The Wax Blog

Whenever I meet with new clients they want to know how we’re going to use PR to reach their clients. Imagine their expression when I tell them we’re not going to message your clients. I tell these shocked folk in most cases, public relations does not translate to direct sales.  If they want to sell directly to their clients, go buy ads.

If they haven’t kicked me out at this point, a client will usually ask (in a sarcastic tone that increases in direct proportion  to the size of his or her company/wallet) “So why should we pay you all this money?”

First of all let’s deal with the fact that most of us only see the really big public relations bonanzas. For someone who hasn’t worked with PR a lot, or who has had a bad experience with PR, that’s your point of familiarity. The first thing that needs to happen is that expectations need to be reset. Sure, there is the occasional huge hit that turns a lesser-known product into an overnight seller. Oprah’s book club was a great example. But those are very few and far between. If you get them, and then the more important caveat if they work, you win the public relations lottery. We always try but it very rarely happens.

So what’s the answer to my clients’ question? (more…)

If you ask me, consulting firms and services companies are missing the boat with social media. I worked in that industry for 16 years – the story of the “shoemaker’s son” is never more relevant than in this one.  Most consulting firms simply don’t put as much effort into things that don’t have an instant ROI. I get it – margin is king in that business. I’m not talking about freelancers and solopreneurs here – I’m talking about firms with staff that are out there fighting the good fight every day – and missing a major weapon in their arsenal.  Let me tell you what that weapon is: (more…)

I was in a meeting a couple weeks ago with a bigger agency for whom I occasionally do work as a subcontractor. As I sat there, listening to them talk to their client it occurred to me that public relations and advertising agencies make the same mistake salespeople do. They don’t understand that the most powerful meeting in the world is one in which they really listen to their clients.

Then, another potential client asked me if I minded being called a publicist. I asked why, and apparently they had just met with a PR agency that told them they were no longer publicists…they were storytellers. (more…)

Occasionally I get a pitch from an Internet retailer asking me to write about their site. Usually, it’s some poorly designed site that survives on tiny affiliate commisions, with barely any added value to the customer who shops there.

But Market America, the online retailer that recently bought shop.com, seems to be a new type of shopping site – one that incents its customers by offering considerable cashback opportunities, often highlighted on the Market America Blog. The Greensboro-based retailer is banking on the newly-created frugal shopper by enticing what looks to be mainly baby boomers with “MA Cashback” ranging from 8 to 35%. Looks like the strategy is working – Market America just announced it will be hiring 40 new staff members in 2011.

So just how does this work? A page called Market America Facts indicates the company is a direct selling enterprise that sells a range of products, from supplements to home decor through partners like Walmart. More than 3 million “preferred customers” make commissions and 180,000 distributors make retail profits based on the use of this retail portal. The company is growing rapidly with more than 500 employees currently – it’s one of the success stories of the true “new economy” – a rapidly growing business that exists solely because of the Internet. (more…)

“Kaizen” is Japanese for improvement – a common definition according to Wikipedia is “the philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering, supporting business processes, and management”.   Kaizen became very important to me after experiencing utter failure in my first job as a manager – granted, I was making a very hard transition from being a top salesperson (where it’s all about me) to management (where it’s all about them) but still, I was awful.  Instead of trying to get from Point A (bad manager) to Point B (great manager) my wonderful business coach taught me that it was all about continuous improvement. I may not be where I want to be right now, but I’m better than I was yesterday and I should still be better tomorrow…if I work on improving my skills on a continuous basis.

Training has changed as our learning styles have changed as well. I don’t think anyone goes by the old rule  they need only get “one great thing” from a training class, the whole experience needs to be worth. These days, training companies like Phoenix Training do an excellent job of combining pre-training consulting, one-on-one coaching and classroom training to provide a holistic experience that addresses needs for management coaching, team building and skills training. (Read some of their case studies to see how companies around the world are implementing training these days)

In a way, I’m really glad that I struggled so much because it instilled in me a love of training, and of gaining new knowledge. I see so many companies find a recipe for marketing or PR that works at that time, and they act as though they never have to address it again.  In our world today of social media, blogging and digital influence, this can be a brand killer.  Our customers are moving quickly from the hottest app to to the next big thing, and we have to continually find them…and continually improve how we engage with them.

In a challenging economy, it’s sometimes hard to justify spending money on training. I would argue that those people and companies who spend money on it now, are the ones who will survive into the next round of economic growth. What’s your attitude toward training right now? Where has continuous improvement served you well?

Almost half the clients I have worked with over the years believe that their strongest selling point is their great customer service. When you are deciding what your market position is going to be, when you are seeking out that all important unique selling point (point of difference), look beyond customer service – here’s why: (more…)