First Word

The business of business can be tricky. If you want to effectively manage your client relationships, you really have to be proactive at all times. Sitting back and allowing events to unfold results in chaos. And chaos in business can happen quickly and without notice. Really it's about being a true leader and effective project manager to build productive client relationships. Here are some helpful tips to make you a better business person and project manager. Get out ahead of your clients not behind them -- always be thinking like your client thinks. Consider what could become a problem if left to fester unattended. The best way to figure out what lies ahead is to look at what came before. This means if you had a past problem chances are it could become a future problem. So, solve it before it has a chance to happen. For example, if an account manager was not servicing her clients well in the past and problems popped up, chances are if the manager is still on the job and has not...

Entrepreneurship takes a great amount of discipline and respect for the "job." No, it's not a job, but you have to in many respects treat "as if" it were a job. The first five years in business are the test. While I did not go through the standard first-year angst like many business owners do (most business die on the vine within the first year), I have learned valuable lessons as to why I did not face the uphill battle toward success. I have several colleagues right now eager to go independent. Here are five great lessons on how to successfully make your first year "the first year of the rest of your business," and not your trip to bankruptcy court. Focus and stay the course -- this is probably my number one tip of all. Focus on what you're doing and stick with it. I'm not saying be inflexible. I'm saying just get on board, don't get caught up in the traps and challenges, and know in your deepest heart of hearts, this is it. You wil...

I recently walked up to an office to meet a client. As I walked up through the entry, I noticed the building was dirty and in need of some serious paint. I also noticed the garden wasn't well kept. As I walked into the building, I saw scuff marks on the walls and dirt and grime smudged into the carpet. And finally, I arrived at my destination -- and to my disdain, I noticed the furniture was second-hand, dirty, grimy, and gross. The walls had not been painted in years and clearly had a layer of grime on them. This was a white-collar professional's office -- this might be more forgivable at a contractor's office where dirt and grime is part of the job. What impression did the lack of upkeep and rundown decor leave behind? Not a good one. It answered so many questions about whether or not I wanted to do business. This company did not care about its image, and therefore, a high probability existed they would not care about their brand. They clearly didn't invest in their o...

It's Friday and I've decided not to be super serious (not that yesterday's blog could be categorized as "mature in nature"). But I network a lot and sometimes I get asked the most ridiculous or plain-as-the-nose-on-your face questions. Here are just a few to keep you smiling. " Are you an avid reader ?" -- this question always comes during a business meeting. I've now been asked it a handful times -- and certainly enough times to merit a mention on the blog. OK Fred, yes I am an avid reader. And here is a very good wager we could make: I bet I read more than anyone I know. Really? Really Fred? Really ? Did you just ask a publisher and editor that question? Here is a question for you: How high is your IQ? " Do you want to take a class on writing ?" -- I've been asked this one at least a half-dozen times while working in my booth. What really just cracks me up, is this question typically comes from some person who asks just as she is...

Yesterday I devised this unique rating system. It's called the "Hand-Slap" system. I decided that for every silly or ridiculous thing I saw someone do with their marketing, PR or book, I would rate it based on how many hand slaps I thought it deserved to let them know a measure of how "bad" it was. And when I say, "bad," I mean bad for business, bad for your image, bad for your brand, and just an all-inclusive bad! A version of this will appear in my newsletter too. So here is the rating systems decoded: 1H = moderately bad; 2H = bad enough to mention; 3H = not good; 4H = should not do it; and 5H = what were you thinking? So, here are some recently reviewed acts that require the slap-down. True Confessions in Memoirs that Include Terrible Deeds = 5H True confessions are salacious and draw people in. They are titillated and want to hear what you're going to confess. It's OK to "confess" stories where you learned an important and val...

Public relations, widely known as the "airy-fairy" stuff, can be difficult to measure. Expectations of one's publicist can range from demands to be get exposure in a specific media outlet (mostly Oprah) or dozens of reviews ... a day. Neither of these requests is reasonable. On the flip side, your publicist should not use the often unquantifiable results as a way to avoid actually doing the necessary work to get you a reachable 1-5 requests per week to feature or review your product. If you're hiring a publicist, here are some things you, as the consumer, can ask for to ensure your publicist is spending the hours they say they're spending -- and leave no question in your mind that your publicist did her best job to serve you. Measurements of Success -- other than a bump in sales this is a tough one. Your product may have been reviewed in many publications but your sales don't reflect it. All you can expect or ask of your PR person is outreach to the media. ...

Many people have an itch to write their memoirs. In most cases, the people who approach me about it have a compelling story to tell. The problem with a memoir is that unknown authors can't sell it on their name -- so the story must be provocative and interesting and unique to make up for it. Non-fiction is easier to sell than fiction, so that's a plus. But really your story can't be the same old, same old. It has to truly be a story! Something on the scale of epic saga -- something I will want to turn the page to find out the ending. Today, an author pitched her story. I have to say, it was very compelling. So much so that I asked her to pause while I ran to grab something so that I would not miss a moment -- a very good sign indeed. The best way to think about writing your memoir when you lack the name to sell it, is to ensure it's just a great story. Great stories sell. Well-written, great stories sell. If you're not a writer with a great story, hire a ghost write...