There was definitely a language barrier while I was there though. I was under the presumption, my fault, that more people spoke English. The locals explained to us that the younger generations are being brought up with English, and that many adults take pride in their native language. The hardest thing about the language barrier was eating at restaurants. Imagine starving and not understanding anything on the menus. Luckily, they were happy to translate at many places.

Besides all of the fabulous shopping and sightseeing, one thing that caught my attention was the way the French express themselves in their advertising. Many of the ads had some type of sexual angle. There were big banner ads throughout the city with naked women. This startled me because you don’t see this too often in the states, or if you do, it’s considered controversial. I was not offended, but rather impressed with their confidence and candidness in promoting themselves.

In the end, it was bitter sweet. I was sad to leave so soon, but exhausted and happy to be home. There are many things I take for granted here in the states, especially the prices. One thing is for sure, I’ll never forget Paris!

Shaira Cruz

This Month’s Issue

1. Pam Lontos Column: Having a Great 2008!

Dear readers,

As many of you may know, I recently had a minor sinus surgery, which took me out of the office for a few days – in fact, more time than I had intended to spend away, especially with the holidays coming up. It made me think of how quickly time passes, in spite of how much we set off to achieve. It also made me reflect on what I want to accomplish, as we head into 2008.

The New Year is always an exciting time, but it’s easy to fall into the same patterns of negative self-talk, de-motivating actions, and bad habits that sabotage our goals. While I may not be an expert in all fields, I do have some practical advice for New Year’s resolutions that will help you pump up your business and turn yourself into a star in 2008!

1. Get out there!

No matter what area of business you are in, or what you want to accomplish with your career, set your goals for the year and then take actionable steps to get there. It doesn’t have to be great leaps; in fact, taking smaller, baby steps may help you realize that you CAN make it to your goal. Write a press release. Network with people in your industry. Create relationships with the reporters at your local newspaper. Watch the news so you can jump into current stories as an expert source. These are just a few small steps that can lead to big results!

2. Budget your time and money wisely.

Many people want to accomplish BIG things like writing a book, or boosting their speaking engagements. The problem is, they want these things to happen overnight! It often takes a lot of planning and hard work, so budget your time and resources accordingly. You don’t want to make it just halfway to your goal – you want to reach the summit! For example, if you want to boost speaking engagements, make sure you spend time researching the associations you would like to speak to. Or if your goal is to get your book published, you need to set aside some resources to find an agent, get the book edited, find a way to publish it, and publicize your efforts.

3. Don’t take “no” for an answer.

As a former salesperson and trainer, not taking “no” for an answer comes naturally to me, but for some people, it’s harder to take that kind of rejection. As Winston Churchill once said: “Success is going from failure to failure, without a loss of enthusiasm.” Remember that every “no” will lead to a “yes” – it just takes a little time, effort and enthusiasm. Stay positive about those “no’s” and learn from each experience.

Your business and career goals are only a few small steps away. Make the most of your efforts in 2008 and your business increase incrementally!

Pam Lontos is the president of PR/PR, a public relations firm that specializes in professional speakers, authors and experts. An author, speaker and former VP of Disney’s Shamrock Broadcasting, Pam knows the ropes of getting you good publicity and how to use it to boost your bookings or book sales. Call for a free consultation: 407-299-6128 or visit: www.prpr.net.

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2. Inspirational Quote for the Month:

Pick up any national magazine, flip through the pages, and count the number of short articles you see. They can include those little 3-inch fillers, short quizzes, 400-word “how-to” articles or resource boxes. Editors love them. And you can generate some fabulous publicity for yourself by writing them.

1. Because they are so short, editors often rely on them to “fill a hole” on the page.
2. Briefs help portray you as an expert in your field.
3. They appeal to readers with short attention spans and can be skimmed quickly.

4.  They’re easy to write. And you don’t need to submit a query letter to editors.

Simply snail-mail, fax or e-mail the copy.

5.  Unlike a story idea pitch, or a longer article you are submitting, you can usually submit briefs to editors at a variety of non-competing publications at the same time. Editors don’t expect exclusivity on these items and usually don’t care if they appear in other publications.

6.  You can promote yourself, or your product, service, cause or issue.

7.  Briefs are an excellent way to promote a new book, particularly if you are willing to give away free advice in the brief that ties into the book. You can include a web site URL or contact information where readers can buy from you.

4. Have a Need for Publicity?

PR/PR can help you with all of your publicity needs, from magazines and newspapers to television, radio and online media. If you want to sell more books, get more speaking engagements and be hired for more consulting jobs, you need publicity.

To receive a free consultation, please contact Pam Lontos, President of PR/PR:

407-299-6128 or email: pam@prpr.net.

Pam Lontos is the president of PR/PR, a public relations firm that specializes in professional speakers, authors and experts. An author, speaker and former VP of Disney’s Shamrock Broadcasting, Pam knows the ropes of getting you good publicity and how to use it to boost your bookings or book sales. Call for a free consultation: 407-299-6128 or visit: www.prpr.net.

Permission to reprint: You may reprint any items from “PR/PR Pulse” in your own print or electronic newsletter, but please include the following:

“Reprinted from ‘PR/PR Pulse,’ a free e-zine featuring tips and techniques for gaining publicity. To receive this e-zine, please send an email to newsletter@prpr.net with ‘Add Me’ in the subject line.”

If you like any of the advice from this e-zine, please pass this on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

We would love to hear from you! Please email your suggestions and/or questions about publicity to: newsletter@prpr.net.

PR/PR

President: Pam Lontos

775 S. Kirkman Road, Suite 104

Orlando, FL 32811

www.prpr.net

Phone: 407-299-6128

Fax: 407-299-2166

If you no longer wish to receive this e-zine, please email: newsletter@prpr.net and include “Unsubscribe” in the subject line.

The morning keynote was from Dan Burrus on technology and implementing your plan. It was a real pleasure to finally get to hear Dan speak, as he is a client of PR/PR. His ideas are absolutely amazing, and his content and delivery made his speech that much more interesting and exciting. Plus, he brought out the coolest robot ever. He made it do pushups, cartwheels and even some yoga stances. Truly amazing.

After another busy run at the booth, we got to meet with afternoon keynoter Ross Shafer for about 20 minutes and pick his brain an a variety of different topics. Ross was presenting on how to put together a great stage performance, and his great insight and incredible sense of humor made him a real pleasure to speak with. Ross is such a great speaker and an even nicer guy, and we are so happy to have both him and Dan Burrus as clients here at PR/PR.

Here is myself, Ross, Pam and Rick before Ross’ presentation.

After another stop at the booth and a quick change of attire, we all sat down for a lovely dinner at the NSA Foundation dinner and auction. PR/PR auctioned off a publicity package and the proceeds of the auction go to benefit the foundation, which is truly a great cause and source of hope for those in need.

I should also mention that we were able to meet and talk with some of the most influential speakers in the world. We had the great pleasure of spending time with Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield and Dr. Sue Morter. They are all great folks, and we enjoyed our time with them.

Wednesday was our last full day at the convention, before we headed back to the office. NSA 2007 was a wonderful time, and we look forward to seeing everyone at NSA 2008 in New York City!

Another great turnout at the booth during the day.

The afternoon lunch session and keynote featured Randy Gage, about the mindsets of prosperity. A powerful speaker with controverisial ideas, Randy caused quite a stir with his presentation on understanding how each of us (as well as outside forces) is being held back from prosperity.

That night, Russell and I had the pleasure of attending the Cigar PEG party aboard the USS Midway. For those that don’t know, Cigar PEG is an outside group that raises funds for NSA and the NSA Foundation (for more information and to see pictures from this year’s party, visit www.cigarpeg.com.) We were treated to drinks, dinner, wonderful company and, of course, some stogies (Russell selected a lovely Macanudo Baron de Rothchilde Maduro and I enjoyed my Romeo y Julieta Churchill.) Enjoying a cigar is always an experience, but nothing compares to enjoying a cigar on the flight deck of a US Aircraft Carrier. Even more exciting was that the entire ship was opened for us to look through. It was a fantastic evening, and I can guarantee I will be attending the 2008 party as well.

Note: Don’t take the bike cabs in San Diego…five blocks, two people = $30. Wow.

Monday, July 9th

We had a great turnout at our booth, with all different speakers offering us insight into what they do and how they create change and motivation in the world. NSA is truly a diverse group of individuals who speak on an even more diverse set of topics.

The night’s keynote was from Simon T. Bailey on realizing the potential that each of us carries and how that potential sets us apart from everyone else. Interesting topic presented by a truly eloquent speaker.

A wonderful buffet on the 4th floor pool deck of the Manchester Grand Hyatt closed out our evening.