Get The Most From Creative People

Your marketing will look and work better if you get good creative people involved. An experienced or gifted designer can turn your logo or site look into something special. A good writer can make your web copy, sales letter, ad, or radio spot sing and sizzle.

I've spent most of my life working with "creatives." Here are a few tips I've learned.

* Pay more for an experienced designer or writer. While they may charge you more per hour or job, they will get job done right and often much faster. You save money in end.

* If you can't afford a seasoned pro, get a college student or someone who recently graduated from college. They often have a mind full of newly-learned, cutting-edge ideas, and you can't beat their enthusiasm.

* Give a creative person their head. Don't micro-manage every detail. I like to take an extreme approach. We give designer just barest idea of what we need, then jump for joy over whatever they produce. After a few projects you will have a creative who loves freedom you give them. They will come up with wonderful ideas you never could have thought of on your own.

Driving down road to my PE class, I found my eyes enjoying first signs of spring in pink blossoms and budding trees while my mind bounced out familiar Christmas tune "Jingle Bells Rock."

"Advertise, Organize, Write/Submit, Track Write/Submit, Track, Write Submit, Track

Advertise, Organize, Write/Submit, Track, etc. etc. etc."

You get sound.

So my four tasks - do one each day - would be my list.

When I got home, I set up my own version of Rick's white board. Rather than messing with smeary markers, I opted for white poster board, with my four topics neatly printed at top. Then, I wrote tasks on post-its placing them in a holding area down right side of board. My plan was, that each morning, I would put one post-it under each task category and do at least that much that day. Then, when I finished it, I simply threw it away.

As I thought of more tasks, I would merely put it on a post- it and add it to board on right side.

But wait a minute, I said five. Where was my fifth task?

Where was my fifth? Am I crazy? What would all these tasks accomplish if I didn't follow-up on any of them.

Following up on leads, article submissions, your downline need to be on that list. Without follow-up your whole business could die.

Follow-up. That's got to be there.

But how do I fit it into "Jingle Bells Rock?"

Well, I may not be able to sing it, but I'm doing it and it works.