www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD OCTOBER 2009 45 Business News PET Tips for Working with a PR Firm When you retain a public relations fi rm to present your business to the public, you're forming an important strategic alliance. How much you gain in return will depend on how much you BOTH put into the relationship. Making the most of the services and expertise that your public relations agency off ers isn't diffi cult; however, you have to put in eff ort from the beginning. By doing this you will build a productive and successful partnership that should generate positive press and, eventually, increased revenue. Here are some key suggestions to help make the most of your working partnership - . Nurture the relationship. Be ready to spend plenty of time and eff ort in the initial stages in order to build this relationship. It is your responsibility to inform your PR Agency as to your company and industry - no matter how strong they may be. Ideally, you want them to know as much as you know about your business and the market it serves. The more time you spend fully briefi ng them now, the faster they'll be able to represent your company eff ectively. . Keep them informed. All businesses create news; whether it's hiring new employees, creating new products, taking on new customers or even moving premises. All of these events represent outstanding opportunities for positive press.... as long as your PR agency is kept informed - and preferably as early as possible. Open channels of communication between your business and the agency are critical. Sometimes regular weekly or monthly meetings may work best or even just weekly emails or telephone calls. In any case, it's essential to create a system to inform and update the agency - and stick to it. . Be an active listener. Remember: You're the expert on your company, your customers, and the products and services that you off er. Your PR agency is an expert at crafting and delivering messages that will present your business to the market in a positive and creative way. Don't underestimate the importance of active listening. You need to leverage each other's expertise in order to achieve the common goal of promoting your company. ¦ The Work- Life Balance: Is It Achievable for Small Retailers? It's a tough time for retailers. Not only have their hours been expanded, causing them to be open 65+ hours a week - no more " closed on Sunday", no more " closed on holidays" ( save for Christmas Day), no more " closed at 5pm" - but they're expected to be available anytime for whatever the business needs. We all get caught up in our work lives. And it doesn't matter whether we own a business or work for a corporation. We've been taught that unless we're working 24/ 7, checking and responding to emails at 5: 00am and 11: 00pm, taking a conference call at home in our pyjamas, that we're not model employees or hardworking employers. Here are some suggestions to get more " me time." . Empower and trust your employees. If you can't trust them to take on the role of manager or assistant manager, then why did you hire them in the fi rst place? Managers and assistant managers are there to run or help run the business. So why aren't you letting them? Get them involved - they want to learn and grow. Allow them to run the place and hold them accountable. . Set the ground rules. Make sure your employees understand when and how you would like to be contacted. Set up a special ring on your phone ( e. g. call and let it ring once, hang up, then call back again) or some other way that you'll know it's a true emergency. Make sure employees, vendors and whoever else knows that you will work nights and weekends only if it's agreed upon in advance. Remind them that you have personal time and that you need them to respect that time. . Take a holiday. Adopt " If it isn't burning down, I don't want to hear from you." And be true to that. Have a fantastic holiday and get some downtime, come back refreshed and reenergized. The business won't burn down and your employees will deal with any issues that arise providing you appoint someone as " the boss while I'm gone" so everyone knows who to turn to. . Stay closed on holidays and other days where it doesn't make sense to open. A holiday is defi ned as " a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done." But ' keeping up with the Jones' who are looking for ever-higher revenues are now open 365 days a year doesn't always work. Make your own choice, you answer only to yourself. So make the decision to forego revenues in exchange for some much- needed downtime. . Get your share of " me time." Take off mid- day to go to the gym if you need to cover the late shift. Take off early to attend your daughter's sports day. Don't let work be the reason that you don't take care of yourself. It's a trap that's way too easy to fall into. In reality, it's an excuse. . Don't bring your work home. You have to make a conscious decision to separate your work life from your home life. Draw the line and make working at home the exception, not the norm. If you let your work creep into your personal life, working at home will soon be the norm. Owning a small business is a lot of work. But you CAN have it all - you can create the perfect balance between your work life and personal life. ¦

Did You Know That... Benefi ts of using an online digital magazine . Totally environmentally friendly - you offset your carbon footprint . Live links to websites and email addresses - you can be contacted immediately by potential customers . Any part of the magazine can use video or audio - we can even show your TV adverts! . Lower production costs - lower advertising rates passed onto the customer . Unique editorial and advertising packages to guarantee page space at prime product launch times . Products are ' tried and tested' by real testers Magazine circulation comparisons Magazine Name Circulation Source Subscription/ Free Pet Trade World 12,000 Pet Trade World website July 09 Free Pets International 10,500 Pets International website July 09 Subscription Pet Gazette 7.256 Pet Gazette website July 09 Free Pet Business Week News 6,300 PBW website July 09 Subscription/ Free Pet Product Marketing 5,491 ABC July 07- June08 Free Country distribution UK 53% Europe 25% USA 9% Australia 3% Rest of World 10% Top content 1 General News 2 New Products 3 Business Advice 4 Product Focus 5 Aquatic News and New Products Pet Trade World circulates 12,000 copies by personalised emails each month - more than any other pet trade publication Pages read each issue Average number of pages read each issue 24 Average issue size each month 30 Average time spent reading each issue 1 - 10 minutes 56% 11 - 20 minutes 32% Over 20 minutes 12% Pet Product Manufacturers 34% Pet Retailers 29% Garden Centres 6% Pet Product Wholesalers 5% Vet Practices 5% Aquatic Retailers 5% Aquatic Manufacturers 4% Equine Manufacturers 4% Aquatic Wholesalers 2% Charities/ Organisations/ Government Bodies 2% PR/ Marketing/ Advertising Agencies 2% Equine Outlets 2% Who receives the magazine? For all enquiries call + 44 ( 0) 845 459 9956