Will You Get Top Dollar When You Sell Your Business?

Written by Noel Peebles


Continued from page 1

Naturally, when things go wrong, it is likely you will be blamed for selling them "a dog."

Onrepparttar other hand,repparttar 106559 new owners may want your help. They may want your experience and full support duringrepparttar 106560 changeover period. They may even want you to stick-around for a while until they have come to grips with their new venture. The level of support you offer will need to be negotiated as part ofrepparttar 106561 sale contract.

You, onrepparttar 106562 other hand, may want to cut your ties as quickly as possible after take-over day. I mean, let’s face it - sellingrepparttar 106563 business could representrepparttar 106564 end of a long drawn-out sales process. You may just want to cut your ties and move on.

So there you have it. You’ll need to think aboutrepparttar 106565 likely needs ofrepparttar 106566 buyer and mentally prepare yourself forrepparttar 106567 different scenarios that could follow.

And remember your level of on-going support may be another bargaining chip for you to play in your biggest sale ever! © Market Leaders Limited. All Rights Reserved.

NOTE: The following information must be included if you reprint this article:

*********************************************************

FREE mini-course "17 Powerful Secrets That Have Made Business Owners Into Millionaires" http://www.instantsellbusiness.com/index1.html

********************************************************

Noel Peebles has bought, developed and sold several of his own businesses, and has been involved with the purchase and sale of many others.

Noel now runs his own direct marketing and internet company, supplying marketing and management solutions for small businesses. He also has his own public self-storage complex.

And, he's traveled extensively to over forty countries.


Could This Be The Best Way To Measure Public Relations Results?

Written by Robert A. Kelly


Continued from page 1

Then, through industry and community contacts as well as opinion sampling, we determinerepparttar level of individual concern, i.e.,repparttar 106557 degree of awareness, personal feeling and emotion aboutrepparttar 106558 allegations and where they arerepparttar 106559 strongest amongrepparttar 106560 organization’s key audiences.

Now, we establishrepparttar 106561 public relations goal. Namely, to change public perception ofrepparttar 106562 negative allegations from negative to positive.

Within that overall public relations goal, we set down our perception and behavior modification objectives which obviously will require considerable communications firepower to achieve. However, oncerepparttar 106563 negative perceptions are truly understood, such a progress marker can be set down, and agreed upon, thus establishingrepparttar 106564 degree of behavioral change that can be expected.

Here, we determinerepparttar 106565 public relations strategy. We only have three choices: CREATE opinion where none exists, CHANGE existing opinion, or REINFORCE that existing opinion. In this case, it is clear that considerable existing opinion has turned negative sorepparttar 106566 public relations strategy will be to beginrepparttar 106567 process of changing that opinion – not creating or reinforcing it -- from negative to positive.

At this point, we begin preparation of what we hope will be persuasive messages for communication to our target audiences. Bringing those important audiences around to one’s way of thinking depends heavily onrepparttar 106568 quality ofrepparttar 106569 messages we prepare.

Atrepparttar 106570 least,repparttar 106571 messages must disarm rumors and correct misstatements and inaccuracies thus providing a credible basis upon which individuals may alter their perceptions. Of course, pretesting a message for effectiveness with focus groups is always recommended.

With this homework completed, “communications weaponry” (how do we project our carefully prepared messages to our key audiences?) must be brought to bear.

Among examples ofrepparttar 106572 wide variety of communications tactics available to us are face-to-face meetings, Internet ezines and email, hand-placed newspaper and magazine feature articles and broadcast appearances, special consumer briefings, news releases, announcement luncheons, onsite media interviews, facility tours, brochures and even promotional contests.

Especially effective in reaching target audiences withrepparttar 106573 message are newsmaker special events. They are newsworthy by definition and include activities such as financial roadshows, awards ceremonies, trade conventions, celebrity appearances and open houses.

The publicity, or communications effort can then be accelerated, insuring thatrepparttar 106574 GROUPS of tactics most likely to efficiently reach our target audiences are chosen. Here we refer to major tactical activities such as key Internet communications, important podium presentations, top-level personal contacts as well as prime-rated print and broadcast media interviews. Because when such tools are used to communicate with each target audience, we want them to hit home!

Here, I want to monitor progress and look for signs of improvement. Public relations counsel and staff must speak regularly with members of each target audience, monitor print and broadcast media for evidence ofrepparttar 106575 company’s messages or viewpoints, and interact with key customers, prospects and influentials. And, if resources allow, local market opinion polling should be included.

Finally, indicators thatrepparttar 106576 messages are clearly moving opinion in your direction will start showing up. Indicators like comments in community business meetings, mentions in research analyst’s reports, local newspaper editorials, e-mails from members of target audiences as well as public references by political figures and local celebrities.

And that means we are approachingrepparttar 106577 end-game. Whenrepparttar 106578 changes in behaviors become really obvious through increased sales, print and broadcast reports, community-leader comment, employee and community chatter and a variety of other feedback – in other words, clearly meetingrepparttar 106579 original behavior modification goal – two things have occurred. One, repparttar 106580 public relations program is a success and, two, by achievingrepparttar 106581 behavioral goal you set atrepparttar 106582 beginning, you are using a virtually perfect public relations performance measurement.

The missing ingredient? Affordable public opinion research.

end



Bob Kelly, public relations consultant, was director of public relations for Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-Public Relations, Texaco Inc.; VP-Public Relations, Olin Corp.; VP-Public Relations, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net




    <Back to Page 1
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use