Marketing Consultants or Marketing Managers are being kept on their feet these days with changes in technology, the economy, corporate responsiblity and the new green ethos that surrounds most businesses large and small.

When looking at a company, whether it is large or small, it is imperative that marketing consultants (or marketing managers) are across all areas of marketing. It's no longer about the 4P's as most Gen-X marketers who now hold the senior positions in marketing have trained on, and more about social media, customer interaction, mobile marketing, podcasts, blogs, online marketing, guerilla marketing, slideshare and of course word of mouth marketing.

Yesterday, James Moran, the founder of James Moran Furniture, called to say hello. I haven't seen James for a little while as we have both been busy.

As the son of one of the most famous furniture family dynasty's in Australia (Moran Furniture), James Moran has one of the most stylish and professional showroom's in Australia and is currently selling into some of the largest retail chains select lines. Many of Toorak's great homes feature a James Moran Furniture couch and if you go down to the cinema's, chances are that in Gold Class you may be sitting in one of his designer chairs. Office fitouts for the uber trendy and professional are taken to a new level with a piece from James Moran Furniture and anyone who knows anything about furniture, can spot a James Moran Furniture piece a mile away.

Who else finds it hard to fathom that only 15 years ago, real estate agents actually believed in customer service.

How times have changed! Speaking to a real estate agent at Lemon Baxter today, I was appaulled at how little they care about customer service and their "I don't give a F***" attitudes.

He is one of the best cricketers in the world and let's face it, the most interesting. Whether you are a man who wants to be like him, or a woman who wouldn't mind trading places with Elizabeth Hurley for a night - there is a lot to admire.

Not unlike the lifecycle of a business, Shane Warne has had many ups and downs, some public and I am sure, a lot more private. He has had his haters, his supporters, his loyal fans and those who simply admire him for his achievements.

Last week, I ventured to the dentist after chipping my tooth when I was out to dinner one night.

The dentist, did his stuff and advised that a cap would need to be placed on the tooth and that the process takes a few stages. As always, I put my faith 100% in the Dentist afterall he knows his job and that is what I am paying ridiculous amounts of money for.

Then I went home. Pain. And more pain. And even more pain. Having a high threshold to pain, I tried to bare with it and as I am not a fan of taking medication of any type, I was reluctant to even take over the counter pain killers.

Eventually, I could take it no more. I was in pain. Real pain. Something I realised I had never experienced before. After ringing the Dentist several times to explain this and getting his assistant who organised some tablets from the Pharmacy for the infection, I became not only frustrated but in complete dispair. What was I to do. Then finally the Dentist rung me back and said to come in and that the pressure needed to be released (or something like that). After a visit and another hour of excruciating pain, I was given pain killers to go with my medication.

I don't even take panadol, so for me to take pain killers is a big thing. I have had 7 operations on my sinus' and not once did I take the prescribed pain killers. But this was real pain. So I took what was prescribed. I was in and out of sleep for an entire 3 days.

What this has taught me is that getting a second opinion isn't a bad option. Know your body, if you medication does work differently when in your body than what it is supposed to, talk to your practitioner. It was obvious that the painkillers were too much for my body and I could not keep my eye's open for more than an hour at any given time. There are not  enough quality magazine's at the local 7-Eleven and magazines tell 'lies'. People may not be married, having children, getting a divorce or fat - it's as simple as that.

The medical profession could mostly do with some help from marketers because they may be good at what they do, but they are lousy at communicating or being open to communicating. While I like a good doctor, it is equally as important that they can explain what is going on and be responsive when need be - particularly if you are paying them a lot of money.

Last, but not least, being sick for an entire weekend and not achieving a single thing, isn't fun. In fact, I don't want to ever spend a weekend like this again. Being healthy and proactive in ensuring that your body is functioning at its best is paramount. I would prefer to know sooner rather than later that I have an illness or that something may go wrong so I can prevent it rather than finding out when it's too late. Check out www.irismedical.com.au - they have executive health checks that thoroughly test ever imaginable illness and bodily function. I highly recommend it. If you are an executive, talk to the company you work with and see if they will help with funding it as healthy employees are essential to any business.

With more than 500 friends on facebook, I have always been reluctant to share anything to do with work with my friends.

As many of you know, I write a blog most days which is receives thousands of visitors around the globe, many loyal enough to read my blog within minutes of it being posted.

How many times have you gone onto a website to buy something, only to find that the experience is too frustrating to continue?

In my case, too many. When will e-tailers learn? If I look at buying a flight online, I have to say that the experience is simple. I put in my details, my flight gets booked and they send a confirmation to my email account. Simple.

There are a lot of retailers out there hurting - real bad! With a global financial crisis, it seems that retailers have been hardest hit and on top of that, the added burden of new marketing techniques seem to be almost impossible to keep up with. It also doesn't help that online sales of retail products seem to be all the go and quite often consumers can get the same product, cheaper from Asia or the US, just by buying online.

However, there is some positive news. With the Retailers Association pushing consumers to go back to buying from  local shops and Xmas just weeks away, retail should be on the 'up'.

Best selling author and relationship counsellor John Gray is on to something, or at least the 7 million people who bought his book think so. The self-help book that proclaims that 'men are from mars, and women are from venus' has an analogy that by many accounts seems to run true.

If you think about the relationships you have in life and the difference between female and male relationships, it's easy to ascertain why there is often a miscommunication or misunderstanding based on the gender of the person you are communicating with.

There is something to be said about doing the right thing. I know that many Australian and overseas patrons of Qantas might not be thinking too positively about Qantas today, especially if they are stranded with no flight home. But if you can take a step back and look from a different perspective on the issues at hand, I am sure you will have a new-found respect for Alan Joyce and the Boards role in standing up for what is right. You may say that Alan Joyce's pay rise is excessive, but is it? I for one do not make the sort of return for Marketing Eye that Alan Joyce has made for Qantas - so to me it is comparative. If I ran a company of that size, with the pressure that he has to put up with day-in, day-out, let me assure you, a $5 million pay packet would not be enough. The leaders who run substantial public-listed companies are under such harsh scrutiny that I for one, could not handle. Look at the newspapers each day and see the headlines that are completely attacking Alan Joyce. "Joyce Should Be Sacked" is enough to keep me paralyzed in bed for a month, if I were in his shoes. This man is an absolute inspiration. He is the epitome of strong, solid leadership with fair values. I have read feverishly the content related to what Qantas employees are wanting as remuneration. Are they serious? It is not market rate, nor is it reasonable. Having been on a flight where at the time I was in the Chairmans Lounge, and could not for the life of me use points to be upgraded to first class, yet a Qantas air hostess and her 3 friends seemed to have no problem at all taking the seats that could have been for a loyal customer who at the time travelled at least 4 flights per week with the airline. Is that fair? Well, from all accounts, this is something that Qantas employees want on a regular basis. Stuff the loyal customers who ensure that they have a job. They mean nothing - apparently. Another thing to consider is what has happened to other airlines around the globe. They are in huge financial strife. Do we really want an Australian icon like Qantas to follow down the same path? And last but not least... for those who have invested their superannuation and hard earned savings in buying shares for Qantas... they too need a return. It's not all one way. If they don't get dividends for taking the gamble and supporting Qantas - then no-one should have a job. Just my Sunday thoughts.