By Laura Ramirez Drain –Random Words Marketing Group

Do you know that the three fast-growing Virginia counties nestled near the nation's capital — Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William — are at the leading edge of a diversity explosion sweeping the USA. 
What are you doing to reach such diversity and specially the Hispanic Community? Do you know that they could help to grow your business?

​By: Brendan Casey, Arlington Transportation Partners

The term “transportation benefit” is thrown around a lot in discussions of employee benefits and compensation but people often don’t fully understand what the transportation benefit is or how it can help them. Confusion about the transportation benefit is completely understandable too – who wants to slog through dense IRS documents to learn the ins and outs of the transportation benefit? 

​by Carolyn Carlson, Data - Clear
Many of the Chamber's members may wish to communicate via obtaining a Business-to-Business (B2B) list.
The key fundamental components to successful messaging are: get a fresh updated list; have a good strong message using key words; and personalize the mailing to the micro-targeted audience to build a connection and for the customer to respond.  It is possible to have a great list, but if the wording is not clear or the reader does not feel your connection or potential partnership, it can miss the mark which means wasted dollars. For email outbound marketing, this means reading, analyzing and tweaking the content by looking at reporting statistics - open rates, click through rates, and how many people are unsubscribing to your outbound mailing.
When getting a B2B list, the prospect will want to work with a reputable company that uses multi-sourcing to check for address standardization, National Change of Address (NCOA), and removes deceased records from their national database. I know working partners who verify the deliverability status of each business email. I also buy records to test, then go back for a second larger purchase order.  B2B data is compiled from seminars, trade shows attendees, local boards, licensing boards, subscribers, industry associations and other data compilation sources. Records are cross referenced against national business data bases to ensure that each record is accurate. Scrubbing and verification of email addresses is done prior to providing a delivered file. The files meet Direct Marketing Association privacy, security, CAN SPAM complaint and are updated quarterly.
B2B Records contain: company name, company address, website URL, SIC code, NAICS code, industry, number of employees and sales volume and revenue.  Additional records can contain: contact first and last name, job title, rank (director level), functional area of work, area of focus, phone, email, fax, and gender. 
Business industry codes can be queried from National American Industry Classification System (NAICS) -http://www.naics.com/search. Once a business has determined what NAICS codes they are interested in prospecting, a query can be run.  Another set of codes to consider is Standard Industry Classification Codes - http://siccode.com. Sometimes one query may net your firm more records than another so I run both queries for a business client.  If interested in casting your marketing net wide a client may wish to obtain NAICS and SIC records for their prospecting if the budget will allow.  

by Scott J Greenberg, CFP®, RICP, ChFC, Scott J. Greenberg Private Wealth Management
As a financial professional, I meet a lot of skeptical people.  Often they are coming to see me because they suspect something is afoul, don’t feel like they are getting the whole story, or it may be the first time they are ever really opening up their financial info to someone new.  So, I get it.  However, I have found success winning consistent referrals in this skeptical marketplace and I thought it would be helpful to share some reasons why.  People are afraid of what they don’t understand, so I focus most of my attention on education to maximize comfort, and truly caring about those I serve.
In our experience, people understand that various investments come with risk, but just want to understand what those risks are and how they may affect their account. I always start with a very straightforward conversation on the risks associated with the current plan and any recommendations proposed.  Investment risks can include market risk, inflation risk, reinvestment risk, interest rate risk, and others.  Putting these into context where it’s a balanced discussion, and in an easy-to-understand way, makes all the difference.  The main goal here is to use layman terms while providing the full story clearly and concisely and to steer clear of any jargon that can only add confusion.
Right after risks are costs.  In a previous blog, I described some of the costs associated with investing that some people are unaware of.  In my experience, most people are OK with paying for something as long as they can see the value in it.  While there are certainly some, typically less informed, individuals who approach long-term investing with a “cheapest is best” mentality, most sophisticated professionals prefer to not financially plan for their future the same way they would shop for socks or cereal (and most folks wouldn’t just want the cheapest versions of those either!).  So, I introduce the costs involved with any option, clearly demonstrate the value that cost is providing, and allow my clients to make their own informed decision.
Above costs or risks, is simply caring.  When our clients come to see us, they can feel something different right away.  We are fortunate enough to work with people whom we thoroughly enjoy, appreciate, and know that we can help.  This can be felt, and isn’t something that takes much practice.  In my opinion, the single reason why we receive consistent referrals in a skeptical marketplace is because we care, and it shows.  A phone call to check in, a friendly email, or a quicker-than-expected turnaround on a simple task lets people know we care.  Combine that with a straightforward conversation on risks and costs, and it’s a formula that has at least worked for me.  We hope others can use these very simple and intuitive ideas to improve their refer-ability in their own marketplaces.
This general information should not be construed as investment advice.  Scott Greenberg offers securities through AXA Advisors, LLC (NY, NY 212-314-4600), member FINRA, SIPC, offers investment advisory products and services through AXA Advisors, LLC, an investment advisor registered with the SEC, and offers annuity and insurance products through AXA Network, LLC. Scott J Greenberg Private Wealth Management is not a registered investment advisor and is not owned or operated by AXA Advisors or AXA Network.  Individuals may transact business and/or respond to inquiries only in state(s) in which they are properly qualified.  AGE-109877(01/16)(exp.01/18)