Prospecting Tips for a Slow Economy: Sales Presentation Skills Increase Odds

At this weekend 's Speaking and Presentation Skills School we are focusing on how to improve your sales presentation skills.

Prospecting Tips for a Slow Economy
by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Frippicisim: It is not your clients' and prospects' job to remember you. It is your obligation and responsibility to make sure they don't forget you.

1. Don't overlook the obvious. Go through your address book, data base, Christmas card list and confirm everybody you know is familiar with your profession, what your specialty is, and who is the perfect prospect for you to best serve.

2. If you used to work in another industry, update your satisfied clients that you can still serve them in this different capacity.

3. Keep in touch with your present clients more frequently. Not just asking for referrals. The better your relationship with them the more they will want to send you new prospects.

4. One of my friends in the advertising specialty business had a very creative office decor. Anyone who had seen it raved about it. Going up in the elevator of his building of 22 floors I had a conversation with a fellow passenger. I asked, "Do you work in this building or are you visiting?" He mentioned he had worked there for 2 years. I inquired if he had ever heard of my friend Jonathan and his unique and memorable office. He said "No." My recommendation to my friend and everyone else who works in a large building is to every few months go from floor to floor, office to office, and introduce yourself to your neighbors. You could well quadruple your business close to home.

5. Don't forget to work on your sales presentation skills!

If you want to consider improving sales presentation skills why not give me a call?
We can discuss how improving your team's presentation skills  can close more business.

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4 Do’s in Selling Your Ideas to Senior Management:Business Communications

Four Do’s in Selling Your Ideas to Senior Management
By Patricia Fripp, Expert in Business Communications

Just getting ready for my Speaking School. Communicating to executives is one of the topics that we will discuss.

It’s no secret… the higher up the corporate ladder you go the more important your public speaking skills become. If you have your sites set on increased responsibility and the position and salary that go with them you will need to position yourself ahead of the crowd in advance. At all stages of your career you need to sell yourself, your ideas, your value, and your ability. To position yourself for promotion you need to learn what it takes to sell yourself and your ideas to senior management. That requires learning high level public speaking skills; learn from these public speaking tips

1. Open with your conclusions. Don’t make your senior level audience wait to find out why you are there.
2. Describe the benefits if your recommendation is adopted. Make these benefits seem vivid and obtainable.
3. Describe the costs, and frame them in a positive manner. If possible, show how not following your recommendation will cost even more…
4. List your specific recommendations, and keep it on target. Wandering generalities will lose their interest. You must focus on the bottom line. Report on the deals, not the details.

Want to learn more? Why not attend a Patricia Fripp Speaking School or invest in Help I Have to Give a Speech!

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MOVIES AREN’T NOVELS by Michael Hauge

MOVIES AREN'T NOVELS

I have learned a lot about compelling speech creation from screen writing classes. Michael Hauge is one of my teachers who has become a friend. Hope you find his article as interesting as I do.
Take it away Michael….

MOVIES AREN'T NOVELS
Many fiction writers, at one point or another, consider adapting their own work into film.
Because both novelists and screenwriters use characters to tell fictional
stories, and since both wish to reach the widest possible audience with their
work, it may seem logical to assume the transition is a natural one. But before
you begin such a difficult and often disappointing endeavor, stop to consider
the wide gulf that separates these two forms of fiction.

MOVIES AREN'T NOVELS

Many fiction writers, at one point or another, consider adapting their own work into film. Because both novelists and screenwriters use characters to tell fictional stories, and since both wish to reach the widest possible audience with their work, it may seem logical to assume the transition is a natural one. But before you begin such a difficult and often disappointing endeavor, stop to consider the wide gulf that separates these two forms of fiction.

The next time you’re in a book store, look over the section marked “Cinema” and you’ll see that almost every successful motion picture based on an original screenplay has been “novelized,” but only a small percentage of successful novels have been adapted into film.

This situation exists because screenwriters must conform to very narrowly defined rules and parameters, while novelists have much greater latitude in the ways they can tell their stories. Novels may follow the structure that movies do, so the film to fiction transition is fairly straightforward. But movies must conform to a number of rules that novels don’t have to, so the adaptation process becomes very difficult, and the result is often a film that pleases neither the audience nor those who loved the original work.

Before you can adapt a novel into screenplay form, you must accept the fact that, no matter how much you love the original work, YOU MUST ELIMINATE ALL THOSE ELEMENTS WHICH DO NOT CONFORM TO THE RULES OF SCREENWRITING. This can be painfully hard, but the process is essential to creating a movie that will reach a mass audience.

The principles I outline below hold true for at least nine out of ten movies coming out of Hollywood. And while you will undoubtedly think of exceptions, film adaptations that depart from these guidelines usually fail at the box office (The Lovely Bones), are made outside the Hollywood system (Precious), or are made by well-established writers, directors and/or stars who are given a good deal of freedom to push the boundaries of film structure (Julie and Julia). (And by the way, these rules are essential to consider before adapting a TRUE story to film as well.)

1.    Commerciality is the major concern of film financiers. Though publishers are obviously in business to turn a profit as well, there are hundreds of publishing houses turning out thousands of titles a year, while only about 150 movies a year are produced by the major studios, with an average production and distribution budget in excess of $100 million a picture. Such a huge cost creates a demand for movies that will reach the widest possible audience.

2.    Movies must conform to a budget. When the Mongol hordes come sweeping over the mountains in your novel, all you’ve added is excitement. When the same thing happens in your screenplay, you’ve added $13,000,000 to the budget of the film.

3.    Genre is critical. While novels can portray characters in just about any time or place, there is a strong prejudice in Hollywood that favors action movies, thrillers and comedies over musicals, period pieces, Westerns and dramas.

4.    Movies have a prescribed length. While novels can range from the almost-a-novelette size of Animal Farm to the epic sprawl of War and Peace, most movies last between ninety minutes and two hours, and their corresponding screenplays between 105 and 119 pages.

5.    Movies portray a condensed period of time. Most Hollywood movies take place over a period of hours, days or weeks – rarely months or years. The epic saga may work fine in fiction, where a reader can return to a book as often as necessary, but when an audience is there for a single sitting, they don’t want to watch characters grow old together.

6.    The hero of a screenplay must pursue a single, visible goal with a clearly implied endpoint. When an audience sits in a movie theater, they want to root for the main character of the film to accomplish some compelling desire. Whether it’s stopping the killer, escaping the volcano, winning the big game or capturing the heart of the hero’s true love, we must SEE this pursuit, and we must be able to imagine what success will look like on the screen.

The reason most Hollywood movies are easy to describe in a single sentence is because the plots are defined by the hero’s specific desire: “Fargo is about a pregnant policewoman from a small town in Minnesota who wants to catch a group of killers.” As we watch this film, we may not know if the hero will succeed, but we can imagine what success will look like.

Novels can involve a series of characters (Hawaii), can focus primarily on inner motivation and character arc (Ordinary People), or can present heroes who meander though a whole series of events, desires and conflicts (The Shipping News, The Kite Runner, etc.). But in a screenplay, the reader must know what specific finish line the hero is hoping to cross.

7.    The conflicts a movie hero faces must also be visible. While the hero of a screenplay may also grapple with inner conflicts and flaws, the primary obstacles she faces must come from other characters or forces of nature that prevent her from achieving what she wants.

8.    Screenplays may only reveal what the audience will hear and see on the screen. Manuscripts can include illustrations, footnotes, maps, fancy fonts and chapter headings. They can offer asides from the author, reveal the characters’ thoughts and feelings, and give the reader any historical or background information the author considers helpful or interesting. None of these things can be included in a script, unless it is revealed through action or dialogue.

9.    Movies follow a strict structure. Novels sometimes sprawl, meander and jump back and forth in time, but screenplays must conform to a rigid formula for plotting the story.

Among the many structural principles and devices a screenplay must employ are these basic rules: the hero must be introduced by page ten, where he will encounter some new opportunity; the hero must begin pursuing the specific desire that defines the story concept at the 25% mark; some major setback must be experienced at the three-quarter point, and the climax must clearly resolve the hero’s desire in the last ten minutes of the film.

10.  When it comes to writing style, a screenwriter’s goal must be to create a movie in the reader’s mind that is as fast, easy and enjoyable to read as possible. So the qualities of style in the best literary fiction – an extensive vocabulary, rich, textured description, and the unique use of the language – should be AVOIDED when writing a script.

11.  Finally, when you write a screenplay, your work is not your own. The publishing world still seems to offer some respect to the writer’s original vision. But if you’re a screenwriter, sooner or later your creation will be changed, sometimes mercilessly, as other artists attempt to transform it into film.

I know this last item isn’t about a difference in the writing itself. I just want you to be prepared for what awaits you if you decide to take the plunge into adaptation.

– Michael Hauge

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Watch Alfie G. Fripp On BBC “This Morning”

BBC “This Morning” video featuring my Uncle Bill “Alfie” Fripp, Britain’s oldest surviving and longest serving POW of WWII.

Alfie Fripp, a former squadron leader from Bournemouth, is is the oldest surviving and longest serving British POW. Held during World War II in the Nazi prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft III, Alfie Fripp is a Veteran of the Great Escape. He is “Uncle Bill” to Robert Fripp and Patricia Fripp.

Visit Patricia Fripp’s YouTube Channel for more videos of interviews with Alfie Fripp; view stories of his life, World War II, Nazi prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft III: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L22CgxkiWY

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Pop Icon, Toyah Willcox Takes New Band on the Road

Enjoy this “newspaper clipping” from the CoventryTelegraph.net, February 19, 2010 about my sister-in-law, Toyah Willcox, pop music icon; it also talks about my brother, legendary guitarist Robert Fripp.

Pop Icon, Toyah Willcox Takes New Band on the Road

Toyah Willcox

THE lady in the thigh-high boots and flaming basque-cum-breastplate
is unmistakably Toyah Willcox – the stack-heeled wench with her back to
camera requires a tad more explanation.

“Ah yes,” says Toyah, “that’s John Wayne!

“He’s
actually a transvestite who owns a nightclub in Stoke-on-Trent – I met
him because he’s a Toyah impersonator and now he’s my PA.

“He was there when we were making our video and the director said ‘right John, get your gear on, we’re filming you’.”

Toyah
(the surname has been superfluous since It’s A Mystery provided her
breakthrough hit in 1981) supplies the information in a matter-of-fact
tone which confirms that the bizarre is perfectly normal in her world.

But
she becomes far more animated, genuinely excited, when she gets down to
details about the ‘we’ in question – The Humans, latest project in her
long, multifaceted and highly successful career.

The
band, who kick off a three-date UK tour at Leamington’s Assembly on
Monday, features Bill Rieflin – better known as REM’s drummer – Chris
Wong and, temporarily, Robert Fripp, founder of King Crimson and, since
1986, Mr Wilcox.

And, naturally enough, they were formed as a treat for the president of Estonia.

To
précis a long story: “The Estonian embassy was trying to get hold of my
husband but I got in touch with them and said ‘look I could be out
there with two international musicians in a couple of weeks – we can
write all the material in Estonia and play exclusively for the
president. And that’s exactly what happened – it went down a storm and
we ended up selling out their biggest rock venues.

“I totally blagged my way in, but then a lot of my life is about blagging. If you’re a woman you have to have that ability.”

Despite its improbably impromptu genesis, the band fulfils a longstanding ambition for Toyah.

“I
wanted to put together a band that could travel very easily and very
spontaneously,” she says. “That’s difficult these days because the
equipment is so bulky – you need lots of personnel, loads of
rehearsals. In the past 10 years I’ve been playing arenas on the ’80s
tours with audiences up to 60,000 but I wanted something that was
portable and immediate.

“And this is so exciting because it involves three people that I really admire and enjoy working with.”

Fripp’s
involvement in the current phase of The Humans’ development is a major
bonus for a couple whose career commitments mean that they spend long
periods apart, but Toyah stresses that he is a ‘guest star’.

“The idea is that we’ll have a different one for every tour,” she says. “Somebody doing something that they’re not known for.

“For
instance we’re hoping to get Steve Vai – everybody knows that he’s a
great guitarist but he also plays the harp. His wife is a harpist and
he does all her arrangements so that would be fascinating.”

Toyah Willcox

Artists can sometimes get decidedly sniffy if
interviewers attempt to pin down their sound, but Toyah, fortunately,
warms to the suggestion that there is a Brechtian feel to The Humans’
music.

“That’s a nice comparison,” she says.
“It’s not 100 per cent because there’s a lot of energy and we’ll be
playing some new stuff which is very Seattle grunge, but it is a
listening experience rather than the ‘come on everybody sing along’
when I’m out there as Toyah. And, yes, it is a bit dark and bleak – the
Humans’ world is permanently in winter!”

That being the case,
long-term fans expecting a quick chorus of Thunder In The Mountains or
Brave New World will be disappointed.

“We will be doing some
hits, but they’re not Toyah hits,” she says. “That’s not a possibility
because we are so peculiar – it’s not a band set-up – it’s two bass
players and a guitar and vocals.”

At a time when every week
seems to produce a new feisty female chart-topper, one wonders if Toyah
sees herself as a pioneer of rock emancipation.

“Not really,”
she says. “Take Florence & The Machine – we’ve got the same
performance genes, perhaps, and I can totally identify with the whole
thing where the emotion leads the vocal, but I don’t think I’ve
influenced her.

“I think if I’ve influenced anyone you’ve got
to look at artists who are deliberately 80s retro like La Roux. There
might be a little influence there but I really think that these kids
have just discovered themselves at a time when 80s is suddenly so hip.

“When
I started, women weren’t running the industry like they are now. It was
a real breakthrough time, exciting but really challenging because every
woman – myself, Hazel O’Connor, Kim Wilde – were always being compared
with each other because of the novelty value of being a woman.

“I
was strident and bombastic at a time when England was very
conservative, especially about women, so I definitely feel that I
helped push the boundaries. But there are so many women out there today
that we don’t need to compare them with each other.

“They’re
being taken seriously now, not just as performers but as women. And
that’s massively important because women were once treated as objects.
The prime example is Madonna – if she had been overweight with a hairy
face, she wouldn’t have been as successful as she was.

“There
are exceptions. If you’ve got a truly unique voice I don’t think it
matters what you look like, whichever sex you are, but most of the time
it really does help if you look good.

“It is about sexuality, but to be taken seriously on top of that is a remarkable step forward.”

Now 51, Toyah has been completely open about the surgical help she has employed to maintain her glamorous image.

“Sexual
attraction is part of the act – I went into showbusiness knowing that
was the case so it’s never been any other way. That’s my choice because
I know the powerful effect it has on my income.

“I’ve
had some surgery because it’s a well-developed science now, regulated
and relatively safe in this country, and I think I would have had it
done even if I hadn’t gone into showbusiness.

“What’s
interesting is that I work very hard to stay in shape and those around
me who don’t are quite threatened by it – particularly men.

“My
fellow band members are quite perplexed by my willpower which is a very
interesting situation – it seems to eat at their confidence.

“My husband is very open and honest and sometimes he says to me ‘I can’t compete with what you do’.

“Which is great, because I can’t play guitar!”

This was clipped from the CoventryTelegraph.net website:
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on-coventry-warwickshire/music-news/rock-pop/2010/02/19/pop-icon-toyah-willcox-takes-new-band-on-the-road-92746-25870861/

Robert Fripp’s spoken word CDs are unique and enlightening: https://fripp.com/product/robert-fripp-mega-pack/

For more information on Robert Fripp and his speaking engagements in North America, visit:
http://robertfrippspeaks.com/

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Beware of What You Write on Social Media – Advice from Francine Denise Ward

A 1989 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, Francine Denise Ward earned her undergraduate degree in 1986 from the City University of New York—Hunter College. Admitted to practice in both California and New York, her IP focus is on copyrights, trademarks, internet, and publishing law. Ms. Ward has carved out a niche working with eCommerce entrepreneurs, information marketers, authors, and professional speakers.

Not surprisingly, Francine loves working with entrepreneurs and authors–because she is one! She understands from firsthand experience the importance of safeguarding what she’s invested so much time and money creating, e.g, books, articles, web content, product, videos, her brand and the right to create these things.

For more information, visit www.francinewardblog.com and www.fwardattorney.com

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Publicity: The Dos and Don’ts of Dealing with the Media

The Dos and Don’ts of Dealing with the Media
By Patricia Fripp THE Executive Speech Coach's PR agent Pam Lontos
 
As a speaker, you probably know how important publicity is to the success of your business. But the truth is, many speakers, high-level executives and even marketing and public relations managers (and maybe you’re one of them) make crucial mistakes when dealing with the media – and then they end up on reporter’s block call or spam e-mail lists. The good news is, by being aware of the more common dos and don’ts of dealing with reporters and editors, there are many steps you can take to avoid these pitfalls!

Reporters, editors and producers are deluged with requests from hopeful business owners, corporate public-relations professionals, authors and other people seeking coverage. Their days are spent meeting impossible deadlines while doing copious amounts of work, all the while constantly communicating with all of those publicity-seekers.

So, if you’re ready to get the publicity your business deserves, here are 15 tried-and-true ways to get the most out of your media contacts, and ensure reporters, editors and producers answer your calls and respond to your e-mails:
 
DO remember that reporters deal with multiple sources and many different subject matters.  Immediately identify yourself by name or by topic before launching into the purpose of your call – even if you spoke to the same journalist the week before.

DO make sure your subject matter appeals to the media’s target audience. If you are calling an editor at Better Homes & Gardens Magazine, make sure you’re pitching an article that fits with the homey, consumer-oriented material the magazine specializes in. Read the magazines you want to be quoted in; watch the interview shows where you want to be a guest.
 
DO make sure to share actual information with viewers or readers. Give value-added tips, advice or information so that you will help improve people’s lives, offer insights or entertain. If you can achieve that goal every time, the media will always make time for you or even actively pursue you for interviews and articles.

DO provide follow-up contact information and offer to be available to clarify any confusing points or answer additional questions. Offer to help the writer check facts or review small sections of the article for accuracy.

DON’T say, “The answer is in my book/the products on my Web site/the report we sell, etc” rather than giving out the information during radio, TV or print media interviews. Don’t be seduced by the thought that people should pay the price of the book to learn what you think. View your interview as a way to show how valuable you and your thoughts and ideas are. That’s the best advertising you could possibly do to sell your business!

DON’T ever nag the reporter. Space out your calls so you do not become a pest. Use e-mail rather than expecting to connect every time by phone – many journalists rely on e-mail as a way to get work done quickly, and many let most calls go to voicemail anyway.

DON’T delay when returning calls from reporters or fact-checkers. Understand journalists are on deadline and need to speak with you now.  If you snooze, you may lose the chance for an interview.
 
DON’T call a magazine a week before a big holiday, such as Valentine’s Day or Thanksgiving, with your holiday-themed idea. Remember that magazines put out holiday issues four or five months in advance. Time your pitches well.
 
Work these do and don’t practices into your behavior when dealing with the news media, and soon have the media relationships you’d always hoped for. Exercise a little courtesy and common sense, and you’ll have the reporters and producers seeking you out time after time.

Pam Lontos is president of PR/PR, a public relations firm based in Orlando, Fla. that specializes in speakers, authors and experts. She is author of "I See Your Name Everywhere: Leverage the Power of the Media to Grow Your Fame, Wealth and Success" and is a former vice president of sales for Disney's Shamrock Broadcasting.  PR/PR has placed clients in publications such as USA Today, Entrepreneur, Time, Reader's Digest and Cosmopolitan. For a free publicity consultation, e-mail Pa*@**pr.net or call 407-299-6128. To receive free publicity tips, go to www.prpr.net and register for the monthly e-newsletter, PR/PR Pulse!
 

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Public Relations: The Fifteen Most Common Publicity Mistakes

The Fifteen Most Common Publicity Mistakes Businesses Make
By Patricia Fripp's PR agent Pam Lontos

 As a business owner, you probably know that publicity is important to your success. But many businesses (and maybe you’re one of them) make crucial mistakes in their publicity campaigns. While some of the mistakes are more detrimental than others, the actual costs can be staggering.

 For example, saying the wrong thing to a reporter may only cost you a quote in a national magazine. But in advertising dollars, that quote could have been worth thousands. And you never really know who would have read the interview. Maybe a reporter for USA Today or maybe Oprah’s producer (or maybe even Oprah herself). Plus, what about all the time, money, and effort you spent in getting that reporter on the phone?

 It’s true; everyone makes mistakes. By being aware of the more common ones, at least you can take action to avoid them. If you want to make the most of every publicity opportunity that comes your way, consider the following mistakes that businesses commonly make in their publicity campaigns:

1. Thinking hundreds of customers will walk through their door from one hit.
Fame and name recognition take time and repetition to build. In fact, a person will need to see your name and logo around six or seven times before they actually remember it. So regardless of what you’ve heard, there’s no such thing as an overnight success.

2. Not being unique in their approach.
No one wants to hear the same old message over and over again. So develop a hook, or unique angle that sets your business apart from others. For example, if you own a restaurant, consider what’s unique about it. What’s unique about your menu? Has the restaurant been family-owned and operated for generations? Do you offer vegetarian cuisine? The more you can make your message unique or different from the “old way,” the more attention you’ll attract.

3. Thinking they can’t get into a large publication.
Many small business owners feel intimidated by the big name publications. They envision high-powered magazine editors schmoozing with big company CEOs and lining up interviews with well-known figureheads for the next six months. In reality, editors scramble daily to find people to interview who have knowledge on the latest trends and topics. Realize too that editors must find new and exciting people to interview either weekly or monthly, so the more knowledgeable people they can add to their database, the better. Make yourself stand out as a reliable information source and you will get the media’s attention.

4. Thinking small publications don’t matter.
Even big name businesses had to build their expertise and name recognition by starting in small publications and trade journals. Although they aren’t sold on newsstands, you never know who’s reading them. So don’t overlook small publications as a foundation for your publicity.

5. Thinking their ideas are wonderful.
Touting your experience and explaining all the reasons why your business is wonderful to an editor is not an effective way to pitch your ideas. In fact, this is an immediate turn-off. Realize that an editor or reporter only cares about one thing: their readers. So instead of telling them all about your ideas and your business, first learn about their readers and what they want.

6. Pitching themselves, instead of a story for the audience.
Always pitch a publication or program by highlighting the benefits your business can offer their particular audience. Consider what uniqueness you can offer and why their readers or viewers will be interested in what you have to say.

7. Pitching the wrong person.
Besides wasting your time, pitching your ideas to the wrong media person will likely frustrate them. If you have an article you’d like to publish, you need to talk to an editor. But if you want to score an interview, you need a reporter.

8. Not finding out what reporters really want.
As you present your idea to a reporter, ask questions about what they’re looking for and what their audience is looking for. Then make changes to your initial idea based on their responses. Don’t try to “sell” your idea if it isn’t a good fit; instead, promote alternate ideas and emphasize your ability to address a variety of issues.

9. Not answering the reporter’s questions.
Always let the reporter or interviewer lead the conversation, because they most likely have an agenda for the story’s development already in mind. Don’t attempt to take over the conversation or talk about points the reporter doesn’t want to cover. They simply won’t include you in the final story.

10. Not getting to the point.
Audiences and readers love to hear firsthand accounts of experiences relating to the topic because it helps them know you on a more personal level. But don’t overload the reporter with unnecessary information that isn’t directly related to the story, and don’t ramble. If you can’t convey your message in a short amount of time, then your answer won’t be used.

11. Not respecting the reporter’s time.
Reporters work on time sensitive deadlines, and nothing will irritate them more than you being inconsiderate. So before you start pitching your ideas, always ask if they are on deadline. If yes, ask for a more convenient call back time.

12. Not gearing their pitch to the specific publication.
If you get a “no” response from an editor, reporter, or producer, always ask, “What don’t you like?” Then adapt your presentation on the spot. The more you learn about their needs and customize your message for their specific audience, the more likely you’ll be featured in their publication or on their show.

13. Making it an advertisement for their product or service.
Authors spend a large portion of their time selling their books because the profession simply demands it. But interviews and articles are not the right place to go on and on about your expertise and knowledge. You must let your information speak for itself. By giving solid, useable information, audiences will automatically know how great your book is.

14. Not providing their publicist with material and information in a timely manner.
Business owners are busy—that’s a given. But so are publicists, editors, and reporters. In order for your information to get into the right people’s hands, you need to give your publicist the requested information in a timely manner. Your publicist can’t pitch you and your book unless he or she has the most relevant information about you that showcases all you have to offer in a positive way. And if you make your publicist wait for information to send an editor or reporter, you may miss your chance to get interviewed or featured in your desired media outlet.

15. Not understanding the importance of frequency of publicity.
While it takes a long time to build your name recognition in the marketplace, it takes no time at all for people to forget about you. So you have to maintain the frequency of your publicity throughout the life of your business, especially when your competition maintains the frequency of theirs. Otherwise, you become old news.

Better Publicity in the Future
 Just like everyone makes mistakes, everyone can avoid them by being aware of the common ones. When you make yourself aware of these fifteen most common mistakes that business owners make in their publicity campaigns, you can make the most of every opportunity and achieve a greater level of success in your business.

About the Author:
Pam Lontos is president of PR/PR, a public relations firm based in Orlando, Fla. She is author of "I See Your Name Everywhere" and is a former vice president of sales for Disney's Shamrock Broadcasting.  PR/PR has placed clients in publications such as USA Today, Entrepreneur, Time, Reader's Digest and Cosmopolitan.  PR/PR works with established businesses, as well as entrepreneurs who are just launching their company.  For a free publicity consultation, e-mail Pa*@**pr.net or call 407-299-6128.

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