It's Time For Some Steak

Written by Leila Johnson


Recently, I was reviewing our website statistics. One ofrepparttar sites that had a link to mine caught me by surprise. Since this is a family publication, I won’t includerepparttar 104083 name ofrepparttar 104084 website. But, let’s just say it contains a four-letter word that people do not use in most business circles.

The website was basically a bulletin board for people to rant about other companies. The posting about my website started out withrepparttar 104085 subject, ‘Is this website just a little too slick?’ The postings went on to say that my website had a lot of sizzle, but no steak.

My first thought was, ‘How dare they say something so rude after I worked so hard on my site. Are they trying to say that my business has no substance? They know nothing about me and what I do. I can’t believe they would attack MY business image.’

You see, those of you who have met me know that I am a small business image consultant. I work on everything from customer service to documentation and training. Basically, allrepparttar 104086 behind-the-scenes things that affectrepparttar 104087 business image. How could MY website have a bad image?

Then I took a step back. And, with a huge gulp of reluctance, I admitted to myself that they were right. Earlier that week, I had started to redefine my business services. Small business image consulting no longer ‘fit’repparttar 104088 real me. And somehow that was showing through on my website. It WAS a bit too slick. It was not getting torepparttar 104089 essence of what I wanted to say.

Instead of just changing my website, I decided to take on a more important endeavor. I took a look at my identity and my brand. I found this amazing book called Make A Name For Yourself by Robin Fisher Roffer. This wasrepparttar 104090 wake-up call that I needed. After pouring overrepparttar 104091 book, I began to get in touch with my natural gifts.

Right PR Focus A Powerful Advantage

Written by Robert A. Kelly


Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1170 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

Right PR Focus A Powerful Advantage

Powerful is a strong word. But it fits here. As a business, non-profit or association manager, you create powerful advantage for yourself when you do something positive aboutrepparttar behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that MOST affect your department, division or subsidiary.

That’s because you are usingrepparttar 104082 fundamental premise of public relations to deliverrepparttar 104083 kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

And perhaps most powerfully, you do so by persuading many of those important outside folks to your way of thinking, then by moving them to take actions that help your unit succeed.

Yes, that’s powerful! Especially when it leads to advantages like these: membership applications onrepparttar 104084 rise; customers making repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures inrepparttar 104085 inbox; community leaders seeking you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; prospects starting to do business with you; capital givers or specifying sources looking your way, and even politicians and legislators beginning to view you as a key member of repparttar 104086 business, non-profit or association communities.

You need two lucky breaks here: first, a PR blueprint you can rely on, say, like this one: people act on their own perception ofrepparttar 104087 facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving- to-desired-actionrepparttar 104088 very people whose behaviors affectrepparttar 104089 organizationrepparttar 104090 most,repparttar 104091 public relations mission is accomplished.,

And second, PR team members who understand that blueprint and commit themselves to its implementation, starting with key audience perception monitoring. Let’s face it, your PR people ARE inrepparttar 104092 perception and behavior business to begin with, so they should be of real use for this initial opinion monitoring project.

But remember that just because someone describes him/herself as a public relations person doesn’t guarantee they’ve bought repparttar 104093 whole loaf. Make certainrepparttar 104094 public relations people assigned to your unit really believe – deep down -- why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Make sure they acceptrepparttar 104095 reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Discuss with them your plan for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased withrepparttar 104096 interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

While, as noted, your PR people are inrepparttar 104097 perception and behavior business to begin with, professional survey firms are always available, but they can be very expensive. Nevertheless, whether it’s your people or a survey firm askingrepparttar 104098 questions,repparttar 104099 objective remainsrepparttar 104100 same: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

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