Posts Tagged ‘all sorts’
Set SMART Goals to Achieve More
Are you having trouble achieving your goals, or getting through a period of no success? Then take the time to learn how to set SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Tangible.
Specific
Setting specific goals is the key to all sorts of success. Most folks know the story about the 1954 Harvard class where they measured those who made goals and those who did not. Each time they grouped the goal-oriented graduates into smaller and smaller groups: those who made goals every now and then, on a yearly basis, and on a monthly, weekly or daily basis, each subset of individuals ended up making more money, having free time and far more happiness than the others.
And guess what? The no-goal folks were left out in the cold and achieved almost nothing in comparison to those who set goals.
Measurable
The more measurable something is, the easier it is to see if we’ve achieved, or not achieved, the desired outcome. If you’re vague in your goals, and don’t have a way to measure it, how will you know you’ve achieved it? You won’t, it’s that simple. So make sure your goal can be measured, and you’re done with step 2.
Attainable
When you set goals that are the most important to you, you will find a way to make them happen. That’s a fact! You begin to find things that fit in with your goals, you develop a positive attitude, you work to develop new skills and abilities, and you somehow find the financial capacity to achieve them. You think of all the opportunities that you’ve left unanswered and you uncover new opportunities to help you achieve your goal.
You can do almost anything when you plan out the steps necessary to reach the goal, and set the time frame that holds you accountable to that goal. Things that never before were possible now are not only possible but are in fact probably, because you’ve learned and grown to match these tough goals. Listing your goals helps you feel better about yourself, as you learn to see yourself worthy enough to achieve these goals, that you deserve these goals, and you reach these goals!
Realistic
Do you want to aim for something you’ll never reach, or for something that is within your power? Remember, you have to be willing and able to do something, so make sure you’re realistic in your goal setting. You definitely want to stretch and not set something you could do without effort, but if you know that there is absolutely no way you can physically run a 4 minute mile because you have arthritis, then don’t make that your goal. Now keep in mind that with the Internet, e-mail, and the globalization of the marketplace that you can achieve more than you ever thought possible, there still may be things that just aren’t possible. Don’t set these as goals, set these as dreams, and point towards those. But set the attainable goals so you can get satisfaction from achieving more and more of your goals.
Tangible
A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of your five senses. That means if you can can taste it, touch it, smell it, see it or hear it. When your goal is tangible, or when you tie an tangible goal to a intangible goal, you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus see it as more attainable to you.
So be SMART about your goal setting, read a book or 2 about goal settings, have others help you be more accountable to yourself for achieving these goals, and you will do more and be more than you ever dreamed possible!
Phil Gerbyshak leads a team as manager of an IT Help Desk in Milwaukee, WI, and finds that sharing his knowledge is a crucial component for in his success as a leader and as a person. Phil’s personal philosophy is paraphrased from Tim Sanders’ fantastic book Love is the Killer App: “Share your knowledge, your network, and your love. The rest will follow.”
Feel free to contact Phil at http://makeitgreat.org or call 414.640.7445 anytime. To check out his frequently updated blog, check out http://makeitgreat.blogspot.com
Book Marketing 101- Book Publicity for Authors — Creating a Book Publicity Campaign
Publicity is that elusive thing that can make or break your book – in all sorts of ways! Learning to promote you and your book is something that can take a bit of “re-training” for most new authors (and many old-timers too). Publicity is really all about selling your idea (and you), but all too often the word “selling” brings up images of polyester clad used-car salesmen, telemarketers, and strong-arm sales strategies that do nothing but alienate your intended customer.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
True “salesmanship” is all about creating a deep connection with your intended reader or reviewer by providing unique, useful and rewarding information about your book. It’s all about creating a relationship that you will both benefit from and to which you can return time and again. It’s about creating the awareness that you are an EXPERT about the topic of your book.
Good publicity is also regular and consistent publicity – there really is no such thing as an overnight success. Remember that you never know who is reading or listening — it just might have been someone who could lead you to bigger and better things.
Here’s some ways to create a great relationship with the editors and reporters that can provide your book the long term exposure it needs to succeed:
1) It’s ALL about your intended audience – and very little about you. You might be brilliant, but the editor only cares about their audience. As a matter of fact, more often than not if you come across as thinking you are too wonderful, you’ll most likely turn out to be a turn off to the editor or reporter. This is where “blanket” press releases that go to thousands of outlets fail – they typically focus on you the author, and unless you are already a household name, guess what? No one cares.
You MUST tailor your release to the intended audience – and it must be unique. Focus on the benefits you will provide their audience. Think about the publication or program you are trying to approach – what do they provide to their audience and does your book contribute to their goals? Don’t under any circumstances make your pitch sound like an ad for your book – if you have a good fit, and have good information inside your book, then it will generate interest in the book. The goal here is to make the editors, reporters, and audience understand that you are an expert on your topic, and that your book contains lots of good information – by PRESENTING some of the information… not by TELLING them you are an expert.
2) Target your pitch. Be confident knowing that reporters and editors have lots of need for information. But also understand the one of the quickest ways to get rejected is to pitch the wrong person – you’ll waste both of your time (and probably annoy the editor or reporter) – do you homework and find out who is the correct contact for your book. Once you’ve found the right person – ask them what they want. Only pitch your idea if it’s a fit. Be sure to respect his or her time – everyone in the media industry works on unbelievably tight deadlines. Ask if they are under a deadline and if so, could you call back at a better time.
Be short, sweet, and to the point – which means get to the point quickly. The audience will eventually want more detail than the reporter or editor – but for your reviewer, be able to sum up your book in 30 seconds or less. “Talk less, listen more” – let the editor or reporter drive the conversation after you have them interested. They will have specific needs and questions – so stop talking and answer them explicitly.
3) Approach ALL types and sizes of publications and media. Don’t be afraid to contact the “big guys” and don’t neglect the smaller ones. Any one in the media has to aggressively pursue getting new and fresh content for their shows, magazines, and newspapers. This is especially true of anyone who needs to fill space on a daily basis. They are almost always on the search for people who can present information on exciting and interesting topics and trends. The biggest outlets are always on the search for an unknown that they can highlight.
The smaller journals and outlets often have a very focused and influential audience – and you never know who might be reading them or listening to their show . The smaller publications can also be “gateways” into the larger ones . Almost every single size of publication has value in your publicity campaign. Your chances of getting into smaller publications is probably higher than the larger ones, so set your time and effort accordingly.
4) Treat your contacts with unfailing respect and politeness. Yes, you are very busy – you might even be far busier than the publicist or producer that you are trying to approach. But you need them to help you out – and being constantly aware that they are very busy themselves will keep you focused on getting your materials to them in a timely manner. Never ever be late in submitting materials for a review or interview.
5) Understand that publicity isn’t a “one shot success” effort. It is all about sustained and consistent awareness of your product. Marketing research indicates that a consumer will need to see your name about 7 times before they will remember it. Try to keep your interviews and reviews spaced out a little bit – frequency and consistency are critical. Don’t ever let up on your publicity campaigns – even the most successful product lines in the world (think Nike and McDonalds) continue to consistently spend millions on awareness campaigns for their products. Very rarely is anyone an “overnight success” – even the best-selling authors spent years building their reputations.
Follow these 5 steps while conducting your publicity campaigns, and your level of success will be far greater than those who have either ignored or never learned these basic steps.
If you like this information (and found it helpful) please feel free to post it on your site, put it in a blog, toss it in your newsletter, or in general spread it around. Please just give us credit here at www.dogearpublishing.net
May you have success in your creative efforts!
Ray Robinson is a partner in Dog Ear Publishing http://www.dogearpublishing.net a self publishing services company specializing in delivering “high touch” services to the author community. His company provides a full range of services to authors, from editorial to page layout to marketing and fulfillment.
How To Find Freelance Jobs – Writing About Food
Did you know that jobs writing about food are available? These opportunities are available in a variety of areas. Employment in these fields is an exciting concept. For many, getting their foot in the door is the most important and most challenging first step. In order to succeed, a wide range of knowledge is needed as well as a good base of experience.
These jobs are available in all sorts of media. The internet is full of postings for good quality writers in a variety of fields. Some in this field write for magazines, newspapers, or even books. Others work right online. There are several avenues a prospective writer can take.
The first step in getting into any of these, though, is getting a good base of knowledge. There are courses that can be taken to give a good base of knowledge for the food aspect of the business. But, for the writing, grammar, and compiling of the articles and pieces, you will need at least a few years of schooling. Writing is the foundation of the work you will do, after all.
To start out in freelance writing though, you need to know how to get experience.
You can take your career to the next level by expanding your knowledge, getting your experience into a portfolio, and presenting yourself to the prospective employers. Try small, local newspapers to start. Or, submit an article to a magazine asking them to review it for consideration. Present yourself to the companies you want to start with, but always keep striving for other levels of opportunity. There are hundreds of companies that are looking for a new, fresh face in writing. You’ll find them throughout the internet posting on message boards and websites. Or, you can contact all of the organizations that you would like to get your start in by sending resumes and samples of your work.
You will enjoy a career with the freelance food writer jobs that you do get. You certainly will love the opportunities that are available!
Visit http://www.FreelanceWritingResource.com for more Articles, Resources, News and Advice about Freelance Writing Jobs.
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