The answers to your questions will quickly coalesce into your new public relations goal – i.e., specific perception problem and, thus, behavior change you want. As examples, neutralize that hurtful rumor, clarify that untruth, turn around that misconception or correct an important but inaccurate number.

As of this moment, you have a goal and no strategy. But, for perception and opinion purposes, there are three strategies sitting on shelf ready to show you how to use your new PR goal.

You can create perception/opinion where there may be none, change existing opinion, or reinforce it. Fortunately, your new public relations goal will indicate clearly which strategy should be used.

The message you send to members of your key target audience is vitally important. After all, its mission is to alter people’s perceptions or beliefs which you hope will lead to behaviors that are more helpful to your organization.

Clarity, believability and persuasiveness are important ingredients of your message. It must present truth credibly and, to extent possible, make a compelling case.

Now you trot out your “beasts of burden” – your communications tactics – to carry your message to members of your key target audience. And you have an embarassment of riches in this regard – consumer meetings, emails, press releases, facility tours, speeches, special events, brochures, radio and newspapers interviews, and many others.

Progress – “Are we making any?” – will rear its head at this juncture. Best way to find out is to go back to members of your target audience and ask same questions as before.

Only big difference now versus your first perception monitoring go-around is, you are now looking for signs that your message and your communications tactics have combined to alter perceptions, and thus behaviors in your direction.

Should progress be too slow, you may need to use a broader selection of communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies. Also, revisit your message to determine if your facts were persuasive, then adjust as needed.

This is way to Get PR Off Bench and into your battle for hearts and minds of your key target audiences.

By altering perceptions and behaviors in this manner, you take a giant step towards achieving your business objectives.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

Why is software company so important?

Well...

After you purchase software, you will rely on software company to supply updates, training, technical support, and possibly hardware.

Let me ask you a few questions to help you understand why company is so important...

- What if software company went out of business? (Dozens of POS software companies come and go every year!)

- What if they don't give you software updates when you need them?

- What if it takes 2 days to get your technical questions answered?

- What if software has a bug and they don't fix it?

- What if they didn't give you sufficient training? And as a result, your sales reports are showing wrong totals!

- What if you can't print and it takes 6 hours to get help from a support technician?

The truth is, level of service and financial stability of software company is very important. It's critical to evaluate software company; otherwise you could run into some frustrating and expensive problems.

They Pass The Buck

Too many owners give responsibility of choosing a POS system to an employee or a computer consultant that is not familiar with your industry. This is a huge mistake!

Top management and other key personnel must be involved in selection and implementation process. You should never rely solely on a consultant's recommendation or input.

The person that evaluates software must have in-depth knowledge about your business!

POS software is complicated. Not to mention it can make a huge difference in your businesses productivity. POS software is too important to pass evaluation process to someone else!

I see owners and managers make this mistake all time. Don't make same one!

They Overlook Important Features

Unless you are a retail POS expert, it's difficult to sort through countless POS systems and figure out what you need. What's more, it's difficult to understand "true" potential of your POS system. As a result, many retailers get confused and they overlook important features that would save them a lot of time and money.

Most people don't realize that every POS system is VERY different. Some are designed for large ticket items like tractors. And others are designed to work in fast moving retail environments like a grocery store.

As a result, it's common for retailers to end up with POS software that isn't really designed for them. That's why it's important to properly analyze needs of your business (even if you're a small retailer). Then you can create a list of features that are important. That list will help you compare and choose right system.

This might seem complicated, but with a little guidance, you can quickly find right POS system. You just need to know which mistakes to avoid, where to look, and right formula.