The Wax Blog

This is a Filofax.

I’ve had a couple of experiences recently that have made really question whether information is really a competitive edge anymore. I’m not talking about proprietary recipes, or things that can be copyrighted. I’m talking about the kind of information that USED to be a gold mine and is now available to everyone if they look hard enough.  Information is no longer for selling…it’s for sharing. Collectively we can get better and make more money.

For example, when I was in sales 100 years ago we kept our client lists very secret. Those relationships and those names were to be guarded with our lives. A colleague of mine once left his Filofax at a bar after a networking event at a bar. Our manager almost fired him, sure that our competition had snapped it up and were busy calling his contacts. Even names of producers used to be sacrosanct…only to be known by those publicists in the “in” crowd.

I don’t think we can use information as a competitive edge anymore. Anybody can buy a subscription to Cision and find out who to pitch. HARO goes out multiple times daily with key information that used to be shared among only a select number of people. Company LinkedIn pages often list key managers. It’s all OUT there already. Why should we pay for it?  (more…)

If you’re like me, you probably have some anxiety about attending a conference, trade show or networking event. In 20 years I’ve probably had more training than the next person on the art of the schmooze, but I still get the willies sometimes.  A few years ago I learned a secret that might seem a little silly, but it really works.

I have been fortunate to work with Carole Hyder as a client for a long time. Carole is an international teacher, author and businessperson who specializes in Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of balancing the energies in your home and work.  I’ve already written about the power of wearing red underwear  if you’re going to be on TV but there’s more fashion Feng Shui you can use for a really big day,  whether it’s a speech, an important meeting, conference or anywhere you need to be at your best.   Whether it works because it works, or it works because it’s all in your head (and really, what’s the difference) it works. First let me tell you a little story and then I’ll tell you how to do it.  (more…)

The other night I apologized to an editor in chief of a major magazine  - the intern had pulled her name from Cision and I didn’t notice before we started pitching. My apology turned into an opportunity for this editor (who was working at 10pm her time, by the way) to start a rant on how pitches came into her email “like weeds”. Many people doing their own PR look at the masthead of the magazine, screw up their courage and pitch right to the top. That might seem like a good idea, but in reality, most unknown people get into stories through a freelancer, who isn’t listed in the magazine. Or an associate editor. Or through HARO. NOT by sending their “amazing, creative and compelling” pitch to an editor in chief.

I realize that everybody can’t afford to hire a PR person. But I really wish these DIY publicity “teachers” would teach something other than “how to write a fantastic pitch for the Today Show” that ends up in the email of a top producer who never works at that level. There are relationships that need to be developed, protocol to follow and a natural hierarchy of media that virtually no DIY teacher is teaching. Basically, people are learning how to be salespeople to the media…which the media HATES.  You can’t just pitch holiday guides and magically have it turn into “thousands of dollars in sales“. Or send to 10 or 20 people and get 2-3 feature articles! Or how about creating a pitch the media can’t resist! Or better yet, buy this book and get into O Magazine to become an overnight sensation!  (more…)

Solar roof...Target or Walmart?

I’m not going to argue the merits of Walmart with everyone but comments on last week’s post made me wonder how much we really know about Walmart or Target…and how much misinformation has been fed to us by the media based on clever PR? Check out the following questions and then see below for answers. You might be surprised.

1. Which company created a sustainability consortium between big box retailers, 34 manufacturers and 9 universities to develop “green” label standards?
2. Which company had no corporate goals for sustainability as of last year?
3. Which company had 30,000 people apply for jobs at a store opening?
4. Which company has admitted to keeping part-timers weekly hours below 32 as a policy to avoid paying benefits?
5. Which company is shown an anti-union video as part of its orientation?
6. In 2008, which company’s health and wage plans were viewed as “more restrictive” by the UCFW?

Okay, here are the answers. If you guessed wrong you’re not alone. (more…)

Marketing your business on the road by exhibiting at professional trade shows is an excellent opportunity to make new contacts, sell products and increase exposure. However, without the proper planning and preparation, the results can be dismally disappointing. Time and money can be wasted by poor visual displays and unprepared, unfriendly staffing. Successful businesses know that advance planning and attention to detail can reap huge rewards that may translate into years of new customer and client relationships. By taking full advantage of trade show exposure, a business can increase its sales and services and thereby raise its profits.

Once the protocol has been worked out successfully, it can be repeated at show after show with the same positive expectations. The following steps suggest how any business can maximize the trade show experience: (more…)

Courtesy of Tourism Panama

I got an email from a reader last week who was frustrated  the media wasn’t responding to her pitch. Believe me, it happens to us all the time at Wax so I feel your pain! Often, it’s not because the pitch is bad. Usually it’s because a) the market is cluttered   b) it’s hard to differentiate between you and your competitor or c) you’re pitching too “big” of a publication or show to start.  I have to admit that sometimes it’s because it’s just not a very compelling pitch. In this post I’m going to give you a short homework assignment to uncover the REAL story behind your business…the one the media might  be looking for.

Too often, people try to pitch the features of their product to the media. This only works if your product is one of a kind (think pet rock). You may think no one else makes something quite like yours, but in the eyes of a jaded editor, there are tons of products just like yours. I was pitching a new fitness DVD a few years ago and the editor at Health magazine told me she’d received 400 new fitness DVD’s..just that month! So you can’t write a pitch that focuses on the greatness of your product. You have to pitch the story behind YOU,  behind the product itself, or how the product relates to current events.

Here are some great examples of pitches that sold tons, but focuses on the story not the product: (more…)