Liz, Author at Successful Blog Page

8 Sales Rules for Writing – No One Kills a Messenger who Writes for Readers

August 28, 2006 by Liz

Poorly Written Messages

In the olden days when there were kings and queens, way before I was born, a business message was sending a runner with message in hand from a battlefield to the king. If the message was good news, the runner might enjoy a feast. If the message was not so good, the king might enjoy seeing the runner run until his life was over.

Even when I was short, that killing the messenger stuff never made much sense to me. It seems like the guys with the messages might figure out what was going on and run the other way, instead of running to the king.

Had I been forced to run messages back then, you can bet I would have found out what the darn message said. Then I’d have figured out a way to write that same message to the king, based on what the king cares about.

That’s what I do for a living — write messages for readers.

So where do sales rules fit in all this?

Mike Sigers Got Me Thinking about Sales Rules

I was at Simplenomics last night, reading Mike Sigers’ post, Mike’s 8 Simple Rules for Repeat Sales, when I realized that everyone is a sales rep. I know. I won’t tell if you don’t tell my husband either.

I’m not making some smoky analogy here. I was a sales rep for the Philips-Van Heusen Shirt Company with a two state territory.

I had a genuine revelation. It came to me that I use my sales training every day and that everyone else uses sales practices too. Granted some of us are a bit better than others at getting them right, but that includes sales reps with training too.

In an email this morning I told Mike I was going to rewrite his post. I explained my reason as everyone is a sales rep. He said:

Wait a minute ?!

Everyone a sales rep ?

Not a freakin’ chance – even you can’t do magic… or can you ?

Let’s turn the page and see how far off I am. [Read more…]

Net Neutrality 8-28-2006

August 28, 2006 by Liz

Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Telcos, Net Neutrality and fair business practices

This morning, I received an email from Verizon, concerning my DSL service.
The email alerted me to the fact that the federal tax known as FUSF (Federal Universal Service Fund) was no longer to be collected. Depending upon your level of service, this was a fee of $1.25 or $2.83 per month. This was part of a decision last year by the FCC to stop regulating DSL, therefore eliminating the need for the FUSF fee to be collected. Based upon this, consumers should have expected to see a modest reduction in their monthly bills, due to the elimination of the FUSF.

However, in reading my Verizon DSL email, it appears that they couldn’t bear to pass that reduction on to their customers. Instead, they indicate that . . . In essence, they’ve taken the amount of the tax (which they had to remit to the government) and shifted it into a new line item as a fee.

If people can’t understand why we need Net Neutrality, this is just another example of how the telcos operate and why we can’t let them change the playing field.

Update: Apparently the FCC is not too thrilled with Verizon and BellSouth efforts to mask price increases as fees. Also see comments from TechDirt on the matter.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

301 Links in a Story — Chapter 8 Lizzie, Amanda, Arianna, David, and Jeremy

August 27, 2006 by Liz

[For those of you just tuning in, this is based on the 301 Lists that Darren Rowse’s List Group Writing Project brought together. You’ll find Chapter 1 here –> A List Becomes 301 Links in Story Ã¢â¬â Chapter 1 ]

At the Studio

Lizzie followed. Jeremy. Jeremy Wright across Rue Dante into the creepy brownstone-like building up the stairs to the second floor. The door at the top of the stairs was on a landing with a desk.

“I don’t have keys,” said Jeremy, Jeremy Wright. “I’ll find Aaron Brazell to let us in.”

“I’ll hang here,” Lizzie said, settiing in at the desk.

The desk had a book for visitor sign ins, alongside it were several information pamphlets. They were lined up in a little stand as if this were a bed and breakfast. The header on the stand said, “Classic Pre-Show Reading.”

“Get your post listed on 25 sites in 10 Minutes” by Fence, Emily and Evening Post.

“They should know,” Lizzie thought, getting interested.

7 1/2 pieces of Blogging Software I have used by a kid with many siblings who’s had to share everything.

Essential Books for Bloggers How books can be used to raise your monitor to eye level and to do other cool stuff.

Should I Add Your blog? Alan Greenspan tries creative economics during retirement.

How I Set Up WordPress Ben Trott outlines the plan he never made to foil a competitor.

The Secret to Blogging for Baby Poop One Gentleman Blogger’s Way of Tracking Achievement Without Using Money as a Benchmark.

How to Keep Spam out of your Blog The latest kid craze since putting sandwiches in the VCR went out with DVD players.

“I wondered what kids were doing now,” Lizzie laughed.

Aaron came through the door with Jeremy, Jeremy Wright.

“Hey, Lizzie,” Aaron said. “Could you hand me that Sailing Magazine I left on the desk?

Our new TV host passed it to our sailor friend and followed our Jack Bauer/James Bond type into the studio. Then she gasped with some emotion she couldn’t quite name.

The seats were set up as if David Letterman would walk out any minute, but the stage was different, so different. It looked as if it were a gigantic . . . [Read more…]

Ever Try Capturing Ideas as They Form?

August 27, 2006 by Liz

A Little Plan, A Lot Less Stress

They say it’s not stress that causes heart attacks, but the feeling of being out of control. True or not, I find that my week is more productive, and the people around me are nicer when I take the time to plan my work. Sunday is a good day for that.

As a writer, I’ve found it efficient to gather my ideas first, when my mind is free and fresh, to make note of them and then to returrn to them later to write.

I made this a tool to help. Come look. [Read more…]

Net Neutrality 8-27-2006

August 27, 2006 by Liz

Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Not so long ago

AT&T used their monopoly over local service (the telephony last mile) to make it impossible for competition to emerge in long distance or the manufacture of equipment.

It was all so complicated that the FCC was completely overpowered — at the antitrust trial before Judge Greene, DOJ called a bunch of former FCC-ers to testify that they couldn’t supervise the Bell System. This wasn’t market failure, this was regulatory failure. Complete inability to cope.

So Judge Greene drove them through discovery and trial with a firm hand, and after 11 months DOJ and AT&T came up with a consent decree. It separated the local telephone part from everything else (putting local service into the hands of seven operating companies made up of 22 former operating companies). It specifically said that those operating companies couldn’t get into offering content, or manufacturing equipment, or operating long distance service — because they couldn’t be trusted not to discriminate in favor of their own stuff. After the decree and the complicated process of splitting up the company, long distance prices plummeted, a vibrant market for equipment emerged, and the internet arrived.

[. . . ]

So where are we now? The seven operating companies crept back into long distance service, got rid of the consent decree (and Judge Greene’s firm hand) in the 1996 Act, manipulated/litigated their way out of allowing competitive local service to emerge, and now …. they’re mostly reconsolidated. We really have two phone companies in the US: Verizon and AT&T.

And they don’t really have competitors for broadband access — just gentle telco/cableco giants. Maybe colluding gentle giants — the gentlest of all.

[. . . ]

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Poorly Written Messages

Mike Sigers Got Me Thinking about Sales Rules

Net Neutrality Links

At the Studio

Good Advice Is Always Good

A Little Plan, A Lot Less Stress

Net Neutrality Links