MASTERPR

Chapter 4: Be Punctual

2006-09-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

For those of you who transferred here from my Go Articles.com paragraph, we are going to start from there:
A salesperson must be punctual. Period. When a prospect blocks out time to meet with you, you have to move heaven and earth to make the meeting happen at the time you've committed to-and that usually means planning on making your way into the office fiver or ten minutes before the appointed time.
Treat your own time, and the time of your prospect, with respect. You can do this by:

*Scheduling "hard" appointments ("Yes, I'll meet you at 10 on Tuesday) around nearby "soft" appointments ("I think we can meet ata 1, but you'll have to call me to confirm the meeting in the morning.") That way if our soft appointment falls through, you haven't made a trip for no reason.

*Use your off time (say 5;30-6pm) to compose thank you letters

*On those rare occasions when you can't make a scheduled meeting as the result of a dire emergency, call ahead and explain the problem-or try to arrange for a manger or colleague to stand in for you.

*Buy yourself a Day Timer or other personal scheduling aid and use it each and every day.

*Never overbook yourself. If you can't make a certain date and time, say so up front and schedule your appointment for a date that's not as full.

*Remember who's in charge. If your client needs a few extra minutes to resolve an office crisis before sitting down to meet with you, don't stew about itin the waiting room! Your frustration will show, and will negatively affect the emotional atmosphere of the meeting.

The Walton Group Inc

2006-08-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

I started working at The Walton Group Inc. on Tuesday, August 29 2006. On my first day, I had to install some Microsoft programs onto my archaic computer, which took most of the day. In between downloading and installing said software, I went with Dan Davis, my direct manager, to AF downtown, to discuss the Holloween plans for DAF. But before we went, Linda Walton, the owner of the walton group, bought lunch for the three of us, and we enjoyed some nice conversation. I am learning that Dan really likes the difference between civilian life and work life, and that Linda likes to blend the two, she is much more fun. I will get paid $1,000 for the semester, working 10 hours a week. My duties today included reading the internship responsibility page, which had some typos on it, and getting my picture taken for the news release about new interns that Dan is going to send out to Deseret News. And now I am spending the last 10 minutes of my day blogging about my first day on the job, and hope that someone notices. The next chapter in the 25 sales strategies book will soon be coming.

BY ADAM-Interviews

2006-08-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

I enjoy a good solid interview, the kind where you can sit down, have a REAL conversation with your employer, and shoot the breeze for a little bit. I have had two interviews in the last month, and they were completely different from each other in all aspects. I interviewed at Richter 7. First of all, their office is located on the second floor of a very nice building in downtown SLC, and there was not much parking. I was early, so it was no big deal. But even though i was there early, I sat in the reception room waiting for my interviewer for 10 minutes before I even got contacted by him, Jim was his name. I sat down in a little room with glass walls, so everyone could see me in there, and I felt uneasy having people walk by and look at me. I was there by myself for a good 10 minutes, filling out this questionairre about my work ethic, and what I thought people thought about my work ethic. It was pretty impressive when I got the results back. Pretty spot on. But I still haven't been anywhere near interviewed by this point. Then Jim comes in, he's a tall guy, and he's sitting across from me, and starts asking about my work experience. I start telling him some things, and it just feels like I'm talking to a wall, to me at least. Then he says why do I want this job, I gave him some lame answer, since I didn't really want it. He could tell. The best part of that interview was when I was talking to the current intern about his responsibilities. It sounded kind of fun. But the commute was too long, and the pay wasn't worth it. So I never got called back. Then Today, I had the great opportunity of being interviewed by Linda Walton, owner of The Walton Group Inc. in Provo. She is a very down to earth, on task, fun lady. I have a feeling I am going to get the job, we'll see by tomorrow. She asked about my work experience, and I felt like she really wanted to know, so I elaborated on it. I kind of used the approach that this was my chance to shine, so I better tell things truthfully, and show my personality a little by telling some sarcastic anecdotes and getting a few laughs. I felt very comfortable in the office. It was serene, and professional. And we were just sitting on some lounge furniture in the front room, listening to the soothing sounds of trickling water. It was totally great

Chapter 3, Seizing the Opportunity.

2006-08-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Many salespeople See opportunity. Few sales people seize opportunity. Seizing the opportunity means employing all the techniques possible. It means doing things most other salespeople don’t do. Superior salespeople identify opportunities quickly and effectively, and then they use all their resources to turn potential success into sales dollars. What does seizing opportunities look like in action? Let’s look at a couple of examples. Consider prospecting, for instance. Most salespeople loathe the process because they don’t understand that it’s the engine that drives the entire sales process.
There are a number of ways in which you can prospect. One of the most effective is simply by using word of mouth. I make word of mouth work for me by telling every single person I meet what I do for a living. If you were to meet me face to face, I’d tell you that I’m president of D.E.I. Management Group, and that we’re a nationwide sales training company with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas. I’d tell you that I have about forty reps working for us, and I’d tell you some of the companies we work for. Whether we met in a business context or not, you’d get all that information about me and my company when we met.
I'm out to tell everybody what I do because I realize the truth about prospecting: Every single person I meet knows an additional 250 people. And it's a pretty good bet that at least one of those 250 people will be interested in talkin to me about sales training at some point. Understand: I'm not aiming to get you to sign a contract with me when I tell you all about my company. I simply want you to recognize what I do and perhaps tell somebody else about it.
I know that every time I tell somebody what I do for a living, I'm probably going to get a lead somewhere down the line as a result of having had that conversation. the best salespeople I've encountered tell everybody in their own circle what they do for a living, and enlighten each new acquaintance, as well. My advice to beginning salespeople is simple: contact all your friends, relatives, and acquaintances and tell them about your business. Don't try to sell to these people-that will turn them off. (My experience is that salespeople who make friends and relatives their primary prospects are not successful. ) Simply let these people know what you're doing and describe the way you work.
Other great prospecting tools include cold calling ( see my book "cold calling techniques that really work!"),giving public speeches (perhaps initially to groups of fifteen or twenty people through a local service organization), or talking to your own accountant of life insurance agent about possible leads you can pursue.
But seizing the opportunity is more than just taking the initiative to track down leads, or even calling several contacts within an organization before you cross it off your prospecting lists. Seizing the opportunity means taking full advantage of each new situation as it presents itself. And, paradoxically enough, seizing the opportunity means being able to keep from getting distracted with the idea of closing the sale.
Successful salespeople realize that the phrase "closing a sale" is something of a misnomer. what you're really after is to get people to buy from you- that is , to use your products. Therefore, you have to develop a plan, which we call a proposal, that in fact will show the prospect why he or she should use your product or service. But here's the tricky par: that proposal has to be customized.
The most effective salespeople I know don't use boilerplate proposals. they seize the opportunity to improve the relationship by getting the prospect to develop the proposal with them, step by step, based on the information they've gathered during the interview.
Let the prospect "write" the proposal for you. Ask questions like, "What are you trying to get accomplished in X area?" Then write down everything-and I mean everything-you hear in response. Use your notes to develop a preliminary proposal, one the prospect can sign off on before you make your formal proposal. that's a great way to seize opportunity.
don't wait for the sale to fall into your lap. Don't assume you know the answers. Don't assume that what worked for the last prospect will work for this prospect. Ask the questions. Write down the answers.
suppose the proposal doesn't go well, despite your best efforts. Seize the opportunity: use your manager. Have your manager call up and apologize for any problems that might have arisen. (who knows you may have said something wrong.)My managers and I have used this technique quite effectively over the years. We'll call up and say, "I understand Jim was out your way recently, and if there was a problem, I really want to apologize." Nine times out of ten the person will say to us, "no, no, no, Jim did nothing wrong. It was just that I was too busy, and I didn't get a chance to talk to my people." And we simply say, "Oh, okay. I'm just curious-what do you do out there?" And suddenly there's a conversation that, more often than you might think, results in new information- and new appointment for the rep who initially called on the account.
Almost as effective is siezing the opportunity by personally apologizing for any problems or mistakes in a presentation that didn't result in a sale. In the vast majority of cases, you'll hear, "no, shari, it wasn't you-we've ust got a problem with ..." all of a sudden you know more about this prospect than you did before, and you're in a better position to act on what you know.
The point is not simply stare at your call sheet or datebook, not to do what every one else is doing, but to find creative ways to develop new openings for yourself and gather information about the prospect that you didn't have before. Use all resources at your disposal! That's what seizing opportunity is all about.

Strategy 2: Take Quiet Time To Think

2006-08-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

I made a video of this chapter, in two parts, I will do better next time, when I get the timing down a little better, but the link to watch them is Chapter 2

Sales

2006-08-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

Do you want to increase your effectiveness in sales? I bought a book, called "The 25 Sales Strategies that will boost your sales today". I am going to give it to you chapter by chapter, all typed out, every week, on Fridays. I may start podcasting it, and put it in my feedplayer, which has some good podcasts right now. The newest installment of Duck Tape Marketing is about worm poop. Check it out. I am also trying to find more podcasts to add, so if you have suggestions, let me know. I like anything that has to do with marketing, the environment, sales, and Public Relations.
Chapter One: TAKING IMMEDIATE ACTION

Not long ago, I was talking with a salesperson about a meeting shed' just conducted witha prospect, a meeting that had gone quite well. I said, "well, that's excellent. Did you write him a letter, thanking him for the time he spent with you?" She said, "no. There's no reason to write him a letter to thank him, because I'm going to follow up with him by telephone on Friday."
It was a TUesday afternoon. What, the salesperson argued, was the point of writing a letter? Her prospect probably wouldn't get it anyway. I told her she was making a mistake: there was a very good chance that she would not get through to her contact on Friday-and that whether she did or not, the thank you letter would reinforce her good work during the first meeting. "I'd get that letter our immediately", I told her.
Maybe she meant to do as I'd suggested, but the truth is she never sent that letter. The two did not connect on Fridday. In fact, another whole week went by before she was able to speak with the prospect again. Her sale had stalled; she'd lost momentum. And why? Because she'd decided to "wait to see what he thought of the presentation".
Salespeople must learn to act on what happens immediately. Successful salespeople are constantly asking themselves: "What can I do now to move the sales cycle forward?" Too many salespeople count on things unfolding just as the timetable the prospect lays out suggests. I say I'll call you Friday; therefore, I'm probably going to call you Friday. But the reality is, things don't always work that way.
The sad truth is that, early on in our relationship with a prospect, we're not the highest thing on his or her priority list. The information we get is better and the commitments we receive are more meaningful as the relationship progresses and deepens. But at the outset of our business relationship, we don't really know what the other person has in mind. We don't know whether that person will get to talk to the other people in the organization who must sign off on our ideas. We don't know whether the prospect will even read our proposal. We need every advantage we can get. Most salespeopleare not quick enough to act o what I consider to be the basic responsibility of good sales work: committing oneself to move the process forward, and not relying on others to do so.
In selling, you need to be fast. You need to take reponsibility for sizing up the best ways to move the sales cycle forward, and you need to act quickly.
I got a telephone call a number of years ago from a woman who wante to buy ten of my "cold calling techniques that really work" book. It happened to be 10:30 at night on a Friday when she called; Iwas in the offic, working late, so I answered thephone. When I heard that she wanted to order the ten books, I asked myself, " What can I do to move this relationship forward right now?"
So I asked, "What is it you're trying to accomplish? How are you planning to use the books?" To which she said, " I work for a major oil company here in Virginia, and what we're trying to do is get our ten distributors to make more phone calls, and if we do that, we're going to be more effective in our sales."I said to her, "I've got an idea. I'll be in Virginia this coming Tuesday. Why don't we get together? She said "you'll come here? I said absolutely!

The fact of the matter is my quick action to move the relationship forward led to a $250,000 sale! All this because I chose to take immediate action to find out more about the person, to deepen the relationsip, to move the process forward then and there.
Most salespeople don't do that. In fact, most sales people are busy trying to figure out how they can avoid having ot go on an appointment. They figure maybe they can cut a few corners. My philosophy- and the philosophy of the superior salespeole I've worked with over the years- is very different. Take action, and do it now. Get an answer-positive or negative-quickly, and then move on. Reinforce a good meeting now, not next week. follow up a promising lead now, not "someday" .
For example, recently one of my sales managers ripped out an ad in Business Week for a credit corporation and passed it on to a salesperson. the rep made no call on that ad for three weeks. My sales manager, slightly peeved, 'repossessed' the ad and called the next day. He got an appointment instantly. We eventually got the business from that ad- but we could have gotten it three weeks earlier than we did. (and that salesperon could have earned a commission!)
Successful salespeople are always thinking about how they can move things forward. They realize that in order to change the status quo, it's usually necessary to actu quickly.
Don' overanalyze a situation. Act immediately. Go when the prospect says to go. But also be realistic about what you're going there for- and don't be shy about follwoing up immediately after your appointment, either on papaer or by phone. when in doubt, do something that moves the relationship forward!

Tour of Utah Volunteers

2006-08-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

I was at the very start of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah Stage 1, Monday August 7th. I was supposed to be at the Media tent, and sign in the press and give them info and assign them to vans to be riding in. Didn't happen. I showed up, and right away I could tell no one knew what was going on except the guys with the headsets, and they looked like they didn't want to be talked to. So I followed directions from an official looking guy, named Tom Murphy. He looked strung out and excited all at the same time. He asked me if I wanted to drive a car during the race. I have never driven a car in a bike race, and when I started asking for keys, some guy told me that he was driving it, so I just gave up on that and went back to my media tent. A couple of other guys had shown up since I had been dragged away for driving duty, so my job there was gone. So I took some pictures and video, and then took off.

How to make your blog better

2006-08-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to sitepro newsletter via email, those guys are sweet. There are helpful links about blogging, and rss and making money from optimizing your feeds and all that jazz. I learned about a new tool that you can use to put a link on your blog or website to have people download an rss reader that already has your RSS feed subscribed to! It's calledDashboard.comand it only works on pcs, not macs. I haven't found anything for a mac yet that is free, but you could try Customer Reader and see if it works, it costs money though. anyway, this is the kind of stuff you can find with the sitepro newlsetter, so hope that helps someone out. If you find something for macs, I would sure appreciate it.

UVSC

2006-07-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

I AM writing this to try and be picked up by Technorati, when you do a search for UVSC, everyone else's blog comes up, but not mine. So I realized that I actually had not written out UVSC very recently, and there are a ton of blogs that talk about UVSC, and UVSClinkup is a sponsored site, so naturally they all get picked up before me. Now you will see my name at the top.

So you Think You can dance.

2006-07-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

All of the things that I have said about American Idol do not apply to: So You Think You Can Dance. Those "special" number by the invited artists, like Rhyana and such, those could be done without. I believe Dimitri is going to take it all the way. Donyelle just found out she was safe. Martha just found out she is not safe. I think she is the strongest out of the girls physically, but she does not have the pizzaz to make it all the way. Allison just found out she was safe, she is from Orem, where I am living right now. She will go a long way. Heidi is feaky. Natalie is pretty hot. Benji should take the whole thing, but again, he is not physically strong enough. Natalie will make it out of the bottom tonight, no problem. I am addicted, I will continue to write about this for awhile.

Selling Ad Space for Net X News

2006-07-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

I just started selling ad space in the College Times Newspaper. I have to generate my own list of people to call, mostly, since there was a few previous clients that have advertised in the past, but now I am using the Chamber of Commerce list of businesses in the area, and just going down the list of auto repair, entertainment, restaurant, retail stores, and the like. I get 15% commission on old accounts that I resell, and 25% on new accounts. I was watching The Office last night, and Ryan the temp told Micheal Scott that signing a new client costs 10 x more than keeping an existing client. Great.

Password

2006-06-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

The back end for netxnews.com/cs
Remote location server access: ftp://ftp.netxnews.net/
Username: netxnews
Password: n1cev@l. the last letter is and L
Support Desk: 402.436.2161
User name: yelstone
Password: lin4coln
161.28.193.244
tix for lowestdomainrates.com: ur9687

My service opportunities and hours

2006-06-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

This will be my service hours journal. Starting from May 2006, I will recap all of the service I have done in Utah, working towards my service learning distinction at UVSC.

May 13- My community posted fliers to help clean up the area around the buildings and streets, so I helped out with that. My wife was sick that day(pregnant)so I went out with a bunch of other people's wives, and it was a little awkward. Trying to get along and talk with them, and not flirt and have too good of a time was challenging while trying to keep upbeat about all the trash we were having to pick up. There was one building that had some 10 ft. trees growing up in between the frames of 3 bikes that looke at least 10 years old. Couldn't remove those. But the neighborhood looks really nice now, and I regret to say my main motivation for doing it was the BBQ afterwards, which my wife did come to.

May 20- I was able to walk along with the Just Move It group, an organization from Salt Lake that is made up of Native Americans walking to improve diabetic knowledge among their people. I was basically a crossing guard for when the group had to cross the street at major intersections. We started the walk by the roundabout at the top of the hill east of UVSC, and walked to Kiwanis park by BYU. It took me 2 hours. One of the greatest benefits from walking with them was to see them sing and dance before the walk got underway. It was a Native dance, with language I didn't understand, but I was excited and pumped after listening and watching. I have a little Native American in me, and if my skin wasn't pasty white I would have gotten in there and started singing too.

All of May and June and July-
I have volunteered my services at UVSC to build this blog, let them use it, and turn it into the schools official blog. When UVSC is done using this blog, they will most likely have me build them one using a better program that we can design ourselves. Either way, I spend about 4 hours a week researching blogging tips, programming tips, seo, and thinking of things to write and encouraging the other members of the blog to continue to write despite it being summer time.

May 27- I went and helped a neighbor prime their entire kitchen. That about sums that up. They bought me lunch, I've helped them before with the sheetrocking and sanding, but that was before I started this service learning program, so I guess I can't count those 20 hours. Anyway, this took 4 hours, and I learned much about how to paint without splattering stuff everywhwere. And now the kitchen looks fabulous, the family are do it yourselfers, and they have cusomized everything in the kitchen. I have learned the art of sheetrocking, priming, laying self leveling cement and a little electrical, which should prepare me to help with the Habitat for Humanity project.

June 10- I went and helped usher for the Primary Debate at UVSC between Chris Cannon and John Jacob. It was another project like the one I organized for the legislative debates at Lakeridge Junior High, with the same organization. None of my club were there though. I had to hand out question cards to the audience and pick them up later and hand them to the moderator. I was able to hear the debate topic though, which was about illegal immigration. John Jacob looked like he was getting the raw end of the deal, and afterwards Tony Yapias was interviewed on CNN, who was there filming the debate. This was 3 hours worth.

June 24- I was able to judge a baby contest at University Mall, in partnership with the Freedom Festival. We had to go to a short meeting(those of us who were judging) at the Mall the Thursday before, and were just told what to expect and had some light refreshments. Of course, the day of the event wasnt' what I had expected. Our breakfast was Krispy Kream donuts, I was expecting like pancakes and eggs or something, so I had my wife pick me up some Burger King, right before we started judging at 9 am. So I was judging the costume section, 4-6 month old babies. I judged about 20 babies over a 51/2 hour period. Which meant alot of down time. So I tried to stay standing much of the time, since I had seen a show on 20 20 the night before about keeping in shape, and standing and walking around helps keep your body healthier. The baby who won my section had a green army truck he was riding, had army tags, had a sewn on patch from his grandpa, and was wearing all army fatigues. He deserved to win. Then we had Kneaders for lunch, and there was plenty to go around, so I had two sandwiches and two brownies. At first when I signed up for the event two weeks earlier, I thought I would be the only guy there judging. Not true. Guys came with their wives and girlfriends, and two boys came from a Singles Ward. And I did feel a little goofy trying to judge these little babies, who were all brought in by their mothers, and it was a bit hard deciding how to judge the inbetween ones, but the top four were easy, so I'm happy.

June 10-August 21
Basically, I was working on the blog for UVSC marketing and communications, and I wanted to see if the college newspaper needed or had a blog. Brent Sumner told me they wanted to get one, and also keep my eyes open for a student who wanted to sell adspace? So I thought that was a little off the topic, oh well. Then I went back to Brent right after my internship at 10xMedia fizzled out, and he said they needed some help with the website and blog. So i started to learn html, spending about 6 hours a day for two months learning how to code, and string together command lines and help the editors do their broadcasts. So when school starts up, they are going to give me a full scholarship, but right now the work I'm doing is unpaid, so that is 240 hours worth of work.

What to Look for in a PR internship

2006-06-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

When I started working at a company based in my hometown of Orem Utah, I thought I was getting a good deal. They recruited at my college, I went in for the interview, and I even asked how many people had been interviewed before me (7)! I got the job and started training right away under some very talented managers. After 2 weeks, one of my managers didn't show up for work one Friday, and I later found out he had been laid off due to some unknown reason. Problem 1. Then the VP of the company quit, along with the director of operations, the SEO manager, and HR manager. All within weeks of each other. Then I came to hear that many of my full time co workers who were not interns had their checks bounce, and some had not even recieved checks for the last pay period, which was a week ago. I decided to quit. But hold the phones, you say. I was in the PR department, so all of this should have been radically publicized through the company and steps taken to reverse the negative effects such events would have. No Sir! I was not allowed to do anything, all I did all day was surf the internet working on my own projects for another client of mine.(I really spent about 5 hours doing that, the rest was actual work and writing articles, which never got published, and that was 140 hours worth of internship time spent basically being in another PR class at school) And the only person who cared was my direct manager, and she is leaving in two weeks anyway! So this company should be in the news soon, but I will not mention their name, because I do not want future employers thinking that if I get a little miffed I am going to air my dirty laudry. Transparency is good, but so is my image. The biggest problem with all of this, was that the CEO of the company never once sent a memo to any employee informing us of things happening in the company. I had to rely on gossip and heresay. So before you go into an internship, make sure that what you will be doing is set in stone, and that you will actually get the experience you sign up for, because we all know it's not about the money. The best way to do this is to ask some good questions like: How much is the company in debt? Do they rely on investors for their money, or just sales, or where does the money flow come from? Am I going to get the chance to have my work used? If not, don't do it. An internship is for experience, and if it pays, all the better. So you had better be getting as much experience as you can, and if not, you can't lie about it on a resume. Speaking of resumes, I am going to try and put mine on a podcast, and see what happens.

Value of PR

2006-06-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Although the power of public relations is not always tangible, its influence can be invaluable. Collaboration between management and public relations professionals is essential for a company to experience sustained success and stability.

Public relations has the capability to shape various aspects of a business. For example, “Public relations is particularly effective in building brand equity because of its power to positively enhance brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality and other brand associations that differentiate the brand from other market choices.

The credibility of public relations is needed to reach today's increasingly skeptical consumers because they are finding advertising messages less credible.
The ability of public relations to identify issues that impact marketing, to handle crisis situations and to counsel top management can exert enormous influence on marketing success and failure…

Credibility is the key. And of all of the components of integrated marketing, public relations alone possesses the priceless ingredient that is essential… to lend credibility to the product message.

Public Relations is uniquely able to close the marketing credibility gap. That is why it is the secret weapon of integrated marketing.”

Furthermore, with the strategic function of public relations, this department not only influences external publics, but also participates in enhancing the productivity of internal communications. Successful internal communication stems from achieving and maintaining employee satisfaction, keeping employees informed, and working with management to streamline company information. Employees are the most important public in a company, thus, contented employees bring loyalty and dedication and will contribute to the overall success of the company.
As a public relations department, we have created this guide full of tips, articles and writing samples to help outline the impact public relations can have on a company if its resources are used effectively.

Jennilyn Bylund Nikki Ormond Adam Torkildson

2006-06-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Department Reps

2006-06-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Any student that is interested in being a Department Representative for the 2006-2007 schoo year can get more information in SC 105.

twizzlers

2006-05-30T04:45:00.000-07:00

2006-05-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

So this is a link to the guy fighting the BEAR over the fish. It's awesome. http://wickedmoon.com/ecards/sendcard.php?image=wickedmoon.com/media/video/salmon.mpg

PICT0180

2006-05-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

THIS IS ME AND THE OWNER OF CLEAN FLICKS OUTSIDE HIS STORE IN OREM

Holler!!

2006-05-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

So...UVSC Lagoon Day is next Saturday!! Tickets are only 20 bucks!! Hopefully we'll see all of you there!

Quieres venir a UVSC?

2006-05-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

So we just ran our 2nd set of commercials in Spanish. Although the commercial is at super-speed and the only branding of UVSC, is a small logo at the end of the 30 second spot, it has made a difference. I receive on average about 3-4 phone calls a day asking about the contest. Mainly kids saying their parents saw the commercial and took down the number. So I guess it's kinda working. But the true problem remains....we can't scholarship the majority of these students. Why? I guess I know the political answer to this, but honestly why???

What we're doing here

2006-05-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

Marissa, Kris, Nick, Amy, Justin and Yissel,
Thanks for being willing to contribute to a UVSC blog.
We're using Adam's blog temporarily to just give it a test run. This blog is intended to be used as a recruiting tool. So the target audience is potential students, primarily high school juniors and seniors. We'd like you to just give regular, brief observations and insights into your life as a student at UVSC. You can be as creative or straightforward about it as you like. Hopefully we will pick up a following of people eager to read what you have to say next, eager to comment or ask you questions.
But not yet.
For now, as I said, this is just on Adam's blog with only a few people aware of it and with access to it.
We'll see how it goes.
Please contact me with any questions.
(And thanks, Adam, for putting this together)

Brian Blumer
Integrated Marketing Coordinator
College Marketing and Communications
UVSC
(801) 863-8346
blumerbr@uvsc.edu

Am I doing this right??

2006-05-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

Adam, I got your email so I decided to try it out. I have no idea what I'm doing though. Do you just want me to make comments on this or what??

For Joel, My mentor

2006-05-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hey Joel, register as a user, and you can comment. Then you can contribute cool stuff to the blog, and we can live happily ever after. If you read this soon, COMMENT on it.

PR campaigning and holidays

2006-05-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

So I have been working on a PR campaign for a release of a new product. The product is going to be released the weekend before the 4th of July. Naturally we want the release of our product to be successful and thus are planning an event to celebrate and get the community involved. Should we plan this event to be June 30th (the weekend before the 4th of July) or do you think the event would have better response and involvement within the community by holding it the weekend before (around June 24th)? Any response would be great. The real question is when do you and your friends/family celebrate the 4th of July?

SEO optimization

2006-05-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

I just read an article about SEO optimization that really makes alot of sense, but I was just a little confused by how one's rankings go up if they get fresh content added to their site frequently. And since a blog is considered fresh content if it is linked to a website, then I guess the search spiders will crawl through the blog making it more searched? I don't know how SEO really works, but I would like to try it with a company I work for that provides mapping services to real estate professionals.

When Do I get the Money?

2006-05-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

Doing an internship is hard, because you have to work for next to nothing, and you don't see immediate results. You are also the last person in the company to find out things about the company, which is ironic if you are in the PR department. I have found that by always staying on top of my assignments and always trying to find new things to do will the time actually pass by faster and more efficiently.

Posting on the Web

2006-05-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a home, the Easy HomeFinder is the best tool to use. It combines the Google mapping function, with the MLS in your area, to provide up to date easy to use functionality. www.Myeasyhomefinder.com

Crazy PR strategies

2006-05-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

do you know the power of the blogosphere yet? If not, get into gear man. General Electric is scanning their blog site everyday, that's how important it is to them. If you are unsure about whether it is a good thing for your company or not, look at this link www.toprankblog.com

PR facts

2006-05-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Cool PR history facts from Wikipedia--

Public relations is the art and science of building relationships between an organization and its key publics. It is concerned with communications management.
PR historians say the first PR firm, the Publicity Bureau, was established in 1900 by former newspapermen, with Harvard University as its first client.
Ivy Lee, who has been credited with developing the modern news release (also called a "press release"), espoused a philosophy consistent with what has sometimes been called the "two-way street" approach to public relations, in which PR consists of helping clients listen as well as communicate messages to their publics.
In the words of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), "Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other."

Blogging at UVSC

2006-05-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

I am working on a project to start a blog for the Utah Valley State College Website. What does everyone think of this idea? Give me some pros and cons, cool things we could do with the blog, and people who would write for the blog.