It took me 20 years to perfect note taking!

A friend of mine was out celebrating last night with all of us after receiving her first A in Law School.  With three months left she will then graduate and take the bar and hopefully become my future lawyer, (hopefully her services won’t be needed). She said something that was very interesting: "It took me 20 years to get this A" noting that we are conditioned and trained until that moment our entire educational careers we reach our goal. That’s what I took with me today to work.  The majority of the successes we achieve, goal we reach or even ones which we are after all stem from the conditioning we endure as a student.

Today I realized note taking is one of those things.  I think each person has to tweak it for their own but the foundation is always the same. For the most part, we learn how to take them in high school, then shorten them or learning to write much faster in college and then take these acquired skills to the work force to be used particularly in meetings. Why does all this matter? 

I’ll give you a setting. My boss and colleges gathered for a small meeting. In which we would delegate tasks for an upcoming event.  As he  separated each task out to each person, he remarked on attendance, things we weren’t  sure about yet, times and etc. This had nothing to do with my particular task as I was just given a list of people to contact.  Most beginner students start off with the mentality, “ I only need to write down what is going to be on the test” or in my case I would only need to note what is delegated to me- here are the people, here are their emails. The experienced student knows "I need to take notes of the “core” of this conversation, but also jot down and highlight the contributing factors." It is usually these little facts that turn up  later in a discussion question. The meeting then ended and we went to our desks. I then realized that part of my task did in fact entail some of those contributing factors. I was given the task I communicating with the rest of our team the logistics of the event. If I had only jotted down only the names and emails of who I had been instructed to contact and disregarded time, place, flights, who from the press would be attending etc.  I would not have been able to communicate these logistics very well to the team. My major is communications so not being able to communicate is something that I look at as a very serious fail personally. It would have also made me look quite inadequate if I needed contact my boss  to have him repeat the majority of the information he just went over.

There is also the type of beginner student also takes notes viciously.  Everything and anything is in their notebook and so much that they often don’t’ have time to look up. This is an problem later in life if you cannot find the time to participate in class discussions and God forbid you take this habit into the work place and have no contribution to your meetings. There is no growth in this and even more so it makes the employee perhaps appear less interested, less of a contributing team member and so forth.  This is where those note taking skills you took from college come in handy. All or us college kids have learned to jot down the highlights and let these trigger the specifics. Granted sometimes the specifics are necessary. After all you can't just jot down the word time. You need to put 3:30-6:00pm. But this allows  the employee to  take what is needed from the meeting, go back  to reflect and elaborate while still having the time to engage the team and ask questions.

It’s funny how something that  as far as I know, people are not tested on, is such a big part of the workforce. Such a vital skill to take from your education… it took me 20 years to perfect the skill of note taking. Maybe I’ll go out and celebrate tonight J.

Ps. Don't be afraid of 2012. There's more ways to take notes than just on paper....
http://www.yourlifestyledesigner.net/articles/7-apps-note

Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer

Competition is seen as the enemy. At the same time though they are a healthy motivation to a growing business. The push to be innovative, faster and of course more profitable. We look at what they are doing and then think how can we do it better? Different?

Today at work  I was reminded that there are two key players when you’re in business. Your partners  and your competition.  Since the partners are not a threat they are sometimes over looked. The problem lies when there is a lack of communication  or neglect in keeping up with the partners agenda.  It is important to practice a similar strategy with competition.  Although you would not share your ideas with them as you would partners, in both scenarios it is vital to be aware of what they are doing.  Is your partner coming up with something that could benefit your company? Are they announcing something else that you could perhaps be tied in with? Even more important when is your completion releasing their products for sale? What events are they holding?

In a prior blog I talked about how timing is everything.  All the lessons come full circle in PR it seems.  If you are planning an event at the same time as your partners why not collaborate? Its more cost efficient and more than likely you will have the same demographics, allowing you to reach out to even more people.

The same works with competition.  It is inevitable that you and your competition will virtually have similar clients. At the vey least similar demographics. If you hold an event around the same time of your competition you are forcing your public to choose. Instead of allowing them to be educated separately. This is a big risk even if you have the upper hand.  Even worse, you are forcing the media to choose and risk losing potential coverage, which in the PR world is unthinkable. Sure you can get a reporter but is it the one you want. Remeber each journalist has their own beats, columns and niche. 

I’m thinking that perhaps an hour or so of the day should be dedicated to researching the competition. Knowing information before it happens and strategically planning accordingly. Having a good relationship with your partners through constant communication can ease some of the work load in having to monitor their actions aswell. Keeping informed will build a relationship instead of seeming uninterested in what they are doing by relaying on solely the partner to communicate their actions. Perhaps this is where newsletters come in handy?  We inform the partner and request they do the same.  As for our "enemy", that work falls on our shoulders alone. Although there are many channels of information to keep updated on their actions as well.  Our friend the media is the neutral party in which we should continually lend our eyes and ears to regularly in this field.  This isn't looking too time consuming after all....simple tasks with enromous rewards. Why can't everything be this way :) ?

Just the fact please, Hold the fillers.

“Only $800. Cable, Water, Trash all included.” I read this on the website, was confirmed this via phone and then again in person when I came to tour. Knowing it was well above my price range ( I’m a struggling post college kid) but thinking I could stretch to make the $800, I agreed to sign the papers immediately before the price jumped any higher as they tend to do. I was already sacrificing having a washer and dryer as well as a microwave ( my main source of food seeing as I'm not  the cook) to have this place. I didn’t want to wait until this last “discounted unit” was gone. You can imagine how happy my leasing agent was when I came in already Sold. As I began putting ink on paper I noticed the price at the bottom was well over the $800. Next to the lines for cable, water and trash were separate fees.

 “What is this about?” I asked pointing to the separated dollar amounts.

“Oh,” the agent responded in a matter-of-factly tone, “ This is your included water, cable, etc.”. 

“How is it included if it is extra?” I laughed but was becoming a little annoyed. I already knew I wasn’t getting this bundled.

“It’s included because we offer it.” She explained, “So you pay your rent which is the $800. Then you pay the $50 for cable. Your water depends on use and the trash is a $10 fee. Then you are required to purchase $95 dollars of renters insurance to us as well. Your electric is separate though.”

I went from thinking I would struggle to make the $800 and wound up looking at paying the very least $955 not including electricity and whatever I used for my water. I’ve never been one for math but I can assume that with the addition of water and electric I was looking at paying  at least $1000 a month. How did I even get in the door there? I did my research, read the facts then checked them twice and even sacrificed some “non-essentials” that are actually fairly essential to me in order to be conned.  Strong word choice but when you’re in my little shoes ( I’m only a size five on a good day) it seemed appropriate. Fortunately, I picked up on this before my signatures went any further. I politely explained that I misunderstood and would not be able to commit at this time.

This incident made me somewhat wiser as I continued to home hunt. I then would ask when seeing the  word “included” if  these utilities were really included in the listed price already. Surprise! I feel as if it was safe to say that 9 out of 10 times they were not.

This long rant has a point. I found that in marketing it is easy to say things like “only this much” but in separate payments. Show huge signs with the word “FREE” and then in tiny print put with two other purchases. Sure it grabs attention but at the same time I feel that I am being misled. Am I paranoid? Maybe. Either way I think that this all relates to the type of business I hope to run one day. I don’t want to mislead clients. I don’t want to mislead their clients. It’s not worth getting them in the door if they are dying to leave and telling everyone not to come in. Even if I had signed on the dotted line that day without catching all the additional fees my trust would have been broken. I would not recommended the complex to others and my relationship with the agents would have been tainted.

I currently work in reviews. I know and have seen what a bad vs good review can do. We look to others, especially people we know to provide us with insight on their experiences with something we have never tried.  How would I review the apartment complex if I had been “tricked” into signing or year? Sure they had me in the door but how many potential clients would they loose after I blew the whistle? No one likes the thought of being intentionally mislead. Don’t even get me started on how I purchased my first car ha ha. I am still paying for that one! Which is also partially the reason an $800 apartment is a struggle. Fool me once shame on you, but it was not going to happen again. I feel like clients, customers, partners, people feel the same way. Just the facts please, no fillers.

Real People, Real Products

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…its probably not one. Before you think I have no idea how to work clichés or that I have a taste for art where nothing is as it seems, my point in this is that if we are not careful, anything can be manipulated into a duck when in fact it’s a penguin…still a bird like creature but very very different.

Today at work I learned that everyone wants to know what’s real. This is even more of a truth when it comes to money. No one wants a ruse or only half the information when making a purchase…especially in this economy! Leave alternate reality to chick flicks and vampire movies and serve the cold facts when portraying a product. We are pruned ( hopefully) through our PR courses in communication ethics. Teaching us to deliver the facts, accept responsibility and never- ever to manipulate numbers or information despite our stereotype as “spin doctors”.

Today at work it was suggested “ Real People with Real Products” for our advertising. Why hire a penguin and dress it like a duck, when the duck is there and happy to have the five seconds of fame?  I personally love the idea. I would also love to see a social media play on this to open up the opportunity all over the world. Perhaps a contest to submit what they do with our products or how they would like to use them and in return win these? How about displaying how our product is used by doctors or researchers every day?

Another benefit to real people real products is branding. In my prior position I worked as a marketing director. Part of my job was finding ways to connect people individually to the brand. Passing out freebies, holding events, contests, raffles.  Before marketing I worked in customer service and was taught every person every day. This keeps customers returning and makes their shopping experience personal. This is no different.  What a lasting impression to leave on an individual showcasing their passion, work, creativity with our products. Seeing your friends, family, co-workers being recognized.

And how could you put a price on that type of credibility? Real people, Real Products would create real relationships with our clients.

Timing is Everything- Taking a Three Tier Approach

Through all of history if there is news our first instinct is to spread it. The only difference in yesterday and today is that we do so even faster through even more channels. “So five seconds ago” is an Iphone reality as we post status updates, tweet, stream video and text. As public relations professionals it is somewhere innately ingrained in us to “spread the word” . But today at work I was reminded that timing is everything.

Taking a Three Tier Approach allows an introduction then a climatic event and as all good things must come to, an end. In this case and end result meaning product knowledge , sales and brand recognition. The three tier approach could perhaps flows as this: Step One a press release or an announcement. This lets the world know that there is a new product through the 5 W’s. Who is making this product, What it is, Why, Where and When you can purchase or view it. This is the preface to the event.

The climax or step two is the event. First you send out the invitations to the party via press releases, social media, word of mouth etc. Then you throw the party. You want to allow enough time for your guests to receive the invites, give yourself time to prepare and allow excitement to brew. Of course you have to make sure you have all the logistics in line, which make no mistake is no small feat. The Quixote Group in Greensboro, NC was the internship that lead to my love for the PR industry. The company motto “ Thinking in the Corners of the Box” is something that I held on to in both my personal and professional life. (I’m getting to the connection here, just bear with me… ). The concept is not to think out side of the box because you veer too far from your clients/demographics values and interests, but to go just far enough away from the expected to WOW. This is how I believe an event should be planned. The core and heart of your message is there but it isn't just a black and white statement, it becomes a living breathing body…an event. *Don’t forget to send out the thank you’s and feedback opportunities after the event!*

The End. This is where the timing is the most relevant. If the event was to promote a product that will be available for purchase, making the purchase date too far from the event renders all your work pointless. Make sure that there is the anticipation perhaps a week or two out but no more! Timing is everything.Seems like common sense 101 but far too often companies make the mistake of holding a promotion for a product that isn’t available for purchase till much much later…by then the excitement has faded, something new has caught their attention or even worse all your efforts were forgotten and your product is “so five seconds ago.”