Lesson of the week

The lesson that I learned this week is applicable to anyone starting a new business as well as people starting out in the Communication, PR, and/or Advertising industry. I learned this the hard way and it is not something that is taught in most classrooms so take heed! Drumroll, please.

When starting work with a new client make sure you get a specific deadline.

This may seem obvious to some of you and I wish it had been to me. Not all clients are going to be big-name corporations. Some are people who are new to the business also. When we were told that they wanted the product (in this case a brochure) they said they wanted it “as soon as possible”. We were eager to get started and got some excellent work done, but apparently their ASAP was different from our ASAP and we lost the client. Very embarrassing, but something that will NOT happen again.

Now we have made a note to ALWAYS ask the exact date that the first draft is due and when the finished product needs to be completed and approved. Admitting that you have made a mistake is extremely hard and posting it for all to see is even more difficult. Please take this in the spirit that it was intended; to help others that are new to this business and, maybe, to show that being new isn’t always a liability in the job market. We may make mistakes, but we learn from them. And, we bring a fresh perspective and excitement to our projects that you won’t get from someone who has been doing this for a long time. Experts are great and it’s definitely preferable, but we can’t ALL be experts. Plus, you don’t have to pay us as much as the experts!

Check out this post on the “expert” phenomena at http://linkd.in/nU44ft

                                                                                                                                                           Until next time! Good luck to you all!

Why Communication

When I was twelve my school science project was chosen to be entered in the city-wide Science Fair. Kids from all over Houston converged on this one junior high for the fair and while we waited for our projects to be judged we sat in the auditorium and talked. None of us knew each other, which may have made it easier to open up, but that day I had a conversation like I had never experienced before.

There we were, sitting in this big empty auditorium, about eight of us. We talked about love, we talked about God, we talked about the problems of the world. Someone would share their view on something and my view would expand. We all became larger by opening our minds to each other. I felt like I was filled with helium when I went home that night.

Twenty-eight years later I was talking to someone about not knowing what I wanted to do with my life (still!) and my friend asked me what made me feel more alive, more myself, than anything else. This moment in the auditorium immediately came to mind and I knew. Communication.

Now I’m about to graduate with a BA in Communication with an emphasis on PR and I feel even more strongly that the times that I have been at my best are when I’ve expanded on my own knowledge by discussing things with a group of people.  I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to be the Account Executive at Blue House PR, a student-run firm, with some beautifully like-minded people.

While sometimes public relations gets a bad rap, what drew me to it was what it stands for at it’s best. Public Relations people are the liaisons between the public and the client. It is a two-way street. We are not only here to make a corporation look good, but to help the corporation hear what the public expects from it. We can be so much more than branding experts or image consultants. We can push the bottom line into something better. We can help shape the world!

 Okay, I got a little excited there. I’m going to bring it back home now. I want to share with you what I learn as I learn it. I will never be an expert. I will always be growing and learning and I want to share that with you. When you think that maybe you are the only person on Earth that doesn’t know what their doing 100% of the time, you are not alone. I’m here. And we can learn together.