I don’t know about you, but spilling coffee, water and even soda on my computer keyboard seems to happen often. When it happens, I think that I won’t drink coffee, water or soda around my computer ever again. But, unfortunately, that doesn’t stop me. And it’s not just me. I see my staff doing the same thing. As a result of all this spillage, through the years, it has cost me thousands and thousands of dollars to buy new computers and office equipment.

Recently I heard about a new product called “Kup Buddy” that holds your coffee, water and soda in place while you are at your computer and work station. The “Kup Buddy” is a plastic cup holder that sits by your computer. (It can actually travel with you from your desk to the conference room to your colleague’s office, etc.) It looks like a portable cup holder that you would see in your car.

I decided to get one and try it out. When it arrived in the mail about a week later, I was excited. I thought, maybe now I won’t have any more spills. But when it came in, I wasn’t very impressed with the package and was a little skeptical. I opened the box, put the “Kup Buddy” on my desk and went to get a cup of coffee in a Styrofoam cup. I put the cup in the “Kup Buddy” and you know what? I haven’t spilled coffee, water or soda on my computer since I got it!

I spoke with the product’s business development officer, Len Oppenheimer, and asked about the packaging. I felt that it was different than the usual in-store packaging. The cup holder comes in a yellow box with orange and brown writing. It reminded me of something I had once seen in the 1970’s and I was curious why he decided to go with this particular choice of packaging.

“The package was designed by marketing students from Europe as part of a marketing and design contest,” he said. “I told them that the winning team would see their design in print. The package represents my promise to them.”

What I like best about “Kup Buddy” is that it makes a great promotional item for a company who wants to brand their name. This is a useful promotional piece. The cup holder sits on someone’s desk 24/7 and comes in a variety of colors, including pink, blue, orange, green, white and more. I could see myself buying them in bulk, not only for my staff but for my clients and prospects as well. This is a product with a long shelf life!

The price retails at $5.95 and can be bought at www.kupbuddy.com.

It’s amazing how many invitations I get every year around this time to attend a charity walk, golf outing and dinner dance. While each is equally as important to the people the charity helps, most of the time, I discard the information unless it’s an event in which I’m connected.

Recently, I was invited to participate in a walk to raise money to create a new woman’s hospital on Long Island, New York. This would be the first hospital geared specifically for women’s needs and will include state-of-the-art equipment for early detection.

The information I received got me thinking.  All too many times, I hear about women who had procedures that were more invasive than needed to be.  Then, I thought about my daughter. Wouldn’t it be great that in her lifetime when and if she ever needs medical treatment to be able to go to an all-woman facility where she feels completely comfortable and can relate to the other patients because they’re all women going through the same thing too?

That’s when I made the commitment to be a team captain and organize a team for the “Every Woman Matters” 5K Walk, which will be held on Sunday, May 16 at 10 am at Jones Beach State Park.

The hospital, which is part of North Shore-LIJ Health System<www.northshorelij.com>, will be called the Katz Women’s Hospital <www.katzwomenshospital.com>.  (Saul Katz is part owner of the New York Mets.) It will target healthcare issues from birth onward.  It will focus on: cardiac diseases, thyroid conditions, cancer, bleeding disorders, orthopedics, maternal-fetal medicine, neurosciences and emotional disorders. It will offer all women a full range of obstetrical and gynecological services.  In addition to that, North Shore-LIJ is developing a Women’s Health Institute, which will be a community service of education and outreach on lifestyle and wellness programs.  The new hospital has already broken ground on July 30, 2009 and it is anticipated that the hospital will be completed by spring 2012.

The Katz Women’s Hospital will also have a special maternity services wing with 88 new private rooms. I don’t know about you, but when I had my children, I was in a double.  There were many women who were in a room with three other mothers.  Having a single room to bond with a new baby would be special.

In addition to becoming a team captain, I decided to join the Commerce & Industry Council (CIC).  CIC is a group of business people who volunteer their time to raise money for various hospital related programs.  Most recently, the group helped to renovate the Emergency Department at North Shore University Hospital.  Now, the group is focusing their efforts on raising money for the new Women’s Hospital.

So, here I am.  A new team captain, a new member of the CIC and someone who wants to make a difference and see a change.  If you would like to join me, check out the web site – www.everywomanmatterswalk.com.

With only 140 characters, how do you entice the media to cover your story?

Think about it… is 140 characters really different than the lead in a press release? Remember, reporters only read the first paragraph and if it strikes their interest, they read the rest. If the first paragraph doesn’t capture their interest, you don’t have a story!

Twitter is one of the most effective social media sites for getting your message out to, not only a mass community, but also to a specific targeted media community. Reporters use the site all the time to look for sources.

Reporter, Marianne Brown of the Connecticut Post said, “Because I was working on an especially tight deadline, I needed sources who would be directly on point very fast. I sent my Tweet out cloaked through Profnet because I needed the sources’ backgrounds as well to establish their credentials so that I wouldn’t waste time answering calls from folks whose info wasn’t directly relevant. I got five responses in the three-hour window I had that were relevant, informative and lead to other sources. Basically, they responded to my Tweet that went out to college and university media folks. I was looking for authorities that researched public shaming and its impact on society. I got academics, sociologists, social psychologists, law professors who study privacy rights, etc. Not every one of them was quoted by name in my column. But their views helped shape my opinions.”

Twitter enables public relations professionals to develop something that is quick while capturing the attention of the reporters creatively to entice them to be interested in your story.
How do you do this?
· Create a Media List: For starters, you need to get a list of reporters and bloggers. Use an application like Twellow to research your list and make sure you are on the right track targeting the right people. Each person on Twellow has a full description of what they write about and their interests.

· Follow Reporters: Make sure to input their information in your Twitter account.

· Listen: Don’t forget to listen to what reporters are saying. It’s very telling especially on Twitter. What do they write about on Twitter? What type of messages are they putting out? They may even be looking for a source and then it’s a win, win for both parties!

· Create a Friendship: Make sure that once you are following reporters, bloggers and producers that they follow you back. You do this by talking with them when you don’t have news. Start a conversation going. Respond to their posts. Get them to talk with you. When they see you offer value, they will follow you.

· Develop Your Message: What do you want to say? Is it newsworthy? Can a reporter develop a story around the tweet? Tweets can only be 140 characters. To shorten up, use word symbols that get your message across. For example for “You” type “U” to shorten the content.

· Use Links: It’s important to provide more information to reporters. Do this by providing a link to your newsroom with the full press release and background information. Making the information easily accessible will help the reporter immensely.

· Follow up: You can follow up on Twitter but you may want to also try email and/or the old fashioned phone. Remember there are lots of messages on Twitter and how will your message stand out?

“I love when PR people pitch me on Twitter,” said Greg Sleter, Senior Managing Editor of HomeWorld Business. “It enables them to get to the point instead of going on and on and on like in a press release. PR people know the story. If I’m interested, send me a link and I’ll visit it..”

So if you’ve never done it, why don’t you give Twitter a try? Rethink your strategy and tweet out your next pitch. If it’s intriguing, you will be pleasantly surprised at the positive responses you will receive!

This article is dedicated to the entrepreneurs, sales managers, and sales professionals that are passionately pursuing their dreams and goals day in and day out in the face of adversity.

We all know that whenever someone is pursuing something great a critic is never far behind.  These are the very people who take great delight in plotting your demise.  Most of us are usually pretty confident and upbeat when we are out there pounding the pavement.  However, when things slow down and you just don’t feel like you are on you’re A-Game the rumblings of the naysayers usually sound just a bit more loud and clear.

So I wanted to share some quotes from “critics” who couldn’t have been MORE WRONG.

• “A flash in the pan” Billboard Magazine’s review of superstar Madonna, 1983
• “Boring and predictable” Time Magazine’s review of the popular show “All in the Family”, 1971
• “We don’t like their sound.  Groups with guitars are on their way out.”Decca Recording Co. after turning down the Beatles, 1962
• “With your voice, nobody is going to let you broadcast.” CBS producer Don Hewitt to Barbara Walters, 1958
• “The singer will have to go.” Rolling Stones manager Eric Easton on Mick Jagger, 1963
• “You ain’t going no where… Son, you ought to go back to driving a truck.” Grand Ole Opry manager Jim Denny after firing Elvis Presley, 1954
• “Can’t act.  Can’t sing.  Balding.  Can dance a little.” MGM executive about Fred Astaire’s screen test, 1929.

So the next time some bombastic wind-bag is telling you that your product, your service or your dream will never sell – just remember to look at the source and smile.  Smile as you are on your way to achieving greatness!

———————————
Tim Healy is the Chief Visionary at Healy Success Solutions Inc.  You can reach him by calling 631-244-6090 or Emailing thealy@healysolutions.com. Listen to his show, “The Profit Express” on 88.7FM WRHU / wrhu.org Wednesdays from 6:00 PM -7:00 PM

Yesterday, I was asked to speak to students at CW Post on career opportunities in public relations and marketing.  I was asked twice before to talk with students on a panel — once at SUNY Stony Brook and once at Hofstra University.  But this time was different.  This time, I spoke one on one about my experiences and how I decided to launch HJMT COMMUNICATIONS, LLC.

At first, I thought that I was giving them too much information.  I felt like I was sharing my whole biography.  But then, I noticed that students who looked uninterested, asked questions and I saw they were engaged and interested in what I was saying.

I never realized how much fun it would be to speak in front of students.  The best part about it was a note I received that evening:

Dear Ms. Topper,

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience in the “PR world” with my class today. I enjoyed hearing you speak about the many jobs you’ve held in the past as well as creating your own company. It was a great relief to hear that your own values played a role in choosing certain jobs over others. Hearing you speak has reassured me to stay focussed on the path that I’d like to take, which is to work with non-profits and event planning. Thank you again for taking time out of your schedule to share your knowledge and tips/advice with myself and the rest of my class.
Thankfully,
Kathleen Wood

Notes like these make everything all worth while…

I’ve been writing for a few years with great admiration about Google and its amazing, transformative search tools.  Co-founder Sergey Brin’s original vision or brand idea “We deliver the world’s information in one click” is what allowed Google to become the NASA of the web. Case in point: Yesterday I was looking for a blog post on my machine and used the Microsoft search tool; after three strikes I Googled “whatstheidea+things we remember.” In less than a second I found my text on the Web.  Thanks, YO.

More recently, though, I’ve found myself commenting on how Google has wandered from its original mission – getting into the productivity software, social net, chat and now phone businesses.  The brand planner in me says “How do I articulate the Google Is-Does?” The Googleplex is filled with amazing minds but many seem to be trying to out-engineer one another; me thinks they have lost sense of mission.  Steve Rubel’s post on Google Buzz so reflects.

Culture of Technological Obesity.

Amidst Google’s amazing growth and all its Benjamins a culture of technological obesity has developed.  It’s time for a change.  Here’s what will happen.

The company will go through a typical corporate divestiture, or as was the case with AT&T, a Trivestiture.  It won’t happen now…probably within 48 months.  My bet for the three parts? Search (Web and mobile), R&D Think Tank/Consultancy, and (surprise) Advertising Analytics.  How would you break it up?  Peace!

————————————-

Steve Poppe is the Managing Partner of What’s The Idea? “Campaigns come and
go…a powerful branding idea is indelible.” You can reach him on his Mobile phone at
516-967-3875.  Also check out his blog: http://www.whatstheidea.com

It’s amazing how many invitations I get every year around this time to attend a charity walk, golf outing and dinner dance. While each is equally as important to the people the charity helps, most of the time, I discard the information unless it’s an event in which I’m connected.

Recently, I was invited to participate in a walk to raise money to create a new woman’s hospital on Long Island, New York. This would be the first hospital geared specifically for women’s needs and will include state-of-the-art equipment for early detection.

The information I received got me thinking.  All too many times, I hear about women who had procedures that were more invasive than needed to be.  Then, I thought about my daughter. Wouldn’t it be great that in her lifetime when and if she ever needs medical treatment to be able to go to an all-woman facility where she feels completely comfortable and can relate to the other patients because they’re all women going through the same thing too?

That’s when I made the commitment to be a team captain and organize a team for the “Every Woman Matters” 5K Walk, which will be held on Sunday, May 16 at 10 am at Jones Beach State Park.

The hospital, which is part of North Shore-LIJ Health System, will be called the Katz Women’s Hospital.  (Saul Katz is part owner of the New York Mets.) It will target healthcare issues from birth onward.  It will focus on: cardiac diseases, thyroid conditions, cancer, bleeding disorders, orthopedics, maternal-fetal medicine, neurosciences and emotional disorders. It will offer all women a full range of obstetrical and gynecological services.  In addition to that, North Shore-LIJ is developing a Women’s Health Institute, which will be a community service of education and outreach on lifestyle and wellness programs.  The new hospital has already broken ground on September 2008 and it is anticipated that the hospital will be completed by spring 2012.

The Katz Women’s Hospital will also have a special maternity services wing with 88 new private rooms. I don’t know about you, but when I had my children, I was in a double.  There were many women who were in a room with three other mothers.  Having a single room to bond with a new baby would be special.

In addition to becoming a team captain, I decided to join the Commerce & Industry Council (CIC).  CIC is a group of business people who volunteer their time to raise money for various hospital related programs.  Most recently, the group helped to renovate the Emergency Department at North Shore University Hospital.  Now, the group is focusing their efforts on raising money for the new Women’s Hospital.

So, here I am.  A new team captain, a new member of the CIC and someone who wants to make a difference and see a change.  If you would like to join me, check out the web site – www.everywomanmatterswalk.com

I met Harriet, a 70+ year-old woman, at a lecture I was giving at Temple Emanu-El on Social Media.  After my presentation, she started to tell me about her daughter who is a psychotherapist who also wrote a book.  Her book was on affirmations.

“It’s really a wonderful book,” she told me.  “I know you would find it very helpful.”

I wasn’t quite sure why she thought that, but I told her to pick the book up for me and I would certainly pay her back.

After that, Harriet showed me the book one night after services.  When I flipped through it, I was convinced that I would enjoy this.

About a month went by and Harriet called my office and cell phone to tell me that she ordered the book and it came in.  “When will I see you again?” she asked.

This past Sunday, I met up with Harriet and she gave me a copy of her daughter’s book, “Presence of Mind Mindful Affirmations,” by Arlene K. Unger, Ph.D. I gave her the cash I owed her and when I went home later in the day, I flipped through it again.

Her daughter, Dr. Unger, explains both on her web site and in her book the importance of staying in the moment.  She states that it is a learned skill but once you master it, it will manage stress, cultivate your inner strength, and help you connect to a happier you.

I thought about this.  Then continued to read a paper Dr. Unger wrote on Mindful Affirmations, which is free, along with a host of other white papers on her web site, www.realpsychsolutions.com.

All too often, we all think about what happened in the past or what’s going to happen in the future, with very little regard for what is happening at this very moment.  The book “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle also discusses this concept.

Whatever the reason, we all do it and both Dr. Unger and Mr. Tolle try to bring us back.  In Alrene Unger’s book, she provides the reader with 31 affirmations.  On the side of the affirmation, is an area in which she encourages you to write your thoughts down.  She writes, “read and ponder one affirmation a day… make notes to yourself… leave it on your nightable… keep in your purse… don’t rush… enjoy!”

I read the first affirmation:

“Sometimes I feel like an ominous storm is fast approaching. When I remember to breathe deeply, think clearly and plant my feet squarely on the ground, I can find my way forward.”

Interesting?  Makes you think… Maybe things aren’t as bad as they may seem….

Image via Wikipedia

Although I love working out, I don’t consider myself a gym rat.  I really don’t think that I’m athletic or very much coordinated.  However, within the last few months, I started running on the treadmill.  I’m not up to five miles on the mill.

Believe it or not, I have gotten comments from my running friends who tell me that running on the treadmill is easy and it’s nothing like running the streets.  They almost suggest that treadmill running is not as good… not as worthy as street running.  To me, running on the treadmill, in the street, on the beach or even the boardwalk are all hard.

So I run on the treadmill a few times a week.  I’m waiting until the weather gets a little warmer to take the running outside.  But while I run on the treadmill, I noticed something interesting.  Other people on other treadmills, look over toward my treadmill and watch my mileage, my speed and my endurance. It’s so odd.  Are they being nosey or just competitive?

The other thing I have noticed is that when I get on the treadmill and have been on the mill for about 15 – 20 minutes, I see people come and go.  Are they for real?  Do they really think they will reap the benefits from exercise in just 5 or 10 minute intervals?  (I try to work out for at least an hour.)

I’ve also noticed people talking on the phone while on the treadmill.  And, people reading books while on the treadmill.  Even, people talking to each other on the treadmill.  Now is that really working out?

When I’m really working hard, I can’t talk (let alone breathe)!

I go to the gym for quiet time, to get focused, to workout hard and to relieve stress.  I don’t want to talk with anyone.  I want to be focused and do what I set out to do.  Am I alone in thinking this way?

My dad is the President of the Kings Point Camera Club.  To be honest with you, I didn’t even know he enjoyed taking pictures until the last 10 years when he moved down to Fort Lauderdale with my mother.

The other day, I was talking with my parents about their upcoming show.  Each of the participants of the camera club had an opportunity to showcase their photographs to the Kings Point community (over 55 gated community).

When I went to their house last week, they showed me some of the photographs.  I was very impressed.  They ranged from beautiful pictures of Florida homes to photographs of children.  One in particular struck me.  It was a photograph of my nephew sitting in the grass holding his face up to the sun with his eyes closed.  It had such expression!

This was their third exhibit, which was held in the clubhouse and they had dozens of people view their works of art.

The Kings Point Camera Club was formed nearly 20 years ago and is dedicated to enhancing photography as a fine art.  Each month, members get an assignment on a specific subject.  Some of the assignments included architecture, parks and wildlife.

They also have lots of day trips to museums and even random places like touring the Sun Sentinel or going to the Calder Race Track.

Both my parents really enjoy it and it’s great for them to be involved in such a creative activity that they are passionate about.

What are you passionate about?