Update: It's time to donate blood again. Not because it's a high priority, but because the San Diego Blood Bank is doing such a masterful job of offering incentives. Recently they've partnered with 7-Eleven, the Naked Juice Run, Comic-Con, Rubio's, and the San Diego Padres. The event I'm attending is giving away a Padre's jersey, seat cushion, and tickets, while they're serving food from Rubio's, Coca-Cola, Oggi's Pizza and Wienerschnitzel.

Incentives have one major job: to make you more sales. But be careful. Too many incentives may cheapen the perceived value of your product.

Feature Article: Recession-Proof Your Business

Resource: Toastmasters International

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What? You Don't Know How to Schmooze!

I attended a writer's boot camp a few years back with about a hundred other cool writers. I'll never forget this one gal named Suzy who seemed to be everywhere. I didn't know what schmoozing was until I met her.

She was polite, friendly and genuinely interested. She'd make eye contact with you even if you were across the room. She was a great conversationalist. Yet she was business-like as she remained focused on making contacts.

If you want people to notice you, you might want be proactive just like Suzy. Take the first step. Be interested in others first. Exchange information if something develops and then move on.

Recession-Proof Your Business

Dear Associate,

The United States is already in a recession says U.S. investment mogul Warren Buffett in an interview published in the German magazine Der Spiegel. "But the people are already feeling the effects," said Buffett, the world's richest man. "It will be deeper and last longer than many think."

Whether you agree or disagree with the Oracle of Omaha is beside the point. An increasing amount of consumers are unhappy with rising prices for food, fuel and other basic necessities. Reality suggests the stimulus checks cash-strapped Americans are receiving this summer will contribute little to erasing consumer debt.

Service sectors such as airlines, restaurants and hotels are feeling the big pinch as they see their profits plummet. Downsizing and layoffs appear to be the latest unwelcome buzzwords. But you don't have to join them.

If you own or operate a small business—this is probably the best time to become more proactive in your marketing efforts. Why? Because everyone else is cutting back. They're playing defense. They're trying to protect what they have. They're focusing on the recession instead of building for long-term growth.

Here are three keys that if applied, can help recession-proof your business:

1) Networking. Get out to networking events, business mixers and social gatherings. Meet new people. Attend the seminars and workshops your ideal prospects usually go to. Learn the art of schmoozing.

Here's a valuable tip:

To get people's attention, don't begin by telling them everything about your business or what you do and how everyone in the world needs what you have. Instead, begin by telling them how your business has helped other clients and how it can also help them. That will get the conversation rolling on a good momentum.

Invest some time attending conventions and association meetings related to your business. Ask the top earners what the biggest problems are facing their industry. Then come up with solutions, joint venture with someone who has solutions, or become the solution. You'll be recognized as an important industry resource.

2) Speaking. This single skill can open doors you couldn't open otherwise. Yet most people would rather crawl naked over broken glass than to speak. Probably because physical wounds heal. Believe me: if you get good at this, you will never starve.

There's no real shortcut to becoming a competent speaker. You just have to plunge in, make the mistakes, make the adjustments, and then continue. You naturally get better with more experience.

The really good speakers usually started out being really bad speakers. They decided not to throw the towel in. They decided their message needed to be heard. So they did what they had to do to get better.

Surprisingly, most employees would rather pass up a promotion that required making presentations. Not surprisingly, most employees who speak earn higher incomes. If you want to increase your self-worth in the marketplace, master this one communication skill.

3) Advertising. Here's an economic fact: consumers will buy from your competitors if they don't know you exist. Just because you build it doesn't necessarily mean they will come. The secret to advertising that works is compelling people to come.

Most businesses see advertising as a waste of money. Usually because they've had little success in compelling people to come. That's because they duplicate the ads they see their competitors use that have never worked. And then a third competitor sees those two ads and decides to follow suit.

Why waste your money on that philosophy?

Tip: don't drain your resources producing image ads. Those are the ads with the pictures and logos, but nothing to drive traffic to your store. They make money for the ad agency and the periodical it runs in.

Create display ads instead. They compel prospects to take some type of action. You will get the best return on investment running this type of ad.

A recession is tough on everyone. But it doesn't have to affect you the same way. Taking an offensive posture instead of playing defense will always grow your business through lucrative and recessionary times.

Warm regards,

If you're relatively new to public speaking one of the largest communications and leadership organizations in the world is Toastmasters International. They have clubs in 92 countries and growing. Check out their website for resources on overcoming your fears, making presentations and searching for a club near you.