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How Public Relations Changes Minds

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:01:05 +0000

Public relations changes minds in the process of deliveringwhat business, non-profit and association managers needmore than almost anything else ? the kind of key stakeholderbehavior change that leads directly to achieving theirmanagerial objectives.It happens when the right kind of public relations altersindividual perception, thus doing something positive aboutthe behaviors of those outside folks that MOST affect amanager?s organization.Minds end up changed when managers follow a blueprintsomething like this: people act on their own perception ofthe facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviorsabout which something can be done. When we create,change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuadingand moving-to-desired-action the very people whosebehaviors affect the organization the most, the publicrelations mission is usually accomplished.Sure, as a manager, your goal is to show a profit for yourbusiness unit, or meet certain expectations of yourassociation membership, or achieve your non-profit?soperating objectives. A blueprint like this can make itclear to you that the right public relations really CANalter outside audience perception and lead to the kind ofbehaviors that help any manager win.The payout for the manager can be very satisfying. Forinstance, prospects reappearing; customers making repeatpurchases; rebounds in showroom visits; new proposalsfor strategic alliances and joint ventures; membershipapplications on the rise; new community service and sponsorshipopportunities; enhanced activist group relations, and expandedfeedback channels, not to mention capital givers or specifyingsources looking your way.But you need a quality PR team behind you, one thatpursues more than special events, brochures and newsreleases as you seek your PR money?s worth. The reasonbeing, you want your most important outside audiencesto really perceive your operations, products or services in apositive light. So be certain that your PR staff has boughtinto the whole effort. Convince yourself that they accept thereality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviorsthat can help or hurt your unit.Talk with your public relations people about how you willgather and monitor perceptions by questioning members ofyour most important outside audiences. Questions likethese: how much do you know about our organization?How much do you know about our services or productsand employees? Have you had prior contact with us andwere you pleased with the how things went? Have youexperienced problems with our people or procedures?The perception monitoring phases of your program canalways be handled by professional survey people IF thebudget is available. However, you are fortunate that yourown PR people are also in the perception and behaviorbusiness and can pursue the same objective: identifyuntruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception thatmight translate into hurtful behaviors.Now, you?ll need to spend some time considering whatthe goal of this activity should be. You need one thataddresses the problems that cropped up during your keyaudience perception monitoring. Chances are, it will callfor straightening out that dangerous misconception, orcorrecting that gross inaccuracy, or doing something aboutthat damaging rumor.Obviously you?ll need the right strategy to show you howto reach that goal. But you have just three strategic choiceswhen it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge:create perception where there may be none, change theperception, or reinforce it. Unfortunately, selecting a badstrategy will taste like mint sauce on your eggs Benedict,so be certain the new strategy fits well with your new publicrelations goal. For example, you don?t want to select ?change?when the facts dictate a ?reinforce? strategy.Preparing the right, corrective language is a must. Especiallywhen you need to persuade an audience to your way ofthinking. You need words that are compelling, persuasive,believable AND clear and factual. This really is a must ifyou are to correct a perception by shifting opinion towardsyour point of view, leading to your desired behaviors. So,meet again with your communications specialists and reviewyour message for impact and persuasiveness.Here, you need vehicles certain to carry your words to theattention of your target audience, so you select thecommunications tactics most likely to reach them. Happilythere are dozens of available tactics. From speeches,facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings,media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and manyothers. Just be sure that the tactics you pick are known toreach folks just like your audience members.Here?s an alert: because the credibility of your message candepend on its delivery method, consider introducing it tosmaller gatherings rather than using higher-profilecommunications such as news releases or talk show appearances.In due course, the subject of progress reports will come upstrongly suggesting that it?s probably time for you and your PRfolks to return to the field for a second perception monitoringsession with members of your external audience. Using manyof the same questions used in the first benchmark session,stay alert for signs that your communications tactics haveworked and that the negative perception is being altered inyour direction.If you feel the program is dragging, things can always beaccelerated with a broader selection of communicationstactics AND increased frequencies.As your program inevitably changes individual perception,and thus minds among your important target audiences, youwill, just as inevitably, create behavior change among thosekey outside audiences that leads directly to achieving yourmanagerial objectives.

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Strong Future

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:01:05 +0000

Thinking of starting your own online business? Or, have you tried a business before and it never got off the ground?Last October I was looking on the Internet for ideas about getting rid of unpleasant odors from the house when I stumbled onto SFI Marketing Group. My search lead to a lot of different articles published by Ideamarketers.com They have articles for just about any subject you want to research. While browsing through the articles I found a link to SFI Marketing Group?s affiliate program and clicked on it just because I was curious and wanted to know more about it. I liked what I read about it and went on and signed up because around that time I?ve thought a lot about my future with my job and it?s uncertainties. The main thing right then that caused me to sign up was that I could test drive it for free as long as I want. Well I?m going into my sixth month and I?m still sort of test-driving it. SFI stands for Strong Future International.Serious BusinessActually, I?ve gotten pretty serious about it from day one. I know there is no such thing as get rich overnight. But I also know that in three years time a person could make him orherself a fair amount of money in a business such as SFI, And three years isn?t a very long time once you look back on it. Looking ahead three years and anxiously waiting for,?something good?, to happen can cause you to become so impatient that you might give up trying to make that, ?something good?, to happen. The keyword there is, MAKE, andthe secret is, don?t give up!Look Ahead? Looking ahead is only for setting goals, not daydreaming about what you are going to be doing three years from now after you have gained wealth. A little dream now and then doesn?t hurt, especially if it will help you focus on your goals. While you are dreaming, ask yourself, ?where will I be three years from now?? and think about what you are doing now to reach your goals. As for myself, I know that if I don?t do anything now to helpInsure my future, I might not even be at the point I?m at today, because as far as jobs and Job advancements are concerned, it?s almost null. Temporaries and American made in Taiwan?Large corporations that usually pay well have learned that they can keep more of their money by hiring temporaries and turning them over every sixty to ninety days. Or, take the operation out of the country altogether to a lower wage earner country. It?s already been happening where I work. We are an American made brand, but lots of my company?s product is made in or assembled in Mexico and Taiwan. Does that make sense? I guess it does to our CEO who evidently doesn?t care about those American employees who have already lost their jobs. The great thing about SFI Marketing Group is that the, ?I? stands for international. It?s a global organization that is willing to share its profits with affiliates who are willing to work. As a sponsor, you could have someone in India, Australia, the America?s or almost 200 other countries in your downline. That?s a pretty broad outreach to make money from don?t you think? It?s by far a greater outreach than my job will ever offer or any other job for that matter. My Main Plan?My main plan is, not to give up, and to make it happen. I have other plans of action that falls under that and will change and develop others as I can. One of my plansIs to try as much as possible to help others to succeed. Because most of what I?ve readAbout affiliate marketing success is about helping others succeed. But your success depends mostly on you and the amount of effort that you put into your own business.You can easily sign up under me or some other sponsor, but if that?s all you do than youMay as well opt out of the marketing business altogether so that your name and all your records can be cleared from the companies? record and your sponsor?s record as well.That pretty bluntly put, but if you plan on being in business, even if it?s a lawn mowing business, then you have to get serious with it in order to make it work. I have affiliates who haven?t so much as looked at any their own affiliate web sites that are so generously supplied by SFI for free. Other than an encouraging email now and than, there isn?t much help that I can offer to them. You can?t help those that won?t help themselves. More Information?If you would like more information about SFI Marketing Group you may contact me at rogriney@bscn.com . I won?t kid you one bit. It takes work and some money too if you want to grow your business quicker, but there are lots of resources on SFI?s main web site and most of it is free for affiliates to use. We don?t promise overnight success, but after three years, or maybe less of dedicated work you may just look back and think, ?well! that didn?t take long?. ?Now I can tell my boss good-by, for good.?Have a great life,Roger Riney

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Astonish Your Customers With These Customer Service Tips

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:01:05 +0000

Customer service today is getting worse. Win customers over and you build your business for life. Proven by the leader in the industry — Nordstrom’s. Nordstrom’s customer service keeps improving and they continue to drive others out of business because of it. Here are six ways you can thrill customers and snatch a larger market share from your competitors….Offer to do an extraordinary favorHere’s an example of what I mean: A customer of a moving firm wanted to ship a kitchen table and chairs set to his son in a city 300 miles away. But the moving firm had a hefty weight requirement and a high minimum fee. The firm’s manager said he made regular trips to that city. So he offered–at no cost–to load the set in his station wagon and deliver it on his next trip….Under promise, over deliverA well-known air freight company promises to deliver a package by 10 am the next morning–but often delivers by 9 or 9:30 am. A local printing company always finishes the job before the due date. These are companies customers can count on….Give them a benefit they don’t know existsIf your business offers coupons for certain items, discount those items for those purchases even if customers don’t have the coupons….Put concern above profitOnly offer customers items they can use. Don’t sell them higher-priced products just to make a big sale. You’ll win the loyalty of customers if you look out for their best interest….Follow up after the saleThe most successful salespeople follow up regularly at scheduled times–not when they have a spare moment. Help yourself follow up by keeping a log of commitments made and when you promised to keep them….Comfort customers in time of needLet’s discuss this with an example. If a customer’s air conditioning unit blinked out on the hottest Saturday of the year. Have a backup plan for these type of emergencies. People never forget it when you ease their comfort and will become your biggest raving fan. Return their call no matter how busy you are or have a plan on how to handle these calls. Work later than normal or have someone part-time and on-call. Talk with them on how you can ease their comfort until you can make it there. Ask if they would like to go to the mall or a movie where it is air conditioned and you will call them when you arrive. It doesn’t matter if you are in the air conditioning and heating business or you’re a consultant, think of ways you can ease customer’s comfort. And don’t forget to advertise that as well.

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

How To Make Money Online Without A Website

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:01:05 +0000

Dear fellow reader. My name is Gerardo Flores, today I will be sharing with you some ideas you can use to make some money online without having to build or buy a website. I am sure you will find some of the information valuable and useful. So how do we make money online without a website? With affiliate programs of-course. But with the thousands of options out there, how do you choose the right one? It?s like finding a needle in a hay stack. It?s crazy ! However you can narrow your search a little bit by finding an affiliate program with products that are of interest to you.How do you know if an affiliate program is right for you? Well, what kind of products would you like to serve? You can choose from digital products, to vitamins, to books, to just about anything you can think of. I would start with finding out what product I would like to move. For example one of the affiliate programs I promote is informational products. Like many experts say, ?If you are not sold on the product you?re selling, don?t expect people to buy into your product?? You?ll be wasting your precious time and money if you don?t believe in the product you sell. So find a product that you like and people will like it too.When searching for your affiliate program, try to answer some of these questions; What kind of promotional tools does your affiliate program offer you? Do they give you sample text ads, or solo ads, maybe banner ads? What kind of support do they give you? Do they have a members forum to answer questions that you might have? How does the compensation plan work? Do they give you a referral bonus? And most importantly, how long has the company been in business? These questions should be answered as you look for your affiliate program.Now that you found the right company, you need to move the products. This is where your promotional tools that your company gave you come in handy (assuming they gave you promotional tools). The easiest way to promote your company is through solo ads.Solo ads vary in price, they range from $15 up to $1,000 depending on the size of their list. I would start small, with a least expensive ad. And after you make some money you can invest some (or all) your profits in more expensive solo ads. Don?t underestimate the profit-pulling power of solo ads. If you have a good sale copy you can make some serious money using solo ads.Make money with ?joint ventures?. Joint Ventures can be pretty profitable. First of all you will need to establish a friendship with some webmasters. A lot of these webmasters will have a huge list of subscribers and if you befriend them you can ask permission to send an ad to his list of subscribers, that is of-course if you are willing to share some of the profits with the webmaster. And can be anywhere from 50/50, 30/70, or whatever you guys agree on. If you have a big enough pocket you can advertise with banner ads. Webmasters will charge you, the price depends on the amount of traffic that website gets on a daily or monthly basis. However, if you did have a website some webmasters are willing to exchange or swap a banner or a text ad. So make some friends with webmasters.Well ladies and gentlemen, this is going to end today?s lesson. However don?t let the size of this article limit the many ways to make money online with out a website. There are many other ways also, but I wanted to share the basics to get you started. Until next time good luck and best wishes. Gerardo Flores

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Wholesale Buyers Versus Retail Customers

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:01:05 +0000

Are wholesale buyers and retail customers really different? Frankly, there are two answers to this question: yes and no. Yes, because they are different from the buyers and those selling to buyers’ point of view and no, because the principles that apply are the same for both types of buying.There is only one real difference, aside that one buys at wholesale prices and the other at retail prices, and that is that wholesale buyers are looking for a selection of items to fill a space or their customers’ needs, while retail buyers are looking for one item to fill a space or need. When there isn’t any space that needs filling either now or in the future, the customer won’t be interested in what you have for sale, which means zero sales. Both wholesale and retail buyers are looking for things that can be either complementary or in contrast to what the are doing or they already have. It is rather a combination of the two (contrast/complementary or complementary/contrast) than a case of complementary or contrast.Contrast/complementary means it’s different to what they are doing or they have, but will fit in with other things, while complementary/contrast means it’s like what they are doing or already have and yet it’s different. If there is a high contrast and it doesn’t fit in or if it’s exactly what they have, they most likely won’t buy.There are two things you will have to do to determine if buyers are in a contrast/complementary or complementary/contrast buying situations. First of all, listen to what customers say and think about these two things: why they are asking the question that way and where they got the idea that generated the question. This is called “listening between the lines”. Often, through their questions, customers will tell you what they are looking for. In case they don’t, ask them yourself. It helps you by showing interest in what they are doing and their answers will help you make your presentation. Plus, since you know that they are looking for something to fill a need or hole, it becomes much easier to relate to customers’ needs.The second way to detect their situation is to have customers talk about their favorite subject themselves. Encourage wholesale customers to talk about their shop/gallery, what they have been doing lately, etc. As for the retail customers, get them to talk about the other craft works they currently own and enjoy. Often they will talk about the things that they feel very good about. Sometimes they will talk about the things that they don’t feel very good about, but they will do it as a way of saying they won’t repeat that mistake.Sales will be made when customers understand how the merchandise you are selling fits into what they are doing, planning to do, or would like to do, so apply the contrast/complementary - complementary/contrast theory to what they are contemplating buying.

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Choosing A Business

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:01:05 +0000

Creating a Business of Your Own The majority of people who have a home business started from scratch. Creating a successful business requires that you ask yourself “What will people pay for?” Market research will help you find out, and that can be as simple as asking prospective customers what they need and investigating whether you can compete on price, service, quality, variety and ease of use. With these considerations in mind, here are six possibilities for finding the ideal business for you. You can: ? Turn your favorite hobby or interest into a business Find a need you can fill that’s related to your interest. Example: Someone nearing retirement and interested in helping other senior citizens remain active could create a counseling business, advising on how to enjoy retirement. ? Turn your existing job skills into a business. Accountants, communications specialists, graphic artists, salespeople, teachers — people from all walks of life — can take their skills and reinvent them. Examples: A secretary could start a secretarial service; a personnel director could set up telecommuting guidelines for companies. THE RIGHT BUSINESS FOR YOU ? Solve a problem People will pay to have someone do tasks they find unpleasant or need help with. Examples: Errand runners help thousands of people take care of their daily tasks; someone who’s dealt with a disease and recovery could provide information and teach classes on coping. ? Use a hidden or latent talent Take notice of the talents you use without thinking. Example: A great hostess never thought of being a party planner until she threw a party for a friend. The friend said, “That was so great, I would have paid for it.” ? Use technology and other resources you have around the house Many people have created successful businesses with equipment and technologies they already had around the house. A sewing machine can be the key to an exclusive dressmaking business. We even know two women in Texas who use their washing machines to run a laundry service for the crews of ships that dock in the local harbor. ? Put what you know to work You can turn virtually anything you know into a business if enough people want to know it too. The author of 1,000 Adorable Names for Your Cat sold enough copies of his book to start a pet-oriented mail-order company. Good luck.

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Hello world!

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 10:05:01 +0000

Welcome to Actualblog.net. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!