Perception is Reality Blog

If you have not heard yet, the NAPFA Consumer Education Foundation is partnering with TDAMERITRADE Institutional and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine to launch a consumer education initiative that is sure to impact thousands of Americans from coast to coast. The initiative is the Your Money Bus Tour which will take the message of debt reduction and increased savings to people across the country. It is a fantastic endeavor and one everyone needs to get out and take part in. We have all seen what can happen in the markets as evidenced by the news over the past couple of weeks, so now is a perfect time to get your finances in order.

Learn about the tour at www.YourMoneyBus.com to see updated tour schedule information.

Also, check out this great video -

But with Senator Barack Obama essentially sealing the Democratic nomination this week, I wanted to re-share my piece from Perception is Reality just a few weeks ago:

Raj Sharan
Editor, Perception Publications

How Branding Could Land a Nomination
by Raj Sharan

Week after week, this newsletter discusses varying ways to incorporate different aspects of branding in an effort to help you differentiate your business from the competition. Currently, there is no competition being contested as fiercely as the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination between Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama.

What does this mean for you and your business? It’s vital to create a strong brand that is implemented correctly both visually and verbally - to differentiate yourself from your competition. While Senator Obama and Senator Clinton are only competing with each other, your business is likely competing with hundreds - even thousands. To garner the attention of customers away from your competitors, you must stand out. If you have yet to take the time to properly brand your business, you may be asking yourself if your company can properly brand itself to change from the rest of the crowd. The answer to that question is yes you can!

O’Dwyer’s is one of the PR industry’s biggest, most influential sites on the web. They have reviewed my new book - Perfecting The Pitch - and posted a review of it on their site. In the review they say:

In “Perfecting the Pitch: Creating Publicity Through Media Rapport,” author Benjamin Lewis offers time-proven techniques on how to pitch journalists. Lewis, Founder and President of Gaithersburg, Md.-based Perception, Inc., has a background in political, non-profit and financial public relations. In this book, he provides very useful advice on how public relations professionals and business owners can thoughtfully and effectively pitch journalists with timely and interesting story ideas.

Throughout the book, Lewis emphasizes again and again on how important it is for professionals pitching journalists to always think about the journalist’s needs and those of their readers. He reminds the reader that pitches should not be self-serving or read like advertisements. They must provide timely, accurate, truthful information that can benefit the audience of the media outlets pitched.

Lewis asserts that public relations professionals and business owners can most effectively build rapport with reporters by being a source of ideas, providing a variety of sources and objective data and returning a reporter’s phone calls and e-mails even when you don’t have information that can help them with their story.

Lewis believes PR pros should be sources for the media in topics before they become newsworthy. That way, reporters will know who to call when a story in their industry breaks.

To see the full review simply click HERE or copy and paste this link - http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/new_books/0121book_perfecting_the_pitch.html - into your browser.

Ben Lewis

President

Perception, Inc.

Get Out And Meet Them!

One of the things people seeking relationships with the media don’t consider doing is getting out there and meeting them face-to-face.  Believe it or not, journalists eat, drink coffee, and do other things besides report on the news.  With this in mind, ask them to meet with you.  See if they want to grab a cup of coffee one afternoon or have breakfast one morning.  Use that time to get to know them personally and professionally.  It’s amazing what you can create if you just ask.

 

I am so proud to be affiliated with the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). For several years they have been partnering with Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine to offer people free financial advice during their Jump-Start Your Retirement Plan Days. This terrific event has provided thousands of people with access to advice from NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisors on issues ranging from retirement to college funding to taxes.

 

 

 

On Tuesday, January 15th and Friday, January 25th from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, NAPFA advisors across the country will be standing by to answer your financial questions. Normally these Fee-Only planners, well versed in investments, taxes, insurance, estate planning, and saving for college and retirement, charge clients $150 to $300 an hour. But, during Jump-Start Days, their expertise is free. Just dial toll-free 888-919-2345 or log on to www.kiplinger.com/links/jumpstart/ to participate in an online discussion with an advisor.

 

 

I strongly encourage you to check this special event out. It may be a great example of how two organizations can generate positive PR, but it is being provided for the RIGHT reasons…to help Americans prepare for retirement!

 

Again, go to www.kiplinger.com/links/jumpstart/ to participate!

Avoid Putting Lipstick on a Pig!

I’m sure you’ve heard this term once or twice.  It means you try to make something look great when it is actually flawed.  Too often people who try to work with the media try to portray themselves and/or their business in a way that actually is not true or real.  It happens all the time.  What you don’t want, and what we try to help our clients understand at Perception, Inc. is that members of the media want to know that you are an expert who is trustworthy.  Doing an interview with a reporter to only have that reporter find out you have done something wrong, illegal, or improper is one of the quickest ways  to ruin the credibility you have with that reporter.  If you feel you must disclose something about yourself or your business, do so.  You will earn the respect of the reporter in question and will make it clear to them that you are not trying to avoid the truth.

Ben Lewis

President

Perception, Inc.

It’s About QUALITY…not QUANTITY!

If you try to accumulate as many media relationships as you can without any regard for making them strong, what good will it do for you?  It can take a lot of time to foster one good relationship, let alone 100.  Fostering these relationships means you are paying attention to the 4 cornerstones and 16 building blocks of developing media rapport (www.MediaRapport.com).  And you are doing this for every relationship you have.  As a busy professional you have business needs to attend to, so spending a lot of time working with the media may not be in the cards.  Don’t worry about it.  get a few relatiopnships built up and more will come your way.

So, to be successful in developing media rapport, try to get a few really good relationships with the media going and the other relationships will come your way.

I’ll be back after the holidays giving you more of my personal insights into media rapport.  Until then be sure to check out www.MediaRapport.com.

Ben Lewis

President

Perception, Inc.

Sugarcoating and Beating Around The Bush!

I have been in PR for 14 years. Nine of those years in financial services. During that time I have learned one undeniable truth…too many people out there want exposure in the media, but not enough are willing to have a strong opinion on the issues they are passionate about. I hear about it all the time from friends in the media who are fed-up with talking to professionals, experts, and gurus who are afraid of “rocking the boat” or upsetting the wrong people. So, they don’t say what is truly in their minds. If you have an opinion on an issue and you are being interviewed about that issue - make sure your opinion is heard no matter what that opinion is. To hell with what everyone else is saying. If you think everyone else’s opinion is trash…say it. Make your voice heard. Saying the same nonsense that everyone else is saying will not get you far in working with the media.

Think about it. In financial services there are so many people trying to get the same air-time that a million other people are trying to get. Do you think for one second that a reporter, editor, or producer wants to hear the same drivel from every person they interview? Of course not! If you have a unique angle or opinion on a story…say it.

One of our clients is a large 401(k) advice provider. In the late 90’s the president of the company wanted to become a known expert on 401(k) issues. In talking with him we learned that he was very anti-company stock in 401(k) plans. Now, you must remember that in the late 90’s everyone thought the greatest investment in a 401(k) was in company stock. That may have been true for a short period, but this client knew if everyone kept investing as much as they were they were eventually going to get burned. Well, no one in the media listened at first, but when news of Enron broke, who did they call? This client. They called on him because he had a strong opinion on subject that was contrary to popular opinion. And he beat that drum like crazy until his opportunity could be seized. Nothing has changed. He is the most opinionated financial expert I know and it has paid off in dividends (no pun intended).

So, have an opinion and stick to it. Leave the sugarcoating to Dunkin Donuts!

Ben Lewis

President

Perception, Inc.

Ooooooooooh Boy! Things are getting pretty interesting for Roger Clemens, the one-time Red Sox legend who apparently became so desperate to stave off retirement after leaving Boston that he turned to steriods. As a player most consider to be one of the greatest pitchers of ALL TIME, the news coming out of New York yesterday (December 13th) was not good.

Roger Clemens has been accused of using steriods. The Mitchell Report released by Major League Baseball indicates that Clemens has been using steriods as far back as 1998 when he was playing for Toronto. This is a devastating PR hit for a man who everyone has always thought was a LOCK for the Hall of Fame. Maybe not now and maybe not ever. His image has taken a drastic blow and it is now time for him to do the only thing he can do…fight it. he can do what Barry Bonds has never had the “likeability factor” to do…fight the accusations. Clemens has the money and has a legion of fans and supporters who would back him if he stood up and fought the accusations. BUT…what if they are true. What if he did use steriods and he decided to not fight it, but rather avoid the issue altogether? To me, that would be the worst thing he can do.

I see he has two options:

1. He can fight it if he did NOT use performance enhancing drugs, or
2. He can stand up right now and admit his past use and take the initiative to help educate kids about the dangers of such actions.

If he decides to do neither, sections of the Mitchell Report will be rehashed for people to hear, see, and read. And they will make their own judgments! For example, what do you think when you read this following section of the Mitchell Report:

Jose Canseco was playing for the Blue Jays in 1998. On or about June 8-10, 1998, the Toronto Blue Jays played an away series with the Florida Marlins. McNamee attended a lunch party that Canseco hosted at his home in Miami. McNamee stated that, during this luncheon, he observed Clemens, Canseco, and another person he did not know meeting inside Canseco’s house, although McNamee did not personally attend that meeting. Canseco told members of my investigative staff that he had numerous conversations with Clemens about the benefits of Deca-Durabolin and Winstrol and how to “cycle” and “stack” steroids. Canseco has made similar statements publicly.

Toward the end of the road trip which included the Marlins series, or shortly after the Blue Jays returned home to Toronto, Clemens approached McNamee and, for the first time, brought up the subject of using steroids. Clemens said that he was not able to inject himself, and he asked for McNamee’s help.

Later that summer, Clemens asked McNamee to inject him with Winstrol, which Clemens supplied. McNamee knew the substance was Winstrol because the vials Clemens gave him were so labeled. McNamee injected Clemens approximately four times in the buttocks over a several-week period with needles that Clemens provided. Each incident took place in Clemens’s apartment at the SkyDome. McNamee never asked Clemens where he obtained the
steroids.

Yeah…I think the same thing too!