E!’s take on the PR industry far from typical business reality

I admit it. I was tricked into watching the new reality show, “The Spindustry” on E! this last Sunday. If you read my company blog a while back, you’ll know I’m a bit of a reality TV show junkie. More importantly though, as a public relations and marketing professional, I was curious to see how professionals on the “sexier” side of the industry conduct business. Plus, the cheesy show name pulled me in – although I cringe inside every time I hear me and others in my professional referred to as “spin doctors.”

Although only one episode has aired since writing this blog, I’ll let you in on what the show has properly communicated to viewers:

Public relations works – Having other people – whether media, industry experts, current customers, etc. – tell your story carries a lot more weight than simply placing traditional advertising. Both work together, but PR is ideal to have incorporated into your overall marketing communication program.

Results matter – Staffers on the first episode were upset when an outsider came in and seemingly took over operations to roll-out a 24-hour turn-around publicity event. However, the outsider got the job done in just minutes compared to the handful of team members who spent hours trying to accomplish the same goal. Although the outsider didn’t fold into the new group smoothly, as no one coming into a team situation at literally the very last hour would, she made magic happen for the company and its client.

Here is what the show improperly communicated to viewers:

Tardiness is not an issue – Half of the office was not able to show-up to work, meetings or work-related events on-time. (Let me remind you, this is in just one episode.) Excessive tardiness is an issue and shows a complete lack of respect for the people you are scheduled to meet with. I cannot think of a rule breaker more damaging than to be continually late…to anything.

Treating employees like underlings – Screaming at staffers about your inaccurate sandwich orders and telling them ‘your job is to shut up and bring the suckers’ (while en rout to a celebrity candy endorsement meeting), in front of other employees and on nationwide cable television no less, doesn’t build a business. Instead, it builds bitterness, breaks down overall team morale and simply destroys the shred of respect employees have for a boss. And, now that publicity firm owner Jonathan Cheban has decided to publicly showcase his circus on-air, I wouldn’t be surprised if a number of celebrities would choose NOT be associated with a company that treats their team the way he does.

The list goes on, but I’m certain you get the point.

Hopefully the show’s PR firm can learn from its past and incorporate the proper business fundamentals needed to make their West Coast office a success. In the meantime, this reality TV show junkie is opting not to watch future episodes of “The Spindustry.”

Gain focus and clarity by making lists

My husband dislikes my lists – until just recently. The fact that I didn’t pick up lunch meat at the grocery store a while back, because it wasn’t “on the list,” may have been the deciding factor in him now supporting my list-making “dark side” as he calls it.

For many years, he poked fun at me and called me a control freak etc. What he didn’t realize until recently is how that little piece of paper others dislike so badly is often the only thing that keeps me functioning properly. Many times it’s the only thing that brings order to my otherwise crazy life as a professional, wife and mom. How else would I remember to schedule a kid’s doctor appointment, pick-up prescriptions, drop-off my pants to at the dry cleaners, get my oil changed and still remember to buy that nail polish remover I’ve been meaning to pick-up for the last month? Not to mention lists for my professional life.

Perhaps I am a control freak to some, but for me, lists put me in control, period.

What others fail to see is that list making can be a simple, tactical way to clear your mind and give you the mental freedom you need to relax. More importantly, it gives you the focus and the ability to see all that needs to happen (from small to large tasks, to wish lists and life goals), it shows you how to prioritize your life and bring value to it by achieving your goals, tasks, “to-do’s” or however you’d like to refer to your own list. Lists are my personal way to see past procrastination and make my life happen.

I typically have four lists at any given time: 1) task list for the office, which includes long-term goals; 2) day-of task list for the office (the “needs to happen today” list so I don’t fall behind on the tasks at-hand); 3) personal shopping list that sits on my kitchen counter and is added to as the week proceeds (as a working mom, there’s simply no time to worry about picking up cookies for a child’s class and light bulbs for the porch all week long); and 4) a miscellaneous list that contains reminders for birthday cards, holiday event planning needs, etc.

Consider this blog my nod of approval to you, fellow list-crazed professional wives and moms who juggle a handful of full-time jobs 24-7. Regain clarity, relieve stress and feel good about regularly crossing off items on your list. It is, after all, an indication that you are achieving your goals.

If it’s “amazing,” prove it.

My son loves the park. (What kid doesn’t?) Lately, however, he really enjoys climbing a 3-story tower that overlooks a portion of the park.

This past weekend as we made our way to the top step of the tower my two-year-old told me how “amazing” the view was. In fact, he said it multiple times. So many times, I couldn’t help but question if the view really was amazing, or that he just learned the nifty saying earlier that day in school? (I decided on the later. If you're a parent to a two-year-old, you understand why.)

Fast forward two days and I’m on the phone with a local advertising representative who claims their product is “amazing.” So much so, she said it nearly 30 times during our five minute conversation. It was a bit overkill for me, but the thought of my son at the park jumped to my mind again and I thought to myself that simply saying how “amazing” something is, over and over, is not a solid sales strategy. Actually, it can carry long term negative repercussions as a result of it. (Trick me, and I’ll never come back as a customer again.)

Enthusiasm cannot completely replace the lack of a great product or service to back you up. Granted successful sales integrate the one-two punch, enthusiasm coupled with a great product or service. However, simply saying how “amazing” a service is, won’t gain you loyal customers for the long haul.

Proof is in the pudding. How you deliver, or "sell," is critical to closing a new customer, but equally as important is the delivery of products and services.

Don’t overlook easy-to-use relationship marketing tactics

The market has been hard on most of us. However, luckily for me, and my firm, now that the market has started to loosen-up so have sales/marketing service inquiries.

We’re the experts when it comes to integrating marketing and sales strategies, but what frequently surprises me is the lack of general knowledge many business professionals have when it comes to employing basic relationship marketing.

Granted, some marketing programs produce lackluster results, especially if they’re not properly planned for and implemented and don't have the sales support they need, but there are still tried-and-true essentials any professional can use, starting today, to enhance current client relationships as well as relationships with prospects and leads.

Simple tactics which I often see overlooked:

No in-house list – It can be a painstaking task to develop up-front, but kept up-to-date, your in-house list can be your greatest marketing and sales asset. I suggest collecting addresses and emails for your clients, contacts/referral sources/“champions,” vendors, leads/prospects. Your list can be used for just about anything you need to promote your business – from notifying people of new services/products, inviting them to open houses or free workshops, to wishing them a great holiday. It is the easiest, most cost-efficient way to connect with your contacts regularly, thereby helping you remain top-of-mind with clients.

Lack of follow-up – If someone is interested in using your services, follow-up with them within 24 hours of your discussion. If you do not hear back from your lead, follow-up with them again within the next 2-3 days. I recommend picking up an old-fashioned piece of hardware on our desk (telephone) to make the connection. I recommend that phone because too many people are resistant to using it these days, but that’s for another blog. Speaking by phone will build your relationship more quickly and will better relay to your new contact what type of personality you have, which allows them to build a more positive mental picture of you and how you can help their business. (i.e. the "I like you and trust you, so I'll do business with you" feeling.)

Not asking for referrals – This is a very small, yet effective way to remain in the forefront of your happy clientele’s mind when they're out and about. If your business relies on referrals, ask for them. It can be something as simple as speaking or writing to a client after they’ve told you how happy they are with your service, saying something such as: “You’re welcome. We’re happy you’ve been more than satisfied with our services. Please feel free to keep us in mind if you know other folks who could use a firm like ours. Have a great afternoon.”

Regularly contact your clients – This is especially important if you live in the B2B world, where you need to maintain long-standing relationships in order to sustain regular business from a set group of clients. Find small ways to regularly be infront of your clients. Send articles that relate to their business (“I found this and thought you’d appreciate reading it as well.”). Invite them to networking events you plan to attend and help them develop new relationships. Send them personally written notes about how you appreciate their business. Don’t be an annoyance, be a value-added bonus of their relationship with you and a virtual part of their team.

Don’t take a backseat attitude when it comes to building and maintaining business relationships. Sit-and-wait strategies don’t work and these tactics can help push you in a positive direction.

Let the experts be the experts.

Last night on the drive home I did something I've never done before... I recorded myself singing in the car. Before pulling into the driveway, I replayed the recording. I thought to myself that surely I would sound as great as I've always thought I have, right? Nothing could be further from the truth. Suddenly I felt sorry for my husband, who has listened to me belt-out my favorite tunes over the years. I also realized that the portable karaoke gift I received six years ago by a colleague was likely a gag, rather than an actual gift. (I still love it nonetheless.)

I knew for certain right then and there, in a fraction of just a moment, that no matter how hard I try I do not possess natural talent for singing. (American Idol will have to wait - forever.)

It reminded me of a common challenge I see day-to-day in business: many of us push to be the expert in all things. In fact, many of us try so hard to be the expert, we push the people who have natural talent away, in turn, pushing away collaborative opportunities that can help you down the line.

We must let the experts be the experts. (I'll never be a Carrie Underwood.)

Of course, I don't recommend approaching others with a heightened level of naivety. That's just being an irresponsible consumer. Instead, we need to pull people, who have natural talent in areas we lack, into our inner circle. Once in the circle, there must be mutual respect, opportunities to challenge each other’s thinking as well as to support each other in our efforts. (A special "shout out" to my main man Brian for the inner circle concept.)

In a profession where there's no barrier to entry, I encounter this challenge daily. Everyone's a marketing pro and sales whiz - or so they think. And since I work with a number of organizations over the course of each day, I can tell you there is a clear distinction between the level of success or failure that can happen purely as a result of the relationship a client chooses to have with me, or any of their professionally outsourced partners for that matter.

For example, if a person seeks my advice, I invite them to question it, even challenge it. (Again, responsible consumerism.) However, if they seek my advice, but insist on always challenging the system to a point that they refuse to move ahead on my professional recommendations and therefore fail in their efforts, there's no other choice than to reevaluate the working relationship - from both ends. The result: time is wasted and results are not achieved.

I know where my natural talent lies as well as the people closest to me at the workplace and I collaborate with them accordingly. Do you?

“Clouding” creativity

When was the last time you stared into the sky and imagined the cloud as a dinosaur, marshmallow, or a snake carrying a lunch box? For my two-year-old, the answer is today, this morning… and five minutes ago. (Here he is pictured right in his newest invention: his tent.)

I’m envious of children. The world is so new. There are no worries, just now. Everything is exciting and could be something it may not. Children’s minds are always open to creative experiences.

Exercising your creative ability comes in all shapes and sizes. For children, it’s often through everyday events – sunsets, clouds, roly-poly’s in the backyard. For adults, it can be more difficult to see the creative opportunities that surround us each and every day as we whirl through the days.

Pausing life for just a moment to take in the world, even if for mere minutes, can serve as a reenergizing and creative outlet to you at the workplace. (A special thanks to a long-time friend and artist, Alex Raffi, who has helped me come to appreciate this creative process over the years.)

I challenge us all, including myself, to take two minutes (set a timer for yourself if needed) to look into the sky and imagine shapes in the clouds just once a day to reconnect with your inner creative person. Let the sky cloud-IN your creativity.

In fact, take a look outside now and take a moment for yourself. What do you see? Me? …a checkerboard.

Thou shalt blog.

I’m not a religious person. In fact, I always joke that when I die and I’m reborn to this earth I’ll be Jewish. Of course, if I’m reborn that’s because I had spent my current life studying reincarnation and hoping the Hindu community would accept me as one of their newcomers.

All joking aside, I had to post a note, blog …whatever you’d like to call it, about a KNPR program I was listening to last week on my way home. The program focused on how blogging and social networking sites help to expand your brand presence, message and therefore modify public behavior.

Although people pay me for my advice and much of that advice has included my suggesting businesses implement these same communication efforts for themselves over the years, sometimes the message just doesn’t stick… at least, not until Pope Benedict XVI proclaims it. (Apparently I don’t have the same pull that he does.)

That’s right. One of the world’s most traditional groups is now promoting social networking to spread its message.

So what does this mean for you, besides having the “will” of the church behind you as you move into the world of Internet, electronic and social networking? It means, in order to encourage behavioral change (regardless of your affiliation or message), you need to be where the people are. That is the goal of marketing my friends.

Check back soon. I’ll be posting another whatyoumacallit that will provide you with suggestions on how to enhance your blog site.