Member You - Business

Enhance Your Career
The way that most people approach their careers is that as long as it puts money on the table, they are happy and they basically relegate themselves to a life full of complacency and mediocrity. However, that shouldn’t be the case. In order to get those promotions and salary raises, one needs to do a lot more than just going through the motions of work. One should eventually try to step up and look to enhance their career. So whether you are planning to live out your working life in the same company or planning to move to another in a few year’s time, it would be best that you start improving your career now. Here are some of the most effective ways to go about climbing the corporate ladder.Have other people evaluate youThere are certain individuals within one’s network that the person looks up to. Try to create a so-called panel who will provide feedback and counsel to you regarding your career. You might look to have someone in your company who understands the company much better than you do, another person you could add to the panel is someone who is in the same industry that you are in. That person might have a bigger sense of what exactly is happening in the field that you are work

ame reporters – ideas that, of course, highlight your company and result in even more in-depth coverage.

How do you offer yourself as an expert source? All you have to do is read your local papers (or trade publications covering your industry, or even national publications) and find out who is writing about your industry.

Next, write up a short bio on yourself, emphasizing your experience in your industry, your areas of expertise, and issues you are available to comment on.

Then, e-mail or mail this information to the reporters with a short letter introducing yourself, stating that you have noticed that they often cover your industry, and offering yourself as an expert source.

You might even follow up with a telephone call a few days after you send this e-mail

Moments That Matter
Many years ago, I was a first year apprentice assigned the task of pressure washing a set of condensing coils on the roof of a grocery store on Capital Hill in Seattle, an upscale part of town.It was a 90-degree day, in late August. To make matters worse, it was a Friday around 4:30 PM. I was wet, dirty, tired and I was anxious to get home, knowing full well I had at least another hour to finish up. An elderly gentleman in coveralls, and an old and worn straw hat approached me as I came down the ladder. “Watcha’ doin,’ sonny?” he asked curiously. At that moment, it would have been easy to dismiss his inquiry and say something curt or rude. After all, I was tired. However, I decided to smile and explain what and why I was doing what I was doing. His body language told me he appreciated my gesture. He then exclaimed, “That’s great, I’m glad you’re doing this. It’s important. You see, my son runs the store for me. In fact, I own the whole block. Keep up the good work!” On the drive home, it occurred to me, “You just never know!”He didn’t look like a millionaire. It was a moment that mattered from a business perspective.A Customer Service Moment of Truth as defined by

In dealing with clients and the public regarding their perception of public relations, we are continually amazed that people time and again equivocate publicity with press releases. In other words, write a press release, send it out and - poof! - you'll magically get publicity.

Well, we're here to tell you that, despite what you've heard, that could not be further from the truth.

Sending out press releases is not the first step in obtaining meaningful media coverage of your product, service or business.

It’s not that there’s never a place for them. There is. Every once in a while. If you have a huge announcement to make. Or an event you want to get a listing for.

So, why aren't press releases the publicity panacea you might have thought they were?

First, reporters and editors are flooded with press releases. Some of them receive hundreds of press releases every day, most of which are self-serving and completely un-newsworthy.

For media, press releases have become the equivalent of junk mail. They just don’t have the time to sift through all of the press releases they receive every day. So, what do they do? They ignore them or hit the delete button without even bothering to read the content.

Second, most newsrooms have cut their budgets way back. As a result they are extremely short staffed, and what staff they do have is severely underpaid and overworked.

That’s good news for PR people and others who know how to help these individuals, because it means they are looking for ways to make their lives easier, and that they are open to solid story leads. But it also means that, once again, they do not have time to sift through a bunch of press releases that flood their in-boxes on a daily basis. They are doing the jobs of two -- and sometimes three -- people, and they are extremely stressed out. They want ideas that will make their lives easier, not junk mail that takes up a lot of their time and offers them little or no substance.

Now that we understand a bit more about just why press releases are not the way to entice the media to cover your product, service, or business, let’s talk about some strategies that will interest them. If you follow these ideas you will be sure to win friends in the media and garner positive coverage for yourself in the process. Here they are:

1. Offer yourself as an expert source to reporters covering your industry.
Reporters are always looking for experts they can contact for quotes in articles. Offering yourself as an expert source on your industry is a great way to form a relationship with reporters, show them that you are responsive and knowledgeable, and get yourself media coverage. Being quoted as an expert source will go a long way toward establishing you as an expert in your industry, a leader in your field, and ahead of your competition in knowledge and expertise. It’s also a great way to get to know reporters and to show them that you are available to help them when they need it. Once you establish this type of positive rapport, it might even open the door to your suggesting other story ideas to these same reporters – ideas that, of course, highlight your company and result in even more in-depth coverage.

Next, write up a short bio on yourself, emphasizing your experience in your industry, your areas of expertise, and issues you are available to comment on.

You might even follow up with a telephone call a few days after you send this e-mail.

Business Ethics: An Oxymoron?
Why do I believe good PR and business ethics are inextricably linked? It comes down to definitions. Ethics is learning what is right and what is wrong and then doing the "right thing." PR involves providing counsel on the "right thing" to do and then helping the organization get credit for it.The business and political excess of the last 10 years have taken some PR practitioners to the dark side because they felt it was the only way for their company to profit. Although I personally believe doing right for right's sake is enough, there are some who may not share this view. OK, here's a reason that any good capitalist can embrace: research now shows that socially responsible behavior is good for the bottom line.A recent analysis of overall financial performance of the 2001 list of 100 Best Corporate Citizens shows that this group of firms did significantly better than the remaining companies of the S&P 500. Professors at DePaul University found that the mean ranking of the 100 Best was more than 10 percentile higher than the other firms of the S&P 500.Additionally, they had a significantly better reputation among corporate directors and security analysts based upon results of the

ey were?

First, reporters and editors are flooded with press releases. Some of them receive hundreds of press releases every day, most of which are self-serving and completely un-newsworthy.

Second, most newsrooms have cut their budgets way back. As a result they are extremely short staffed, and what staff they do have is severely underpaid and overworked.

Next, write up a short bio on yourself, emphasizing your experience in your industry, your areas of expertise, and issues you are available to comment on.

You might even follow up with a telephone call a few days after you send this e-mail

Minding Your Own Business
Think you have gone as far as you can in your present job? Instead of looking around for a similar position in another company, you may want to strike out on your own as a consultant.With a greater acceptance of telecommuting and companies outsourcing a number of their functions, individuals may want to consider being an independent consultant. But before you jump in, take the following into account:1. Do Your Budget ProjectionsEvery business has to have a proper system of budgetary planning. This is vital if you do not want to lose a potential contract due to financial constraints. If you are unsure, it will be advisable to meet up with friends in the same industry. But do your homework first and check if they will be in direct competition with you. They may not give you accurate advice because they may reveal vital information about their core competencies. Alternatively, you can source out information from your business associations.2. Get a Private BankerEvery consultancy needs good financial advice. Learn to delegate some financial requirements to the professionals. They may actually help you to avoid pitfalls that can impede the progress of your consultancy.eir lives easier, and that they are open to solid story leads. But it also means that, once again, they do not have time to sift through a bunch of press releases that flood their in-boxes on a daily basis. They are doing the jobs of two -- and sometimes three -- people, and they are extremely stressed out. They want ideas that will make their lives easier, not junk mail that takes up a lot of their time and offers them little or no substance.

Next, write up a short bio on yourself, emphasizing your experience in your industry, your areas of expertise, and issues you are available to comment on.

You might even follow up with a telephone call a few days after you send this e-mail

Combatting The 'I Am Not A Salesperson' Rejection
How many times have you approached a prospect that you just felt sure would make an excellent addition to your team just to be told 'I am not a sales person'? This is probably the most popular rejection I have personally experienced in my team building. I have even had people with their own gift businesses and some who work in retail stores to give me the same rejection. Here is how I have learned to combat that response.When someone tells me that they are not a sales person, I say, "Sure you are! You just don't realize it. How many times have you bought something from a department store somewhere that you really love? What is the first thing you do? You tell EVERYBODY you know about it! How many times have you joined a book club or any other type of club and referred all your friends to it because you thought it was great? This IS selling!Now, if these people go to the department store and buy the product you recommended, will the store pay you a profit for that sale? Of, course not. In the same sense, if your friends all join the club you recommended, will that club management pay you a commission every time your friends pay a membership? I think not. So, why not recommend a product o

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Next, write up a short bio on yourself, emphasizing your experience in your industry, your areas of expertise, and issues you are available to comment on.

You might even follow up with a telephone call a few days after you send this e-mail

Direct Mail Marketing Done Correctly, Cannot Fail
So how do you do it?Direct mail marketing. When it comes to marketing your product or services there are two basic challenges:1. How do you obtain new customers or clients?2. How do you get your existing customers to come back for more?Direct mail/direct response marketing answers both these challenges admirably (it’s not the only way to do it but it is a proven method that always works). You can ALWAYS rely on DIRECT MAIL MARKETING.The postcard—direct marketing’s secret weapon…One of the simplest and most cost-effective forms of direct mail marketing is the POSTCARD. Because postcards work so well they can be considered one of the key small business marketing strategies."I switched from sending out a monthly newsletter to my mailing list, to sending out full color post cards.Not only did it save me money on the cost of printing, but it saved me the hassle of having to prepare the mailings.Feedback has been very positive from our clients and the leads have been pouring in. Plus my website hits have increased due to promotion or it on our post cards!" Kerry Fuller, Realty ExecutivesDirect mail marketing strategies…To get

ame reporters – ideas that, of course, highlight your company and result in even more in-depth coverage.

Next, write up a short bio on yourself, emphasizing your experience in your industry, your areas of expertise, and issues you are available to comment on.

You might even follow up with a telephone call a few days after you send this e-mail. But be sure that you never begin a conversation with, “I just wanted to make sure you received my e-mail….” There is no surer way to make a reporter groan.

Instead, tell them that you have noticed that they often write about your industry, and that you would like to help them by being a readily available expert source that they can contact for commentary. Let them know that you have sent them a bio on yourself and offer to re-send it in case they never received it (this will get them off the hook in case they can’t find it or accidentally deleted it).

Once you offer yourself as an expert source, be sure that you are readily available to answer questions and provide commentary on a moment’s notice. Reporters work on tight deadlines, and offering to be of service to the media will only backfire if you do not follow through on your promise to provide timely commentary to fit their needs and suit their deadlines. You want to gain the reputation as being a valuable resource to the media, and you will only gain this reputation by being available and responsive. The last thing you want to do is to offer your expertise and then be hard to reach, take a long time returning phone calls, etc.

2. Offer expert advice in the form of by-lined articles.
As I mentioned above, many media outlets are so short-staffed, and their reporters and editors are stretched so thin, that they don’t have time to write all of their own content. So, what do they do to fill the pages of their newspapers and magazines? They turn to “expert sources” (there’s that term again) to provide content in the form of by-lined articles.

So, just how can you increase your chances of getting your by-lined article published?

First, identify a common problem or issue related to your field of expertise. A good place to begin is with common questions that you are asked by your clients.

Once you have established the “problem,” figure out what information you can give to help solve it.

Once you have identified a topic and you have your readers’ “problem” and your “solution,” you are all set to write your article.

But before you do, it is important that you remember a few things:

•Do not use “jargon.”
Every industry has it’s own “language” that’s commonly understood by insiders but often completely alien to outsiders. If you use jargon in your articles you will only serve to frustrate your readers rather than helping them. Rather than coming across as an expert, you run the risk of appearing out of touch with your readers. And chances are you won’t be invited to contribute repeat articles to the same publication.

•Use sub-headings and bullet points where appropriate.
Sub-headings, which serve to identify the information following them, are a nice way to break up copy and make reading easier. Bullet points highlight information within the sub-headings and again make reading easier by breaking up copy. You’ll notice that I’m using both sub-heads and bullet points in this Special Report.

•Be yourself.
Often when people write they try too hard to sound “academic” in an effort to come across as

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Good First Impressions Count when You Mean Business

First impressions can mean the difference between closing the deal of a lifetime or getting shot down in flames. When meeting with a client or a customer for the first time, or interviewing with your prospective employer, you have just a few minutes to make a first impression that determines the success or failure of your mission.

How to Think Like an Entrepreneur

Creating your own wealth is easier than you think! Having the right mindset is key. The definition of an entrepreneur is someone who doesn't just run a business, they live their business: willing to take risks, and willing to do the work. There are a few guidelines to help you maximize your success as an entrepreneur:

Find Out Where You Suck

It's great to hear that you're great. But it's better to hear that you suck. Here's why...

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