The most cost-effective and successful means of building your business and attracting customers is through public relations, and in particular getting media coverage. The reason that PR works is that it provides third-person credibility not obtainable through paid advertising. In fact, it is said to have 10 times the impact of traditional, paid advertising, placing you above your competitors as the “top of mind” choice for customers, investors and business partners. There are a number of ways to go about getting media coverage and seeking journalists to call you for comment on industry matters or issues relating to your business.

Media releases are a great way of distributing relevant and topical information to a group of targeted publications (think about which media outlets your target audience get their information from). The release must be newsworthy and cover the “who, what, where, why and when”.

Case studies provide an ideal platform to leverage business success and tell your story to the media through your customers. Many trade publications publish case studies and you can use them as testimonials when speaking to journalists. 

Pitching is where you contact specific media outlets to offer them either an exclusive story or an opportunity that is more specific than a media release topic. You can pitch via email or phone, however before contact develop a clear outline of your story and ensure it is succinct and compelling. 

Special features are published in most printed media and cover specific topics relevant to readership. They are an excellent avenue for reaching a specific audience. Contact the feature editor or the journalist in charge to see what angles, topics and issues they wish to cover and then develop a story, case study, or offer comment. Be proactive and contact features editors well in advance of publishing deadlines, as often they are pre-printed.

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Countless times I’ve heard clients tell me, “I have a better product, I provide better service, and I’m sick of customers telling me my prices are higher than the competition. If only I could convince my customers that my product or service IS worth a slightly higher investment.” In this article, we’ll discuss principles, approaches and techniques that will help you to build greater value, a higher product/service perception and improved profitability.

The Lowest Price
Let’s face it- securing the business often boils down to the lowest price, in one form or another. Are you cheaper than the competition? If not, you may be up for a battle of the wills. No matter what price you quote, many customers will automatically say it’s too high. That response is so deeply drilled into their mindset that just about every product or service they come in contact with gets the same reaction. The trick is to get beyond the knee-jerk reaction and into a reasonable conversation about their situation, needs, budget, and time frames. Until you achieve that level of rapport, price itself simply isn’t the issue. 

Another facet of the price objection is the explosion of options every client faces. There are more varieties of products and more vendors to buy from than ever before. Multiply varieties by vendors and it’s clear that the total number of available choices has grown exponentially. This overwhelming amount of data can lead customers to making comparisons between options that aren’t strictly comparable- the proverbial apples vs. oranges debate. While the solutions being considered aren’t equal, the prospect is conditioned such that they can’t look beyond Price A vs. Price B. 

The “I can do it cheaper” Strategy 
An often used but ineffective strategy is the “I can do it cheaper” strategy.

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For several years many small business owners have asked me the same questions:

“How can I grow my business without significant capital investment?”

“What can I do to stabilize the trends in my business?” 

“How can I out-market my competition in the midst of price erosion?”

“How can I maintain a consistent level of revenue to ensure a consistent level of profit?”

“Why are my people loyal one day and turncoat the next?”

“What can I do to motivate my staff to invest more time and effort in effectively selling or delivering my product or service?”

“How can I eliminate excuses and inspire commitment?”

Because these are the most frequently asked questions, I have invested considerable time and effort in seeking out the EXPERTS and learning their methods in dealing with these challenges. I have made it my mission to vigorously study the masters in management, sales and marketing. The philosophy that I espouse is an amalgamation of what I have learned DIRECTLY from the leaders in business, such as: Tom Peters, Jack Welsh, Stephen Covey, Peter Drucker, Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, Jay Abraham, Tony Robins, Morris Shechtman and many others. I have found that while these business gurus have different approaches, they all seem to agree on six absolutes of successful business management in the 21st Century:

1. We are entering an age of uncertainty, expanding knowledge and unrelenting change.
For these reasons, what worked in the past will no longer work in the future. Even the most successful companies must commit to continuous improvement. Uncomfortable introspection must become a habit - - a willingness to eliminate dysfunctional behaviors, and a determination to model a culture that can tolerate unpredictability, uncertainty and vulnerability.

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It is not often that I find myself without words. I usually have plenty to say about any topic imaginable. But recently when speaking with a CEO who had asked my advice about how to deal with a particular challenge in his business, I was rendered speechless. This CEO had recently lost a key supplier to the competition thereby disrupting his supply chain and causing production and delivery problems.

As we discussed his challenges, the CEO seemed forthright and was open to hearing ideas of how to handle this. So I told him about several other clients that had experienced the same problem and how they created a foolproof method for avoiding such circumstances in the future. I suggested he engage in some planning to create a network of suppliers with contingencies for those that fail to maintain loyalty. I suggested that in the future, he should try to avoid depending too much on any one supplier unless there was an exclusive arrangement in place. I told him that the key was doing some careful planning to identify competitive suppliers and play one against another. 

His response both stunned and surprised me. He said. “Wow, that sounds like it would take a LOT of time. I don’t have time for planning!” I asked him if he now had time to find a new supplier. He answered a sheepish, NO and went on to tell me about how he was working 60+ hours per week just trying to manage all of the details of his business. 

I think this is a fairly common problem with business leaders today. We spend so much time working IN our business that we fail to work ON the business. Peter Drucker said that on the average one hour spent planning is worth 5 hours of execution. Are you spending enough time planning? Do you need to take a step back and look at the big picture and identify some contingencies?

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Ace Hardware is currently accepting applications from individuals who are interested in becoming franchisees of this leading company. With urgent expansion necessary to meet demand, the company offers franchisees financing assistance as well as ongoing training and support. Interested applicants should read over the following outline and then you may request additional information to find out how to capitalize on this impressive opportunity.

About Ace Hardware

Ace Hardware has been in business for over 80 years and has successfully evolved into the largest neighborhood hardware retailer in the country. Starting out as a family business, it soon earned a reputation for value and excellent customer service and has expanded consistently ever since. The DIY industry boom in recent years has helped to speed up the expansion, which is why it is now open to businesspeople everywhere.

Ace Hardware stocks over 70,000 items in each of the hardware categories across the 4,800 American locations, thus giving consumers a wide variety of choices when performing DIY tasks at home or within small businesses, and this is where the customer base has increased in recent years.

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AAMCO Transmissions, Inc. is currently offering an exciting franchise opportunity to join the extremely successful national team in your local area. The opportunity involves full training and support so you can easily tap into the resources at your disposal to grab one of the best business opportunities available.

About AAMCO Transmissions, Inc

AAMCO Transmissions, Inc. is a household name throughout the United States and has a solid reputation in the automotive industry.  In terms of car repair and maintenance, they have the most recognized name in the industry and you can profit from that advantage as a franchisee.

AAMCO Transmissions has been the market leader in transmission repair for some time but now offers complete car care. As a result of the additional car services they have added to their product range, AAMCO has now become a one stop shop for drivers, which substantially increases the profits for franchisees.

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Everyone loves a great movie and even though you can rent movies, there is just something special about going to a movie theater.  The movie theater experience is a chance to see movies before they are released on DVD or available on premium television channels.  Investing in movie theaters for sale is a sound investment that is sure to provide you with a great return on your investment.

Check the Facilities
When you are looking for movie theaters for sale the best place to first check is the actual movie theater facilities. Talk with the operating manager or the owner to find out if they are considering putting the place up for sale or even if it is already on the market.  Who knows at the right price you might convince an owner to sell that did not have the place up for sale initially.

Operating Costs
Some movie theaters have gone under because they could not handle the operating costs of the facility.  Review financial reports to determine how much it costs for employees, movie royalties, staffing, equipment and other aspects of the business.  Are there areas that you can carve away at expenditures to turn the facility around to make a profit?

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In recent years, self-help has become a way of life for many people in the United States. Drawing on the advice, philosophies and help of others has undoubtedly enabled many individuals to make it through tough times in their lives. There are certain individuals that have taken full advantage of this and Tony Robbins is perhaps one of the most successful. Grasping onto the patterns and trends in modern society, the entrepreneur has made a fortune and a career out of helping people.

Tony Robbins The Man

Anhony J Mahavorick was born in North Hollywood, California in February 1960. His home life was anything but perfect because his parents divorced when the entrepreneur was just aged six. Although his mother took a husband once more before settling down with husband number three (which is how Robbins got his surname) it undoubtedly affected him deeply. He made a vow to help others that were suffering in the same way that he did. This was compounded by the fact that there was a gap in the market for it later on. Noticing the demand and the small number of self help gurus and motivational speakers out there, Robbins took to attending lectures and seminars before launching his own career.

Tony Robbins The Guru

Tony Robbins started his career by listening to and then promoting self-help seminars for one of the most popular gurus of that era, Jim Rohin. As a result of that element of his career, Robbins made a lot of contacts and was soon able to meet John Grinder, an expert in neuro-linguistic programming, or NLP. NLP was one of the most popular methods of helping individuals deal with their issues. As Grinder had founded NLP, he was able to teach the budding entrepreneur everything he knew so that it was possible for Robbins to branch out and teach it on his own.

Tony Robbins was a huge success when he began teaching NLP and his notoriety soon spread.

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