Managerial Survival Key

For business, non-profit or association managers like yourself, survival pretty much depends on whether you achieve, or fail to achieve your department, division or subsidiary objectives.

Which strongly suggests that, if you haven't already done so, you may wish to employ a set of tools that will help you persuade your most important outside audiences to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that lead to your success.

The tools comprise the fundamental premise of public relations: people act on their own perception of the 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 the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

And the promise those tools hold for managers are behaviors like new prospects and more existing buyers, repeat purchasors, highly qualified job seekers, new capital contributions, increased membership referrals or more proposals for strategic alliances.

But there is work to do. You need information about those key external audiences. What do they know about your unit and its operations? How familiar are they, if at all, with your services or products? Have they ever worked with any of your people? Was the experience positive?

Tell the public relations folks assigned to your department, division or subsidiary that you want answers to those questions. And for the simple reason that how those important outside audiences perceive your operation usually leads to behaviors that can help or hinder you in achieving your objectives.

Work with them on a list of your key external audiences whose actions most affect your operations. Put those groups in priority order and let's have a go at #1.

Remember that the success of your new public relations effort depends heavily on how well you gather these key audience perceptions.

Here, you have a choice. You and your PR staff can interact with members of that target audience, which seems appropriate since your PR folks are already in the perception and behavior business. Or, if a substantial budget is available to you, you can hire professional survey counsel to do the work for you.

Either way, asking members of your key target audience questions such as those outlined above along with the responses you receive, provide the foundation data that underpins your entire public relations effort.

But, as you monitor audience member responses to your questions, stay alert for hesitant or evasive observations about your organization. Do you note statements that are untrue or misconceived? How about inaccuracies, rumors or false assumptions? You'll need to remedy them because we know that negative perceptions inevitably lead to negative behaviors that must be fixed to protect your operation.

As mentioned, the data your interactive monitoring produces is the raw material with which you create your public relations goal. And that might well be clearing up that misconception, correcting that inaccuracy or replacing an untruth with the truth.

Reaching that goal is another matter. You need the right strategy to show you how to get there. As luck would have it, they're but three strategic choices in perception/opinion matters like this. Create perception/opinion where you have none, change that perception, or reinforce it.

Good writing doesn't come easy, but that's your next challenge. Here, you must put together the message you will use to transmit your corrective facts and figures to those members of your target audience.

Now, all at the same time ? in a single message ? you must be clear about why the false assumption, the misconception or the inaccuracy should be clarified, or even corrected. Your message must present truthful supporting facts, and must be believable and, if at all possible, compelling.

Your public relations team will provide that talent. Also discuss with them blending the message into a variety of public presentations so as not to damage its credibility with a high-profile announcement.

Keep in mind that the timetable can always be accelerated by adding new communications tactics and by increasing their frequencies. Also a good idea to continue refining and updating the message itself.

Happily, what you will have done is use a set of tools that helped you persuade your most important outside audiences to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that lead to managerial success and, some might say, survival.

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. 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

---

The Press Release is Dead (Now Will Somebody Please Tell the Clients?)

In competing for a piece of business not too long... Read More

How To Write A Killer Press Release

One of the primary tools still used by PR professionals... Read More

Media Training: When Reporters Lie

I recently worked with a group dealing with an unusual... Read More

Media Relations: Should You Pay For News Coverage, Part II

Last month, we told you about "pay for play," a... Read More

How to Create Quality PR Results

For many of us, the word quality is closely related... Read More

Got Publicity? How to Become a Household Name

Are you working as hard as you can in your... Read More

Andrew Bogut - His Big Media Blunder And What You Can Learn From It

Andrew Bogut, the Australian basketballer is now officially in the... Read More

Maybe the Strongest PR on Planet Earth?

Strong for business, non-profit and association managers when they use... Read More

How to Get PR

There is a process for successfully getting publicity about your... Read More

Community Based Marketing Strategies

As small businesses we have an opportunity and an obligation... Read More

The Ultimate PR Edge: Getting Reporters To Open Your E-Mails

You know that getting publicity is vital to the health... Read More

Internet Etiquette for Business Success

You're trying to recruit a downline into your program, you've... Read More

Achieve Media Attention for Your Business

Do you want to be quoted by the national press... Read More

13 Publicity Ideas for Retailers

If you're trying to promote your store, but you don't... Read More

Business Growth for Financial Planners in Five Easy Steps

Attracting new business: sometimes it happens by luck, sometimes by... Read More

When Managers Play the PR Card

The payoff for business, non-profit or association managers can be... Read More

Managers: Heres a PR Template for You

Let's start out with a caution for business, non-profit and... Read More

PR: Behavior Modification Specialist

While awaiting economic recovery, business needs to attract the attention... Read More

Publicity and Marketing Magic For Financial Planners: The Four Mores

Publicity will take your financial planning practice, your business, and... Read More

How About MANAGING Your Own PR?

It's one thing for a senior manager to approve story... Read More

Publicity: Nailing a Media Interview, Part II (Crisis Management)

We'd all like reporters to ask us about our career... Read More

33 Reasons To Do A News Release

News releases are not the best way to get major... Read More

Business Gifts for Your Clients and Employees

Tis' the season for business and corporate gift-giving! If you... Read More

Is This the PR You Thought You Were Getting?

You know, where you do something positive about the behaviors... Read More

GETTING YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS

You have a story to tell. Your company has developed... Read More

Dont Put Up With Junk PR

In public relations, "junk" is more about attitude and lack... Read More

Dont Pay for Radio Interviews

It used to be that all you had to do... Read More

If I Were Coaching You

If I were coaching you as a business, non-profit or... Read More

7 Simple Steps To A PR Launch

A PR product or service launching is a perfect way... Read More

How to Get Some of Paris Hilton?s TV Time

When your book is mentioned on television, sales go up.... Read More

Make Sure Your Media Room Rocks

If a reporter was writing a story about you and... Read More

Is The Traditional Press Review Still A Business Tool Of The Future?

Press reviews are a common and basic feature for surveying... Read More

Media Training: Exposing Reporter Tricks -- Three Tactics Designed to Get You

A reporter's job is to get the most accurate and... Read More