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	DEVIL TO PAY

In the Devil to Pay series, Richard Laermer explains WHAT a real life successful service business is and WHY the old rules are out the freaking window.

Can We Stop Talking About Personal Branding?	10/29/09
“Personal Branding” is a term that gets bandied about at every cocktail party despite not having any real discernible meaning. We know the purpose of branding products: to sell them to their market. What exactly does it mean to have a personal brand, though?

The Recession Needs Balls: A Handy Guide	09/28/09
Laziness equals self-importance during a crap economy. If you think somehow things will magically change overnight--look Ma, Dow moved a notch--then you live in a fantasy land and the faster you wake up and stop paying attention to the Gosselins and DO SOMETHING the better it is for and your bank statement.

If My Competitors Are Crap It Brings Down My Industry - True?	08/27/09
Corporate reputation is now a buzz phrase and years ago it was actually something entities aspired to. It mattered how folks saw you—even in the minutest way.

The Pitch That Cried Wolf	06/22/09
You know if you’re doing PR there’s danger whenever you push the Send key. There are only so many reporters and bloggers covering the field or industry you play in, whether it’s automotive technology, software, clothing, or architectural design.

Could It Be? Is PR Becoming Unnecessary?	04/23/09
In years past, the "science" of PR was seen as a sham that we could put over on whoever contracted us. We did our jobs and, as long as we were charming and insouciant, most clients seemed to think we were in the way or a nuisance.

There Is No Such Thing as a Free Launch!	03/18/09
It’s time all service people ceased their self-important chatting about “The Launch.” In the brave new technologically driven world, we should know better.Everyone realizes the Beta no longer exists...

No You Didn’t!	01/28/09
Letters were angry about the piece last week titled “It’s Bad, It’s Bad…” that said that you got full-on care about your job –and prove it daily – because I said that following certain hard rules was the one way to stay in the position you’re in.

It's Bad, It's Bad - And That's Good!	01/12/09
You're doomed and so am I. We are really reeling. The money just is not coming in like it used to. These are the times when you got to stop whining and do something.

Tic, Tac, Dumb	12/26/08
I am honestly surprised how asleep at the wheel the Ferrero USA company is - makers of Orange Tic Tacs – considering the little gems are a main character in this flick, and not since “My Big Fat Greek TV Movie” and the Considine’s obsession with Windex, has a major American non-paid product placement been featured so “cool-y” in a major motion picture.

Think About Skies—Then Go Through Them	12/04/08
Companies should view rough economic eras like this one as a gift. Slower pace of activity means, ahh, companies can take a step back and reevaluate what they are doing and how they are doing it.

Introducing “Bad News Bores”	11/03/08
I noticed it first at a Kwanzaa party late last year. Having trouble keeping myself amused, I started quizzing those holding drinks and discovered that everyone there was kind of "into" news and recent events.

Old Journalism’s Demise: Good News for Us!	10/08/08
I am writing to you from 35,000 feet where American and something badly branded as Go Go In Flight has given me access to the Internet. I mean, welcome to the 2000s right?

The Good News about Being Alerted	09/05/08
Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings. Check your inbox. It's a Google Alert! Taking us to infinity and beyond. (Perhaps I'm messing up my hero references.)

And I Quote…	07/24/08
Some thoughts for us.

Musical Chairs Has Begun: Best of Luck	07/07/08
Oh my, it’s happening already. Service people in service businesses are looking for new jobs in a time of economic weakness. Smells a lot like the spirit of 2000. It’s a dangerous proposition, too, filled with greed and disaster looming. I remember it well…

Am I Off? Oh Who Can Tell…: The New Vacation Not!

05/27/08

Short(s) Cuts: What Gap's Failures Teach the World About Business

04/24/08

Short(s) Cuts: What Gap's Failures Teach the World About Business	04/24/08
Businesses need to pay attention to The Gap's advertising so they all don’t end up a joke like The Gap has become.

Bandwagoning Means Never Having to Say You Did It

04/09/08

Kinda Be My Friend (A Cautionary List)

03/25/08

We Get Letters, Boy

02/19/08

"Why's Everybody Always Pickin' On Me?" My Impressions of Generation Broke

01/02/08

Way of the Future Will Be no CC'ing. Whatsoever.

12/18/07

The Centaur Mentor

12/11/07