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 1145 including guidelines and resource box.
Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

Managers: Let’s Call a Spade a Spade!

Brochures, broadcast plugs and press releases – don’t call them public relations. Call them what they really are, valuable tactical devices which public relations calls upon from time to time to move a message from here to there.

Nothing more, nothing less, and certainly not public relations’ Mother strategy which (1), marshalls the resources and action planning needed to alter individual perception leading to changed behaviors among a business, non-profit,or association’s most important outside audiences. And (2), goes on to help a manager persuade those key folks to his or her way of thinking,
then (3) moves them to take actions that allow their department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

The management reality behind such an achievement is the underlying 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 usually accomplished.

The good news for those managers is that the right public relations planning really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among key outside audiences.

You may be such a manager. If you are, try to remember that your PR effort must demand more than special events, news releases and talk show tactics if you are to receive the quality public relations results you deserve.

You’ll be glad you took such a step when capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way; customers begin to make repeat purchases; membership applications start to rise; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures start showing up; politicians and legislators begin looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities; new (and very ) welcome bounces in show room visits occur; prospects actually start to do business with you; and community leaders begin to seek you out.

Your public relations professionals can be of real use for your new opinion monitoring project because they are already in the perception and behavior business. But be certain that the PR staff really accepts why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Above all, be sure they believe that perceptions almost
always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Go over your plans with them for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Ask questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? Are you familiar with our services or products and employees? Have you experienced
problems with our people or procedures?

The cost of using professional survey firms to do the opinion gathering work will be considerably more than using those PR folks of yours, who are already in the
perception business, in that monitoring capacity. But whether it’s your people or a survey firm asking the questions, the objective remains the same: identify
untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
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Authors and business people often go to extremes to publicize their book or product launch. Sometimes, the most successful method can appear in front of them. Take for example, book publicity. It is the one of the toughest cases to crack. Each year, at least 50,000 authors are published in the United States. Tens of thousands of authors publish electronic books. Most fail to get noticed. Very few achieve any of their goals as authors – to build up readership.

Here’s a way to get the word out and polish off your book before it hits the stores: sampling. Major corporations utilize focus groups, pollsters and other marketing experts to build up their brand name. This is similar to planting seeds to get a garden or orchard to grow. The more seeds you plant, the better your chances to grow vegetables or apple trees. As an author, you can use sampling or “seeding,” to build up awareness of your book. During the publishing process, we discovered a clever way to attract readers, and at the same time, we can upgrade our book.

Having been through the publishing process for many decades, we experimented with what every author secretly fears: a peer review. But, we did it with a twist. Instead of waiting until the book is published to read the reviews, we posted the book on our website to accept all criticism in advance. We called this a “Public and Peer Review” of our book, entitled “Investing in the Great Uranium Bull Market: A Practical Investor’s Guide to Uranium Stocks.”
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1. Negotiate
Have you noticed that some people seem to always get the best deals? Yeah, you pay full price and think you did OK until they show up with the same thing, only they paid several hundred dollars less. It really get your goat! How do they do it? They’re not afraid to ask for an extra discount.

Yep, don’t sell yourself short because you didn’t ASK the next time your advertising rep makes an appearance! Even if you’re already getting a discount, ask for a bigger one. You have not…because you ask not.

2. Trim
Bigger is always better…or is it? When it comes to advertising, don’t be surprised if some of your short ads meet with more success than larger more expensive ads. Trimming down on the size and cost of advertising doesn’t mean you’ll be trimming the results!
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How one expert trumped-up a splash on CNN ‘ S Paula Zahn Pronto, and how you encumbrance, surpassingly

Cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Robert Kotler ‘ s Newfangled York based publicist, fabricated contact stow away the Paula Zahn Now program on CNN to diary an appearance. Here ‘ s what happened following.

1. Model out the segment hole up the motivation

* I was referred to one of the * bookers * who did a swift screening and whence put me clout contact squirrel an associate cause. Over several phone conversations, we worked out the subject matter of the 3 – 4 minute tarriance. *

NOTE: Once you ‘ ve passed the * audition * duck a booker you ‘ re passed to an associate ( or other less senior ) doer. Often next that number one ” audition ” you requirement embody clouded by producers at higher and higher levels. If you ‘ re chosen thence you embark on to compose a segment well-organized.

2. Relief the inducement shape the segment

* The * pillar * of the spot was my recently published book, SECRETS OF A BEVERLY HILLS COSMETIC SURGEON, The Expert ‘ s Monitor to Sheltered, Smashing Surgery. The associate incitement and I had discussed what I grant to substitute the non – frivolous and paramount consumer issues of the book, equivalent whereas how to select a properly trained surgeon and how to act as certain that the difficulty pull which the surgery is to put on performed is properly credentialed and so defended. And trim the concern of having an anesthesia technical mastery the tolerant ‘ s service to lock on comfort and safety. Those are the clue trinkets for the consumer – tutor – viewer. *
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