Are You TOO Busy for Your Clients?

It happens. We get busy with how to run the business, growing a business, developing our brand, etc. that we forget why we are in business- our customers. I'm listing three ways to tell if you've lost sight of your customers' needs and are cheating them- even without meaning to do so. If so, ask yourself what you can do to correct the situation at hand.

1. You half-ass tasks. Sorry to be so blunt, but it is true. If you perform at your highest level upon first signing a client, but months or years later you could care less if the product/service is amazing or of quality then you've lost focused and are denying your customer what he or she is entitled to.

2. You believe the customer is always right. Um, no. The customer may think he or she is always right, but they're not. You wouldn't sell a standard kitchen oven to someone who wanted to open a bakery would you? No, of course not. If you see a client making a mistake and you don't step in- you're failing that customer.

3. You avoid the evil client. If you ditch a client because he or she is too demanding than you might not be up for the challenge of expansion. Try your best to handle evil clients and resolve inner-conflicts before giving this type of customer the boot.

Dealing with customers isn't always easy. You are not going to have easy clients in life. There will be difficult clients and situations. Remember these three tips and make sure the problem isn't you.

Until Monday,

Velma Trayham 

Your life as a publicist, how to get the most from it.

Being a publicist means you will have very little time to attend to yourself, but you need to.  I wanted to cover starting the day out to nurture yourself before you head to work to go to bat for others. So, here it goes!

First, you need to wake up 15 minutes earlier tomorrow than you did today. Why? To workout. Even if you already head to the gym at a different point in the day, wake up early and do 15 minutes (no more, no less) of jogging or walking around the neighborhood - whatever. Make sure you add this to your routine because it shakes off any extra glasses of wine from the night before, as well as helps to get the creative juices flowing.

Second, say two things out loud that you will get accomplished today. Why? Self affirmation is very powerful. People will screw up your schedule to be quite frank about things, just ask any PR employee. If you say two things out loud in the morning that you need and will get down, chances are they will be accomplished regardless of any schedule interruptions.

Finally, knock off any phone or in-person meetings that don't need to happen. People tend to spend more time talking about doing things vs. actually doing them. Meetings are a huge distraction in many cases. If a meeting isn't going to accomplish a decision during its capacity, skip it or cancel it. You should only call or attend meetings that 1.) stay within the time frame scheduled and 2.) will accomplish something by the end of the meeting. Discussion meetings are not needed. You can shoot a short email to a group of people and read their feedback in less time then it takes to actually walk to a meeting or call into one.

I hope this information helps you get ahead on what can be a great career.

Velma Trayham 

You’re Thinking Your Way to Failure

I know this man who is afraid to succeed. He doesn’t know this, but it is true. He over analyzes every opportunity and seeks out mentor after mentor. His plan is lacking any action. I believe he is so afraid that he is going to fail that he makes a million and one excuses to not take any action but only seek consulting.  This man is thinking his way to failure.

Over the years I have come across other people like this. That is why I am dedicating today’s blog to beating out failure by avoiding the following ‘thinking’ pitfalls.

1.       If you use the past to predict the future know that growth is impossible. If you have failed somewhere in your past, let it go. Otherwise, you will fail again in the future. Dallas Buyers Clubs was rejected time and time and time again. The producers kept the dream alive and both actors in the movie received Oscars this year!

2.       If you love to stall on things then there is a great chance you have missed the boat of opportunity more than once. Avoid this by setting up mini-milestones and commitments for large undertakings.

3.       You compare yourself to others. Unless you are a twin, this move is deadly when it comes to success. You are unique. You have different circumstances, resources and educational experiences when compared to others.  Avoid the cookie-cutter syndrome by putting yourself first and expecting others to follow you – not the other way around!

Until Monday,

Coco the CEO 

Are You A Perfectionist?

I have a problem. I expect things to be perfect. I expect myself to be perfect. I expect business days to be perfect and always in my favor. Guess what, the world isn’t perfect! Like many other entrepreneurs, I lean towards perfection and this isn’t possible- at least not 100% of time.

If you want to grow, you have to let of perfectionism.  Here are my top two tips for avoiding the “being perfect” scenarios that hold back growth.

1.       Play nice with yourself.  We perfectionist are hyper critical of others and even worst on ourselves. Well, don’t be.  Be unpredictable at times.  Did you know the Queen of England doesn’t eat breakfast on fine China. Nope. She eats her cereal out of a plastic bowl. This is her treat to herself. It seems simple, but she does it to remind herself that she is human.  Give yourself a daily reminder that you are not perfect or above anyone else.

2.       Manage the mundane. Create a list of 5 tasks that will not ruin your life if they are messed up or not done perfectly. Next, hire an assistant to do these tasks. Trust me, your life and professional existence will not end.

It is hard to let go of tasks and it is even harder to embrace the concept that we are not perfect.  I like to think of this as always growing in God’s Grace.  So, today – go out an grow in God’s Grace and accept that not everything in business will be perfect.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

The best business advice…. ever!

Many people ask me about business. They sit there, staring at me, waiting for a pearl of gold to come out of my mouth to ignite their instant success. I wish it was this easy- both for me and the person asking me about business.

The truth is business is hard work. I follow Sir Richard Branson online because he is a genius, pure and simple. He keeps it real, too.  Someone recently asked him a question about becoming a millionaire. Here is his honest response, “there's a lot of work to be done, and during that long journey, qualities like determination and gumption will be just as vital as enthusiasm and optimism. Having an end goal in mind is a great thing; now you have to decide on the smaller, more achievable steps that help you work toward it, and then carry them out.  The day your arrogance or ego kicks in, it's all over. Always remember, no matter how big you become you will still always be a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of things."

What an amazing reply! Ego can and will kill your business. Dreaming about the future instead of planning milestone steps for now limits your growth. I have been guilty of both these traits in the past, but I’ve learned from my mistakes and moved on. The key to business is to move on from your mistakes. If you practice what Sir Richard Branson preaches, and incorporate what I just said about moving on and learning, you will be well off in all your business ventures.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Do You Waste Time?

Ever feel as if there isn’t enough time in the day? You are not alone, especially if you own a company.  Well, there are some things we as people do daily that really lead to time crunches and task bottlenecks. I’ve listed them below to help you identify where you are wasting time and recover it to become more productive.

1.     Administrative work. If you are a business owner then this is your largest waste of time. Many business owners don’t want to relinquish control over these tasks. Why? You should waste an hour or more a day consolidating reports, reviewing specific documents, etc.  Your administrative team should do this for you.  You only need to review report synopsis, considering details as needed- not in general and all of the time.

2.     You place value on quick tasks. Don’t do this. You are wasting time. If you put off schedule appointments for simple haircuts, responding to short emails, etc. – then you are adding items to your task list and building pressure upon yourself that isn’t needed. If it takes under 2 minutes to do – do it immediately.

3.     Finally, don’t repeat things. If you have customers who ask you the same thing over and over again, or want you to send them the same document over and over again, put it on your website.  They can find these answers and documents on the website or your administrative team can help.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Writing Your Own Press Release 101

I work in the PR field. My biggest challenge are the client who come to me with impactful ideas that hold no water.  The biggest mistake my clients make is thinking someone in the media cares. The truth is, no one cares.  What you think is news, really isn’t. In fact, in order to tell what is news and what isn’t newsworthy, hit up Google News. If you own a bakery and your big news is the launch of a new flavor of cookie, type in “new cookie flavor” and see what is relevant and what is trending.  I tell my celebrity clients the same thing. I tell them to Google their brand. Then I tell them to Google other “ a like” celebrities and see what they are getting as far as news. 

I ask them why they think the media is covering their competition and not them.  The PR Agency has nothing to do with it. In fact, we all pretty much use the same AP methods on a daily basis.  More established PR agencies do have better weight to throw around as far as pushing an interview, but we all face the same challenges and procedures.  Usually, when a client isn’t getting pickup, it is because they have nothing that truly is newsworthy to offer and therefore- nobody cares. Being famous for being famous is no longer the thing to do because of social media and there is no such thing as overnight success. Research some of the world's most famous people. I promise you they didn't achieve success in 6 months, a year or even 5 years!

This said, I want to talk about the top 3 things to consider when writing your own press release.

1.       Remember that no one cares.  Writing a press release for SEO and deep linking purposes is very different than writing one for actual media pickup. If you are writing for media pickup, use AP formatting and make sure you really have something to announce.

2.       “Do” vs “Applause”. What’s this? Well, your press release should either be an announcement of something that is about to happen (do) or something that did happen and is something people will want to care about (applause).

3.       Be straight forward. Contrary to popular belief, a press release shouldn’t hype you or your products up. Reporters hate this. In fact, it makes reports distrust the source. Be direct. Have a quote. Don’t use words that make you or your products sound bigger than they are and don’t write a biography as part of your press release. Remember the “Do” or “Applause” rule!

Until Monday,

Coco the CEO

Start Your Workday Empowered

I used to feel as if I couldn’t get a grip on the day. I would open my eyes in the morning to email after email, client text messages, phone calls waiting on my office line and my family had needs too. I felt like I didn’t have time for a shower, breakfast or even lunch! I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t fitting everything into one day. It was then I realized I wasn’t Super Woman – close- but not quite there. I needed to change my schedule and allow me time to really start my days empowered.

Here is how I can believe you can organize your mornings the same way I did;

Pledge to get up an hour earlier. I promise you sleep will not be an issue. The first week will be hell but after that you will find you do have more time in the day and can actually achieve more sleep at night! When you wake up feeling ahead of the game, as with being awake an hour earlier, you are calmer and get put your day in perspective while grabbing a shower and something to eat without feeling rushed.

Create a “to do” list and stick to it. If it isn’t on the list, put it off to another day and have someone assist you with your schedule. Shoot an email to the person in charge of your schedule to delegate time to the task(s) that just appeared for another day. If a client pops a last minute project on you, charge more or give him or her the option to wait. I promise you the emergency can wait….

Finally, I stay away from cocktails with friends. This will put you in bed longer the next day and take away from time for you to dedicate to gym, visiting family or prepping for the next day. Sure, once in a while go out and have a glass of wine or two, but don’t make it a nightly habit.

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