Celebrity Apprentice: Patricia Velasquez

I didn’t post anything last week because frankly the show was boring. Tia and Lou were the team captains and I knew Tia was going to lose. Penn got under Clay Aiken’s skin by doing very little to make it happen. I am not sure if Clay is high strung or not. Penn didn’t even flex hard and Clay was all pissy.

This week the challenge was a launch party for Crystal lite. Lisa expressed her goal of getting rid of the Latin Ladies. The women picked Aubry as the project manager and she sucked up to the Crystal Lite people during her manager acceptance speech. The guys picked Clay. Then in the car they found out no one was a real party person and had trouble with a theme. I don’t get it,  a party is a lot like a show and all those guys are in show business. So, what is the problem guys? Penn was completely silent and Chopper dude was looking out the window like a homesick summer camper.

The Gingers seem to understand the core of the task and lead their teams to get to work. Penn decides to contribute less as a defense mechanism. Patricia does not bow down to Lisa so Lisa takes it to Aubrey to be her back up. Teresa gets to work because she is the ultimate party planner. They show a shot of her measuring for furniture with gusto. The guys clearly feel at a disadvantage. The difference between the groups now is the women have open hostility towards each other and the men have theirs under wraps. Both are huge scary monsters just waiting to pounce. I feel the same anxiety as when playing with  a Jack in the Box, waiting for it to pop. It is exquisite! Read more

Old (Business) School Takes on New (Business) School

You know that mailer you get? You throw it down on the counter and maybe open it when you have nothing to do. You might find one or two good coupons you want to use but the rest get thrown out. Then you see the onli

ne coupon sites where everyday there is some kind of hot deal. Now, Valpak, a company that mailed you coupons has an online site with daily deals called ValpakDeals.com Read more

Top 5 Things To Consider When Writing Copy About Your Brand

Hook them in.
The best written copy in the world is worthless without readers! Lure your potential customers with a memorable and compelling headline. Think of your headline as a shop window; a well dressed
shop window catches the eye, arouses curiosity and brings customers into the shop. Your headline should do the same. It should encapsulate what is in the copy that follows and compel your customers to want to learn more about your product and service.
Know who your target market is.

And talk to them. Exactly who are you trying to sell this to? Yes in a perfect world “everyone” might be a suitable answer, but in reality, who is most likely to spend their hard-earned on your product? Is it women? Young, middle-aged or old women? Middle-aged women with kids? Middle-aged women with small kids? Middle-aged women with small kids with health issues? You get the idea. Once you’ve figured out exactly who you’re speaking to, speak to them in their own language. For example using high-tech terminology won’t sell software to computer illiterates. And using street
slang is likely to sail straight over blue-rinsed heads. Sell the benefits rather than the features Remember who you’re writing for. The customer. Not you. At all times, point put how the features of your product or service will benefit your customers. For example, the vehicle you are writing about might feature ‘four wheel drive’. Now, point out the benefits of that feature – safer motoring on slippery surfaces or the ability to go places that other vehicles can’t. In other words, sell the sizzle, not the steak!
What is unique about what you’re selling?
If you’ve done your branding homework, you’ll already have a unique selling point, a brilliant tagline all about it and a succinct and desirable positioning statement. If you haven’t had much experience with branding, the very first step is to discover your unique selling point, also known as a point of difference. Chances are there are several products out there that are similar to yours. So why should a customer spend their money with you? Is your product bigger, smaller, better, brighter, louder, tastier, greener than the others? And if so, how so? In your website copy (or ad
copy) explain exactly what makes your product stand out from the rest and convince the customer that they need that benefit most. Ideally, you’ll then sum it all up in fewer than seven, memorable words – then you have a tagline too!
Check your spelling and grammar
This sounds basic and boring, but it’s so very important. Poor spelling and grammar is distracting at best, taking the potential customer’s focus away from what you’re selling. It also makes you, the seller, seem untrustworthy and unprofessional. Once you’ve written your copy, do a spell and grammar check. Ask a friend or colleague to read over it. Better still ask several friends or colleagues to read over it. If you’re not terribly confident of your language skills it’s worth paying a professional for their services just to leave an optimum impression on potential customers and increase your chance of a sale. Read more

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