Personal Branding Archives - Page 20 of 41

4+6 Things to a Product Review Even James Bond Would Trust

August 29, 2006 by Liz

What You Have Here James Is . . .

Product reviews. We all do them. We love to tell people what we like about stuff. Even more, we love to tell them what’s wrong with stuff. . . .

The President had started a discussion about a product we were prototyping. Our new product was meant to compete with one that had owned the market for 10 years.

“So, what do you think of the product that’s out there?” the President asked the editors.

Each editor was eager to respond and gave in detail the things that she saw in the existing product. The President made sure that every editor had a chance to talk.

“I wonder how it continues to sell 100,000+ units per book per year?” Then he glanced over my way and said, “That’s why no one listens to editors’ opinions. They only talk about the negatives.”

I was the only person in the company who reviewed product for the President.

Where do you get advice about products? Most people trust friends and family first. If friends and family don’t know, research says that 77 percent of online shoppers read consumer product reviews and ratings.

That means you’ve probably done that.

Product review are big business . . .

. . . if folks feel they can trust what the review says.

If you want credibility James Bond would trust, you have to know 4 things before you start and tell 6 things when you write..

. . . [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…]

PH3: How Are You — Good or Well? Could You Be Advertising Your Soft Skin?

August 25, 2006 by Liz

Life-Changing Information

I am about to tell you something.

If you don’t already know this, the information will probably change your life.

The change will be a small one — it may not change a thing you do. It will change you nonetheless, because . . .

I’m about to do the grammatical equivalent of sticking a song inside your head.

Every day people ask and answer the question, “How are you?”

The answer I most often hear uses the word, good, in something like “I’m good, and you?”

Good is a tricky word. It’s always an adjective, except when speaking about health. Then it becomes an adverb, which means when speaking of health, good is not the right word to choose. You might instead try well.

Here’s the picture. The conversation is

ME: How are you?
IT Man: I am good.

He could be saying he is good at gaming, good at talking, good at what most husbands are good at, or even saying good for nothing, but he’s not talking about his health.

And oh my, should the conversation be

ME: How are you?
IT Man: I feel good.

Now he’s commenting on the softness of his skin.

That’s a picture, isn’t it?

Know that it is good to say that you feel well and all will be fine in the end.

Of course, if you have soft, smooth skin, I have no problem with you advertising . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss

10 +1 Sure-Fire Ways to Get My Best Work — and the Best Work from Everyone — Every Time

August 24, 2006 by Liz

How to Manage Me While I Manage You

I snuck into publishing through the back door. I freelanced first. People asked me to do things. As fast as they asked was how fast I would learn. I was sure that everyone else already knew them.

Then I got my first job as an Executive Editor, and a whole new world view came with it. I had been learning things few people knew. . . . It worked for me. I kind of liked it.

I also saw that most freelancers weren’t like me.

What I saw was that folks who had full-time jobs did more accurate work than freelancers — even when they were the same people. As soon as we hired a freelancer, that person’s work improved to the full-time work standard. That’s when I knew it was us, not them. There was something in what we were doing.

It wasn’t the work. It wasn’t the people.

It was how we put the two together.

I know how you can get my best work every time. Do 10 things, and I can’t help but do a great job for you. Really. [Read more…]

10 + 1 Things to Make Me Love Your Business Email

August 23, 2006 by Liz

Does Your Email Make People Crazy?

How many emails are in your in-box?

How long does it take you to find one you might want?

Do you think about that when you write an email? I’d be delighted if you would.

You may think that email is easy, but I have to tell you. I’m writing this post for a reason. In the last few weeks I’ve gotten some emails that have really concerned me with how folks are doing email business.

Here’s a quote from one:

Dear Liz,

I don’t know you. I’ve never read your blog. Would you come look at mine and see whether I can be an SOB?

I didn’t love that email.

But that’s a gross point. I’ve also picked up some finer points of managing and sending email to business associates that I bet that even you might not have run into. [Read more…]

How Do You Show Readers You Value Them?

August 23, 2006 by Liz

Content Counts But . . .

People are the key to any brand. People are the center, the edges, and the bottom line. People are the reason that we write.

Want a way to show your readers that you value them? Click the title shot below.

Relationships are built one person at a time.

Thank you, Rico, for this example of Successful and Outstanding Blogging.

–ME “Liz” Strauss