2008 by admin.

Who hasn’t had second thoughts after sending an e-mail? Either you get that sinking feeling because you sent something to the wrong person, or what you sent to the right person was wrong. Sender’s remorse can be avoided with these top tips.
1. Address the e-mail last – Go ahead and write that e-mail. Just start with the content and make the e-mail address the last item you type in. You can’t successfully send without the address, and you have a few more moments to consider that the information is correct, and going to the correct person.
2. Do not rely on the pre-population feature – The larger your e-mail address book becomes, the easier it is to send the wrong e-mail to the wrong person. Make it a habit to type in the whole address, and not rely on the pre-population feature.
3. E-mail to one, not all – When responding to an e-mail, respond just to the sender, not the whole group.

- Amy Biemiller

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2008 by admin.

There are so many ways to spend your advertising budget, aren’t there? But before you commit one dollar to the activity of promoting your product or service, understand the three most important things about effective advertising.
1. What should you say? There are plenty of cute, clever, creative ads out there. These win awards for many advertising agencies. But what, exactly, do these ads say about the product or service? Before you go the way of ‘clever, cute or creative,’ ask if the message will tell your prospect, the person who should be buying from you, what your product or service does for them, why they should buy it, and why it is different from any similar product or service. And be sure to tell all that believably.
2. Who should you say it to, and how often? Is it better to say what you have to say to a whole bunch of people once, or a few people a number of times? You absolutely want to repeat your message to your prospect a number of times, in order to establish your product or brand in the minds of your audience. Look to maximize your budget with reach (who you advertise to) as well as frequency (how often you say it).
3. Where should you say it? You should exercise advertising options in both intrusive and passive media. Intrusive media is sound-based and includes radio and TV. Intrusive advertising does not require the prospect to process your message, rather, it intrudes into the prospect’s consciousness. These ads reach your prospects before they are ready for your product or service. A good follow up to intrusive advertising is passive advertising, and includes phone book ads, print ads, direct mail and billboards. These are points of reference that require the prospect to read and process information. Typically, these ads are used by a prospect who is already looking for your service.

- Amy Biemiller

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2008 by admin.

Someone, somewhere, once said that there is no such thing as bad publicity. We beg to differ. There is much you can do to position your company in the best light when the media comes calling. Here are three easy-to-remember tips:
1. Ask about the deadline – A reporter calls you for a specific reason, and with a specific deadline. You are not obligated to respond to the reporter asap. Ask when the deadline is, and respond back to the reporter before the deadline. If you can’t do an interview, say so promptly. This buys you goodwill with the press.
2. Take “no comment” out of your vocabulary – If a reporter calls or asks a question during a press conference, and you can’t provide a comment, provide a reasonable explanation. What sounds better to you? “No comment,” or “Because the incident is under investigation, we are not able to provide any additional information at this time.”
3. Know the audience and prepare to address their needs. – If reporters from Entrepreneur and Working Mother magazines call you for interviews, you will need to get different messages across to their audiences. One audience will want to learn about the importance of your business plan and how that has made you a success. The other audience will want to learn how your top female executives balance their work and home responsibilities. Good interviews start with preparation on your end.

–Amy Biemiller

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2008 by admin.

While working on public-speaking techniques with a group of high school students recently, we were reminded about the importance of slowing down our delivery for better audience reception. Being around teenagers puts you into the ‘perfect storm’ of communications conundrums: an onslaught of creativity and enthusiasm, coupled with the English language spoken at the speed of light.

Getting your message across to a group often makes even veteran speakers nervous. Nervousness can then translate into rapid-fire delivery of well-prepared information. Here are two exercises we learned a long time ago, which help to slow delivery of the spoken word:

Alphabet recitation – Easy to do and works like a charm. Simply say the alphabet (and you can do it aloud or just under your breath), but whisper every other letter. Try it and you’ll see that you have to make a conscious effort to do the ‘whisper’ part, which slows your delivery.

Vowel distortion – You should definitely try this only when you are alone, as anyone with you will think you need medical attention. But it works. Simply say each vowel, but get your whole mouth and jaw into the pronunciation. Really distort and elongate the vowel letter, along with your lips, and you will not only take yourself a lot less seriously, you will have calmed your pulse and your speaking pace.

–Amy Biemiller

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