Let’s break public relations down to its essence.
Forget the popularity or necessity of the commodity or service you sell. Forget niche marketing, preferred pricing and semi-annual sales. Forget the best marketing plan ever devised for your company. Why?
Because in business, as in your personal life, attitude – and often attitude alone - is the attractant that brings clients to your door and makes them return. A positive attitude is the best public relations strategy there is.
Is yours a “can do” attitude? Can you say you’re a joy to be around? Do you offer everyone you meet the very best you (not the commodity or service) there is? Do you live to serve the needs of others? How delighted are you when clients call or customers walk through the door? Does your attitude show? Are you willing to take time to find out what makes your client tick?…who they are beyond being “your client”? And when “fit hits the shan” in your business, instead of showing emotion, fatigue and defeat do you show your integrity, honesty, principals and a contagiously good attitude?
Attitude is the basis of relationship. Each of us is affected by off-days when we’re definitely not at our optimum and for good reason. When this happens, no one around us deserves to be a substitute for a kicking post. Behaving withdrawn, dictatorial, snarly, self-centered or sharp and hyper-opinionated in order to vent your frustrations will need remedies worthy of crisis communications strategies for sure.
I know a woman who runs a fitness company. She serves clients individually and in small group settings. Whether serving her client’s fitness needs, seeing to her family’s needs or walking the family dog, no matter what she is doing, she is positive about life. To her, challenges – no matter how large – are issues to grin at, then solve. She is a joy to be around, because her positivity is self-affirming and radiates outward to affect everyone who spends time with her. Certainly, her fitness credentials speak volumes for her knowledge of her art, but her attitude drives clients to her and is the reason they stay with her.
So “A” is for “Attitude” which, when all other work criteria are even, will trump the other important “A”, “Aptitude”, every time. So, be your authentic and most joy-filled self and I have no doubt your sales will soar.
Till next time, ~Cyndie # # #
