Introduction: Uniqueness Is Power is all about saving a company's bottom line. One of the things I love about our guest today, Amy Otto, is that she is with a company that will definitely help people save money and improve productivity. Amy is with a company that I would be willing to bet everyone is familiar with, but we're probably not familiar with what she brings to the table for them. The company is AFLAC, and there are a lot of changes going on today in the world of healthcare and wellness. The is a lot of positioning within the marketplace. Welcome to the show, Amy.

A lot of AFLAC agents don't have a wellness background like Amy Otto. Some of the changes that AFLAC is making are focused on wellnes programs, which is right up Amy's alley. President Barack Obama announced in March that one of the biggest threats to our nation is the skyrocketing price of healthcare. He said that one out of every six dollars spent in the United States goes for healthcare.

AFLAC is taking a unique approach to healthcare by promoting wellness programs. Otto said that in 2006, studies show that $2.1 trillion was spent on healthcare in our country. AFLAC and Otto work with businesses to implement wellness programs called AMPE - Awareness Motivation and Personal Empowerment. AMPE touches employees at least 94 times a year through monthly emailed newsletters, paycheck inserts with healthy tips, breakroom posters, table cards for cafeterias, quarterly health initiatives, lunch-and-learn programs and more.

Otto said that AMPE is free of charge for the first year, and that if a company decides that it doesn't want to continue with the wellness program before the one-year trial is over, there are no obligations. If, however, companies realize the benefit of AMPE and want to continue offering it to employees, the cost is $1.25 per employee per month. AMPE also offers incentives to employees who take part in the wellness program.

AMPE also offers employees 600 only exercise videos, weekly webcasts and more. Otto said that studies have revealed that employers can save as much as $16 for every $1 invested in wellness programs like AMPE. For more information on AFLAC's wellness program, contact Amy Otto at amyotto@comcast.net or call 404-310-1777.

When/Where:
Thursdays at 6 pm est - www.uiplive.com or download past episodes, 24/7 at this address, www.uniquenessispower.com - We broadcast from Atlanta, GA off Glenridge, north of 285.

What:
Uniqueness is Power is a marketing, business growth solutions show, centered around the idea that businesses can thrive and expand if they are given fresh ideas of how to market themselves, and shown ways to save bottom line cash each month.

Who:
Andy Greider and Lee Kantor are acknowledged marketing and business growth experts, and each week, we explore hot topics, have on a Business Booster guest (someone who can either save you money, or increase sales) and our Unique of the Week (someone standing out in a crowded industry who is willing to share how they do it.)

Why:
Hang out with us for an hour a week and find out more about how to grow your business and get more bang for the bucks you put into your marketing, communications and technology, plus on the services you use each month.  Uniqueness IS Power - and Business Growth Solutions is what we're all about.

Contact:
Send us an email (andygreider@comcast.net) or give us a call (404) 516 4204.

Introduction summary: E-Factor is an incredible resource for entrepreneurs, from start-ups all the way up to established companies with business of $10 million a year. The first time I saw E-Factor, I was blown away. I wondered how this type of service could be offered, especially in a complimentary fashion like E-Factor does. We have the founder and Chief Technology Officer of E-Factor with us, Marion Freijsen. Welcome to the show, Marion.

One of the pillars upon which E-Factor was built is the belief that a successful business venture is going to be much more likely when it is done with someone that you have a personal relationship with. E-Factor is a community that was built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. While networking sites like LinkedIn are becoming more popular, Freijsen believes that "LinkedIn is for collectors and E-Factor is for connectors."

Freijsen believes that LinkedIn is effective for those who want to make more contacts and check on the status of contacts, but E-Factor is about building trusted relationships that will help a person expand their business, whether it is on a local or global level.

E-Factor is now in 134 countries and has just under 750,000 members. E-Factor helps put entrepreneurs in touch with people who can guide them to prepare their best sales pitch for their company, write an effective business plan and secure financing and funding.

One of the core beliefs that Freijsen has with E-Factor is that people wil invest in a business because they trust and like a person and believe that they will deliver the best results possible. She said that investors don't necessarily simply look for the best business model, but that they want to invest in people.

To get started on E-Factor, all someone has to do is visit www.efactor.com and answer about six profile questions. Freijsen said that there is a free membership level and four others that range from $15 to $99.50 a month. No matter which level of membership a person chooses, Freijsen said that E-Factor is designed to help entrepreneurs cut costs, raise financing and grow their business.

Linda Wind, CEO and Founder of Wind Enterprises

Linda Wind is the driving force behind the 12th Annual Possible Woman Leadership Conference set for April 21 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. This conference offers a star-studded lineup of successful women who will share their stories with conference attendees.

The keynote speaker for this year's conference is Dee Dee Meyers, the first woman and the youngest White House Press Secretary in our country's history. Also sharing their insight into how to be successful on both a personal and professional level will be Joe M. Turner, America's Corporate Magician; Thurbert Baker; Nicki Keohohou, CEO of The Direct Selling Women's Allicance; Marsha Sampson-Johnson, SVP and Chief Diversity Officer of The Southern Company; Anne Cramer, Director of IBM of North America; Deborah Storey, Vice-President of AT&T and Pat Falotico, Vice-President of IBM.

The theme of this year's Possible Woman Leadership Conference is "Power, Promise & Possibilities: Women Creating the Magic of Change. The conference will feature workshop sessions with various leaders, plenary sessions, breakfast, lunch and time to network and visit the exhibitor's booths at the GWCC.

Cost for the 12th Annual Possible Woman Leadership Conference is $150 for strategic partners and $185 for non-partners. Exhibitor space is still available for $250 (for-profits) and $150 (non-profits).

For more information about the 12th Annual Possible Woman Leadership Conference, call Linda Wind at 770-856-4767 or visit www.windenterprises.com.

Tim O'Connor, EVP Campaign Mojo

With the economy getting worse all the time, or at least people's perception of it getting worse, businesses feel the need to cut costs. It often seems like the first area they cut is Marketing and sales, the things that bring them revenue so they can have a business.

Campaign Mojo is a software development company that created a platform to allow businesses to create, launch and track all of their Marketing programs. Through a single login, clients can create and manage Marketing campaigns - direct mail, email, banner ads, newsletters and more - in which all of the elements match up as far as look, feel and design. Campaign Mojo provides clients with simple, yet detailed tracking information on these Marketing campaigns so they know exactly where responses are coming from. Because users log in from one place and everything is tracked from one place, it allows them to only invest in Marketing efforts that actually produce results.

With Campaign Mojo, these Marketing campaigns can be launched in minutes or hours as opposed to weeks and months that previous Marketing programs required. The more elements that a campaign has, the more time it will take to create and launch, but it is still a quick turnaround.

Campaign Mojo can build your website for you and then create, manage and track various Marketing campaigns. If, however, you have a successful website, Campaign Mojo can implement a URL into its system that will closely mirror your domain name. That URL would then host all of the Marketing programs and track the results.

Campaign Mojo offers a demo that will walk you through the program and all it has to offer your business. There is a one-time start-up cost for Campaign Mojo of $599, and then there are programs that range from $99 to $500 a month, depending on their complexity.

For more information about how Campaign Mojo can help you grow your business, call 800-481-4319 or visit www.campaignmojo.com.

In today's Uniqueness is Power, we interview entreprenuer Charles Fellingham about the Purple Podium - an intensive, interactive, dynamic and intimate public and political (non-partisan) speaking seminar.

This two day workshop prepares the elite partipants for the rigors of speaking in today's environment to succeed in both the political arena and public eye.  Materials draw from the best examples of both what to do, and what not to do.  Participants take part in immersive training that helps them learn to win over constituents, handle opponents and build a brand and online presence others will covet.

Each member will be videotaped and critiqued; materials will be available for review under private passwords.

This provides a significant difference from other speaking seminars in the intensity, the interaction and the focus on style and delivery, the backbone behind substance.  Participants are engaged in a wide scope of activities to learn how to handle press, interviews, debates, rope lines and more.

Check out www.thepurplepodium.com or Google Charles Fellingham for more information.

Having been a part of non-profits for all her life, when the chance came along to help with an incredible fundraiser, Kathy Greider was excited.  Sporting two programs that allow non profits to gain exposure and raise significant funds through relatively little work, when compared to other fundraisers, she knew she had to share it with others.

First, there is the matching program – which works something like the Premium program in Public TV.  Donors make a pledge of $100, $150, $300 or $500 and gain back an equal value rebate certificate for gas or groceries.  “One of the reasons we like this so much, is it focuses on the two things people need, even, or perhaps especially, in a down economy,” says Kathy.

Next, there is the Faith Promise Campaign – where church parishioners pledge a one time $50 donation.  They are given 1x$500 gas and 1x$500 grocery certificate.  They register and send in the receipts and vouchers each month as directed – and when they gain their $50 back each month (one $25 gas, one $25 grocery) – they turn around and pen a check to the church for that amount.  “Donations with ‘found money’ make sense – all you’re asking is for your church member to do a tiny bit of legwork each month,” says Kathy.

The beauty of both these programs is that in either, there is a capability to raise funds, while giving back or at least not taking away.  In a world where charity and giving are decreasing due to the down economy, it is important to reward those who help you.  Also, these programs drive “word of mouth” spread like wildfire within customer and donor bases.  Call Kathy to find out more at 404 313 8208 or Google her for more info.

Brainstorming ideas is easy (relatively.)  It is finding the ones that work and will be accepted and acted on that is hard.  Yet, somehow, Mike Wittenstein always delivers.  His ability to spot patterns, trends and ruts, even – and help people sidestep obstacles to success, concentrate on who is the core end user and target, and then storm ideas until he finds the one that will work in the given situation is unparralelled in my experience. 

Listen in.  Mike is brilliant, yet humble.   Insightful yet down to earth.  Able to see things most other people miss.  Bizvoiyant (as in clairvoyant about business.)  The ideal “Entrepreneur’s Merlin” at the round table of business.  Yeah, I know, hefty praise.  But you know what – he lives up to it.  And as my coach used to say, it’s not arrogant if you can back it up – it’s called swagger.  So, Mike has swagger…REALLY big swagger.  You can Google him to find out more and see his video at www.mikewittenstein.com.

Mike is available for prices between $2,000 and $12,000 for the day.  You get a new outlook on your business you often can’t find yourself.  It may be hard to comprehend, but having experienced it myself, I know that in one hour or two – Mike can transform your reality to a new way of being that really delivers those “million dollar ideas” – which are the big ideas that can be acted on – and will be accepted and implemented without fading out.  At the upper end of his range, he does speaking, consulting and education as a combo package.  You’ll never have spent better money.  Period.

To open the show, we discuss how, in the current economy, people have a real opportunity to taste success.  However, that doesn’t mean to just whip out a letter, stick a stamp on it and expect great things.  Listen in as we give you the vital tips to both creating and launching an excellent marketing letter – and subsequent campaign of many touches.

Our guest, Ruth King, of Profitability Channel and Ribbon, joined us – and to start, jumped in on the opening topic of marketing materials and letters.  From there, we moved on to cover the new show, Niche, for Profitability Channel – to be hosted by Andy – and we discussed the powerful training tool and business resource the channel has become.  Ruth announced a special for members drive – and she also gave out a few pieces of free advice on how to avoid tax issues, other business paperwork problems and how to get the most for your training dollars.  In conclusion, we discussed the e-Learning, training, CE credit courses and video conferencing available on Ribbon.  Be sure to tune in to catch this dynamic and well spoken guest as she helps you improve your business.

Tune in next week, when we’ll have John Lehmberg from MakeItLoudSites.com on.

==========================================================

This week's show is brought to you by QAlias and Grocery and Gas Today, with hosts Andy Greider and Lee Kantor.

Uniqueness is Power is a marketing and business growth show, broadcast live Thursdays 6-7pm eastern, and downloadable by podcast, or RSS Feed.  Please send any questions to andygreider@comcast.net.

Also, if you have a product or service or advice that can boost a business or know of a company innovative enough to be an Unique of the Week, drop Andy a line

As always, on Uniqueness is Power, we have a heavy hitting lineup of information ready for you.  Lee and Andy open the show by addressing how the current marketplace can make you a fortune if you approach it the right way and with the right attitude.  As much as there are businesses in trouble, there are also plenty of businesses succeeding.  That 7.5% Unemployment rate?  How about the positive converse – the 92.5% EMPLOYMENT rate?  We talk good business and common sense about how to move forward in these times where many will fail.  If you want your business to succeed in 2009 and beyond, take a listen to the opening of this show – you may find some encouragement, frank and honest assistance and more that help you rise above and grow beyond the tough time.  You can’t sit on the sideline, waiting for a sign the recession is over.

Our guest, Barb Giamanco of Talent Builders is a seasoned professional  in talent building and getting hiring right the first time.  Join us as we discuss how the current job pool makes things both easier and tougher for the recruiters and the applicants.  Get down to earth with solid advice on what to look for, what to keep in mind and how to find the job you really both want and deserve.  “It has to be right for you and for them,” says Giamanco, to applicants.  “I see people giving into a fear mentality and throwing their resume at anything to see if it will stick.”  Simply put, says Giamanco, “that won’t end well, and you may derail your career path.  Have a plan.”  We also cover how to handle networking, why you should always build your network, and how to plan to make sure a sudden “disengagement” with your company doesn’t cost you.

Tune in next week as we speak with Ruth King, from On the Ribbon and the Profitability Channel.

Can you imagine being able to refill your ink cartridges on your home printer for about $1 each?  If you’re one of the hundred million people who help put $1.3 billion printer cartridges in landfills, and then pay $25 or more per cartridge at Costco, thinking you’re getting a good deal, we’d like to introduce you to Lenny Greene, serial entrepreneur, founder of AccuBrite, sharp wit and supreme business mind who was our guest this week, on Uniqueness is Power, your business growth solution show.  He has a solution that saves both your pocketbook and the landfill.

The last time we had Lenny on, his kits were running just under $200 and were the best deal going.  Now, they have gotten even less expensive and the company has more to offer.  The main kit runs just south of $30 and refills work like this – the ink is free, but there is shipping and handling, of $6.95 per bottle.  Sounds expensive?  Consider this – one bottle of ink will refill between 4-5 cartridges or more.  Remember those cartridges you were paying $30-50 for in many cases at “office supply” stores or “discount clubs?”  As they say in Lenny’s native Brooklyn, “fuh-ged-aboud-it.”

One other thing you don’t have to worry about – is if you, too, can work with this kit.  Set up with very detailed, easy to follow instructions, filling stations to eliminate mess, and specially designed tips on the bottles to eliminate spills – you have a refill station that is mobile and easy to use.  Doubtful – check out these testimonials.  And, having been a customer of Lenny’s for 18 months, I”ll give one - I estimate he has saved me $700 or more in ink refill money - and we’ve put far less cartridges in the landfill, as well.

Tune in next week when we interview Barb Giamanco, about the inherent issues in hiring, even with such a huge pool to choose from – how do you pick the best candidates?

=== This week's show is brought to you by QAlias and Grocery and Gas Today, with hosts Andy Greider and Lee Kantor.Uniqueness is Power is a marketing and business growth show, broadcast live Thursdays 6-7pm eastern, and downloadable by podcast, or RSS Feed.  Please send any questions to andygreider@comcast.net. Also, if you have a product or service or advice that can boost a business or know of a company innovative enough to be an Unique of the Week, drop Andy a line.

Uniqueness is Power will be on hiatus from now through January 8th, 2009.  Please feel free to look for our shows in the archives below.

We'll miss you while we're gone.

Andy and Lee