Filed under: Competitive strategy, Marketing and advertising, Small business

With so much noise about online advertising and social media, the topic of telesales seems kind of outdated, if not obsolete. Yet, in today's rough economy, telesales may be even more important; that is, it can be an effective way to get someone -- who is noncommittal -- ultimately to buy your product.

So, how can your company leverage telesales? Let's take a look.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Key steps for telesales success

Entrepreneur's Journal: Key steps for telesales success originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Earnings reports, Forecasts, Alcoa Inc (AA), Chevron Corp (CVX), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Economic data

The second half of the calendar year has begun, and earnings return to the spotlight this week. As usual, Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) is among the first of the S&P 500 to report quarterly results. For the second quarter in which Alcoa agreed to sell its wire harness and electrical distribution business and its fastening systems business expanded into Morocco, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the New York-based aluminum producer to report swinging to a net loss of $0.34 per share from a profit of $0.66 per share in the year-ago period. Second quarter revenue is expected to have fallen 48.3% to $3.9 billion. The full-year forecast is currently for a loss of $1.04 per share and revenue of $16.7 billion (-38.0%). Alcoa has missed expectations in the past three quarters, by as much as 17 cents per share. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 10.0%, which is better than the sector average. Alcoa slashed its dividend earlier this year, and the First Call consensus recommendation remains to hold AA. However, TheStreet.com recommends it as an against-the-grain pick. At $9.86, shares are down 12.4% since the beginning of the year, and recently have been bumping up against the 200-day moving average.

Continue reading The week in preview: Focus returns to earnings: Alcoa, Chevron, Family Dollar

The week in preview: Focus returns to earnings: Alcoa, Chevron, Family Dollar originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Deals, Oil

Now that Iraq is an independent country, the oil ministry has started putting its oil fields up for bid to foreign investors, as reported in The Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

Bidding started this week and is not going well according to oil executives. The reason is that Iraq is cutting its payout to the bone. Only one consortium, led by BP (NYSE: BP) and including China National Petroleum Company, ended up staying in the bidding and making a deal. All other oil executives walked away from the bidding.

Continue reading The Iraq War was fought for oil -- now we have none of it

The Iraq War was fought for oil -- now we have none of it originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Earnings reports, H and R Block (HRB), General Mills (GIS)

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) posted better-than-expected Q3 earnings due to higher enrollments.
• Ball Corp. (NYSE: BLL) expected earnings growth resulted in an upgrade from one analyst.
• Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) shares soared after Q1 earnings topped analysts' expectations.
• General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS) profit doubled in Q4, beating estimates, and annual sales also rose.
• H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) reported earnings growth for the fiscal year but essentially flat revenues.
• Schnitzer Steel industries Inc. (NASDAQ: SCHN) surprised analysts with a Q3 loss, sending shares lower.
• Sealy Corp. (NYSE: ZZ) Q2 earnings fell short of expectations and revenues declined due to the recession.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: General Mills, Apollo Group, H&R Block, Sealy ...

Earnings highlights: General Mills, Apollo Group, H&R Block, Sealy ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Earnings reports, Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Stocks to Buy, Recession

My final all-American brand is Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL). The company is well-known for its toothpaste and toothbrushes. But Colgate-Palmolive also owns dozens of strong brand names, including Irish Spring, Speed Stick, Ajax, and many others.

Some investors may think of Colgate-Palmolive as a dull stock. That's fine by me.

The shares are far less volatile than most stocks on Wall Street. Even though the market overall is well below the highs it reached in the third quarter of 2007, shares of Colgate-Palmolive were never punished nearly as hard.

Continue reading All-American stock #3: Colgate-Palmolive (CL)

All-American stock #3: Colgate-Palmolive (CL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Earnings reports, Consumer experience, Amazon.com (AMZN), Stocks to Buy

The next all-American brand is the world's largest bookstore, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN). Actually, it's not quite correct to call Amazon just a bookstore anymore.

Relentless expansion has propelled Amazon in countless directions in the quest of bigger sales and profits. The company's main website now offers everything from books to auto parts to groceries!

Shoppers can also download digital content, such as games, MP3s, and movies to their computers or handheld devices -- including Amazon's innovative portable reader, the Kindle, which is on fire.

Continue reading All-American stock #2: Amazon (AMZN)

All-American stock #2: Amazon (AMZN) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Walt Disney (DIS), Viacom (VIA), News Corp'B' (NWS), Film

News Corp.'s (NASDAQ: NWS) new computer cartoon, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, had a strong domestic debut this past Wednesday. It opened with $13.8 million on that day, which represents a record-breaking performance for an animated feature released in the middle of the week. Now, just recently, I mentioned how I hate it when Hollywood promotes the breaking of a record. It tends to be very qualified. This situation is no different. Still, I'll give credit where credit is due. Dinosaurs is doing well so far.

We'll have to see how the weekend ultimately treats the new feature. The competition is stiff. It's the July 4th holiday, and Viacom (NYSE: VIA) is out there with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Thankfully, News Corp. won't have too much to worry about from Disney's (NYSE: DIS) Pixar cartoon Up. As can be seen by a Boxofficemojo chart, the excitement surrounding Up has faded. News Corp. was naturally counting on this to happen by this point in time.

Continue reading 'Ice Age' sequel off to good start -- what does this say about Disney and Pixar?

'Ice Age' sequel off to good start -- what does this say about Disney and Pixar? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Earnings reports, McDonald's (MCD), Stocks to Buy

Leading off is one of the very symbols of U.S. capitalism, McDonald's (NYSE: MCD). You can't get much more American than MickeyD's.

The irony is that McDonald's strength recently has been due to its expansion in foreign markets.

There are currently more than 30,000 restaurants in 120 countries. Less than half of the restaurants are located in the United States. McDonald's has been doing especially well lately, thanks to the recession.

Continue reading All-American stock #1: McDonald's (MCD)

All-American stock #1: McDonald's (MCD) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Citigroup Inc. (C), Bank of America (BAC), Comfort Zone Investing

Bank failures are good. They get rid of banks that are mismanaged and have no business being in banking. Bad management at many banks made lots of bad loans and deserve to go under. The biggest example was Washington Mutual. And Countrywide belongs in there as well. Of course, there are a large number of smaller, community banks that also made bad loans that won't make it either.

That's OK. In fact, it makes the banking system stronger to have these marginally-managed or poorly-managed lenders gone. They artificially hike up the cost of deposits for all banks as they struggle to finance their bad loans, whether they're housing or commercial or business. Bad banks need more cash to keep them going, so they bring in more deposits. They bring in more deposits by raising rates.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Survival of the fittest -- letting some banks fail

Comfort Zone Investing: Survival of the fittest -- letting some banks fail originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Amazon.com (AMZN), McDonald's (MCD), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Stocks to Buy

Today is the 4th of July, and the nation is busy celebrating its 233rd birthday.

The past year has been pretty rough for the old Republic, with the economy going through its worst spat in 80 years.

Still, I'm an optimist, and I think we'll come through this stronger than ever. To honor America's birthday, I want to highlight three great all-American brands that deserve a place in your portfolio.

Continue reading Three All-American stocks for portfolio fireworks

Three All-American stocks for portfolio fireworks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Rants and raves, Competitive strategy, Workspace, Media World, Headline news

While Michael Jackson is referred to affectionately by fans as the "King of Pop," he could have just as easily carried the title "The hardest working man in show business" except for the fact that elder statesmen of the music world, the late James Brown earned that title first.

While recriminations are being thrown around about the specific cause of Jackson's death, the primary reason he passed away may really have been overwork. In truth, his sleep disorder, eating disorder, drug dependency, and seemingly bizarre behavior at times may have all stemmed from his obsessiveness. He truly gave his fans everything he had in him right to the very end.

Continue reading Michael Jackson fireworks, the workaholic

Michael Jackson fireworks, the workaholic originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Television, Walt Disney (DIS), Viacom (VIA), Sony Corp ADR (SNE), News Corp'B' (NWS), Media World

Disney (NYSE: DIS) programmed a new movie recently on one of its prime media assets. The film, titled Princess Protection Program, debuted on the Disney Channel and stars a young actress named Selena Gomez. The casting choice was no accident. Because Disney tries to be as synergistic as possible (the company is generally good when it comes to the science of synergy, although there are certainly opportunities for it to be even better), the Mouse made sure to use Gomez since she is the popular star of another Disney Channel program called Wizards of Waverly Place, a project meant to capture at least a little of the Harry Potter magic.

Continue reading Disney Channel does it again with 'Princess' film, but it still has challenges

Disney Channel does it again with 'Princess' film, but it still has challenges originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Personal finance, Small business

This is bizarre at best but its true. In Latvia there lives a man named Viktor Mirosiichenko who heads a company called Kontora Loan Company. Who is this man and what is so unusual about him? He will make a loan to you if you sign an "agreement" and pledge "your immortal soul" as collateral.

Mr. Mirosiichenko's company employs no debt collectors for those who refuse to pay back the loan, nor will he employ violence against those who don't pay back. Signatures on the agreements show only the first name and do not show any documents.

Continue reading Would you pledge your soul as collateral for a loan?

Would you pledge your soul as collateral for a loan? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: NIKE, Inc'B' (NKE), Business of sports

So, we are approaching the final semifinal match to set the men's Wimbledon finals. Americans will be rooting for Andy Roddick while Britain will be rooting for Andy Murray (a native Scotsman). The last time a Brit won Wimbledon was in 1936, when Fred Perry accomplished the feat. What is interesting is that Fred Perry is a sponsor of Andy Murray, and the company stands to make a pretty penny should Murray win Wimbledon. That said, the article I linked to by Darren Rovell brings up an interesting point - how much money is Fred Perry losing because Andy Murray wears Nike (NYSE: NKE) shoes?

Continue reading JockStocks: Fred Perry knows its boundaries, lets Nike make Murray's footwear

JockStocks: Fred Perry knows its boundaries, lets Nike make Murray's footwear originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Bad news, Market matters, Recession

Unlike the stock market, the bond market thrives on "bad" news. Why is this? The main reason is the money trail. Investors are quick to move their money from stocks into bonds when something bad happens.

Yesterday we had plenty of bad news. The U.S. job market lost 467,000 jobs, a 26-year high. Now to add fuel to the fire, wages are dropping due to layoffs and shortened work weeks (WSJ subscription required). Fewer people are working, which means less money that consumers have to spend. That signals a slower economy.

Continue reading Bad news triggers a rally in the bond market

Bad news triggers a rally in the bond market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Private equity, Financial Crisis

Remember the heyday of the housing boom when investors would "flip" properties? Speculators would put a down payment on a property, usually a new construction, and sell it before it was completed with a fat profit. But the "flippers" got bagged when the price of real estate started dropping. Many just walked away from their deposits and left developers holding the bag.

Why is this idea of flipping real estate important now? Well, it seems that private equity investors buying troubled banks will be prohibited from "flipping" the bank for at least three years. In addition, regulators are requiring purchasers to maintain a capital ratio of 15%, three times the ratio required of other banks.

Continue reading No-flipping, increased-capital rules proposed for buying troubled banks

No-flipping, increased-capital rules proposed for buying troubled banks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Apple Inc (AAPL), Market matters, General Mills (GIS), Yum Brands (YUM), Cramer on BloggingStocks, Recession

• Unemployment Rate Climbs to 9.5%
• Today's Outrage: Companies Lack Courage

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says there's good in this market -- remember that.

Does unemployment trump everything? Does it trump Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) (Cramer's Take) sales? Does it trump 3G and 4G? How about Chinese orders? How about General Mills' (NYSE: GIS) (Cramer's Take) numbers? Yum!'s (NYSE: YUM) (Cramer's Take) business? Does unemployment trump pending home sales? Or order pick-ups in autos and a subsequent bottom?

That's what you have to ask yourself when you sell. You have to ask yourself whether 40,000 or 60,000 jobs trumps everything good that has happened. You have to ask yourself if the government were to take 100,000 of those people and give them jobs taking care of federal lands and parks or working at the post office or having them go into a conservation corps, whether we would be up and not down.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Don't paint everything with the jobs brush

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Don't paint everything with the jobs brush originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Sprint Nextel Corp (S)

When Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) released a $50/month "unlimited everything" plan with its Boost Mobile prepaid unit back at the start of the year, it never knew what firestorm it would eventually set off. Indeed, that move caused a huge spike in Q1 subscribers to Sprint, with a number north of 700,000 -- and it caused the prepaid wireless competition to start offering low monthly costs for unlimited talktime plans (often with unlimited use of other features).

Tracfone, the largest prepaid service in the U.S., has finally fallen into place. The prepaid reseller's "Straight Talk" pan will cost $45 per month for unlimited talktime, further making comparisons of prepaid and post-paid wireless easy for many cash-strapped consumers. With post-paid wireless plans costing $99 and up for unlimited talk, prepaid plans for half the cost are soaring during the recession.

Continue reading Sprint Nextel, Leap Wireless stand to lose some business

Sprint Nextel, Leap Wireless stand to lose some business originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Recession, Financial Crisis

What a way to go into the holiday weekend, eh? On Thursday, seven banks were shut down by authorities, which pushed the total of failed banks for 2009 to 52 -- which more than doubles the number of bank failures in 2008. Six of the seven banks seized were located in Illinois and the other was in Texas, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

According to the federal group, the Illinois failures are interlinked, as all six banks were controlled by one family and used a similar business model. The FDIC noted that this model "created concentrated exposure in each institution." This model left the banks heavily exposed to collateralized debt obligations and other loan losses. The six banks brings the total of failed banks in Illinois to 12.

As for the Texas bank failure, it was the first in the state this year.

Continue reading Seven banks go up in smoke ahead of the holiday weekend

Seven banks go up in smoke ahead of the holiday weekend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.