Sharpening My Focus

Every business should periodically examine its market position.  This summer I spent time with artist and consultant Catherine Anderson, who guided me through a process of collecting hundreds of images and snippets of text to make a series of collages about my life, work and clients.  Toggling between collaging and the more traditional marketing exercises in Book Yourself Solid I clearly determined the kinds of people and projects that energize and satisfy me most.

This whole-brained process sharpened the focus of my business:  I ghostwrite for financial professionals -- advisors, accountants and attorneys -- who are too busy with their own clients' work to research the best communication channels and write their own newsletters, blogs, presentations, articles and books.  They can't trust their professional reputation to a rookie, which is why they work with me, a former financial services executive who writes like an English major. As a result of partnering with me, my clients solidify relationships, gain referrals, increase their self-confidence and have better scripting to use when talking about their work -- in person, print and presentations.

If you need a sounding board as you sharpen your professional focus, give me a call.

Meltdown Thoughts

In this Great Recession, bankruptcy and foreclosure statistics rise like mercury in a summer thermometer. Twice in August I wrote about bankruptcy and got a thoughtful set of responses. 

First, I asked why so many people view corporate and personal bankruptcies differently. 

Then, I based some writing prompts on an article in The Atlantic Magazine, which argued that a relatively lenient American system of debt forgiveness is actually good for our economy. 

I invite you to comment on both posts to keep the conversation moving.

PowerPoint and Bad Dogs: Blame the Owner

"Death by PowerPoint" is cliché, but nonetheless, true. Every businessperson complains about PPT, yet most use it.

When I wrote on effective presentations with and without Powerpoint, readers chimed in with some great comments and pointers.

I've witnessed fantastic presentations that were nicely aided by PPT and I've died a thousand near-deaths in presentations where every single word on every dense slide was read out from the podium.

Bottom line: don't blame the tool, blame its user.

Can't decide the right style of presentation?  Let's talk.

Commercial Email in the Federal Courts

Frequent readers of my blog and newsletter know I stay abreast of best practices and federal laws that govern email marketing.

Judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently touted the beneficial aspects of email marketing, saying, “The purpose of the CAN-SPAM Act was not to stamp spam out of existence. There are beneficial aspects to commercial e-mail, even bulk messaging, that Congress wanted to preserve, if not promote.”

The court decided that the federal CAN-SPAM law doesn’t allow individual recipients to bring lawsuits. Instead, the only private parties who can sue under federal law are Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Putting the ISPs in the driver’s seat means now, more than ever, you need an email service that the ISPs trust. Here's an article with more information on why you shouldn't bulk mail from your own inbox.