12 Tips to Becoming a Better Presenter

By Christine Vivoli

How you present yourself is key in the PR and advertising world. Giving presentations is a task that communications professionals perform on a regular basis. It is important to become an excellent presenter when selling yourself, your company, or your ideas to your client. Snackbox offers our top 12 tips on how to present with success.

  1. Research your topic – In order to speak with confidence and knowledge it is imperative that you know the background information on what you are speaking about.
  2. Organize the main points in the best order – Prepare note cards and avoid writing complete sentences or paragraphs.
  3. Practice – As many times as you can for as many people as you can. Listen to their feedback. Don’t just memorize written text. You need to understand your topic.
  4. Deal with your stress – Take a moment to relax and gather your thoughts before you begin presenting.
  5. Look Presentable – This tips is key. You must look the part if you hope to be taken seriously and respected.
  6. Keep eye contact – Scan the entire room while you are speaking. You do not want to just talk at one person in the room.
  7. Speak loudly and clearly – You want the audience to be able to hear you and understand what you are saying.
  8. Know your audience – Inspire enthusiasm for your topic and tell your story with flair.
  9. Engage your audience – Tell them a funny story or pose questions to them to make them active members.
  10. Answer questions at the end of your presentation – This will allow you to see if the audience was listening and whether or not they understood what you were talking about.
  11. Learn from your experience – Make sure to get feedback on your strengths and weaknesses to improve for next time.
  12. Present something you love – Believe in what you are presenting or the audience surely won’t. If you have to present something you don’t like or believe in, it may be time to switch jobs.
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How to Select the Best PR Firm

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By Laurie Leiker

You’ve got the next great business idea.  You’ve got the backers excited about your idea, the staff is in place and you’re ready to hit the streets.  Now all you need is a public relations firm to put that professional touch on your brand.  But you’re a business person; you don’t know the first thing about choosing a PR firm.  Don’t worry about it!  We’re here to help!

The first thing to remember is that bigger isn’t always better nor is the most expensive; sometimes, bigger is just big, with a big price tag to go with it.  Often, smaller boutique agencies are better equipped, more flexible and better attuned to you than a bigger agency, where you have to fit into their model, rather than having a model that fits to your needs.

Start with a list of potential public relations firms.  Get recommendations from your backers and other business owners in your field.  Don’t confine yourself to just local agencies; boutique agencies that specialize in your field may be in a different city, but are better able to handle your needs.  Check website such as PR News to find agencies submitting press releases similar to what your company is doing and add them to the list.

Next, put together your list of questions.  Here’s our considerations:

  • What experience do they have in your specific field?  Does the agency represent a wide range of companies in different fields or do they specialize in your industry alone?
  • Ask for a proposal.  Some agencies have a standard plan they use for all new clients but remember – it’s your company, so you have the right to see how they’re planning to represent you before you sign a contract and make changes up front so it better fits your needs.
  • Within the proposal process, is it all-inclusive or are there a la carte charges?  Hidden or unmentioned charges can come back to bite you so ask for everything in writing up front so there are no surprises.
  • Is there a guarantee?  If there is, run away.  A public relations agency can tell you what is likely to happen, based on their experience, but they cannot guarantee anything other than the fact that they’ll do what they say they’ll do in writing.  If they guarantee you a certain number of placements, they’re trying to pull the wool over your eyes.
  • What is their process for publicizing your company?  Ask about their “pitch” process; a pitch is the manner in which they approach you with an idea and then follow it through to the various media outlets.  Do they rely heavily on press releases or social media?  Do they go personally to the media outlets or do they go through websites like PR News?  Ask to see a few recent pitches they’ve done for other clients.
  • Ask about their top recent successful placements.  The agency should be proud of their accomplishments, so they should be excited to share them with you.
  • Ask about their top regrets.  The measure of a company is less about what they do right and more about how they handle it when things go wrong.  Each time something goes wrong, there’s an opportunity to learn a lesson, so looking at their regrets will give you an indication of how they’ll handle you if things derail.  Consider it a big red flag if an agency isn’t willing to share their failures along with their successes.
  • Ask about their ideal client relationship.  Does their ideal relationship look like one you’d be happy with?  If the agency basically likes to be left alone to do their jobs with little contact with you but you want more contact, there may be an issue down the line.  Getting the right feel for each other can mean the difference between success and less than success.
  • Reporting.  Make sure the firm you choose intends to report to you often to show you what they’ve been working on, what’s coming up next and the type of coverage they’re securing on your behalf.
  • Ask for references.  Any reputable agency should be more than willing to give you a list of references.  But don’t make the mistake of getting references and then forgetting about it.  Call each reference and ask about how the agency was to deal with, pros and cons, what went right and what went wrong.

Once you’ve done your homework, then weigh all the information as a whole.  The agency with the least number of red flags should be your best bet.  But remember – not every agency works well with every company.  What works for you might not for someone else and vice versa, so doing your homework is essential when choosing the right PR firm for your company.

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Handling Customers Who Do Not Pay

Being an entrepreneur can be one of the most rewarding experiences you can ever have; you get to set the rules, do work you love and get paid for it.  True, there is always a downside of not working for a large company and one of the biggest is having to deal with “deadbeat” customers.

The Snackbox team defines a “deadbeat” as a client who hasn’t paid their bill within the mutually agreed-upon time frame.  For Snackbox, our payment terms are measured in days, not months, and anyone that goes beyond that is not a customer we’d like to keep.

Deadbeat customers, those who do not pay in a timely manner, are a fact of life for all business, but they impact small businesses more, because most small businesses are running on tight budgets, where every cent matters.  Being able to count on customers to pay on time is what keeps small business in … well … business.

Wondering if you’ve been a victim of a deadbeat customer?  Here’s how to spot one in the making:

  • Eager for you to get started, often without a signed contract
  • Does not want to discuss payment terms
  • Payment for services starts out close to being on time but then gradually takes longer and longer
  • It gets harder and harder to get in touch with the client, often in direct relation to how long it takes to get paid

We’d all like to go back to the days of doing business on a handshake, but in today’s business climate, it’s almost impossible if you want to stay in business longer than a week.  The best way to avoid dealing with deadbeat customers is to make sure you sign a contract with each customer prior to starting work and having your payment terms clearly spelled out.

Talking with a potential new client about the scope of work is the easy part of a business relationship, but talking about money can be the toughest part of the conversation.  It’s important to discuss how you’re to be paid, though; a client is worth having who respects your work enough to be willing to pay on time.  If a new customer does not want to talk about money, it’s a clear sign you’re in for trouble.

Even with the best customers, you may still find yourself having to deal with a deadbeat customer.  Here are some tips for handling the situation in order to protect yourself and your business:

  • Put all communications about invoices in writing, either through email or snail mail, so you have a strong paper trail, even with customers who pay on time
  • Calendar your accounts receivables so you know when to expect payment on all invoices
  • As soon as you notice someone has missed a payment date, begin a diary of attempts to collect
  • Alert your lawyer as soon as you start attempts to collect to have them on standby
  • Consider offering a payment plan, but make sure to get it in writing
  • Create business guidelines for dealing with slow and non-paying customers.  For instance:
    • The first time a customer is late, but payment is made within 15 days of the due date, you cut them some slack; we all get behind from time to time.  The second time, you would put them on notice and the third time would mean you sever your business relationship once payment is made.
    • If payment is between 15 and 30 days past due, stop all work for the client until payment is made and once you receive payment, advise the customer that you will be dropping them as a client.
    • If payment is 60 days past due, declare the customer deadbeat and move on to the lawyer stage.
  • Once you’ve gone past the timeframe for pursuing your own efforts to get the client to pay, it’s time to turn your detailed diary over to your lawyer for collection.  More than likely, your lawyer will attempt to collect without filing a lawsuit by writing a letter on your behalf.  If that does not work, a lawsuit will be filed.

It’s always best to try to work out payment issues with clients before they reach the lawsuit stage.  Lawsuits are not always a foolproof means of getting paid.  Remember that every lawsuit brings with it court costs and lawyer fees and even if you win the case, you still have to collect.

The bottom line is, before you sign on your next new client, make sure you talk to a reputable lawyer to help you draw up a contract that will protect you, don’t let emotions or eagerness lead you into accepting a client who may be a deadbeat and keep great records of all your dealings with customers, especially financially.  After all, your business and your employees depend on it.

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Environment: Just a Trend?

Have you ever had someone in public relations ask you, “What is your environmental angle?”  Or, “Is there a eco-friendly angle to that?”  As a seasoned PR professional, I can say that one of the biggest trends in our line of work (along with social media, of course) is the environment.  Over the past five or so years, it seems like EVERYTHING has either developed or has started publicizing in the media an eco-friendly something or another. But here’s my big question… is this environmental push just a trend (as many have reported) or is it more than that?

As time goes on and we continue to see the words “sustainable,” “green” and “eco-friendly” in our everyday lives, having an environmental “angle” will become more of an expectation rather than an angle.  Therefore, if you have not yet jumped on the conservation bandwagon, I suggest you take that ride!  Here are some things (which all conveniently start with the letter P) to think about:

Place – Is your business or organization eco-friendly itself?  Is your office located near public transportation?  Do you have preferred parking for hybrid cars and bike racks?  Have you created an “idle-free” zone in front of your building for shipping vehicles or fleets?  What about the structure, lighting and water system in your building  – are they environmentally conscious?

Process/Production – Does the way in which you manage your production process hurt the environment?   What can you do to lessen the impact?  Are you able to shut down or unplug equipment over night and on the weekends to conserve energy?   Is there more energy or fuel-efficient equipment out there that can get the job done?

Packaging – What materials do you use to package your product?   Are they recyclable or made from recycled content?  Is your company guilty of over-packaging?  One of my biggest pet peeves as a consumer is unnecessary packaging.  I get that we all like to make our products stand out and look pretty, but there are a lot of ways to accomplish that need that don’t require extra material.  Good design for instance is a great way to stand out in the crowd.

Product – This is perhaps most important in the eyes of a potential costumer.  Is your product as eco-friendly as possible?  Can it be recycled or composted?  If so, are you letting your customers know?

Policy – And last but not least is workplace policy.  There are a lot of things an organization can do to in terms of workplace policy that will have a positive impact on the environment.  Do you offer incentives to employees brining their lunch to work instead of driving somewhere?  Do you require all employees to shut down their computers at the end of the day?  Do you offer flextime or work-from-home days in order to reduce the amount of traffic on the road during rush hour?   Have you established an internal team to be in charge of environmental initiatives?

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Heads in Expensive Beds

I often visit Chicago for business (and pleasure), but this past trip was my first time staying at the incredible Ritz-Carlton.  As I ordered room service at 9 p.m. on a Wednesday night, I realized just how amazing it was to have a perfect medium-rare steak and a glass of Pinot Noir delivered straight to my feather-lined bed complete with a bud vase filled with my favorite flower.

My stay at the Ritz got me thinking about luxury hotels in general.  The pampering, the service, the food, the amenities and…the price.  Luxury hotels are downright expensive.  That’s a fact.  And it’s no surprise why these types of hotels took such a big hit when the economy tanked a few years ago.

USA Today published some startling statistics about hotel closures around this time last year, reporting several luxury hotel closings.  There was also a study released in early 2011 by the Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University concluding that upscale hotels in the U.S. were worst affected by the 2008 financial crisis. But is that trend approaching a turnaround?  And what are luxury hotels doing to reverse it?

The Daily Deal
There is no doubt that Americans are still cautious when it comes to spending, which is why “daily deal” companies like Groupon, Living Social and YouSwoop have had such tremendous success.  And guess what?  Luxury hotels have jumped on that bandwagon!  Wise decision, if you ask me.  I’ve recently seen several deals via Living Social and Groupon for luxury hotel stays or vacations and I applaud hotel management for going that route.  Why?  Because it’s an excellent means for getting heads in expensive beds during this time of economic recovery.  Sure, these hotels are offering lower rates to those buying the deal, but it’s an effective way of introducing or re-introducing consumers to the idea of luxury in hopes that they will seek it out once the economy rebounds.

Social Media
Another way for luxury hotels to stay current and fresh in the minds of consumers is through social media, even though many people have pushed the idea of luxury vacations out of their minds temporarily.  Staying connected to the public through social media is key to maintaining interest over time.  By posting pictures of amenities, special offerings and new menu selections, the public is more aware of what’s out there and will establish a personal connection to a hotel brand.  It is important now – more than ever – for luxury hotels to stay fresh on the minds of consumers as the economy continues to show signs of improvement.

Media Relations
By marketing a destination and luxurious amenities, hoteliers will find that buzz built around the property will aid in putting heads in beds. Not only is it important to market the rooms, restaurant and bar, but also consider creating events that draw locals in … perhaps a wine tasting paired with farmer’s market finds for the summer? The more creative the event, the more exclusive, the larger the draw.

Just because you’re a luxury hotel, doesn’t mean you have to pay luxury prices for marketing tools that drive people to your property. With a little bit of creativty you can make communications tactics work for your property.

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Protecting Your Business

This guest post was written by Richard Lofgren, Snackbox legal counsel and specialist in small busines law. We’ve been working with Mr. Lofgren since launching Snackbox in 2006 and think he’s pretty darn smart.

 Protecting Your Business with “Boiler Plate” or “Standard Business Terms”

Running a business is all about building and maintaining strong business relationships.  However, business owners sometimes fail to give the proper attention to the use of “standard business terms” in their contracts.  In fact, often times, “standard business terms” are disparagingly referred to as merely “boiler plate” and not given their proper due.  When I hear this, I like to point out that “boiler plate terms” are usually tried and true and serve very important roles.

Here are just a few examples of highly recommended “boiler plate” or “standard business terms” I use in my business clients’ contracts and why they are important.

Limitation of Liability and Waiver of Consequential Damages Terms.  Both of terms protect the party who is delivering either a service or product from unlimited liability for losses suffered by the other party if there is a failure to deliver or perform.  Ask yourself, if you are selling a product or service for a specific amount, do you want to be potentially liable for all of the foreseeable damages suffered by the other party if you fail to deliver or perform?  Think of an open ended financial domino effect for which you are responsible.  If you want to avoid unlimited liability, you need to use standard Limitation or Liability and Waiver of Consequential Damages terms in your business contracts.

Choice of Law, Exclusive Venue and Personal Jurisdiction Terms.  Unfortunately as part of running a business, sometimes you will have to enforce our rights or defend yourself from claims brought by another party.  In those situations, wouldn’t you rather use your local trusted counsel, use your own state’s laws and force the other party to fight you on your home court?  Most business owners would say “Of course!”  In order to do so, you should consider using standard Choice of Law, Exclusive Venue and Personal Jurisdiction terms in your business contracts.

Attorneys Fees Recovery Term.  Whenever a client of mine asks that I file a lawsuit against another party, one of the first things I ask is whether their contract contains an attorneys’ fees recovery term.  Why?  Because, unless the contract has one or if there is a statute which provides for their recovery, even if I am successful for my client they will still have to pay my attorneys fees and they cannot recover them from the other party as part of the judgment.  This reality is often an economic deterrent to many businesses from pursuing their rights.  In light of this, I tell my clients that it is important to have an attorney fees recovery provision in their contracts.  Aside from the possibility of recovering your attorneys fees as part of the judgment, the use of this type of term will often cause the other side to resolve the matter sooner in light of their additional financial exposure.  However, in order to gain these advantages, you need to use a standard Attorneys Fees Recovery term in your business contracts.

To connect with Mr. Lofgren:
630.469.7100
rlofgren@elrlaw.com
www.elrlaw.com

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‘I’ is for Invoicing

When your first client comes on board, it’s an exciting time … not only are you officially a company now, but you also are beginning to get paid for what you do!  Invoicing can be a challenging part of bookkeeping, but there are a few steps to follow:

– Secure a Federal Tax ID or EIN
– Prepare a W-9 for your company and share it with your client
– Establish an invoice template
At minimum the template should include your address, date of the invoice, due date, description of services, and amount due.
– Create a system to ensure invoices are sent to clients in a timely manner
– Determine how you’ll define “delinquent” invoices and be prepared to follow up on them.

You have one of two options for record keeping:
1. Manually develop and track invoices using Word and Excel
2. Use a software system like Freshbooks or Quickbooks

I’m a Quickbooks user because that is my accountant’s preference. The software allows me to generate an invoice and has a handy dandy screen that lets me know once an invoice is nearing its due date.

For most clients we’re on net 15. That means that they’re check is due into my hot little hands on our before my invoice turns 15 days old.

Our contract states that if an invoice is deemed delinquent, all work stops. And we stick to that rule. But we also give our clients fair warning. Sometimes “stuff” happens and we think it’s only fair to send reminders, warnings, etc. But also be prepared to stop all work when an invoice is considered delinquent.

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Commercial vs. Personal Auto Policies

Written by:
Kelly Conway
Fleming & Conway Agency
conwayfleming@allstate.com
512.345.0005

One question I frequently encounter as an Agent is whether or not a business should have their vehicles covered by a commercial auto versus a personal auto policy.  In general, the premium is less expensive for a personal auto policy, but the ultimate cost of inadequate coverage may not outweigh the initial savings.  Here are some thoughts to keep in mind:

Many times personal policies do not offer High enough Limits. Commercial underwriting will readily accept limits as high as $1,000,000 and can even go to $2,000,000.  There are also excess policies available for even higher limits.

Hired Auto exposure can be a problem under the personal lines policy when the hired vehicle is not a “private passenger or light truck” type. Consider a contractor that hires a dump truck to remove debris from a job site. The liability would not be covered under a personal policy, but would be under a Commercial policy if written with Hired Auto coverage.

Employers Non-Owned Liability Coverage is not available under personal lines policies. Many times a business owner will send an employee to make a quick trip to the bank or to pick up office supplies in the employee’s own vehicle.  If the business owner is subsequently sued by someone involved in an accident with the employee, the insured can only be protected if they have this coverage.  Again, this coverage is only available on a Commercial Auto Policy.

Loading and Unloading is covered by both personal lines & Commercial Policies. However, the coverage under the Commercial Policy is much broader. With personal lines, once you unload the items and move away from the vehicle, coverage stops. On Commercial policies, coverage stays with you until you deliver the items (tools, stock, equipment, etc.) to its place of origin. Coverage remains with you even if you load the items onto a non-motorized tool (like a dolly or hand-trucks) until you deliver the items to its place of origin. The same holds true for loading. Personal lines offers coverage while next to the vehicle loading items into the covered auto. Commercial provides coverage from the time you pick up, or start carrying items, until those items are safely in your covered auto.

Commercial Auto also provides liability protection for other entities a business owner may work for that requires “Additional Insured” coverage. Example: Any contract with the local, state or federal government; general contractors and bid jobs most commonly require to be named as additional insured on the auto policy. This cannot be done on a personal policy.

And finally, for logistic purposes, most personal lines carriers write a separate policy for each vehicle which can cause issues with regards to billing and coverages.   A commercial policy can carry multiple vehicles and is written on a simple 12 month billing cycle.

Although one of the most overlooked classes for these gaps in coverage is contractor and delivery vehicles, commercial auto coverage is available to all industries, including service and sales.   Call an insurance agent today to make sure you and your business are properly insured in regards to your auto coverage.

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‘H’ is for Health Insurance

Sure there are a million reasons why you shouldn’t have health insurance, but there are a billion reasons why you should.

In her late 40s, my mother began having symptoms that were much like menopause. Years later we discovered that she actually had ovarian cancer … as you can imagine, the blow was tremendous to her and her family. But going back to that excellent health insurance, my parents could focus on my mom’s health care rather than how they were going to pay for it.

At such a young age, no one thought that she was as sick as she was. No one expected her to need hours and hours worth of surgeries, years of chemotherapy, etc. But she did. And it cost millions. Where would she be if she hadn’t had health insurance?

The most common hesitation surrounding health insurance that I hear is surrounding cost. It’s too expensive. At $400 a month per person, our Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) policy is pricey. I’ll admit it: I wince every month when I write the check to BCBS.

The other hesitation that I hear is that health insurance is confusing and many people don’t know where to start in order to find the best policy for them.

I can’t tell you how to pay for your policy, but I can tell you that there are some great insurance brokers out there who can help you navigate policies to find the right one for your firm. If you have two full-time employees, then you’re eligible for group health insurance … that’s the more affordable stuff and it allows you to work with great companies like BCBS.

The health insurance broker negotiates your premium each year. All we had to do was make the final decision and sign some paperwork. Our health insurance cards arrived in the mail shortly after.

Paying the monthly fee is painful, but knowing that we’re covered offers great peace of mind. If you don’t have health insurance or are looking for a different type of coverage, let me know. I’d be glad to refer you to our broker.


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‘G’ is for Goals

You have made the decision to launch your business, you know your area of expertise and what makes your product or services unique. Now what?

Goals are an important part of any business and putting those goals into tiers is a smart way to go about planning. When we’re in the midst of goal setting, we’re looking at a number of different timelines: Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, etc. I find it to be easiest to grab an Excel document, map out the next 52 weeks, dividing them by month. Next, I look at each individual cell and work to fill them with a variety of goals.

When I’m setting goals, I’m looking at them from both a personal perspective and a business perspective. Because I’m the face of our company, both types of perspectives tend to meld into one.

First, I begin with my charitable contributions (this includes not only donated cash, but also services). Each year I evaluate which organizations I’m supporting and the level of our relationship. These nonprofits are selected based on a few different criteria:
1.    What’s the connection to my own life? For some causes, like ovarian cancer, there is no question that I will be involved in some capacity because that cause is so close to my heart. For other causes, like a pet-related organization, my heart strings have been pulled and I have to help.
2.    Are there networking opportunities? Because I’m a business owner, with every activity I do, I’m always looking for opportunities to network. As I’m looking at my affiliations, I’m also evaluating where I’m going to meet movers and shakers within my community. My cancer group feeds my soul, my pet group feeds my heart, and a business group feeds my belly.

Once I’ve established which charities will be a focus of mine in the coming year, then I begin exploring exactly how I’ll be involved. With each group, my involvement varies. For some I may sit on a board, for others, I’m merely a volunteer that helps on a limited basis. The calendar I mentioned earlier helps plan volunteer efforts quite nicely. Being able to see the groups, the time commitments, etc. in one place puts it all into perspective. You don’t want to under- or over-promise your level of commitment.

Then professional development is explored. Professional development for me is daily blog reading, business groups, mentor sessions, and sometimes conferences. I’m always looking for ways to not only better myself as a public relations professional, but also as a CEO.

By outlining my commitments throughout the year, I can challenge myself to fill voids, find new organizations, and constantly tweak how my time is spent. After all, time is money.

And finally, the business is reviewed. For business goals, I’m looking across the board: How we run the business, who works with us from an employee perspective and also from a client perspective. What can we do better? What can we do that our competition is not?

By stepping back and looking at the business, it’s efficiencies and where we need to improve, I can set thorough goals. Some examples of past goals include: Improving client service, finding a better way to track time, locating CPG PR pros, etc.

For the business, in addition to laying the goals out in that Excel document I mentioned, I further examine each goal by laying out the problem and the solution. An example:

Problem: Because we’re a network of associates throughout the country, team communication can always be better. Let’s explore ways to keep everyone connected.
Solution: Yammer.com. Through Yammer, anyone with a Snackbox.us address can be a part of an online community where we share account progress, media pitching tips, etc. Through the iPhone and desktop apps, we’re able to quickly update each other.

By planning and setting goals for yourself and your business, you can work to improve your work life. And, I can say this with great confidence: The better your work life is, the happier you’ll be which affects your employees, your clients, and your bottom line.


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