Don Crowther’s
GreatPR Newsletter
Published by 101PublicRelations.com

Issue #110

In this issue:

How To Build Your Business Without Working Harder

Want to build your business next year without actually having to work harder? Here are five questions, the answers to which may create changes that can explode your business!

Sit down somewhere you can think without interruption and ask yourself:

Are we focusing on the most profitable areas of our business?
Most businesses use financial statements to measure their profitability as a whole. But when was the last time you looked at each of the different segments of your business to see which is the most profitable?

Doing so requires a detailed analysis of all of your expenses, especially payroll. When I did this several years ago, I discovered that one segment of my business looked very profitable until I truly allocated the portion of my time that went into managing it. Suddenly, my cash cow became a dog, which I promptly shooed away, to my accountant's delight!

While you're at it, why not track your business segments like this all the time? You may find this to be the most helpful financial analysis you perform!

When's the last time we raised prices?
Increasing prices can be the fastest road to prosperity, because it brings in extra revenues without increasing expenses.

Key to success in pricing is to realize that prices can be increased in small increments (3-10%) or in quantum leaps (300-1000%). While the latter may seem shocking, recognize that small increases call for your existing customer base to pay a bit more, while huge ones force you into a better, higher-paying, higher-quality customer base.

The best move I've ever made in my business was to quadruple my prices in my key business segment. Within a month I had a totally new client base that understood the value of my time, paid more quickly, and referred me to other high-paying clients. Try it!

How can we get a daily report on our business?
One of the most powerful changes you can make in your business is to set up a dashboard system that shows you, at a glance, your sales, productivity, and profitability by business segment, on a daily basis.

Doing so instantly raises the visibility of the consequences of your decisions, and enables you to make quick changes to fix snags before they bloom into full-scale problems. The requirement for daily reporting also helps to build systems into your business that can be powerful for years to come!
When's the last time we fired our worst customers?
That's right - you should be regularly firing your worst customers. Bad customers are those who are unprofitable, or who are a pain to work with, or who require more mental and physical energy than they are worth. (Note, this may mean that you're firing some of your biggest customers!)

Doing so creates a vacuum which attracts other better customers. The net result is higher paying customers who are fun to work with, and who you can partner with to build your business into the future.

How do you fire your clients? Raising your prices helps, as does resigning the account, changing business policies, or having a heart to heart chat.

This step should be taken at least once per year!
What's our most profitable form of marketing?
Many companies look at their marketing as an expense. In reality, you should be looking at it as a business, complete with fully-allocated profit and loss statements. Doing so tends to shift the entire company's mindset. This analysis reveals which type of marketing delivers the highest return on investment.

Some companies find that mass marketing is king, others that relationship building works best for them. Lately, many companies have discovered that their investment in their websites, blogs, and newsletters offer the highest return on time and money invested.

Suddenly, having a corporate blog looks a lot more appealing than it ever has before!

Once you've identified which marketing method is best, shift budgets, personnel, and agency focuses to do more of it, taking that focus away from those areas that aren't working well.

The next time you're in the mood to create a bigger business without having to work any harder, ask yourself these five questions and carefully consider what the answers reveal about your company. Then do something to implement the action steps that result.

Your bottom line will thank you!

What To Do When The Only Media Attention You Get Is Bad

There have been 116 homicides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin so far this year. I bet you didn't know that.

But I bet you would know it if every day's newscast brought not only the story about the latest murder, but a reinforcement of the number. And it wouldn't be long until you came to the opinion that hanging out in Milwaukee could be hazardous to your health.

And, what's more important, you could eventually deduce that nothing good ever happens in Milwaukee because people are so busy killing other people. Which, of course, is absolutely incorrect, as there are some incredibly good things
happening in Milwaukee and southeast Wisconsin.

While we're betting - I bet you didn't know that there's a country where:

Virtually every child in the country now has a whole set of textbooks supplied by the U.S. government (even more significant because textbooks were almost nonexistent in this country 2 years ago)
The U.S. has trained more than 36,000 teachers, and more than 1000 schools are running today because of U.S. assistance
U.S. aid projects currently supply more than half the people in the country with electricity and more than 2.3 million people in that country get their water from U.S.-supplied projects
Not a single case of measles has been reported in the last year (formerly one of the leading causes of childhood death in that country)

But I bet you DO know that over 2000 Americans have died in the war in that country, Iraq. (2152 at last count.)

How do you know this? Because other than the current elections, that's almost all you ever see reported about Iraq in the news, complete with websites detailing the numbers and individuals killed, graphics on the nightly news showing the latest count, and regular editorial comments.

We are becoming increasingly convinced that all our people are doing is driving around acting as targets for insurgent attacks.

But the truth is that there is much good that is being done by Americans, coalition countries, and others in rebuilding Iraq, not just from the damage of war, but from the decades of problems prior to both wars.

I'm not trying to get political here, I want our troops home as soon as possible, tomorrow would be great, just like we all do. I'm using this as a current example to introduce a point...

What do you do when the media refuses to say anything good about you, focusing instead, only on the bad?

That's clearly what's going on in Iraq. All we seem to hear about is the latest attacks.

I can't say that I have the definitive solution, as this is a problem which PR seekers have faced for years. If you, however, are facing this situation, here are a few suggestions that will help:

1. Face the facts - recognize that the good things that happen are rarely "news".
Unfortunately, in today's ratings-based and sensationalism-based world, bad news generates more viewers than good.

Simply stated - bad stuff makes news, good calls for paid advertising.

Once you recognize this, and actually budget some money to pay for advertising to communicate your good news, you'll not only relieve some stress in your life, but will get more attention for the good things you're producing.

That said, never stop trying to get publicity for good happenings, simply don't get stressed if it doesn't happen.

2. Make sure that everything you do is always on message, and that message focuses on the good things you're doing.

"Message" refers to the key thing you want to have said about you, no matter what the actual story is addressing. Your job in every media contact, be it a press release, a news interview, or a submitted article, is to make sure that your message gets smoothly integrated into the conversation, so that it gets included in the final reporting.

That's why you see politicians answer questions by saying "What you're really asking is ___________, which I plan to solve by ___________."

For more information on how to identify and communicate your messaging, check out
Creating Powerful Press Releases

3. Use your website and blog to trumpet the good news you want to have conveyed.

Your own websites and blogs are some of the best means you have to communicate a balanced picture of your company. They give you a forum to provide information, influence readers, reply to criticism, and proactively build your position in the marketplace.

A frequently-updated corporate blog is essential to build this credibility so that it's there when you need it. (Check out Blogging For Business for more information)

Another great way to do this is through fact sheets.

One hint - if you want to get coverage on your good news, publish fact sheets on your site frequently, and keep them up to date. I found a great example of a poor job in doing that in my preparation for this story. It's a worthwhile exercise to go here which contains fact sheets on the good work being done by the U.S. in Iraq. Note the list of fact sheets shown there, and more importantly, the release dates on those sheets. You'll find that these fact sheets are infrequently issued, are weak in content, and do nothing to truly convey the message.

That's no way to fight a propaganda war!

4. Create your own news.
One of the best ways to get coverage for your good news is to do something that makes it newsworthy. Think events, celebrities, tie-ins to local and national news stories, tie-ins to anniversaries, even responses to bad news from other companies ("x company's employees are on strike for the third time in 5 years, while our employees haven't been on strike in over 40 years" - then go on to explain the differences between employee policies at both companies.)

5. Hire a professional.
Sometimes you try and try and simply can't do it yourself. If the return is high enough, that's when you hire a professional. They oftentimes have the contacts, the ideas, and the experience that you simply don't have.

Then, once you hire them, give them the freedom they need to make it happen. Remember, you brought them in because they way you've always done it didn't work. Don't hire them then insist that they do it your way.

For more on how to choose, hire, and work with a professional publicist, check out our report How To Hire A Publicist

Whatever happens, don't give up. Keep pushing, being creative, and looking for new ways to communicate your good news. This is one area where persistence and creativity truly pays off!

Two Holiday Gifts For You

The holidays are a time of giving, so here's two special gifts for you.

1. As you know, we run a gift basket site that sells high-quality, distinctive gift baskets like none you've ever seen before.

I'm sure that you still have a couple of people (or, if you're like me) lots of people on your list that you still need a gift for.

Therefore, I'm giving you a special last-minute discount as an incentive to try out our service.

Simply enter greatpr1219 as the customer code at checkout, to cut the price of your order by 10%

This is only good until December 19th.

Just take one look at them and I'm sure you'll see what I mean.

2. One of the most powerful gifts I could give you is the gift of knowledge. So this year I've decided to combine with a group of Marketing Superstars to give you information designed to give you a bigger bottom line in the coming year.

Here's how it will work.

Starting the first week of January, for a total of 12 weeks, you will have the opportunity to participate in a weekly conference call packed full of powerful information on a range of key topics.

None of the calls will cost you a cent, other than long distance fees. But each one has the power to rock your world.

I'll be one of those speakers. In fact, I'll actually be doing two separate sessions, one announced, and the other which will be a surprise bonus later on, but that's actually a secret, so keep it quiet.

So, here's my second present to you - the gift of knowledge.

I can tell you, I'm going to be listening in on most of these calls. I believe you should too!

What's That Again?
Clueless Judges

Isn't it odd how some judges just don't seem to think about the sentences they give?

Here's one example:

A judge sentenced a man, who had committed the crime of setting his parent's house on fire twice in less than three months, to...

House arrest

In his parent's home.

Oh, I bet his parents were thrilled to hear that! "Look honey, little Billy's moving home again, how sweet!"

And one more that I can't resist, from the "only in Wisconsin" file. Our governor is proposing to help some families pay for their high energy bills this winter. The headline read...

"Governor will help people with gas"

Have a happy holiday!
Don Crowther
President
101PublicRelations.com

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And from the one before that:

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