Actual for You - Business

The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same
The old adage 'the more things change the more they stay the same', is as true now as it ever was. A few weeks ago we heard on the news that a well known Telecoms' supplier was whingeing that they were victims of their own success. They had sold too many of a service and couldn't deliver the goods. Worse yet they could not supply the good customer services, to ensure client retention after the failures. The ensuing chaos led to more unhappiness with the supplier, due to the lack of good customer service response.With this age of being

no more than five words that summarises the story. The first or lead paragraph is also critical and should capture the media's immediate attention and summarise what the story is about.

Interviewer: I have read that in the United States media companies trawl the web for stories, so that putting media releases on your website can get attention. Is there any evidence that this happens here & elsewhere?

Thomas Murrell: Yes, this is good for search engine optimisation. Go to overture.com, use their research tool to find ou

The Era of 'Finger in the Air' Publication Strategies is Almost Over
Somewhere in most organisations is a cupboard. Inside that cupboard is stack after stack of boxes. Inside those boxes are publications – brochures, annual reports, textbooks, manuals or the like – whose only purpose seems to be gathering dust. Sound familiar? It doesn’t have to be that way, says Iain Plunkett of on-demand specialist, The Garret.I once stood with a company director in front of his own particular cupboard. He wanted to show me his current annual report. ‘We have a few copies in here,’ he said. His feeling of dread before

You've all heard about personal intelligence or IQ and Emotional Intelligence, EQ. But what about MQ, what I call Media Intelligence?

Managers, leaders and entrepreneurs with a high MQ tend to be on the whole more successful than the general population.

They understand that the media can be a powerful vehicle for increasing awareness of themselves and their organisations.

Think high MQ people and the names Sir Richard Branson, Donald Trump and Dame Anita Roddick come to mind.

But how can you increase your MQ or Media Quotient and how can you have control over your message?

I was recently a guest on an international forum with the theme of MQ and was asked the hard questions about the soft skills required to increase your personal or professional MQ.

This article, part one of three, provides answers to the most common questions people around the world have about increasing their MQ or Media Quotient.

Interviewer: How, as individuals or companies involved in a professional services type of business ... such as communications skills training, can we get media exposure?

Thomas Murrell: The most important aspect is to position yourself as "the go to person" in your area of expertise.

I call this "expert" power - this is where you are the expert in your field. Other forms of power are personal and referential, which comes from your Title and position.

Once you have established yourself as an expert, you then need to engage with the media. The best way to do this is through a stylised piece of writing called a media release. This must be newsworthy and not promotional!

Interviewer: Can you give an example of newsworthy writing?

Thomas Murrell: The most newsworthy stories are those that contain the most conflict, drama, and consequence. Proximity, relevance and prominence are also important news values as is human interest.

So these are the criteria that journalists and editors base their decision making on. If your media release is not newsworthy, the media will not be interested.

But your style of writing and format is also important. A good media release should have a strong headline of no more than five words that summarises the story. The first or lead paragraph is also critical and should capture the media's immediate attention and summarise what the story is about.

Thomas Murrell: Yes, this is good for search engine optimisation. Go to overture.com, use their research tool to find ou

What is the Best Way to Price Wholesale and Closeout Merchandise?
Every wholesale and closeout business is faced with a difficult issue when it comes to selecting the prices for their wholesale and closeout products. To address this challenge, www.wholesalecloseoutforum.com has introduced articles written by experts on developing accurate pricing.Like every business, wholesale and closeout businesses understand the basic science of establishing pricing for their wholesale and closeout merchandise. The most widely used pricing formula is based on factoring in fixed and variable costs, and then adding

ow can you have control over your message?