Howard Fleischmann, that award-winning proprietor of Community Tire in Phoenix and other AZ cities, a faithful subscriber to our free monthly e-mail feature, Marketing Quick Tip, took good-natured issue with my last mailing. Yes, Howard, contrary to the impression I may have left, advertising specials are OK in newsletters because, indeed, they can be beneficial to the reader. Therefore, yes, they are meat, not gristle.

One of our clients called me recently with a quandary. He was in search of the answer to what, seemingly, is a simple question. After he had given a business card to a prospective client, the prospect put him right on the spot, asking,

On occasion, press the flesh

Don’t fall so much in love with your comfortable desk, handy computer and the Online social media that you neglect opportunities to “get out among ’em.” I went to a mixer for 90 minutes the other day and reconnected with a couple-dozen friends, about six close business associates and two prime business prospects. Yes, it costs precious time, but the rewards can be worth it.

By Allan Starr

After being a member of Linkedin for a couple of years, I recently decided to actually get involved with this venerable business/social networking site that was launched in May of 2003.

Bulletin: It works!

Let me count the ways (so far):

Reunions

By Allan Starr, Marketing Partners

Why will the

99% of the time, words are ultimately what generates leads, motivates people to action and makes you money. The right words can produce an astonishingly better response. We all have the same words available for our use. It is how they are arranged that makes the critical difference.

How objective can you be? View your Website with a critical eye. If you can’t find anything worth improving, you failed the test. Next, ask one or two of your most ccritical friends or associates to do the same. Chances are they’ll call out something can can use some improvement. Next, don’t just think about it – make the change(s).

Allan Starr 2.6.09

. . . as a visitor, a guest of the country – in the true sense. Such visits, which I’ve made before with the same chamber of commerce group, are kind of depressing. I saw a lot of young people, who are serving one-year sentences for everything from DUIs to drug offenses, and none of them appeared to be happy with their lot. My guess is almost all of them are there because of poor choices; if you will, self-destructive mistakes. In business, we make not go to jail for our mistakes, but it can, nonetheless, be costly. Can you think of any costly mistakes you are determined to avoid in 2009?

December 31, 2008 was the last day of the year, not our lives! This year, let