Kingston, Jamaica, September 9, 2011. Alvin Day, Executive Director of Empowerment Institute, was born in Kingston, Jamaica but grew up in Frankfield, Clarendon. He attended Edwin Allen High School and the University of Wisconsin. This son of Jamaica has distinguished himself as an accomplished and sought-after business man who has helped Fortune 500 companies make millions, if not billions in revenue.  His portfolio of clients reads like the Who’s Who in world markets: Johnson & Johnson, Gillette, Colgate, Clorox, Procter & Gamble, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Nestle, Heinz, Nabisco, Unilever, Kodak, Valvoline, Esso, Castrol, Sainsbury’s-U.K., Comercial Mexicana and others.

Day led Campbell Soup to increase sales by $25 million. He helped Bristol-Myers Squibb gain $1.5 million extra sales in a two-day period! During restructure and uncertainty at Colgate-Palmolive in Mexico, Alvin’s success principles sharply increased the loyalty and performance of the sales team.

Mr Day will be a featured speaker at the upcoming CARIBIZTECH Business2Business MSME  Technology Exposition and Conference, which will be held Friday & Saturday 28 & 29 October, 2011 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James, Jamaica. The conference is themed “Game Changers Impacting and Igniting MSME Businesses and Brands,” and presents the expertise and technology that can significantly increase the bottom line of the sector known as the ‘engine of growth’. He will help conference delegates, as he has helped his corporate clients, develop a deep hunger for excellence. He works in both English and Spanish and has helped companies all across the U.S.A., Canada, Europe, Mexico, South America and the Caribbean.

Alvin discussed his participation in the conference and some of his business concepts with Sharon Parris-Chambers, producer of Positive Tourism News. He gives some hints as to key concepts that may be included in his presentation on Saturday morning at the CARIBIZTECH technology conference and some general principles of success. Speaking of success, Day says “success is a decision…followed by massive action.”

Bringing clarity to the successful approach for MSMEs in the technology age, Day says:
“If you think that investing more heavily in technology gives you added advantage, it does not. The technology is a mere requirement for you to have a viable business but it will not give you sustainable competitive advantage. In the Industrial Age, the tools were important; in the Information Age, the important things include: value added information, decision support systems, speed and responsiveness to the marketplace, and the unique selling proposition that distinguishes you from the crowded competitive field. “

Staying on the Cutting Edge.
Speaking on staying ahead of the curve Day said: “Is it incumbent on MSMEs that want to become large organisations moving from millions to billions, to stay on the cutting edge of technology”.  Day said that we are not to market what people ‘need,’ rather you market to their ‘wants’. People do not spend money to satisfy their needs but their wants. Needs must become  ‘wants’ or we have to spend huge sums to educate consumers and change buying patterns. It is wants or desires, not needs that lead to sustainable purchase behaviours.

How do you move from competitive advantage with technology to success? Day said “when you have the tools only, that is not a competitive advantage, because it is not something you buy.  The tools by themselves do not make you a master carpenter; it is the manner in which you use them, the approaches and strategies that matter. You must have the basics, hammer and nails, to do the job, but that is not enough.”

When we invest in emerging technologies it is not in itself an inherent competitive advantage, the primary reason is: a competitive advantage is not easily duplicated; when you invest in technology you are doing what any company can do with the appropriate priority and budget.  If you are ahead of the pack, it will be a matter of a few weeks and months before your competitors are right there or ahead of you because technology is constantly emerging. It is happening so fast and so many developments are taking place that you are chasing the wind to think that you are going to be ahead of your competitors because you have greater, more powerful tools than they do.

Day says that the key realization for a company is to maintain or increase its position in the marketplace; it is important to invest in technology, but also, you must recognize that it is merely the price of entry. Day gives you the strategy to have your customers keep coming back. He says “if you are in business to provide value to customers, having the data, computers, processors, simply is a price of entry, because if you are too slow or too inefficient, you don’t get to play …you cannot compete. The ones that will win or establish a significant lead in the marketplace are the ones that use the technology as a means to an end and have the right business processes, approaches and strategies for the marketplace.”

What do we need to do to attract customers’ interest in this age of technology?  What must we do to grab their attention and have them coming back to us?  How can we learn to earn multi – million dollar revenue like others in the marketplace so that we can move from earning millions to billions?  You can receive the answers to these questions by attending the CARIBIZTECH Conference and Expo 28th & 29th of October, during Mr Day’s presentation and through consultation, networking, and participating in workshop sessions.

Day’s message for youth and, women entrepreneurs is stated simply “what it takes for small operators in the business world is not anything different for large operators. Not any different for women or men, young or old. Success in the marketplace is not driven by catering to who you are as a provider, rather it is catering to the customer who desires a service from a provider…Focus should be on targeting customers and what they want. If we can provide what the customers want, they will keep coming back.”

In Jamaica, Day has served organizations such as: Grace Kennedy, LIME, Scotia Bank, NCB, JMMB, Jamaica Employment Federation (JEF), Jamaica Exporters Association (JEA), HEART Trust, NTA.  He has provided pro bono services for Clarendon College, Peace and Love in Schools (PALS), Ardenne High School and his alma mata Edwin Allen High School, where he helps to maintain their scholarship fund.

If you would like to read more about Alvin Day’s philosophy you can read the following books entitled: “If Caterpillars Can Fly So Can I,” and “Persuasion Power” available at Sangster’s Book Stores & Kingston Bookshop in Jamaica. Visit www.alvinday.com for sales tips, newsletters and testimonials. For more information on CARIBIZTECH conference visit www.Caribiztech.com

Contact: Aldo
AMK Communications

1-876-280-9192
caribiztech@gmail.com