Mediation marketing quote of the month, january 2008

Don’t just express yourself, invent yourself. And don’t restrict yourself to off-the-shelf models.
— Henry Louis Gates, Jr., commencement address at Hamilton College, 1999 [Read more]

For mediators who want to work from home in 2008

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Time for your ramp-up and renewal retreat

This is the perfect time of year for what I like to call a Ramp-Up and Renewal Retreat.

I highly recommend regular renewal retreats for all mediators who are or want to be in a thriving private practice. It’s one of the best action you can take right now to ramp up your business: Take a time out and reflect deeply on the work you are and want to be doing.

What’s a Ramp-up and Renewal Retreat? In How Much Time Should You Spend on Marketing? I described it this way: [Read more]

Win a virtual assistant for 2008

How would you use a virtual assistant to grow your business or improve your personal life?

Answer that question and you have the chance to live your answer. Elance, the freelancers-for-hire site, is giving away $5,000 worth of a virtual assistant’s time in 2008.

I’ve written about VAs before, in Virtual Assistants: Support without the Staff and [Read more]

My holiday gift to fellow mediators

On Christmas morning for the past 18 years, my husband Rod and I have listened to a story written and recorded years ago by radio broadcaster John Henry Faulk.

We’re not big on the shop-til-you-drop approach to the holidays, and it’s one of the reasons we’re so moved by Faulk’s story of real giving in the Christmas season.

To listen to the author’s 1974 recording, click here (if the link doesn’t work on your computer, click on the Faulk link above and you’ll see options to stream in either RealAudio or Windows Audio). [Read more]

In mediation marketing, the little touches count

Every Friday I write thank you cards to clients I served that week. They’re hand written and I choose the card from a stockpile I keep in my office, something for every client personality. It takes me 15-20 minutes do write each week’s cards and I know they matter because clients have commented.

Sometimes, I’ll include an article from my files if I have one that’s relevant post-mediation or consult. And, of course, I include my business card…three of them. One for the client to keep, two for [Read more]

Mediation marketers, what’s your business brand promise?

Years ago, when I was a college dean in Burlington, Vermont, there was a period when branding was “hot” among a segment of the college crowd. Pun intended. Yes, I do mean branding and it made me blanche then, too. Those who got brands on their backs said it gave them a high. I bet.

Business and personal branding is “hot” in its own way now. I’ve written about branding before, in the articles [Read more]

ADR resources roundup, december 2007

My monthly roundup is a short list of links to services, ideas, and articles that help make marketing and managing your mediation practice more effective and efficient.

Last month I wrote about thank you gifts for mediation clients and referrers. For more ideas, check out Freelance Switch’s 7 Innovative Ways to Thank Your Client during the Holidays. There’s still time to arrange a holiday season gift for the folks in your business world.

When you have the occasional business question, where do you turn? I’ve discussed SBA Small Business Development Centers as one option in the U.S. Now there’s a new online option, [Read more]

Learn how to start a mediation marketing blog

Earlier this year, I teamed up with my friend, mediation colleague, and ADR blogger extraordinaire Diane Levin to produce a 5-part audio program for mediators, Building Buzz with Blogs.

The audio program was recorded in five 1-hour segments during live teleseminars attended by mediators from throughout the U.S.

Diane and I’ve agreed it’s a great time now to bundle the five audio programs into a single package for you at $28.00 U.S.

Learn more and grab your 5-hour mediation blog marketing audio series here. [Read more]

Mediation marketing quote of the month, december 2007

You can’t give away 10 great articles on your blog, and expect to see increased business overnight. It takes time for you to establish credibility, to reach a wider audience, to prove yourself, to build up a library of useful resources. Give it a year, at least. Sure, some have done it in less time, but if you go out with the intention of accomplishing everything in a few months, you’ll probably fail. Shoot for long-term success. — Leo Babauta [Read more]

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