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Archive for December, 2007

Dec
31

Best-loved Christmas stories bring seasonal fun

Harold Carey on Dec-31-2007

This Christmas you have a variety of holiday books to choose from and all are certain to bring a little Christmas joy to you or that tyke in your life who likes a good bedtime story.

Julia Livshin collected 16 classic tales to include in her book, Classic Christmas Stories: Sixteen Timeless Yuletide Tales. The stories include well-known and loved tales such as O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi.” And you could be surprised to discover a Christmas story by Jack London. Others include those of celebrated authors who you may never have associated with Christmas, such as stories by Frank Stockton, Mary Agnes Tincker, Robert Grant, Edward Eggleston, Sara Orne Jewett, and Bret Harte. The tales depict people in various social settings, from farm to city.

Another entry into the genre is The Kingfisher Book of Classic Christmas Stories, compiled by Iam Whybrow. Here you will find stories from the German, French, English, and Norse traditions by writers such as Louisa May Alcott, Charles Dickens, The Brothers Grimm, and Kenneth Grahame. This book is great for children with its colorful illustrations and perfect for a story with hot chocolate before bed.

For a longer story to enjoy with your kids throughout the Christmas season, try Mary and Carol Higgins Clark’s He Sees You When You’re Sleeping. This book, new in 2001, is about Sterling Brooks, a heavenly wannabe, who must do something nice for someone before he can get into heaven.

Classic Christmas Stories: Sixteen Timeless Yuletide Tales by Julia Livshin, 400 pages, Lyons Press, $9.95.

The Kingfisher Book of Classic Christmas Stories, Iam Whybrow, 144 pages, Kingfisher, $19.95.

He Sees You When You’re Sleeping, Carol and Mary Higgins Clark, 208 pages, Scribner, 2001, $7.99

Posted under Book Review
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Dec
19

Generate Publicity

Harold Carey on Dec-19-2007
Generating Publicity for Your Business
One of the most valuable forms of publicity is the news story about your business. Of course getting positive press coverage isn’t as easy as buying an ad. It takes legwork, patience and a lot of persistence, but the payoff is worth it.

Treat the Media with Respect
There’s really no mystery to dealing with the media. Just think of them as prospective clients and your story idea is the item they’ve been waiting for. This means following the same basic rules with the press as you would with a business client or customer.

Learn About the Media Outlet Before You Contact Them
For instance, you wouldn’t call a prospect if you had nothing new to say, so don’t contact the media without honest-to-goodness news. Remember, that just as you have learned who your customers are and what they want, take time to educate yourself about the media outlets you are targeting and frame your story idea to meet their needs.

Send a Media Kit & Press Releases to Key Reporters
Focus the materials you send to help the editors or producers. This means anticipating and answering their questions, labeling photographs and explaining why your story is worthy of coverage. It doesn’t hurt to get a little creative when you send your materials. Being creative doesn’t guarantee that your story will be picked up, however it will get your materials recognized, which, after all, is your first priority.

Request Their Media Kit
Request a media kit from the advertising department of the newspapers, magazines, radio or television stations you will be contacting. Kits give information on reader or viewer demographics and often include an editorial calendar of upcoming special sections or segments and will allow you to tailor your pitch to a specific outlet.

Approaches to Avoid When Dealing with the Media
Do not call a television news station right before airtime or call a newspaper on deadline.  Speak clearly and slowly when leaving a message on voice mail. State your name and company at the beginning of the message and repeat it at the end of the message and give your telephone number twice.
Posted under Marketing
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Dec
10

Permission Marketing

Harold Carey on Dec-10-2007
Developing a Permission Marketing Strategy
Are your marketing messages getting lost in the clutter of mail, email and advertising? Consider permission marketing, an exciting approach popularized by author and entrepreneur Seth Godin. Unlike conventional marketing strategies where you make a one-time pitch and hope the prospective customer responds favorably, permission marketing is all about building relationships with people who first agree to learn more about your company and its products or services. Because email is the primary vehicle for permission marketing, your costs are substantially lower than with other marketing media.  And the benefits go well beyond “making the sale.”What Can You Offer?
According to Godin, “Consumers will grant a company permission to communicate only if they know what’s in it for them. A company has to reward consumers, explicitly or implicitly, for paying attention to its messages.” In other words, provide something that your customers will want to learn more about, and may be unable to find elsewhere. Some examples include regular e-newsletters with timely news or tips related to your product or service, links to and/or reviews of new and updated Web sites, and problem/solution case studies.

Build Your Target List
Gather contact information for as many potential customer contacts as you think will be interested in being part of your permission marketing list. Sources include industry directories, web sites, current customers and their referrals.  Then, find the group that is most profitable or most likely to influence other customers. Fine-tune your permission marketing approach to them, as these are the people you most want to build relationships with. Group the others in descending order of priority for subsequent marketing.

Prepare Your Pitch
As with any other marketing approach, you should put yourself in the customer’s position.  You may have some valuable information to offer, but your customers will end the relationship before it starts if you don’t grab and hold their attention. Says Godin, “The point of permission marketing is not just to entertain people (although it does need to be entertaining) but also to teach them about your products.”

Think Ahead
Remember that permission marketing builds trust via a two-way relationship with your customers. You need to be ready to talk about their needs and concerns, not simply to get their business. Testing some iterations of your permission marketing strategy with people who can give honest and objective feedback is a great way to make sure you’re on the right track.

Reinforce the Relationship
As your permission marketing program flourishes, there is no telling which directions it will take.  But never forget to remind your customers how and why the “conversation” started. The authors of ClickZ, an on-line email marketing resource, suggest including a simple statement in each email, “ either as the introduction at the top or as part of your remove language. Even desirable content or offers are suspect if the recipients cannot connect the email message to their relationship with the sender.”

Learn More About It
To find more information about Seth Goodin’s book, Permission Marketing, visit his Web site:  http://www.sethgodin.com/permission/. You’ll also find many valuable tips about email marketing at www.clickz.com.
Posted under Marketing
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Dec
01

Fighting Business Burnout

Harold Carey on Dec-1-2007

You’ve probably heard a great deal about the rewards of running your own business.  But you must also be aware of the trade-offs and sacrifices that come with being in charge.  Over time, those long hours, missed weekends and pressure-packed deadlines may take their toll on your physical and emotional health, affecting relations with your employees, family and friends in the process. Fortunately, there are many good ways to keep business burnout at bay.

Identify the Stressors
What aspects of running your business regularly cause discomfort or even anxiety? Perhaps you dread mundane tasks like bookkeeping and filing reports, or having to make sales calls. You may have customers who are difficult to work with, or do not pay invoices on time. And, because you are responsible for everything your business does, you may find yourself obsessing about things beyond your control.

Delegate
One cure for an overburdened mind is to shed some of your responsibilities.  Members of your staff with specific skills or leadership potential may be good candidates to take on certain functions. If you’re a solo entrepreneur, it may be time to hire your first employee or outsource your administrative work to a part-timer.

Schedule Some “Me” Time and Stick with It
You follow a regular maintenance schedule for your equipment, so why not treat yourself the same way? A monthly lunch get-together with colleagues and designated family nights are great ways to get your mind off business issues and reconnect with the people who matter most to you. Even a quick walk around the block will do wonders to refresh your mind and spirit.

Look for New Opportunities.
Sometimes, problems or challenges aren’t the cause of burnout; it’s the lack of them.  Recapture the thrill you experienced when starting your business by considering expanding or enhancing your products and service lines. Make sure you plan staffing and resources to support any new venture, however, so you don’t unnecessarily add to your workload.

Seek Expert Advice
Many sources of burnout are common to entrepreneurs and you can learn much from their experience. SCORE offers many valuable resources to help you resolve your small business dilemmas.

Consult Your Doctor
Regular check-ups, eating right and sensible exercise will not only preserve your good health, but also help you better manage the demands of daily life.

Posted under Career
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