Media Control and Michael Brown

This is a really sensitive subject for me as a black woman in the public relations world. Regardless of what you think happened to Michael Brown in Ferguson, the center issue at hand is his death is very tragic. I’ve spent the weekend watch CNN and monitoring the related hashtags on social media.  The main stream media isn’t translating the images and thoughts from social media onto their networks.

As a publicist, this tactic infuriates me but I understand it at the same time. The main stream media has to think about their shareholders, their advertisers, liability issues, and the danger of being charged with inciting a riot using the power of the press. So, they are very careful as to who they are interviewing and as to what images they are showing.

Social media, on the other hand, doesn’t have to worry about liability issues or advertisers. Posts are unedited, raw, and opinionated. These types of posts also offer a real perspective as to what people are seeing, feeling, and planning.

Since the audiences for these two types of media are very different, the emotions of the people are very different too! There is no consistent messages going out right now. The corporate communication people for the police department seem to be missing in action. The protesters aren’t aware of how to handle the media so mistakes are being made. The national media is scared to reflect what social media is showing.  Interviews with random sources are being allowed on air without being vetted. And as this media frenzy builds without any crisis communications plan, Michael Brown’s funeral is being planned.

I can only hope that reporters show both sides of the story in a respectful way. I can only hope that people giving interviews tell the truth- whatever it may be. I can only hope that when this boy’s funeral happens, the media handles it with integrity.

Saddened,
Coco the CEO

Recovering From A Mistake.

It happens. We make a mistake and then we beat ourselves up about it.  Sometimes, however, others tend to continually beat us up over mistakes. Why? We are human. We should easily forgive as no one on Earth is perfect. It is hard to recover face from mistakes but it is possible. Here’s how; 

I tell everyone in business not to make immediate decisions after a mistake is made because they are usually rash decisions. Instead, don’t make any decisions for the next 24 hours.  Use this time to take a deep breath and let the emotional pain run its course. People now at days want to recover and cover quickly but that can lead to a bad situation becoming worse. There is no time limit on recovery so make sure you take the time to recover properly – not hurriedly. 

I also tell people to admit the mistake first versus being “found out.” Stating you know you screwed is lessens the possibility for speculation and gossip. Look at James Franco’s latest social media mistake. He publically asked a 17 year old girl out online. Did he run from it? No. Did he take down his Instagram account? No. Did he go on television and admit he made a mistake, yep! And his career isn’t harmed at all. 

Here’s the link to the James Franco video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWQGECiTpOE

My point today is to take things slow as far as reacting as long as you admit you made the mistake. Get ahead of the mistake and you are ahead of the game.

Coco the CEO

More Profits, Less Costs

People are always wanting to know how to get bigger profits without putting in more work. Well, you should work hard to earn hard. But, if you do need to find ways to obtain a better profit margin- then I can help!

The first area is to investigate turnover when it comes to employees. It costs more to hire and replace an employee then it does to properly train an employee. So, I suggest you try your darndest to keep your staff in place and implement training programs versus paying unemployment and rehire costs. This will keep your margins low and feel like you have more profit on sales.

You also should eliminate unnecessary expenses when it comes to insurance. Eliminating these costs will boost your profit margins greatly.  Shopping around and purchasing through buyers groups is a huge help when it comes to keeping costs low.

These two small changes will help you achieve a better P/L and let you keep more of your money.

Until Monday,
Coco the CEO

Selling - The Art of Staying in Your Office

I recently watched an online presentation by Tony Robbins on how to be a better sales person. I’ve spoken about selling once before here on the blog. Sales is a vital aspect of every business regardless of what you sell (products or services) or what capacity you serve in a company.

Mr. Robbins said in order to be a better sales person you have to be present in the day-to-day activities of your job. This is so true! I know many sales men and women who spend their days at lunch with clients or on the golf course with clients. Sure, schmoozing with clients is often needed but your entire day, or at least the majority of it, should not be spend with one single client. You need to be in your office working on the next deal while closing the present one. Too much time outside the office depletes you of many opportunities.

Tony Robbins talked about being in the office simply for the purpose of being in the loop and showing that you are committed to selling. I understand his point, but there are many other benefits for being at the office. More leads, more time to answer incoming calls, more face-to-face with customers , more alliances made with other employees.

So, as we head into the final part of the week, identify where in your schedule you spend too much not at your desk and figure out a way to eliminate this.

Coco the CEO

3 Ways to Obtain BIGGER Profits

We all want to make more money and have a bigger profit margin. On this Money Monday I want to talk about bringing in a better income. We may have the same goal, but not too many people know how to reach it. Here are three tricks to grow your profit margin.

First, don’t keep firing and hiring employees. Turnover costs more money than training or retraining an employee. It is actually more beneficial to invest in educating your current employees versus hiring and firing over and over again. Unless an employee committed and employment “sin”, try to work with him or her to help your own bottom line.

Don’t wanted 15% of your work week, which is the national average, on social media. You can delegate this work to an intern or a freelancer.  15% of your work week can be focused on seeking out and proposing new business leads versus working on social media. Writing blog posts and updating social media is important but a huge time water. Invest in someone else to do this for you so you can go after bigger business.

Finally, reward your customers. Find a way to give customers a reason to stay with you. Repeat business is important and easier to obtain than finding new business. If you have to give away a free Starbucks to a customer every month or pay for their business cards to be printed, do it. Do whatever it takes to keep old business- even if it comes to discounting a service or a product. In the end, you will make more money using this system.

Money is why we work.  If you are not making as much as you can each day then what is it that you are doing?

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

The cost of negativity – firing a client.

Last week I touched a bit on firing a client and a few basic reasons why and how to do this. Today, however, I want to talk about weighing the costs. Most people become emotional about firing a client. They think it’s going to harm the client or their own reputation.

Any smart business owner adds a Terms of Service agreement onto their invoices. These Terms of Service agreements not only show your client what guidelines and expectations come with working alongside and hiring your firm, but they also include social media and online review protections that can allow you to sue your client should you fire them and they become hostile.

Chip Bell, who is a Customer Loyalty Consultant and best-selling author, recently wrote “Business owners may anticipate having to replace lost revenue or fear potential negative word-of-mouth that might ensue from severing their ties with a client. This often keeps them from lowering the boom on highly toxic or bottom-line-eroding customers. And in the viral world, the word-of-mouth concern should definitely be figured into the decision.”

Money is often a concern, along with reputation management, when firing a client. You can replace a contract. You can’t replace your sanity or the amount you may lose because of a toxic client. If you have a client who requires too much of your time, other clients may leave your company. Is it easier to replace one client or many? The answer is pretty simple.

Chip Bell states, “Customers should be encouraged to exit for one of three reasons: They’re costing you too much financially, taking a steep emotional toll or violating a key value of the organization.”  Think about the client you may want to fire. Think about what I said and then think about the three steps Mr. Bell just listed. Now,  can you really afford to keep this client? 

Negativity and finances are always a good reason to part ways.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

“Yuck” – These 3 Phrases Make You Sound Stupid!

Here is the thing, I hate when people don’t use words and phrases properly. Not only is this ineffective, it makes them look stupid.  I go to many meetings. Here are three phrases I would encourage everyone to stop using right now because they are worn out and make you look dumb.

Let me start with “synergy”, which is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as "the increased effectiveness that results when two or more people or businesses work together.” Duh! This means anyone who works together on a project possesses synergy. I know plenty of people who work together and results of a project are increased but have no synergy. In fact, they backstab and claw at one another.

Second is “peel back the layers of an onion”. Are we working at Outback Steak House? What onion? What layers? If we need to remove layers to identify a goal or an outcome then the problem isn’t the onion- the problem is the people wanting to “peel back”!  There is no onion.  Call a duck a duck and start moving forward.

Finally, “can I be honest”. This basically means that anything else you say without this phrase in front of it is either a lie or a horrible exaggeration. People should always be on the receiving end of honesty – especially in business. Don’t use this phrase. It makes you look stupid and like a liar!

Do you have a business phrase that gets under your skin? Share it with me. I can’t wait to read your comments.

Coco the CEO

Learning from Branding Disasters

I tell all of my clients to learn from the branding mistakes of others. Why? It is less costly. There is always something to be gained from failure, regardless if it is your own or someone else’s. 

Pepsi unveiled the latest company logo redesign, which simply meant rotating the iconic circular logo and adjusting the tilt of the white stripe. The entire rebranding effort cost the company $1.2 billion over three years. Yes, that is over a billion dollars for a tilt and a rotate. Do you think people cared? No. Do you think Pepsi’s investors and stockholders cared? Yep! This wasn’t money well spent and the story on the money spent was a public relations nightmare.  The slight change in brand meant nothing to customers and everything to the media. 

Capital One added a "swoosh" to its logo hoping to capture the attention of people who love Nike. Why? Was there some large number of sneaker wearers seeking to change banks? The cost to add the “swoosh” was millions and customers didn’t care.  Why? The superficial real doesn’t get customer attention – at least not at first. Customers worry about experience, sustainability, price point and then branding. Yes- in this order! 

Learn from the branding mistakes of others. Your image is important. It, however, is not as important as substance. 

Until tomorrow, 

Coco the CEO 

“Good luck getting your overachievers to sleep.”

I recently read an article composed by Arianna Huffington titled the same as my blog post tonight. In the article,  Arianna wrote “According to 2012 numbers from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, among European countries, Greece was number one in hours worked, Hungary was second, and Poland third. Their productivity rankings, however, were 18th, 24th, and 25th (dead last). Working the fewest hours were the Dutch, Germans, and Norwegians, who came in at fifth, seventh, and second in productivity.”

She took the time to discuss how overachievers and entrepreneurs feel “lazy” if they are not working all of the time. I can certainly understand this psychology. I run several businesses. If I spend an hour not working, I feel like my competition is catching up to me.  While I was sad to read the stats of her article, I certainly found comfort that I am not the only one who thinks down time equates to loss of profits or laziness. I certainly would rather close a deal at midnight than be in the club not making money!

However, Arianna is right.  Being over productive can actually make the quality of work decline. Not sleeping, not being in the club, not taking time for our own health hurts us. This isn’t a good thing and leads to burn out.

All of this said, it is the weekend. As we head into Saturday- take some time off from your work and enjoy life- maybe even take a nap!

Until Monday,

Coco the CEO

'Thank You'

Have you ever received an insincere ‘Thank You’ note? I get them daily. My homeowner’s insurance agent sent one when I signed my policy.  I have vendors send them to me. They mean nothing, right? Wrong! While some notes do seem insincere, there are notes that can make an impact in business. It is all in how and why you write any type of personal note, including the ‘Thank You’ note.

I like to calendar my notes but I don’t do it for the day before they are do. I calendar “random” notes to send to clients stating how much I love working with them or as a token of appreciation. This shows you really care about their business and their welfare as your client. This “random” practice really goes beyond the formalities of business. People love the unexpected.

I will write clients who tell me no more often then I write clients who tell me yes. Why? Simple. I care. If I wasn’t able to hash out a deal with a prospect, I want them to understand it wasn’t a personal thing. In fact, I may want to earn their business in the future or the business of one of their friends. Being friendly and thanking someone for their time is important on so many levels.

So, get out your calendar right now and mark random dates to send ‘Thank You’ notes.

Coco the Ceo

Are You A Business Diva?

Here it is, the moment of truth…. Are you a business diva? I wanted to write this blog after dealing with so many women in the workplace today. People say men can be hard to do business with. Maybe. But nothing compares to a diva woman in the workplace, especially if she is the boss. How can I say this? Well, I own several companies and guess what… I am a woman!

I deal with other women day in and day out and I am sad to say there is an ignorant demographic of women business owners out there that I deem as divas. These are women who are not successful but holding on. They have an attitude that stumps their ability to grow as a woman and a business owner because they are too busy not helping others or leading with grace. 

How do you know if you are a business diva? I’ve listed some signs below;

1. You complain.  Life is imperfect. People can’t read your mind. If you are not providing tools or constructive criticism to help others, you are setting them up for failure and your complaints only validate this to yourself. Complaints never helped anyone grow.  Learn from your complaints in order to help your own company grow and correct a fellow woman or peer. 

2. Your verbiage is ‘off the chain’. Ever notice how some women help themselves look stupid by not having a grasp on the basic English language? I once spoke with a woman who used “irregardless” over and over when putting someone else down. This isn’t even a word! Years later, frustrated employees mocked their boss by putting up a voicemail with animation on YouTube with an “irregardless” remix. Don’t let your ignorance come back to bite you. Speak elegantly and know the meaning of words. Otherwise, you are a diva and not a true business owner. 

3. Don’t make friends with employees. I say this because I see women do this. They make friends with their employees, or worse- clients, and then when it comes time to play the role of the boss they bring up personal situations. This is terrible and classifies you as a diva.  You shouldn’t be friends with your employees or your clients in the first place. More so, you shouldn’t throw personal situations or occurrences up to them when dealing with a business matter.

Until next time, 

Coco the CEO 

The secret to great presentations.

If you are like me, you often find yourself having to give presentations to large and small groups. If you are new to presentations keep reading; I have some great tips to help you develop amazing demonstrations.

First, keep your slides simple. Too many graphics or frilly fonts are bad for engaging people, especially if is catering to a group of 10 or more!

Encourage a conversation, don’t force it. I hate when people go around the room and make me introduce myself to others. I never remember everyone’s names and I’m sure they don’t remember mine. Setting the tone to encourage conversation will let people naturally introduce themselves to one another and spark interaction.

Finally, I never end late. If you have a meeting scheduled to end at 2pm and it goes an hour long, guess when people stopped listening to you and started paying attention to the clock? That’s right, 2pm!

The secret to a great presentation isn’t that big of a secret. In fact, it is a three step series of events that is quite simple to implement.

Until next time,

Coco the CEO

3 Common PR Mistakes

I own a marketing and public relations company. I hear, see and watch newbie PR professionals fail on a daily basis. You see, everyone has this idea of what PR is. Then, there is the actual definition of what PR is. Most people get into PR because they themselves either want to be the center of media attention or they want to be reporting the news, not delivering it. Yes, there is a big difference.

Here’s the thing; public relations is about managing the media and developing a brand. It isn’t about making someone famous through managing appearances or mingling with celebrities – which is one of the biggest misconceptions to date. Public relations professionals don’t book work or appearances outside of media interviews, talent or literary agents do this. Public relations professionals book media appearances based on what a client is doing. If you have to do the work for your client and then get them media interviews – there is a problem with the client. This said, below are my top 3 common PR mistakes.

1. It is two different things entirely to pitch news your clients force you to pitch against your better judgment and pitch something to a reporter without the thought of you believing it is news in the first place. Yes, pitching what a client thinks is newsworthy doesn’t make it so. You need to educate your clients on this or your company will be reflected in the mistake as much as the client.

2. Your timeline isn’t what the press cares about. In fact, you need to care what the media’s timelines are. I recently read this piece of advice and couldn’t agree more. “Let’s say you are sending a Christmas wish list to a monthly magazine. When do you send that pitch? October? August? Try June or July. If not, tell your client to wait until next year or focus on weekly trades. Editorial calendars change sometimes but lead times do not. Know the deadlines first, and know not to call a reporter when he or she is buried under one second.”

3. Know the news. Everyone thinks their clients are special, and they are. However, you will not get your clients picked up by every single news outlet. In fact, for every 500 outlets pitched, expect a 3% return and not right away. Remember, editorial calendars exist!

As you move forward into your PR career, you will create connections that will make it easier for you to pick up the phone and bump competing press agents and their stories. Until then, follow the rules and don’t make these 3 major mistakes.

Coco the CEO

Consulting As A Business

It isn’t easy to be a consultant. I offer business consulting and there is no perfect formula to help every client because each client and situation is unique. There are many entrepreneurs who believe consulting as a business is easy. Well, it isn’t. Breaking in is hard to do and you have to strive for perfection and branding each and every day.

Before you strike out on your own as a consultant, you have to prove you can be a consultant. What have you done that would make other business owners turn to you for advice? If you don’t have a best-selling book, a multi-million dollar company, or thousands of dollars in brand recognition then you can’t be a successful consultant. No business owner in his or her right mind would hire someone who hasn’t had landmark milestones within their own career to consultant on another company.

You should also show how you are different right away. For example, don’t offer the same or typical consulting topics. Make your brand different as a way to be competitive. For example, consulting on how to turn a profit is a dime a dozen topic. However, if you decide to coach or consult on the topic of increasing your profit margin by 30% in the first two quarters of any year than you have a niche topic to start with.

Consulting for a living is NOT in any way easy. Build your brand, show what you’ve accomplished and then tell people why you are different.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Social Media – It’s Just Wrong

Do you know about 78% of individuals use social media improperly? It is a very true fact. Most people don’t use social media to better their personal brand. In fact, they do a pretty good job of either creating brand confusion or ruining their all-out brand. But Coco, I’m a person not a brand! Oh, I wish this was true. People are now brands thanks to LinkedIn. If you work, if you’re employable, if you exist online- you are a brand.

Here are some ways to ruin your brand and use social media incorrectly.

1. You don’t update on the constant. A post here and there doesn’t offer any insight as to who you are. Skip the mediocre posting habits and either get better at posting for yourself or hire someone to do it for you.

2. You make announcements about yourself and how important you are versus engaging with others. Yep, this is a major mistake. No one likes a bragger. Be promotional without being obvious.

3. You ignore the bad stuff. Why? This is an opportunity to see where you are falling short and correct it. You can move on by responding to bad stuff. Saying nothing in response is just as bad as pleading guilty to it.

Try to practice your social media efforts daily, be engaging and respond to bad comments. All these practices will put you ahead of the game as far as social media is concerned.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Running A Company and Weight Loss.

Here’s a fun saying, ““Running a successful business is a lot like losing weight; the principles are simple, but the practice is difficult.” I heard this and laughed because it is so true. Everyone thinks they can run a business but the practice itself is difficult.

I want to talk about walking the walk today because there is more to owning a business then just clicking the start key and being rich! No one cares how many emails you have, how many other people are calling you when you are on the phone with them, how many projects, cold calls, or pitches you have on your schedule – they only care about their results. If you are not striving for results, you’re dead in the water. And, it may take months, if not a year, to start seeing results. No turn-key success here.

You also have to practice being pleasant in some not so nice situations. You will have to be kind to clients who are less than horrible. You will have to bend rules to make deals happen. You will have to strive for success when everyone else is betting on your failure.

My point for tonight’s blog is to not give up. Like a weight loss goal, the longer you try and the harder you apply yourself- you will get there. You might not lose 100 pounds over three months and you certainly will not make a million dollars in a day, but as long as you are practicing what you preach- you will reach the end of the rainbow.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Recovering from a crisis

I had a client get arrested this weekend. It was a simple misunderstanding, but it happened. At first, I wanted to panic. Not only is this person a client, he is a personal friend. I had to gain my composure and look at the situation from a business perspective instead of a personal one.

If you find yourself in crisis mode, my suggestion is to follow what I did this weekend. You need to disassociate emotionally from the situation in order to handle it methodically. This isn’t going to be easy and it will not be fun. However, your role as a business person- regardless if you are in the PR business or the food industry- is to address the situation head on, honestly and with integrity.

My biggest piece of advice for recovering from a professional crisis is to remain calm, composed and emotionally detached from the situation. Stay professional and approach everything with a plan. Don’t give immediate answers, don’t take bad news personally, and don’t react.

If you need more information on crisis management and communications please contact me. I am here to help.

Coco the CEO

Oh to the No! Social Media Mistakes!

Every remove someone from your social media accounts because they are stalking every post you write? You know the type- they “like” or “retweet” everything you say. Even worse, their own posts are nothing more than selfies, rude memes and, of course, status updates from the gym! You want followers, but you want the RIGHT followers.

Here are my tips to navigating your way through your personal social media accounts like a pro;

#1. Don’t overshare. Oversharing photos of yourself, your pets and/or your kids is called annoying. Think of yourself walking down the street and someone stopping you every two seconds with a photo from their wallet to share with you. Annoying! Don’t be this person, especially if you run a company!

#2. Don’t buy “likes”, YouTube views or Twitter followers. We all can tell when “ana zhoisf sdjkdfhss” is a fake profile and you look silly with 10,000 fake followers reading your uninteresting posts. Value who you follow and appreciate those who REALLY follow you!

#3. Have actual conversations. OMG! Yes, don’t send important information via a text or a social media post. That’s classless- especially if it is a welfare check on someone’s emotional or physical health. Be personal, you will intrigue more people to follow you on social media when you show you truly care about others.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

My pivot book.

My pivot book. In a couple of weeks, if not sooner, I will be introducing a new book on the art of pivot within the business community. Many people discuss pivot but no one seems to talk about what happens after you or your company makes a pivot. That is what this new book is going to be about.

In the upcoming book I cover how both PayPal and Starbucks were able to utilize a strategic pivot plan before either company started. Sometimes we, as business owners, plan to pivot and other times we have to adapt – pivot.

My book will also include an exercise plan for business owners who are going into a pivot – regardless of the cause – so you have a strategy to develop a workable flow plan, identify what worked in the past and what didn't work, and set up realistic financial milestones as you move forward.

Unlike my current book, this product may not be offered as a free gift. However, I am considering incorporating in the cost of all of my business consultation efforts. I believe anyone who goes into business or has an existing business should understand both the concept of a pivot and then how to recover after one.

My advice for you this weekend is to Google case studies of companies who are able to pivot and succeed – as well as companies who attempted to pivot and failed. Having a plan for after the pivot is essential to avoid failure. My new book will address this.

Until Monday,

Coco the CEO

How to write a proper press release.

If you are going to attempt to write your own, or your company's own, press release there are a few rules you need to be aware of. While I always suggest having a professional within the public relations industry assist you, I understand not everyone has the budget to accommodate this need. First, understand every press release you send out will not be picked up by a media sources. It is the nature of the reporting and broadcast game. Go into your press publication efforts with a realistic strategy.

The first element of writing a good press release is to ensure it is newsworthy. DD news that is relevant to you is not always relevant to the media. For example, if you are a real estate agent who just sold a multi-million dollar home that might be significant to you but it may mean nothing to the media or industry – specific media. However, if you just sold a multi-million dollar home that was once old by Robert Redford and a media in 53, which is very different than a press release, may be warranted. Of course, you would have to get the permission of Robert Redford and the new homeowner.

The next element of writing a good press releases to understand that a press release should not be of a promotional nature. Many novice public relations professionals make this mistake. A good press release reads like stereo instructions, not an advertisement. You also want to look of Associated Press style, otherwise known as AP style. Writing with good for is a plus in the eye of any reporter. If you use the sales copy for a non-– AP format, regardless of how newsworthy your press release may be – it will not be picked up.

Finally, understand the elements of a press release, which are; the headline, the restatement by line, the day, the introduction paragraph which restates how the headline is relevant to the byline and includes any immediately where further information can be found, a supportive paragraph – which should include further details in the event that a reporter does not click on the immediately, a quote – quote can be from the media agency putting out the press release, a client or relevant party directly related to the press release for yourself, a recap paragraph that is not redundant – this is hard to do but necessary, and a boilerplate. A boilerplate is simply who, what, when, where, why and needed details about the source putting out the press release and for the subject matter of the press release.

So, remember when you are writing your press release to check Google news. If what you are writing about isn't trending or relevant within your own industry for the national spotlight, you need to rethink your angle for your product. Also, remember that formatting is key – journalists are very busy people and sticklers for details.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO