Ok Future Mr. President McCain or Obama, we’re watching you. And your body language says a lot about the type of person we are electing. Body language is critical to the way in which we market ourselves. Human beings are constantly taking cues from one another’s tone, expressions, and body language.

Which brings me to Man Hugs. The hug is muscling its way into the culture of the American male. You can read more about the Art of the Man Hug on a post I wrote last year: Males Learn the Art of the Man Hug

And then I saw some man hugging going on with our presidential candidates. I’m curious to know your thoughts on what their body language says about Obama and McCain. What do you think of how they hug and who they hug?

There’s a whole lotta political lovin’ going on. Check out these images:

McCain Hugs Bush

McCain hugging Arnold

McCain hugging Kissinger

McCain hugs Lieberman

Obama Hugs Ted Kennedy

Obama Hugs Al Gore

Obama Hugging Kerry

Obama and McCain Share a Moment

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Do you ever sit down to write your next ezine article or blog post and find yourself utterly and completely stumped? You have plenty of expertise in your field. And, you can always find things to say to your clients. But there is something about sitting down to create new content that can leave us at a complete loss of what to write.

Here are 7 tips to relight your creative spark and allow you to easily create content:

1. Answer a question. Pick a question that your clients frequently ask. Answer the question in a short article. You can keep a running list of FAQs and refer to this whenever you get stumped. The great thing about answering client questions is that you know you are providing information that is useful and will help showcase your expertise.

2. Respond to hot topics in your industry. Review your industry publications, ezines, and blogs for what people are talking about and offer your opinion on the subject. Don’t be scared to be controversial or disagree with the majority. This is what will set you apart. Your readers want to know what YOU think.

3. Comment on a statistic or study. There is always ongoing research in every industry. Look up some recent statistics in your field and write an article or blog post about it. For instance, I wrote an article about keeping in touch with customers because a study showed that most salespeople give up after one or two contacts even though most sales are made after the fourth contact!

4. Use a numbered tip list. This article you are reading right now is an example of this format. You can pick a topic and then share a number of points on the subject. Try headlines such as: “Top 3 Ways to…” and “5 Secrets on How to…” and “11 Ways You Can…” and so on. Magazines often use these type of articles because they are easy to read and quickly disseminate information to the reader.

5. Interview someone in your field. Pick a few questions to ask someone who is well known in your industry. I like to use this type of article to highlight an expert who has complimentary knowledge to mine or deep expertise on a topic that will be very useful to my audience. For instance, my expertise is in marketing but I might choose to interview an authority on publishing a book or on public relations.

6. Share your latest gem. To stay at the top of our business game, most of us read industry publications, attend seminars, and/or listen to teleseminars. When you learn something new that will help your clients, write about it. Your audience will be grateful to you for teaching them about the latest and greatest. You can also offer a review of an event or resource as well. I have done several book reviews for my blog audience.

7. Use Your Success Stories. People learn quickly from stories. So, use a client case study to demonstrate how a particular challenge can be overcome. Then, you can use the success story as a launch pad for more general advice. This type of article will teach your readers and reinforce your position as the expert.

Action Item: Keep a running list of article ideas - jot these down when they come to you. Keep it near your computer. By taking a look at it the next time you are in a pinch, you’ll have quick ways to develop story ideas or your ezine and blog.

Ready to boost the marketing for your business? Then order a copy of the Maven Marketing Home Study System! It’s everything you need to know to attract the best customers for your business. You’ll learn how to describe what makes your business remarkable, how to get new customers calling YOU, and lots of other valuable strategies to help you fill your sales pipeline quickly. (Why struggle with your marketing anymore?)

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I’ve been keeping a secret from you.

I’m pregnant! This is our first child. Nathan and I are both tickled about becoming parents. I am having my baby shower next weekend with lots of great women friends to support me. Nathan is inviting a bunch of his biking friends up for Labor Day weekend for a pre-baby hard-core cycling weekend.

Our son (yes, it’s a boy - we saw the parts on the ultrasound) is due on October 17th. I have been slowly setting up the nursery with lots of cool wall hangings and I even painted a crazy cat picture for him. I’ve also been doing a lot of strategic thinking about how this baby will affect my businesses and family dynamic. I’ll be sharing more of my process in future issues.

Best, Wendy

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Ok consultants and designers…I just KNOW you have had a client like this one. I could completely relate to this video:

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