Do You Really Care What People Think?

You had better care! Because what people think usually leads to predictable behaviors that can really affect your business, non-profit or association for better or worse.

Look at your employees. If they believe you really don't care about them, your organization's productivity can take a nose dive.

And what about customers? They had better remain convinced of the value of your products and services or off they go to a competitor.

Even prospects constantly need to be made aware of your product and service values or you'll never get them as customers in the first place.

And seriously caring what key groups of people think about your organization doesn't stop there.

You'll have trouble hiring and keeping employees if area residents don't see your organization as a good place to work.

Same with minorities if, true or false, the idea takes hold that you discriminate in your hiring practices.

And don't forget the need to be above board with journalists covering your operation. A suspicious reporter can create what you'll certainly view as "bad press."

While we've talked briefly about a half dozen of your key "publics," there are certainly others that need your attention.

That's why the care and feeding of your most important external audiences can easily turn into a full-time job when you stop and think about the impacts they can have on how successfully you achieve your objectives.

O.K., so you can't afford full-time public relations help, but is it hopeless?

Not at all because there are several actions you can and should take to address this challenge. It will require a chunk of time to implement, but isn't it worth it?

First, list the top five or six audiences that could keep you awake at night.

Clearly, the top priority is to stay aware of how they perceive your enterprise. And that translates into speaking regularly with members of each group ? members, customers, employees, area residents, reporters, prospects ? and LISTENING for any problem areas.

Of course, in your own best interests, you should be a regular speaker at area podiums and a willing interviewee when local or trade media want to ask you questions. By doing so, you "ventilate" matters and lessen the impact of future "bumps in the road" when they inevitably occur.

So, when problems ARE identified, corrective actions should be put in place. And when it's time to take those actions, you need a two-part strategy: one, a clear, truthful message written to persuade that audience and, two, effective communications that will actually reach that audience.

Communications tactics may range from media interviews, open houses, facility tours and plain, old meetings to promotional events and news releases.

It's important to track progress if you ever hope to know whether your efforts are changing minds. Most important, do you appear to have successfully addressed the problem areas that came up in your initial information gathering among those key audiences?

And that means more of the same ? personal meetings with members, customers, prospects, employees, area residents, reporters and other so-called "thought-leaders."

What people think is really key to the success of your organization because, like it or not, people act on their perception of the facts before them and that leads to certain behaviors. Because something can be done about those behaviors, this article outlines how you can address any problem areas BEFORE they negatively affect your business.

Remember, if you leave those problems unattended for very long, you may be trifling with your own survival. How much better to deal promptly and effectively with questionable perceptions and encourage behaviors that insure the success of your business.

end

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. Net word count is 700 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003.

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 communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

---

Transform Any Business into a Go-Getting Power House by Working SMART

Probably as well known as SWOT, SMART turns goals, objectives and tasks into concrete deliverables. If there is one key to turning busy, ineffectual organisations into models... Read More

To Outsource or Not to Outsource

In these days of restricted head count and tight budgets, the question of whether to outsource or hire in-house staff is more critical than ever. The technical... Read More

Instantly Uncover Your Corporate Culture

Best Definition of "Corporate Culture"If you ask 10 people to define "organizational culture," you will get 11 different answers!Fortunately, from my consulting and writing on leadership and... Read More

5 Interviewing Mistakes That Can Lead To Hiring The Wrong Person

Mistake #1: Going with the flowInexperienced interviewers sometimes fall into the trap of letting the interview become "free form", spending different amounts of time on different questions,... Read More

Time Management and Team Development - The Yes and No of It

Sometimes.In fact making some small changes to the circumstances when we use these two little words, can make all the difference. And it takes practice.Saying 'Yes' More......brings... Read More

Five Essential Hiring Practices

Recruiting and hiring are often done in haste, leaving the company to repent in the long run. Today, there's a reason to be concerned about negligent hiring.... Read More

Know Your Client - The First Rule of Business Coaching

Whilst the very best coaches have undertaken independently accredited training and or have years of experience with clients, new self-assessment questionnaires are coming available which is evolving... Read More

Creative Writing - business principles produce more quality work, faster

Maximization methodologies have long been used in business to produce quantities of quality ideas, faster. Creative writers who want to rapidly produce quantities of quality work should... Read More

Pitching to Employees

The senior flight attendant on the WestJet flight was starting the routine safety talk: the bit about flotation vests and emergency exits that we ignore at the... Read More

Productivity Through Positive Reinforcement

Most people just want to be appreciated. If you're a manager, that's something to seriously think about as you set the tone for maximum productivity.Ever work for... Read More

Quality Staffing: Stop Placing the Wrong People in the Wrong Jobs

You can possibly teach a turkey to climb a tree ? but it is a lot easier to hire a squirrel. Quality staffing means selecting the right... Read More

A Man and His Razor

It is vain to do with more what can be done with less. William of Ockham This is Ockham's famed Razor. A shorthand version of the... Read More

Learn About Commercial Collections Agencies Fees

As with any other service, there are good and bad commercial collection agencies. Beware of any agency that offers you cut rate commissions far below the accepted... Read More

The Paradox of Job Enrichment

Ellen was a clerk working for a large insurance company. One day, she spotted a glaring discrepancy in a form she was typing. Through a simple error,... Read More

Effective Email Communication

Email, when used properly, can generate additional direct sales and leads; can be used as a tool to communicate with your existing client base to let them... Read More

Coaching Champions at Work

I saw Brian Kerr (the Irish national football coach) on television not so long ago and it reminded me of a platform I shared with him at... Read More

Follow Up: It Makes A Difference

A while back the headlight switch on our minivan quit working, so early one Saturday morning we took it to the neighborhood repair shop that has been... Read More

Allan Kempert Discovers That Truly All You Gotta Do Is Ask

A year or so ago, I met Allan Kempert. Allan was the Quality Assurance Supervisor for a metal stamping company in Ontario, and just completed Norman Bodek's... Read More

Innovation Management ? Selecting Good Ideas

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation. There are distinct processes that enhance... Read More

Involving People Gave Us the Improvements We Needed

We had a problem with handling materials in a production department. Our process required raw materials to enter the department, be processed, and leave the department. The... Read More

Internal Control - The Why and How

Many retailers do not have good internal controls in place and place little importance on them. They are concerned with the buying and selling of merchandise and... Read More

Retaining An Expert -- What Every Business Owner Needs To Know

As an entrepreneur, hiring an expert can be one of the most efficient ways to turbo-charge your business. However, thousands of consultants flood the Information Highway, and... Read More

One Simple Idea to Grow Your Business

Perhaps the most common theme I've heard in working with business owners or managers is that they rarely have time to plan for the future. They are... Read More

Top Ten Tips for Outstanding Customer Service

Remember the 80:20 rule? You may not get everything perfectly right, but getting most right will be much, much better than the majority of your competition. These... Read More

How To Turn Business Losses Into Cash Flow

When the typical new business operator starts a business, they concentrate on making the business succeed. That is necessary but not the only thing that a business... Read More

10 Fool Proof Ways To Intensify Your Profits

1. Create benefit intensifiers for your list of ad copy benefits. Example, The Benefit: "Save More Time", The Benefit's Intensifier: "Never Seen Before".2. Use a little humor... Read More