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The word “Press Release” seems to scare most people to death. On top of that not many people take the time to even think of writing their own Press Release. We hope this brief article will help clear up some of the mysterys surrounding this simple form of marketing.

The first thing you have to remember is that a Press Release is a “news” item. It needs to “inform” people, NOT sell them something. For example, you are reading this report because you want to learn something that will BENEFIT YOU. You aren’t reading it just so you can buy something else. If money is the deriving force in your business – you won’t go too far.

Your main goals should be in pleasing customers, providing them with a high-quality product and more than their money’s worth. The trick is to do all this while still making money. People don’t care what mountains you had to climb, what seas you had to cross or what tribe of people you had to learn the ways of just to find a secret formula. Instead – they want to know WHAT the secret formula is.

The sales circulars you print and mail sell your product. A Press Release informs others about your product. Instead of your main objective being to sell the product and have the customer send in an order immediately, a Press Release informs the customer exactly how your product will benefit their lives. This must be conveyed in the form of a “newsworthy” Press Release. If you have a sales circular to sell a product, you can easily turn it into a Press Release without much difficulty. It’s just a new marketing angle of presenting your product to the public.

The following is an example of a typical Press Release for our publishing services:  So many people are entering the mail order market these days, but so many of them are getting ripped-off by a bunch of hype. People are promised untold riches in a short period of time. The hype ads play with their emotions by making them believe it’s so easy to make money through the mail. It’s sad.

However, a new book has just been released to help solve these problems for the average person. For the first time in history – a REAL directory has been compiled listing the ACTUAL name and addresses of 179 honest and trustworthy mail order folks. People can write DIRECTLY to these people and receive FREE information to get them started in their own business now!

It’s unbelievable. Without trying to sell you anything else, you can get this book for only $4.95 – a price anyone can afford. Meet the real mail order dealers who care about their products and wants to help you get started doing what they are doing.

Only available from Graphico Publishing, PO Box 488, Bluff City TN 37618. As you can see, this is a short but sweet Press Release – however, you should be able to see the “newsworthiness” in it. It’s main focus is on the fact that most people get ripped-off when they start their first mail order business. The solution to this problem is a new directory that is available for the first time in history. The sell is slowly led into because the reader will naturally want to get their hands on this one. It doesn’t ask for money it only tells the reader how to get a copy if they want one.

Here’s a great test for a real press release. Since your final sales pitch is included in the last paragraph – read the Press Release aloud. Would it still be worth reading WITHOUT your sales pitch? If so, it’s probably a Press Release.

Press Releases come in many forms due to the product you are writing about. However, the basic rule of thumb still applies. If you’ve never wrote one before – it may be a little difficult. Don’t despair. Grab the latest daily newspaper and read some of their informational articles. Notice how each article is written and pattern yours after the same format. After you do a few of them – you’ll be able to “get the picture.”

When your Press Release is written to your satisfaction, the proper way to submit it to a publisher is: Be sure and type it on a typewriter or computer. Standard format is double-spaced and not longer than two 8 1/2×11 pages. Be sure and put your name, address and page number at the top of each page.

Write the note: “For Immediate Release.”  at the top. If you are only sending the press release to one publication – tell them it’s a “first run.”

Strange as it may seem, our life is made up of a series of “sales presentations”.  Sales may not be your gig, but if you’re the boss you’re making  presentations everyday.  Be it a pitch to your Board, announcing a policy change to employees, selling an idea to  your spouse, or just trying to win others over to your point of view – you need to punch up your people skills for winning pitches.

Human nature is such that people support solutions that they help create, so involve them by allowing your audience to participate with questions or ideas. It goes without saying that to not involve key people is risky, because messages can be misunderstood.   Your plans may be derailed before they begin if sufficient “buy-in” is lacking.  Use lots of open-ended questions in your presentation to draw out the silent type.

Preparation is a key to success.  Prepare your listeners to what’s coming during or before your presentation.  Try these pre-meeting tactics:

•    Assign task-related pre-work. This could be pre-reading or study of a problem, and the preparations of possible solutions.  An example could be, “go and visit three kinds of accounts before the meeting.”
•    Make pre-meeting contacts with those invited by email, phone, or in person.  You might want to try an informal survey to get people’s position on the issues at hand.

Remember support on key or controversial matters can be established ahead of time by lobbying, if you know where to lobby.

Do your research!  People who make it look easy and are effective presenters have a hidden arsenal.  This is an arsenal of up-to-date, organized material that can be accessed quickly in ready-to-use form when needed.  They have the stats to back up their ideas, and they have a mental arsenal of stories, examples, jokes, and ice-breakers to use when needed.

Your physical presentation could include tangible items relating to the issue such as recent articles clipped from newspapers or magazines, photographs, reports, and demonstration property.  To become masterful in this art learn to maintain resources you can access for just the right thing at the right time.

The next thing you must do is to explain “why?” The single most powerful thing you can do to convince your audience of something is to provide a convincing reason why they should do what you suggest or believe what you say.  People want and need a clear “WIIFM” – “what’s in it for me?” – to be able to react positively to what you want them to do.  It’s extremely important that you deliver a vision of benefits.  Hearing the “why” won’t automatically generate a “yes” to your proposition, but it’ll open the door for receptivity to your idea.

Knowing and accepting the “why” satisfies a basic need that we all have – to understand the purpose of our actions.  Use the words “because” or “so that” in your presentation and then finish the phrase.  When your subject matter is controversial or likely to generate emotions, it is essential that your “why’s” be tested in advance.  Ask some people you trust or that are on your “team” to play devil’s advocate to help you with your logic and arguments.

These are just the first four points for making successful presentations.  There are eight of them in total, and we’ll look at the other four in my column next week.  For now, let me leave you with this thought.
Life is a sales job from beginning to end. From the moment that we discern how to get approval as children, winning friends at school, getting our first beau, getting our first (and subsequent) job, getting engaged and married, achieving our goals, and anything else you can think of in between – we’re selling ourselves or our ideas all along the way.  Who said you weren’t a salesperson?

There are many reasons for wanting to start your own business, and most of us get to this point.  Which one of the following applies to you?

•    Freedom from daily routine.
•    Doing what I want when I want.
•    Improve my living standard.
•    I want creative freedom.
•    I want to fully use my skills, knowledge and education.
•    I have a product/idea/service that people need.
•    I’ll have more time with the family.
•    I won’t have a dress code.
•    There are good tax breaks for business owners.
•    I’m a Type B person and work best alone.
•    I want to be my own boss.
•    I want to make the decisions.

Now granted, every one of the above is a good reason for wanting your own business.  The rub is, that not many people think the process through – step by step.  There are 7 phases to business planning.  They are:

1.    Investigation Phase
2.    Planning Phase
3.    Start-up Phase
4.    Operating/Monitoring Phase
5.    Problem/Challenge resolution Phases
6.    Renewal/Expansion Phase
7.    Selling, Transferring, Retirement Phase

We’ll cover all of the above in my next few columns as a “Business Basics” refresher, but for today let’s take number one.

In the Investigation Phase you take a look at yourself and also your business options.  There are careers that are suited to personality types, so the first thing you must discern is “Which personality type am I?”

Duty Fulfillers
This is an introverted personality who is serious, quiet, thorough, orderly, matter-of-fact, logical, realistic, and dependable.  They take responsibility, are well organized, know what should be accomplished and work steadily toward it disregarding distractions.  They are careful calculators, and 20% of this group become accountants.

The Mechanics
These are also introverts and are cool onlookers.  They are quiet, reserved, observing, and analyzing life with a detached curiosity and have unexpected flashes of original humor.  They’re usually interested in cause and effect, how and why mechanical things work, and in organizing facts using logical principles.  They usually are craftsmen, mechanics, or handymen with about 10% becoming farmers.

The Doers
These people are extraverts who are good at on-the-spot problem solving, don’t worry, enjoy whatever comes along, are adaptable, tolerant, and generally conservative in values.  They tend to like mechanical things and sports, and dislike long explanations. They are best with “real” things that can be worked, handled, taken apart, or put together. About 10% of this type go into marketing or become Impresarios.

The Executives
These are another extravert group and are hearty, frank, decisive, leaders in activities and usually good in anything that requires reasoning and intelligent talk, such as public speaking.  They’re usually well informed and enjoy adding to their fund of knowledge.  They may sometimes appear more positive and confident than their experience in an area warrants.  They’re sometimes called “judgers” and “thinkers” and 21% of this group become legal administrators.

To go into each personality type would be far too complicated, but to give you an idea of the roles that personality types could fall into look at the following list.  Beside the categories we covered in depth here are some simply broken down into Introvert or Extravert Personality.

Introverts choose careers that satisfy being:
•    Nurturers
•    Guardians
•    Artists
•    Scientists
•    Protectors
•    Idealists

Extraverts  are usually:
•    Performers
•    Visionaries
•    The Inspirers
•    Givers
•    Caregivers

The second part of the Investigating Phase is looking at your business options.  When choosing the business you want to start consider the following:

•    Do you like to work with your hands or brain, or both?
•    Does working indoors or outdoors matter?
•    Are you good at math, writing, puzzles, blueprints, installing things or fixing things?
•    What interests you? What are your hobbies?
•    Do you like to work alone or as part of a team?
•    Do you like to plan things, or go to events?
•    Do you like machines, computers?
•    Do you like to drive or operate equipment?
•    Do you like to travel, collect/display things, give/attend shows, or take pictures?
•    Are you small, large, strong?

Make a list of your likes and dislikes.  Keep a diary of things you do that relate to business and rate each entry from 1 to 5 based on your interest.  Then prepare a list of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and concerns.  After doing all that, you should have a list of candidate businesses that are right for you.  Then you can make a list of the “candidate businesses” and rate them from 1 to 5 based on your own chosen criteria.

MX Logic, Inc., a provider of email and web defense solutions, today introduced the MX Logic Managed Service Platform Connector. The company states that this connector helps technology reseller partners automatically include key email security data into their professional services automation software, showing how much spam was caught, the number of viruses removed and the total number of emails processed using the MX Logic Email Defense Service.

Furthermore, the company states that new MSP Connector currently integrates with ConnectWise’s PSA software. It also claims that connector delivers customer-specific and domain-level email data to the software via ConnectWise’s application programming interface. With MSP Connector, ConnectWise resellers who use the PSA software and sell the MX Logic Email Defense Service can automatically integrate the email data directly into the Executive Summary Reports that they generate for end customers. Resellers can also custom configure the connector to only provide the data they want to show.

In addition to new MSP Connector, the company avers that MX Logic offers a variety of tools and services to help all resellers and partners more efficiently market, sell and support managed security services. MX Logic even offers special migration assistance for partners interested in transitioning their customers to the MX Logic Email Defense Service.

Arnie Bellini, ConnectWise president said “Integration of a leading solution like the MX Logic Email Defense Service with our ConnectWise PSA Software is another example of our commitment to helping resellers succeed in the fast growing managed services market and we’re especially proud to be the first.”