About Frances

About Frances

Prior to founding Cole Media Management, Frances worked at St. Martin's Press, Viking Penguin, Doubleday, and Broadway Books as an editor of commercial nonfiction.
The experience of helping authors translate their ideas into books that retained their unique voice is what makes her valuable to her clients.
"There's no point in my writing a perfectly crafted sound bite that you have to strain to remember," Frances says. "You have to sound like you—you on your best day."

CMM

Founded and led by Frances Jones, Cole Media Management is focused on cultivating clients' inherent strengths to develop the powerful communication skills that will enhance his or her professional and personal performance.

Cole Media Management clients have appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah, CSPAN, CNN, Squawkbox, The Charlie Rose Show, Larry King Live, The Discovery Channel, The BBC News, Cashin' In, E! Entertainment, Access Hollywood, ESPN, Extra! Fox and Friends, The View, and others. Clients' print interviews have appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Newsweek, Black Ink, Vogue, W, "O" Magazine, Town & Country, Harper's Bazaar, Tatler and others.

The scope of our work includes preparation for television and print interviews, IPO road shows, meetings with potential investors, and internal meetings with partners/sales staff/in-house personnel. We also provide presentation skills seminars and speechwriting for clients.

Services

Presentation Skills Seminars

Tailored to the needs of your firm, these one to one and a half hour sessions introduce your employees to the general presentation skills fundamental for success, regardless of the situation.

One-on-One Coaching

Individual issues and concerns are addressed privately in one-on-one sessions. Common areas of conversation include combating nervousness [and its physical manifestations], tightening response times and deleting filler words, remaining calm under pressure, and thinking on your feet. These sessions are videotaped for the instructional purposes of the individual only.

Team Coaching

Team coaching includes a presentation to CMM for the purposes of our seeing where and how both the story being told, and those telling it, can be strengthened, defined and refined. With this accomplished, roles are clarified; 'passing the ball,' 'agree and add,' and 'the first date gaze' between team members is practiced. These sessions are videotaped for the instructional purposes of the team only.

Speechwriting

Working in conjunction with you, Frances will find the meeting place between the needs and concerns of your audience and your objective in speaking to them. With that in-hand, your speechwriting road map will be created, incorporating language that is both natural to you and compelling to them.

Casting

Upon request, CMM provides actors for print, radio and television commercials.

Sponsorship

Upon request, CMM will work with you to find sponsors for your charitable event.

Audio

Listen to an excerpt from the audio book version of How to Wow.

Dr. Alvin Jones. Charlotte, NC (May 5, 2008)

Presentation Skills Webinar (May 21, 2008)

Dr. Pat Show. Seattle, WA (May 23, 2008)

The Cliff Roles Show. Sarasota, FL (June 5, 2008)

Video

Frances Cole Jones Interview

The Wow Factor

The Wow Factor Presentational video

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Testimonials

TIME

"Jones's shrewd book will give the nervously employed that requisite competitive career edge"

What's Inside

Introduction

On April 29, 2008, How to Wow was published to a gratifying reception— shortly afterward, the world as we knew it collapsed.
The recession, or "credit crunch," had arrived.

Within days my phone was ringing off the hook: Clients who had suddenly been "outsourced," and clients desperate to keep the jobs they had, were looking for answers.

This is when my company kicked it up to Code Orange— my clients needed cutting- edge information, and they needed it immediately. (Trust me, when you get a call from a CEO's family saying he's on suicide watch, you don't reply with "Let me check my calendar.") They needed solutions, skills, and tactics— yesterday.

This is how The Wow Factor was born.
The Wow Factor offers thirty- three things you absolutely must and absolutely must not do to survive in today's business world. From corporate CEOs who suddenly need to reinvent themselves, to recent graduates facing unprecedented, fierce competition, to entrepreneurs who need to secure funding when funding is seemingly nonexistent, to those wondering if the industry they're working in will continue to exist—I've coached them all, and more. These proven tools can give you the edge you need to recession- proof your job— no, make that your career.
And because it's likely many of you are in the same position as my recent clients, there's going to be far less sugarcoating this time around. They needed shortcuts. And— if you're like one of the many people I know walking around with their stomachs in knots and their insomnia in overdrive— I'm guessing you do too.

What kinds of skills am I talking about? Everything from how to restore your confidence— critical in these days of "Look hungry, go hungry"—to how to outprepare your interviewer, to how to leverage your network when the last thing you want to do is pick up the phone one more time.
This world demands creativity, fluidity, and persistence the likes of which few of us have had to call on before. The Wow Factor provides resources and answers.

And for those of you who are thinking you might just use this time to keep your head down and avoid the shrapnel, I'd like to point out that the widget you're intent on continuing to make will likely not be needed by this brave new world— nor will anyone have the money to buy it. (Should you doubtthis, please note that a study done by Digital Ethnography states that when the majority of today's college students graduate they will be applying for jobs that don't currently exist because the technology hasn't yet been invented.)

Another important consideration is how much opportunity turbulent times provide for those with the guts and skill to seize it. One of my best clients runs a business her grandfather founded during the depths of the Great Depression. He took a big risk, and three generations later, she and her customers benefit from the determination, optimism, and vision he showed in 1936.

With this in mind, then, how can you evolve, change, and survive in a time when corporations we held as bulletproof are gone? Lehman Brothers, Doubleday, Bear Stearns are gone. General Motors and AIG are teetering. What's next?

What's next is you at the top of your game. The tools I offered in How to Wow were basic, and basic is no longer enough. Basic is now merely mandatory.

In the interest of getting you where you needed to be yesterday, I kept How to Wow's "search and destroy" format and divided The Wow Factor into three sections: Practice, Know, and Do.

Section One: Practice looks at the attitudes, habits, and skills that will enable you to feel calm, confident, and in command from within, so you can project these qualities to an increasingly turbulent outside world. Internalizing these principles and disciplines alters your mental wiring in such a way that the self- confidence you project comes from the self- esteem you've embraced, a shift that is critical to an authentic external presentation. In these days when "buyer beware" is uppermost in everyone's minds— when anyone with the faintest whiff of uneasiness, unctuousness, or inability is the first to face the firing line— this is not a choice.

Section Two: Know includes information vital to getting along in today's world, offering everything I've learned about how to effectively target your dream job, get your résumé to the top of the pile, outprepare your interviewer, and thrive once you've landed the position you want. It will also look at the many ways we communicate in writing (text, email, snail mail) and the situations in which we do (responding to interested employers, setting up meetings and interviews, posting social networking profiles) and shows you how to express yourself clearly, accurately, and elegantly in every scenario. In this economy, mastery of technological media is no longer enough. Expressing yourself memorably, and with grace, via every line of communication you use, is a must. This section also addresses the value of play, silence, and circumlocution, and the necessity of packing a verbal one- two punch. To succeed in your communication, sometimes you want to stand out and sometimes you want to fit in. This section ensures your skill, whichever you intend.

Finally, Section Three: Do outlines the action steps necessary to make things happen, whether this is building your own advisory board, making your expectations explicit, adopting the number one rule for a successful job search ("Do It, Delegate It, or Delete It"), keeping at the forefront of technology, building trust, leveraging your existing network, or adding to it. You will also learn to barter your skills and connections in such a way that whether you need inside information on tomorrow's business lunch, a spot on the guest list at a sales prospect's party, or a website redesign in exchange for a wardrobe overhaul, you know who to call, and how to get results once you have that person on the phone. In short, this section tells you how to guarantee that the largely internal and personal changes described in Sections One and Two make an impact on the real world.

Throughout, The Wow Factor offers sample scripts and sidebars to give you practical, factual ways to implement this information without delay. Each section will also conclude with a bulleted "top line message" list of what was included.

Most important, however, The Wow Factor offers you the certainty of knowing that your ideas and skills are both up- to- the- minute and timeless, ensuring that regardless of your current situation— and no matter how high your future goals— your edge over your competition is guaranteed.
And that edge is the wow factor.

Table of contents

SECTION ONE: PRACTICE

Retrain Your Brain
Look for Angels Wearing Overalls
Create Camaraderie
Offer Others an All- Access Pass
Don't Work in a Goat's Stomach
"I Wondered Where That Was. . . ."
Home Office Professionalism
Adopt a Renaissance Attitude
Corporate CliffsNotes
Recognize "Opportunity Costs"
The Chute You Pack May Be Your Own
See the Whole Board; Think Several Moves Deep
Who's Your "Fish"?
Pick Limiting Features
"If I Only Had X Back at My Office . . ."
"No One Can Make You Feel Inferior Without Your Consent"
What Two Things ...
Breakups Are Like Handguns
Don't Break Your Own Heart
Business Class Is About More Than the Salted Almonds
Summing It Up

SECTION TWO: KNOW

Manners Matter
Elevator Etiquette
Off- Duty Do's and Don'ts
You're Not "Good"
For the Love of Peat Pete
"No Problem" Is One
(Mis)Pronunciation(s)
(No Need to) Second That Emotion
"This Is She"
The Six Layers of Why
Why Not
Master the Medium
Eye Spy
Sign with Style
URGENT!!
Texting— Time Out
The Must- Have FAQ
It's All in the Timing
Human Resources: An Insider's Guide
Sample Script: Your Greatest Strength
Presenting Your (Checkered) Past
The Compensation Conversation
The Artful Dodge
The Toddler Treatment
Problem Solving Is Personal
"You Can Discover More About a Person in an Hour of Play Than in a Year of Conversation"
Get Something on the Calendar
Your Problems Are Not (Necessarily) Their Problems
You Must Have the Cattle
Now You're Speaking My Language
The Ten Worst Business Sayings
Summing It Up

SECTION THREE: DO

Plan for Courage
There's a New Kid in Town
"Can You Come Speak to an Old Friend?"
"Let Us Not Commit Suicide for Fear of Death"
Job Search Secret: "Do It, Delegate It, or Delete It"
Abandon All Nonessential Functions
Research Roundup
Job Interview Time Line
Have a Thick Face
Just Say Yes
Sample Script: Embed Yourself
"Dress- Ready"
Do Go There
Bypass the Bureaucracy
Call with No News
Your Approximate Waiting Time Is ...
Keep Current Outside Your Comfort Zone
Have a Scheme (or at Least a Blog)
Favor the Moment
Return Receipt Requested
Brain Barter
The Elegant Extrication
Stop the Bombing
Make Expectations Explicit
Build an Advisory Board
Don't Ask Permission
Summing It Up
Website Roundup
Recommended Reading

The Wow Lab

ACE THE INTERVIEW

PART ONE

PART TWO

SELL YOUR BEST SELF

SELL YOUR BEST SELF

POSITION YOURSELF FOR PROMOTION

POSITION YOURSELF FOR PROMOTION]]>

Excerpt

Retrain Your Brain

"That's one small step for man…." Most of you are likely able to finish Neil Armstrong's sentence regarding his first step on the moon— "one giant leap for mankind."
I propose that mental strength, and its twin brother, confidence, are gained in much the same way. While I am intent on avoiding the obvious Lao Tzu quote (journey/thousand miles/single step/etc,) I think the sentiment is one it's important to remember. Circumnavigating, removing, or changing your attitude toward the obstacles you currently face is far more manageable if you break it down into discrete steps. And the fact is that even small changes begin to retrain your brain. This phenomenon, called "Neuroplasticity" is a burgeoning field in brain research, and thanks to the latest brain scanning technology, it is increasingly clear that adults can – and do – sharpen their brains, heal learning problems, and more.
In short, you can teach yourself resilience.
Should you be skeptical, here's an immediate, tangible example of simple brain retraining: Stop reading this and interlace your fingers. Now, unlace them and re-lace with your other index finger on top.
If you are like most people this switch will feel awfully peculiar. The reason for this is that we generally interlace our fingers with the index finger of our dominant hand on top—it's our body's habit. And, like so many habits, we accept it without question. But, as has been pointed out to me, your habits are your destiny—would you accept your destiny without lifting a finger to change it?
What other small, physical habits might you look at? Well, you might notice if you always step out of the shower or start down the stairs with the same foot first, or brush your teeth or throw a ball with the same hand. If you do, switch it up. Research has shown that doing so stimulates the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that plays a critical role in the regulation of metabolism, immune reactions and stress responses-- a small price to pay to support your body's efforts to maintain its weight, stay healthy and remain calm.
How can you apply this information to your work life? My request is that you pick one thing—one thing only—that you want to change and focus on doing that for a month. If you have a habit of putting off making cold calls because you dread both the research and the rejection, I want you to pick one person or company that you've mentally targeted and rather than give yourself the goal of getting to them today, tell yourself that today is just the day that you are going to do the research: find out as much as you can about their background and then write down all the ways in which your skill set can improve their life or business. Tomorrow, I would ask that you write down every possible objection they might have to your suggestions, and how you might counter those objections. For example, if someone were to say, "I don't have the budget." Your response might be, "The meeting's free." Time on day three could be spent researching the gatekeepers, and deciding what methods of persuasion are most likely to gain you access. Day four you might make the call, and day five send your follow up email or letter.
Now, you might be thinking, I don't have a week to make one phone call-- I need things to change now. Perhaps, but it's that kind of thinking that causes people to feel overwhelmed, which generally leads to dread and avoidance. Breaking the challenge down into concrete steps and taking charge of each in a methodical way automatically makes you feel more in control.
So, back to cold calls: week two, I'd want you to target job or person number two. I'm guessing by now, you'll be quicker at each step—you might even find you look forward to the challenge. You might even get two calls in. By week three you could be on a roll, making up to three calls. At the end of the month, it will be a new habit. And while this may not seem groundbreaking in the abstract, doing just one new thing a month guarantees that by the end of the year you will have adopted twelve new habits-- which is, I think, the equivalent of one giant leap.

Create Camaraderie

We've all had the experience of sitting through an awkward meeting, lunch or phone call—one that, no matter how hard we try never seems to get off the ground. While there is no scientific formula to making these moments work, there are a number of tools you can use to both prepare yourself for success, and ensure your polished follow up:
Pick three small-talk topics:
While it may seem a bit pedantic, it's often helpful to think through three potential topics for small talk prior to your arrival. In my experience it's best to choose from a fairly broad range of possibilities: say, sports, movies, and—depending on the crowd—local restaurants or attractions that you have researched. What this does is smooth over transitional moments such as waiting for the last participant to arrive for the meeting, for the waiter to bring your menus, or for the elevator when you're ready to leave—all of which can be awkward if silent, or potentially deal-breaking if the topic you choose at random lands badly with your listeners.
Eat and drink what you're offered:
This is something many people have asked me about—their concern being that if they accept the offer of water, coffee—drinks or food of any kind—they are being difficult or demanding. In fact, accepting their hospitality signals both your openness to them as a person, and your feelings regarding a potentially positive outcome to the meeting as a whole. This doesn't mean that if you're offered coffee you say, "May I have a double no-fun, no-foam mochachino with six splendas." All that's necessary is, "Yes, thank you," and move on. If you're worried about nerves, I recommend water over coffee as, caffeine intake issues aside, water's likely to come in a tumbler which, depending on the design, is easier to manage than a coffee cup—I include this quite specifically as one of my clients confessed to having gotten the coffee and then found his hands were shaking too badly to pick it up. If you do somehow manage to spill your drink in every direction (as I have done) don't panic. Ask where paper towels are, help with the clean up, apologize once, and move on.
Write down what people tell you:
Because I have a freakish ability to retain what's said to me without writing it down, I rarely, if ever, used to take notes in meetings. What I discovered from one of my clients is that this made him very, very nervous. If he didn't see me writing it down, he didn't believe I was going to remember it. Having consequently made a habit of doing this I've noticed that it both frees others' up mentally—the same way it does when you see your waiter or waitress write down your order-- and gives them a sense they have actively contributed-- which improves morale all around. With this in mind, whether you use the notes or not, write down what others tell you.
Make notes immediately upon leaving:
One of my most successful financial clients makes a point of jotting down notes on any personal information mentioned immediately upon leaving a meeting or lunch. This allows him, in his thank you note, to be very specific with his follow up. For example, "It was so wonderful to hear Jane and Sally are doing so well in school." Or, "I do hope Tom enjoys his time at camp this summer." The P.R. executive with whom I most enjoy working likely does the same (and it's one of the many reasons I so enjoy her): I've noted that she never fails to ask how my dog is, and it never ceases to make me smile.
Ensure communication flows:
In addition to making yourself available to those with whom you meet, you should ensure your staff is able to do the same. This means that any time you're going to be out of the office for an extended period of time, they are told how and where to reach you. They should also have the names of all current and potential clients in-hand, and a general idea of the status of every project, so they can say with authority, "Hello Mr. X, No, he's not in the office at the moment, but I know he's been wanting to speak with you. Here is how to reach him." Or, "Hello Mr. X, No, he's not in the office at the moment. I know you're calling him about Y project. Is there something that I can help you with immediately?" Either of which responses is guaranteed to leave the listener feeling he or she is valuable to your team.
As you can see, while none of the above is groundbreaking in itself. What each does do is to create a sense of camaraderie and community within a business environment, both of which are just short steps from the trust that's needed to seal the deal.

See the Whole Board. Think Several Moves Deep.

Garry Kasparov, the greatest chess player in the history of the world, and now a dissident Russian politician, claims there are only two keys to playing great chess: see the whole board and think several moves deep. (Warren Buffet, by the way, agrees, saying that the key question in Economics is "And then what?")
How can you apply this idea to a business environment? (After all, the first four moves in chess offer 318,979,584,000 possible opening games and life offers even more.) By taking an expansive view of your business mandate and your customer's experience. How can you do this? By looking at your core business processes not as a single snapshot or diagram in a conference room, but as a flow:
Consider how you develop products and services
Look at how you generate demand for these
Analyze how you fulfill that demand
My goal is to have you begin to see this chain as an integrated, living process whose aim is maximum customer satisfaction and value start to finish.
One of the best examples of this concept that I know comes from Virgin Atlantic Airlines, a company universally acknowledged to have changed the way we fly. One of the ways they did this was by considering what the flying experience was like outside the airplane: what could they do to improve the way people felt about both their trip to the airport and their time in the airport? Some of the ideas they implemented include offering passengers a limousine service to pick them up at their home and drive them to their terminal. Another was to institute more luxurious lounges, and make them available to premium flyers both coming and going. (After all, one needs a shower a lot more on arrival than before takeoff!) They also, of course, treated their premium passengers like adults in flight, offering them the "luxury" of simply raiding a picnic basket to get their own snacks. Their ability to consider the entire travel experience—not just the portion they were technically responsible for—is one of the reasons they've led their field.
With this in mind, then, how can you step back from your immediate situation—take a more global perspective? For example, if you own a business, have you considered offering free or discount parking to your customers? Working with your Chamber of Commerce to improve the lighting in the parking lot? Speaking with the businesses around you about adding trees, window boxes, or shrubbery to make the surroundings more compelling? This is in effect what New York's Times Square Partnership and other neighborhood associations have done. They have hired their own street-cleaning crews and security guards, because they realize that people's shopping experiences don't start at their store's front doors, but at the customers front doors (or at least, well before their individual shops). They view a purchase as a process and a relationship. In short, just as the best way to see if your houseguests will have a nice experience is to sleep for one night in your guest room, one recipe for success in business is to truly "walk a mile" in your customers' shoes.
Admittedly, it's hard to think big picture at times when things are tight—or to consider spending money on seeming non-essentials. That said, it's at times like these that customers make choices based on the smallest of variables: providing customers with a ‘complete experience' was certainly how coffee shops ended up in bookstores, and why Starbucks is now the largest public wi-fi provider in America; and I'm positive it's why my muffler shop has added both a television and a table of the latest magazines to their waiting area, and my gym has soap, shampoo, lotion and hair dryers in the changing rooms.
What are some questions you might ask yourself, or some tools you can use to elicit this information?
Consider not only how the competition is doing business, but also how your favorite businesses are engaging you—and why. Are there elements of their customer experience that you can tweak to improve your own?
Organize a focus group with your best customers. In exchange for X amount of free product or service, ask them how or what they might improve about your business or service. You can create your own at www.zoomerang.com
Include a "suggestions for improvement" section on your website. (This should include an automatic reply thanking them for their input. If their suggestion is implemented, I would further follow up with a note letting them know that, too. It's a fantastic, easy, way to help your customers get invested in your success while improving your own business. The ultimate win/win.)
As you can see, no matter the size of your business, considering the entire flow of your customer's experience is likely to end with you saying, "Checkmate" to your competition.

How To Wow

Introduction

How often have you left an interview, a meeting, a presentation, an audition, thinking, "That's it! I nailed it!"only to discover you didn't get the job, the client, the account, the funding, the part?

Alternatively, how often have you left with a bad case of the "if only's"?

For me, there's nothing worse.

And today, due to the speed of the world we live in, these thoughts are compounded by the fact that we're rarely off duty. An elevator ride with our CEO turns into an impromptu presentation, our lunch date becomes a job interview, our conversation at a cocktail party sets the stage for a potential business merger.

But what if I told you that it's possible to be far more in command of how you're perceived than you currently realize? That you have far more control—in situations that are seemingly out of your control—than you know? That there are proven strategies that will leave your audience, interviewer, or whomever you are aiming to impress, thinking, "Now that's someone I want to work with"?

The name of my company is Cole Media Management, and I'm hired on a daily basis by individual clients and corporations to teach their executives and employees these valuable strategies.

Over the years Cole Media Management has been in business, I have met with hundreds of clients, across a spectrum of industries, preparing for everything from job interviews to sales meetings, appearances on Oprah to IPO road shows where they'll be asking for a billion (yes, that "B" is correct) dollars.

Every client, every situation is, of course, different, but regardless of the details of the situation, if you aren't getting the response you want, or expect, you need to look at your message and—just as important—at how you are expressing that message. Often, with just a few adjustments, you can go from a near miss to a slam dunk, from a "that was nice" presentation to one that knocks their socks off, from a mediocre meeting to one that fires up each and every participant.

The thing is, when you want to make a good impression no detail is too small. No amount of advance preparation is too much. No word choice is unimportant. The shirt you wear, the chair you sit in, the thank-you note you write afterward should all be carefully considered, and ultimately compound the impression of someone who's calm, confident, and in command.

I present the information in How to Wow in a one- to two page "search-and-destroy" format to make it easy for you to find the information needed in your situation—meeting, lunch, job interview, speech, PowerPoint presentation—so you can begin employing it, and enjoying the benefits of it, immediately. Then, when there's time to browse, you can wend your way through the other sections.

The strategies I offer come from a spectrum of modalities and, aside from the general principles discussed in chapter one, the information I offer my clients, and you, is yours to pick and choose from. There are no "rules" because I recognize that, as with my clients, each of you comes to the table with a unique set of attributes and circumstances.

More important, I know each of you is smart enough to know what will work for you and your circumstances: what will help give you the confidence to speak your mind in a meeting, motivate your team under deadline, or negotiate your business deal over pasta puttanesca.

I will know I've succeeded when you begin to doubt your doubts—to be confident in your confidence. Because when you are, you are free to be enthusiastic, committed, authentic.

The you that you know yourself to be when you're at your best.

Because that's where the wow is.

Table of contents

CHAPTER ONE

Don't Leave Home Without Them:
The Nonnegotiable General Principles

CHAPTER TWO

Make It More Than "Just Lunch":
The Art of the One-on-One Encounter

CHAPTER THREE

Conspire to Inspire:
Maximizing Meetings

CHAPTER FOUR

Interview to a Kill:
Stress-Free Job Interviewing

CHAPTER FIVE

Stand and Deliver:
Giving Speeches That Bring People to Their Feet

CHAPTER SIX

Pointed PowerPoint:
Making PowerPoint Powerful

CHAPTER SEVEN

Put It in Writing:
But Before You Do . . .

CHAPTER EIGHT

Oh So Social:
Making the Most of Your Social Interactions

CHAPTER NINE

The Fine Points of Verbal Finesse:
Answers to Questions, and Question and Answer

Testimonials

Frances Cole Jones teaches and refines the art of interpersonal communication. After reading her books, I feel equipped with better skills to project my strengths and talents. How to Wow and The Wow Factor have brought out the best in me—the concepts she teaches are literally second nature to me now.

Dr. Dennis Gross, founder
Dr. Dennis Gross skincare


"Wow is not optional
Neither is this book
Buy it- Study it
Put it into action
And Wow your bank account!"

Jeffrey Gitomer
Author of The Little Red Book of Selling


"I just wanted to thank you again for the incredible job you did speaking at The Art of Sales in Calgary and Vancouver. You were excellent. I have heard numerous comments from attendees on how much they enjoyed your presentation.
The Art of Productions looks forward to continued work with you in the future."

Scott Kavanagh, The Art of Productions Inc.


Frances,

Thank you so much for the kind note and the incredible insights you shared with my team. Everyone is just so enthused by your training and I can already see how invaluable it will be for us!
All my very best,
Nina
__________________________
Nina Willdorf
Editor in Chief
Budget Travel magazine
nina.willdorf@budgettravel.com
646/695-6748


How to Wow is a great book. In fact I used some of the tips in a meeting at a major national retailer and they worked instantly. Frances has put together the best information and tips imaginable to help you succeed in any meeting or presentation. Pick it up today. It will change your thinking.

Stephen Key
Licensing Expert
AllBusiness.com


Good morning Ms. Jones. I just finished reading your book last night and have to say it was really inspired. I am a Dale Carnegie Coach and yet you taught me a great deal more about effective communication and public speaking. Thank you for writing the book.

Bryan Prince, MBA


Hi Frances,

The meeting went really well. I provided them with their "egg" rather than having everything locked down, and I believe it resulted in the consultants in the room taking greater ownership of the proposed approach.

Wow and thanks,

Paul Ashcraft
President, Envision Group


Frances,

Had not gotten three pages into your book before saying to my wife "this was a good investment." Was actually looking to steal some of your public speaking tips, but got hooked reading the whole thing.

I served 25 years and retired as head of Marine Corps media relations in 2002. Could have used this info years ago, but catching up now while corp comm director for a large research company in NC. I am enjoying the book and have already recommended it to three people.

Thanks,
Patrick Gibbons


Please relay my thanks to Frances Jones for her list of Most Persuasive Words. I have so far managed to include ten out of the twelve in my new resume. I'm working on the last two: for the record, Love and Easy. These two, by the way, are seldom seen together in life or presentations!

Many thanks.

Tom McDermott
Rye, NY


I was in the audience for your talk to the SCCA group a few weeks back (in Rhode Island) and it was phenomenal! I have to say that it is one of the only presentations that I took notes on because it was the one presentation that is directly applicable to my work with students.
So many students are just concerned with how to answer certain interview questions and to be honest, a lot of my counseling for interviews surrounds that. But after listening to you, I realize how important everything else is too.
Aimee M. Catizone, Career Counselor
Career Development Office
Vassar College


"I'm almost finished reading "How to Wow" and I love it. So many golden nuggets that I can use.
I can't wait until your next book, if there is one. Thank you for sharing your wisdom through this book.
Sincerely, 
Mike Levy


Dear Ms. Jones,

Thanks so much for your book "How to Wow."  It was extremely helpful to me.  I have finished a 15-month job hunt with an excellent job, despite the economy, ageism, and the "handicap" of entering law school in my forties, and passing the bar at fifty.

I look forward to more of your writing. 

Robin McCall

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Wow This Week

Research Roundup

A lot of people recommend doing background research on the company you've targeted, or have been invited to come in and speak with, and this is great advice. What I've realized, however, is that many of you hear that and think, "Well, OK, but what specifically am I supposed to know and/or be looking for?" With this in mind, here's a list of nine questions you should always have the answers to:

1. Why you want to work in the industry.
This is an often-overlooked softball question. For example, if you're talking to Citibank, it's possible they will begin with, "Why do you want to be in finance?" A question that almost demands a story along the lines of, "From the time I was X years old..." includes a precipitating incident, and concludes with, "and I've been passionate about it ever since." This answer is particularly important if you are changing sectors (i.e. moving from garden design to retail fashion). You must have a reason beyond "I need a job." – even if that's true.

2. Why you want to work for that particular company
Here is where you speak to their mission, their corporate values, their vision, etc. and then position yourself as being able to contribute to furthering their goals, enhancing their status, or plugging the hole in their offerings via skill sets and ideas that are unique to you—how do their goals mesh with yours? As in a good cover letter, this is a chance to speak about their needs in terms of your abilities. (Cover letter side note: the basic opening theme of cover letters should be "My understanding is that your company needs X, Y, and Z" i.e. open with what you know about THEM and what you believe are their needs. You can then move on to why you can meet those needs, "especially because this has been a lifelong goal," etc…. The point is, you want to open by talking about them and their requirements, and then show how well you match. Do this, and they'll be pleasantly surprised.)

3. What their best selling product is and why.
If it is a consumer product, it would be great if you've actually tried it (if you haven't.) At bare minimum, make sure that you're not wearing, carrying, driving, etc. the competition. One consultant that I know who worked in the telecoms industry was smart enough to keep three brands of cell-phones in his briefcase. Before meetings, he would move SIM cards from phone to phone as appropriate. He started this practice ever since potential clients at Palm commented on the Blackberry he was carrying. One MBA student that I know borrowed a friend's Ford to attend his interview there – when he got the job, he sold his Toyota before reporting for work!
In this vein, know who their competition is, and why.
If they are not a consumer brand, or you are new to the industry and aren't quite sure, Hoover's (www.hoovers.com) is a big help for this, as are stock reports on the company or industry which can be found from brokerages like Charles Schwab. (www.charlesschwab.com) What I've discovered is that even if the company I am interested is not publicly traded, the broker will have reports that explain in laymen's terms the big players in an industry, how the companies in it have been doing lately, all the latest important news about the business, etc. And unlike looking at whatever Google throws up that day, you can also be sure that this industry information has been sorted and sifted for relevance and (relative) even-handedness.
How many employees/offices they have (and the locations of those offices.)
Knowledge of any and all subsidiary brands.
Knowledge of any industry infighting.
This last can be tough and so, is often overlooked even by the best of us (as those of you know who remember when Tiger Woods thanked Arthur Andersen—as opposed to Andersen Consulting—for sponsoring a golf tournament when he was on Andersen Consulting's payroll, the partners were in the audience, and the two were in the midst of a bitter corporate divorce.) That said, they don't call it the World Wide Web for nothing—do take the time to check beyond the first five entries Google throws up. (If nothing turns up by entry twenty, you've likely done your due diligence, however.)
As much knowledge as possible on your interviewer's background.
While you don't want to walk in with a creepy level of detail, you should know where he or she went to school, how long they've been with the company, etc. Questions about their experience with the company—what do they like best about the corporate culture, etc-- are also a nice thing to ask should they inquire, "Do you have any questions for me?" ("Do you have any questions for me? is also a good time to ask about their company's plans for growth over the next five years.)
The general salary range for that position within the industry.
You won't want to bring up a number unless they do—but should they ask what your proposed salary might be, you don't want to be able to give them a range that's in the industry ballpark.
As you can see, the knowledge that you've covered these basics lays a solid foundation for you to be able to proceed with confidence and flair.

How to Wow When You Need Instant Credibility

Every now and then, you find yourself in the position of needing to become an overnight expert on an area of an industry—or an entire industry—about which you know very little. Perhaps it's a call about a job outside your area of immediate expertise, perhaps it's needing to research the basics of an industry to which you are pitching. Whatever the reason, you need instant credibility.
In these moments, I recommend you go immediately to hbsp.harvard.edu: home of Harvard Business School case studies. Covering disciplines from accounting to entrepreneurship, finance to marketing, negotiations to competitive strategy—and available for under ten dollars apiece-- these bits of "potted knowledge" offer you the ability to speak with authority on subjects which you might otherwise have avoided. Designed to tell MBA's everything they need to know about the corporate drivers of a company or industry and offer intelligent analyses about the case in question, they guarantee instant confidence.

Free...New...Amazing...: Wow With the 6 Most Influential Words for a Copywriter

Knowing the pinch/crunch/stress of the days you are having I thought the following, recently discovered, list of The 6 Most Influential Words for a Copywriter might come in handy:

Free
New
Amazing
Now
How to
Easy

Thought it was an interesting juxtaposition to Yale's list of the 12 Most Persuasive Words in the English Language:
You
Money
Save
New
Results
Health
Easy
Safety
Love
Discovery
Proven
Guarantee

Enjoy!

Sold!: 3 Ways to Guarantee the Sale

Yale University's study of the most persuasive words in the English language put "You" at number one. With this in mind, be sure to emphasize how buying your idea, product, or service is going to make your prospect's life better.

Social Psychologist Ellen Langer demonstrated that giving people the "because" behind why your request is being made increases the likelihood of their buying in from 60 to 94%. So, for example, you might open your presentation with, "I wanted to talk to you today because..."

Duncan Hines' decision to have the at-home baker add the egg to their cake mix was made in the marketing department, as it invests the baker in the success of the cake. Similarly, finding the "egg" your prospect will be adding to your pitch: their vision, their expertise, their institutional memory, will help them get invested in your success.

3 Ways Women can Wow

1. Because women have naturally higher voices, it's particularly important to ensure we're speaking from our diaphragm. To check, place your hand on your abdomen while you speak. If you're hand's not moving, your diaphragm's not engaged. An easy way to practice engaging it is to lie on the floor with a heavy book on your stomach and breathe til the book is moving up and down. When you stand up, your voice will have dropped about an octave.

2. It's important for everyone to be aware of how they are taking up space. As women, we often make ourselves smaller, rather than larger.  As you sit in your next meeting, look around at the posture and attitudes of others at the table. If you're leaning back with your hands in your lap while others are leaning forward, move to the front of your seat, lean in, and place your hands flat on the table to indicate accessibility.
3. Listening without interrupting is a vastly underrated skill set-- and interruptions come in many forms. As women, we often interrupt by agreeing and encouraging-- not recognizing that this can interrupt others' thought patterns. Practice signaling your encouragement and agreement via non-verbal techniques: by leaning in, nodding your head, and smiling.

3 Rules for Wowing Your Holiday Office Party

1. Don't drink:
I know many of you are trying to find a loophole in the this one—perhaps thinking, "She means 'only drink white wine' or 'She means, 'alternate every mixed drink with water." This is not, in fact, so. I'm saying don't drink. Period. Full Stop. The office party is just the office in a different location. All the usual suspects will be there, including those sipping fizzy water with one hand, while mentally crossing the fingers of the other, hoping against hope that somebody in the crowd has a couple of knocks and takes to the dance floor, having checked their inhibitions in the coat room.
You don't want this to be you. You ensure this by not drinking.

2. Don't Gossip
Office gossip can be among the most exciting because although we know the players intimately, but we don't have an emotional attachment to them. But when we become involved in the conversation—either by actively participating, or by passively listening as others let fly-- we send a message to everyone around us that we can't be trusted. All of which can leave your colleagues, or your boss, thinking, "If I can't trust him with the small things, how am I going to trust him with the big?"

3. Have fun
I understand that, after Rules 1 and 2 this may come as a surprise, but here's my thinking: Making a conscious choice to enjoy yourself—whether by getting to know people you know better, or by getting to know people you don't yet know—will allow you to move through your coming work weeks, months, and years with a better understanding of the motivations and intentions, obstacles and strengths of those around you. You will now know who the go-to person is in invoicing, who needs extra encouragement in sales, who thrives under pressure. Information that will help you be far better at what you do: a priceless holiday bonus.

Three Small (but Significant) Ways to Stand Out from the Team

Dress For the Job You Want, Not the Job You Have
Perhaps your office has dress down Fridays, and this is something you and your contemporary's look forward to. That said, you've noticed senior management doesn't take advantage of this. Given that, I'd recommend you abandon Friday casual, too.

Speak up
One of the quickest ways to exhibit ease is by speaking up at every opportunity-- not just during the weekly staff get-together. For instance, perhaps you ride the elevator with your CEO a few mornings a week. Rather than standing face-forward and observing the control panel in silence, take this chance to greet him or her.

Lead a team
Most jobs require people skills as well as technical skills. Given this, volunteer to head up—or initiate—a team project. When you do, know that the easiest way to motivate others is to praise them. It can be as simple as, "Good work today," as they leave, but you'll be surprised at the difference this makes in their willingness to go the extra mile.

"How's today at 3 pm?": Three Strategies for an Impromptu Interview

"Agree and add" is the first rule of improvisational theater. In the business world this means your answer to a question such as, "Can you come in this afternoon at 3?" is, "Yes, of course." Not, "I think so. Let me check with my spouse/the babysitter/my trainer." Having agreed, hang up the phone and figure out the details on your own time.

In addition to interview-ready response statements to what you do, what you want to do, and the value you add, have an interview-ready kit in your closet consisting of a clean and pressed shirt, suit, tie, and polished shoes; plus up-to-date business cards, resumes and/or a portfolio. This means you can spend the time before the interview doing background research on the company, not running to the drycleaner or copy shop.

If inquiries are made about a skill set that can be acquired via a weekend's worth of hard work on your part--for example: "Do you know how to run a focus group/embed video in a Key Note presentation/coordinate a marketing newsletter blast?"-- your answer should be, "Yes." After that, cancel your plans and do the research.

When You Don't Know the Answer, Know Who to Ask: 3 Ways to Build Your Career Advisory Board

Actively cultivate different experts in your field—and related fields-- by attending conferences, after work gatherings, etc. Putting together a "board of directors" for your career sends a strong signal to others that you're to be taken seriously.
Don't hesitate to ask for—and be willing to accept— offers of advice, feedback, mentoring. Chris Mathews, author of Hardball, says, "If you want a friend, ask a favor." I'm going to add, "If you want a mentor, ask for their advice."
Should their advice contribute to your success, pick up the phone or send an email and let them know how. Be specific: "Your idea about X was the deciding factor in why they chose our idea. Thank you."

Links

"I wondered where that was..."

www.gothamorganizers.com professional office and home organizers

Home Office Professionalism

www.stamps.com information on online postage accounts
www.pitneyworks.com information on personal postage machines
www.efax.com information on free faxing
www.alibaba.com countdown clocks for big projects

Adopt a Renaissance Attitude

http://news.bbc.co.uk BBC News home page
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/ Times Literary Supplement home page
www.metmuseum.org Metropolitan Museum home page
http://www.arlingtoninstitute.org/ Arlington Institute (“committed to thinking about global futures and trying to influence rapid, positive change”) home page
http://www.wfs.org/ World Future Society home page
www.teach12.com The Teaching Company: college and high school courses available on DVD

"See the whole board; Think Several Moves Deep."

www.zoomerang.com help you create your own focus groups.

Corporate Cliffs Notes

http://harvardbusiness.org Harvard Business School case studies

"If I Only Had X, Back at My Office…"

www.gotomypc.com Service that allows you to log in to your home machine and hard drive from any browser in the world and pick up your confidential documents.

Business Class is About More than the Salted Almonds

www.prioritypass.com Membership in business class lounges around the world

Master the Medium

www.register.com Buy your name/business name as a dot.com
www.networksolutions.com Buy your name/business names as a dot.com
www.activedomain.com Buy your name/business name as a dot.com]]>

Eye Spy

www.dictionary.com Sign up for their free word-of-the-day
www.wordsmith.org Another terrific vocabulary enhancement/free word-of-the-day site

Human Resources: An Insider's Guide

www.acethecase.com Case interview preparation
www.quintcareers.com/case_interviews.html Case interview preparation
www.mckinsey.com/careers/how_do_i_apply/how_to_do_well_in_the_interview.aspx Video case interviews you can watch

You Must Have the Cattle

www.aphorisms-galore.info aphorisms for presentations, newsletters, speeches
www.thehypertexts.com epigrams for presentations, newsletters, speeches

Now You're Speaking My Language

www.theladders.com listings for jobs that pay over $100,000 a year.

Research Roundup

www.hoovers.com Business reports and profiles on companies nationwide. They also have terrific, free webinars on numerous business topics
www.charlesschwab.com Stock reports on companies nationwide

Keep Current Outside Your Comfort Zone

www.kurzweilai.net current events and breaking news in the technology arena
www.arstechnica.com cutting edge information on trends and capabilities in technology in both the PC and the Mac world
www.trendwatching.com cutting edge marketing trends
www.springwise.com full-spectrum view of where are interests, technology and creativity are taking us.

Have a Scheme (or at Least a Blog)

http://wordpress.com/ Start your own blog
www.blogger.com/ Start your own blog
home.spaces.live.com/. Start your own blog
http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Blog Eight-part video on starting your own blog
www.register.com Website templates
www.networksolutions.com Website templates
www.activedomain.com Website templates
www.b2kcorp.com Off-site resource for building your website

The Elegant Extrication

www.shoeboxed.com scan and organize your receipts and business cards

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