Carol Bentley

Continuing the theme of opening up communication lines I talked about in my post on 17th Oct, I came across an interesting post on a fairly new blog site I - literally - stumbled upon.

The blogger (Bizzie Guye) gives 9 suggestions on how to warm up a cold contact. Many of them tie in strongly with creating relationships - there’s a few I think are worth considering.

Suggestion number 6 is one I’ve frequently done - and I must admit I get a real buzz when it works out for everyone involved.

I’ll give you three guesses as to what I think number 10 should be.

Want to see if you know me as well as you think you do?

Then check out my earlier post ‘Do you have a (marketing) leg to stand on?’ my suggestion for warming up (or even creating a new) relationship is mentioned in that post.

Have a good weekend.

~ Carol Bentley

For many the 13th is not regarded as an auspicious day - especially if it happens to fall on a Friday. But this is Monday and a day to celebrate three times.

Why?

First: October 13th is the official release date for the published version of my new book ‘Beat The Recession: Proven Marketing Tactics’ . I’ve checked over the book-proof and the print orders go in later today, which means we are on target to deliver before the end of October as I promised.

If you would like a signed, first-edition copy of the book it’s not too late. Simply visit beat the recession and reserve yours. You get the digital version immediately as a complimentary gift for ordering.

Second: Today is the deadline for applications for the sales copy review. If you are subscribed to this blog you got a private message from me last week inviting you to benefit from an expert review of your sales message: letter; web landing page; advertorial… whatever you want help with, at less than 10% of my normal professional fees.

As I write this post there are a few spots lurking, so you could pick yours up… provided you act today. If you can’t find the original invitation (the subject line was [Copywriting4b2b] private message I promised) pop a message over to me and I’ll send you the URL for this extremely generous offer.

Third: This one is more personal… today is my 18th Wedding Anniversary celebrated by gifts of porcelain, apparently.

I think a better way to celebrate is to share insights on how to boost business results - which is what this blog is all about.

Will you help me celebrate?

Click on the comments link below and share your experiences of what has - and what hasn’t - worked for you. Reading other’s experiences and telling people ours helps all our businesses gain some extra strength. So why not ‘click and tell’ now?

~ Carol Bentley

There was a knock on my door. And my PA popped her head around and said. . .

“We’ve just had a delivery from DHL”

“Oh yeah, I said” feeling quietly excited.

She handed me the plain, brown cardboard package - and I quickly tore it open. Yes!!

It was what I was expecting… the first printed copy of my new book; the one you helped me to write by following this blog.

It’s 2.5 times thicker than my previous book so it’s going to take some time to go through it.

And that’s what I’ll be doing this weekend… proof-reading and checking it over - once I’ve calmed down… I know, I know it’s probably very silly to get so fired up but I can’t help it when I think of how many people could find the marketing lifeline for their business in its pages…

Then - provided it looks OK, and I’m pretty confident it will be - I’ll be placing the first edition orders for the people who pre-ordered their signed copy and got the digital version free.

It’s not too late

to be part of that elite band… get your request for a copy in before I place the print order on Monday 13th - afternoon (i.e. after 2p.m.) and you too can get a signed, first edition - plus you get the digital version immediately.

Simply pop over to Beat The Recession book page

Have a good weekend… it’s a triple-celebration on Monday speak to you then.

~ Carol Bentley

P.S. If you are a subscriber to this blog, did you get the private message I sent you on Wednesday? There’s only a few left.

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Following on from Tuesday’s post about bad (and good customer services) sometimes the service you get can be an experience with the wow! factor, which is what happened to me this week.

Actually, it made me smile because of the timing with the subject matter of my earlier post. . .

A week or so ago I took up the ‘check it out’ offer from Frank Kern (you may have seen some reference to it at various websites).

The package was a blatant continuity ‘try my monthly material and I’ll throw in DVDs of a successful seminar’ subscription. I was asked to pay the P&P only and the subs payments wouldn’t start for a month. No problem, I set up my reminder to review whether or not I wanted to take the monthly programme - as I shared with you on Monday.

The material arrived, I’ve started to look at it (and already got some great ideas both for me and my clients) but I’ve not got through the whole lot yet.

Yesterday morning I got an unexpected package from Frank. Another DVD.

Why did he send it?

Because he discovered one of the DVDs has a glitch on one of the tracks (probably some problem with the burning) and, rather than wait for people to report the problem and ask for a replacement, he decided to send everyone a new, re-digitalised copy of the damaged track plus a bonus session as a ’sorry for the trouble’. Because I haven’t finished going through the material I wasn’t even aware there was a problem.

Did he need to do this? Not really.

Has doing this helped his reputation with me?

Definitely - I’d decided, because of the value I’ve already got, to let the subscription continue so this attention to detail has confirmed I made the right decision.

Did Frank think taking this extra ‘wow factor’ step might help people who were undecided to give it a go for a while?

What do you think?

Has it turned me into an ambassador for his products? Probably, I’m certainly keen to see what else he’s going to deliver in his monthly missives.

Offer a customer service that makes people say “Wow, I didn’t expect that!” and you’ll reap the rewards too. It’s all part of building and keeping a good relationship going so people want to do more business with you.

Your Experiences

In my earlier post we talked about our bad experiences. Let’s finish the week on a positive and share stories of good customer service experience. Use the comments link below to tell about companies who’ve given you good vibes.

Have a great weekend.

~ Carol Bentley

P.S. I know it’s only Thursday - but I’m off for a short break now

Catch up with you next week.

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Reading about how other companies have handled customer complaints can act as a catalyst for us to review our grievance procedures because the end result and how it is reached can, sometimes, turn an unhappy customer into a voluble ambassador for us.

And equally - if it isn’t handled properly - it can be extremely damaging.

This has always been the case - but in the past the ‘bad news’ didn’t spread as quickly or as far and wide as it does in this modern, technology-focused age. And maybe that’s why some less technologically-minded companies just don’t realise how important it is to get their act together.

If your customer services is not all it needs to be then you could be leaving yourself open to the bad news spreading fast on the Internet - as is happening to the company I read about in modernselling.com’s newsletter - in this particular case the company’s staff completely forgot to act as if ‘the customer is always right’. Read How not to run customer services (You’d think being a high-tech company they’d know better, wouldn’t you?)

What examples, both good and bad, do you have of how companies handled customer grievances? Use the comments link below to share your stories.

~ Carol Bentley

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A trend I’ve noticed recently on the internet (well, it’s being going on for some time really) is what is known as the continuity strategy. Which is closely connected to the old ‘puppy-dog’ appeal you may have heard of (especially if you’ve read my book).

You are invited to try out a subscription or newsletter for a month (sometimes up to 3) and, if you like it, you let the monthly payments start after that.

You and I know as business people we are extremely occupied with what is going on in our business and it is very easy to forget that we’ve taken up these offers, taken a look at the material, haven’t quite decided whether or not it is really useful, intend to decide later… and then forget about it until the first payment is taken. You’ve got your subscription almost be default.

If the material you are receiving is something you can use and want to carry on receiving, that’s fine - no problem. But if it was something that you weren’t fully convinced about; you were uhm-ing and ah-ing about then you might feel a bit peeved that the decision was effectively made for you.

Sure, you can cancel - but you’ve still made a payment you might have decided against.. if you’d remembered to reconsider it.

So here’s my tip - if you think it’s a blindingly obvious one that you already use, no problem. But if it gives you an ‘aha moment’ that might save some frustration… and might let you try more offers without worrying about having to remember to make your own decision, then that’s great.

What I do…

• 1. Check when the paid subscription starts (1 month, 2 months, 3 months).
• 2. Put a reminder in my Outlook tasks (it could just as easily be a note in your diary) usually 1 to 2 weeks prior to the subscription commencement date.
• 3. When the reminder comes up I review the material I’ve received and make my own, informed decision.

Simple, eh? But it does save unexpected charges and it saves me scratching my head thinking ‘What the heck was that charge for?’ when my accounts lady asks.

By the way - if you took a look at the Stompernet offer, which follows this marketing strategy, and decided not to go for the free material because you didn’t want to subscribe to something by mistake, then this may take that concern away.

~ Carol Bentley

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In my book, and in previous posts, I’ve mentioned how you can create rapport in your writing by understanding how people communicate; whether they are auditory, visual or kinesthetic. Knowing that helps with the words you use in your letters.

But how about verbal communication?

Yes, the words you use still count. But there is more to verbal communication than just the words or even the tonality I mentioned in my previous post Conversation or lecture.

People speak (and listen) at a different pace. Some people speak extremely fast, others have a slo-o-o-w drawl. It can make listening extremely frustrating if you don’t happen to match their speed of communication. But, more importantly, if you don’t recognise and take your customer’s speaking (and listening) style into account you could alienate them.

Jill describes her experience with this in her blog post and explains why it is so important to adjust so you match your prospect or customer’s conversation style. (She also shows how preparation before making an important call is also vital!)

~ Carol Bentley

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You’ve worked hard to make sure everything is working properly. Whether it’s a process in your administration, in your production, in your marketing or on your website. Now it’s time to relax, safe in the knowledge that everything is running smoothly.

Think again!

That’s what I thought - but it was a false sense of security I shouldn’t have slipped into.

Here’s what happened…

You may have noticed that in the right panel of this blog there’s an invitation to recommend this website to your colleagues and friends. When you click on the link you are taken to another web page from where you can send a message to the people you want to tell. After clicking the ‘Send Emails’ button you are supposed to go to a ‘Thank You’ web page where you collect your gift for taking the time to send those recommendations.

Now that system was working fine. So I didn’t see any need to re-check it.

More fool me!

I discovered there was a problem when one of my readers kindly rang to let me know a 404 ‘Page Not Found’ error was coming up instead of the Thank You page. And there was a pretty good chance the recommendation emails were not being sent either.

Fortunately, thanks to the great IT support I get from my supplier, the problem was quickly resolved, and it is now working as intended.

Reviewing Systems

Of course looking at our systems doesn’t just apply to making sure they are still working - although that in itself is a good enough reason to keep a close eye on them. Improvements in our procedures and techniques are just as important. And that’s where asking your staff, customers and even suppliers can reveal some extremely valuable insights.

How long is it since you reviewed your systems; the ones that run like clockwork? Are they in place because they are the most efficient and effective method? Or are they used because “we’ve always done it like that!” Is it time to dust off the cobwebs and see if there are better ways?

I Asked For Your Help

My main method of delivering information is through writing; books, articles, email messages… these blog posts.

But my previous profession was developing and delivering training courses - so I’m perfectly comfortable with talking to people and showing how things work. It makes sense to incorporate all these coaching skills into any future materials or courses I create. But is that what people really want? Would using different presentation styles be better? Maybe, maybe not.

That’s why I decided to ask your opinion in last Friday’s post.

If you haven’t yet given me your thoughts, would you do me a favour and pop over to http://copywriting4b2b.opinion.sgizmo.com? Thanks.

And in the meantime… what areas in your business need a bit of oiling to make them run more smoothly?

~ Carol Bentley

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Is there a difference between corporate businesses and SMEs or entrepreneurs? Three questions asked in my recent survey raised this issue. My answer; Yes… and No!

Am I hedging my bets here? ;¬) Maybe… but let’s look into it a bit further.

First here are the three questions posed about dealing with big companies:

Q1: How to generate more interest in my business from larger organisations.

Q2: How do you adapt your copy if your targets are senior executives and buyers in major corporates? Most of what I read about copywriting proposes big, bold headlines with “huge” specific benefits. And I must admit that when buying myself, these offers can be very seductive. Yet I know from over a decade working with senior executives in major companies that this sort of hyperbolic language and copy tends to go straight in the bin - it’s just not credible.

Corporate executives (in my experience) tend to react better to more conservative approaches. Is my experience out of touch? Obviously these people are human too - and have the same underlying psychology. Yet their experience and background (in my view) means they don’t react well to over-strong selling messages.

Q3: How to find out who makes all the purchasing decisions in a large organisation.

Don’t expect to do a bulk mailing to corporate businesses and get a great response. It’s unlikely to happen. You have to work a little harder for those lucrative contracts.

I advise selecting 10 companies to target and work on, adding others as a rolling prospect line as and when you are able to deal with them properly.

Decide and Research

• Decide which companies you want to do business with. Define exactly what you are offering and which companies benefit most from your solutions. When you contact them talk about a specific ‘niche’ area. Don’t give a smorgasbord of products and services that confuse your prospect and - in their eyes - dilutes your perceived level of expertise and ability to deliver a focused result.

• Do your research. Research the company; the department or division your product or service applies to; discover the challenges the company or that division are currently facing. Check news releases (they are often shown on the company website); is something they have announced likely to give them logistic or ‘knock-on’ effect problems you can resolve?

• Find your target buyer. Don’t go to the HR or purchasing department (unless your offer is for them); aim for the person who heads up the area you are targeting. Read the corporate website; some do give contact names in their ‘about us’ section, although this practice is dwindling. Use the phone; call and ask “who takes care of …. in the company?” (you fill in the blank).

  Careful! You are in information-gathering mode NOT selling mode. One whiff of a sales pitch and the person you are speaking to is likely to clam up.

  In her book, Selling to Big Companies, Jill Konrath describes how to make those important fact-gathering calls so you reach your prime target within the company. Steve Brewer also gives pertinent and easy to follow advice in his CD programme High Impact Cold Calling.

A Slightly Different Approach

• Write individual letters. I’d advise against using extremely large, bold headlines - it doesn’t give the right impression for corporate correspondence. But that’s the only change I would suggest to the structure of your letter. You are still writing to an individual who has challenges within his/her work life and wants a solution. So you do have to grab attention immediately.

  Start your first paragraph with a compelling statement of what you discovered about the company or department’s challenges. Then ask a question that is geared towards the problem he has - the one you identified in your research. Explain the value your offer could bring to his company; quoting case studies from other organisations rather than a general self-serving statement.

  For example, instead of writing “our QR2 system saves production costs” say “Xyz company discovered that 3 months after implementing the QR2 system, production costs had reduced by 2.8% which gave them a projected annual savings of £4.37million.“Be wary of creating a general ’sales pitch’ - it’s unlikely to work unless you are extremely lucky.

• In her book Jill strongly recommends avoiding subservient language such as ‘delighted’, ‘pleased’ or ‘honoured’ and I agree with her. All of your contact (whether letter, email or phone call) should be from a position of equality and strength. Talk as a peer-to-peer. Treat your prospect with respect but expect respect from him too. After all, you are the expert that has a solution to the problem he wants resolved.

Realistic Expectations

• Don’t expect to get an appointment with your first letter or phone call. Have a campaign of actions you will take to secure your appointment to meet. But make sure you deliver valuable information at each contact point; don’t make a self-serving push to get through the door.
  • Let your prospect know about case studies from other companies.
  • Articles from trade publications.
  • Informative reports you can supply (make sure they are informative not just a sales brochure).
  • Gift a copy of a good book you’ve read that gave some good insights to their industry or business or helps address issues they are likely to come up against. (Of course, if that book happens to be one you’ve written and published it gives you an even bigger boost in your prospect’s eyes because you are perceived as knowledgeable; assuming you’ve written good content in your book).

• If it’s practical, be prepared to secure a small contract initially. Once you are delivering great results and the company is pleased with your service you can start negotiating the larger deals.

Share Your Thoughts…

Have experience with larger companies? Either as a provider or perhaps you work (or have worked) within one of these behemoths? Use the comments link below to add your views.

~ Carol Bentley

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I’ve been taking a peak at some of the questions people have been asking in my blog survey that’s currently running. (If you haven’t seen the survey yet - it is here: www.copywriting4b2b survey)

And ‘how to find the time to do things’ whether copywriting, marketing or other things has come up a few times. So I thought I’d share just 3 effective tips I’ve discovered with you and also recommend a book that I got some good pointers from.

Change Your Mind…

We all have just 24 hours a day (yes, I know you’ve probably heard that from every time management expert) and I believe that changing how you think of ‘time management’ is probably the first step towards using that time effectively. I don’t think of ‘time-management’; no - I tend to regard it as ‘activity management’; deciding what activity you want to do and complete in any given workday.

So here’s 3 of the tips I’ve picked up over the years. I bet you’ve come across them before or you’ll say “well, that’s just common sense!” True - but does that mean you’re using them to make yourself more effective?

1) Get Rid of The 21st Century Time-Thief

Emails! Go on, be honest - how much time do you waste every day on your email? Which of these do you find yourself doing…

• Sorting & deleting spam emails - even with filtering software too many still get through
• Checking your spam-filtered emails in case anything urgent has been caught by accident
• Checking your inbox regularly throughout the day - especially when you’re expecting a reply to an email you’ve sent
• Stopping to read and reply to non-urgent emails - effectively getting distracted from what you are meant to be doing

Guilty as charged m’lud!

Yep - given the chance, I’m a confessed email junkie! And it was draining valuable hours of my time. So what did I do? Simple…

1. I decided on a timeframe when I would check incoming emails, e.g. 11a.m. for morning emails and 3p.m. for afternoon missives for just half-an-hour or less.
2. I had numerous email addresses. I redirected ALL my incoming emails, except those coming to a personal, unpublicised address, to Kelly, my P.A. (Yep, this is one of those solutions where you need someone to delegate to. If you aren’t in a position to employ a P.A. I suggest you seriously consider a virtual assistant).Kelly checks the content and forwards the emails I need to attend to personally. You wouldn’t believe how much time that has grabbed back for me.

The second action took care of the spam controlling and the distraction problem because I only see emails that are important.

2) Organise and Prioritise

Different people do this in different ways… blocking time in my diary when I intend to do something specific… like working on a particular project; write posts for this blog; work on products; studying (yes, that is continuous for me) and so on works for me.

I prioritise my tasks as I set my time blocks. By the end of the day or week I have a clear picture of what I’ve achieved and what remains.

I must admit I do get a real sense of satisfaction and achievement as each activity is completed and ‘ticked off’.

3) Stop those rude interruptions

The rudest interruption you suffer every day, without fail, is the telephone. Think about it - if you were in the middle of doing something or having a conversation and someone barged into your office and started shouting at you “Listen to me NOW!!” you’d be understandably extremely annoyed. And yet that’s exactly what we tolerate with incoming phone calls.

The phone is a rude and distracting interruption.

And it is something that, as the business owner or an entrepreneur you need to take control of. Here’s my advice…

• Don’t answer the phone yourself. If you haven’t got staff to take the calls organise a top quality, personal telephone answering service. Dependent upon your business I would suggest you do not rely on an answering machine or voicemail. It may not give the right impression to prospective clients. After all, if you call a business number and get an answering machine what do you think?
• Use gatekeepers. This is obviously part of the previous point. Make sure that whoever is answering your phone doesn’t just put callers through without checking with you first. In fact I tell my PA at the beginning of the day if I’m expecting any calls I need to take. All others are a definite “No” and she deals with them appropriately.
• Make telephone appointments with clients. If they want to speak to you set a date and time when you will take their call. You’ll find that clients are far more respectful of your time if you start your relationship this way.
• Don’t give your mobile phone number out too readily. I have the same mobile phone number that I started with back in 1995. I have never had to change it. And that is because I do not tell anyone - other than private clients, family and close friends - what the number is. And even with private clients I’m selective about who gets the number. I only ever give it to people who I trust not to abuse it by calling me at ridiculous times of the day. They respect my time and privacy, whilst knowing they can get hold of me in an emergency.
• Set a time of day when you will follow up on any incoming calls that need your attention. Perhaps, like with emails, a half hour in the morning and/or afternoon.
• Set a time of day when you will take calls, for example from your team or work colleagues, let them know when they can call you and expect to get through. Explain you are not available at other times because you are working on projects and cannot be interrupted.

I appreciate that for many people some of the pointers above may seem to be impractical - but you’d be surprised at just how readily people will accept your working method and respect your time.

Worth Spending The Time On Reading…

There are many books, courses, seminars and systems that seemingly offer a solution to this age-old problem of time management.

One of the easiest and most entertaining to read, as well as the most useful, I’ve found is Dan Kennedy’s No BS Time Management for Entrepreneurs. Dan’s thoughts on the time-wasters we all face every day are sometimes colourful - but I think you’ll probably find, like me, that you’re frequently nodding in agreement. I’m sure you’ll find some good tips in there.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: time management tips dan kennedy

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When a well respected UK business coach decides to share his knowledge and experience then taking advantage makes sound sense.

Brian James is just such a person… you may already know him. Brian has recently started his business coaching blog and I know, because I get his regular e-newsletters, his posts will be packed full of useful business tips.

If you don’t know Brian then I strongly recommend you pop over to his blog at http://www.business-coachinguk.com/ and browse his site. You can start by getting 3 chapters from his book for free; he’s gifting them just for letting him send you a notification email whenever he makes a post. Talk about something for nothing!

I’m looking forward to getting great ideas from Brian… you can too if you subscribe.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: business coaching brian james marketing business advice

I’m getting withdrawal symptoms - not having written my daily blog post for a few weeks. I’m getting back into it gradually (time still being taken up sorting my Father’s estate) and I’m starting with an extract from my book that may be a reminder (if you have a copy) or a useful insight if you haven’t.

It’s taken from chapter 10 and is my unique way of looking at how to structure your sales letter. But… I’m starting to get to grips with hubpages so I’ve put the whole article on this hubpage: Outline of a Winning Sales Letter

Take a look and, would you do me a favour, give me a thumbs up rating? Cheers!

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: sales letters copywriting hubpages

Right - so you know all you need to know about your target market. You’ve got a fine-tuned understanding of your ideal prospect; you know their age; their gender; income range; whether they’re employed or retired (for consumer marketing); where they’re likely to live and what type of accommodation they have.

You know what interest’s them; hobbies; reading habits;beliefs and opinions, ethical stance and purchasing habits - maybe.

Pardon? Did you say you’re selling to business and you don’t need all this personal detail?

Ok-ay, tell me who makes the decision to buy from you? The ‘business’ or a person at the business; owner, Director, Buying Manager or other decision maker?

Whoever makes that decision in your favour does so for a variety of reasons and one of the points that can heavily influence the outcome is do they think “I like [your name]; I feel I can trust his (or her) advice and I’m confident he / she has my best interests at heart.”

I’m sure you’ve heard it dozens of times but it’s true… you have to build a relationship in order to get the sale.

But let’s say you can’t get up close & personal with your prospect. How do you create a relationship then - how do you appeal to your target audience?

By reaching out in other ways. By freely giving good advice; advice that your prospect can use. Advice such as:

• Crucial facts he needs to be aware of before making a decision; whether that decision is in your favour or not. (Free reports or case studies are good for this)
• Clearly explaining what your product or service is suitable for - describing the features and how they work
• And just as clearly stating when it is not appropriate; be honest about limitations or situations where your offer is inappropriate
• Recommending an alternative supplier you know and trust when your product or service does not quite fit the bill, rather than trying to compromise

Now don’t get upset about that last suggestion… at first glance it may look as if you’re driving business away, but that is not always the case.

Think about it; When you recommend an apparent competitor you are demonstrating you’re confident enough about what you supply to be absolutely straight and up-front about it. You’re displaying a strong ethic of ‘the customer’s interest comes first’- that gives you kudos in your prospect’s eyes. Do you think there’s a good chance your prospect will tell people they know about your honesty and trustworthiness? And recommend you to people who are looking for what you offer? I’m certain it will happen because it has for me.

Plus - if you have a canny business mind I’m sure you can see the possibilities here…

You see, there is always a certain proportion of the enquiries you get that you are not able to satisfy; you don’t match what the customer is looking for. Your ‘competitor’ does.

And your competitor will have enquirers they can’t convert into business that you could make very happy.

Agreeing to direct those unconverted enquiries to each other can create a win-win situation for you both. And, if you agree an introductory commission beforehand for any business realised, it won’t matter if there seems to be more traffic going one way.

Who in your industry or profession could you set up an arrangement like this with? Or perhaps you already have a similar understanding? Share your thoughts with other visitors to this blog.

~ Carol Bentley

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Whilst doing my usual browsing of other people’s blogs a post on Ed Rivis’ called ‘Write Press Releases That Sizzle’ caught my eye. He described how to boost your company’s visibility, with both on and offline PR… so I followed the link he included and found an interesting article on Terry Dean’s blog offering some inspiring ideas at http://www.terrydean.org/21-ideas-for-hot-press-releases-part-1/

PR is a great way to get some free publicity. But you have to stand out from all the other businesses trying to get noticed. And news editors are looking for something that is interesting for their readers; something a little different from the ‘norm’.

Some of Terry’s ideas may seem a bit wacky - but they’ve all got merit. I particularly like number 20 - it made me smile.

Help Your News Editor Make Your PR An Attention-Grabber

When I first released my book I sent a press release to my local paper’s Business Editor describing some of the tips it contained and how they help business people get a good result. I wanted to make sure I had the highest chance of the news release being printed so I sent a bit of an odd picture to catch his attention:

The editor asked if the money I was holding was real - it was!

He published the picture, and a long article about the book , on the first page of the business news section. Great result!

In fact he used the picture again when a local Ottakar’s bookstore hosted my book-signing event a few months later.

So what can you do to promote your business? Perhaps Terry’s tips have given you an idea or two?

If you have never included PR in your marketing toolkit maybe now is the time to try. See which of his 21 ideas appeals to you and give it a go. Then come back here and share your results.

~ Carol Bentley

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technorati tags: press releases Terry Dean free publicity

I mentioned at the beginning of January I would be creating a video programme to show the easiest way to get a book written and published. And, because of that, I decided to talk to other business authors to get their views on why they decided to write a book and how they went about it. I figured the more approaches I revealed the better chance there was that you’d find something that hit the mark for you.

Last week I spoke to Jill Konrath, who wrote ‘Selling to Big Companies’. We were discussing the reasons for writing a business book; one I’ve already shared with you is to position yourself as the expert in your field.

Jill told me that after publishing her book she was curious why there were very few business women authors. And she talked to successful business women, trying to encourage them to join her as an author. Their response surprised her…

You might be relieved to find you have the same thoughts.

I recorded my telephone conversation with Jill and I’ll be sharing the full content with you at a later date, but for the moment, I thought you might like to listen to this short clip - only a few minutes - in which she shares the revelation those astute business women gave her and explains why some of them changed their mind. Click on the audio bar below to listen-in.

So - has this short audio given you some food for thought?

~ Carol Bentley

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