BLOND TIPS:
SUSAN BLOND'S SECRETS TO EFFECTIVE SOCIAL NAVIGATION, NETWORKING AND ETIQUETTE



Beach Time:

1. When you get to the beach mark your territory!  Put out whatever you have.

2. Bring a towel that makes a statement.

3. Read a good book, something that people will want to come up to you about.

4. Stay off the phone.  The beach is NOT the place for that.

5. When it's time to shake out your beach towel, walk away from people and do it gently.

6. When you're putting up your umbrella, dig a hole three feet deep.

7. Remember, when you get out of the water the whole beach is watching, so make it dramatic.





Weekend Guest:

 

1. If you’re invited for the weekend, leave Sunday; don’t hint that you would like to stay for an extra day.

 

2. Try to at least act like you love your spouse and children.

 

3. Straighten up your room and bathroom and attempt to make your bed in the morning.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.

 

4. Don’t flirt with your hosts’ spouse.

 

5. Don't bring flowers. Everyone at the beach or in the country has something growing that they cut fresh and put on the table. Also don't bring fruits or vegetables from the city because they are better straight from the earth.

 

6. The best guest cancels the night before so the hosts have no chance of inviting anyone else.

 

7. Offer to fix things. One of my favorite guests fixed the flat tires on our bikes. Another replaced the trash bins.

 

8. If your hostess is crazy enough to let you bring your dog, make sure it doesn’t get stuck under the deck.

 

9. Clear the table and don’t choke on the hostess’ guacamole.

10. If it rains keep smiling. Make the most of your weekend.

11. Don’t talk on the phone, work on the computer, email or watch TV in any shared rooms without asking. And don’t talk about your problems.

12. Always compliment your hosts.

 

13. Never wake your hosts, even if you have already biked ten miles at 7am and are lost.

 

14. When you’re sitting on the sofa without shoes, DO NOT PICK YOUR FEET.

 



The Ups & Downs of Elevator Rides:


1. Quick chatting in the elevator: 10 seconds to your neighbors in the morning, 15 seconds in the afternoon.  While you’re waiting for the elevator, read the person’s mood. If they’re in a bad mood – don’t talk. Some people just can’t snap out of it.

 

2. When you get in the elevator, go to the back. Otherwise, you will be the elevator man pushing those buttons.

 

3. Follow the LIFO principle – Last In First Out. Chivalry is not dead, but in this case, Men — don’t let the women go first. It just makes everything a mess.

 

4. Don’t use your phone in the elevator.  Plus, you know you can be cut off in the middle of your sentence anyway.


5. Whenever I ask someone if they just moved in, they always respond, “I’ve been in the building for four years.” So don't ask.

 

6. Always greet your elevator man or doorman by name. You get to know these guys over the years. In fact, my guys have lasted longer than my marriages.

 

7. Don’t say “I remember when you when you were this little to all the 18 year-olds who are now taller than you. They HATE that!

 

8. If you’re in the elevator and someone’s coming and you’ve seen them, you have to hold it open.

 

9. Ask questions that have very quick answers — otherwise you’ll get into it, they’ll want to talk and then they’ll hold up the whole elevator process.



When The Check Comes:

If you did the inviting, you pay. DON'T HESITATE. A moment's wait will bring terror to the other party.

If you ask for the check, you might as well open your wallet.

Don't say "I got it" if you don't want it.

When you pay, you get the power.

If the other party has gotten used to you paying, don't think they will change - it doesn't matter if they have grown up or become rich.

Don't complain about how bad biz is during the meal just so you don't have to pay.

If the other party insists on paying, offer to pay once - then offer to split once - before conceding to be their guest.

If a couple is taking out the woman's mom, always let the man pay (so mom will think you married well)

If one party orders 3 glasses of wine, an appetizer, steak,and dessert and the other party only orders an appetizer, the party that ordered less should offer to SPLIT and hope that the other party just picks up the whole tab.

Keep a record of who paid last, so that ONE person doesn't always pay.

If you always eat at a friend's club (eg. The Harvard Club) - where you can't pay - insist on taking the clubber out somewhere else next time.

If you have an expense account, ALWAYS PAY.

If the other party pays, don't feel guilty.


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ABOUT SUSAN BLOND

Obviously some people enjoy much longer stretches of fame — more than twenty years after his death, Andy Warhol is still the most famous artist in the world. Publicity was  part of his work as painting and filmmaking. As the inventor of "business art" Warhol realized that in a world defined by media, publicity itself could be a fine art.

Andy Warhol’s Number One Publicity Protege was Susan Blond, who quickly went from Warhol employee to Warhol film Superstar to self-made PR Superstar. Today, as President and CEO of Susan Blond, Inc. she is one of the most powerful forces in media. But even more importantly, she continues to revolutionize the business by doing business the way an artist makes art. Media is her medium, and she works it like a master.

Susan Blond has represented the most important artists of our time — from Prince to Art World artists like Julian Schnabel. She has represented more superstars (a term coined by her famous ex-boss Warhol) than any publicist, probably because artists identify with her as a kindred spirit. Creative artists are quick to notice her creative tactics in representing them. The fact is, she has always approached anything she did as art.

Susan Blond’s first art was painting. In the early Seventies she had a one-woman show at Harvard University and was chosen as one of ten students to participate in the Whitney Museum’s prestigious Independent Study Program. Her personality quickly drew her into the center of the New York Art World, and Andy Warhol’s Factory. Susan was hired to work for Warhol’s young Interview Magazine because of her unforgettable personality and voice. The same magnetism that won her the position of advertising sales director of Interview also got her into Warhol’s films.

But big business was calling Blond. An instant hit with the music business crowd (which she had endeared herself to through Interview’s ad sales) United Artists hired Susan, where she represented Blaxploitation soundtracks like Shaft. She then moved to Epic Records where she levitated through the corporate "glass ceiling," becoming the first female Vice President of a major record company. Blond spent thirteen years at the label, guiding the careers of the greatest artists in Music history like The Clash, and working on some of the biggest selling records, including Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which is widely recognized as one of the greatest albums of all time.

In 1987 Susan Blond left Epic to found her own firm, Susan Blond, Inc. The company represented many of the most stellar musical artists, including Janet Jackson, The Beach Boys, Joan Jett, Carly Simon, Julio Iglesias, Iggy Pop, Tammy Wynette, The Spice Girls, Usher, Debbie Harry, Lenny Kravitz, Boy George, Akon,  Britney Spears, New Kids On The Block, Ice Cube, The (Grateful) Dead, Ice-T, Morrissey, James Brown, and Sean "Puffy" Combs, among many others.

Blond incorporated what her old boss Andy always said ("Business is art") by servicing the fields of non-profit organizations, hospitality (including hotels, restaurants and nightlife), personalities and executives, brands and corporations, fashion and beauty, and products and services — while continuing to publicize recording artists and music initiatives for a broad range of many businesses.

Susan Blond, Inc. brings unique experience and an unrivalled network of contacts to every client. The company has a keen understanding that each project is different, requiring customized strategies to achieve specific goals. Some clients know precisely what they want. Others need the expert guidance offered by Susan and her staff. Either way, Susan Blond, Inc. is always passionate about achieving the best results possible for all their clients, from one-man start-ups to global brands.