santa Cruz County Fair for baking. Each year we spent loads of time making cakes to come up with a winning cake recipe. The cakes tasted great but looked home made. As my children moved out I started taking cake decorating classes. I just did it as a hobby for friends and family. But the word spread and pretty soon I was getting calls from people I didn't know. So I decided to open up A Slice of Heaven Cakes last spring. We officially opened in July of this year. What are your favorite cakes to make?

Well honestly I enjoy them all, but I would say I have two types of favorite cakes. One is wedding cakes, I love to make the big elaborate cakes with all the fun wedding type decorations. The other type is where a client gives me an idea and lets me get creative with it. Like this chocolate cake they just said they wanted lavender- I had been wanting to do something different, so the dome was a fun challenge.Julie, please tell us a little bit about the process.

I usually ask for as much notice as possible when I am making a cake. It's not like a grocery store cake that is whipped out in a few hours. I start asking the client what they want, carved cake or standard cake shape. Then what type of decorations. Almost all of my cakes are made with some sort of sugar decorations. I start making them weeks in advance if possible. The figurines need time to dry and harden in between working on them. The flowers are a minimum of several days for the same reason. I start a rose by making the center several days ahead of time and let it dry. Then I hand make each petal and add them in one by one. Say for a peony it's about 40 petals, so you can see how this would be a lengthy process. Do you have hobbies or other fun things you like to do?

Over the years I have been an avid gardener, though while raising children and livestock I didn't have as much time to devote to it as I liked. I also love cooking, preserving, crafts. I was the local crafts and 4-H Guide Dog Leader for several years. I think my love of flowers and crafts really helps me now with the different aspects of the cakes. I also enjoy a little spot in my backyard that is reserved for the wild birds to come eat, bathe, and perch. That seems to be my latest passion, along with cakes. How can people see your cakes and contact you?

I have a website now for viewing my cakes and my flavor chart. asliceofheavencakes.com, also people can see my cakes on Facebook. I only make 2 cakes a week, 1 if it's a wedding cake or carved cake. By limiting my number of cakes I make each week, I can make sure to concentrate on the details. I usually ask of a deposit to hold the date. Some people have already booked into July and August of next year!

Contact me by phone at 831-726-1837.Thank you, Julie for a fascinating look at cake making.

Cómo identificar a una buena agencia de publicidad




Las empresas necesitan hacerse conocidas entre sus clientes, como también los productos que ofrecen. Para ello, las agencias de publicidad son fundamentales, ya que logran un objetivo que permite potenciar la imagen de una compañía y aumentar sus ganancias.







Para elegir una buena agencia de publicidad, según la agencia de publicidad eHow, debes fijarte en los siguientes aspectos.





1. Las relaciones. Las buenas relaciones con los clientes dice mucho de la grandeza de una agencia de publicidad, es decir, si esta conexión es sólida es porque hay confianza, lo que se refleja en los resultados finales de la empresa.





2. Las raíces. Una gran agencia de publicidad es aquella que mejor soporta el paso del tiempo. Generalmente este tipo de agencias son más fuertes que aquellas que se inician en el rubro, ya que cuentan con una extensa cartera de clientes y otros potenciales que desean ingresar en su red.





3. El retorno de la inversión. Una buena agencia pone el acento en maximizar el retorno de la inversión de sus clientes, por ejemplo, en una campaña publicitaria apostando por la simplicidad.





4. El nicho. La labor de una agencia de publicidad es descubrir el nicho al que deben dirigirse los esfuerzos publicitarios del cliente, por ejemplo, su público objetivo. También debe encontrar oportunidades en otros nichos siempre que éstos rindan frutos. 





Caso de éxito


Una agencia de publicidad exitosa es McCann Erickson por la campaña que hizo para MasterCard: “hay algunas cosas que el dinero no puedo comprar. Para todo lo demás, existe MasterCard”, por la que ha sido premiada en varias oportunidades.





El director de planeamiento estratégico y managing, Enrico Campochiaro, señala que el éxito se basa en todo un proceso para lograr objetivos. “Para alcanzar resultados exitosos, hay que generar grandes ideas y para eso es clave desarrollar plataformas estratégicas, donde lo esencial sea entender el problema”, agrega.







Eso es precisamente lo que debe hacer una buena agencia de publicidad, entender el problema del cliente, incorporarlo y resolverlo eficazmente. De esta manera, se fortalece la relación entre el cliente y la empresa en pos de resultados positivos para ambos.





FUENTE: http://www.altonivel.com.mx






A little ditty by Arthur Oroz

Bump in the Night


Has it happened to you,
in the middle of the night?
A sound, a movement,
Not much for a fright.

You listen so hard,
You can hardly listen.
Was that a thump?
I heard a bump bump.

Should I cover my head,

in my blanket secure?
My heart is pounding,
I must not demur.

So after more listening,
More noise in the house.
I crept creepy crawly,
Still as a mouse.

It was only a shutter,
Murmuring a mutter.
I closed it up tight,
so goodnight and goodnight.

Smell It Like It is.....Kathryn McKenzie Nichol's book......by Joyce oroz

Kathryn McKenzie Nichols once wrote a book called "Smell It Like It Is" full of insightful small-town facts and humor plus everything you ever wanted to know about garlic. Kathryn's books are on sale for six dollars at the Dragonfly Gallery in Aromas and proceeds will be donated to the Aromas Hills Artisans (a non profit organization for the arts)



California journalist Kathryn Nichols has been writing for newspapers and magazines for more than 25 years, and is the author of two books. "Smell It Like It Is" is a composite of local stories, landscapes and giggles. It's Kathryn's off-beat look at things like the county fair, the outlet mall, holidays and, of course, more garlic than you've ever seen in your life.



Kathryn Nichols grew up smelling the country air she writes about. She worked for eight years as a journalist in central California, writing for the Paso Robles Country News, the Hollister Free Lance and the Gilroy Dispatch, where the stories in her book first appeared. Nichols won many journalistic awards during her two-year tenure as lifestyles editor.



Kathryn is currently a Featured Contributor in several categories on the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and writes for Yahoo! TV, Yahoo! OMG and Yahoo! Movies. Kathy is also a home and garden writer for Patch.com, Bay Area Spaces magazine, and the Monterey County Herald, and writes about art and local personalities for Carmel Magazine and Artworks. She also helps edit the political website Foolocracy.com. When not writing, she can be found spending time with family and friends, watching a movie, or digging in the garden.
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