• MiMIC Journal

China trade healthier than expected

China's exports and imports rose by more than forecast in May, indicating that economic growth remains resilient amid concerns about a slowdown. Exports rose by 8.7% from a year ago in US dollar terms, beating estimates of 7%, after strong demand from Europe. Imports shot up by 14.8%, compared with estimates of 8.5%, thanks to purchases of processing and assembly products. Overall, China's trade surplus widened to $40.8bn from $38bn in April.

• Law Firm Marketing

The subconscious question your prospects can't ignore
by Tom Trush

What's your first thought when writing a marketing piece?

If you're like most people, you start by asking some variation of the following question:

How can I attract a new client?

If this is similar to your question, you may want to re-think your process.

Although the new client is the end-result, there are many crucial steps you must take before your prospect will loosen the choke-hold on his wallet and pay for your services.

You need to grab his attention ... build credibility ... establish trust ... demonstrate value ... create a compelling offer ... provide reasons why it's critical that your prospect take action right now ...

When you think about attracting a client, your focus is completely on you -- and that's a big mistake.

Instead, step inside your prospect's brain. I guarantee there's at least one question floating around that mushy mass of macromolecular matter:

What's in it for me?

Our brains are hard-wired to seek solutions to this question. When you provide answers, the desire for your service grows.

I recently read Drew Eric Whitman's book, "Ca$hvertising." In one chapter, the long-time copywriter explains how he drives home this point during his workshops. He pairs up participants and asks one person to play the role of the seller, while the other serves as a prospect.

The seller starts by explaining a feature of his product or service. Whitman (without the "seller" knowing) instructs the prospect to respond by saying, "BIG DEAL! What's in it for me?"

The seller -- who has to begin a response with "You benefit by... " -- must then dig deeper for a stronger reason why the product or service is worth the prospect's money.

As the exchange between the two people develops, true benefits are revealed.

For example, let's say you sell office phones. A feature could be the one-touch mute button.

Now imagine a prospect forcefully shouting out, "BIG DEAL! What's in it for me?"

Well, you benefit by being able to instantly eliminate outside noise, especially if you work from home and your 3-year-old daughter enjoys interrupting conference calls with your highest-paying client.

By simply answering "What's in it for me?" you can easily transform a lackluster feature into a client-attracting benefit. The more responses you provide, the greater demand you build for your service

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Tom Trush is available at https://www.writewaysolutions.com

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• Historias Verdaderas

Retenciones

Deuda

Venezuela tiene 30 días para pagar US$ 30 mlls. a la CAF, correspondientes a intereses de préstamos contraídos. El país caribeño debía cumplir con el desembolso esta semana por lo que ahora se encuentra en un período de gracia contractual, antes de declarar cesación de pagos.

Inversiones

Cargill, la multinacional que proporciona alimentos, productos y servicios agrícolas, financieros e industriales a nivel mundial, busca expandir su presencia en el sector avícola de Colombia con una inversión de entre US$ 300 millones y US$ 500 millones en los próximos cinco años.

• Brief News

Trump's lawyer rejects Comey's allegations

Trump's personal lawyer has rejected allegations made by James Comey, the former FBI director, before the US Senate. Marc Kasowitz said Trump never sought to impede the investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He suggested that leaks by Comey should themselves be investigated. Comey testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday about events leading up to his sacking. He went on the record with a number of explosive claims. Comey said he kept a written record of conversations with the president as he was "honestly worried he might lie" about them. "Comey admitted that he unilaterally and surreptitiously made unauthorized disclosures to the press of privileged communications with the president," Kasowitz said. There is no known evidence of collusion between Russia and the US, and Trump has dismissed the story as "fake news".

Republicans take aim at Dodd-Frank financial rules

The US House of Representatives approved a bill on Thursday that would scrap federal bailout powers, ease requirements on banks and weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Supporters say the proposal simplifies regulation that has stifled growth. However, opponents describe it as a "wish list" crafted by banks. Few expect the sprawling, nearly 600-page document, which touches on everything from payday lending to bank bailouts, to become law in its current form. No Democrats voted for the bill, which faces fierce opposition from the party in the Senate. But success in the House is viewed as a sign of support for some of the other, more limited proposals that are being considered.

Europe seeks quick access to user data

LexisNexis snaps up legal tech startup Ravel Law

When it comes to the future of lawyering, LexisNexis is doubling down on big data. The company took its latest step Thursday toward turning lawyers into data analysts with the acquisition of Ravel Law, a five-year-old San Francisco company that uses its technology to glean insights by mining millions of pages of legal documents. LexisNexis parent company RELX Group didn't announce terms of the deal, which follows its November 2015 acquisition of Lex Machina Inc., another data-analytics company that scours court filings. Both Ravel and Lex Machina have developed products aimed at analyzing judge behavior to help litigators make smarter decisions.

Germany top court rules nuclear fuel tax illegal

Qatar vows 'no surrender' in row with Arab states

Qatar has vowed it will "not surrender" its foreign policy in a row with other Arab states over its alleged connections to extremism. The Qatar foreign minister said he favored diplomacy to resolve the escalating crisis and that there was no military solution. Qatar rejects claims it is a leading supporter of Islamist extremism. Meanwhile, Qatar's Al Jazeera network said it was suffering a cyber-attack.

Japan's parliament passes law allowing emperor to abdicate

Passing a special law allowing the ailing Emperor Akihito to retire, and proposing that the government consider letting the royal bloodline pass through the women of the imperial family. At a time when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is promoting a political message of women’s empowerment, the rules of succession governing the world’s oldest monarchy do not permit women to be put in line for the throne. But with public pressure mounting to allow women to reign, the shrinking size of the imperial household — and the dwindling number of male heirs — has pushed the question of the role of royal women to the forefront of the abdication debate.

Court undecided on Brazil leader's fate

Brazil's Superior Electoral Court has deliberated but delayed voting on a case which could topple the country's President, Michel Temer. The court, tasked with overseeing the electoral process, is looking at whether the 2014 elections were won using illegal campaign donations. Seven judges are overseeing the case. Their hearing on Wednesday was marked by clashes between the rapporteur of the case and the president of the court, but no vote was held.

ECB forecasts higher growth but keeps rates on hold

The European Central Bank has increased its forecasts for economic growth in the eurozone but kept interest rates on hold. ECB president Mario Draghi also hinted that there was no need to cut rates further. "We are now confident that inflation will converge with our objectives," he said. The ECB now expects growth across the eurozone to be 1.9% in 2017 compared with its March forecast of 1.8%. It also increased its growth projection for 2018 to 1.8% from 1.7%, and for 2019 to 1.7% from 1.6%. Draghi said: "The risks surrounding the euro area growth outlook are considered to be broadly balanced". This was a marked change from his comments in April, which described the risks to growth as "tilted to the downside".

Pound under pressure amid Labour surge

Sterling falls sharply against the dollar as the Conservatives struggle for a Commons majority.

Connecticut legislature passes stronger hate crime bill

New York top court upholds law restricting sexually explicit businesses

The New York Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a 2001 New York zoning ordinance that banned "adult" establishments from residential and most commercial and manufacturing zones was not a violation of the owners' First Amendment rights. The zoning ordinance classified adult eating and drinking establishments as "regularly featuring live performances characterized by an emphasis on specified anatomical areas or specified sexual activities in any portion of the establishment." The ordinance classified adult bookstores as establishments with at least 40 percent of their floor/stock dedicated to adult purposes. Many establishments attempted to circumvent the ordinances in place before this 2001 amendment. The court held that the city satisfied its burden of proving that many businesses were in "sham" compliance with the older ordinances, which justified strengthening the initial ordinances with the 2001 amendments.

Broadway tickets, for the price of an economics lesson

Dynamic pricing has come to air travel, hotel rooms and sports events, so why not a $1,450 theater seat? But (spoiler alert!) you can still come out ahead.

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