Hub You - Internet and Businesses Online

PR Crisis Management - Tell It All, Tell It Fast And Tell The Truth
I turned on the television news recently to learn that one of our top football teams may have lost an important match because of illness, the story being brought to us by a reporter stationed outside the hotel where the players enjoyed lunch prior to the game.In the car, this was the lead story on the radio news with the story read by a reporter, again said to be outside the hotel. He confirmed that the Police had collected samples from the restaurant to pass onto the health authorities.Guess what? The story was also the lead in the tabloid newspapers sat on my desk when I reached the office. Photographs of the hotel in question usually supported the story.As a public relations professional, I reflected on what the hotel’s PR people are going through this morning. This is a prestigious hotel group with a well-crafted brand image of quality at the premium end of the market. Here they are, in the spotlight for all the wrong sort of reasons!They will surely have a documented Crisis Management Plan or, in softer terms, a PR Communications Plan. But it is not only global companies who need to devise a plan in advance. Being in business, or even running a not-for-profit organisation, exposes everyone to the risk of a PR crisis.No organisation is very far from crises and their resulting media attention. Their reputation can be washed away or seriously damaged in an instant. A crisis is any situation that threatens the integrity or

ed if you had done that as well.

Wendy: I started, but yeah, it's been a busy year, as home-schooling and being a mom they sort of cut into my time off and on. But, yeah I have started on this so you know they're in the process still. I've also been changing a lot of things, reorganizing where my focus is, getting back into focusing more on affiliate programs than doing services like web design. So, by freeing up my time, I'll be able to work on those two projects more.

Shawn: So for the books you mentioned, do you looking to self-publish, or get some kind of deal with the publisher?

Wendy: I'm going to self-publish, and I have talked to a publisher that Joel Comm has worked with.

Shawn: Oh yeah, yeah he did very well with his AdSense Code Book.

Wendy: Yeah, I talked to one of

Personalised Pens
As a business tool, Personalised pens are a resourceful way to modify behavior, inspire people, and create goodwill amongst customers and employees alike. Personalised Pens can be distributed at, tradeshows, conferences, seminars, press releases, employee gatherings, supplier meetings, customer greetings, and many other places. When integrated into marketing strategies, Personalised pens can enhance advertising, direct mail campaigns, events, and the successful efforts of your sales force. Personalised Pens help you to remain in the forefront of customer's minds long after your official campaign is over. My favourite pen of all time was a Parker that was given to me by my dad. Every time I used that pen I wrote with the utmost of clarity and my handwriting never looked better. Sadly the pen was lost and I never did replace it but I still look back and remember it with much fondness.These days the pens I use are for functional purposes but a range of Personalised Pens recently caught my attention. These Personalised Pens are great for promotional purposes as they can have a variety of information put on them. I can imagine them proving to be extremely popular at certain types of corporate functions where they could be given out as advertising aids. In fact, the more I think about Personalised Pens the more I like the idea. Companies can have them branded and their company logo can be out upon them and then given out to their valued customers of old and

Wendy Shepherd: Hi guys!

Shawn Collins: Hi Wendy!

Lisa Picarille: Hi Wendy!

Wendy: Happy New Year!

Shawn: Happy New Year to you! Thanks for calling in.

Wendy: I have the first one of the year?

Shawn: Yes, we're very excited to have you on here.

Lisa: Not only the first one of the year, but our first live interview so far.

Wendy: Oh really?

Shawn: Yeah, we've been playing it safe just having these prerecorded ones, but we figured we'd go out on the limb here with you.

Wendy: Oh yeah. [laughs] No, it sounds fun.

Lisa: So, I'll let Shawn start it off and ask a couple questions, and I'm going to jump in.

Shawn: OK, I guess one thing that's for the benefit of the audience here, I know all about you Wendy, but if you'd just give a really quick re-cap of what you've done, and sort of who you are, over the last few years with affiliate marketing?

Wendy: Yeah, okay. I first started off making a website. It was just out of things of interest, and then found out that people liked what I put up there, and decided to try some different things that were coming out back in those days. Like MSN was offering "free to make money" without even having to like officially have an advertiser, they really weren't sponsoring you, but that was sort of when I noticed what we know of course as, "affiliate programs" came out and that I can make money "per click." It was like.25 cents per click back then.

Shawn: How far back is that?

Wendy: '97 - '98.

Shawn: Wow.

Wendy: Somewhere around there. And I decided that I would just keep learning more about it, and see what I could do. I found out that it was better to have a website that was a domain name - a dot.com. So I went ahead and got my first ".com," and started making a little bit of money then, and it's gradually increased over the years.

Shawn: So was that first domain "Tipz Time," or was that a different one?

Wendy: Yeah, Tipz Time.

Shawn: Is that spelled Tips with a "Z" - Tipz Time?

Wendy: Yeah, I actually own both now.

Shawn: Oh, you do?

Wendy: Yeah, I have one that forwards to the other one. But now I have lots and lots of websites.

Lisa: Wendy, the last time I talked to you was a little over a year ago. Revenue Magazine was putting together their special anniversary issue for two full years, and you were in the very first issue of the magazine as one of the - Five Who Thrive.

Wendy: Right.

Lisa: We went back and revisited those folks to see where they were, you know last year, and one of the things that you said you were working on was a, "top secret, really unique project." And I never heard exactly what came about with that so, did that come to fruition, and what was it?

Wendy: It actually hasn't yet. The expense to get it going is a lot more than I expected, so it's sort of on hold still. All the ideas are there, I keep building on the ideas. It's a big start-up cost for it, so when it does happen I'll let you know.

Lisa: The other things you talked about were you said that, "You were contemplating writing some books in the future." I wondered if you had done that as well.

Shawn: So for the books you mentioned, do you looking to self-publish, or get some kind of deal with the publisher?

Wendy: I'm going to self-publish, and I have talked to a publisher that Joel Comm has worked with.

Shawn: Oh yeah, yeah he did very well with his AdSense Code Book.

Wendy: Yeah, I talked to one of

Creating Your Niche & Brand - Part 2
If you're a coach, student coach, business owner or someone with a desire to get into business, take careful note of the powerful tips and development strategies presented within this series and GET READY to make the leap to ultimate success.Aligning your product mix To highlight the importance of knowing your prospective client, you can imagine the success you’d have if your target market was adolescent youths from broken families and you promoted your $1,500 monthly coaching service in the Financial Review! Whilst this example is obviously ridiculous and extreme, clients are a fickle bunch and it’s crucial that your services are tightly aligned with your prospects profile and needs.Most coaches starting out come from the mindset “I’m going to coach XYZ group.” But they give little thought to the specific challenges, needs, desires and nuisances of their target group (niche). And without this information they’re almost doomed to failure.They first develop how they’re going to coach, then try to impose that service onto their target client. This approach does not work!You must be client driven rather than product driven. You should first identify the specific client group you want to work with and then develop services and products that satisfy and fulfil their unique and specific needs. What’s the best way to determine the needs of your target client? Ask them! Interview them; survey

I know all about you Wendy, but if you'd just give a really quick re-cap of what you've done, and sort of who you are, over the last few years with affiliate marketing?

Shawn: How far back is that?

Wendy: '97 - '98.

Shawn: Wow.

Shawn: So was that first domain "Tipz Time," or was that a different one?

Wendy: Yeah, Tipz Time.

Shawn: Is that spelled Tips with a "Z" - Tipz Time?

Wendy: Yeah, I actually own both now.

Shawn: Oh, you do?

Wendy: Yeah, I have one that forwards to the other one. But now I have lots and lots of websites.

Wendy: Right.

Lisa: The other things you talked about were you said that, "You were contemplating writing some books in the future." I wondered if you had done that as well.

Shawn: So for the books you mentioned, do you looking to self-publish, or get some kind of deal with the publisher?

Wendy: I'm going to self-publish, and I have talked to a publisher that Joel Comm has worked with.

Shawn: Oh yeah, yeah he did very well with his AdSense Code Book.

Wendy: Yeah, I talked to one of

A Career With The FBI
Do you have what it takes to become an FBI special agent? Do you have a sincere desire to enforce federal laws and investigate crimes?This job requires hard work and can often times be dangerous and stressful. You'll undoubtedly be in close contact with crimminals and victims of crime. But a special agent's job is rewarding if you enjoy serving the public. Long before applying for a job as an FBI special agent, you'll need to plan carefully what you need to do to qualify.The FBI Special AgentFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents are the Government's primary investigators, who investigate criminal violations of over 260 statutes not assigned to another federal agency. Agents may conduct surveillance, monitor wiretaps, examine financial records, or participate in undercover assignments, just to name a few.The FBI investigates organized crime, white collar crime, such as health care fraud, counterterrorism, copyright infringement, civil rights violations, bank robbery, extortion, kidnapping, terrorism, espionage, violent crimes, drug trafficking, and other violations of Federal statutes.The following was adapted from The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Facts and Figures 2003, FBI Priorities (http://www.fbi.gov/priorities/priorities.htm)The FBI's priorities are to:Protect the United States from terrorist attack.Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operati

ewhere around there. And I decided that I would just keep learning more about it, and see what I could do. I found out that it was better to have a website that was a domain name - a dot.com. So I went ahead and got my first ".com," and started making a little bit of money then, and it's gradually increased over the years.

Shawn: So was that first domain "Tipz Time," or was that a different one?

Wendy: Yeah, Tipz Time.

Shawn: Is that spelled Tips with a "Z" - Tipz Time?

Wendy: Yeah, I actually own both now.

Shawn: Oh, you do?

Wendy: Yeah, I have one that forwards to the other one. But now I have lots and lots of websites.

Wendy: Right.

Lisa: The other things you talked about were you said that, "You were contemplating writing some books in the future." I wondered if you had done that as well.

Shawn: So for the books you mentioned, do you looking to self-publish, or get some kind of deal with the publisher?

Wendy: I'm going to self-publish, and I have talked to a publisher that Joel Comm has worked with.

Shawn: Oh yeah, yeah he did very well with his AdSense Code Book.

Wendy: Yeah, I talked to one of

Networking for Success
Networking is an art form practiced by many, mastered by few. Like anything, practice makes perfect. Owning my own company, I get to practice a lot.My favorite networking example is from the movie, For Love of Money. There is a classic scene where Michael J. Fox, who plays a hotel concierge, ducks into a helicopter owned by a man named Chuck. The helicopter pilot says to Fox, "How do you know Chuck?" Fox says, "I don't know Chuck. But I know Eddie Shackner. Eddie knows Jerry Levine. Jerry knows George Spitzer. George knows Chuck." The pilot replies, "Small world." Really!In its simplest form, networking is about building a strong web of relationships. Below are some essential tips for successful networking whether your goal is to build your business or simply to establish new professional relationships or friendships.DO:• Bring business cards wherever you go. They are the "currency of networking."• Have a 30 second elevator speech and practice it. Does it sound interesting to you? If not, it won't be interesting to anyone else!• Schedule time on your calendar for ongoing networking. Attend association meetings, chamber meetings, business seminars, luncheon programs and other appropriate networking venues. (See the business calendar in your local newspaper for other ideas.)• Set a goal to meet at least one new person at each networking meeting you attend. Remember, it's quality, not quantity that you are looking

versary issue for two full years, and you were in the very first issue of the magazine as one of the - Five Who Thrive.

Wendy: Right.

Lisa: The other things you talked about were you said that, "You were contemplating writing some books in the future." I wondered if you had done that as well.

Shawn: So for the books you mentioned, do you looking to self-publish, or get some kind of deal with the publisher?

Wendy: I'm going to self-publish, and I have talked to a publisher that Joel Comm has worked with.

Shawn: Oh yeah, yeah he did very well with his AdSense Code Book.

Wendy: Yeah, I talked to one of

How To Save Your Business Money On Cleaning Supplies And Cleaning Services
With today’s rising fuel costs everything just seems to get a little more expensive every day. When you own a business you know that every penny saved can help. Cleaning supplies and cleaning services can eat a big chunk out of your bottom line but there are things you can do to save up to 50% on these types of expenses. Having your facilities cleaned and having to stock your bathrooms with toilet paper and soap are a necessity but there are ways to save hundreds if not thousands of dollars each year on commercial cleaning and cleaning supplies.If you use a cleaning company and your facility is under the size of a football field then you are wasting money. By paying a cleaning company to come in every night and do simple tasks like vacuuming and emptying trash you are essentially paying a company to make a profit off of something you could be easily doing yourself in house. By developing a simple plan for your existing employees and having them do some of these tasks can have a huge impact on your cleaning budget. Simple tasks like taking out the trash at the end of the day can be handed out to your current employees. By creating a central location as a main trash refugee can make it easy on employees by having them walk a minimal distance to dump there own trash containers at the end of the day. Many companies are looking to their current staff and advertising cleaning positions for after business hours. In these financially challenging times

ed if you had done that as well.

Shawn: So for the books you mentioned, do you looking to self-publish, or get some kind of deal with the publisher?

Wendy: I'm going to self-publish, and I have talked to a publisher that Joel Comm has worked with.

Shawn: Oh yeah, yeah he did very well with his AdSense Code Book.

Wendy: Yeah, I talked to one of the publishers and he liked what I had to say, so I got encouraged to go ahead and start, so I did.

Lisa: And is this going to be sort of a "how to get started" sort of thing, or talking about "your success?" What's maybe the focus of your project?

Wendy: A lot of the focus is - trying to help people get started, mostly. Because I get questions all the time on how can I do what you do, how can I get started, and how do you do this. And I can't always answer everybody's questions in a lot of detail. So the best thing to do would be to do some e-books first, and then eventually turn them into some books.

Shawn: That will probably be helpful for a lot of affiliate marketers, because I know even after doing this for about 10 years; I still have to re-explain it to my family each year at the holidays.

Lisa: You know speaking of family, I'm wondering are you going to include just sort of practical business advice about how you get started, or are you going to include any of the human stuff which you seem to always talk about, which is you know - home schooling and kind of trying to balance your family, and your work-life, and all of that?

Wendy: I want to include a little bit of everything. Yeah, I mean because it just brings a more human thing, you know to it. You know a lot of things that we read out there when we first start, even when I first started learning, it was a lot of technical talk that I had no clue about. So, making it more basic is going to be a lot easier for some people to learn. They're also looking for a lot of very detailed step-by-step information.

Shawn: I think one of the neat things about your story is the fact that you were able to sort of leverage affiliate marketing to help earn money while you were home schooling and raising the children, and everything. I think it's a neat dynamic of the industry.

Wendy: Yeah. You know, I've tried a lot of different things. I've tried some drop shipping. I've tried creating my own products and so forth. But, the best thing that happens is affiliate programs that are set up in place in different areas of the websites that constantly make money when I'm not there. [laughter] And, that is a key for a family that is busy all the time.

Shawn: So, as the kids are getting old are you finding more time for affiliate marketing?

Wendy: Actually, not with them home all day. I do have my oldest son, he just turned 13. [laughter] Now, I have a teen in the house. He actually is showing an interest in learning what I do, too. So, I do take a little bit of time now and then to teach him.

Lisa: And, what sort of things? I mean, are you just sort of starting with the basics? Is he helping you out to actually do any of your work?

Wendy: Actually, he wants to do his own. [laughter]

Lisa: Wow, that's great!

Wendy: Yeah, he wants to do his own thing. He's learning HTML and how to put a web page together now. They have to start somewhere. [laughter]

Lisa: And, when's he going to be up and running so we can check out his site?

Wendy: [laughter] I'm not sure. Maybe this year some time.

Shawn: So, what do you see as far as some, back when you were getting started, was largely content type sites that were affiliated

HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.iadvice.info/article/52981/iadvice-Interview-with-Super-Affiliate-Wendy-Shepherd.html">Interview with Super Affiliate Wendy Shepherd</a>

BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.iadvice.info/article/52981/iadvice-Interview-with-Super-Affiliate-Wendy-Shepherd.html]Interview with Super Affiliate Wendy Shepherd[/url]

The sales team is heart of any great business or company. And yet most businesses do all they can to keep the sales force from being successful. The nine points for sales excellence are key points for creating an environment in any size business can grow top line revenue through through a best in class sales team.

Automotive direct mail is one of the most commonly read types of direct mail. In fact, an article by DM News cites a survey showing that 73% of car buyers respond to direct mail. Why do so many auto dealers and manufactures use direct mail marketing?

Etymology is the study of the origins of words and how they have evolved and changed over time. When you are trying to get a message across, it is important to realize, what a word means to us, may not hold the same meaning to someone else.

Tags

Links

Hub You - Interview with Super Affiliate Wendy Shepherd

Related Articles: