It’s never been easier to publish a book, but that doesn’t mean we should I once read a self-published book, a novella. I read it for several reasons: it was recommended (which turned out to be a bad reason), it would be a quick read, I’d never read a novella, and it was free (I […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan Marketing drives sales. You can’t hope to have the latter without the former. Over the years I’ve tapped many marketing channels. Some were successful and others not so much. At the call center where we specialized in telephone answering service, I made extensive use of Yellow Pages ads. Remember them? It […]
Some writers discover as they write while others plan their journey before they start In writing, as in life, people tend to follow two modes: pantsing and plotting. On one side are the pantsers, those who write by the seat of their pants. I prefer the label of “discovery writers.” They don’t know where their […]
Capitalize on Naturally Occurring Motivators, but Don’t Manufacture a False Sense of Urgency By Peter Lyle DeHaan In the past, I mentioned a variation of the either/or close. I call it the special incentive close. Here’s how I use it when selling advertising for my publications. In essence it’s buy now and receive a special […]
Speed and Responsiveness Matter for Your Online Presence By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Having a website is the first step in creating your online presence. Then you need to keep it up to date and add content to stay relevant. But there’s a third element, one which many businesses overlook. It’s the speed of your […]
There are two main points for the proper way to format your submission. First, there are common basic criteria that almost all people agree on. Second, most publishers and editors will tell you what else they expect in their submission guidelines. So, follow these basic formatting expectations in all your work, and then tweak it […]
Ask Your Prospect to Choose Between Two Options, Both of Which Meet Your Objective By Peter Lyle DeHaan Remember when I went on the sales call with Mitchell? In a few minutes I closed the sale he’d been working on for a couple of months. The “secret” sales technique I used is no secret at […]
I’ve been a writer for most of my life and a published author for over thirty. My first article appeared decades ago. The title was “All About Pagers.” It appeared in the now-defunct tech magazine, Radio Electronics. Here’s a link to a scanned image of the cover and article. If you open the link, you’ll […]
Interact with Sales Staff in the Field to Determine Their Strengths and Weaknesses By Peter Lyle DeHaan Mitchell came to us in need of a second chance. With a lifetime of experience in the business world and history of sales success he seemed overqualified to work for our company. But he assured me this was […]
I write a lot and in many areas: magazine columns, newsletters, multiple blogs, non-fiction books, memoirs, and I recently added short stories. But this doesn’t sap my creativity; I still have more ideas than the time to explore them. Here’s how I fuel my writing: Keep a List of Blog Ideas: I have a running […]