Interested in boosting your

revenues with better writing? 

Yes, my blog post idea tank is bottomless, but if I don’t squeeze in this little sales pitch/announcement, I may end up a few blog-visitors short (from the wonderful folks who package my teaching these days).  So, without further ado:

     If you own or run a business or professional practice in Delaware or Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and you’re interested in boosting your revenues with better writing, I will be running a 6-session workshop series “BETTER BU$INE$$ WORD$ BOO$T REVENUE$.”

     The focus will be on writing business plan narratives, strategic marketing plans, business emails, letters, memos, reports, and blogs . . . depending on participant interests. 

     Scope of emphasis will address creative writing for marketing, branding, advertising, promotion, sales, customer service and relationship management, and public relations programs for all traditional and nontraditional media applications (from website and email content, to print ads, news releases, broadcast commercials, brochures, billboards, direct mail, and “elevator speeches”). 

     The course is designed for business and professional practice owners, managers, and entrepreneurs who seek to improve their sales messages and strengthen public image. 

     Sessions are scheduled for Wednesday nights, 5:30-8PM, from February 4 through March 11, at the Delaware Tech & Community College campus in Georgetown, DE. 

     If you’re interested in sign-up details, contact Shelley Grabel at 302.855.5905 or email her at sgrabel@dtcc.edu. 

P.S. There are still some openings left in the 4-session Wednesday night workshop course I’m facilitating: IMAGERY WITH WORDS featuring specific how-to’s for writers of all levels (and includes personalized coaching) 11/5-12/3, from 5:30-8PM at The Creative Writing Center in Lewes, DE.  Contact Shelley for sign-up details on this course as well.  Thanks for listening, and thanks for forwarding this info to anyone you think might be interested. 

See you tomorrow with some news about MUCK!     halalpiar

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The sooner you accept the ugly

fact that you have to be a

salesperson, 

the healthier your

practice will be. 

     Sorry, Doc (or Counselor), but your profession is a business.  The sooner you accept the ugly fact that you have to be a salesperson, the healthier your practice will be.  This revelation need not pull the rug out from under your sense of healthcare or legal integrity.  I am not suggesting that you now have to be a used car dealer. 

     Thinking and acting more businesslike simply means that you need to come down from your ivory tower, get your head out of the clouds, turn off your superiority complex channel, and start realizing that quality of care must strike a balance with patient and client volume in order for you to survive in these uncertain economic times.  

     And this message isn’t just for rookies.  I’ve worked closely with over 1,000 professional practice principals — doctors and therapists of every description, and lawyers — and can assure you that there are as many if not more professionals in established practices with this distaste for what they think is business intrusion into their puritanical minds as there are newcomers. 

     The key part of that last sentence is “distaste for what they think is business intrusion.”  It’s just that “business” subjects like management and marketing are rarely if ever addressed as part of medical or healthcare or legal studies curricula, and are avoided as much as scrapple in New York City.

     I know this can be difficult for those who have devotedly knocked themselves silly to get their medical and allied medical science and law degrees and who have given up huge chunks of their lives to earn the rights to hang out their shingles, but reality is that these bright stars cannot continue to shine without keeping their wires and outlets in good repair and paying the electric bills.  This requires help. 

_____________________________________

     Dear Doctor, Therapist, Lawyer: You need to screen and hire and trust the managers you put into play around you to keep developing the business parts of your practice, but –until you’ve had years of demonstrated reliable performance from your managers– you need to continually step back into the captains role to make sure your trust doesn’t end up costing you control.  More on this direction of thinking anytime.  Just call me 302.933.0116.                     halalpiar        

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Imagine a menage a trois

of marketing strategy! 

     Growing up the son of a snail-mail lifer, and having had my first real job as a direct mail copywriter much longer ago than email even existed (and centuries before the dawn of texting), you can bet those exposures triggered a career full of direct mail. 

     Today, I do equal amounts of direct mail and email marketing.  I like the shorthand of text messaging, but not the aborted English that is its mainstay.  And I still believe the basic direct mail tenet that the more you tell, the more you sell! 

     BUT most people seem to me to be hellbent on trying to prove that there’s some colossal and magical difference between snail-mail and email marketing. 

     From my frame of reference, I see no difference strategically between the two.  Of course immediacy of delivery (and deletion) distinguishes email timelines from the historic trudging of mailmen and women through wind and rain and snow and dark of night on their appointed rounds up your walkway to your mailbox. 

     Much has also been made and can be said in favor of physically handling envelopes and contents.  And arguably the two dictate creative approaches to writing that are as diverse as those that seem to mesmerize our thumb-punching generation of teenagers. 

     So how could I possibly suggest there’s no strategic difference between snailmail and email?  To reach any significant measure of success in the use of ANY medium (yes, even thumb-punching), asking and answering the same three strategic principle questions is always and everywhere called for.  In other words, what is your thinking approach to implementing the tactics that will achieve your objectives?  Here’s the famous menage a trois of marketing strategy:

1.   Who, specifically and realistically, is your target?

2.  What, specifically and realistically, is your spiel?

3.  What, specifically and realistically, is your deal? 

     The bottom line is that regardless of whether you choose to use”traditional” (direct mail) advertising, or elect to zoom your message through cyberspace (and sophisticated marketers will often do both . . . remember: repetition sells!), you still must answer the one and only WIIFM (imaginary radio station) question in the recipient’s mind:

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

     If your message fails to produce the exact right response to that WIIFM question, it doesn’t matter what media you use . . . you lose!  It’s the only thing ANY of us care about when we are being “pitched.”

# # #

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”    [Thomas Jefferson]

Hal@Businessworks.US         931.854.0474

Guidance to 500+ Successful Business Startups

Creating Record-Sales for Clients Since 1981!

TWITTER.COM 

     When I first heard about it, I was intrigued; a neat idea I thought, getting people to record little spurt answers throughout the day to the question: “What are you doing?” 

     When I first visited it, I thought it was ridiculous; and how on earth could anyone say anything of value on a daily basis (even hourly in some headcase cases) in just 140 characters? 

     When I first used it, I was confounded.  But then what would I know, not being a teenager anymore (yearn) and never having taken text-messaging 101?  Not only could I not figure out how to write these cryptic 140-space messages; I was barely able to read them.  Too much BS, I thought; I forgot about it.  Goodbye, TWITTER . . . off to the ancient vinyl record and 8-track cassette burial grounds with you! 

     Then my talented artist friend www.helenharrispaintings.com prompted me to give it another try.  I returned, skeptical.  I used it again; hey, maybe it does work! 

     Well, I’m still a little retarded about how to make the system fly, but I am settling into a learning mode, and finding pleasure in the fact that (unlike some Google entities I’ve run into) Twitter lets me experiment without punishment.  And it’s actually much more fun than TV or reading literary agent websites and articles –most of which I find to be completely illiterate, certainly not communicative, and generally unfriendly.  [Figures, huh?  Illiterate literary agents are like stop-and-go traffic delays that make your trip hours longer only to find out the cause is a police car!] 

     Anyway, in a few weeks time, TWITTER messages or “Tweets” have produced some interesting information, connections, and business leads.  [I’m quite sure a whole lot of other things can also be produced, but my interests are in developing my book and article writing career and my traditional marketing and website writing business.]  

     Okay, Hal, enough of this sidetracking.  What IS TWITTER’s “secret hidden value”?

     Think about it.  In order to enter your “Tweet” message in the TWITTER window, you have to answer the question, “What are you doing?”  This is a present tense question and is action-related. 

     The bottom line is that in order to provide a meaningful response, you must be thinking in (and focused on) the “here and now” present moment, which —mentally, emotionally, and physically— is the healthiest, happiest, most productive place for your mind to be. 

     Unhealthy upset feelings and negative attitudes exist only in the past (longer than one second-old) or the future (which is not yet here and may never happen).  The past and future are fantasy!  TWITTER is reality. 

     TWITTER promotes mental, emotional and physical health by prompting subscribers to stay tuned in to what is happening each day, every step of the way.  TWITTER has the Gestalt potential to change the world for the better.  It could even eliminate shrinks!     halalpiar 

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HAPPY  BIRTHDAY  KATHY!

     Celebrating October 8th with you for the 22nd time, I can only say that you deserve the best year ever! 

     You have filled so many lives with love and good humor, and set an example for all of us to emulate (spell that!).  You are the truest of friends to everyone around you, a sparkling grandma to our three superstars, and a world-class “dog-mother” to our two furry babies. 

     You have been and continue to be the light and laughter of my life and . . . forever, my best friend!  Each day with you has been a gift of love and support and fun, and “Great Adventure!” 

     I wish for your birthday and the whole year ahead to see you get some of that back to enjoy for your self!  Abundant Health!  Abundant wealth!  Abundant Happiness! 

     You are the best.  And you are still (and always) the one! 

     I love you.  Happy Birthday, Babe!     

halalpiar 

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“The Sky Is Falling!”

cried Chicken Little. 

     Okay, we all know about the sabre-rattling going on in the bowels of Wall Street, and the herky-jerky market activity, and the far greater woes the media would happily have us lament . . . or probably swallow first, and then lament, so they could paint themselves as saviors.  But, you know what?  Even the dreamers among us are sober enough to see that the sky is not falling, and realistic enough to know that when-you’ve-got-lemons-make-lemonade thing!

     Born of financial and housing market instability is numismatic (coin-collection) investing, home remodeling, debt consolidation, home vacations, home-prepared meals, second-hand furniture, second-hand books and magazines, and second-hand clothing and vehicle dealers, career shifts, fuel-efficient cars, energy-efficient appliances, low-cost equipment exercise (walking, jogging, etc.), less frequent but longer consolidated shopping trips, more reliance on cellphones/texting/emails than fee-based deliveries, and increased emphasis on recipes, menus, bulkfood shopping, furniture refinishing, home computer businesses, all-inclusive resorts, in-home hobby and craft gift-making, and on and on.  You get it. 

     What might make the problems associated with economic uncertainty seem more overwhelming than the opportunity flip side is that you may not have or want to have anything to do with the kinds of directions mentioned here. 

     The break-away point, though is for you to know, in fact, for sure, exactly what directions DO fit you and appeal to you that you CAN make work.  

     You will only uncover the reality of what’s crawling around inside you, waiting to be released in a storm of exciting new pursuits IF you stop long enough to take accurate inventory of where you are, what you’re doing, what and whom you’re living with, how long you can (honestly) go without some income (and how much income?), what your true responsibilities are all about (emotional, financial, physical) and what other ways there may be for you to deal with them. 

     Once you’ve done the self-audit, take some kind of break, then return to edit and reorganize your thinking about yourself, and your life, and your family.  And either stay where you are, dig in and enjoy it, or start thinking of new options you will enjoy.  Remember that we always excel and perform best at the things we enjoy doing the most, and that the greatest and most financially successful people of our times are those who did their homework first and took reasonable risks second! 

     Either way, spring cleaning is always productive in the fall . . . “fall” the season, not “of the sky”!         halalpiar

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People need to be rewarded

and motivated at the level of

what’s important to them

at the time. 

     There’s an old story about a high-tech company whose people had labored futily to solve a particular manufacturing problem until one tenacious, persistent employee who had worked nights and weekends for a solution, actually produced the evasive answer to the company’s CEO. 

     The boss was so excited, he promptly reached for anything he could find to reward the dedicated employee, and came up with a banana he’d been keeping for lunch in his top drawer! 

     Gold banana lapel pins became the company’s symbol that employees strived to win in the years that followed.  Many millions of dollars in saved productivity costs are the reported result. 

     Now I’m not suggesting you give out bananas instead of cash to deserving employees, but I am saying that small frequent rewards have proven much more effective motivators than salary increases (which of course are permanent) or annual bonuses (or holiday turkeys!) which come to be expected and routine . . . unless, of course, you’re looking for expected, routine performances?  

     Consider that a cash reward means nothing to someone who’s just come into a family inheritance, or whose spouse earns top dollar in her or his job.  A dinner out or theatre tickets will have more meaning . . . or a plaque or certificate of appreciation . . . or free entry in a golf tournament. 

     Great, you say, but how would you know about these things?  AHA! Therin lies the answer.  You, Ms. or Mr. Boss must be a detective! 

     You need to get to know those who work for you well enough to figure out what makes them tick, and reward them at that level. 

• Someone with orthodontic needs for a twelve year-old child will be thrilled at your agreement to pay all costs in excess of insurance coverage. 
• Someone who is constantly reporting late work arrivals because of stalled car starts or flat tires will be highly motivated when good performance is rewarded with payment in full for a year’s worth of car servicing appointments or a set of new tires. 
• Someone who seems constantly afraid of home fires or burglary will find big-time work incentives out of rewards like fire and theft insurance policy payments or a fire/burglar alarm system installation and/or monthly service charge payments.

     People need to be rewarded and motivated at the level of what’s important to them at the time.  To be getting the most out of employee performance efforts, take the time and trouble to discover what’s important to them and respond accordingly. 

     But, be careful about how you say what you say in offering these kinds of rewards so recipients are not embarrassed.  You can still praise in public (criticize in private) by handing someone a “special reward envelope” so that the recipient can elect to explain, or not, to co-workers.    halalpiar

[See July 25, 2008 post –righthand column POST ARCHIVE/July–  “MANAGEMENT BY RUNNING AROUND” reference to Maslow’s Hierarchy as the #1 management theory of motivation]         

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BOSS?  THIS ONE’S FOR YOU! 

ANSWER THESE 6

QUESTIONS?

     Having the world’s greatest business plan and unrestricterd access to the most leading-edge technology available can spell (are you ready for this?) disasterous failure!  Aw, c’mon, Hal, how’s that possible? 

     If you are a business or professional practice owner or manager and you don’t regard your people as your most important asset, and motivate them accordingly –24/7– you can bank (whoops! maybe not a good word this week) . . . you can count on rampant failure!

     If you can’t answer the following 6 questions to reflect the above conclusion in a positive light, your business or professional practice is in deep trouble, and you need to get things back on track in a hurry!  

1.      Can you readily identify and separate your internal (employees, referrers, and vendors) and external customers?  Can you really tell the difference?  Do you have a current and comprehensive database of your internal customers?  What percentage of every day are you actively marketing to your internal customers?  [i.e., marketing your people; marketing TO your people; marketing THROUGH your people.]
2.      Do you think the meaning of customer (client/patient) service is to have CUSTOMER SERVICE?  [i.e., Are you marketing to your external customers and attracting new external customers by marketing to your internal customers?  This can spare you the expense and complications of having to make or sustain a formal CUSTOMER SERVICE department.  Properly motivated, everyone should be able to deal with customer service issues on their own.]
3.      Do you think only “touchy-feely doo-dah” types focus on building relationships while REAL businesspeople focus on building sales?  What percentage of each do you do?  Is there a healthy enough balance to ensure internal relationships that are strong enough to produce sales surges when they’re needed?
4.      When and why does an inexpensive toy motivate performance better than cash?  (Answer tomorrow!)
5.      Can you “ask, don’t tell with the words you use?  Can you “engineer,” not “architect” with the pictures you paint?  (More on this tomorrow too!)  [i.e., Marketing through your people means being careful with what you say and how you say it!]
6.      Are you breeding entrepreneurs (and can you manage them)?  Or are you breeding investment in the status quo (and can you manage that)?  [i.e., Are you encouraging others with examples of reasonable risk-taking?]

     Tune in tomorrow, same time, same station!               halalpiar

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Think of your neck

                                              

like a garden hose . . .

     Holistic health-based studies show that the emotional stress of future worries (which are not here and now, which makes them fantasy, and which when overdone, will lead to neurosis and anxiety and depression) most often translates to physical headaches.

     The emotional stress of dwelling on past problems (which are over and done with and can’t be changed, and are also not here and now and therefore fantasy, also leading to neurosis and withdrawal and depression) most often translates to physical backaches.

     Shoulder aches and pains relate to emotional feelings of being overburdened with responsibilities.

     Chest ailments, aches and pains, and ultimately heart attacks and lung collapses, and chest congestion problems are linked by direct connection to emotional problems with love relationships.

     Oh, and your neck?  Think of your neck like a garden hose filled with hundreds of thin liquid wires.  Your neck is the main conduit between your brain and your body, carrying millions of instantaneous signals back and forth (from, for example, your eyes, to your brain, to your arm, to your hand and fingers, to your keyboard, and back again). 

     When your brain gets overloaded with too many upsetting emotional thoughts and feelings, it’s like crimping the garden hose.  Signals get jammed.  The clog-up reduces the free flow of blood and oxygen, and you get a stiff neck, which may lead to backaches or stomachaches . . . you get the picture.

     So what’s the bottom line?  Making the most of this knowledge means taking inventory of yourself.  Without some awareness, for instance, of what makes you feel angry or sad or whatever, you are functioning in the “clueless” category and will never be successful at managing your emotional stress in positive, productive ways. 

     Remember the old Schlitz Beer commercial, “You only go around once in life!”  Make it count!    halalpiar

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Step right up and get your chickin-pluckin’

pickle-packin’ bagel-bendin’ dirty double

disconnected semi-circled rubber baby

buggy bumper!  Or buy three

and get one free!

Sit down, salespeople!  Listen up!  The slumping economy is no reason to panic, but it’s also no reason to think you need to be MORE hardsell, or give MORE stuff away. 

Here’s a great example: just look at how whacked out all the car dealers are.  First came the ridiculous gas price hikes and then the doom and gloom media reports.  Who could blame crushed automobile and truck sales on anything else? 

Unfortunately, the truth is that dealerships have been doing themselves in.  They’re still playing the old-time sales game with old-time pre-economy-catastrophe rules.  They haven’t adjusted to the current market. 

I saw no fewer than six (!) car commercials in a row the other night, each one trying to out-shout and out-give-away the other.  And each, no doubt, was afraid to back off the increased media-trap schedule because the competitors would get a leg up.  So all were spending money they weren’t taking in.

There are new rules out there today!

When times are tight, sales presentations are no longer about giveaways (even free gas ploys!) and no longer about hype and drum-beating.  In fact, sales presentations need to fade away in favor of people presentations! 

It’s not about being more pushy (or, as I recently read about a “trend” to be angry and let customers know you are angry on their behalf!  That’s BS!).  Sales momentum in periods of market stress are all about building trust and relationships and communicating more effectively (especially the “listening” part) with customers and prospects. 

It’s remembering that your greatest source of new business (and most economical to cultivate . . . emails and phonecalls, for example, instead of expensive media advertising) is from existing and past customers! 

It means putting more reliance on personal contacts and community service.  It means depending more on solid public relations programs instead of space and airtime package deals that put you on the air at 3am or tuck you neatly into the newspaper’s obituary section . . . good obscure places to die if that’s what you choose for your sales program. 

This isn’t rocket science, folks!  Just think about what works now that triggers YOU to want to buy now.  Odds are it’s that someone you feel you can relate to (because you’ve interacted with that person at church or school or in some community activity. 

OR it’s because you’ve purchased from her or him in the past and he/she has taken the trouble just to stay in touch without trying to “sell” you. You are likely to choose to purchase from that individual, even at greater expense than from the guy down the street who never stops trying to hustle you. 

What’s it all come down to? 

Remember the old song:  R-E-S-P-E-C-T