Joining the Thin Club

When I Say NO to PR: Don't Put the Cart Before the Horse

When a client comes to me for public relations services, they may get turned away.

Why, you might ask, in this business-starved environment, would I actually turn away business?

It all boils down to measuring the success rate of a PR program.  To me, the success is not about getting ink.  The success is in whether MY public relations and marketing guidance from strategy to implementation, has succeeded in helping a company meet its goals.  If a business is not yet ready to handle, process, sell, or fulfill, getting the buzz out on the product or service is simply putting the cart before the horse.

A well-executed PR plan involves working with the overall marketing and business plan - to propel a company forward, to support its mission which may involve calling attention to its services, products and personnel, but only when the company is ready to deliver.

Timing is everything.  I'll never forget supporting a client through a trade show, only to find out that the Associated Press article touting the company's product was frustrating consumers - who told me, "We read about it - but where is it available?  We couldn't find it ANYWHERE and we wanted to buy it!"  The article, targeting consumers, was premature, as this company had not yet brought its product to distributors and brokers.  But they wanted P.R.  Well, since then, I've learned to tell my clients, who may be chomping at the bit to see ink--"not yet!"

When should you hold off on P.R.?

• When your product is not yet available online or in stores. If you are selling online, you must make sure your fulfillment operations are ready to handle whatever comes your way.
  
• When your website is not ready for prime time.  That means if you are doing ecommerce, your site should be easy to navigate and ready to handle the orders.  It also means your search engine optimization capabilities should be tweaked to put your product wherever it needs to be seen, and your site should be a new (not stale-looking), integrated site - complete with interactive features (i.e., blogs, social media share links, etc.) to announce news and draw the search engine spiders.
• When your product is not yet complete - it can be manufactured in a less costly fashion and is costing you more than it should to produce, or it needs some tweaking at the recipe level.  Yes, the impulse to put it out there for all to see and to generate immediate sales is tempting - but wait until you have your production process finessed.  You only get ONE chance to launch a product and if it isn't what it should be, your PR will suffer in the end.
• When your marketing plan is not solid.  PR starts with strategy.  Strategy falls under the overall marketing umbrella.  If you haven't plotted out how PR is going to work with other marketing techniques, advertising, promotions and such, your PR is not likely to support your efforts.  If there are disagreements among your decision-makers as to marketing and messaging strategy, first iron out your disagreements, then map out a plan, THEN put your marketing plan into effect.

I am not trying to talk myself out of business when I dissuade clients from engaging my services.  I enjoy the fact that my clients know that if they are not ready for me and I am not likely to get them results that will help their business grow, I will turn them away.  And when they are ready to make their debut, they know they can count on me!

Brain Picking: Volunteering Away Your Value

I am an avid volunteer.  When someone asks for help, I just love to "just say yes."

It is my fervent belief that being a giving, caring person - in business and beyond - can help you establish yourself as a "do-er." 

So when a client who is no longer on the payroll called to "pick my brain," of course I said yes.  He had been a loyal client and we maintained a cordial relationship.  Why not?  And when that "brain-picking" turned into a few more phone calls, I was happy to oblige.  Until today.  Today he called up and said, "I'm taking out a full-page advertisement in a local publication and I would like you to write some advertorial copy."

I politely reminded him that he was no longer on the payroll.  He said, "Let's just consider it part of the last month's program."  And then I realized my mistake.  By letting him pick my brain, I had devalued my services.  And so I just said no.  He, again, tried to engage me by telling me that I somehow "owed" him the favor--just a 300-word write-up for his company.  "No, sir, our contract was completed in total in August," I explained, as Ms. Nice Gal disappeared from my voice. "If you want me to write for you, you have to pay me," I continued.  "My bills have to get paid and my mortgage payment is due."

"Why are you upset?" he countered, perplexed.  "How about I give you some time to think about it?"

I realized then that I was more upset with myself than with him.  True, he had chutzpah, but I should have realized that by giving away mindshare, which in my line of work is a commodity, I had created a situation where my services--all of them--were "devalued."

I don't regret my volunteer activities helping laid-off people self-brand, conducting twitter conferences and networking groups for small businesses, or being on the Board of Directors for a local Museum or religious group. In fact, I enjoy these encounters and learn from the people I teach.  I've even gotten referrals from some of them.  But when an individual businessperson asks me to provide services for nothing - no matter how good the relationship is, it's like any other product - pay and I will gladly serve you.

So when the phone rang this afternoon and a lawyer explained to me that he is starting his own new business and was told that I was a terrific marketing person and he would like to "pick my brain," I explained nicely that he is welcome to attend one of my seminars or workshops and I'm sure he will get a lot out of it.  He understood completely and agreed to sign up for the very next workshop!  Cause this brain has value - and brain-picking, like apple-picking is going to cost you by the bushel!

Confessions and Apologies...

I'm in the process of getting ready for the big day of confessions - Yom Kippur.  Unlike other religions, the Jewish religion gives us one annual massive opportunity to confront ourselves.  To stare at our "soulular" image and to rip open our hearts.  Even though we can repent -- and are encouraged to do so every day -- Yom Kippur is the day when self-examination, introspection and hopefully finding a peaceful place within us to acknowledge our strengths, weaknesses and the "improvement zones," comes to a serious crescendo. 

Many simply associate Yom Kippur as a day when we don't eat.  True that.  But the day isn't about beating ourselves into submission.  Fasting is just one of the tools we use to confront our spiritual selves - our souls that need no food to nourish - rather they require prayer and silent confession.

Confronting one's soul is a massive task.  We talk about transparency in this day of Internet - where all your missteps and comments are traceable--indelible footprints that can confront you at any point and time.  If you believe in G-d, transparency is a concept you are familiar with.  You know that we are all transparent - even when our sins are locked away in the recesses of our minds.  And on Yom Kippur we stand, cowering before our Creator, and we admit our sins. 

Rationalizations, though common defenses by most all year round, are unacceptable on Yom Kippur.  The "I'm OK, you're OK" mentality just doesn't hold up.  No excuses or rationalizations are given or accepted.  And pain that we've caused others cannot be excused by G-d.  We are commanded to confront one another - and offer our sincere apologies for any pain we caused them with our words or actions.

So, this season, as I confront my own demons - both online, offline, within myself and beyond - let me please extend apologies to anyone that I have hurt in any way this year.  Whether it was through written words, spoken words or actions, please know that I am sincerely sorry.  And I promise not to do it again--and to be a better person.  I humbly beg you to forgive me.

Tomorrow evening, I face myself dead-on.  And G-d.  And I will pray for all mankind, that we merit G-d's mercy and compassion and that He bestows upon each human being on this planet, peace.  It's what we all need this New Year.

Who You Are - What You Do

I ask two opening questions in my self-branding workshop is, "Who are you and what do you do?"

I'm frequently astounded by the number of people who launch into lengthy descriptions of what they DID in their lifetime.  There is no mention of what they are doing currently and what they expect to do over the next few years. 

If we don't have a personal goal and mission statement for LIFE, then what kind of message can we present to the public.  What I do NOW should be taking me forward - to where I am going.  If it is not, or if I'm bogged down in the past, I am not going to be able to communicate my current needs or plant seeds for my future.

Everything we say--our entire persona--should be directed forward, not backward.  Just as we dress for the job we WANT, not the one we are currently in, we should be projecting the image of who we plan to become.  This goes for job-seekers, aspiring entrepreneurs, or people in the workplace who want to get ahead.

Another mistake some people make when describing who they are and what they do, is to get bogged down in cliched adjectives.  I advise them to get as specific as possible (in a concise fashion) and to use words that scream "action!" when describing themselves.  "A creative powerhouse" says a lot more than "original thinker."  Certain images are like magnets.  When you use them, people are attracted to you.  Choose your keywords and use them--over and over--to brand yourself.  In advertising, it is known that a message has to be broadcast at least three times before it is absorbed into the collective psyche.  If you are broadcasting a concise, powerful and consistent message again and and again, you will stand out from the crowd, online and off.

The PR Conundrum

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1005/taxes-financial-aid-college-roughing-up-middle-class.html

I'm going to go out on a limb here - because I know that in the business of public relations, which is my business - and has been for many years - calling a journalist on the carpet for misrepresenting your point of view, can cost a PR person valuable contacts.  In a recent interview for Forbes magazine, I talked about my financial situation.  My attempts to refinance my home--the difficulties of trying to make money after a job loss.  I was candid.  The writer tried to be helpful.  He pointed out that were I employed at full salary I would not be entitled to tax incentives, scholarships, etc.   Small consolation, I told him.  I am looking for full-time employment.  Ideally for a job that pays what I was making at my last job.  Or close to that.  And if that means high taxes, no incentives, and no handouts, it's fine by me.  I believe in giving back to society.

I asked him not to make me look like I wanted handouts.  I assured the writer that the "goodies" I am "entitled to" didn't matter.  I prefer to be fully and gainfully employed.  "If it means my daughter goes to a public college, that's OK," I assured him.  At one point, I told him to find another person to profile.  I sent him this email on September 1st:

"sorry to give you a hard time, but like I said, priority #1 here is keeping myself out of the street and keeping my kids fed and cared for...But just to whine about why if I do get a job, Casey can't go to Pratt on financial aid...well, that's not really my concern or situation at all. 

I am not being defensive here - but this has never ever been a priority for me.  Where is it written that every child deserves the opportunity to go to a name brand school?  What makes a name brand school better than a no-name school?  And who says that every kid that doesn't go to a name brand school won't be successful in life?  And that every kid that does will have doors open for them?

I have a running trail that takes me past some of the most affluent and sprawling mansions in Scarsdale, including Beyonce's.  I don't feel an entitlement to live in those mansions and I don't envy the people in them.  And I do love running past them and admiring their pretty gardens. I applaud the people who do live in them and I hope that they plow their money back into the economy so that I can someday be hired -- maybe by the very company where they serve on the Board.  I hope that their affluence fuels new jobs and fosters consumer confidence and that they buy their kids name brand items in the boutiques all over my neighborhood so the stores will hire me to handle their PR.  Let their kids go to Harvard, Yale and Princeton.  And let those homeowners fund the endowments that give really poor kids the opportunity to go to those schools and make something of themselves. And my kids will go wherever I can afford to send them.  And they will make something of themselves and I will be proud of them - and spring for a great bottle of champagne when they DO graduate!  I am blessed to have what I have and I don't want any more than I am entitled to.  Please do not paint me to be someone who feels victimized.  I'm not a name brand person.  Just a hard working single mom who wants a job real soon!"

Well, my protests went ignored.  The person described in the cleverly-worded article in Forbes is not me!  Instead of painting me as someone seeking an appropriate salary so she could support herself, it portrays me as someone who is torn between the prospect of being employed and being eligible for tax breaks, college scholarships and other incentives.  It simply isn't so.  It never was.  In the online story, not a single quote of mine was published.  My quotes would have painted a very different picture.

Here is the truth.  I have been out of a full-time work, but freelancing out of my house, keeping myself afloat, and I will gladly take a job at my last salary or close to it - as long as it is enough to cover my expenses and give me benefits.  It would be lovely to have some paid health insurance - and real vacation time - perhaps some sick leave.  While I enjoy my work as a PR consultant - and I'm darn good at everything I've done and I do, I enjoyed a steady paycheck and the benefits of full-time employment.

I was raised with a strong work ethic and I love my  work - always have.  I do it because it's cool to do what you love and actually get paid to do it.  And I am OK with giving Uncle Sam his share of what I owe him.  And if my daughter doesn't get to Princeton on scholarship, there are other schools that I can afford.  It's all good.

Free Advice - Don't Ask for Free Advice

"I've started a new business and can use all the free help I can find in order to get in front of my customer base," the message began.  It ended with some open-ended and then some specific requests, beseeching me to put his business in touch with potential clients and end-users.

What's wrong with this picture?

At first glance it seems like the entity in question is a networker par excellance.  But taking into account that I am a professional - and that putting business deals together, developing marketing plans and creating consumer channels is part of what I get paid for, there was something rather nervy about the tone and the request, in general. 

What is the difference between "no skin off my nose" networking - where someone with a business contacts me, asks me for help and I gladly comply, and someone who pops into my mailbox after years of no contact and asks me to do what I generally get paid to do--for free?

What the request taught me is that a business relationship, like a friendship, should be nurtured, reciprocated and valued.  If you are going to ask a favor of someone, do it humbly, only after some basic business niceties are exchanged.  Understand that no one owes you anything.  And offer to reciprocate.  Unlike a friendship, where reciprocation is understood - since friendship is inherently based on a lifetime of "give" and "takes," a business relationship needs to be more defined.

While some are generous givers, and certainly sharing is a component of networking, there should be, at the very least, a promise of some sort of incentive, if someone is willing to open their outlook address book and share a referral.  That much more so, if the favor you are asking, is that person's bread and butter--what they actually get paid to do by others.  In that kind of situation, you need to bring a "housewarming" gift to the table.  What will you do for me, if what others compensate me for, I am giving to you for free?  Because if I were to give you "freebies" that creates an inherent lack of appreciation.  I've devalued my service.  

I am a giver by nature - and I love to help people.  But I don't like to feel like my work is unappreciated or not valued by others.  My suggestion is, that before anyone approach someone with a request for referrals, connections or other business favors, they establish a relationship, promise  some sort of "quid pro quo" and show appreciation.  Otherwise, your request, like the one made of me, is likely to hit the trash bin without so much as a "have a nice day."

Listen First, THEN Sell!

I approached a group of brokers to introduce what I thought was a dynamite new product and I walked out with an earful.  Even though I didn't sell a single item to this group, the information they gave me was far more valuable than cash.  Now I am not a salesperson, nor do I play one on TV.  I am a PR/Marketing consultant, who was doing this client a favor by repping their product locally.

With the client on the phone listening in to my shpeil long-distance, I passed the product around for sampling.  The brokers asked about pricing and I passed out price sheets.  They were incredulous.  "This logo is horrible, and the prices - delusional," one blurted out.  Just as I was about to explain that, yes, the logo is a bit um...old...we were going to revamp it, and that the pricing was negotiable, the client said, "The logo is PERFECT - do you know how many people love our logo and buy our product no matter what...?"  This escalated into a (hmm...what is the business word for "pissing contest"?) that pitted broker against seller.  As a PR person, I knew I had to somehow salvage the situation.

"What else do you guys think is wrong with the product?" I asked.  Sensing that, in me, they had a receptive, responsive ear, the brokers began to explain the product's pluses and minuses, detailing how it didn't measure up to its competitors.  They took me through an overview of comparable products, selling points and prices - as the client on the other end of the phone tried desperately to defend his position and push the rejected product onto the group.  "Listen, listen, LISTEN," I wanted to shout over the phone for the client to hear.  "Now is NOT the time to sell - it's the time to hear what these guys who sell products like yours every day have to say!"  He was too busy talking to listen.

I learned so much from the meeting.  Customer service is not about pushing your product into someone's face - no matter how much you believe and love your product.  It's about listening-- picking up valuable cues and helpful hints.  The truth is, this product may not be ready for prime time just yet.  It may have to be re-packaged, re-priced and every product needs competitive intelligence to compare it to other products before it is introduced to key customers.  While enthusiasm and passion can create incentive, it only supports a product that has been carefully researched, positioned, strategically introduced, branded, priced and packaged for its primary audience, in this case the brokers, and eventually for the end-users - the customers.

When you are selling, STOP, LISTEN and LEARN.  THEN sell.

Twitter Classes and Inspiration Takes the Cake

What do you do when your client load is fading fast?  I faced the challenge head-on since the bulk of my clients seem to be the ones who can't afford to pay me.  They all seem to be in the same boat - in desperate need of PR but with no budget to speak of.  Some try to barter but, frankly, I just don't NEED some of the offerings they proffer (especially the cake guy - PLEASE take the cake...elsewhere!). 

Desperate times call for well...alternative pricing structures, for one.  Tomorrow I meet with Betsy Kent, an SEO specialist who has a system that will enable me to charge lower prices for PR and quantify and claim incentive pay on the PR results. 

I met Betsy at the Cool Twitter Conference - a really interesting gathering of geeks and others who learned how businesses are molding themselves around Twitter.  Businesses like cupcakestop.com (what IS it with me and cake?), run by Lev, a guy who graduated law school to find that there are no jobs for budding attorneys, so he baked cupcakes instead.  Really GOOD cupcakes like brownie cheesecake, red velvet and Elvis (banana chocolate) ones, and he sells them from his Cupcakestop truck.  He Tweets what sort of cupcakes are in the oven each day and where his cupcake truck will stop in NYC every hour on the hour.  What a great way to use Twitter!  Elizabeth Beskin, CEO of The Album Boutique said that in her opinion Twitter should be a mix of 85% PBS and 15% QVC.  Guy Kawasaki, the Social Media Guru disagrees and says it should be 50/50.  I'm with Elizabeth.  There were so many terrific contributors.  All told, it was a very informative conference.

There was something just a little strange about a roomful of people Tweeting together.  I may be the weird one, but it just felt like Twitter is something you're supposed to do in solitary--not when you are sitting next to someone and you can actually "use your words" (and more than 140 characters, at that!).  But fingers were flying as this mostly Baby Boomer crowd chatted with each other across the room and across the universe while speakers presented.

I took the Twitter knowledge I absorbed and shared it with my group at the WJCS Connect-2-Care in Westchester.  I covered the basics - and then some.  They were happy to learn how to use Twitter.  And some have already Tweeted me!  Rock on!

The bottom line is we have opportunities in life to glean inspiration from well...everywhere and everything.  I learned if we share the wealth of our experiences, it somehow pulls us right out of our own hole - a lot better than the cake!