Now’s the time to create your editorial calendar for 2012.

What articles should you write to tie into themes that your customers want to know about? What articles will reporters write that you can contribute to?

I can help you create your editorial calendar as part of a one-time coaching session so you get all the attention you deserve and the media doesn’t bypass you. Email dan@prleads.com for details.

Don’t let another year go by wondering “Why did all my competitors get quoted and why not me?”

I’m basking in the glow of a speaking job well done in Las Vegas at Alan Weiss’ and Patricia Fripp’s Odd Couple Seminar. How can I tell?

Dan Janal and Patricia Fripp

Well, I attended Patricia Fripp’s Speaking School on Friday and spoke on Sunday by using a number of her very interesting and powerful techniques to tell stories, create content and bond with the audience. It must have worked because half the people in the room came up to me to give me their business cards – and half a dozen people left their business cards at my seat! That’s never happened before. And here’s the kicker – I didn’t try to sell anything. I just wanted to share ideas and teach them how to become thought leaders! You can read a number of my “keepers” from Patricia Fripp’s Speaking School.
Points of wisdom from Patricia Fripp, in no particular order:

·      It is better to be consistently good than occasionally great.

·      Our goal is to speak to be remembered and repeated.

·      Use personal stories.

·      A good speech is not a conversation, but a good speech is conversational.
·      A speech makes it more specific and uses more specific words. For example: Not a bunch of business cards, but a handful of business cards.
·      To develop content, mine your life for turning points and influences. What do your friends laugh about at the dinner table?

·      As you review your life story, where was the conflict? What was your decision? What did you discover?

·      Don’t say, “I’m going to tell you.” Instead say, “You are going to learn.” Or “You will hear.” Or “You will experience.”

·      Use specific words because they create pictures in a person’s mind.

·      Review by asking rhetorical questions and/or ask audience to summarize what they got out of it.

·      Use short sentences.

·      Creating a speech is a messy process.

·      The audience doesn’t know how you feel. They only know how you project.

·      Populate your stories with flesh and blood characters that the audience can relate to. Give the best lines to your characters.

·      The answer to life is discipline.

If you’d like to read Patricia Fripp’s excellent articles on speaking, go to www.Fripp.com

Recently, I got a voicemail from a Realtor named Louie. I won’t use his last name since I didn’t speak to him or ask his permission. But don’t worry. This is not an embarrassing story. In fact, it is the story of a hero and a person I think I admire. Here’s the story.

Louie leaves a message on my voicemail saying he is a Realtor, and has appeared on HGTV. He wants to sell my house. My first thought was I don’t want to sell my house. My second thought was that he had a nice voice and a winning persona on the phone. But I decided to check him out anyway. After all, he’s on HGTV. He must be a star.
I went to his web site and saw his credentials. He’s one of top 20 salespeople in his nationwide company of hundreds or thousands of Realtors. He has a zillion video clips of him appearing on a local TV news show as their real estate expert. He’s a pro through and through.

You know what impressed me most about Louie?

Two things, actually.

First, he makes good use of his media. I always preach that to my clients. He’s a stud!

Second, as successful as he is, he still makes cold calls!

Mind you, I’ll never make a cold call in my life. I hate them. You probably do as well. That’s okay. I’m not about to say you should do cold calls. I do other marketing tactics, like ezines, blogs, articles and press releases.

But he found a marketing tactic that worked for him and he did it again and again and again. He even left a similar message on my wife’s voice mail.

The point is, he didn’t delegate marketing to a flunky. He didn’t rest on his laurels. Instead, he dug in his heels and he kept marketing, every darned day without fail.

You might have noticed that the Real Estate industry is on the ropes and has been for several years. Does that sound like your business?

I have two questions for you.

Are you like Louie? Do you want to be like Louie?

Then pick a few marketing tasks that you like to do and that are effective. Then do them over and over and over again.

I’d suggest you write press releases that contain info about what’s new in your business, or “how to” information that you might have written as an article. Or even an opinion piece that you might have written for your blog. All those are good fodder for a press release that can help your web site be found in the search engines.

For information about this, please go to http://www.PressReleaseSender.com and read about my guaranteed publicity program. It really works!

In building my business, I’ve found PRLeads.com very useful. Here’s how I use it.

John Reddish

1. I set up my account with key words relating to my expertise – reporters seeking expert input send queries to ProfNet for posting. Experts are free to respond or not. Reporters have no obligation to use input as received (so it’s important to either know the publication/service, or the reporter and what and how they write, or at least do research when you can (some items are cloaked) – Google search is great for helping me decide who and what to respond to;

2. I respond to those items that resonate with me, to publications where I think my voice will be heard and that seem to hold opportunity. I keep my overall branding plan in mind so that I don’t go too far afield from where I want to project myself.

3. Unless there is a special reason, or target market I want reach, I tend not to respond to authors seeking input for books they intend to publish. Not knowing them, or the other content they might use, I approach these queries cautiously;

4. To find out when I get quoted (sometimes the reporter lets you know, sometimes not), I do regular Google searches using my name, the reporter’s name and the publication’s name. Also of note, some reporters re-purpose and re-quote in syndication of their pieces and/or in using your input in related articles. I once gave a reporter input for a MS Small business site and more than a year later the same article appeared in East Africa Trade News – who knew!;

4. Once I have the quote, I get a link to it and send a brief synopsis of the article, the link and that fact that I was quoted to clients who might be interested, to clients where I need to keep contact, to prospects, to friends and family and post to my blog and/or web site. When appropriate, I also send the mailing to trade press (judiciously and only where it might be useful for them – some have even called with a new slant for pieces they want to do but this is rare) and alumni news outlets – you never know.

5. Once I know either the style/approach of the publication/service, or the reporter’s style, I decide on whether to go long- or short-copy.  If I think the reporter can use in-depth (not too in depth) background on his/her query, I give it.  Otherwise, I’m a big fan of bullets and key phrases that have potential for Buzz while still being dead-on.

This visibility builds credibility very well and makes client conversions more a process of helping them buy and not selling them.

Best regards,
John

John helps entrepreneurs and other leaders who want to master growth, transition and succession to get results faster, less painfully and in ways that work for them. This happens through consulting, coaching/mentoring, speaking, and/or training. Contact John: www.linkedin.com/in/johnreddish, or web – www.GetResults.com, www.TheSuccessionPlanner.com. John is a professional member of the National Speakers Association and the International Coach Federation.

The music world is going goo goo over Lady Gaga. She’s the hottest act out there and there are branding lessons you need to know from her, even if you don’t follow her music.

Lady Gaga

She came from nowhere to become a headline act, top album on the charts, performance on American Idol and a meeting with the Queen of England. “I”m a fan,” she told the Queen. If you came from nowhere, you won’t end up nowhere, if you follow some of her blueprints.

How can you get so far, so fast? Here are three lessons learned.

1. Create a great name. She wasn’t born Lady Gaga. She created a name and an image. You can’t change your name, but I’ve seen many people start to use their first names only (if it is unique) or create a nickname or monicker, like “America’s Success Coach.” Be bold, not trite.

2. She has a gimmick. She never wears pants. No, she’s not naked, but she captures your imagination with “what will she wear next?” She pushes the envelope. In some ways, this is exactly what Liberace did with his sequined suits and what Elton John did with is costumes and eyeglasses. She picked up a gimmick that other performers used but added her own unique twist. You don’t need 50 different outfits. But find what makes you unique and show the world.

3. She’s not afraid to toot her own horn. Many professional service providers are afraid to do this. Sometimes its because of professional ethics, sometimes its because they are shy. Do what you can — like send out press releases and court the media – and you’ll probably eclipse everyone else in your field.

Follow these tips and maybe one day you’ll meet the Queen, or at least get a few new clients.

Do you need help with your branding? Give me a call or send me an email (dan @ prleads.com) or check out the great tools at PREADSPLUS.COM and let’s see if we can work together.

Most entrepreneurs consider it a lucky day when they make a sale. Even better if the client buys a recurring program, like a subscription to a service, like PRLEADS or a coaching program that meets every month.

But many entrepreneurs don’t realize they might be leaving money on the table.

Growing Your Business

“Most of your prospects, even your customers are not aware of all the services and products you have to offer,” says Mark LeBlanc, a small business success coach based in Minneapolis and author of “Growing Your Business” and the soon-to-be released “Never be the Same.”   “They do know about the product they bought, but that’s about all the know. Many small business owners fail to let clients know about all the ways they can be of good service.”

4 Reasons Clients Don’t Know What You Can Do

1. They are focused on the one product or service they bought from you.
2. You focused on selling one solution and they bought it. Everyone was focused on that one service.
3. Talking about multiple products can lead to confusion. The confused mind does not buy. So most entrepreneurs keep the discussion focused on one product or service that the client needs most.
4. You didn’t tell them that you can do other things.

While it is important to keep the initial sale focused so the prospect makes a buying decision, entrepreneurs should realize this is the start of the relationship, not the end.

3 Reasons Clients Want to Buy More of Your Services

1. People like to buy from people and companies they trust. Since they are using your products and services, they will trust you. Capitalize on that trust.
2. Companies like to buy from a single source. It is easier on their bookkeeping systems to have a single-source vendor.
3. As you get to know the client, you will uncover new ways to help them.

So why don’t entrepreneurs try to sell more services?

Three Reasons Entrepreneurs Don’t Make More Sales

1. They are afraid of appearing “pushy, greedy or salesy.” These thoughts are all misguided. Think of how you can add value to your clients and you won’t focus on these negative thoughts..
2. They are lazy. It’s easy to count the money and rest on your laurels, so you don’t tell the clients about new services.
3. They are afraid of being rejected.

How can you ring up more sales by selling more services to your current clients?

Three Ways to Get the Word Out So You Make More Sales

1. Tell them. If they don’t know, they can’t buy.
2. Get over your fears of failure, rejection or being a pest. Instead, tell yourself that you are doing your clients a favor by letting them know about all the good things you can for them and all the great ways they can benefit. An old sales maxim says “the first sale you make is to yourself.” If you believe in your services, you will find it easier to tell your clients.
3. Practice. The more times you say your message, the easier it will be to communicate with clients.

You can let clients know about your new services by email or by phone calls. You could even do a teleseminar or webinar so you can communicate with many people at one time. If you record the session, you can post it to your website so it can help explain your services.

“It’s a constant educational process to keep your customers aware of your entire menu of programs, products and services,” says LeBlanc.

If you follow these steps, you’ll do more than make more money – you’ll help more people!

Find out about OUR new services at PRLEADSPLUS.com

Publicity thought leader Dan Janal coaches entrepreneurs and small business on how to build profits withlow-cost Internet marketing and publicity tactics via individual and group coaching sessions. For information go to www.PRLEADSPLUS.com

All good things must come to an end. And so all coaching relationships will eventually end. This article will show you the right way to end the relationship so everyone feels good.

I am a business coach and I’ve hired business and life coaches to work with me, so I’ve seen the story from both sides.

Let’s look at why you’d want to fire a coach.

1.    The project has ended. For example, you wanted to learn how to acquire new sales skills. You learned them. You are happy. The coach is happy. The project is over. There shouldn’t be any surprises there.

2.    The defined period of time is over. Let’s say you sign up for a year-long program and the year is over. The coach will probably ask if you want to continue. You can decide if you want to. If not, let the coach know that you won’t be continuing. That’s just polite. You don’t want to receive a series of emails asking you to renew and he doesn’t want to see the emails unanswered. End on a positive note.

3.    In an open-ended coaching relationship with no defined end, you might decide after three sessions or nine sessions that you’ve gotten all you are going to get from this relationship. Things might have started off well and then plateaued and then you feel like no progress is being made. In this case, you should first tell the coach your thoughts and feelings to see if there is something she can do to add more value to your relationship. If not, then it is time to leave. Chances are, she knew the relationship was running out of steam as well and probably welcomed the fact you brought up the question of leaving. However, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. You might want to alter the relationship so that you check in with the coach every three months, or so for a tune up. After all, you had a good thing going for a good period of time. That added value can help you in future when you get stuck or reach your own plateau. Just like piano that gets tuned every season, you might need to get tuned again. It’s better to do it with a coach that you have a history with than to explain your story to someone new.

4.    Bad fit. While the first three items on this list dealt with the time of the relationship, this one deals with the “feel” of the relationship. You might find quickly that your personality doesn’t mesh with the coach’s. This isn’t anyone’s fault. That’s okay. We’re all individuals and we have our likes and dislikes. We are entitled to our preferences. In this case, let the coach know that you don’t think this relationship will work out and part your ways. It’s okay to use email if you think you’d wimp out in a phone meeting. Chances are the coach knows it as well.

Just like in any relationship, it is nice to end a coaching relationship on a positive note. I’d suggest you take these steps.

1.    Let the coach know well in advance of the meeting that you want to end the relationship. Don’t call or email the day of the event and say you have a flat tire. Be an adult. Don’t make up fake excuses. The coach needs to resell that time block and she can’t do it if you give 30 minutes notice. You wouldn’t want your clients to do this to you, so don’t do it to your vendors.
2.    If you feel comfortable, tell the coach why you are leaving. Some things can be repaired. Some things can’t. See if the coach can suggest a repair. For example, you might be low on money. The coach might be willing to charge less, meet with you less often, or enroll you in a group program that is less expensive. If you feel you’ve plateaued, the coach might suggest a different set of tactics to help get unstuck. If you need to learn a new set of skills, you might be pleasantly surprised to find the coach you like actually can help you in that area, or could recommend a trusted colleague for you.
3.    If it is all right with you, end the relationship with positive comments, like “I learned a lot,” or “You helped me get over this hurdle.” Making a person feel good with sincere compliments is always a good tactic. If you didn’t get anything from the sessions, then don’t lie and say you did. The coach will ask for a testimonial since she thinks you are happy.
4.    If there is a negative reason to stop, i.e. you don’t like their personality, their punctuality, their working style, their accent, or anything else that can’t be changed, you are better off not bringing it up. If it’s a bad fit, it’s a bad fit. Move on.

If you follow these tips, you might lose a coach but gain a friend.

Publicity thought leader Dan Janal coaches entrepreneurs and small business on how to turn their publicity into profits with individual and group coaching sessions. For information go to www.PRLEADSPLUS.com

Are you sabotaging your publicity program?

Many people shoot themselves in their feet when it comes to creating and executing their publicity programs.

After 9 years of running PR LEADS and dealing with more than 4,000 people, I’ve seen it happen time and time again for many different reasons.

Join me in the 45-minute teleseminar to learn how to overcome the 12 self-sabotaging shortcomings that speakers, authors, entrepreneurs and small business people do day after day.

By attending this session, you’ll be able to conquer the inner fears that have been holding you back from getting publicity. You’ll also develop essential skills in getting the publicity you deserve to sell more products and services.

Here’s the info:

Date: Thursday, December 17, 2009

Time: 1 p.m. Central Time

2 p.m. Eastern

Noon Mountain

11 a.m. Pacific

Length: 45-60 minutes

Investment: $10 fee will go to the Humane Society of America or other “No-Kill” Animal Shelters.

If you can’t attend, we will send you an MP3 file with the complete recording.

Click here to register:

http://www.prleads.com/stopsabotage/register

About your instructor:

The Los Angeles Times called Dan Janal an “internet marketing expert.” He’s written six books on publicity and marketing for John Wiley. An in-demand keynote speaker, Dan Janal has spoken everywhere from Beijing to Budapest. He has taught at Stanford and Berkeley. He is an award-winning daily newspaper reporter and business editor and was on the PR team that launched AOL. Other clients include the National Football League, IBM and The Reader’s Digest. He provides coaching and consulting services to a select number of qualified clients.

Publicity can be a great tool to build your webinar profits. Here’s a great way to get the press to promote your webinar!

1. Write a press release and send it to reporters who cover your topic. There are many trade publications  - online and in print – that print notices of events. The press release should contain the essential information of your webinar, including:
   1. Title
   2. Date and time (include time zones!)
   3. The cost of the webinar. If it is free, say so. That’s always good!
   4. What topics will be discussed
   5. Who the appropriate audience is (perhaps by skill level, i.e. beginner, intermediate or advanced)
   6. How to register. List your website sales letter. Don’t list the front page of your web site. They might not find the link to register.
   7. Contact information, including your phone number, email and website
   8. Send this via email about a month before your event to online publications and blogs. Send this via email to print reporters about four months before the event. For a list of reporters, go to www.BullsEyePublicity.com They have a database of more than 50,000 reporters in every vertical market you can think of. They are always looking for a good story to write about!

Reporters are dying to quote entrepreneurs, small business owners and consultants just like you. The trouble is, they don’t know you exist!

If only you can get your hands on a great media contact list, then you can get your name and credentials in front of reporters.  This way they will contact you when they are writing a story that would be perfect for you.

So how can you get your hands on a great media list that’s filled with information about reporter’s who want to quote you in their articles?

Many companies sell names of reporters. Like everything else on the Internet, they vary by quality, features and services.

Before you buy a media list, be sure to ask questions like the ones below.

10 Questions You Must Ask When Buying a Media List So You Get the Most Bang (Publicity) for Your Buck

1. When was the list updated? Reporters change jobs quite frequently. And many newspapers and magazines are laying off people. So you want to make sure the list is updated on a daily or weekly basis. Otherwise, you’ll waste time, money and energy sending messages to people who don’t work there!

2. What contact information is included in the list? You’ll want a list that has name, title, email, phone and snail mail address. Yes, snail mail. This way  you can send books or product samples. You’ll want email for sending pitches, press releases and press kits. You’ll want the phone number to pitch by phone. Of course, you will have much of this information on your website, but you’ll want to have every means available to contact reporters in the format they most desire. Reporters can be very, very picky!

3. What information is included about the reporter? Most basic lists you’ll find on the Internet will have contact info, but not much else. That’s not enough to do target marketing. You want to know what topic (referred to as a “beat”) the reporter is covering as well. Some of the best companies offer additional insights into the beat. For example, some lists will tell you if reporter A  only covers politics with a conservative slant. That will help you when you fine-tune your pitch to her.

4. Do you get a list that is sorted by the topic the reporter covers? Some list companies will sell you the entire database of each publication. That’s way too broad for most people and will lead to a lot of waste. In other words, it’s not enough to know that Jill writes for Business Week. You want to find the person who covers your topic. Because if Jill doesn’t, she’ll just throw away your message.

5. Does the list contain a reporter’s personal information? Most lists don’t have information such as “like to bowl,” or “wrote a screenplay” or “recovered from cancer.” But if the list has this information, you might gain extra insights into the reporter and you might be able to build rapport faster.

6. Does the list have the publication’s URL? Let’s face it, not everyone knows everything about every publication. Nor is every publication available at your local newsstand or library. However, if you have their URL, you can easily read about the publication, get its view on the world and read articles by that reporter. It’s a great time saver.

7. Does the list have web-only publications, like websites and blogs? These outlets are beginning to play a much bigger role in telling stories to you audience. Don’t overlook the online-only opportunities.

8. Does the list show circulation figures? Since you don’t have all the money in the world to send out books or product samples, or even to call everyone on a good list, you must decide who is important. That’s where the circulation figures come in to play. Start with the biggest and work your way down. If you don’t have the circulation figures, you don’t know who the big boys and girls are.

9. Is the list searchable and sortable? Look for a list that is delivered in a digital form, like a spreadsheet or a word document. That way you can use sorting and searching tools to find the best reporters.

10. What rights do you have to the list? Some companies give you one-time use of the list. They even “seed” the list with fake names so they can tell if you use the list more than once! Look for a company that gives you unlimited use of the list so you can get the most value for your investment.

If you follow these tips, you’ll find a list of media contacts than can serve you well at a price you can afford.

Dan Janal is media relations expert, author and speaker who coaches entrepreneurs, doctors and wellness professionals just like you on how to get publicity and turn it into REAL profits. Now, Dan invites you to go to http://www.bullseyepublicity.com to get a free e-course on how to successfully pitch reporters with media lists. Go to http://www.bullseyepublicity.com