A Few Thousand Words of Advice

 Everybody likes to give advice but rarely takes it. Here are some guiding pieces of wisdom, most of which I didn't create but I have come to know the value of their truth. Take what you want and toss the rest. Then share with others.

  

§  No is a delayed Yes.Keep trying!

• Take a break or suffer a breakdown.

• Tomorrow's business client comes from yesterday's contact and today's campaign.

§  Don't make the media think or guess: be straight forward, concise, and creative.

§  Reality has little to do with PR; it’s all about creating an illusion, painting a picture – it doesn’t matter what the truth is, though you should never lie – only what you can make another believe and buy into. Start with convincing yourself..

§  Be a fighter – don’t give up so easily, don’t accept No, don’t believe no one is interested – seek out new leads, change pitches, change time of day, change method of outreach.

• Dress for the success you desire.

• Promote what you know to who you know.

• Do not over-think. Simplify things.

• Measure and examine how to be efficient. Change something. Add or subtract a behavior, thing, or person.

• Honor your commitments.

• Think of a pitch as a headline; the one-sheet in terms of bullets.

§  Find the right outlet – know they’re out there – just as your one love awaits you

§  Write a personal mission statement of how you view your role.

§  Set priorities and focus on them. Tune out the rest.

§  Think before you act.

§  Look for the simple solution first.

§  Reexamine how you do things -- what can you do better?

§  Commit to perpetual improvement. Never stop growing or learning.

§  Separate your wants and wishes from your needs and requirements.

§  Make today different, special and fresh.

§  Nothing is ever what it appears to be, what people say it will be, or what something should be.

§  Maintain a positive attitude by choice, not circumstance.

§  Seize the moment. Don't procrastinate.

§  Act independently. Initiate. Differentiate.

§  To grow, you must change.

§  When you're wrong or fall short, admit it, learn from it, and move on.

§  Let your enthusiasm and energy be infectious. Share it. Excitement is contagious.

• Share and cooperate with each other; do not compete.

• Socialize, but pace yourself -- do not take advantage of the lax atmosphere -- exercise self-discipline.

• Adopt campaign's deadlines as your own. Internally focus on what needs to be completed by a deadline before it's too late.

• The punch clock is invisible here; put in the hours required to get the job done.

• Constructively criticize privately, praise publicly.

• Create your own mission statement.

• THINK -- take time out to just contemplate possibilities, analyze, research…brainstorm.

• Develop your voice and stylistic approach.

• Push yourself -- and others.

• Optimistic attitudes go a long way here -- always see or visualize a way through any obstacle or weakness.

• Anyone can pitch a celebrity; it takes a true publicist to meet a challenge -- to place an average client on great shows; to pitch a terrible topic to a few decent media outlets; to work when not feeling well or something is on your mind; to deal with a rude, annoying or negative client; to overcome the media's objections…to persevere, endure and overcome.

• Seek to collaborate, cooperate and communicate.

• Mutual respect and accountability -- we all need it and can all give it.

• Lack of experience cannot be avoided; lack of knowledge happens; lack of enthusiasm cannot be tolerated.

• See yourself as the one to solve a critical problem or contribute to achieving key goals -- wait for no one else; it's no one's job but your own.

• Test your assumptions and consider changing what you believe in.

• Be an intrapreneur -- an entrepreneur within a corporation.

• Ask questions, listen, and take advice.

• Always ask questions for clarification.

• To procrastinate is to accelerate towards doing nothing.

• Get all the facts and input from all before you make a decision.

• Focus on what is right, not who is right.

• Careful planning leads to productive execution.

• Think ahead and plan defenses against what you may do wrong.

• Celebrate small victories. They add up and jumpstart us to greater triumphs.

• Build up networks of people. There's value in everyone.

• Knowledge is power.

• Be open to ideas from everyone and anyone.

• Practice a certain self-reliance, but never shy away from teaming up with others. We are who we are because of all those who have helped us or shared with us.

• To focus on your job, seek balance in your outside life -- be centered spiritually, physically, socially and financially.

• Attack the argument, not the person.

• Create a climate where obstacles spur innovations, where risks convert into rewards, and where values and visions become actions and realities.

• Invest in social capital -- the collective value of people.

• Seek out opportunities to innovate and change things.

• Find people who are doing things; do not highlight the negatives, shortcomings or errors.

• Discover your style and decide if it's effective. Otherwise, change it. You have nothing to lose.

• Shared values make for a strong foundation at work -- seek out where agreement can be found and diffuse conflict.

• Whatever gets measured gets done -- monitor your success and workload, and quantify your goals and accomplishments.

• Set a good example, and do as you say you would do.

• A good question is almost as good as a great answer.

• Imagine the possibilities and then realize a few of them.

• Listen deeply to others -- listen more than you speak.

• Encourage with a smile, a hug, a thanks, a gift, a lunch, an e-mail…just show you care.

• Find an excuse to be nice.

• Challenge the process -- seize initiative, take risks, make a change

• Exhibit a genuine belief in one another.

• Remain passionate regardless of setbacks or despite obstacles.

• Find the ties that bind, work through differences and embrace diversity.

• Tell me. Teach me. Involve me.

• See yourself as the one to make things happen.

• Treat every contact with another as an adventure.

• Add fun to everyone's work.

• Seek meaningful challenges for yourself.

• Question the status quo.

• Venture beyond your norm or comfort zone.

• Adapt. Change with the times. Go with the flow.

• Give and seek feedback or constructive criticism.

• Always encourage, inspire and motivate.

• Demand high expectations of yourself.

• The trend is your friend—pitch what’s in vogue.

• Admit a mistake when you drop the ball, learn from it, apologize and move on.

• Lead by example, and emulate those you admire.

• Do not look to be a perfectionist; look to get things done.

• Take a win-win frame-of-mind approach to everything.

• Take pride in what you do.

• Be decisive. You don't need permission to do what's right or good.

• Be consistent and fair.

• Don't seek to make everyone happy all the time -- it's not always possible.

• Show loyalty.

• Be persistent and exhibit a stick-to-it style.

• Do what others can't -- or won't.

• Set a standard and exceed it.

• Go outside the box, but do not ignore what's in it either.

• Making things easier for yourself or being efficient doesn't necessarily mean diluting the quality of your work and/or decreasing your work ethic; it means being smart, fast, and willing to settle when perfection is not needed nor rewarded.

• Eat right, exercise, get rest, develop a life outside the office and seek a balanced existence so you can come here and do your best.

• Rely on your strengths, even if it means ignoring your weaknesses, or limit your strengths while pursuing improvement of your weaknesses. You simply do not have time to do everything.

• You are only as good as your next booking.

• Ask questions: of clients, managers, media -- anyone. Learn by inquiry.

• Help others to identify and develop their strengths.

• Make everyone you meet feel important and special. They'll treat you in kind.

• Define your role -- know what's expected of you from others.

• Don't be too smart for the job -- don't over-think -- book it, get it done, move on.

• Exclusives: don't tell media which other shows or publications you're doing or did -- they may get turned off by the competition in their medium.

• Pace yourself. Some of your work is dictated by the time zones and work schedules of the media,. In other cases, you simply need to balance your work. After making phone calls for several hours, you might need to rebuild your energy, so take time out to do paperwork or research.

§  PR is for an optimist. You must believe you can succeed, accept rejection as a means to achieving, and have the ability to see a potential story angle in everyone and everything.

§  Takes initiative and have  the drive to dig.

§  Think of the ideal -- dream a little, but always tend to the core and deliver.

§  Set expectations and then exceed them.

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” --  Stephen Covey

     Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2014