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Writing and Publishing

Is Blogging a Form of Self-Publishing?

I once read that blogging is a form of self-publishing. The author’s opinion gave me pause. It seemed a simplistic claim. I felt it in some way diminished the noble art of publishing. Anyone can blog, and it seems most everyone does, but not most everyone self-publishes a book, even though the tools are there […]

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Business

Experience versus Education

Evaluate If Recent College Grads Are Right for Your Company By Peter Lyle DeHaan When hiring a salesperson, you can seek someone with relevant experience or someone with related education. Sometimes a candidate has both. The opposite is when they have neither. I’d been hiring salespeople who had varying degrees of selling experience, though sometimes […]

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Writing and Publishing

Researching Competitive Titles

A common part of many book proposals is a “competitive works” section. I recently researched competitive titles for one of my book proposals. What I saw enlightened me. Traditionally Published Books To research competitive titles, I first looked at books from traditional publishers. They gave me pause. I had to think a bit to determine […]

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Call Center

Developing Your Callback Strategy

Design a Callback Strategy That Works for You and Your Callers By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. Though not every caller will use it, many appreciate the option to have you call them back instead of waiting on hold. As with any technology, your implementation of your callback strategy has probably evolved over time. If so, […]

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Business

Not All Sales Experience Applies

Successful Selling in One Area Does Not Universally Apply to All Others By Peter Lyle DeHaan Frank had a successful sales career in one industry, but his desired career path wasn’t an option at that company. To pursue his dream, he needed to change employers. He soon landed a job as a sales manager, the […]

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Writing and Publishing

Quantity versus Quality

For years my goal was to write faster, but I made no effort to write better. Though I did improve, my progress was gradual. When I got serious about improving as a writer, I had to force myself to slow down and be more deliberate. Now after many years of focusing on the craft, my […]

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Business

Earning Expectations

Sales Compensation Requires Careful Consideration By Peter Lyle DeHaan Our company had multiple offices. Those in larger cities called for having full-time salespeople. At one of those offices, one with a larger geographic workforce to draw from, my ads always received a response. Yet not all respondents were good fits. For one applicant, Jennifer, our […]

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Writing and Publishing

Digital Publishing Pros and Cons

Consider both publishing options for your next book For the past few years, there has been a great deal of press—and hence a great deal of excitement—about e-books. Correspondingly, there is also significant debate about the relative merits of each option. The purists insist that the printed version is the way to go, nearly sacred. […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

When Something Goes Viral

You Can’t Control What Happens Online, but How You React Is Key By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Content posted on the internet can take on a life of its own, with the masses sharing it, adding comments, and promoting it to more and more people. This is usually an emotional response and seldom an informed […]

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Business

An Unconventional Hiring Approach

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures By Peter Lyle DeHaan Her words surprised me. “I can’t run this ad!” The rep’s response caught me off guard, but it wasn’t completely unexpected either. “I agree that it’s a bit unorthodox.” “I might get fired if I publish this.” She fumbled for words. “Or we might get […]