MoxieWorks

PR and the Dreaded Oprah Effect

Yesterday I was talking to a new client who needs public relations services. Nothing huge, just someone to be on top of their PR, get them some nice placements, and to be their media relations person. A great gig. What came out of it though is that the client said that she didn't want to get to big to fast. She had another PR person who was great and they got great press, but then they weren't able to handle the volume of customers. Hence, the Oprah Effect.

What is the Oprah Effect? Some businesses dream of being on Oprah to show off their hottest products, but few can actually handle the exposure. (After Oprah I wonder who will have that kind of power.) The thing about Oprah is that her viewers and readers respond. If she likes it, they buy it. Which is an amazing phenomenon.

What happens though when you aren't ready? What if you have a great little product, but you don't have the ability to make thousands of them? Well, frankly, you fail. You disappoint your customers and you create a situation where you are always trying to catch up.

The Right Amount of PR: So, how much PR is enough PR? It depends, if you are poised to handle more volume or can ramp up your staff/production fast enough then you can go for the gold. If you are a little mom and pop with a great store/service a local or regional approach might be just enough. If you are just starting out and you haven't worked out all of the bugs - go slowly and with caution.

You can be a superstar, but instead of crashing and burning like Brittney rise like Leonardo! Slowly build your PR efforts to match what you can handle. You'll be thankful in the end.

Building Blueprints for Small Biz Dreams

Yesterday I shared where I started and now just a peek into what I do today. I have had the great opportunity to work within many industries (government, tech, art, education, and more) and now I take all of those experiences and contacts and deliver for small businesses.

When I worked in corporate I was frustrated by the slow moving response, the waste, and the politics. What I wanted to do was do great work, make a difference, and see people succeed. No where is that needed more than in small business. After moving to a small town in the middle of the US I had a huge education on what is really happening on "Main Street". People have dreams, they are doing everything they think is right to make it work, and they are unfortunately often missing the mark.

What I see everyday are good people who are sucked into scams, false promises, and start and stop marketing. Sometimes I feel like the good cop that tells the bad guys to step away from the door! I had a client the other day say that she gets 20 -30 offers to sell her something to "help her business". These are everything from pens to SEO services. Now on the surface all of these things might be fine, but without a plan most businesses are just throwing money away (and they have a lot of pens in their back rooms.)

I cut through the crap and get businesses to work towards a bigger goal. We do practical marketing solutions that drive sales. I help craft press releases and pitch reporters who are generally interested in my clients stories. We build events that bring new and current customers together. I brand business, products and create solid customer service goals - helping a mom and pop beat out a Starbucks.

To say I love what I do is small potatoes - I am wildly passionate about my work. The great part is that I work with my own downtown - branding it as a destination/attraction - and with companies nationwide. Everyone has a dream and I build the plan to get that dream out there.

Who is Moxie?

For those of you who don't know what I do I thought I would share a little about why I am even authorized to give marketing and public relations advice to small businesses. I have a degree in graphic design and worked on major accounts for many years. Things like toys, tech, finance and consumer goods - all great stuff.

In my first few years of design I went on to work in business development at one of the largest (actually probably the largest) engineering firm in the US. I worked in the government quarter and we bid on projects for the Department of Energy, Defense, and mega corporations. It was amazing exposure to how the world really works. (Most of Reagan's cabinet came from this company - and would roam the halls and chat you up in the elevator.)

After that I took a one year sabbatical and lived in an intentional community where I marketed their crafts - a great opportunity to relax and get out of corporate America.

Back in San Francisco I took on the marketing communications department of the San Francisco office of a large marketing firm. It was fast and furious fun. We developed marketing solutions based on building relationships and having a great time - this was before the dot.com bust so we were flying high. My main clients were Pampered Chef (I believe all of my work is in their museum), Citrix, Sun and a variety of tech clients. Great stuff.

Then we decided, as a family, to take a leap of faith and move out to the middle US and try rural living. Whew, culture shock! But what a great opportunity to take my corporate experience and translate it to my real love - entrepreneurs who are making a break or diving deep into what they do. So, today I am the part time executive director of our cities downtown district and a consultant to companies throughout the US. I GET small business - brick and mortar or online. I understand the goals, dreams, and realities.

I'll share more about all of that tomorrow.

Say Thanks

Saying thank you should be an automatic response; not that we want it to be robotic. When life presents presents we need to show gratitude and as a business owner there are some fun ways to do this:

Customers: when someone purchases your product this is an exciting thing. Someone likes what you have to sell. So, why not say thank you. You can:

• Give them a gift certificate off their next purchase
• Give them a small gift as a thank you
• at least say thank you verbally - seriously, I don't know the last time someone thanked me for shopping at their coffee shop, book store, or kitchen shop. I can shop anywhere, but I CHOSE to shop there - so say thank you.

Clients: having ongoing clients that you work with give you multiple ways to say thank you. Remember, it isn't always the top dog that appreciates the thank you - they have teams of people and you can thank them too. Some suggestions:

• Send food. Every office eats snacks during the day. They are inundated during the holidays, but what if they just gave you an add on to your account isn't that worth a basket of cookies sent to the receptionist to say thank you?
• Highlight them in your next email: do you love working with them? Do they love working with you? Add a new client spotlight feature to your next email blast and send them a little recognition for the work that they do. That is a HUGE thank you to them - exposure is invaluable.
• Donate in their name. With the massive relief efforts going on in Haiti (or wherever natural disaster strikes) why not use that moment to give a gift in your clients name. Help others while saying thank you - a nice thing for the whole world.

Employees: granted in a recession people are thankful to have jobs, but when you manage a group of people it is important that you take the time to thank them for the work that they do. Besides cold hard cash here are some ideas:

• Bring in their favorite snack - I know more food, but momma always said the way to the heart is through the stomach. If they are on a diet don't sabotage - bring in something healthy.
• Time off is a favorite thank you. If you can arrange for them to have even an extra hour off (paid is nice) they will be happy. There is never enough time!
• A note - the power of a well written note can't be dismissed. Someone can say thank you, but if they sat down to write a thank you that shows real consideration.

Don't let the busyness of life stop you from thanking those that do great work, support your business, or work with you day to day. A little kindness goes a long way!

Photo Credit: Darwin Bell

And the award goes to

Watching the Golden Globes last weekend I realized that the movie/TV industry does some things right that maybe we need to emulate in the rest of the business world:

• They think they are special. Now, granted, we help them feel that way, but they walk along the planet as if they were blessed individuals. Really, what is so special about them - they are good at telling stories, but so are we - we do it everyday in our job by helping people, giving great service, and sharing what we do. So, maybe, we are just as special, we just need to believe it.
• They compete with each other for a special shiny prize. Why aren't we competing with each other on more occasions? Not in a hostile, have to win kind of way, but a way to let each of us know that someone did do something really great on the job. Why not have all kinds of competitions to gain interest in doing better? Think about it, they have all kinds of awards that they give one another - why aren't we tapping into our need to be recognized?
• They get dressed up and put on a show. The world is obviously a mess, but they all got dressed up to be at the show. They made the effort to come together as the tribe that they are. Are you showing up and looking your best?
• They use their collective power to raise awareness for others. Every business can do this too. You can set up a charitable gift, have customers donate, challenge your coworkers, whatever it takes to remember that you are larger than the work that you do - that you are part of this planet and you can make a difference.

I know we aren't celebrities, but we do good work and we need to start shining a little brighter. Start the "Golden Hand" Awards for the business in your area that gives the most to local charity, challenge your coworkers to an after work awards show at a local pub and give out awards for the best customer call this week, and above all walk in the world as if you matter. Because you do.

Customer Service Fail at JC Penny

I can't get over how simple it is. Good customer service makes or breaks everything in business. This doesn't matter if you are running the local grocery store or a multinational company. If every employee isn't engaged in good customer service practices then the entire operation is failing.

Three examples from a recent trip to JC Penny in Fayetteville, AR: (Yep, I am naming locations now!)

1. My daughter used the restroom and the stalls did not lock, the water only ran with cold water and the faucet did not shut off completely. These may not seem like customer service issues, but they are - every aspect of a brick and mortar reflects how you feel about your customers. If you don't care that they have a semi-private/clean experience in your restrooms you probably don't care about your employees either - a mess at every level.
2. Hello? We would like to buy something. The clerk was not only disinterested in the juniors section, but we had to wave her down. Then when my daughter was paying she couldn't understand the woman because she mumbled through the entire transaction. Frustrating to say the least.
3. Not everyone probably agrees with your politics/religion/etc so keep you trap shut. This is a HUGE frustration because when a clerk is openly discussing how she agrees with Pat Robertson's idea the Haiti caused their own earthquake due to a pact with the devil the people around her might not agree. Keep your beliefs to yourself. Granted it was the customer she was serving who was spouting this crap, but the clerk was continuing the conversation rather than nipping it in the bud. What did this do? Infuriated me and stopped me from buying anything in the department. I am not going to listen/support that kind of conversation - trust me, I use my $$ to vote.

A constant message of customer service is sorely lacking - and this is just ONE visit to the department store. Will I go back? Probably not.

Good for you

I WANT to be happy for her, her and her. I do. Really. But I am having a bit of professional jealousy. We, at Moxie, know that YOU never suffer from professional jealousy, but we thought we would talk about it a bit. Does it seem like everyone you know is doing, going, or creating something amazing and that you are a bit stuck? That feeling can really suck the life out of you and it probably doesn't feel great to not feel good for someone who is doing something they love.

So, how do you get over it?

Love what they are doing. With all of your heart. Remember that it doesn't take away from YOU and what you are doing. They are just at that place where things are working out for them and that is a good thing. Tell them you are happy for them (even if that is really hard to do).

But what about me?

When I start to feel that way (and I do sometimes when the moon just isn't aligned quite right) I make a quick mental list of what I am doing that IS working. I may not be famous, I may not be rocking everyone's world, but I am doing good work. When I remind myself that things are working in the right way at the right time and that I am making a difference I feel better. If I sink into really negative thinking about the work that I do I am not helping anyone. IF, and this is a big if, you really aren't making the progress you think you should be note it, but don't make any changes in this mode. You can make those changes when you are feeling better about what you do.

Is it normal?

Yep. Sometimes we all wonder why we aren't getting the just desserts that we deserve, but it passes. Don't let the moment ruin relationships that you have - just let it pass and wish them well. You'll be glad you did.

Photo Credit: Lindseyy

Not so funny

Bitter, cynical, sharp. These are often traits of very smart, funny people. And granted I love my moment of snark myself. As a consumer though I want to be treated with respect, kindness, and clarity. If you are saying mean things about a customer as they walk out the door to your coworker, I am listening. If you tweet mean things about the people you work with, I am reading. If you share some cutting remark with me over the counter, meaning to be funny, I may take it the wrong way.

I am all for biting humor. My first job review had "her humor is too adult" as the negative comment. I get it, I am funny and I am an adult, but in the workplace it might not be appreciated. In fact, it may make some less astute listeners uncomfortable.

Save the funny bits for your friends, family and the stand up stage. Greet your coworkers and customers with care - it will pay off longer longer then the witty snarl.

Photo Credit: Ehpien

Intentional Small Steps

 
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, or so they say. What are your intentions for the new year? Are you going to be nicer to your customers, keep a zero in-box, or only say yes to things you can actually do? Your actions must reflect whatever your intention. Breaking it down in easy steps might make your plans for the new year actually stick.

Make your intentions stick:

Name Them: This goes without saying. You have to name your intention to know what it is. I suggest one for an entire year, but if you are feeling ambitious you can try one a quarter. Rome wasn't built in a day and your business life isn't either. For example: My intention is to be more organized with my space and time.

Make Steps: The intention can seem a bit overwhelming or exciting the first weeks in January, depending on the complexity of the goal/habit/project. Breaking each of them down into micro-steps allows for success and the ability for new ways of doing things to become a part of who you are.

So, for the example the steps might look like this:

Step 1: Clean off desk and file paperwork each Friday

Step 2: Create a place for mail/bills and work through them once a week

Step 3: Create a client/project binder/folder and maintain them each day

Step 4: Add items to the calendar as they get scheduled and don't over schedule day

Step 5: Schedule in "me time" to avoid getting over scheduled

Step 6: Schedule in time to organize projects - doing is great, but sometimes you have to organize

You are great at what you do, but we can all get a little better! What is your intention for the new year?

Photo Credit: Unhindered Talent