Get PR Off Bench

Something that results in your most important outside audiences doing what you need them to do should not be warming bench.

But that’s exactly what’s happening at organizations that allow their public relations people to play games with tactics like newsletters, press releases and brochures instead of aggressively pursuing major benefits PR can provide.

If this describes your public relations program, why not give real PR a chance, especially since you’re already paying for it?

Tell your public relations counsel you want to see plan for how s/he will take advantage of fact that people act on their own perception of facts before them leading to predictable behaviors about which something can be done.

Ask her/him how aggressively s/he will create, change or reinforce those perceptions by reaching, persuading and moving-to-actions- you-desire those important external audience members whose behaviors really affect your organization?

That’s fundamental premise of public relations and you should be getting your share of that action.

Fact is, this sequence can help you alter perceptions, and thus behaviors of your most important external target audiences making achievement of your business objectives much easier.

This is good news for managers like you because, when behavioral changes become apparent, and meet your public relations program’s original behavior modification goal, your PR effort has succeeded.

Done right, that’s when you’ll notice customers making repeat purchases; prospects starting to do business with you; community leaders seeking you out; businesses proposing beneficial joint ventures; and legislators and political leaders viewing you as an important member of business community.

And that key target audience is just for starters because other external audiences of importance to you can also be monitored for perceptions, behaviors and corrective communications as needed.

Now, while there’s more than one way to peel an orange, here’s one high-impact, problem-solving sequence that can work for you.

Start by listing your most important audiences whose behaviors affect your operation in any way. Rank them by how severely their behaviors impact you, and let’s work on target audience at top of your list.

What's more, there are around 1,000 different POS systems to choose from. And they're all different. All these choices can be overwhelming and confusing.

The truth is... choosing POS software is very difficult. And too many retailers end up with wrong system. In fact, it's common for retailers to go through 2, 3 or even 4 different POS systems before they find one they're happy with. Those mistakes probably cost at least $10,000 - $100,000.

Here are a few mistakes that I see retailers making over and over again.

They Buy Hardware First

I can't tell you how many times I've heard a retailer say, "I just bought new computers, printers and I have everything ready to go. Now I need to find POS software."

As soon as I hear that, I think to myself, "This guy could have saved himself a lot of time and money if he selected his POS software first!"

Why?

First of all, your POS software will have hardware and operating system requirements. For example, software will require a certain version of Windows, Unix or Linux. (Unless it's an "open architecture" system like ASP) In addition, each program will only function with certain types of printers, scanners, cash drawers and card readers.

Second, and more importantly, not all POS systems are same. And system that you choose is very important. It will have a huge impact on efficiency of your business! If you install your computer system first, you will limit your POS software choices. The perfect fit for your "unique" business might run on UNIX but you already bought a Windows 2003 Server! You might also find that printers and scanners you just bought aren't compatible either.

You can avoid frustration and save money if you choose POS software first. Then you can ask software company about their recommended hardware and operating systems.

They Ask Wrong People

All too often retailers ask a local computer consultant for suggestions about POS software. Most computer consultants have good intentions but they tend to give poor advice when it comes to choosing POS software.

Computer consultants are great sources for information about computers, hardware, and networking. However they don't usually understand intricacies of POS software and retail management. Nor do they realize that there are almost 1,000 different POS systems to choose from and it's VERY easy to choose wrong one.

Every retail business is different and has different needs. If you get poor advice and select wrong type of system, your business will lose money.

They Don't Place Enough Focus on Character of Software Company