Project Management: The Value Driver You May Be Missing

Project Management: The Value Driver You May Be Missing

The primary task of a project manager (or PM) is to add value. How that happens and what “add value” looks like will vary from one project to another, but the bottom line is that project management, done well, is an essential value driver for your organization.

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How to Write Web Copy That Sells

How to Write Web Copy That Sells

If you have a website, you’re trying to sell something. Whether you’re promoting a product, a service, a point of view, or a perception, the text on your website can indeed make or break your sale. If you want web readers to invest themselves in your site and your message, you have to give them what they want in the way they want it. If you don’t… click, skip, they’re gone and may never come back.

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Your Guide to Free Publicity (or How to Get Talked About for Free)

Your Guide to Free Publicity (or How to Get Talked About for Free)

The ubiquity of technology creates many opportunities to promote your business for free or very little cost. This article may give you a starting point for getting talked about without breaking your budget.

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Finding Great Instructional Design

Finding Great Instructional Design

As I wrote in my column Why You Need Instructional Design, “Great instructional design attracts learners to the content, to the performance ideal, and to the change process. This attraction is essential for changing behavior.” If you’re looking for great instructional design, you need to find an instructional designer with these three qualifications...

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Why You Need Instructional Design

Why You Need Instructional Design

Humans learn every minute of every day. We learn without overt effort or intention. We learn by existing, by seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting. As long as we are conscious, we are learning. We can’t stop ourselves.

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Tips for Working with Freelancers

Tips for Working with Freelancers

In the last Onwords™ column I said that “a qualified freelancer can help you produce more and better work at higher profit margins.” That is absolutely true, as long as you understand how to work with them. What you get out of a freelance relationship depends on what you put into it. Freelancers bring unique strengths and perspective to your business; it is up to you to give them what they need to shine and make you look good. Here are five tips for working successfully with freelancers:

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Freelancers Are Good for Business

Freelancers Are Good for Business

Whether your business is large or small, growing or slowing, a qualified freelancer can help you produce more and better work at higher profit margins. The most successful freelancers produce excellent work with a high level of customer service and further differentiate themselves by offering something that other freelancers don't, e.g., extensive knowledge of a particular industry, exceptional creativity, or a breadth of services. Freelancers (also known as 'independent contractors') are responsible for their own office space, health care benefits, and job-related equipment. The only cost to you is the fee you pay for the work they produce.

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Superhero Sell Sheets

Superhero Sell Sheets

A sell sheet is a high-impact, single-page presentation of your core capabilities, customer benefits, and contact information. It is a smart way to get your brand into the customer's hands without the bulk or expense of a brochure. When you think about it, sell sheets are a lot like superheroes.

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Go Green with Your Written Communication

Go Green with Your Written Communication

This year resolve to "go green" with your written communication. “Green” communication can save you time and money as well as reduce clutter and your environmental footprint.

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Spring Break

Spring Break

Sometimes your best work is to stop working for a while. Kick your shoes off and pull your nose back from the grindstone. Take a break, any kind of break. Take a coffee break, a stretch break, break bread or break out in song. Read on for inspiration to break free and put some spring in your writing.

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