What do you do when referrals backfire?

I recently offered a referral to a colleague who informed me she wasn’t impressed by “that person”.  

Rather than argue about my experience, I asked why she felt that way.

Was the person incompetent, bad at communication, slow to respond?

Did the person not do what they said they were going to do? Did they do it 

badly?

Did they do something untrustworthy or unethical?

Hearing the answers, I realized there weren’t any tangible problems, just a bad fit.

The person’s style simply didn’t suit my colleague.

While I hadn’t done anything wrong, I still felt I had to redeem myself, to make-good.

I sent the colleague’s name, bio and contact to a couple reporters—and copied her on the emails-- introducing her to people who could do more for her than a single referral ever could. 

For more information, contact us at (916) 455-4790 or www.dellrichards.com.

Websites make updating news easy

The other day I grabbed a handful of hand-outs as I rushed out the door to a speaking engagement and didn’t realize I had the wrong one until it was too late.

I used it to talk about how public relations has—and has not—changed in the past few years.

The most revolutionary change is that company news sections now replace press kits.

A well done newsroom lets journalists scan what they need faster than a brochure, press release, backgrounder or business card.

Unlike printed material, news pages can be updated instantly—at much less expense—with as many pages and links as the company needs.

We tell clients to place articles prominently as they have more credibility than press releases.

We also suggest that clients get reprints of articles and quotes to link to the news page. Ditto broadcast appearances.

Reprints let the company add their logo and contact info to the story while still maintaining the integrity of journalism.

Press releases also can be used in the newsroom, but they don’t have the implied third-party endorsement of expertise that media recognition does.

For more information, call Dell Richards Publicity at 916-455-4790 or visit www.dellrichards.com.

How to succeed in business

Many business books focus on passion, commitment and giving more than you get.

Certainly legendary visionaries like the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs epitomize that sense living your dream.

But what if you’re not passionate? What do you do then?

A former client, whose business brings in $12 million a year, lived by one creed: Show up, look like you mean business and do the job.

He said that being there every day and being serious about the work was the secret for him.

He also had another mantra that helped him cope: If it can go wrong, it will.

While he always tried to fix the system when it was at fault, he usually took problems in stride, rarely blamed anyone and was pleasant to work with as a result.

Yet he demanded enough of himself that others wanted to live up to his standards.

This approach may not be an eat-sleep-dream your business of many entrepreneurs, but it does work.

For more information, call Dell Richards Publicity at (916) 455-4790 or visit us at www.dellrichards.com.