Archive for June, 2011
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Use Your Time For Problems That Are Truly Important
Hard as it may be to walk away once you’re aware of it just because a problem is there doesn’t mean you have to solve it. Ask yourself and your colleagues “What will happen if we don’t solve this problem?” If the answer is “not much” then turn your attention to something more important. If you don’t know what will happen find out before you undertake a problemsolving project. It should be clear to you and everyone else involved that the problem is worth the effortand expenseto fix it.
Quantify the cost of the problem quickly but as realistically as you can. Include lost opportunity costs as well as real expenses such as staff time to deal with the problem travel expenses etc. Use actual costs where you can; estimate where you can’t. Then guesstimate what it will cost to analyze and fix it. Write your analysis down stating all your assumptions explicitly. Get a colleague to verify that your assumptions and estimates are reasonable. Start with a rough “order of magnitude” estimate. That may be enough to answer the question of whether you should proceed. If it’s not clear especially if the cost to solve it will be high do a more careful analysis.
If it will cost more to fix than to live with the problem or if the number is even close perhaps your resources time people money are better spent on other projects. If you decide to proceed anyway you can do so with a better understanding of what you’re undertaking. On the other hand if you can demonstrate that the cost of the problem is much higher than the cost of solving it using estimates based on reasonable assumptions it will generally be much easier to get the resources you need. You can use your written analysis as a sales tool to help win support for your decision to proceed or not.
We have to learn to distinguish those things that are truly important from those that are merely urgent. Jerry D. Campbell
copyright 2005. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved.
About the writer: Jeanne Sawyer is an author consultant trainer and coach who helps her clients solve expensive chronic problems such as those that cause operational disruptions and cause customers to take their business elsewhere. These tips are excerpted from her book When Stuff Happens: A Practical Guide to Solving Problems Permanently. Find out about it and get more free information on problem solving at her web site: http://www.sawyerpartnership.com/.
Priming The Public Relations Pump
The first few months of a campaign can be difficult particularly for a PR novice. But this can be the most important time as well. This is the time to prime the pump the time to brainstorm to broaden your scope and think outside of the box.
During the first two months of a public relations campaign you are basically priming the pump. As to the bottom line expect the first month to be a wash as far as media placement is concerned. During that time you will be writing your releases sending out the initial pitches and basically introducing yourself to the media. Be calm be patient and don’t panic. As time goes by you’ll start to see results. Media begets media. Once you appear on a talk show or in a magazine utilize your press to garner yourself more media. This is where the payoff starts.
The first few months of a campaign can be difficult particularly for a PR novice. It is often the hurryupandwait time of the campaign. But this can be the most important time as well. This is the time for brainstorming for figuring out which stories will work with which media outlets to broaden your scope and think outside of the box. Use this time wisely. Study the media. If youre working with a public relations firm make this the time to give them all of the information and tools that they can utilize to successfully launch the campaign for you.
Copyright Anthony Mora 2008
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Anthony Mora began his media career as a freelance journalist for suchpublications as Us Rolling Stone and other local and nationalpublications. He served as editorinchief of two Los Angelesbasedentertainment and lifestyleoriented publications and cofounded Phillips Mora Entertainment a public relations and personal management company which ventured into video and film production.In 1990 Anthony formed Anthony Mora Communications Inc. a LosAngelesbased media relations company that specializes in media placement image development and media training. AMC Inc. has placed clients in: Time Newsweek 60 Minutes CNN The Wall Street Journal The Oprah Winfrey Show The New York Times Los Angeles Times and other local national and international media outlets.Anthony has been featured in: USA Today Newsweek The New York Times The Los Angeles Times The Wall Street Journal The BBC CNN Entrepreneur Fox News MSNBC and other media. He has written three books. The most recent “Spin to Win” is a stepbystep guide on how to define goals and utilize the power of the media to achieve success in any field. Practical and userfriendly “Spin to Win” can be utilized by heads of major corporations small business owners and entrepreneurs.
PR For Small Businesses
Marketing for any small business is essential and of all of the forms of marketing available including advertising direct marketing and Internet marketing an effective public relations campaign remains the only form of marketing that can reach a target market and offer credibility and validation. Think about it if you were to read an ad for a small business in a newspaper or read an article about that same business where the owner was featured discussing his or her product or service and being presented as an expert which would grab your attention? My bet is the article.
In the Internet world the ways you can utilize PR have changed but the basics of an effective public relations campaign remains the same. It all comes down to your stories. Effective PR is about effective story telling. How can your business reflect your uniqueness? By integrating who you are with what you do. To accomplish this you need to understand how to capitalize on your unique abilities to help make your business grow and differentiate it from your competitors.
Never before have people been able to share information on such a global scale and with such dizzying speed. Along with newspapers magazines radio TV and the Internet more and more avenues of communication are becoming available. In many ways media is magicit is modern day alchemy.
View your business as a living breathing being. You gave it life and it needs guidance and structure. Determine where you want the business to go. Start defining your business your image and your message. Now what about taking your message to hundreds thousands possibly millions of potential clients and/or customers? How? Two words: public relations. This is something you can attempt on your own but if you can afford it you can seek out the professionals for help. They know the business have the contacts and in the long run can save you time and money. Our PR firm has represented hundreds of small businesses and has placed clients in a wide range of local and national media outlets including Time USA Today Oprah the Today Show People the Wall Street Journal and hundreds of other media outlets. Each company weve worked with has had a unique story. Your job is to find yours.
Through public relations small businesses can compete with the big boys. Its possible to do an interview in the morning and have a story saturate the nation by lunchtime. Effective media placement and public relations can legitimize validate sell products bring in clients forge new alliances bring you in contact with benefactors you never knew existed and take you into the offices boardrooms and even bedrooms of the most powerful people in the world.
Whether you run an established business are starting a new venture or serve as a consultant an effective PR campaign can help build your business or company. So take some time to define your business and your message. Develop your stories; discover what is newsworthy about your business. Now launch a PR campaign take your stories to the media and prepare for success.
Copyright Anthony Mora 2009
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Anthony Mora began his media career as a freelance journalist for suchpublications as Us Rolling Stone and other local and nationalpublications. He served as editorinchief of two Los Angelesbasedentertainment and lifestyleoriented publications and cofounded Phillips Mora Entertainment a public relations and personal management company which ventured into video and film production.In 1990 Anthony formed Anthony Mora Communications Inc. a LosAngelesbased media relations company that specializes in media placement image development and media training. AMC Inc. has placed clients in: Time Newsweek 60 Minutes CNN The Wall Street Journal The Oprah Winfrey Show The New York Times Los Angeles Times and other local national and international media outlets.Anthony has been featured in: USA Today Newsweek The New York Times The Los Angeles Times The Wall Street Journal The BBC CNN Entrepreneur Fox News MSNBC and other media. He has written three books. The most recent “Spin to Win” is a stepbystep guide on how to define goals and utilize the power of the media to achieve success in any field. Practical and userfriendly “Spin to Win” can be utilized by heads of major corporations small business owners and entrepreneurs.
