All of business ultimately comes down to one thing: creating relationships.

If you don’t understand this basic principle, you will ultimately fail as a business person.

Indeed, you will fail in life as well.

- The Quotable John Kremer

All of marketing consists in creating relationships. Real relationships: friends, lovers, partners, warriors, fans. – The Quotable John Kremer

Key insight:

If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.

This applies to any publicity you can envision for you, your book, your product, your service, or your cause.

So stop making excuses. Just do it. Find a way.

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Related Articles:

• The Mother of all Lies(weelilwimsy.com)

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• What’s your Excuse? (Part 2)(lcduperouzel.wordpress.com)

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• You Don’t Suck, But Your Excuses Do!(jackiepurnell.com)

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Great advice for anyone considering a publicity campaign:

The way to get started is to stop talking and start doing. – Walt Disney

Walt Disney's Academy Award (Credit: Wikipedia)

The following is excerpted from a press release from Planned Television Arts, now Media Connect, which is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary:

What do Jon Stewart, Jodie Foster, Pier 1 Imports, Motel 6, Tom Cruise, Taco Bell, Rosie O’Donnell, The Rolling Stones, and Planned Television Arts have in common? They all turn 50 years old in 2012.

PTA, one of the nation’s premier and largest book publicity firms, today marked its golden anniversary by launching a new name, Media Connect. Its site is now http://www.media-connect.com.

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John’s Comments: Note how they connect themselves with other popular cultural phenomenon, from the Rolling Stones to Motel 6, as well as hot current personalities born in 1962 (Jon Stewart, Rosie O’Donnell, Tom Cruise, and Jodie Foster). What a great lead to a news release.

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While known for placing authors with broadcast media, the agency has been developing its print connections for the past two decades and increasing its online media offerings in the past five years.

“The media is changing as well as the nature of book publishing,” notes managing director David Hahn, a 26-year company veteran, “And we have certainly evolved with the times. Now our name will more accurately reflect our broader offerings and the essence of who we are and what we do.”

Mike Levine, founder of Planned Television Arts, created the name based on the huge upswing in TV’s popularity at the beginning of the 60’s. TV purchases reached a tipping point in the five years leading up to PTA’s inception and television became the hot, desired medium, much the way the Internet is embraced today.

PTA’s early services included organizing fashion shows for clients to exhibit their designs on the popular daytime show The Mike Douglas Show and The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, which also debuted in 1962.

The firm began specializing in book publicity in the mid 70’s, conducting tours for authors Mickey Spillane and Wayne Dyer, two early clients.

Since then Jimmy Carter, Dean Koontz, Harvey Mackay, Jack Canfield, Richard Preston, Sophia Loren, Mark Victor Hansen, Tom Brokaw, Jackie Collins, John Wooden, and Mitch Albom (who actually worked for PTA for six months) are just a handful of the well-known or celebrity authors PTA has promoted over the years.

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John’s Comments: Again, they connect Media Connect with top book authors and famous people as well as connecting with one famous author who used to work for them.

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As Media Connect celebrates its Golden Anniversary, it will pay homage to former clients, changes in the industry, and how the news media has been transformed by the Internet.

“We have always innovated and experimented,” says chief marketing officer Brian Feinblum, “including developing trademarked services such as The Teleprint Conference (scheduling a press conference by phone with 12-18 publications), The Morning Drive Radio Tour (18-20 interviews conducted in one morning by phone), The Satellite TV Campaign (scheduling 15-18 local TV shows from across the country via one studio location), and even launching a speakers bureau.”

1962 may be remembered historically for a number of things. There were no such things as cable TV, the Internet, tablets, or Facebook. 1962 was the era of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe, of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, of Bonanza, Lassie, and Perry Mason. A new home cost $12,500 on average, annual salaries were $5,600, a new car cost $3,125 and a gallon of gas was just 28 cents.

It was the era of JFK and the Bay of Pigs. The Civil Rights Movement was raging and the Vietnam War was escalating. Space travel was in its infancy as John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth. The nation’s population was less than half of today’s. Walter Cronkite was just named the anchor of CBS News. And the year gave rise to Planned Television Arts now Media Connect.

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John’s Comments: Connecting with more cultural events and personalities, Media Connect (formerly PTA) is clearly a long-standing reputable company which has stood the test of time.

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Media Connect currently employs 20 full time team members with headquarters in New York City and an office in Washington, DC.

You can contact Media Connect, 1110 Second Avenue, New York NY 10022; 212-715-1600. Web: http://www.media-connect.com.

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One of the most popular boards that I have created on Pinterest is Great Quotations as Graphics.

That board not only generates the most interest, but also the most likes, repins, and follows.

Check out some of the graphic quotations I’ve shared during the past few weeks:

David Perozzi, producer of Anderson Cooper’s new daytime show (http://www.andersoncooper.com), offers 13 tips on getting your national TV pitches noticed.

Check out his tips here (excerpted from an interview with Arielle Ford):

Check out Arielle Ford’s full interview with David here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arielle-ford/book-marketing-tips_b_1082213.html.

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Everything You Should Know about Publicity, Publishing, and Building a Platform — If you want to learn from a master book publicist all the techniques that have worked for her for more than twenty years, Arielle Ford offers an intensive PR course for new authors. She was the book publicist for many bestselling authors, including Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Debbie Ford, Deepak Chopra, Neale Donald Walsch, etc. Only $497 for Gold or $997 for Platinum.

Do you want more free publicity by being written-up in top magazines, newspapers and websites? Do you want to be interviewed on radio and TV shows?

If so, Reporter Connection makes it easy to connect with top media people, both local and national: http://bit.ly/ReporterConnection

It’s a great service from Bill and Steve Harrison. And it’s free!

The Easiest Time To Get Publicity

It’s not easy to score major media coverage – particularly if you can’t afford a top PR firm to pitch you to the media.

The absolute easiest time to get publicity is when a journalist or producer has already decided they’re doing a story on your subject and actively seeking people like you to interview. But how can you find out when the media needs somebody with your expertise?

Since 1985 Bill & Steve have cultivated relationships with the media. In fact, their company has helped launch such New York Times bestselling books as Rich Dad Poor Dad, Chicken Soup for the Soul and Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.

Their clients have appeared on such major national TV programs as The Today Show, CNBC, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, The View, and 48 Hours as well as many major print publications and countless radio shows.

Their service is completely free, though they have other stuff you can buy (and I may get a commission if you do).

Go here now to get their free daily media leads via Reporter Connection: http://bit.ly/ReporterConnection.

Note: This is a basic sales letter for their service. It’s a little hypey, but the service itself is not only free but very effective. Since there’s no cost to you, it’s a no-brainer to use the service.

Again, you can check it out here: http://bit.ly/ReporterConnection.

I wish you all a blessed and happy holiday period and a very abundant New Year.

John Kremer

Guest post by Brian Feinblum

For the past two decades I’ve looked for ways to persuade others to do things, whether it’s convincing the news media to cover my client or seeking to get a potential client to hire my firm for PR services, or attempting to get a colleague to perform better.

Really for all of life, we are always trying to get someone to do what we want them to do.  So how do you do it?

1. Offer value. One would say that in order to get someone to do something for you there has to be an incentive, or some type of reward, reciprocation or favor to be cashed in. If you don’t have something of perceived value to offer, your ability to sway is limited. Note I said perceived value. That’s key. You must assign value based, in part, on what others think something is worth. Sometimes what cost you little is worth a lot to others, so maybe you have some bargaining chips that won’t set you back too far.
2. Play on their emotions. Another way to convince others to take an action is to play on their emotions: fear, desire, happiness. Appeal to what seems to trigger a response in them. Listen to what they say are their concerns and then react accordingly.
3. Never underestimate the role ego plays in things. Everyone has an ego, just in different degrees. If you acknowledge one’s opinion of themselves, you’ll advance far. Never deny someone of their inflated sense of self-worth.
4. Guilt, to a degree, can work, if the person you deal with is fair-minded. Appeal to their sense of fairness and reason.
5. Ethics also can play a role. People like to help others who seem likeminded and like to do business with those they trust. Be sure to share statements indicating positive values and state examples of good character and proper behavior.
6. Beg. Another way to persuade is to beg and plea desperation, but this won’t work too often with the same person. People may feel sorry for you once, not twice.
7. Be a squeaky wheel. Complaining and whining won’t always get you what you want but they say the squeaky wheel gets the oil so in certain situations this strategy has a pay-off.
8. Be open. Show a willingness to negotiate and show people you’re not greedy.
9. Acknowledge concerns. Don’t come off as you’re right, they are wrong, or express an all-or-nothing attitude. Recognize and acknowledge the needs, concerns, and circumstances of the other side.
10. Don’t use threats. Threats, lies, cover-ups and other improper or illegal means to persuade will work but they will come back to haunt you. That’s no way to get what you want for the long-term.
11. Don’t overstate or overvalue your worth. The marketplace fluctuates and whatever position or situation you are in today may not hold true tomorrow, so act reasonably, fairly, and kindly even if you believe you hold an advantage over someone.
12. Understand them. One way to appeal to others is to get to know them and understand what makes them tick. Look to connect with them on a personable level. It’s easier to work together as friends, than as strangers.
13. Do not air strong opinions on sensitive matters, such as politics, sex or religion. You may offend someone in the process.
14. Establish your credentials. Let the other person be aware or reminded of your expertise, authority and abilities. If people feel you are in a position to help them, now or down the road, they are more apt to work with you.
15. Praise others and kiss their butts. You catch more flies with honey, so lavish others with kind words. However, don’t go too far – people can smell a brown-noser a mile away.
16. Laugh, smile, and express optimism and confidence. We are all drawn to people who appear resilient and hopeful. Entertain others with jokes, stories, or insightful information.
17. Come off as open and sharing. Give a piece of free advice or offer some type of guidance. People will welcome such an approach.
18. Give guidance like a waitress who suggests you order something else when what you ordered is not a good choice. Everyone appreciates your honesty.

– Brian Feinblum, the chief marketing officer for Planned Television Arts, has been promoting and marketing authors since 1989. Pick up the phone and call: 212-583-2718. Brian’s new blog can be found at http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com.

Here are four sideways secrets to getting publicity in major magazines. I call these sideways techniques because they aren’t the direct approach of sending query letters or making phone calls.

1. Writer’s Guidelines – Check out their websites. Many of these sites include submission or writer’s guidelines that provide exact instructions on how to submit to the magazine or online website.

2. Tweet. Almost every major magazine is now including submissions from readers via Twitter and Facebook. If you follow their tweets and Facebook posts, you’ll find many opportunities to get noticed by the editors and associates.

3. Comment on their stories and blog posts. They pay attention to comments. Again, almost every magazine website includes many of the articles from the latest magazine issue – and most allow and even encourage their readers to comment and interact.

4. Blog. Join their social networks or blogging communities. About 10% of magazine websites include the opportunity for readers to blog and/or to participate in a social network.

In my Online 411 email newsletter, I’ll be featuring opportunities under each of these 4 options. You can sign up at BookMarket.com to get these insider tips.

You’ll also find many magazine publicity opportunities by following my blog posts and updates at http://www.magagenie.com.

John Kremer is the author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. If you want to launch a SuperStar Blog Tour™, Mega Blog Tour™, or Blogpalooza™, check out http://www.bookmarket.com/blog-tour-palooza.htm.