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I love resourceful people, especially in business.  Especially in a small business. To me, it’s one of the top qualities every employee should have.

As I was watching Ugly Betty last night, the topic of resourcefulness came up.  When the mother of the publisher of the magazine wanted to do something in the magazine, she was told it cost too much money.  After a pep talk from Ugly Betty on how the mother was “the most resourceful person” Betty knew, the mother created a government-subsidized program with former prison inmates that would accomplish the task that there was no money for.

Of course, 24-year-old Ugly Betty is also very resourceful.  But I haven’t run into too many resourceful 20-somethings lately.

I recently posted a job ad for a summer intern in my Boca Raton office.  I have gotten several resumes.  Unfortunately, I have in my mind a few ways that potential interns would stand out favorably in my mind, and none of those things have happened. They all have to do with resourcefulness. 

Am I expecting too much?  Maybe.  But I’m still going to hold out for someone resourceful.

Since going green is so hot in the media, publicity coverage of eco-friendly products on Earth Day makes perfect sense.
Here is a quick sampling of Earth Day coverage:

USA Today did a big spread in the Life Section for Earth Day.  Beauty and fashion products were big winners, including baby clothes by Speesees and Kate Quinn Organics John Masters Organics skin care and Jessica nail polishes.  You can view the articles here.

The Wall Street Journal had an article on how companies are using Earth Day to advertise their “green” side. You can view the article here.

The folks at SHIFT Communications have created a new kind of press release — a social media press release.  You can see the template here.

I’ve seen this before, and I wonder.  Has any business out there used this template for an actual press release?  Are there any media folks out there who have seen releases like this and do you like this better than traditional press releases or pitches?

 I sent out this press release with some important keywords, including “sell to Target” and “sell to Wal-Mart”.

I also sent it through a service that allows “anchor text,” or links in the press release, which increases the possibility of search engine pickup.

Here is an example of an SEO-optimized press release:

From:  Margie Zable Fisher, Zable Fisher Public Relations, margie@zfpr.com, (561) 417-0006

For Immediate Release 

Who Says Small Businesses Can’t Sell Products to Big Retailers?

Boca Raton, FL - November 26, 2007 – Small businesses that think they can’t sell to big retailers now have a new resource. A new report titled Skyrocket Your Sales by Getting Your Product on the Shelves at Target, by small business expert Margie Zable Fisher, offers a step-by-step guide to selling to Target stores. 

To get the kind of “insider” information not available elsewhere, Fisher spoke with current and former Target buyers, manufacturers, distributors, licensing companies, sales rep companies, and more.  “They all asked me to present this information anonymously,” she notes, “so you can imagine how difficult it was to obtain.” 

This Special Report has been praised by Guy Kawasaki, as well as small business product makers. Skyrocket Your Sales came about when a client asked Fisher to research how to sell to Target, the nation’s #2 discount chain (behind Wal-Mart), with 2006 revenues of $57.8 billion, that operates more than 1,500 Target and SuperTarget stores in 47 states, as well as an online business called Target.com.

Because public information was impossible to find, Fisher spent hundreds of hours collecting insider, off-the-record, information.  When she realized that other small businesses would find this information about Target useful, she compiled it in a report.

The report retails for $49 and includes the following information: 

• The four steps to sell a product to Target
• What Target is looking for in a vendor
• How licensing can be an option for product makers
• Why packaging is important and what to consider
• How to find distributors* What criteria makes for a winning Target product
• How Sales Representative companies can help sell a product to Target
• A trade show to attend where product makers are almost guaranteed to meet a Target buyer 
• The daily newspaper that almost every Target buyer reads

In addition to the Report on how to sell a product to Target, there are free additional bonus reports, including: 

• A Resource List that includes contact information for Sales Reps, manufacturing, licensing, packaging, patents, EDI, and much more. 
• An interview that shows how to sell to Wal-Mart.

For more information on this report, please visit www.zfpr.com/target.htm. Zable Fisher Public Relations (http://www.zfpr.com/) is the Leader in Small Business Public Relations. 

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To learn more about an SEO press release distribution service, along with some special offers, click here.

Thanks to all of you for your heartfelt wishes during Stacey’s difficult fight against cancer.

Here is what I learned from Stacey:

My sister-in-law Stacey was always larger than life. Literally.  She was a big girl, with a big personality.  Always running to meet friends and do stuff. It’s not fair that Stacey was taken from us at 39. How can someone so much larger than life not be alive?

The last time I saw her was a day before her passing.  She was a shell of herself, skinny and in constant pain.  I remember her telling me a few months before that she had always wanted to be thin.  But not this way.

Throughout her sickness, Stacey and I got closer. It’s not that she needed more friends.  No one had more friends than Stacey.  It’s something I asked her about the day before she passed.  “How do you have so many friends?” I asked, hoping to learn her secret.  But she was in too much pain to answer.

When I called or visited, there were always friends with Stacey, at home or during one of her frequent hospital stays.

I have had time to think about it, and I think I know why Stacey had so many friends.

It’s because she was a friend, a good friend, to everyone around her.  I remember, even during her sickness, her friends would call, and she would be offering advice and a sounding board.

Her way of being will live on.  Her ability to reach out and be a friend.  I always called her the mediator, because she couldn’t stand it if people she loved, friends or family, were fighting or didn’t get along.  She was always trying to get people to love each other.

That’s why it was so easy to love her.

My daughter and Stacey’s niece, Zoe, at four and a half, is too young to understand any of this.  She still asks about her grandpa Bob and we’ll tell her that he and Stacey are together in heaven.

Zoe loved her Aunt Stacey and Stacey loved Zoe.  Stacey often said that Zoe was just like her, with lots of friends and the desire to have people around her all the time.

I agree.  Stacey will live on in our memories, and through Zoe’s love of life, friends and family.  And that’s the most important thing.

It’s something that Stacey and Zoe teach me every day.

I read a great article in Fortune Small Business about overlooked tax deductions. I was intrigued by someone in the article who said she and her partners (who also happen to be family members) hold a monthly dinner at a restaurant, which they treat as an offsite strategic planning meeting (100% deductible) rather than a business meal with a client (50%).  My accountant tells me it’s too risky, but I’m wondering if any of you have any thoughts. 

Read the full article here:

 Here are three things you can do right now to increase the public relations value of your home page: 

1. Put testimonials on your home page.  They can be at the top, in the middle, on the sides.  As long as they’re there.  Because nothing will sell you as well as a great testimonial.
2. Include your telephone number.  I know some companies don’t like to be called, but if you’re in business, you need to have that option.  It’s incredibly frustrating when you want to do business with someone and you can’t find the phone number.
3. Add a way to capture e-mail addresses.  Whether it’s a free newsletter, special report, discounts or some other enticement, make sure you always have a way to contact visitors who might not make a purchase now, but might eventually if you stay in touch with them.

Since gas prices are going up you’ve probably noticed that the media coverage about how businesses are affected has also gone up. Most of the media coverage is about how increasing gas prices negatively affects businesses.  But there are always businesses that do better when gas prices go up.  Here are some types of businesses that might do better when gas prices go up: 

• Online retailers
• Food and restaurant delivery services
• Mobile businesses that come to you

 If your business is doing better, this is a great time to make a publicity pitch. It’s also a great time to increase your promotional activities, and include how clients can save money on gas by buying from you.

A new site is listing top blogs in all kinds of categories. The ratings are based on layout and usefulness of content. The site is www.blogged.com and I heard about it in a terrific Small Business blog, Small Business Trends. 

Read the entire blog post here.

Just read a great article, for everyone from those of you who think you don’t need a Web site to those of us who think we’re knowledgeable. Some of my favorite myths from Justin Kitch: 

• My site is just for customers
• My Internet strategy is my Web site

Read the full article here.