Archive for Advice
Elder care for dummies – what we did right
Posted by: | Comments
I’m now 5 months into unexpected elder care. Many people have urged me to list some tips for others who might be going through this process. So here’s a candid assessment of what I think my family did right.
The background: my 85-year-old mother was still living by herself in the New England home that she and my father purchased in the early 60s. She was diagnosed with colon cancer a couple of years ago, and was undergoing biweekly chemotherapy treatments. Despite urging from her family friends and neighbors, she resisted any effort to even contemplate moving from the house into independent living, let alone take action. To make matters worse, she grew up during the Depression and hoarded everything. Read More→
Tips on pitching media
Posted by: | Comments
I sat in on a helpful media breakfast this morning, featuring three editors from Scottsdale media and put on by PRSA’s Phoenix chapter. No matter whether you’re pitching Scottsdale media or just pitching editors and reporters in general, they had useful tips – here’s a breakdown of what we learned from Peter Corbett of the Scottsdale Republic, Michelle Glicksman of So Scottsdale and Scottsdale Health magazines, and Kimberly Hundley of Scottsdale Airpark News:
- Media in general prefer local calls vs. calls coming in from NY, LA, etc – the local people have a better idea of the pulse of the community and its publications
- Reporters appreciate it when PR contacts make the information understandable. “Get to the point, break it down (no jargon).” One phrase given as an example of jargon was “business solutions” – so strike that from your press release copy!
- With smaller staffs at the publications these days, the reporters’ jobs are more challenging
- Extremely aggressive PR tactics are discouraged
- Because of the economy, editors like Michelle are stretched thin. She relies on PR people more. Downside – she can’t always be at events, since she handles so much of the publication activities, from concept to coordinator to the words on the page. Read More→
Valley PR Blog readers share money-saving tips for recession
Posted by: | Comments
So many PR pros provided tips on my Valley PR Blog post for saving money during this recession that I’ve compiled them into one comprehensive list:
- Reduce your professional memberships to only PRSA
- Be diligent about loyalty programs (MaxPerks w/ OfficeMax, Best Buy Rewards, etc)
- Read “Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence,” by Joe Dominguez.
- Take advantage of grocery discounts for those age 50 and older
- Cancel your TV and cable
- Eliminate wine from your purchases
- Walk to work when/if you can
- Cut back on movies and concerts
- If you LOVE movies, use the Harkins loyalty cup and popcorn T-shirt to save money
- Buy wash and wear clothes so you don’t have to dry clean
- Shop for clothes at consignment stores
- Buy used cars or better yet, pay off the amount so you have no monthly car bill
- Increase investment tactics that will generate a return, such as networking groups
- Go to the grocery store just once a week vs. several times (plan ahead) Read More→
Travel much?
Posted by: | CommentsTravel USED to be a lot of fun. Ever since 9/11, it has been a complete hassle. A few years ago, meeting planner expert and professional speaker Corbin Ball published this list of travel tips – amongst the best I have ever come across. Sharing the link with you today:
A Frequent Flyer’s Guide to Reduced Travel Stress
©2005 Corbin Ball Associates
Here’s one I hadn’t thought of before:
A quick guide to dealing with New Englanders
Posted by: | Comments
People in New England are different. There is NO doubt about it. Here are my tips for working with them if you have clients, PR brethren, or vendors there (and for those of you unfamiliar with which states are technically in that part of the country, it includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island):
1). Speak quickly. Don’t dawdle or drawl. They HATE that.
2). Don’t make a joke unless it’s really witty.
3). Use humor as much as possible. (see above)
4). Walk around with a Dunkin Donuts cup or box.
5). Wear darker colors.
6). Let your hair just grow – for goodness’ sakes, don’t style it – you’ll immediately look out of place.
7). Learn the vernacular – “color” is coluh, “Rhode Island” is “ruh-disland,” “idea” is “idear,” “liquor” is “likka” – you get the idea.
8). Ignore their gruff exterior. They don’t even know they’re doing it. Use some wit and they warm right up.
9). Tell them you love the Red Sox. Do NOT wear ANY Yankees shirts, caps. (You might see a few Yankee logos in Connecticut, admittedly).
10). Don’t hum in public. My husband was doing that early at the gym this morning, and they all started backing away. He can’t help it – he’s from Wisconsin.
Twenty years in Arizona have definitely warmed me up, literally and figuratively. But I still get impatient if people don’t get to the point quickly or if they resort to humor I consider the “obvious, low hanging fruit on the apple tree.” Seinfeld said once in an interview with Barbara Walters that he thought comedians on the east coast had the best humor because they had to work harder to overcome life’s daily weather and traffic challenges. When you go futher west, he said, the lifestyle gets easier, so you don’t have as many hurdles, ergo less of a need to meet them with humor. That’s debatable, but I see his point.
Are you clear about what you are offering?
Posted by: | Comments
Author Pamela Slim
One of my favorite business authors, Pamela Slim, presented at the social media and business event yesterday in Tempe. If you haven’t heard of her, check out her blog at www.EscapefromCubicleNation.com, and her recently published book by the same name.
She talked about using social media to amplify who you really are. All of the points she mentioned were helpful, but the one that really stood out was point number 2 – meaning.
She urged the audience to think about why they are doing what they’re doing in their current career/mission. What do you care about? What is the result for users? What happens? She used as an example the company Freshbooks, which is very clear about what they’re offering – “painless billing.” And they demonstrate that message in their customer service as well. You would be hard-pressed to ever find a negative comment about Freshbooks. Read More→
Be careful with ebook formatting
Posted by: | Comments
I’ve been thinking about creating an e-book, ever since I read David Meerman Scott’s inspiring book, World Wide Rave. Got into a discussion with book production experts recently to learn more, and found out that Microsoft Word is not the best format for these things.
The reason? According to Kelly Scott-Olson, president and creative director of ATG Productions, Read More→


