Talk to me - Confessions of a life-long negotiator

Detective Frank Hunt has a distinguished 30-year career with the 110th precinct in New York City. He has seen most all of it when it comes to crime and crime scenes. And although he has been honored for numerous contributions that he has made to the department, perhaps he is best known for being an experienced and highly successful negotiator.

I was honored last year to speak at the Coldwell Bankers Real Estate annual awards breakfast in Owensboro and my topic was, if you choose, how you too can learn to be a better negotiator. After all sales personnel all need to understand the art and science of negotiations ot be as successful as possible.

I first observed the power of a good negotiator when I watched my grandfather trade mules back in the 1950s. By the 1970s, I was negotiating my way through a government agency and then for the past 20 years I have taught these skills to managers, labor representatives, sales, law enforcement and military personnel.

Frank Hunt and I agree on many points that we have learned in our 30-year careers.

To be a good negotiator, you must get and keep “rapport” with the other person. Rapport is a French word that means you have developed a relationship of mutual trust or, like-mindedness, fellowship, comradeship, camaraderie, sympathy.

Hunt says that under all circumstances you must be “relentless” in trying to develop rapport. The development of rapport is not always easy and yet even when we get it we also can lose it fairly quickly. We know we have rapport when the “feeling” of the moment is “right”. We lose rapport when we are not paying attention to what we are doing to keep the other party engaged.

Effective negotiators “get up close and personal” with the other party, Hunt says. And I would add that it is always the “one-on-one” that makes the most successful relationships during negotiations.

As a hostage negotiator Hunt says, you must “deal with the situations as they happen” and show the other person involved that you too are a “real person” that cares about the outcome of the experience.

My own experience has demonstrated over the years that if you negotiate for purely selfish reasons and don’t find a mutually successful outcome such discussions usually fail on all fronts.

“You also must place your ego to the side,” Hunt admonishes. And experience has shown both of us that when you can’t do that you simply can’t be effective.

“I believe that to be most effective you must be able to show the other party that you are willing to cross the line with them,” Hunt notes.

Roger Dawson, author of the The Secrets of Power Negotiators, points out that irrespective of how much you study or what you do that the best teacher is “experience”.

Of course, that would not be the case with hostage negotiations yet most of us have tried now and then to develop our skills by actually practicing them. Think about it. Ever bought a car and made a different offer than the “asking price”? You opened the door for negotiations but did you walk through it?

Some basic tips to follow if you decide to engage in negotiations

• Go into the situation thinking and acting positive
• Be aware that if you think negative, you will come out with a negative outcome
• Remind the other party that they are not alone – it is you and them working together for a mutually satisfactory outcome
• Propose often by using language such as “Why don’t we try this …”
• Remind the other party frequently “We will work this out”
• Remember negotiations require time – time is on your side
• Create a ‘win’ of some kind for both sides
• Deal with the moment and get personal when you can
• Pull them out of the situation psychologically not physically
• Keep the playing field level whenever possible
• Let the other person tell you how to best deal with their complaint or issue
• Keep asking for their advice and help
• Help the other person to make decision along with you
• Be a good listener and repeat now and then exact words back so the other party feels honored by your listening skills
• Be sensitive to all situations – what might not be important to you may be to the other party
• Project and instill confidence in your discussion

Finally, with all due respect some people simply can’t be good negotiators. That is a fact of life. Those people should proceed to develop other skills they may possess.

And remember, as Hunt is apt to share, “If you only have a hammer in your tool box then every problem has to be a nail.”

Develop as many of your negotiating skills and talents as possible and use them to develop a wealth of experience to be successful at using them.

Until next time.

L. Darryl Armstrong

Armstrong and Associates

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Memorial Day Should Be a Day of Honoring Those Who Fought for our Freedoms

It should be a day of remembrance not a day of politics as usual

In 1868, Congress authorized the last Monday of May as Decoration Day, a federal holiday, specifically designed to honors those who have died during military service while serving their country.

As a child, we used Decoration Day as a day when we would gather as a family at the Liberty Cemetery in rural Kentucky and decorate the graves of our departed family members and the graves of every military member that was laid to rest in that cemetery.

Often times, it was a member of my family that would place a plastic wreath on the grave of a Confederate or Union soldier, a WWI, WWII or Korean War casualty. Later, as I grew older, of course, we included those who died in Vietnam. Most of the time these decorations were placed on graves of people that we had no idea who they were. It was done out of respect and it was a tradition and an honor we took very seriously as families in rural America.

That tradition continued through the time that I left home in 1968 at the height of the Vietnam War; and even though I never participated in that tradition after I left home, I still recall the serious and honorable nature of it.

Whether we were directly taught it or not, as children it seems to me we assimilated our values of being patriots, of being American citizens with a strong tradition and a unique heritage from what our parents and schools taught us about our country and how it came into existence.

I recall that we recited daily the Pledge of Allegiance. We memorized the Preamble to the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address and the Bill of Rights and we recited them with pride. We stood and sang the Star Spangled Banner with our hands over our hearts and after 911 with tears in our eyes.

Even when I went off to college during the height of the Vietnam conflict, even when our Nation was so divided politically over the war, I proudly wore my ROTC uniform and was honored to be seen as a patriot.

PATRIOT - A person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. A person who regards himself or herself as a defender, esp. of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government.

It seemed to me growing up that if we were to be American citizens that we had to stand up for the principles that our country was founded upon. We had to fight in what we believed in so that maybe others could have what we and they, cherished.

I believed then, as I do now, that good men and women have always fought for what their country believed in because that is what made this country so great.

Further, I believe that we fight for our liberties and to expand those liberties to the oppressed around the world so that we may create a better society, a better world, and a better way of life for everyone.

Perhaps, that is why the Special Forces motto resonated with me more than any others - De oppressor liber - to free the oppressed.

  

I will always defend John Edwards’ right to his opinion

I feel very blessed to be born an American; to have been raised to be patriotic and to believe in and to defend the freedoms that my country has granted me.

I even believe in the right of presidential candidate John Edwards (D-NC) to call for his protest of the Iraq war on Memorial Day.

However, make no mistake that I am in total agreement with the American Legion’s position on John Edwards’ call for a protest.

The national commander of the American Legion Paul Morin wrote in a column on their website today, “The families of those killed in war should not be led to believe that their loved ones died for a less-than-worthy cause. They died because they took an oath to defend this nation and its Constitution. The sacrifice is the same whether it’s for a ‘popular war’ or an unpopular one. Memorial Day should be an occasion to bring Americans together to honor these heroes.”

However, allow me to explain to you though why I defend John Edwards right to hold his position.

You see the true beliefs of a person, even a politician with the best political and public relations’ advisors, that sport $400 hair cuts and build multi-million dollar mansions while telling us how they want to defend and help the poor, stop the war, yada yada can’t hide their true beliefs for long.

We see them exposed time and time again and it is always through their behaviors and deeds rather than through their carefully crafted and parsed words.

It is as if they never learn from experience, or the experience of those who have gone before them, or they somehow think that their slick ads and their carefully crafted personas and their political doublespeak will somehow keep the public from understanding what they are really all about.

Maybe, they even think that those of us, who would simply think of ourselves as Joe and Jane Six-Pack, are really too stupid or dense to see through all the glitter and see the real person.

After all, politicians for years have thought they could somehow fool the average citizen into supporting their seemingly noble causes and yet I believe we are all much smarter than they give us credit for.

For example, I believe that you can’t say you support our troops and then call for a protest against their mission without being exposed for what you true belief really is. The two concepts are not congruent.

John Edwards is an embarrassment to me as an American citizen. John Edwards voted for this engagement in Iraq but would now like to position himself differently, change the perception of his vote and like Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) will do whatever is necessary to try and become the Democrat nominee in 2008.

Now, before you peg me as a ultra-right wing conservative out to just attack the Democrat candidates bear in mind that I don’t find many of the Republican candidates much better in their approach to securing their nominations, except maybe, they were smart enough to not use Memorial Day as a day of protest.

Politicians in general are not as smart as they think they are. And sadly, I must say as a professional in the field of public relations some of my colleagues, who have become handlers of these people, are not much smarter than the politician.

However, I digress. Simply, I defend John Edwards’ right to do whatever he wants to do this Memorial Day and if I didn’t defend his right I don’t believe I would be a patriot.

Good men and women, many of them my friends and neighbors over the years, have died for - his right to speak out and hold whatever opinion he wishes to hold on the Iraq war, Memorial Day or anything else.

I believe this right to speak our minds, hold different view points, worship, or not, as we choose, and be whatever we choose to be is the basis on which our country was founded.

I believe this even when I vehemently disagree with such positions as John Edwards.

John Edwards’ call for a protest on Memorial Day is not any different than Rosie O’Donnell’s diatribes and chicanery on The View and her attempts to build ratings to promote herself and her career.

John Edwards is attempting to build ratings and support to get elected President.

Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Mark David, Mark Levin and other conservatives do the exact same thing to build their rating and their careers.

They play to their “base” and John Edwards is playing to his.

I may not agree with their positions. Yet, I will always defend their right to say whatever they wish and whatever they believe.

  

My analysis as a professional consultant

I predict that by the middle of next week there will be a “clarification,” a “qualification” coming from the John Edwards campaign and that the American public will be accused of “misinterpreting” what Edwards really meant to say and do. They may even blame so low level intern for having started the whole thing.

That misinterpretation, the campaign spokesperson will say, was caused by the media’s misunderstanding and the conservatives “spin” on the real intent of what Edwards was trying to convey.

As a consultant and political observer, how do I assess Edwards’ strategy?

Do I think that his strategy is a good one when it comes to politically positioning himself and building support for his campaign?

No.

The general public and the average voter will not like this strategy and will not be persuaded to join the Edwards’ camp or vote for him based on this stunt.

You don’t take traditional holiday days such as Memorial Day and even remotely imply disrespect for those who have died in service to our country.

Only the extreme left base will support this strategy and Edwards needs more than that faction to win the nomination. There are still plenty of conservative Southern Democrats and moderates to be contended with.

Do I think that this will create a ground swell of nationwide political outpouring of protest against the war in Iraq?

No.

Although we have similarities to the political disgruntlement associated with Vietnam in the 1960s, I believe the vast majority of the American people and those who will vote will continue to support our troops and their mission while finding a way to resolve their differences on this issue.

Do I think that elitist politicians who have been so isolated and insulated from the real world for years like John Edwards, John McCain, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and Barack Obama and the multitudes of other politicians that are running for president really care one way or another about our troops and their families, and for that matter about us as citizens?

No.

Our politicians are all self-serving, except for maybe Senator Lindsey Graham, who actually is spending time and service in Iraq but then he is a politician. They have spent enormous amounts of money maintaining their status quo, getting re-elected so they can enjoy the perks and prestige of their offices, and finding ways to better themselves not society and us as American citizens.

  

Does this sound cynical?

Yes, yet I believe it is a very realistic assessment of how the average person sees our politicians in D.C.

However, I am not all gloom and doom.

What I have come to believe is that our country, and the average citizen, is resilient and strong enough that we survive all this political wrangling, bickering, positioning, and government mis-management.

We will prevail as citizens in spite of it all.

I still believe there is a “Shining City on the Hill,” as President Reagan often said.

I believe that the vast majority of American citizens, who still reside in this shining city, will show their respect for the fallen heroes of our country and will honor them this Memorial Day appropriately.

And, I believe, that the honoring of our heroes will not include participating in John Edwards’ call for a protest.

And I believe that people like John Edwards, John McCain and all the other presidential “wanna bees” could stand some real world advice and counsel and I hope for theier sake and the sake of our great country that they get some.

Until next time.

L. Darryl Armstrong

Armstrong and Associates

Politics and a business philosophy don’t necessarily result in a victory in any campaign

Kentucky has just had its primary election. Incumbent Governor Ernie Fletcher will face off with Democrat former Lt. Governor Steve Beshear in November.

One of the Republican candidates in the primary was businessman Billy Harper, Paducah, Ky. Harper finished third out of a field of three.

He was shocked.

I wasn’t.

A multimillionaire businessman that made his money in the construction industry like so many millionaires and business people, Harper thought he would turn to politics to “clean things up in Frankfort.”

He did this ostensibly because the current Governor Ernie Fletcher, whom he had served as campaign manager for in 2004, was “unelectable” due to a very public hiring scandal involving the classic patronage issues.

Actually Fletcher, a seemingly decent human being, had not done a single thing in my opinion than any Democratic Governor ever did except Fletcher wasn’t smart enough to not get caught nor did he have a competent crisis manager to handle the problem once it erupted. (Think Alberto Gonzalez and you get the picture.)

Being a Washington-experienced person Fletcher, who was a Congressman prior to being elected Governor, seemingly followed the apparent advice of Washington consultants and blundered and stumbled his way through the scandal handling the entire event with little finesse.

Harper, and his running mate whose name escapes me, was intent on becoming electable as a Republican in 2008 but then so was Anne Northrup, another former Republican Representative, who lost her sixth run at Congress to an ultra-liberal Democrat from Louisville. She also decided to run for the Governorship because everyone told her that Fletcher was “unelectable”.

Don’t mistake my comments here, both Harper and Northrup are probably pretty honorable people, however, Harper is a businessman not a politician and he learned a very expensive lesson spending close to $3 million dollars of his own money trying to become one.

Gawd, only knows why he would do this other than ego over-riding common sense.

Harper finished third with 14 percent of the Republican vote, behind Gov. Ernie Fletcher who received 51 percent and Anne Northup who received 35 percent.

“For whatever reason, the voters just didn’t buy the message we had for change, less taxes and to run Frankfort like a business,” Harper said. “I thought the rural vote and the grassroots vote would come out and support that message.”

And here is why they didn’t.

  

The seven reasons why a candidate doesn’t get elected

• 1. No one knew Billy Harper except for a few in of us in western Kentucky, where by the way he did quite well.

Harper won the 13 counties of far western Kentucky with 55 percent of the vote. He won McCracken County and finished second in the other 12. McCracken was the only county where he finished first.

Although he did well in McCracken and surrounding counties, he was disappointed that the turnout was less than 20 percent.

I met Candidate Billy Harper when he and I were in Leadership Kentucky together in the 1980s. I knew his first wife when we were in college. Yes, he is a successful businessman but he had no name recognition beyond the Jackson Purchase and for some reason he chose a western Kentucky running mate, whose name I can’t even remember now. 

Basic politics 101 tells us that if you are from a rural part of this state you have to offset that by having some one with name recognition from a more populated part of the Commonwealth as your running mate. And it helps if that person is also someone who has lots of money, or the ability to raise lots of money.

• 2. Those of us who did know him, or know of him, would have honestly told him that a politician he is not.

A good businessman, if you judge being good in terms of making money, that he is, but a good politician - nope. Frankly, good and politician are oxymoronic concepts anyway and Harper, I really think, is a better person than most any politician I know.

I think this because my Brother Bob Maxwell thinks highly of him and I trust his judgment of character, as well as my own.

• 3. You can’t buy image or name recognition and I don’t care how much money you have.

That was an expensive lesson learned. Enough said.

• 4. He allowed the aura, or pheromones, of politics to lure him into it although I am sure that he also had high altruistic motives.

I don’t doubt that he wanted to change the political landscape and cultural of Frankfort. However, being a campaign manager for a winning candidate can lure you into things that you should just stay away from - a statewide race is one of those things. Someone should have told him that and they didn’t. I wouldn’t write that final check to the consultant, if I were you.

• 5. Harper said — “For whatever reason, the voters just didn’t buy the message we had for change, less taxes and to run Frankfort like a business.” It wasn’t we didn’t buy this message, any good conservative would buy that message and there are a lot of conservative Democrats and Republicans in this part of the state, it’s just that we know enough about politics to know that Harper didn’t have the political contacts, or persuasive skills, charm, or strong-arm tactics to get that message into policy in Frankfort.

Like it or not, politics is all about playing the game and running and winning the gauntlet of offices on the way to the Governorship in most cases. When you move up that way, you pick up lots of chits along the way and you learn how to wheel and deal — I know, I know, I don’t like it either but it is the way of politics and Harper didn’t have that experience on his resume. The best Governors and CEOs have worked their way up through the ranks and the voters know that.

• 6. Also, jeez you can’t run government like a business.

Didn’t anybody learn anything from the Fletcher fiasco? They wanted to run government like a business and ended up in a scandal. How about Wallace Wilkinson and John Y. Brown, fellow millionaires, who did run and win the governorship only to find they too couldn’t run government like a business and ended up in scandals. I spent 18-years of my Federal career trying to run a federal agency like a business only to have my hair turn gray and fall out. Once I realized this would never happen — that government could be run like a business — I left government to go into business for myself. If we don’t learn from history we are destined to repeat it!

• 7. We liked the campaign ads but…

They were creative but the candidate’s presentation in them was stilted and without enthusiasm. Like it or not, politicians to get elected have to have some charisma, especially on television. They have to be bigger than life. They must show enthusiasm and excite the voter to support them. Some politicians can do it through story telling (think President Ronald Reagan), some through great oratory (think Senator Alben Barkley), and some through their charm (think President Bill Clinton). Candidate Harper needed help on this point.

And that is my analysis. Billy Harper ran a good race, but frankly he would be better off to have placed that $3 million in a good mutual fund.

Until next time.

L. Darryl Armstrong

Armstrong and Associates

I told you so! “Sicko” darling of Cannes Festival

What did I write a few days ago folks about Michael Moore?

Today, AP reports that the rumpled, disheveled, and some would say obnoxious producer of “Sicko,” the definitive expose of the American Health industry, none other than the now infamous Michael Moore is now a “rock star” at the Cannes Film Festival.

The “ferocious” attack on the health industry has become the talk of the French film festival this year and Moore, ever the guerrilla marketer, is at the heart of the adoration.

And always marketing controversy, Moore says that he is not surprised they are coming after him, after all he is just the little guy (David) taking on the drug companies and the health insurers (Goliath). Moore was referring to the Department of Justice’s investigation into an alleged illegal trip to Cuba that he took while making the documentary.

I highly suggest that the objective of his latest documentary was not to get to the truth of the state of the health care industry in America; rather the objective was to make a few million dollars and to continue his rising star power.

Mission accomplished — for now.

Those that believe he walks on water will continue to believe so and those who think he is the anti-Christ will continue to hold onto their crucifixes and pray for deliverance.

“Sicko” will make millions for the “common man” from Dearborn, Mi. yet adds little or nothing to a reasoned debate on how to fix the system.

Am I psychic or what?

Nope not even close to being psychic, I simply recognize good marketing when I see it.

Keep your own eyes and ears open to such g-marketing tactics and learn from them.

Until next time.

L. Darryl Armstrong

ARMSTRONG and Associates

Branding - comes in many shapes and sizes even for a country music star

TSU Library Art Gallery

Presents Art by  Jonathan Kupersmith  

 

“Little Jimmy Dickens” — A Memorable Country Music Star That Teaches Us a Lot About “Branding”

Baltimore — I met one of my country music heroes last week at the Baltimore airport. Mr. Jimmy Dickens, “Little Jimmy Dickens” to his fans, far and wide, was on the plane with us as we flew in to Baltimore. I had the opportunity to meet him at the luggage carousel and thank him for entertaining me, and my family, for all these decades.

  

First, let me dispel the myth that all stars are arrogant and distant. Mr. Dickens was almost shy and retiring and yet when I told him I had been listening to him since I was a child in the 1950s, when I sat on my grandfather’s knee, his face lit up and he said, “Well, you sure did grow up to be a long tall drink of water didn’t you?”

  

He seemed pleased that I would take time to tell him how much I enjoyed his music for the past 56-years of my life and I felt honored to be speaking to a legend in the country music industry. He even invited me, and my wife, to his concert in Hanover, Penn. Yet, alas, I could not attend due to other business commitments.

  

However, I mused over a learning I had from that meeting.

  

“Little Jimmy Dickens” is a talented musician, and seemingly a really nice man, and he is a “brand” just as was Grandpa Jones, Roy Acuff,  Johnny Cash, Minnie Pearl, String Bean, and the numerous other Grand Ole Opry stars that were of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s era.

  

They created and consistently presented to the public and their fans a persona that created an image in our minds and an expectation of the delivery of services — in this case country music that no one else could possible provide.

  

They understood that to be successful they had to create a “memorable” experience for their fans (customers) and they never failed to do so.

  

Think of any of these “folks,” that is if you are old enough, and you are thinking of a “brand” created and sold to us as consumers and lovers of country music.

  

The creation of a country music star was the early and perhaps less sophisticated version of what we would call today “branding.”

  

Branding is creating an image and being consistent in the delivery of that image and the memorable service attached to it, a “service” that no one else could possibly replicate and deliver.

  

I like to think of branding as the building of a tradition. You always know what to expect when it comes to using a certain brand. If you were a Roy Acuff fan, and I mention his name, you can readily hear that longbow string of his fiddle as he readies himself to play his trademark song — The Orange Blossom Special.

  

With Johnny Cash, the halls of the Opry are still haunted with his memorable welcome delivered in his melodious bass voice, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”

  

Grandpa Jones will be forever associated with his banjo; Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs are equally associated with dueling banjos and, who can forget the bluegrass traditions of Bill Monroe and his mandolin.

  

And with Little Jimmy Dickens, when he comes on stage with a beaming smile, a hat twice his size and tunes his guitar to get ready for a pickin’, grinnin’ and the singin’ of a set of classic country favorites you know you are in for a great tradition.

  

“And howdeeee,” as Minnie Pearl would say, that is what branding is all about - creating, a memorable image and delivering services that always gave the customer more than they ever expected.

  

Thank you Mr. Dickens you made my day at the Baltimore Airport and yes, if your manager sends us some tickets we will be seeing you one day soon at the Grand Ole Opry.

Dr. L. Darryl Armstrong

www.armstrongandassociates.org

  

  

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Guerrilla marketing doesn’t get any better than this

Michael Moore and the Feds – Round 1

Always setting the stage for controversy, whether you agree with his politics or not, Michael Moore is in the best sense of the word a true “guerrilla marketer.” 

The Federal government revealed today that Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore is under investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department for taking ailing Sept. 11 rescue workers to Cuba for a segment in his upcoming health-care documentary “Sicko.” 

The Feds are in actuality now helping Moore to ppromote his newest “documentary” that he has entitled “Sicko”.

The Associated Press reports that “Sicko” promises to take the health-care industry to task the way Moore confronted America’s passion for guns in “Bowling for Columbine” and skewered Bush over his handling of Sept. 11 in “Fahrenheit 9/11.”  

Moore is by all characterization either the hero of the Progressives or the hated bad boy of the Conservatives. What he really is — is a self-promoting g-marketeer that understands that controversy sells to any political persuasion. 

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control notified Moore in a letter dated May 2 that it was conducting a civil investigation for possible violations of the U.S. trade embargo restricting travel to Cuba.

In other words folks, Mike Moore was visiting Cuba without approval and that’s not allowed.

In March, Moore took about 10 ailing workers from the Ground Zero rescue effort in Manhattan for treatment in Cuba, said a person working with the filmmaker on the release of “Sicko.”

The person requested anonymity because Moore’s attorneys had not yet determined how to respond.  

Moore scolded Bush over the Iraq war during the 2003 Oscar telecast, received the letter Monday, the person said. “Sicko” premieres May 19 at the Cannes Film Festival and debuts in U.S. theaters June 29.

Moore declined to comment, said spokeswoman Lisa Cohen. In a statement Thursday, “Sicko” producer Meghan O’Hara said the Treasury investigation might be an attempt to undermine the film. “Our health-care system is broken and, all too often, deadly,” O’Hara said.

“The efforts of the Bush administration to conduct a politically motivated investigation of Michael Moore  and `Sicko’ will not stop us from making sure the American people see this film.”

After receiving the letter, Moore arranged to place a copy of the film in a “safe house” outside the country to protect it from government interference, said the person working on the release of the film. Sept. 11 rescue workers “risked their lives searching for survivors, recovering bodies, and clearing away toxic rubble,” O’Hara said. “Now, many of these heroes face serious health issues, and far too many of them are not receiving the care they need and deserve.” 

All publicity is good publicity – maybe

So, Mike Moore the down-trodden, common man from Michigan, who dresses as slovenly as about anyone I have ever seen, (it’s all part of his marketing persona folks) is now taking on the health care system in this country. 

And now we know that the Federal government is conspiring to keep this film that speaks only the truth, and nothing but, from the American public and has the audacity to investigate its producer, who may have broken Federal laws. 

Folks, I love this guy, not that I agree with his politics and rantings and ravings, but I love his understanding of how to market his products, how to create buzz about his work, how to play to the media starving for scandulous news about his latest exploits and undertakings against the establishment. 

Do you think it is a coincidence that it is revealed today just days prior to the release of his new movie that he is being investiated by the Federal government? 

Do you think it odd that Michael himself is not speaking but letting his spokeslady speak for him? 

And Michael, always leery of the government’s intentions, a mild-mannered multimillionaire from Michigan, seeking truth and justice has even “squirreled” away a copy of his film in a “safe-house.” 

Don’t you just love this? 

Put aside your politics and look at the ingenuity of this creative, out-of-the-box, g-marketing strategy. 

Why if the Feds had not found out about his actions and started an investigation, had I been Michael, I would have turned myself into them. 

I wonder if Michael ever thought of that? 

Someone once said, I think it was P.T.. Barnum that “All publicity is good publicity.”

And you know he might just be right. 

After all, what is the worst that can happen to Michael Moore, the Academy Award winner, the multimillionaire who wants to still portray himself as the common man, the provoker of all parts of the political establishment, fighting the “giants” of society? 

Well, maybe a hefty monetary fine, a few hundred hours of community service, even a little jail time?

And you know what, every single one of those actions taken by the Federal government will get him even more publicity. 

Am I advocating that you poke your finger in the eye of the Federal government to sell your products or services?  

No! 

However, understand how the media works. The media is always looking for: 

• A story that pits good against evil; right against wrong; left against right; — you get the idea.

• And that’s what the media is all about. They want a story. A story to be good has to be provocative. It has to have a start and middle and an end.

• It has to have compelling characters that the public can identify with even if they are not what they seem to be.

• A good story can have David (Michael Moore) taking on Goliath (Federal Government, health care, gun owners, the President) and in some small way making a difference or at the very least a statement.

I predict that Michael Moore’s “Sicko” will once again make him millions of dollars and a large part of that profit comes from his understanding of how to use the media to get publicity to his project. 

I recommend that if you want to learn more about such strategies and tactics that you get and read a copy of Guerrilla PR Wired : Waging a Successful Publicity Campaign Online, Offline, and Everywhere In Between (Paperback). 

Until next time - from the Baltimore Airport…

Dr. L. Darryl Armstrong

http://www.armstrongandassociates.org/

     

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Mother’s Day - Finding a niche and filling it

Today is Mother’s Day a nationwide marketing phenomena.

Cynics would say that Hallmark cards created this Sunday in May to boost sales. However, not true. What Hallmark did, however, is see a niche and they filled it. This is what guerrilla marketers understand better than anyone.

G-marketers understand that you find something that the public wants and then you give it to them, as opposed to coming up with the good idea and “selling” it to them. If Generation X and Y and Baby Boomers want high-end coffee - think Starbucks. If Baby Boomers want convenience in shopping for insurance think Geico and Progressive. If the Korean War and late World War II generations need medical supplies think Wilford Brimley prompting diabetes supply via American Home Health Care.

Finding a niche, spotting the next trend, understanding the need to rescope, review and re-engineer your business on a regular basis is critical to surviving in today’s marketplace.

ARMSTRONG and Associates began life as the L. Darryl Armstrong Group because I saw the need that large corporations and government agencies had to have their public meetings facilitated in an orderly and relationship building manner.

I conceived of the “Group” as the way to group together people from various disciplines by creating a brainstorming think tank that could create synergy for my clients and a depth of expertise.

However, the group never materialized because it seemed that all my business associates were too busy creating their own client base and when approached they were more interested in “working for me” than “working with me.”

Eventually I discarded the idea, reinvented the firm and began to associate with colleagues that had certain expertise that allowed me to build teams as needed. True, I never got that think tank and brainstorming interaction that I needed or still want but I did meet and associate with some outstanding associates, all of whom are independent contractors, which helped me, find and fill niches.

Today, we can as a behavioral public relations firm seek out and fill a variety of niches that 15-years ago we couldn’t. All because of three things:

• 1. We were not stubborn from the standpoint of creating a firm and selling it, the services and the people. Rather, we created a firm, watched the trends carefully and adapted our services to what the market place and what our clients said they needed and wanted.
• 2. We remained resilient and flexible throughout the formative and normative phases of our business development and as our firm emerged in the market. That resiliency and flexibility has allowed us to work with clients from the size of Lockheed Martin to literally firms the size of ours — two people, or even just individuals who need good business or public relations advice.

• 3. We continue to grow and learn and remain resilient in re-engineering our business and we literally re-engineer the firm at least every 3-years. We continually seek out new and exciting opportunities and creative associates that are fun to work with. We will not be content to simply exist as a static public relations firm, we are always looking to evolve to our next phase of business offering, our next level of success, and we are always seeking out new and exciting opportunities to do new things and do them in creative and different ways.

That’s how this blog came to be and soon it will be reflected in our new website and products and services. It is the excitement of reinventing ourselves to meet the market niches that keeps this fun and exciting for us. That’s the way we are already reinventing ourselves, our services and rescoping our markets and seeking new and interesting clients to work with.

So, whoever you are and whatever you do be like Hallmark and find a niche and fill it. There is no reason you have to stay in that niche forever, and most certainly if you think you will you will eventually calcify and fossilize and die as a business.

Stay alert and attentive to your clients; provide them service above and beyond their expectations; and enjoy every single minute of being in business for yourself.

Until next time.

L. Darryl Armstrong

www.armstrongandassociates.org

That’s why they call it public relations

It’s all about relationships.

Kay and I are working this weekend in Middle River, Md for our client Lockheed Martin. The Lockheed Martin Corporation is voluntarily cleaning up some environmental problems at its site in Middle River. The corporation is committed to doing the right thing when it comes to seeking out the environmental problems and then cleaning them up.We had the pleasure Friday evening meeting with three civic leaders and their wives and hosting them to dinner. One of the invitees asked what I thought was the most important thing that a large corporation could do when working in a community.

My response was very direct and sincere. The corporation must abide by the law, they must “do the right thing and do it in the right way” yet more importantly than all this is they must develop relationships with their neighbors.

And that is what Kay and I work very hard to do in the communities in which we work. After all it is called public relations for a reason - it is all about developing relationships with the people you are working for and with.

However, relationships are not developed overnight.  They require nurturing and lots of care. They require open and honest communications and lots of give and take. They require much more listening and lots less talking.

Relationships when built well turn into friendships. Yet, even if they don’t become full-blown friendships, a good relationship can and will serve both parties well. We work very hard to establish viable relationships in the communities in which we work and I am pleased to report that many of the relationships we have established in Middle River on this project have matured into genuine friendships.

For that we are grateful.

Until next time. 

Dr. L. Darryl Armstrong

G-Marketing workshop results in lasting friendships

Bullock reminds us to brand and package our intellectual capital

Recently, I had the privilege of participating in the Hook, Line and Sinker workshop coordinated and produced by Henry Snorton at the local chamber of commerce. More than a dozen business people attended this session and we discussed the various guerrilla marketing ways that you could take a little money and build your business into a profitable venture.

As you know, I often have written in this column of the strategies and tactics necessary to use to be successful as a small businessperson and having the opportunity to share that with people really interested in taking it and using it was a great blessing. Thank you Henry for inviting me.

We had a variety of interesting folks attend. We had a Christian bookstore owner, a personal services provider, a building contractor, a classified ad salesperson, an ag supply operation sales person, an insurance salesman, a representative from a hospice, a spa owner, a social marketing consultant, a mortuary director, a bridal consultant, a daycare owner and operator, a clothing designer and the manager of advertising for a newspaper.

I stressed to them and I stress in this article that you have to first want to own and operate your own business, or you want to take the job you have and become more creative in it, for guerrilla marketing to work effectively.

When you make that decision and it’s a commitment that feeds your family you get real serious real quick about making things happen that will make the business, or your job, more successful.

Test them and keep the good ones

Businesses are not hatched overnight and spring to fruition with just a little work. Rather, businesses are coddled, nurtured and slowly and gently they mature into successful and profitable ventures, especially if passionate people run them that are dedicated to providing quality goods and services and giving the customer a memorable experience.

I am pleased to say that this workshop was one, which created a viable and interactive network of not just business associates, it also created a network of friends.

Already I have heard from four people in the workshop and they have consulted with me on their plans and the actions they have already taken to improve their business operations.

I am proud of them and for them.

When you go to a workshop of any kind that you have paid good hard-earned money for you should:

1. Seek out ideas and thoroughly discuss them in the workshop. Get other people’s views on the ideas and challenge one another until you understand the concept and how to implement it.
2. Once you are clear that the idea could benefit your business adapt it to your needs. One size doesn’t fit everyone but many ideas can be mutated and tweaked to work in your business.
3. Then test the idea. Don’t spend a lot of time and money on redesigning it, or you will never get to the point that you will implement it. Simply, do it.
4. Clearly define what you want to come from the idea. Not all ideas will bring money in the door. Some will bring you recognition, some will enhance your image and others will increase your visibility.
5. After testing the idea several times, you can’t just do it once and expect any data to evaluate, then stop and look at the data. Did you achieve what you wanted to achieve? Did it enhance your image, increase awareness of your products or services, did it some way impact positively your bottom-line?
6. If it does, then keep on doing it until you begin to see diminishing returns. Recalibrate if needed as you go along. Tweak it but don’t reinvent it.
7. Objectively evaluate each idea aggressively. Keep the good ones and toss out the ones that don’t work.

 Only one in ten 

The rule of thumb for presenters of workshops to evaluate their own success is simple.

If you have 10 people attend a workshop, experience and research shows that, only one attendee ever really takes the information and does anything with it and tells you they did it.

Two people will take an idea, perhaps, and act upon it but never tell you about it, and one more will go home and think about things and tweak the idea maybe.

The other five — well they just go back to doing what they were doing and getting the same results they have always been getting.

The dog ate it

Here are some honest to goodness excuses I have heard about why people pay good money for a workshop then never use the ideas that come from it:

• It would require too much work on my part
• I didn’t get anything worthwhile for my business
• My business is unique and G-marketing doesn’t work for me
• I don’t have time to use this information
• I couldn’t find a copy of the book to buy
• These techniques are too simple, my business is more complicated
• They won’t work nothing ever has
• The dog ate my workbook!
• I don’t have the time
• I didn’t pay enough - the information couldn’t have been very valuable

I am pleased to report, however, that so far I have not heard these or any other excuses but then there are still attendees that have not reported in.

www.davidbullock.com

I have always found that I learn more from my students and others who present at workshops than I do from all the research, writing and consulting that I do preparing for the workshop.

Such was the case with the presentation made by David Bullock, a consultant from Murfreesboro, Tenn. that was invited by Henry Snorton to be a presenter.

Bulloch is in the business genre of two of my own personal and professional heroes — Robert Middleton and Howard Shenson. Bulloch is an information guru with a wealth of ideas to help you package and sell your intellectual knowledge.

His model is similar to that of Middleton in that you should brand yourself, develop and sell audio and video packages and then price and sell your intellectual capital as you develop it. And he is absolutely correct. This model has worked well for years for consultants. Most certainly it has worked for Middleton, Bullock and Shenson.

Although I have known this to be true for quite some time, now and then in life you need to be reminded, prodded and even whacked on the head to get you off the dime.

So, thanks David for whacking me on the head and stoking the fire.

My business model is taking a major right turn and significant overhaul and soon we will be announcing a new web and blog site and new products and services in the genre of your model.

Stay tuned.

Dr. Leland Darryl Armstrong