The Worst PR Mistakes

For a business, non-profit or association manager, they could be fatal, coming as they do in four bitter flavors.

Mistake #1 – You limit your PR activity pretty much to placing product and service plugs on radio and in newspapers.

Mistake #2 – You fail to embrace kind of PR plan that persuades those important outside audiences to your way of thinking, then moves them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed.

Mistake #3 -- You fail to use high-impact, fundamental premise of public relations to deliver external stakeholder behavior change – kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

Mistake #4 -- you fail to get creative potential of your assigned PR team or agency which you need to positively impact behaviors of very outside audiences that MOST affect your unit.

Here’s one way to reverse that hurtful process. Take a look at this fundamental public relations blueprint. People act on their own perception of 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-action very people whose behaviors affect organization most, public relations mission is accomplished.

Such a blueprint will broaden your public relations field of fire and put its primary focus where it belongs, on your unit’s key external stakeholder behaviors.

A variety of results is likely. For example, fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; customers starting to make repeat purchases; membership applications on rise; prospects starting to do business with you; community leaders beginning to seek you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; higher employee retention rates, capital givers or specifying sources starting to look your way, and even politicians and legislators beginning to view you as a key member of business, non-profit or association communities.

Before you begin such a makeover, make certain 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 accept reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Sit down with them and discuss 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 with interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

These days, many employees and salespeople would consider use of wireless devices more of a necessity rather than a privilege or convenience. Problems arise, however, with sheer volume of wireless users, accounts and bills that even a relatively small company can accumulate over time.

Whereas 50 land lines may be shared within a company of hundreds of workers, cell phones are rarely shared or passed between employees. In comparison, 300 wireless users results in potentially 300 separate accounts and phones to control, track and audit.

The good news is that wireless portion of your telecom department is ripe with potential savings opportunities. Even small accounts can reveal plenty of areas for considerable cost-reduction.

What is "Over provisioning"?

Deregulation of telecommunications industry has resulted in a dizzying array of options and plans for wireless users. Over provisioning occurs when optional telecom features or plans are included or added to an account that do not enhance end users' job performance. This can also include phones that are not in use but still being billed and paid for. Inefficiency results in unnecessary overspending.

When auditing your company's wireless services, be sure to check following 4 key areas for instances of over provisioning.

Are You Overspending in these 4 Areas?

1. Paying for unused or unnecessary features or functionality.

Items and features such as voice mail boxes, 3-way calling, call-waiting, call-forwarding, group talk, etc. can add excessive monthly charges to a wireless account.

Each wireless account should be reviewed for any and all features that carry an additional monthly fee. If feature does not enhance job performance or is rarely used, eliminate it.