The Lure Guide Center

Powerful is a strong word. But it fits here. As a business, non-profit or association manager, you create powerful advantage for yourself when you do something positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that MOST affect your department, division or subsidiary.

That’s because you are using the fundamental premise of public relations to deliver the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

And perhaps most powerfully, you do so by persuading many of those important outside folks to your way of thinking, then by moving them to take actions that help your unit succeed.

Yes, that’s powerful! Especially when it leads to advantages like these: membership applications on the rise; customers making repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures in the inbox; community leaders seeking you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; prospects starting to do business with you; capital givers or specifying sources looking your way, and even politicians and legislators beginning to view you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

You need two lucky breaks here: first, a PR blueprint you can rely on, say, like this one: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving- to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.,

And second, PR team members who understand that blueprint and commit themselves to its implementation, starting with key audience perception monitoring. Let’s face it, your PR people ARE in the perception and behavior business to begin with, so they should be of real use for this initial opinion monitoring project.

But remember that just because someone describes him/herself as a public relations person doesn’t guarantee they’ve bought the whole loaf. Make certain the public relations people assigned to your unit really believe - deep down — why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Make sure they accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Discuss with them your plan for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

While, as noted, your PR people are in the perception and behavior business to begin with, professional survey firms are always available, but they can be very expensive. Nevertheless, whether it’s your people or a survey firm asking the questions, the objective remains the same: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Your PR goal, of course, will be to do something about the most serious distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Will it be to straighten out that dangerous misconception? Correct that gross inaccuracy? Or, stop that potentially fatal rumor dead in its tracks?

As it turns out, you won’t get there at all without the right strategy to tell you how to proceed. But remember that there are just three strategic options available when it comes to doing something about perception and opinion. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. The wrong strategy pick will taste like lemon sauce on your chocolate ice cream. So please be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You wouldn’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

At this juncture, you must put together a superbly moving message and aim it at members of your target audience. Always a challenge to put together action-forcing language that will help persuade any audience to your way of thinking.

You need your first-string varsity writer for this one because s/he must create some very special, corrective language. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

After bouncing it off your PR colleagues for impact and persuasiveness, it’s on to the next selection process — the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. You can pick from dozens that are available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. Just be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks like your audience members,

Since the credibility of the message is always at stake, you may wish to unveil it before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

Calls for progress reports will soon appear, which signals to you and your PR team to get busy on a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. You’ll want to use many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session. Difference this time is that you will be watching very carefully for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

I’ve always considered ourselves fortunate that such matters usually can be accelerated simply by adding more communi- cations tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

What you want the new PR plan to accomplish is to persuade your most important outside stakeholders to your way of thinking, then move them to behave in a way that leads to the success of your department, division or subsidiary.

Yes, powerful is a strong word but certainly not too strong when the people you deal with do, in fact, behave suspiciously like everyone else - they act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about you and your operation. Leaving you little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach and move your key external audiences to actions you desire.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1170 including guidelines and resource box.

Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public rlations.

mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net

Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

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Everyone is well aware of the problems with too many laws and lawyers in our nation. Business people often joke in the boardrooms of American Corporations, asking their lawyers if it is okay for them to use the restroom. Indeed many small business people complain about the very same thing these days.

What is worse is that our own government is filled with these scoundrels and many of them hold some very high offices. Many believe the problem in America is due to all the lawyers out there and call them professional parasites, yet they are not only professionals they are also our politicians attempting have us believe that they will uphold the law and serve the American People? Let me ask you something; have you ever known any lawyer in the self-serving profession of law to serve anyone but them selves? Well have you?

I propose the abatement of lawyers and model this after the abatement of cockroaches or other pests. For instance we seem to be doing a nice job chasing down and removing from this time period the International Terrorists right? Well, aren’t lawyers really terrorists? And if we could round them all up, maybe we could use a little Caesar Style abatement procedures and rid our selves of this plague upon humanity? Consider this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

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Many internet marketers believe that their autoresponder is their key marketing tool. With your autoresponder, you can deliver your sales message or other information to all or some of your clients, 24 hours a day, anywhere in the world. Writing autoresponder messages are difficult to write and more importantly keep writing. So you need to get results from each and every message.

1.It’s about the reader, not yourself so ensure that you write what you know they want to here. No matter how may giveaways you produce, people will only read things that they are interested in. Do not tell endless stories about your personal life nor become political, racist or inappropriate. People are reading your ezines for the information and to satisfy a need they have.

2.Write as if each customer was the only customer that you have. Treat them well and use a personal writing style as if you were individually helping them. When your reader, reads your ezine, they are unaware, and frankly don’t care, about the many others that received the ezine as well.

3.Be interesting, amusing and helpful in your messages. You want your customers to enjoy and look forward to your message. People buy from those they like and trust. Don’t be too wordy - this is a sales message not a novel.

4.Emphasize the benefits for receiving your message and purchasing your products or services.

5.Use action words and several compelling sub headers to excite your reader.

6.Include a “call to action” - after reading your message - give your readers an action to take - be it go to a download page for a giveaway or send an email for further information, or go look at the benefits a product can provide them with.

7.Pick a subject for each message. Try a theme around a product that you are trying to sell. If you are offering an e course in autoresponder messages then map this course out before you start.

8.Ensure that your message is spelt and punctuated correctly and is grammatically correct. This makes your message professional and easy to read.

9.Have a consistent and easy to read layout. ASCII text is always best. Keep white space above and below your heading and key sub headers so that they stand out. Try and keep your paragraphs short and put a spare line between each of them. Use bullets wherever necessary as it is easier to read.

10.Be legal - MLM letters are illegal in many countries. Chain letters are illegal in most countries including USA much of Europe. Similarly contests and any kind of gambling or lotteries are similarly illegal in the majority of countries and states. Ensure that your messages do not look like these types of emails. The CAN SPAM laws of the USA require address details amongst other features. Double opt in lists are by far the safest types of lists to own. This means that each member has subscribed and then confirmed that they wish to subscribe to your messages.

Remember - a well written series of messages will build a good quality and loyal list of buying customers - so it is a skill well learnt.

© Copyright 2006 Biz Guru LLC
Lee Lister, writes as The Biz Guru, for a number of web sites including her own sites http://www.BizGuru.us and http://www.clikks.com for all our informational products.

With over 20 year’s management and business consultancy experience with businesses large and small as well as being a serial entrepreneur, she now helps others set up, develop and market their businesses.

This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

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Though the Property Index online service is actually a fledgling enterprise, (they were registered only in March of 2007), they were very fast to prove their expertise. On closer scrutiny, they are a extremely undemanding enterprise and focus on offering guidance to every client determined to rent, buy, sell or let property almost anywhere in the world. They’re guaranteed to help you pinpoint bang-on what’s looked for swiftly and, of course, painlessly.

Land is up for grabs wherever you want today, unquestionably the choicest area being property on the market in France. It should really be straightforward to specify the superb real estate available for sale in France, the rationale for hunting for real property here is the houses and apartments available for sale and the possibility to live amid this exciting populace.

This is one of the most favored countries today, and in view of the overall attractiveness and the great climate surrounding you night and day, how could you be wrong… Land in France is rich in history, this country is and has always been home to a number of civilizations.

Only 30 years back you would find just a small number of English in search of real estate in France. Ask any one single person who has removed to France and they are certain to back it up. Lots of people would see it as a trend and others see it as a approximating to an infatuation. Clients willing to relocate to this region generally range from young families looking for a new life perspective to senior citizens looking to have a fun retirement.

Note, though, that you may have to deal with hindrances when purchasing real estate in a foreign market — there will be a million heterogeneous actions whether working out a plan, sightseeing or buying. If you only miss one single minute action that is certain to definitely generate impassable hindrances as well as, most importantly, a financial trouncing.

As you may have supposed with this trendy location, real estate could well be unbelievably expensive in this location which is purely because of the broad market pressure. However, real estate buyers indeed are pretty much spoilt for choice in such a location determined by golden setting. Truly it can boast the whole thing a buyer could wish for, and lots more.

There are a range of properties in France for sale on Property Index, from villas to apartments.

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If you are considering whether to buy or perhaps lease your next car and which would afford you the best deal, most consumer experts agree that from a purely financial aspect you will be better off in buying your next car.

Of course paying cash in full is the best possible scenario since with this option you would avoid any type of finance charge. But for the vast majority of us and for the scope of this article we’ll take a look those purchases or leases that involve financing.

In the short term leasing may look attractive to you because monthly lease payments will more than likely be less than the monthly payments of a purchase agreement. Why? Because with a lease you are essentially only paying for the part of the car you are going to use. It’s kind of like splitting the cost of a pizza with someone. You are only paying for the pieces that you are going to eat. In car terminology the part that is left over in a lease is called the residual value of the car. The higher the residual value of the car the less of the car you will use during the lease so you payments for the part that you do use (the lease) will be lower.

Typically lease durations are 24, 36, or 48 months. Do not sign up for a lease beyond 48 months. Actually anything beyond 36 months is pushing the value of the lease. Don’t let the car salesman get you into a longer lease just because they make your monthly payments look more attractive. Remember time costs you money and the car’s residual value will plummet and you loose all the advantages of leasing and still be left with nothing in the end.

For some drivers the car buying decision isn’t based purely on bottom line numbers. And this is fine. It’s strictly personal. Leasing does afford you the ability to always be driving a new car. A car that is within a few years of the latest body style and technology. A car that is always under the factory warranty. For the person that has accepted the fact that they enjoy being in a newer car and that car payments is just another monthly expense, then why not get the most car for the money? Then leasing could be a good alternative.

If this is your personal preference the other two questions you must answer are how many miles a year do I drive and how hard on cars am I? The mileage question can really come back to haunt you if you are not careful. People who are in new cars and thus enjoy driving them and showing them off more will have a tendency to drive them more. Be very careful with you mileage. Going over your allotted mileage on your lease could end up costing anywhere from 15 to 30 cents per mile beyond the lease mileage allowance and this can get painful in a hurry. In most leases you can purchase additional mileage up front at the time of the lease but keep in mind if at the end of your lease you haven’t used all of your miles, you don’t get that money refunded back to you.

I mentioned a bit earlier you need to consider how well you treat your cars. Only you will know this and you need to be honest with this one. Don’t think that you can turn your lease car in at the end of the lease with the car in sub par condition. If you do, you may be assessed reconditioning fees that could become rather hefty.

In summary, from a purely financial perspective buying your next new car is the best over the long haul. But, car with car ownership, so much personal preference, and personal priorities come into play. If you think leases look attractive, be absolutely certain about your mileage you will drive. Take good care of the car. And finally check with your insurance agent first to make sure that you don’t give back the money you save in monthly payments to your insurance company.

Jeff Neilan worked for many years in the automotive industry as a salesman, finance manager, new and used car manager, and general sales manager. With Jeff’s working knowledge of car dealerships, car sales, and financing you’ll find his articles on getting your best car deal insightful and rewarding when purchasing your next car.
Please visit (www.acarbuyersguide.com) for more of Jeff’s articles.

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Emotional infidelity is the new fad among married couples. Almost every American home has at least two computers making it easier than ever to do whatever you want online without your spouse ever knowing about it. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s fun! You can sit down for ten minutes and learn more about someone online than you ever could meeting with them in person in that same amount of time.

The sharing of personal information with strangers online is thrown around loosely all over the Internet. And this new craze is at its peak with married women and men sharing their personal and intimate details with the opposite sex, on chat boards, personal spaces, porn sites, message boards, and forums that anyone can become a member in.

Emotional infidelity is just kind way of saying, “online dating”. Is your spouse dating someone online? How would you know? Is online dating a smart thing to do? Some people believe there is no harm in it since it doesn’t actually involve having sex with the person. Online dating has been played down by society just like the commitment and promise of marriage has.

Emotional infidelity is disloyalty to ones spouse in a different way other than in a sexual way, that’s all. Sex isn’t everything in a marriage, right? Intimacy plays a big part in marriage, doesn’t it? How would you feel if your wife were getting intimate with another man online, would you like it? What if your husband were divulging his personal feelings and sexual needs to another woman would you like it? This is online dating.

I think it is very detrimental to both husband and wife in the marriage. Not only can a simple chat get carried away and turn into sex eventually, but the wrongdoer is ultimately breaking the bonds of trust with their spouse by revealing personal and sacred information about himself that ultimately belongs within the marriage!

Emotional unfaithfulness can hurt just as deeply as physical unfaithfulness, and sometimes, even more. There is definitely something wrong in the marriage when one or both spouses are going outside of the marriage for love and acceptance. This is what all infidelity between couples is all about. It’s about the need for acceptance.

When we are not getting our emotional needs met in the marriage, we seek it from someone who will give it to us. We want to feel good about who we are. We want to be loved and acknowledged for who we are. We want validated and needed. We want to be told that we are good people. If those needs aren’t getting met through the person we married, what do we do? Where do we turn? We go online and find someone who will give all of those needs to us.

It is like an alcoholic who craves a drink. He’ll do just about anything to get that drink, hurting others in the process. Eventually, he’ll get that drink and he’ll drink it down and like it so much, he’ll want more.

Married couples are literally craving attention, emotionally, spiritually and mentally, and there are plenty of strangers who will fulfill those needs right online. We can even make them give us all the attention we think we deserve by lying to them. We can tell them how rotten and mean our spouse is, so they will feel sorry for us. We can even tell them we are divorced when really we’re still married.

Online dating is not good for marriage. It is not good for a single young woman looking for a man. And it is not good for the teenage girl looking for acceptance and love. Anything can be said and anything can be believed. How sad. Emotional infidelity is just as harmful as physical infidelity. I suggest that if you are involved with someone emotionally to cut it off before it gets out of hand and leads to something more detrimental to the sanctity of your marriage.

Talk to your spouse. Tell your spouse what you need and want. Tell them you want to be respected and loved for who you are. Don’t be afraid to express your true feelings to your spouse. They need and want this from you. You will be pleasantly surprised how understanding and tolerable they will be when they see that you love them enough to share your feelings with them

Go to your wife! Express yourself positively and productively. It doesn’t matter what you tell her, it matters how you tell her. Give your wife that piece of your heart that really tells her how much you trust her, need her and want her.

Go to your husband! Share your inner most feelings with him and tell him you need his loving devotion and attention. Get intimate with your husband by sharing your heart and mind with him. What can this do for you? It frees your mind of wasted clutter that needs to come out into the open. Communicate your wants, desires and needs with your spouse. It will make you feel closer because you shared an intimate piece of yourself with them.

Angie Lewis is the author of two marriage books. Journey on the Roads Less Traveled is a book about love, life, addiction and marriage. Love The Man You Married is an informative and biblically centered book tackling such issues as adultery and learning to completely forgive your spouse. For more information on these books, visit Angie’s marriage ministry at http://www.heavenministries.com and while you’re there, sign up for the monthly marriage newsletter.

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