Keys to Success – Seven PR Practices to Follow

(Guest post by Chad Van De Wiele, Intern)

In nearly every field, professionals are continuously searching for the keys to success – a short-cut to business savvy that otherwise only develops through years of practice.

Although no one has all the answers – because we’re all still learning – we’re sharing a list of practices every PR professional should follow, adapted from Steven Covey’s influential book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.”

Here are seven simple practices to help every PR professional succeed:

Be proactive – As opposed to waiting for new opportunities, successful professionals create them. One way to do this is to identify “spark events” – or emerging changes and activities within an organization, market or industry that stimulate consumer need for a product. Use these opportunities to create new content, engage an audience and attract new customers.

Look at the bigger picture – It’s easy to get carried away while developing a program or campaign, but successful PR pros begin with the end in mind. As a quick reminder, ask yourself these questions: What are we hoping this campaign will achieve?

Get organized – Juggling multiple assignments from internal or external multiple clients with multiple deadlines is risky business, even for the seasoned PR professional. So, how do you alleviate this chaos? Prioritize tasks based on their level of importance and tackle each assignment systematically.

Think win-win – Networking is essential for any business professional, and for the PR pro, this is especially true. However, business relationships must be forged on mutually beneficial terms in order to work successfully. Prior to making a request for either yourself or your client, think of how the partnership can benefit both parties.

Do your homework – Instead of blindly pitching a client’s story, do some digging: What types of stories does that reporter typically look for? What have they published in the past? What are their interests? A little effort goes a long way in media relations.

Work together – Public relations is a collaborative effort, and accepting your role within a team is crucial. Remember: successful public relations is the result of successful teamwork.

Stay sharp – As communication tools continue to update and transform, so too should the practices of PR pros. Commit yourself to a lifetime of learning, and know there is always more to learn from other people, other industries and other disciplines.

13 Lessons Learned in the PR Agency Business

Back in ’92, when I started my PR firm, I had more than a dozen years of PR experience – and more than half of that with another agency – so I thought I knew pretty much all I needed to know.

I was wrong. Really wrong.

And as Bianchi PR heads toward its 21^st anniversary, I realize just how much I have learned over the past two decades … and thought it might be helpful to share a few key lessons.

Here’s my baker’s dozen list:

1. If your staff needs a pool table or basketball hoop in the office in order to have fun at work, either they’re doing it wrong or they are in the wrong business … or both.
2. If a prospective client or employee is problematic or inconsiderate at the very start, they’re just going to get worse.
3. It’s good to take PR, your job and your client seriously; it’s not good to take yourself too seriously.
4. If a prospect won’t give you a budget figure upon which you can base your proposal, they probably don’t have an approved budget.
5. Toxic employees are not worth all the pain. Neither are toxic clients. Move on.
6. No one is irreplaceable, not even you. Really.
7. If you spend the client’s money and time as carefully as you would spend your own, you’ll both be better off.
8. Monthly PR retainers are not necessarily evil. Some clients actually need and prefer a predictable budget spend and a steady, consistent effort.
9. If you take care of your clients, they will take care of you. Same goes with your employees.
10. It’s not our job to be the hero. It’s our job to make the client the hero.
11. It’s okay – even beneficial sometimes – to make mistakes … as long as you own up to them, fix them, learn from them … and don’t make the same ones twice.
12. Listening is the most important skill in PR. If you’re talking more than you’re listening, you’re broadcasting, not communicating.

Oh yeah, one more thing ..

13. It’s not as easy as it looks.

Lessons They Don’t Teach in College

Over the holiday break, a few students shared with me some of the things they were learning in their college courses. And, to tap my experience, they asked me about the things that aren’t taught in college.

Now, experience is said to be what you get when you make a mistake. So in some 30 years of working with more than 75 client organizations, I guess I’ve gained more than my share of “experience.”

Here are the first 10 lessons learned that came to mind from our discussions:

1. You can’t proofread your materials enough. Don’t trust your PC’s spell-check function, because it does not catch everything, especially when your typo spells another word. Have another set of eyes look it over.

2. If there’s a typo in your document, it’s going to be where it will do the most damage and/or cause the most embarrassment – such as in a phone number, the chairman’s name or the company’s name. Triple check those areas!

3. To go fast, start slow. Take the time to think something through before you act or respond. Otherwise, if you rush too quickly, you may end up spending a lot more time doing damage control and trying to dig yourself out of a hole.

4. Be very careful with your email messages. Take time to carefully consider your message – and assume that it will be shared with the world. Once you hit the “send” button, you’ve lost all control of its audience. An accidental click on “reply all” has torpedoed many careers.

5. Don’t forget the human touch. Be nice and treat others the way you’d like to be treated. Your mother was right – being nice doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it can make someone’s day. In the crush of daily business, we all welcome a little courtesy and warmth.

6. Maintain a positive attitude, so that people actually look forward to dealing with you. I once knew someone who found fault with everything. While his work was great, his toxic attitude made people hate his calls … and that cost him several opportunities.

7. Keep your word and do what you say you’re going to do … if not a little more. Make honesty and integrity your hallmarks. They lead to trust, and trust is everything in today’s world.

8. Keep a sense of humor. A laugh can break the ice, defuse an explosive situation, put someone at ease, relieve stress or help you to move beyond a problem.

9. Never disparage anyone, no matter how much they deserve it. I know, it’s hard. But the person you want to call an idiot will turn out to be the boss’s or client’s friend, nephew, sister-in-law, golfing partner, fraternity brother, etc. Trust me on this one!

10. Business is still all about relationships. Technology is great, when applied properly, but it’s no substitute for real relationships. Success today is not just what you know or who you know, it’s who knows – and trusts – you.

What lessons learned would you share with a student?