I’ve heard is said that the three biggest fears people have
are: (1) speaking in public, (2) change and (3) death. That
means that most people would rather die than speak in
public. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather live!

But I admit…attracting more business is a VERY slow
process if you’re unwilling to speak to strangers! How’s
your business going? Not as good as you’d like it to be?

Then maybe it’s time to get over that fear of speaking in
public and start doing it to attract more business. One way
to get good at speaking is to go to Toastmasters. That’s
what my husband, Don, is doing. He was a pretty good public
speaker to begin with, but he wants to be a STAR. He’s only
been attending the meeting for a few months and already, he
is amazing. His use of his voice has improved. His hand
gestures and movement are much better, and he is much more
comfortable speaking to an audience.

But you don’t have to go to Toastmasters to master the art
of public speaking. You could “hide” behind your telephone
and do a teleseminar. Trust me, they are very easy to do. It
does take a bit more coordination and organization than a
simple speech, but no one can see you blushing.

There are, however, several tips and tricks to producing a
fabulous teleseminar. And they are all contained in Dan
Janal’s ebook, “How to Record Your Own Telephone Seminars
and Create Money-Making Information Products,” which I highly
recommend. (Click on bookstore to learn more about the book.)
Trust me, if I can do it, so can you. Expand your comfort zone in
your own home! Learn how to do them and go for it.

~Lois

By Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound

Sponsor a fun contest.

One of my favorites is the Wacky Warning Label contest, sponsored
each year by the Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, to reveal how
lawsuits have created a need for common-sense warnings on
products.

The grand prize winner receives $500 and a copy of the new book
Remove Child Before Folding: The 101 Stupidest, Silliest and
Wackiest Warning Labels Ever, written by Bob Dorigo Jones, the
group’s president. The title of his book comes from a warning
label that won a prize in the early years of the contest.

I heard a drive-time interview with Bob on a Milwaukee radio
station last week. So I called him this morning to see how much
publicity the book and contest have generated.

He was a guest on about 25 radio shows within the last three
weeks, including four interviews on the BBC. He appeared on “Fox &
Friends” and was also scheduled to be on the “Today” show. But he
was bumped when the show interviewed Donald Trump instead.

Still, that’s a pretty impressive publicity campaign—and all
because of a fun contest.

Bob Wilkinson of Northville, Michigan won the $500 grand prize
for 2006 for submitting this label he found on the side of a
washing machine: “Do not put any person in this washer.”

If you don’t have a contest, you can still get onto national TV.

Find out how during a free 90-minute telephone seminar on
Thursday, January 18, with my friend Steve Harrison, publisher of
Radio-TV Interview Report. It’s called “The Three Big Secrets for
Getting Booked as a Guest on Top National TV Shows.”

In addition to Steve, you’ll hear from a former “Oprah” guest
booker, a Fox News Channel producer and some other surprise
guests.

Together they’ll teach you things unknown to 95 percent of all
people who want publicity.

The call is free, except for normal long-distance charges.
Register here.

You’ll learn things like:

—How to increase your odds of getting on “Oprah,” Fox News, CNN,
the “Today” show, “Montel” and other top shows.

—Understanding the mindset of national TV producers and what
gets them to book you as a guest.

—The strategy a husband-and-wife team used to land a 7-minute
segment on the “Today” Show.

—An important lesson from one author who got on Oprah and saw
sales soar as a result.

—The most important question you must be able to answer to land
a TV appearance.

—The biggest mistakes to avoid when pitching TV producers
(including ones that could get you black-balled forever!).

Once registered, you’ll receive all the details via email in a
few minutes. Register here.

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at The Publicity Hound website and receive by email
the handy list “89 Reasons to Send a News Release.”

~Lois

One of the keys to creating a successful business is finding a market niche that is small enough to corner the market but big enough to make money. Let me tell you about a few people who have done that well, and why it works for them.

Tony Cox, Catalog Solutions: Tony only focuses on small specialty foods catalog companies. He’s found a niche that is very profitable and he has developed a national reputation for being able to grow customer lists and improve profitability for these small companies. This works for him because there are plenty of small specialty foods companies that need help, and he is able to significantly make a difference in their return on investment because he knows how to drive more business their way.

Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound, shares her publicity expertise every week with over 12,000 subscribers. By concentrating on how to get terrific publicity, Joan specializes in something that every small business wants and needs. She has become “the” publicity expert, and is sought after for her public speaking and articles. When companies ask her to write a marketing plan (a complementary need), she refers them to other specialists because doing a marketing plan would take more time for her than the project would be worth. It’s not her specialty, so she turns it down.

Annie Jennings of Annie Jennings PR, focuses on book publicity for authors, speakers and experts. Her unusual pay-for-placement method of generating publicity is different than what most publicity firms offer, creating a niche market for her services.

Tom Antion at GreatMarketing.com concentrates on teaching people how to become better speakers and make more money by using creative marketing techniques. Although these same marketing methods would work for anyone, Tom focuses his efforts on speakers who want to improve, which winnows the niche market to a reasonable size. Consequently, when people think of training for speakers, Tom’s name often comes up.

None of these folks is in business simply because they can make money at it…although they DO make money, loads of it. They have the skills, knowledge and passion needed to create a successful business.

How can you find a niche for your business? Take an inventory of all your skills, abilities, interests and passions. Which ones most excite you? What do you LOVE to do? What needs in this marketplace aren’t being met? How can you meet those needs?

Remember, you have to have passion about what you do or you’ll never get anywhere and you’ll be unhappy all the time. So put your passion to work and discover a niche you can make money with in an online business. The smaller and more specialized the market, the better. Focus for profits.

~Lois

This is funny and it will boggle your mind.

And you will keep trying at least 50 more times to see if you can outsmart your foot, but you can’t …

Mind control does NOT work either!

1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number “6″ in the air with your right hand.

Your foot will change direction. I told you so…And there’s nothing you can do about it!

Make sure you pass this on to your friends…they won’t be able to believe it either!

~Lois

Fresh from my shower, I stand in front of the mirror complaining to my husband that my breasts are too small. Instead of characteristically telling me it’s not so, he uncharacteristically comes up with a suggestion.

“If you want your breasts to grow, then every day take a piece of toilet paper and rub it between them for a few seconds.”

Willing to try anything, I fetch a piece of toilet paper and stand in front of the mirror, rubbing it between my breasts. How long will this take?” I asked.

“They will grow larger over a period of years,” my husband replies.

I stopped. ” Do you really think rubbing a piece of toilet paper between my breasts every day will make my breasts larger over the years?”

Without missing a beat he says, “Worked for your butt, didn’t it?”

He’s still alive, and with a great deal of therapy, he may even walk again.

Stupid, stupid man.

~Lois

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups—porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain, ome expensive, some exquisite—telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously or subconsciously went for the best cups . . . and then you began eyeing each other’s cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of Life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the “coffee” God has provided us.” God brews the coffee, not the cups . . Enjoy your coffee! The happiest people don’t necessarily HAVE the best of everything. They just MAKE the best of everything they have.

~Lois

Jesus was wandering around Jerusalem when He decided that He really needed a new robe.

After looking around for a while, He saw a sign for Finkelstein, the Tailor.So, He went in and made the necessary arrangements to have Finkelstein prepare a new robe for Him.

A few days later, when the robe was finished, Jesus tried it on, and it was a perfect fit! He asked how much He owed.

Finkelstein brushed him off: “No, no, no - free for the Son of God! There’s no charge! However, may I ask for a small favor? Whenever you give a sermon, perhaps you could just mention that your nice new robe was made by Finkelstein, the Tailor?”

Jesus readily agreed and as promised, extolled the virtues of His Finkelstein robe whenever He spoke to the masses.

A few months later, while Jesus was again walking through Jerusalem, He happened to walk past Finkelstein’s shop and noted a huge line of people waiting for Finkelstein’s robes. He pushed his way through the crowd to speak to him, and as soon as Finkelstein spotted Him he said, “Jesus, Jesus, look what you’ve done for my business! Would you consider a partnership?”

“Certainly,” replied Jesus. “Jesus & Finkelstein it is.”

“Oh, no, no,” said Finkelstein. “Finkelstein & Jesus. After all, I am the craftsman.”

The two of them debated this for some time. Their discussion was long and spirited, but ultimately fruitful, and they finally came up with a mutually acceptable compromise.

A few days later, the new sign went up over Finkelstein’s shop.

Can you guess what it read??

Are you sure you want to know?

Here it comes..

Don’t say you weren’t warned……
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LORD and TAYLOR

~Lois

From TeAchology

During the last session of our teaching workshop, participants were asked to state their personal goals for the immediate future. One teacher vowed to update photo albums, another to lose weight. The goal that got the most response, however, was given by a kindergarten teacher. “I resolve to exercise until I can complete a 20-minute workout in less than an hour,” she said.

~Lois

Yup! It’s that time again. The Women’s Forum will meet to listen to Ginny Miller of PBGH give us lots of great tips to help us with our taxes. She’ll discuss:

What people can still do to save money on their 2006 taxes
What people should do NOW to save money on their 2007 taxes
And other tax-related tips that would interest people, both business and individuals

Did you know there were changes to the tax laws in 2006 that you need to know about? Well, now’s your chance. Come to the meeting next week:

Women’s Forum Monthly Meeting
Spotswood Country Club
Thursday, January 11
12 N - 1 PM (get there early and network!)
Topic: “Last-Minute Tax Savings”
Presenter: Ginny Miller, Partner, PBGH
Cost: $12 Members/$15 Guests

Lunch: Meatless Lasagna, Lasagna with Meat, Salad, Rolls, Dessert, Beverages

We’ll also announce the winners of the membership contest!

Please register no later than Tuesday, January 9, NOON. Call Lois: 540.820.3840 or

Register Online

Members / Guests

~Lois

My Aunt Diana, who lives near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where they have an annual “Fly In” for the Experimental Aircraft Association each year, sent this to me. Thanks Diana!

I takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only a high school diploma to fix one. Reassurance for those of us who fly routinely in our jobs.

After every flight, Qantas pilots fill out a form, called a “gripe sheet,” which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas’ pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers. By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has “never, ever” had an accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200-feet-per-minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That’s what friction locks are for.

P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you’re right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

And the best one for last…
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget punding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget

~Lois