Falling, and Face Plants, and Frozen Yogurt, Oh My!

We all know that Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco. Last week, I left my face imprint in front of a FroYo (not the name) store inDublin. A cement berm which I did not see, stuck out beside a car parked much too far to the right side of the space, and over I went. Yes, it’s a given that women should walk, not talk, in parking lots.

Now, I could argue that the berm caused me to trip. Really? (It reached out, and took me by the ankles). Had I looked far enough ahead, even in a dark parking lot, I still could have seen what could happen and try to avoid the agonizing scene that followed. (Although genuinely hurt, and bleeding, I was more embarrassed than anything else).

Like the cement berm, life gets in our way. If we don’t look up from a distance once in awhile, plans could fail. We end up on our faces, which could be both embarrassing, and detrimental to our personal and business lives.

As entrepreneurs, our livelihoods are much more at stake where we cannot afford to fall. One way to protect against falls and fails is to look down the road, check for obstacles, and plan how to proceed.

In our marketing efforts, we could end up embarrassed as we put ourselves out there for all to see. It is up to us to sound professional and smart to our clients and customers in writing and in what we verbalize. We need to assure that the parking lot stays lit and there are no obstacles in the way of our business transactions.

If your marketing text does not leave an imprint with your clients, consider a professional writer or editor to help with what you leave behind to move you forward.

* The ~ tilde (pronounced till duh), is the wavy line on your keyboard that shares a key with the backquote. Tildes are derived from the Spanish and Latin (titulus) that means “title” or superscription. Today, tildes have many uses including uses in URLS.

(See Wikipedia.org/wiki/tilde)

Have a great week.

The Write Girl inPleasanton,

~Carol

The Goal Here Is . . .

Several years ago, during a conversation about football, my Dad commented that most football fans only cheer for their favorite local teams. For us that means the 49ers, and Raiders. He encouraged my family to root for the “underdog” teams; those who win fewer games.

Taking what my Dad said to heart, it became my goal to cheer on a team who was, at the time, not winning as many games as their conference rivals. This particular team would go on in later years to don the coveted Super Bowl rings.

Wearing their jersey during televised games, I became a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. While Tony Dungy reigned as theTampaBayhead coach, and althoughTampawas neither a popular nor a first place team, that was not a deal breaker for me.

In 2002, under the coaching expertise of Jon Gruden, former coach of the Oakland Raiders, the Bucs won the Super Bowl-defeating the Raiders. How’s that for irony? Hope was not only alive for the Bucs; hope prevailed. (I prefer to think of it as the luck I brought them; the luck of the Swedish). A new coach helped as well.

In writing, the words we replace can be compared to coaching. The replacement can make all the difference. A coach will tighten up the team introducing fresh training ideas – sometimes eliminating plays or players to help the team play smarter; play to win.

Tightening up your sentences helps to produce a sharp, concise thought. You will substitute unnecessary text for words that will help you sound smarter and more professional. Your communication will be more effective:

Instead of, “I thought the report needed to be on your desk by the first of the week.”

Try: “I understand that the report deadline is early this week.”

Here, you tightened up your sentence by six words. Is, “on your desk,” truly necessary?

As you pull together and tighten up, find single (when possible) word replacements that allow for the missing text. While you make a selection that replaces two or more words, you may need to rewrite the sentence to accomplish your objective.

As you ask questions about which text is important and which you can eliminate  – tying it all together will add to your professional demeanor.

Have a great week and remember:

Your special teams in marketing are there to help guard your keeper bringing you closer to your goal.

 

~Carol Marshall

The Write Girl of Pleasanton

My heart B’logs to you…

Welcome to my blog…

I am looking forward to meeting you via my blog!

With today being Leap Day, it’s time for something new.

It is my desire to offer weekly tips, tricks, or information that will help with your writing endeavors.

First up…

The Ellipses . . . 

The popular ellipsis (ellipses) is a series of three dots that precedes the deliberate exclusion of a word, sentence, or piece of quoted text. You may also use it as a rambling or trailing off – denoting silence or as a break in a thought process. 

“He was a great teacher, lecturer, philosopher…”

“You know what I mean…”

“And the sunset became night…”

“Hmmm…”

I wish you the best in your communication with your clients. If you have any questions, or if I can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

~Carol

Here is an example of an article that Carol Marshall edited:

2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
A Convertible Crossover!

By Charles Donaldson

Life is more interesting when we can blend the better of two worlds. The automotive industry strives to create niche vehicles that take the characteristics of one segment and morph it with another. So, with a show of hands who would love a vehicle that explores the off-road, showers you with the freedom of an open breeze blowing through your hair while the sun paints you with a new shade of tan? And did I mention, along with all of this attention, you are treated to the soft comforts of a car verses the rough making of an SUV?

Keep your hands up, I’m still counting. Well, for all of us who have passionately replied “yes”, under the direction of Nissan’s President, Carlos Ghosn, they have created a multi-climate combination with the all-new 2011 Murano CrossCabriolet convertible crossover.  All-wheel drive is standard on the Murano CrossCabriolet.

The 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet AWD is packaged as a fully-loaded one model trim with the only option being camel-colored leather. Standard equipment includes leather seating, dual-zone climate control, navigation system with XM traffic, 9.3 GB MusicBox hard drive, Bose 8-speaker audio system, rearview camera, heated seats and steering wheel, remote entry, bi-xenon projector beam headlamps, heated seats and mirrors, and 20-inch alloy wheels.

With every trip I took in the Murano CrossCabriolet, the vehicle attracted on-lookers and inquiries. My son, Chase, and I while cruising garage sales with the top down and wearing cool shades, at every stop we entertained questions about the car and accepted compliments. Chase, 3 years old, asked me “Dad, why does everyone want to talk to us about this car?” My reply was “… because they have never seen such a unique-looking vehicle!” My little unscientific survey produced big thumbs-up accolades and smiles from both sexes. It seems Nissan got it right.

The designers at Nissan took the existing four-door all-wheel-drive Murano crossover and carved out a convertible version. They eliminated the two rear doors, extended the front doors by nearly 8-inches to allow easier access to the rear seat, and incorporated a power convertible cloth top that neatly folds into the trunk and hides under a hard shell cover. The CrossCabriolet is a four-seater compared to the Murano’s five-person capacity.

The convertible top is a quality cloth with a fabric liner and is available in either beige or black. The CrossCabriolet converts from coupe to convertible in about 25 seconds. A thin skylight sits slightly above the rear window. The overall package generates a sporty profile with the top up or down.

The leather seats are extremely comfortable. The loss of the third rear passenger provides for two large seats. Rear legroom is snugger on the CrossCabriolet verses the four-door hardtop Murano, due to the space needed to store the convertible top. Your trunk space is also impacted when the top is stored away.

The dash is full of contours and dressed in all black or tan with many soft touch points. The center dash adds character. It functions as the main control area starting with a seven-inch screen for viewing the navigation system, radio, climate settings and backup camera. Below the monitor sits all of the knobs and buttons to operate all of those items as well as an additional storage area. The center console is trimmed in wood and includes two cup holders. The center arm-rest doubles as a dual layer storage area. The lockable glove box is quite roomy; being able to fit a laptop.

The power behind the Murano is Nissan’s 3.5-liter DOHV V6-engine generating 265 horsepower. Teamed with a second generation CVT transmission, it has good logic control and a low gear. The V6 had plenty of power and effortlessly got me into the flow of freeway traffic, while the handling around tight corners was only fair. There’s no manual shift mode with the CVT, which was fine with me. The second gen CVT uses what Nissan calls Adaptive Shift Control to deliver a sporty experience, which worked out great.

Room for improvement:

• A slight rattle emerged from somewhere in the cloth top, but was easily drowned out by the Bose audio system.

Cool Features:

• Power Convertible Top
• Unique styling
• Start Ignition Button

The Murano CrossCabriolet safety equipment includes dual-stage frontal airbags, side-impact airbags in front, door-mounted airbag curtains with rollover sensor, pop-up roll bars for rear passengers, active headrests in front, anti-lock brakes, Vehicle Dynamic Control with traction control, tire pressure monitor, and all-wheel drive.

In Summary – The 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet is priced at $46,390. What that price gives you is a vehicle that scores high for originality and provides the versatility to handle your driving SUV needs truly in a different fashion than anything else on the market. With a comfortable interior, good power, stylish exterior and all-wheel drive; the 2011 Murano CrossCabriolet is ready to handle your every driving need. So jump in, put the top down, sport the shades, toss the hair spray out the window, and watch your “cool- meter” climb!

Specifications

2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet AWD

Base price:                  $46,390 as driven: $47,335 (including destination)

Engine:                        3.5-liter V6-cylinder

Horsepower:               265 @ 6000

Torque:                       248 foot pounds @ 4400

Transmission:             CVT Automatic

Drive:                          All Wheel-Drive

Seating:                       4-passenger

Turning circle:            39.3 feet

Cargo space:               12.3 cubic feet

Curb weight:               4,438 pounds

Fuel capacity:              21.7 gallons      

EPA mileage:              City 17 / Highway 22

Wheel Base:                111.2 inches

Warranty:                    3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper

Copywriting Services, Website Content, Bios, Newsletters, Blogs, Taglines, Carol Marshall

Carol Marshall and CM Write provides professional copy writing services including Website Content, Bios, Newsletters, Marketing, Blogs, Press Releases, Brochures, Taglines, Creative Content and more.

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