“What do you believe is your strongest client relation skill ?”
I build, grow, and foster those (client) relationships by asking a lot of questions and allowing my clients to be heard.I am a good listener.
“Advertising is saying you’re good. PR is getting someone else to say you’re good.”
In today’s world of fierce competition, Public relations can have a huge bearing on how your business would turn out. PR has become and will always be the need of the hour.
Public relations’ experts in the true sense are the face of every organization who work hard towards saving and maintaining an organization’s reputation ad image. It is a new and highly successful way of staying connected with the target audiences for a better brand image.
Being responsible for promoting, managing and maintaining the public’s view of the organization, product or service you represent, isn’t everybody’s cup of tea.
Our interview today is with one such Expert who has pioneered PR campaigns for more than thirteen years. – Meet Leigh Havelick
Leigh Havelick is a highly experienced PR Account Manager – currently working with Bloom Communications. With a passion for helping organizations grow through targeted messaging , smart PR and strategic communications plans, she has helped clients with launching high-tech products and global initiatives.
Having an immense love for writing and creating compelling story ideas, she has developed great and smart PR campaigns that have created trust, new partnerships, and enabled her clients to enter new markets.
Sharing her tips on building great PR , it’s truly an honor to host Leigh Havelick in our Agency expert interview series:
1. What do you believe your strongest tactical and/or client relation skill is? Why?
I am a good listener. Genuine relationships with my clients are what most positively impact the work I do for them. I build, grow, and foster those relationships by asking a lot of questions and allowing my clients to be heard. In turn, I gain invaluable information about their business and about them as human beings that enables me to do my job more effectively.
2. From a client relationship perspective, how do you keep things fresh?
I work with an amazing team of women at Bloom and while we’re in different cities – and work on different accounts, we have weekly Skype calls in which we brainstorm and share ideas to continue to keep things fresh and relevant for our clients – and remain strategic. The agency culture supports collaboration and some of the best ideas I’ve presented to clients have come from my teammates. It’s wonderful to be surrounded by such smart and creative people who directly benefit my clients.
3. What is the most important piece of advice you would give your clients?
The most important piece of advice I would give my clients is to share as much information as possible – the good, the bad, and the ugly – about your business. The more I know, the more I can help/service you. And always be honest – whether it’s with your employees or the media. The truth always comes out and it’s best to be proactive and thoughtful than reactive and in crisis mode.
4. What do you believe to be the most important task you do on a daily basis? Why?
The most important task I do on a daily basis is showing my clients that I truly care about them, their mission, and their business. At Bloom, we focus on organizations that strive to make a positive difference in the world. In doing so, we work with really great people who are passionate about their work. When I share the same excitement and genuine to desire to tell their stories and evangelize their cause, they appreciate that and recognize that a win for them is a win for me.
5. What’s a “life lesson” you’ve learned that has stuck with you throughout your career? Why?
Mistakes happen. Occasionally, BIG mistakes. I have so many stories on which I’m able to look back and laugh about mistakes I’ve made in PR that seemed utterly disastrous and insurmountable at the time. They weren’t. The world kept spinning. And people showed me grace.
I’ve learned, to be honest. Fix mistakes (as best I can). And carry on. It’s made me a better PR professional – and definitely more detail-oriented. In turn, it’s reminded me to be more empathetic when others make mistakes.
6. What do you believe has been your greatest career accomplishment? Why?
I was asked to do PR last-minute for a 2-person tech startup that was preparing to launch at a major industry event. Five weeks prior to the event, my clients didn’t have a single piece of PR collateral – and no idea where to start. I was nervous and slightly overwhelmed; however, I’d done this long enough to know things ALWAYS come together – one way or another. My clients were wonderful and took heed to every piece of PR counsel I provided. Their product was amazing – AMAZING. Slowly, but surely it all came together. At the end of the day, they were featured in USA Today (along with their picture) – in addition to tens of other top tier tech publications. Obviously, It changed their business for the better – and I’ve never had more appreciative clients. Their success was most definitely my success.
Well, now we know how PR gives the whole world a better understanding of how an organization / a business .
This is just the start of our Expert interview series , and there are many more that we want to chat with. We will resume our discussion with another expert next week.
Until then, Happy Marketing!!
