Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

Public Relations Mixup?

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 885 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. Public Relations Mixup? When you pay good money for public relations services, you have a right to expect its primary focus to be on your most importa. . .

Do You Want To Be A Pilot In The United States?

I receive many emails requesting information about becoming an airline pilot in the United States. This article addresses many of the general questions I receive about the types of pilot careers, salaries, FAA requirements, training, advancement opportunities and the employment outlook for pilots. (Please note that the commercial pilot industry is very competitive, particularly since 9/11. The . . .

Residual Income

Hi, I'm Peter Owen, Director and founder of Tall Oak Limited. We have produced this article to give you a quick insight into how to receive a second income or replace your present income. The key to securing your future and reaching your goals is called a residual income. Residual income flows into your bank account day after day, year after year for work you did 6 months ago. Sounds Good! Grea. . .

50 Surefire Business Card Tips

Business cards are one of the most powerful and inexpensive marketing tools you can use. Here are 50 surefire tips to make the most out of your business cards: Your business card must communicate more than just your contact information. Make sure that your card includes a tag line that explains what you or your company do. Order them in large numbers. By ordering 1000 your cost per card wil. . .

Time Management - How to Have Productive Meetings

One of the greatest time wasters of all are unnecessary or poorly run meetings. If you want to dramatically improve your time management skills, then learn how to have productive meetings."Brian" is the Operations Manager in a large corporation. Every Monday morning, his CEO has a managers' meeting .This is what usually occurs: The agenda is circulated the day before which means the managers ha. . .

Time Management Tips for Managers

Late last year I was presenting a workshop for the senior managers of a major organisation. Whilst doing a pre-workshop survey to assess the challenges these managers were experiencing it became very apparent to me that many of them were showing the signs of business burn-out. And it was no wonder why. They were suffering from 'Priority Problems'. Quite simply they were making the mistake of do. . .

How To Decrease Profits Without Really Trying

Hurting your sales efforts can be accomplished easily with the proper guidance. The following effective yet simple ideas are designed to generate results when implemented into your sales strategy.• Don’t listen to what your clients are saying.You are the expert and prospects should be happy that you have been able to set aside some time for them. Spend your time talking more than asking questio. . .

How To Better Handle Your Mail

Letters, magazines, bills, flyers, what to do with them all. There should be only two responses to every piece of mail or e-mail, do something with it, or toss it! The best way, as always, to deal with it all is in an organized fashion. One of the quickest ways to do this is to have the following folders: A red one for things that must be dealt with immediately. This would include anything that. . .

Realistic Goals...How To Set Them and Why

So many people want to start a business today and be rich tomorrow. Sorry, people it doesn't happen that way. If it did, everyone would do it. There is no free lunch...it takes hard work, determination and realistic goal setting. Think about the businesses you have worked at, look at the businesses in your community. I mean really look. When you go to the dry cleaners, how many other people a. . .

Getting Started

One of the first things we do with our Partnering For Your Success students is to have them plan out how many hours they can spend on lease purchasing. We know that many of you are working and want to start part-time. Well the best way to do this is to take a calendar and to put in the times you will work your lease purchasing business, or whatever business you want to get started. Your initial. . .

A Dollar A Day

what can you buy for a dollar a day, maybe a chocolate bar or a can coke or maybe some other perishable items of food.But what about a car, a holiday or anything else that means a lot to you and your family.The answer may strike you as odd but a dollar a day can lead to a new house, a new car or financial freedom. It can also give you a helping hand to start a home business.Let me explain. For . . .

Want PR's Full Value?

Make sure somebody is worrying about those outside audience behaviors you need to help reach your objectives. And I mean the kind of behaviors you like: prospective buyers browsing your services or products; specifying sources or major donors thinking about you; more frequent repeat purchases; new proposals for joint ventures or strategic alliances; elected officials who increasingly view you a. . .

The Executive Resume - Moving Beyond Accomplishments

There is a major difference between conventional resumes and executive resumes. Accomplishments are usually the center point of a conventional resume (i.e., indicating how much money was saved, how sales increased, what processes were proposed, planned, initiated, implemented, or streamlined). The executive resume, on the other hand, has more than one focus. It alludes to the executive's abil. . .

Online Forums Help Businesses Generate Additional Streams...

Small businesses and inventors often find it difficult to reach the global market because the traditional transfer of intellectual property is complicated, costly, fragmented, and slow. A number of online forums, including Patentcafe.com (http://www.patentcafe.com), NewIdeaTrade.com (http://www.newideatrade.com), and Inventioncity.com (http://www.inventioncity.com), now help businesses maximiz. . .

Invite Self-Managed Staff

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being." Goethe Two hundred years ago, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, German poet and philosopher, knew how to inspire and interact with others: recognize the best in them and act upon those positive expectations. This takes conscious effort and constant vigilance to be self-aware of our action. . .

Outsourcing – A Positive Approach For Small Businesses

Outsourcing is the strategic use of outside resources to perform activities traditionally handled by internal staff and resources. Small business owners can outsource non-core functions to specialized and efficient service providers. It is required of businesses to hire special contractors for particular types of work or to meet the demands put forth by sudden spurts in the workload. Recently, . . .

Are You the Culprit?

Are you a manager who pretty much ignores your organization’s important outside audiences? If that’s you, do you realize how difficult you’re making it to achieve the important behavior changes you really need and want? I mean changes that lead directly to achieving your department, division or subsidiary’s objectives? I’m talking about growing the repeat purchase rate; attracting new prospects. . .

How to Patent Your Invention

A patent is a government granted right that allows the inventor to exclude anyone else from making, using or selling the invention in the country that issued the patent. The government grants this right to help encourage inventors to spend the time, money and effort to invent new products, technologies and the like. In the United States, the term of a new patent is 20 years from the date on whi. . .

Innovators: How To Turn Your Dreams Into Reality

Whether you have tried to sell your ideas in the past and failed or whether you have never tried beyond nurturing your ideas in your mind, please remember this--if you deeply believe in your ideas and if you have a vision of greatness for your ideas, one day, you will be able to turn your dreams into reality.Remember Carl Carlson's 17-year efforts to make his copy machine (Xerox) a reality and . . .

Use Every Weapon You Have

One of the strongest weapons available allows business, non-profit and association managers to begin changing the behaviors of their key external audiences in ways that lead directly to achieving their primary operating objectives. The name of that weapon? The fundamental premise of public relations: People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behavio. . .

Success Tips for Small Business Owners

Running a small business requires many skills. However, to do this successfully you need to organize yourself first. Avoid procrastination - read the following and take action.Successful Small Business Owners Look After Themselves FirstExercise regularly, eat healthily and be around positive people. Feed your mind by attending personal development courses. Read self-help and motivational books,. . .

Time Management Tips

This week we're going to take a look at your time management skills. Most of us have to work, and the more you can do in the least amount of time, the better. Working smarter frees you up so that not only do you have a job, but you have balance in your life !Getting Back To BasicsA simple time management tip is to use a daily 'to do' list. You have a couple of choices: Write your list in the mo. . .

Make Your PR Budget Work Harder

Do it by restructuring your business, non-profit or association public relations program so that it delivers the stakeholder behavior changes you want. Changes that lead directly to achieving your objectives.A good first step is to base the restructure on a reality like this: People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something . . .

Budgeting For Prosperity

Budgeting For ProsperitySeven Steps to Follow To Achieve Financial FreedomWithout a sound financial plan, a business is doomed to failure - managing your personal finances is no different. A sound personal financial plan is crucial to both your financial and emotional well being.We have prepared a simple and easy to use budgeting process for you. This budgeting process will show you how to thor. . .

Virtual Assistance; A Money Saving Opportunity For Employ...

What is a Virtual Assistant? A Virtual Assistant is a highly skilled, independent entrepreneur who provides business services in a remote or virtual environment. Some have used terms like telecommuter or working from home.Employers are looking for alternatives to having a full-time employee. Hiring a skilled Virtual Assistant helps to cut costs normally associated with on-site employees (no nee. . .

When To Make Your Career Move To Self Employment

Knowing when to make the right career move and start a home based business is just as important as the business you choose to start.The First Step!You should honestly examine the real reason motivating you to start your own business.Here are a few questions you should consider: Are you simply bored with your job? Is your career going nowhere? You feel restricted and unable to express yourself? . . .

Are You PR-Challenged?

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 870 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. Are You PR-Challenged? Yes? You won’t be if you accept a very simple premise. Here, in just two sentences, is your pathway to effective publi. . .

Don't Need No Stinking PR?

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 955 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. Don’t Need No Stinking PR? Almost assuredly you do, especially when your most important external and internal audiences behave in ways that stop you f. . .

"Publicrelationistas?"

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 765 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. “Publicrelationistas?” Is that what we are? Fanatic, over-the-top disciples of some wretched obsession? Well, maybe not fanatic, or even wretched. . .

How About MANAGING Your Own PR?

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 995 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. How About MANAGING Your Own PR? It’s one thing for a senior manager to approve story angles for the publicity folks to use in shopping around for prin. . .

A New Look at Labor Day

A day to reflect on the accomplishments of working people: That's been the proud tradition since the first, unofficial, Labor Day back in 1882.But, one of labor's greatest accomplishments has gone largely unrecognized. Since the end of World War II, working people have bought up a huge chunk of big business. They now own a piece of just about everything in business, from multinational corporati. . .

Human Resource Communication Pays Off

Human Resource Communications and Corporate Communications – are they one in the same? Both plan and develop written communication strategies to further the understanding and perceptions of their audience. Both provide counsel and editorial support for management communications. Business communications transmits and manages messages that inform, persuade and collaborate by speaking the langu. . .

Outsourcing Problem Analysis

As an HR professional, you have responsibilities in several broad areas that have a significant impact on your company’s bottom line, directly contributing to the corporate return on investment. The outsourcing choices you make are critical decision points that affect both your employer and the HR community at large. We recognize that you want and need to make informed choices, and we can hel. . .

Don't Put Up With "Junk PR"

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 840 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. Don’t Put Up With “Junk PR” In public relations, “junk” is more about attitude and lack of understanding than a measure of quality. Hopefully, i. . .

Get Paid to Shop And Keep Everything You Buy - Without...

Can You Tell Good Service From Bad; Recognise Value For Money; Compare Prices, Staff Efficiency, Product Range, Customer Service Between Rival Firms?If so you might easily find work as a ‘Mystery Shopper’ and be paid to comment on service in shops, banks and building societies, hotels, cinemas, veterinary surgeries, restaurants, even on long distance flights and holidays. Poor serv. . .

No Load Mutual Funds or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)?

If you are fed up with early redemption charges and ever increasing mutual fund management fees on top of bad-performing fund managers, read on. There is a quiet revolution going on in the no-load mutual fund industry and you, the individual investor, may benefit from it greatly.I am referring to Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), which have been around for years, but have grown tremendously since t. . .

Managing the Human Resource Project

We obtain strategic results by aligning HR mission, vision and values. The following overview highlights a macro approach to project management. Seeking a stretch assignment, such as ownership of a major corporate HR initiative, we lead our organization by example. Strategic project management affords an exciting and challenging opportunity to direct our futures and show case our talents. T. . .

Mind the Gap

The underground train in London can get you anywhere when you know how to maneuver all the options. Like our subways, London under ground is a busy place. When your train arrives and comes to a stop, you move forward with the crowd, waiting for your turn to get on the train. A man’s voice drones from overhead, warning you over and over: “Mind the gap. . . mind the gap.” There is a crack of ab. . .

The Harvest: Shared Power

The fall harvest comes upon us once a year. The farmers collect the sometimes-scant rewards of their heroic efforts begun months before. For those of us who are hobby or family gardeners, fall is the time for us to pluck the firm orange pumpkins, the deep green flowers of broccoli, and the plump red tomatoes from their vines. As we reap our rewards of months of work and waiting from the backdro. . .

10 Ways to Advertise Your Business For Free!

At some point many small business owners are left with no or a small amount of capital to promote their business. But many entrepreneurs utilize these free or low budget yet effective tactics to promote their business online and offline.1. Print out flyers or business cards and take them to your local stores, banks, beauty shops etc.2. Word of mouth never fails, so tell your friends to tell th. . .

Affiliate Programs 101!

Joining an affiliate program is one of the easiest ways to start an online business and generate income for your website. These revenue sharing programs are very popular on the net. And is the way many new entrepreneurs started online.When you join an affiliate program your task is to promote the merchants services or products on your website or in your ezine. This is easier than you might thin. . .

Can Your PR Game Plan be Salvaged?

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 860 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. Can Your PR Game Plan be Salvaged? If, as is often the case, you are preoccupied with comm- unications tactics instead of working a plan to actively p. . .

9/13

On Thursday, September 13, 2001, I went to facilitate a session with first line supervisors in a company for whom I had been consulting. It was the 6th week of a commitment of 10 weekly sessions. Most of these supervisors had been promoted from a line position because they were good at their work, mature and smart. I was brought in to teach them better supervisory skills. Management expected th. . .

Becoming An Empowered Consumer

How many times have you said to yourself…"I just wish that company would treat me like they appreciated my business!"? For many years I trained Customer Service Reps at a large corporation. There is no doubt that it was during those years I personally became a consumer with rather high standards and expectations. It was also during that time that I realized my only point of power (as a consu. . .

Small Business 'No' How - Don't Give Away the Farm

You're pretty proud of yourself! After all, only four months ago you came up with the idea of opening your own business - "Jenni's Interior Design" Your friends have always said you were gifted when it came to arranging furniture and picking out colors, and you love to do it, so you decided it was time to get serious.You went to a few "Starting Your Own Business" seminars, picked out a name and. . .

Are You a PR Chowderhead?

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 850 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. Are You a PR Chowderhead? You are if you stand by while your public relations people futz around with communications tactics instead of nailing down t. . .

PR: Let's Talk Fundamentals

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 840 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. PR: Let’s Talk FundamentalsHow much more fundamental can you get than this? As a business, non-profit or association manager, if you don’t get your m. . .

How To Find A Home Based Business

If you're serious about finding an online business and you've been looking, then you probably already know that this is a tedious process, because there are so many offers out there promising to fill your pockets. One can easily get sucked into a scam so here are a few pointers to help avoid this trap.1 No Contact Information or Limited Contact Information. Most scam artists don't want you to b. . .

10 Ways For Entrepreneurs To Find More Time

It's occurred to me lately that I don't feel like there's enough time to do everything I want to do in my business. Between working with clients, writing books and articles, teaching/training other professionals, marketing, and just living a good life, there seems to be less and less time in each and every day.As I was thinking about what to write about for this article it occurred to me that, . . .

How To Pick An IT Consultant

At some point, most business are going to need to have some help from a IT consultant. Maybe your business is a small, without many IT resources. Maybe your company is larger, with a significant resources in IT already, and just needs a healthy dose of outside perspective. Whatever the reason, it can be difficult to choose an IT consultant, especially if you aren't a technical person. I've hea. . .