John Jantsch advises to
send a monthly press release.
“Get in the habit of creating a press release every month
with some newsy item or announcement and
send it to a highly targeted list of journalists
as well as your best clients and prospects.
Do this for a while you will find some interesting PR avenues
may start opening up.”
What I like about this strategy is that
it drives you to action,
forcing you to complete at least one
news worthy promotional event a month.
A friend of mine wanted help
with finding a unique conversation starter.
I replied that wasn’t difficult.
Simply don’t talk about the weather.
Doug Morris, pilot, meteorologist, and
author of From The Flight Deck,
says that 9 out of every 10 conversations
begin with the weather.
How do I start a conversation?
I ask for an opinion on a relevant current event
(no politics or religion).
My guidelines for pitches is
one pitch, one product.
Don’t try to sell every service
your company has to offer.
Adrian Savage,
author and business executive says
“Each additional message causes
an earlier one to be forgotten.
What do you want the audience to hear?
Say it clearly and with confidence
… then shut up.”
Marie G. McIntyre, author of
“Secrets to Winning at Office Politics”
gives her top tips for catching
the eye of the new CEO.
Deliver on your word.
Speak clearly and concisely.
Go above and beyond.
Develop a relationship.
Ask questions.
I treat getting a new CEO
the same way I do getting a new job.
I assume I’m being closely and constantly watched.
I’ve done it.
Almost every entrepreneur I know has done it.
Invested more than they expected and
more than they should
on a hungry little start up
that eventually did not succeed.
I learned the hard way what
Jennifer Openshaw in her book The Millionaire Zone
says most successful people do…
knowing before they start,
“how much they’re willing to risk”
and not going beyond that.
What about the…
“if I only spend x more,
I’ll earn y more” thinking?
She states that’s
“the problem with a lot of entrepreneurs.
They’re always looking at what they can make
rather than what they’re willing to lose.”
Lately there has been focus on quitting,
quitting the big idea,
quitting quickly, etc.
so when do I know when to quit?
Based on missed benchmarks.
Over a year ago, I started up a new venture.
I had benchmarks for testing and for implementation.
Cost benchmarks
(I had a price ceiling so
margins could only move so much),
time benchmarks (production)
and sales ramp up benchmarks
(in writing so I couldn’t fudge with them).
The first two, the venture aced.
The third? It bombed.
I tweaked. Still bombed.
I tweaked a few more times. Bombs away.
So I folded and moved onto the next venture.
Was it a difficult decision?
Of course it was.
But it had to be made.
Daryl T. Logullo observes that
most companies spend 80% of their promotion dollars
on outbound marketing and advertising.
The remaining 20% is spent on current customers.
He suggests flipping this allocation
for a better return
(as the advertising arena is crowded).
The three simple actions he recommends
(educating existing customers about your product offerings,
informing them that you wish to grow, and
then rewarding them for referrals)
will grow your business.
On the same topic,
Troy White suggests reminding existing customers
about all the products you offer
(his fruit stand method).
Barney is the big purple dinosaur,
loved by children the world over.
Was Barney being purple a random choice?
I don’t think so.
In surveys,
75% of pre-adolescent children
prefer purple over any other color.
In package design
shades of a
color of sky are hotly debated.
Why?
Because it matters.
Every single aspect of the product matters.
August is a frustrating time
for project managers.
Fall launch deadlines are fast approaching
and team members are either on vacation
or wishing they were on vacation.
Oprah told BBC Newsnight about some of her
Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls
project issues.
“I gave up the project for a time
because it was just so frustrating.
I ended up continuing only
because they were going to put
my name on the school anyway…
If my name is going to be on it,
then I’m going to have some control
over what’s going to happen.”
Problems are part of project management.
Even Oprah’s power and money can’t eliminate that.
In Jeffrey J. Fox’s new book
How To Get To The Top,
he gives some great direction on
what to do when your company gets a new CEO.
You “send the CEO a memo titled,
“What I Would Do
in the First 100 Days
If I Were CEO.”
In this memo, you list your ideas,
from one to whatever.”
“You will go on the CEO’s list
of possible impact players.”
He guarantees
and I agree
that you will be the only employee
to do so.