PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Site Traffic / Independent Contractors / Discrimination

PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Site Traffic / Independent Contractors / Discrimination

PR Newswire

Oct. 10

Oct. 10, 2011

EXPERT ALERTS

1. Business: The Most Important Thing Your Business Needs Today

2. Business: Small-Business Sites Can Now Convert More Visitor Traffic Into Customers

3. Finance: New IRS Program Helps Employers Misusing Independent Contractors Step up

4. Marketing: Unbundled Cable Pricing: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

5. Workplace: Should Religious Institutions Be Exempt From Anti-Discrimination Laws?

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

1. Interesting Expert of the Week, Turnaround Edition

2. If Steve Jobs Had Been a PR Guy

3. PR Meet SEO, SEO Meet PR -- Now Play Nice

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EXPERT ALERTS:

Via Expert Alerts, ProfNet members can alert reporters to experts who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please see the contact info at the end of the alert. You can also find Expert Alerts online on ProfNet Connect at http://bit.ly/pncalerts

**1. BUSINESS: THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS TODAY. Dr. Joey Faucette, best-selling author of "Work Positive in a Negative World": "Most of the stories my grandparents told were about how hard just making a living was during their growing-up years in the Great Depression. Their stories always left me with a certain sense of financial uncertainty. As I researched high-achieving business professionals, a different picture of the Great Depression emerged. Turns out everyone struggled, but some actually achieved outstanding results. Despite the loss of massive amounts of wealth virtually overnight, there were people who redefined the negative economic reality and achieved their business dreams." Dr. Faucette shares the most important thing your business needs today based on his research for his book "Work Positive in a Negative World," on successful businesses from the Great Depression. News Contact: Jillian McTigue, jmctigue@entrepreneur.com Phone: +1-949-622-5274

**2. BUSINESS: SMALL-BUSINESS WEBSITES CAN NOW CONVERT MORE OF THEIR VISITOR TRAFFIC INTO CUSTOMERS. Carl Diamond, founder of DiamondWebsiteConversion.com: "According to one index, websites in the U.S. convert 2-3 percent of their visitors to customers. This includes very large websites that easily convert more than 10 percent of their traffic into customers. The majority of small sites struggle to achieve just 1 percent conversion. Much is at stake for small businesses, since moving the conversion needle from .50 percent to .60 percent equals a 20 percent increase in sales. Improving conversion rates requires a user-friendly, intuitive, easy-to-navigate website. It also requires a clear value proposition, well-defined target market and crystal-clear differentiation of products and services, at a glance. These services have long been available to large companies, but are now becoming available for small company budgets. Even as recently as last year, we have noticed a sharp increase in competition in almost every business niche. Small-business website conversion optimization allows them to get traction, take market share and level the playing field against much larger competitors." Diamond is available for media interviews. News Contact: Richard Berman, gobermanpr@gmail.com Phone: +1-914-572-2707

**3. FINANCE: NEW IRS PROGRAM HELPS EMPLOYERS MISUSING INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS STEP UP BEFORE THEIR TAX SITUATIONS GET STOMPED DOWN. Michael Rozbruch, founder and CEO of Tax Resolution Services, Co., one of the nation's leading tax negotiation and mediation firms: "This new program can serve as a fresh start -- like an amnesty program. Businesses do need to step up before they get stomped on, as independent contractors who should be classified as employees are no laughing matter. But let's remember that this program is for 'eligible employers' and could rattle confused businesses unsure of whether or not they are being compliant. Going forward to the IRS without representation could result in businesses paying additional payroll taxes unnecessarily; there is still a grey area about employees versus contractors, so be sure to have advocates on your side. The power of having a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist advise you about worker classification, delinquent payroll taxes, the Voluntary Classification Settlement Program and other IRS problems is the missing link that a business owner may not know what they don't know. The new IRS classification program can save a business, but don't rule out having expert representation on your side." Profile: http://www.profnetconnect.com/michael_rozbruch  News Contact: Debbie Edwards, debbie@taxresolution.com Phone: +1-866-477-7762, ext. 326 Website: http://www.taxresolution.com

**4. MARKETING: UNBUNDLED CABLE PRICING: AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME? Kurt Janvrin, senior marketing strategist with Allant Group: "Recent news articles have suggested that cable operators are actively considering opening up bundled channel pricing to allow consumers to buy just what they want to see. Why would cable open this Pandora's box of pricing options to allow a la carte network billing? In a word -- money. The cost of programming (per subscriber fees paid to networks by cable operators and passed on to consumers) has been rising 6-10 percent annually, and squeezed subscribers are voting with their checkbooks by leaving cable at unprecedented rates. Unbundled pricing can, in theory, lower the cost of a cable subscription and allow consumers to choose what they want to pay for -- and no more -- creating a counterweight to escalating content fees. After all, much like a 15-course meal that you can't possibly finish, the 'all you can eat' price is no bargain if what you really wanted was a small meal in the first place. The beauty of the 'bundled vs. unbundled' debate is that consumer behavior can play a very positive role in keeping all parties honest about the real value of both the programming content and the distributor's viewing experience -- and lead to more satisfied, loyal customers." Janvrin is available for media interviews. News Contact: Richard Berman, gobermanpr@gmail.com Phone: +1-914-572-2707

**5. WORKPLACE: SHOULD RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS BE EXEMPT FROM ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS? Jane Ann Himsel is a shareholder at Littler Mendelson, the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management: "On Oct. 5, the Supreme Court began hearing one of most important religion cases in decades, Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC. The case focuses on whether religious institutions should be exempt from anti-discrimination laws due to ministerial exception." Himsel has significant experience with religious discrimination and religious accommodation in the workplace, and has extensive knowledge of Title Vll, including the ministerial exception rule being debated. News Contact: Shani Wright, wright@formulapr.com Phone: +1-212-219-0321

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com

**1. INTERESTING EXPERT OF THE WEEK, TURNAROUND EDITION: ProfNet Director Maria Perez presents tips from Grant Cardone on getting through the recession: http://bit.ly/oQPTC8

**2. IF STEVE JOBS HAD BEEN A PR GUY: PR Newswire's Sarah Skerik discusses important lessons for communications from Jobs' legacy: http://bit.ly/rv2Kpy

**3. PR MEET SEO, SEO MEET PR -- NOW PLAY NICE: Scott McIntosh discusses the relationship between modern PR and search-engine results: http://bit.ly/qiyqKt

PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit a request for experts: http://budurl.com/profnetquery  To consult the ProfNet Experts Database: http://profnet.prnewswire.com  To contact ProfNet by phone: +1-800-PROFNET, ext. 1  To share a thought on Expert Alerts: profnetalerts@prnewswire.com

/PRNewswire – Oct. 10, 2011/

SOURCE ProfNet

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