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PR Can't Fix Stupid

Share the goods.

A typewriter types, "Public Relations."

This blog was originally posted on smallbizmusings.com, but it was so good we had to share it again.
Public relations can only do so much. PR practitioners can build brand awareness, attract attention to new products, manage a crisis and so much more. What we can’t do, is run your company. PR Daily News says it best, PR can minimize the damage caused by operational and managerial missteps, but it can’t fix stupid.
When a company messes up, there are several ways to handle it. Below is what I recommend and there are plenty of tales to scare you into doing so.

  1. Everyone screws up at some point, but do you keep making the same mistakes? Learn when shit goes wrong, build processes that will alleviate your customer’s pain points. Educate your employees and give them the autonomy to implement the right solution, even if it isn’t mapped out in your standard operating procedures.
  2. Communicate well. Whether this is ongoing communication with your customers or right after shit hits the fan, do it often and well. Whether you like it or not, social media exists and your customers are using it. Don’t be scared, this offers you a great opportunity to interact and catch issues before they become gigantic snafus.
  3. Be human. Be empathetic, put yourself in your customer’s shoes. You have the opportunity to take a really awful situation and turn it around and show that you are more than a million or billion dollar company. If the same thing happened to you, how would you want to be treated?
  4. Be honest. If you screwed up, admit and then detail how you will prevent this from happening again. As consumers, we want to know that you care and that you can own up to wrongdoing if and when it happens.
  5. Invest. Put your money where your mouth is. Are you properly training your employees to deal with tough situations? Are they taught problem solving, empathy, and more?

These are all suggestions your PR counsel will suggest, will you take them up on it?

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Every WOSB deserves support, access, guidance, and a network, because when they have it, they’re unstoppable.

Just because you be small, does not mean you are not mighty. The Women’s Owners Network will accept its first cohort this November. Applications are due October 1.

Thank you to @lakemichigan_cu for partnering with us to provide this program. Their support means we can offer this at a significantly lower cost to business owners.

Go apply at the link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18247359124310352
Every WOSB deserves support, access, guidance, and a network, because when they have it, they’re unstoppable. Just because you be small, does not mean you are not mighty. The Women’s Owners Network will accept its first cohort this November. Applications are due October 1. Thank you to @lakemichigan_cu for partnering with us to provide this program. Their support means we can offer this at a significantly lower cost to business owners. Go apply at the link in bio.

Introducing our second speaker for Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause, happening this Thursday.

Meet Cheryl Bergman, Executive Director of the @miwomenscomm.

Cheryl is a statewide policy leader driving economic opportunity and better health outcomes for women across Michigan. Appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019, she brings together employers, healthcare experts, advocates, and policymakers to tackle the issues that actually move the needle - economic security, affordable childcare, and midlife women`s health.

Before this role, Cheryl helped elect Michigan`s first woman U.S. Senator and first woman Governor, and served as Senior Advisor on Governor Whitmer`s 2018 campaign.

She`s exactly the voice this conversation needs.

Join Cheryl and our powerhouse lineup of industry experts at The Pause on September 24th.

Link in bio to register - spaces are going fast.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 17876488173630026
Introducing our second speaker for Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause, happening this Thursday. Meet Cheryl Bergman, Executive Director of the @miwomenscomm. Cheryl is a statewide policy leader driving economic opportunity and better health outcomes for women across Michigan. Appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019, she brings together employers, healthcare experts, advocates, and policymakers to tackle the issues that actually move the needle - economic security, affordable childcare, and midlife women's health. Before this role, Cheryl helped elect Michigan's first woman U.S. Senator and first woman Governor, and served as Senior Advisor on Governor Whitmer's 2018 campaign. She's exactly the voice this conversation needs. Join Cheryl and our powerhouse lineup of industry experts at The Pause on September 24th. Link in bio to register - spaces are going fast.

We love this trend, so we thought we’d jump on it and ask the team some “hard-hitting questions” to end the week.

We’re a team made up of Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Find out who knows the most about the classics. Any guesses?

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 17917175178450239
We love this trend, so we thought we’d jump on it and ask the team some “hard-hitting questions” to end the week. We’re a team made up of Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Find out who knows the most about the classics. Any guesses?

We`ve received so many questions from new grads about breaking into a competitive market as a young professional. It starts with one thing according to @bodespeaks: being the salesperson of YOU. Emulate the leaders in your industry and show up where they show up.

It`s not who you know, it`s who knows you
Use the playbook of people you admire
Show up consistently and be seen
A handwritten note beats 100 LinkedIn messages, always.

See more Bode wisdom at her YouTube channel linked in our bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18092872106558307
We've received so many questions from new grads about breaking into a competitive market as a young professional. It starts with one thing according to @bodespeaks: being the salesperson of YOU. Emulate the leaders in your industry and show up where they show up. It's not who you know, it's who knows you Use the playbook of people you admire Show up consistently and be seen A handwritten note beats 100 LinkedIn messages, always. See more Bode wisdom at her YouTube channel linked in our bio.

Meet our first speaker spotlight: Dr. Karen May, DC, CCSP, CCIP.

Dr. May owns and operates @mhneuropathycenter, and she`s joining us for Uncomfortable Community Conversations: The Pause on September 24th to talk about something we don`t talk about enough.

Her career has spanned from elite sports medicine, including a stint as team physician for USA Bobsled and Skeleton as well as caring for pregnant moms and newborns and helping women navigate life’s transitions, always grounded in a belief in food as medicine and the body’s own capacity to heal. In 2017, that expertise was tested when a rare surgical complication left her fighting nerve damage in her own body.

Drawing on decades of clinical practice and training, she rebuilt her health from the ground up — and has since helped thousands of people do the same. With over 20 years in holistic health care, she speaks today as both physician and peer.

Join us for The Pause on September 24th. Link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 17891917860673621
Meet our first speaker spotlight: Dr. Karen May, DC, CCSP, CCIP. Dr. May owns and operates @mhneuropathycenter, and she's joining us for Uncomfortable Community Conversations: The Pause on September 24th to talk about something we don't talk about enough. Her career has spanned from elite sports medicine, including a stint as team physician for USA Bobsled and Skeleton as well as caring for pregnant moms and newborns and helping women navigate life’s transitions, always grounded in a belief in food as medicine and the body’s own capacity to heal. In 2017, that expertise was tested when a rare surgical complication left her fighting nerve damage in her own body. Drawing on decades of clinical practice and training, she rebuilt her health from the ground up — and has since helped thousands of people do the same. With over 20 years in holistic health care, she speaks today as both physician and peer. Join us for The Pause on September 24th. Link in bio.
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