My article on Publicity Ethics last week really struck a chord. I received many “good job” messages and only a handful of unsubs.

Vijay asked a good question. Could I provide examples of “co-opetition” the word that means how to work with your competitors?

Some of my best friends are “competitors.” That is, we all offer PR services to authors, speakers, coaches, consultants and small businesses. However, we all offer a slightly different part of the publicity puzzle.

I provide leads and press releases.

Joan Stewart, the Publicity Hound, offers advice and training materials.
Jess Todfeld, Karen Friedman, Shawne Duperon, TJ Walker and Susan Harrow offer media training. They are all in different parts of the country, so I can match prospects with them based on geography and fit.

Jonathan Bernstein offers crisis communications counseling.

Bruce Freeman pitches the media.

Of course, I’m pals with Jill Lublin, Steve Harrison, Bill Harrison, Jim Bowman, Mark Harty, David Mathison, Nancy Juetten, Raleigh Pinsky, David Newman, Alex Carrol, Rick Frishman, Robert Stack, and a zillion other people who have helped me and vice versa.

While we are all in PR, we all do different parts of PR, so we can freely refer clients to each other knowing that we are helping our clients find the best person for the job.

That’s co-opetition.

We also might exchange small commissions (or not, depending on the relationship) and that sweetens the pot.

We also can pick up the phone and call each other to get feedback on our problems and insights into our ideas. I’ve killed many projects when my buddies told me the idea was stupid or already done. And I’ve had ideas made better with the suggestions of my co-opetitors.

There’s an old saying in the martial arts that you use your opponents force to your advantage. If he punches, you use that momentum to thrown him.

The same is true with co-opetition. If you try to fight your opponents, you waste energy and can get a fist in the face. If you use their momentum, you win, they win and the mutual client wins.

Try it.

Who are your biggest competitors? Can they turn into natural allies?

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!

I recently visited Madrid and had a wonderful time. But at many times, I felt like a stranger in a strange land. I realized that feeling affects many visitors to your website. Here’s why

Your website prospects are like tourists in a foreign country. They don’t know you. They don’t trust you. They have many other vendors to choose from. They want to buy something like yours from someone like you. It could be you if you do the right things. It won’t be you if you don’t.

Here are five keys to improving your website so you connect with your prospects.

1. State your price. Many restaurants posted pictures of the food they served, but didn’t post the prices. I avoided those restaurants. How would I know what the price was? Why should I risk embarrassment by going inside sit and seeing the menu with prices that I didn’t want to pay? Why would I want to waste my time? The prospects who see your website are the same way. They are tired, scared, impatient and distrustful. Don’t make people hunt for it. – unless there’s a darned good reason.

2. Make an attempt to speak the language of your customer. Yes, I tried to study Spanish and learn a few words. In some cases, I got by quite nicely in others, we were both lost. Don’t expect your website visitor to speak your language which has technical jargon, nuance, and insider knowledge. You must be willing to listen to the prospect and speak at her level.

3. Use the phone. I wanted to go to Spain to learn Spanish and also to see the sights. I went to Google to find language courses in Madrid. I found quite a few. Only one had a notice that they would call me if I had any questions. I put in my phone number and a good time to call. They did. I asked my question and signed up for the course. By talking to a real person (on their dime), I knew the company was real. I couldn’t know that if I hadn’t talked to them. Does your website invite communication? Do you hide behind email or do you get off your butt and pick up the phone. A few minutes on the phone can do a lot to calm fears and build trust.

4. Get the right person to call prospects. If you don’t want to call prospects, then hire someone who will. This step is too important to overlook. I don’t like talking to prospects. I’d much rather spend my time training, consulting, coaching and speaking. So I hired someone who likes to sell. This is a case of 1 plus 1 equals three. I do what I like to do; she does what she likes to do; and the company grows and clients get the service they need.

5. Don’t wear out your welcome. I could have stayed in Madrid for two weeks. I actually cleared by schedule in case I wanted to add another week. And on my last day in Madrid, I seriously considered staying. I had done most, but not all of the things I wanted to do. And it is true that I might discover things that I hadn’t even known about. But I’d rather leave early and want more than stay too late and be bored. For marketers, the message is to answer your prospects questions, but don’t bore them with all the details and features they might not care about. When you’ve made the sale, then bow out gracefully.

If you follow these tips, you’ll be speaking a new language of profits with your prospects.

Dan Janal is an early thought leader in the field of publicity and the Internet. He delivers thought-provoking keynote speeches across the world. For information about his seminars, go to http://www.janal.com

Dan Janal is a very successful entrepreneur, professional speaker and marketing coach who helps clients build their businesses by improving their strategy for using publicity, marketing, Internet marketing, e-commerce and sales. For more information, go to

http://www.prleadsplus.com

This article can be published on your website or ezine. Contact dan @ prleads for permission.

I’m a big fan of TV competition shows to find the next Food Network Star and the next design star. So you know I’d love it when someone takes that great idea and brings it to a level that you and I can benefit from. So let me tell you about my friend Linda Claire Puig and her great idea.

She’s hosting a contest called “Next Top Newsletter Showdown.”

I love this idea!

Here’s an excerpt from her pitch letter:

It’s not only a contest with some great prizes and exposure, but it’s also the kickoff to nearly a month of newsletter-related, events, learning, prizes and exciting opportunities related to newsletters and creating newsletters — easily — that can massively affect your business growth.

If you have a newsletter, enter it THIS WEEK in the contest. (I’m entering mine!) Nominations close Sunday, July 25, at 9 pm Pacific, and voting is the following week with winners announced August 2.

If you don’t have a newsletter (YET!), definitely go anyway. This is a SUPER-RARE opportunity for you to see what your peers are doing with their newsletters and to take advantage of Linda’s free resources and expert newsletter information.

You’ll get educated. You’ll get inspired. And my hope is you’ll get into ACTION!

http://ow.ly/2da29

ALSO, be sure to register for the free webinar that Linda’s giving on August 2. In addition to announcing the winners and exploring WHY they’re winners, she’ll also reveal some of the newest trends affecting newsletters and let you know about some BRAND NEW resources that will help you get going (easily!) with your own newsletter.

So head on over to the “Next Top Newsletter Showdown!”
http://ow.ly/2da29

Here’s why I love this idea:

When you host your own contest, you will be perceived as a leader in your field.

Following Linda’s model, you’ll get these additional benefits
1. Build a list of people who are interested in your topic.
2. Build credibility with that audience.
3. Build trust.
4. Get a lot of great ideas from seeing the entries.
5. Network with the contest entrants.
6. Create a news story for the media.
7. Become an expert source for the media.
8. Get new clients.
9. Charge higher fees.
10. Set yourself apart from competitors.

What contest could you hold? What partners can help you promote it? How will get the word out? What will the winners receive? How can you make money from the people who follow the contest? How will you get the word out to the media so you can be seen as the thought leader?

Answer these questions and you’ll be closer to being seen as the leader in your field.

Dan Janal is a very successful entrepreneur, professional speaker and marketing coach who helps clients build their businesses by improving their strategy for using publicity, marketing, Internet marketing, e-commerce and sales. To see how you can improve your business, go to http://www.prleadsplus.com

This article can be re-printed on your website, blog or ezine.

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.

This month, we had a large number of alumni clients re-start their PR LEADS subscriptions. While we’ve always gotten new clients during this recession, and we  always had a few alumni resume, this month clearly showed a great trend.

Why? Many reasons, internal and external, with lessons that will help you grow your businesses:

1. This newsletter. I started this a few weeks ago after no having any consistent communication with my clients. Why did I stop writing the newsletter several years ago? Maybe I got lazy. Maybe I got complacent. Both are not good attributes. Perhaps just putting my name in front of people reminded people that they should get back on board. Maybe you should do some kind of communication with your clients.
2. The economy is improving. Stock market is up. Consumer confidence is up. GM is repaying loans faster than anyone thought possible. Home buying is up. Sure there are rough spots out there and the new economy has changed some business models, but things are definitely looking up.
3. Market consistently. There’s always a new gimmick and people grab at it. But 100 years of research has shown that doing the right things consistently always works if you keep on doing them, day after day, month after month. So do your PR, write articles, do webinars, teleseminars and speeches; and stay in touch with your  clients, prospects and alums, and get referrals. It all works.
4. Competition. Sure, we’ve all had competitors enter our space in the past two years. Looks like people have tried the rest and are coming back to the best. Remember that quality always wins in the end. Continue to offer great service to your clients and they’ll stick with you.
5. Marketing. I’ve started writing more articles, appearing on more teleseminars, webinars and Internet radio shows as well as offering helpful advice on Linked In, Facebook and Twitter. The result is that many people who sign up for PR LEADS put “web” or “Google” or “Internet” as the referral source. Online marketing actually works. Try it.
6. Listening to great advice from Alan Weiss, Mark LeBlanc and Christian Mickelsen. When you pay for great coaching, you are investing in yourself.
7. Law of Attraction. ‘Nuff said.

I’m sure the answer lies in all these factors and probably a few more that I’m too blind to see. So hang in there. Good times are coming!

I’ve always loved Opening Day for baseball because when you look at the standings, everyone is even. Each team is in first place. Each team has the whole world open to them.

Dan gets caught up in baseball.

Same with you. Treat Opening Day as a time to start over.

1 Reevaluate your website. Is it up to snuff? Check out the free resources at http://www.websitereviewslive.com. You might want to get in touch with my webmaster after you review his materials.

2. Reevaluate your PR and marketing plans. Are they getting results? If not, it is time to start over. Email me and we’ll set up a complimentary coaching session to see if I can help you. This offer applies only to present and former clients of PR LEADS and I *will* try to sell you on group coaching or individual coaching.

3. Reevaluate your profiles on Facebook, Linked In and Twitter. Do they represent what you are selling now? 

Go ahead. Dust off those cobwebs. You just might find some new money buried beneath them!

Chances are you don’t have a clue as to how your site compares to your competitors. Now would be a good time to find out.

Here’s how to do a competitive marketing audit:

Go to  compete.com to find out how many people are visiting your site, month by month. It’s free!

2. Type in the URLs of your competitors and see how you stack up against them. You’ll see numbers and graphs that show the comparison for several competitors that you designate.

3. Look at the keywords used to reach your site and their sites. You might want to put those keywords onto your site so you can get more visitors. See what works and copy it.

Go beyond compete.com to find great keywords to attract more visitors. Use a keyword tracking tool to find out what keywords people search for when they look to find someone like you. Google Ad Words has one. So does Keywordtracker.com Google is free and you’ll need to set up an account which is easy to do. Keywordtracker.com  has a time-limited version for free.

Go back to compete.com to see what the top sites  are doing–and what you aren’t doing– to rank high. Then edit your site to match what works.

6. Work with a marketing coach to help you get more visibility.  I have openings for three new clients. Email me if you are interested and we’ll set up a no-risk phone appointment to see if this would be a good fit.

Dan Janal
Your Fearless PR LEADER
www.prleadsplus.com
dan@prleads.com
9 52-380-1554

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