Dan Janal | Publicity and PR Leads Blog

Have you ever tried calling yourself to see what happens?

No, this isn’t an existential meandering. It is a customer service rant.

I had to return phone calls to three people and here’s what I heard:

1. A fax beep. Please disconnect your fax machine from your phone line. Nothing is worse than hearing the shrill fax siren in your ear. Okay, maybe a paper cut is worse.

2. Dial the person’s extension. That might be fine IF the person actually left an extension number to dial. If you leave a phone message, leave your extension number. Otherwise you’ll hear the phone directory from hell.

3. “Please enter the person’s first name.” Have you ever had the greeting that lets you ask for the person by their first name? Sounds cool until you realize there are about 37 ways to spell Jennifer. And if your name is Rick, but people know you are Richard, they’ll never find you. Simple solution: leave your extension number or direct dial number. After all, you left a message for them to call you — why are you making it difficult do to so?

3. Long advertisements for your seminars. It is one thing to say your are an author or a speaker, or visit www.mycompany.com. But don’t launch into a 3-minute ad for your seminar. I timed it.
If a reporter can’t get hold of you fast, they won’t try again. Same for your customers.

Dan Janal
Your Fearless PR LEADER
PR LEADS Expert Resource Network
www.prleads.com

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When I was in journalism school, the first thing the professors had us do was interview a classmate. It helped to build rapport with other students and let us practice our new interviewing skills.

But it also gave us a shocking insight into the news writing process.

There wasn’t a person in the room who didn’t think they were misquoted!

Why was that? After all, we students had no need to intentionally misquote someone.

It was because people don’t always express themselves clearly and reporters don’t always hear clearly either!

I wish there was a way to improve human communications, but I’m sure you’ll agree that everyone from your boss to your kids misunderstand you from time to time. Why shouldn’t reporters?

Oh well, not to make light of the situation, because it is very serious if the reporter mispresents you. So the question of the day is, “Have you ever been misquoted and what did you do about it?” Please submit your responses to the blog for everyone’s benefit.

Dan Janal
Your Fearless PR LEADER
PR LEADS Expert Resource Network
www.prleads.com

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Remember the first time you drove a car?

Wasn’t it the biggest day in your life?

Same is true for my niece who is 9-years old and just drove her first car at Disney World’s go kart ride.

She was really thrilled because:
1. She was 51 and 7/8 inches and the sign said you had to be 52 inches. She just passed by standing up very, very straight.

2. She could do it and her sister, who is a year younger, couldn’t.

3. She could drive for the first time — and it wasn’t just a kiddie bumper car ride.

However, her enthusiasm passed when she realized that her friends back home told her the best ride was “Space Mountain,” the roller coaster ride with a long, long line.

I’m not sure she really likes roller coasters, but she sure does react to her peers. And if they say sitting in a roller coaster and holding on is better than driving a car for the first time, then who am I to argue?

Space Mountain was all she could talk about.

So if you are marketing to the under 10 set, remember that peer pressure is the big factor, not internal motivation.

Dan Janal
Your Fearless PR LEADER
PR LEADS Expert Resource Network
www.prleads.com

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