Here are two of the best Pittsburgh billboards I’ve seen lately. One’s silly and one’s clever. This billboard for Fodi Jewelers cracks me up every time I drive by it. It’s not the use of the word ‘chicks’ that got me, it’s the fact that they put baby chicks on the billboard. Yes, we get the… Read more »
Audience
Zagat Rates Pittsburgh Food?
Zagat will be rating Pittsburgh restaurants in 2013. According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, “Currently, the only reviews for the Pittsburgh-area on Zagat.com are for chain restaurants that were taken from their recent National Chain Restaurant Survey.” Why is Zagat so popular? I think it’s because people like to hear what others think is good, go… Read more »
Seriously? You still don’t have social media profiles?
A client of mine wrote a book. Our publicity plan involved a virtual book tour and we hoped some talented,exciting bloggers in her field would review her book and visit her site. It’s a great book – full of practical steps to take to achieve a goal. It’s not too expensive and really bolsters… Read more »
Adults like stories, too
In 2012 I published my first children’s book, The Bumpy Grumpy Road. It’s a metaphor intended to help children understand that they are in charge of their emotions, actions and reactions. As parents bought the book for their kids, I heard more than one time “This book helps me, too.” And when you read the story… Read more »
Word Choice is Key
The language and words we choose show if we’re locals or tourists – and if we know what we’re talking about. When you visit New York City, you want to go to “the Hi Line” not “Hi Line Park.” And if you’re looking for good Cuban food you ask the taxi driver to take you… Read more »
Do You Need a Lemonade Stand Approach with Customers?
It’s never to early to learn how to talk to customers. My kids are learning to do this at ages 7, 5 and 2 thanks to their very first lemonade stand. We live near a park and have a relatively constant flow of potentially thirsty neighbors walking past our house. So my boys decided they… Read more »
Should You Deliver Bad News in Person?
Should you deliver bad news in person? I would argue yes. Experts say that 70% of our message is carried in non-verbal communication, that is how we convey meaning without words. The height of our eyebrows, the position of our arms, the volume of our voice, even the rate we blink all carry important information… Read more »
How to Write Positively Without Sounding Fake
One of my favorite aspects of LinkedIn, besides Answers, is Recommendations. I’m not shy about asking for Recommendations, and all the pundits will tell that waiting patiently for someone to take the initiative to recommend you is fruitless. You must make the request. And if people are following that advice, chances are you’ll be asked to… Read more »
How do you handle negative comments?
Many businesses worry about having Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Pinterest pages or a blog that allows people to post comments. They wonder, “If people complain about us on these platforms, it will make us look bad!” What really looks bad is not receiving negative comments, but handling them poorly. Take a look at this negative review… Read more »
How to write about something negative without negativity
Take a look at this letter of recommendation below. To Whom It May Concern: C has been an intern at XX XXXX XXX Retirement Community since September of 2011. C has a genuine interest in helping people. She has had an interest in the elder population since she was younger as her mother is a nurse and… Read more »