Biting Our Tongues and Minding Our Business

That Solo Life: Episode #206 Biting Our Tongues and Minding Our Business

 

From unrealistic expectations to news that, well, isn’t, there are times we need to help guide our clients back from the brink and times we need to bite our tongues and mind our business. In this episode we talk about when to say, “No way!” and when to let it go.

 

 

Transcript

Michelle Kane (00:02):

Thank you for joining us for an episode of That Solo Life, the podcast for PR pros and marketers who work for themselves, people like me, Michelle Kane, with VoiceMatters, and my wonderful co-host, Karen Swim of Solo PR Pro. Hi, Karen. We're here. It's another episode. Woohoo.

Karen Swim, APR (00:20):

Hey Michelle. We made it into another week and I am grateful for that.

Michelle Kane (00:25):

Me too. It's always good to kick a day to the curb and go into the next one, <laugh>.

Karen Swim, APR (00:34):

Love it.

Michelle Kane (00:34):

And, and I think we're going to have a little fun today.

Karen Swim, APR (00:37):

Yes, we are.

Michelle Kane (00:39):

We're going to talk about when clients have unrealistic expectations. Now I know what you're thinking. That never happens. What, what could you two possibly have to talk about, right? <Laugh>?

Karen Swim, APR (00:51):

Haha.

Michelle Kane (00:55):

But you know, it's we say this a lot. A big part of our job is education. You know, helping our clients realize what exactly it is they're getting when they engage with a PR pro. And at the same time setting and managing realistic expectations for success. And sometimes that kicks in just fine. Sometimes they still have these lovely expectations.

Karen Swim, APR (01:24):

100%. Yeah. And so sometimes it's more than unrealistic expectations. Sometimes they're just downright cuckoo <laugh> , I can't think of, of a more professional term. Forgive us today. <Laugh>

Michelle Kane (01:46):

Right. That's right. I know. It's been a month already. Yeah. Like, they want the Rolls Royce for the price of a Honda. You've seen the graphics, right? With someone scribbling with their Paint app saying, you know, looking for a graphic designer, that kind of thing. Or,

Karen Swim, APR (02:05):

Or, and I think, here's one of the things that really comes in when you have clients that are just being unreasonable. There was a survey might have been a couple years ago, and the survey showed that it was offered by, I think, Bridge Global Strategies. And it was a survey about people who work in PR - in agencies, corporations, independent contractors, just all kinds of PR people.

These were people that had experience. So almost a hundred percent. It was like 94%. More than 94% had 10 or more years of experience. And then more than 67% had more than 20 years of experience. So these are seasoned professionals. And then they measured - it was all about failure. And it said that 85% of people admitted to having failed at one time or another. But here's the interesting tidbit - 57% said  when asked if the failure was tied to not setting PR goals or setting unrealistic goals at the start, 57% said yes. And I think that that's really important because that's more than half of those surveyed. Now, some of the other reasons for failure, the top reason is the budget was too small and the client wasn't paying us enough for hours to accomplish the goals. That is so common.

 

Michelle Kane

Huge.

 

Karen Swim, APR

And then, the number two reason was the client or company saw itself, or its product as really unique, but it turned out that it was not very well differentiated from competitors. And so we know that all of you are nodding your heads, this happens all the time. And it's a big part of what we have to continue to re reinforce with clients and continue to educate. I have been doing this for more than 15 years as well, nearly 20 years. And I would agree with all of those things. And as seasoned as I am and as thoughtful and meticulous as we are during the prospecting pro process and the onboarding process, we still have to remind clients of what PR really involves. Yeah. People truly do not, first of all, understand the amount of labor that goes into getting the results that we get.

And it starts when we're putting together strategic plans because we don't just go, “Hey, thanks for being a client and now we're just going to go out pitching.” There's a lot of things that have to be in place before we do that. And I don't think clients understand them. All of those things are for your benefit, dear clients. They're not because we don't know how to do our jobs, they're for your benefit. Us taking the time to put together a strategic plan helps us to have a document that aligns goals. It helps us to concur on what the challenges are in your company, in your industry. It helps us to affirm the trends that we're seeing and affirm that those are the trends that you're seeing. It helps us to make sure that we're looking at the right competitors. And it gives you a different lens by having somebody take and outside view on your business and make sure that we're attacking the right problems and coming up with the right solution.

 

So this is beneficial to you, this is work. But so often clients have in their mind that PR is just media results. Right. Period. And they don't understand what it takes to get there. You know, when we do secure a piece of coverage, then we have to do your briefing. We have to prepare you for an interview. We have to go through the interview, the interview has to be coordinated after the interview is coordinated and it happens, there's often tons of follow-up questions that we're managing. And then maybe the coverage will appear in two weeks,

Michelle Kane (06:27):

Maybe a month

Karen Swim, APR (06:29):

Could be seven months later, could be next year. We have no control over that. And God forbid that there's something in the final story that needs to be corrected. So there are a lot of things that happen in a lot of moving pieces, and I think that with clients, the unrealistic expectations start with not really a appreciating everything that we do to get to that final result.

Michelle Kane (06:56):

Right. Right. And that's, and even many times attempting to achieve that final result, because we do not have control over that. Which, like you said, is why it's wise to also have tactics beyond media relations. And they think it's simple. And again, I think psychologically it comes down to, well, we use the same tools. We type on a keyboard and we print things on paper so we can do it. And you know, I don't mean to devalue clients out there, but there's so much more to that, you know? Just a little bit more to that. And, like you said, sometimes the product, the project, even the event does not have the unique angle that they're looking for. So a lot of times, I will seek to temper those unrealistic expectations by coaching them that people want to feel compelled to act in whatever way you want them to. So it's got to have a human story. Reporters want to tell someone's story, not just say, “Hey, look at this great new thing.” And that can take time and that can take figuring out who the right targets are, all that good stuff that I know we all know.

Karen Swim, APR (08:29):

It's true. But we all face those situations where you have to make the decision, like, how far do I push this? Where do I put my stake in the ground? For me it's always, what hill do I die on and which thing do I walk away from? And I think that we routinely bite our tongues on what we really want to say sometimes to people, but it's our job to always provide confident strategic counsel. And so I think, you know, one of the things that helps me to decide when to let it go and when to forcefully fight for something is if it's going to harm the client or their publics, I'm going to fight you. Hard. I'm going to go to the death on it. And I don't mean that I'm going to argue with you, I'm going to advocate for the right thing. I'm not ever going to be a part of something that is unethical. I have had to just very plainly say that in the past, like, this is unethical. No, we can't do that. Even if it means that you resign yourself from a client, if they will not take your counsel and it's something unethical and you have to resign yourself to not be a part of it, it's well worth it to hold onto your reputation and your integrity.

Michelle Kane (10:09):

Yeah. Because at the end of the day, that's all you have is your integrity and your name. And so, please never, ever compromise the integrity of your work and your name, your company name. I know, I get it sometimes, hey, I really need this billing. I get it. But I promise you it's always the right thing to do

Karen Swim, APR (10:33):

Because we have seen, we have seen this, so we have lots of ways that people have cut corners and that they have done things. And eventually it does become a crisis because you cannot operate unethically and expect nothing to go wrong. So the client who wants to do that is not the client for you. And they're creating problems for themselves. They're taking these shortcuts to get short-term wins, but they won't last and it will harm them even more in the long run. And so those things I think for all of us, and we know this, we know that those are non-negotiable, but then there are those things like, okay, should I just let it go? So great example is, you know, a client has a new product and they want to do a press release. Clients love press release.

Michelle Kane (11:26):

Oh, they do.

Karen Swim, APR (11:27):

We just love them. But everything is not news. No. We know that. We know how to counsel through this. Sometimes you're not going to win and they are just going to want to announce their product. You let it go. However, in letting it go, there are a couple things that you can do. Number one, try to get to the root of why this is so important to them. Ask questions like, great, this is so great and I understand why the company is so excited about this product. Let's talk a little bit about what you think or hope for a press release to do for business. Sometimes they just want to put it out there. When you work in tech, you see this all the time, there are a lot of our client competitors and we point this out to them as a value add.

They do zero thought leadership. They have no POV, they have no bylined articles, they have nothing out there except for product press releases. That's all they do. Product press releases because that's the only “PR” that they know how to do. And so if they're in an industry that routinely does product announcement press releases, sometimes you have to let it go and let them have their product. Press release isn’t the end of the world. It really isn't. But you have to set the table, Hey, I understand it. And as long as you understand that you putting this out there aligns you with what your competitors do and what is normal in this industry. And it may have some SEO benefit, but this is not a news trigger. This is not something that we would go out and pitch stories around. And as long as we're aligned on those objectives, I'm happy to put this out on the wire for you.

Michelle Kane (13:15):

Right, right. You know, as long as you know it's a low hum, you might get, you know, a little tidbit and a business listing of “here's what's happening this week.” As long as you know that, fine. I call it the “so what?” factor. I'll say, “okay, that's great. But I'm going to counter with, “So what? So your company's 50. So what? Where's the ‘care’ in that? Are you going to initiate a program with a nonprofit in honor of this and we're going to affect lives? Awesome. That I can sell.” It'll get you a little blurb in the business journal if we're lucky. And that's ok too, but just know that that's all it's going to get you.

Karen Swim, APR (14:06):

And that's called honesty. Because at the end of the day, if you don't speak up and really provide counsel, and you're quiet about, eh, I don't think that's a good idea. And you're not really saying exactly what you need to say to the client. And then they don't get the results that they think in their mind they should get. Guess who's going to be held accountable? It's you. And so you need to speak up. But I also think sometimes you can redirect or come up with something that actually gets them the results that they want with a different tactic. Yes. So, maybe they bring you something and they're all gung-ho about doing it, and you ask questions. “Wow. Yeah. That, that would be a good idea. However, let's take a step back. What is it that you really, what's the importance?” Do they want to drive business leads? Are they trying to get signups for something in particular? Do they need to do a certain amount of demos? You know, what is it? Find out what's really going on because clients are not always articulating what's beneath the scenes. You know, new leadership is coming in and we need to do this because we're afraid we're going to be acquired. Because I am trying to show my boss that marketing has value. Sometimes you'll get this, sometimes your contact is the CMO and they're under fire. Find out what's really going on. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions and say, “Okay, look, I know that you know this, so let's be honest with one another. Let me know what's going on, and then let's figure out a better way to hit your goals.” Because often there is another way that you can do what they get what they want instead of the bad method that they've proposed.

Michelle Kane (15:59):

Yeah. And so often it's something that, you know, not for their lack of experience, but they just might not have thought of. I use two phrases all the time. I say, “Look, I don't need to know everything, but I need to know everything.” And “I'm only as good as the information that I have. So if I don't have the information, I'm no good.” So help me help you.

Karen Swim, APR (16:23):

Yes. How, how many of us in the audience, and I know that so many of you will raise your hand, have ever had clients that are so gung-ho about op-eds without, and it's because something has crossed their, their eyes that they are just fired up about. And they need to say it and it hits in their wheelhouse and they just need to say it. That's not what an op-ed is though. And we know that. We know that you can't just because you're mad about something and because it's in your space that you can't just write what a what a equates to a blog post and have the New York Times publish it. That's just not how things work.

No,<laugh>. So <laugh>, we've all been in that situation where you have to sort of talk them down and say, Hmm, I understand that. And if they really want to do an op-ed, you can recommend an op-ed writer. Maybe you're an op-ed writer who does PR, you can write the op-ed for them and explain to them what an op-ed really does. You know? Here's how you really get an op-ed published. Maybe they want to be on the Joe Rogan podcast. And you have to dial it back and explain, “Have you listened to the podcast? Do you see common threads with the guests that they have on?” And I mean, this is true of others, sometimes people want things and it's like, have you noticed that everybody they talk to is from a publicly traded company or they have written five books? I'm not saying that you're not important to a lot of people, including me, but I'm saying that they look over hidden gems like yourself. Because this is the playbook. Clients don't always get that.

Michelle Kane (18:16):

Yeah. And sometimes they don't get that. Sometimes it really does come down to serendipity.

Karen Swim, APR (18:22):

Yeah.

Michelle Kane (18:23):

You know, even if you are all those things, it still doesn't mean that you're going to get the placement. And that has so many factors, you know, timing, just so many things that can play into that. And sometimes it's tough, but that's the beauty of coming up with other ideas that end up being more useful really than just the shiny thing that they might want. You know, get me on the Today Show!

Karen Swim, APR (18:57):

That used to be the rallying cry. Now it's this article in the New York Times. Can we get that too?

Michelle Kane (19:06):

No, No.

Karen Swim, APR (19:06):

<Laugh> No, you can't. But you know, again, it's sometimes you bite your tongue when it's, listen, you let them have some things, you let them have it. You still gently guide them in what they can really expect from doing this thing that they are so hot on doing. And you let them have it. And I don't want to demean clients, but we all know that in every relationship there's negotiation, right? Mm-Hmm. Whether it's personal or professional, you negotiate with the people that you're in relationship with, with friends, with spouses, with your kids. There's negotiation that happens all the time. And sometimes we have to let people do what they are so intent on doing. And we can't always cushion the landing for them.

Michelle Kane (20:05):

<Laugh>.

Karen Swim, APR (20:06):

We can't, sometimes they just have to do it and experience what you've already told them will happen. We don't want that for our clients. But there are those times when it's, again, as we've talked about, when it's not unethical, when it's not going to harm them, it's just going to be a boneheaded thing that they do. And then just be there to continue on with the good work. I've had clients do studies and me and my colleague, we are research queens. We are the queens of research. She actually worked in research before PR, we know research, we know data. We know how to sell a study. We know how to write a study. We know how to put the questions together. We work with so many of the top research firms. We know this space. But inevitably there's a client that is seduced by some big name and they spend an incredible amount of money on a study that no one's ever going to cover and no one cares about. In those instances, sometimes you got to bite your tongue and mind your business.

Michelle Kane (21:16):

Yep. Definitely. You know, for me it's sometimes you've got to let those Oxford commas go unless they really change the meaning of the sentence <laugh>.

Karen Swim, APR (21:30):

Yes.

Michelle Kane (21:31):

And you know, the beauty actually of all these opportunities, because in our line of work, we know how to find the value, even if it's a horrific <laugh> failure. But these are learning opportunities, right? It's not like you're going to go back to your client and say, I told you so. It's okay, let's reevaluate. Where could we have done better? Perhaps this will work better next time. Let's all learn from this and we dust ourselves off and we move on to the next thing. And that is okay.

So yes, as counselors, we are here to put out that mom arm as you slam on the brakes to make sure that our clients are safe. You hope they listen. If they don't, hopefully next time they will wear their seatbelt, which is listening to us.

So we hope you've gotten something out of this and I expect you were giggling along and thinking of all the times you bit your tongue and also minded your business.

We appreciate each and every one of you. And if you did get value out of this, please share it around. And if you have any feedback, hit us up at soloprpro.com. We are on Instagram, we are on Facebook, and of course, at the mothership, the website of soloprpro.com. And until next time, thanks for listening to That Solo Life.