Business to Business relationships come to expect a certain level of professionalism, from the first telephone call to the final delivery.

Your business can be on the Really Big 500 list, employ only a handful of people, or be a business of one but what is said by that business to other business customers will reflect the personality of that business. It can be a PR boost or a PR blowout.

Have you called the telephone company or your long distance provider lately? Chances are you will get a machine telling you to “listen closely because the menus have changed” (as if they know you called last year).

When you do listen closely, chances are there is not a choice on the menu that sounds like the reason you called. Worse, you could choose a selection and be directed to an area that does not answer with no way to get back to real people. What does that say about the company? Terrible impression.

Only the company’s bean counters will argue that all that “select and press” boogie-woogie is good for the company. Word of mouth is faster and cheaper than any other form of advertising, and very widespread. Have you talked with anyone that thinks voice mail menus are nifty?

Same if you have to call an insurance company, or credit card company. Now, it seems, more and more calls are greeted with the “all our agents are busy, please hold” message. Can you imagine how that one got started? “Look, Herb, if we put the main line on voice mail, we can trim our customer support staff in half, just have the machine say ‘everyone is busy helping other customers’, we can save really big bucks!” Not much for PR is it? Even worse if they ditch the 800 number and make you pay for the call.

For years I have told my clients to look to the big boys to see how they do things. Now I hedge my advice, by pointing them at the big boys that are doing it right, because so many have made more than one wrong turn on the road to a professional, caring image.

The telephone is only one part of the puzzle, but one of the most important parts. I tell my clients with small to mid size businesses to call the office from time to time to see how the phone is answered.

I cannot count the number of times I have had to ask to person answering the phone to repeat the mesh of words that just flew by. Hundreds of times I have been ka-thudded on hold with not so much as a “Hang on Bub!”

It is true, you can hear a smile on the other end of the phone. You can also hear indifference and the Easy one to spot is outright disgust. One bored telephone person can do more to undo what took years to do more than any other company asset (or liability).

What if your company is you? Staff of one with a home office. What happens when a call comes in and you are not there to put on your best voice? Does a machine get it? In how many rings? What does the machine say? Does your machine make sense if you call from a pay phone?

It only takes a few minutes to draft a script for the answer machine. So much better than an ad lib. Even the pros write it down. Forget about that “I’m not here” stuff, any moron can figure that one out. No need to lecture them with “..say your phone number twice” or “talk slowly, I am not a stenographer”. Record it over and over until it sounds bright, happy, and clear enough for Grandma to understand.

How do you feel when you make a business call and a machine answers to tell you “if you want to send a fax, press start now!”? Makes you question the quality of the business, doesn’t it? Can’t they even afford a separate fax number?

You see it on printed material, too, “..for fax, call first so we can turn on the machine”. It is hard to imagine such a setup being used for more than one or two faxes a year. The impression that a lack of a separate fax number gives is negative in every respect.

The ultimate professional faux pas is to use your home phone number as your business number. This might work if you are the only one ever to answer the phone and your machine always answers if you are away (even if the house of full of kids and an in-law or two). What usually happens is a child, or grandchild, will answer “huh-whoah?”

“Is this Acme Consulting?”

“I’ll get my Mommee (clunk) Mommeeee”

Neat first impression. Consider the ramifications if a teenager in your house has figured out how to dial out.

Here are two simple ideas to help give your business a professional front, telephone-wise.

If you already use a separate line for the fax machine, but still use your home phone as your business line, start using the fax number as your main business number. Make sure no one else answers it. Put your answer machine on it and leave the home phone alone. Put your new number on everything and send email to those that may have the old one. The transition won’t take long.

You won’t lose any faxes because you can get a free fax number from several sources that send the faxes to your computer. No banner ads to read, just free fax service. I have had one for years. I have a dedicated fax number and don’t pay a penny.

My fax number converts any fax to an eMail attachment and it arrives in my eMail box. I can read my faxes from any computer, worldwide. In my office I can read and pitch, or print and read. I don’t buy fax paper anymore. Some folks call them electronic faxes. The point is, you can get a fax number all your own, without extension, that anyone can use, 24 hours a day, for free. No hidden costs or startup fees.

The two most popular are jfax and efax but any Internet search for “free fax numbers” will bring up a bigger list.

If you don’t have a fax number at home, call the telephone company and order a second residential line. Just tell them you want a second line, no need to explain. Once it is installed, make it your main business line and get a free fax number.

Now your business card can show a main line, a fax line and a cell phone and your mother-in-law can’t run off new business.

If it walks like a pro and acts like a pro…

©2007 BIG Mike McDaniel is the Small Business Advertising Expert. Get BIG Mike’s Free Newsletter BIG Ideas for Small Business. Find hundreds advertising articles at Small Business Advertising Articles

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Tags: company telephone, PR tips, public relations, public relations strategies

Public relations is popular because it is very cost-effective and it works. If you send out one press release, for example, and it gets into print, it could generate more interest in your product or service.

Businesses that want a leg up on their competition need to focus on boosting their public relations (PR) efforts. This keeps them from going under when the economy is weak, and gets them ahead of their competitors when sales start picking up. Now is the perfect time to get a fresh start on your publicity strategies.

Here are ten tips to help you use free publicity to kick-start a business into high gear:

1.Articles: Articles don’t have to be long; they just need to be informative. Writing articles gives you instant credibility, too. Submitting online, as well as offline, provides another good chance to get your name in print at no cost. Be sure to put your contact information in a contact resource box at the end of the article.

2. Press releases: Reporters everywhere are looking for stories, and a press release gives them the information to write that story. Just make sure it’s newsworthy, not just an advertisement.

3. Newsletters: Writing a newsletter is another way to keep your name top-of-mind. This can be online or offline. Both contain content valuable to your target market and many times advertise your products and services. The cost of this is nothing, yet the return potential is infinite.

4. Business cards: Think of your business card as a small billboard and start handing them out everywhere. Include them in all your correspondence – even in your bills!

5. Public speaking: Speaking in front of an audience usually makes you an expert. People like to buy from experts. If they’re in your audience, then they’ll remember your expertise and come to you when they need your product or service. Speaking is free, and it’s just like making a sales call to many people at one time.

6. Free reports: Offering a free report online is a good way to get an e-mail from prospects so you may market to them later. This is the whole basis of permission-based marketing, or opt-in lists. You can do the same thing offline.

7. Radio: Radio is expensive, you say? Not if you are being interviewed or calling in on a talk show. Getting interviewed is free, except for your continual follow-up with producers. Calling in is free, but sometimes it’s hard to relay contact information.

8. Online forum participation: There are many online newsgroups or forums for a particular subject area. Participating in these is another way to get your name out. Many online forums will let you put an e-mail signature with a link to your site or message with another site linked. Take full advantage of this; these links get clicked often when of interest to the forum participants.

9. Strategic alliances: Introduce yourself to other businesspeople who don’t compete with you but sell products or services to the same target audience. Offer to promote them if they promote you. Make sure they’re people you like and trust.

10. Letters to the editor: Many times a letter to the editor has a better chance of getting published than the actual press release. You’d be surprised how many people read this column in publications. This is also another way to become friends with the editor. If they see you enough and match you with a newsworthy press release, then your chances of getting a press release in print increases.

Shannon Cherry, APR, MA helps businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations to be heard. She’s a marketing communications and public relations expert with more than 15 years experience and the owner of Cherry Communications. Subscribe today for Be Heard! a FREE biweekly ezine and get the FREE special report: “Get Set For Success: Creative, Low-Cost Marketing Tips to Help You be Heard.”

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Tags: free publicity, public relations, free PR, PR tips

If you want to know the best way to approach the media, get advice directly from the source: the editors, producers and journalists who choose the stories that get publicity. Here are some of the best tips I’ve gotten from media representatives about getting your story in the news.

Be familiar with the show or publication. Your pitch should be about how your story will work for them. Don’t do a general pitch (“A story about dog training.”) but suggest the segment the story would be right for, or what makes it right for them.

Don’t take “no” personally. It may be that they have just done a similar story, or they can’t fit it in, or it just isn’t right for them. If you speak with someone, ask if they can suggest another show or publication where the story might work.

If at first you don’t succeed, pitch again. But wait at least a month or two, and come back with a different angle (not exactly the same idea that got turned down).

Many now prefer e-mail pitches to fax. E-mail can be reviewed quickly, and can be easily forwarded to several others in the newsroom. Faxes often pile up unread, but e-mail gets looked at.

Keep your e-mail short and to the point. DON’T send any attachments, as they will be deleted unopened (if they get through at all), but you can include a link to your web site or online media kit.

Online media kits are an effective way for the media to get more information about you. When you send a press release (by mail, fax or e-mail) include a link to your online media kit. The online media kit can include your bio, photos, articles written by or about you, the topics you can comment on, a list of suggested questions (with or without the answers), product fact sheets, and anything else that explains more about you, your products and services, and your topics.

When you e-mail, make your subject line enticing. Using “Hi!” or something else that looks like spam will get it deleted without being read. Start with QUERY: or PITCH: then give a short, punchy headline.

One national TV show producer said that you didn’t need to send tape with your initial (mail) pitch, but another said if you mailed a pitch with no video you wouldn’t be considered. In either case, you will need a video of other TV appearances before you get on a national show, so be on the safe side and send it.

Local media are always looking for local experts to interview on a variety of topics. Send them your bio and credentials and they will keep you on file for the next time they need an expert in your field. Even better, send one or more Rolodex(tm) cards with your topics and contact information.

If your story isn’t right for them at this time, they may save your press release and contact you in the future. Don’t be surprised if you get a phone call weeks or months after you sent your pitch.

Journalists are busy people, and they get hundreds or thousands of press releases and pitches every week. Make your story interesting and make it easy for them to work with you, and you will have an edge.

Copyright Cathy Stucker. Learn more about how you can attract customers and make yourself famous with free publicity here.

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Tags: PR tips, publicity, media relations