ARE YOU LEAVING BUSINESS ON THE TABLE?

It is short-sighted to make assumptions that everyone--including your previous and current clients, colleagues and family members--knows all what you do or sell, who your ideal customers/clients are, and how you are different or better than your competition. And, most importantly, do they know to refer you?

If your circles of influence are not aware of all you do, than your sales funnel and your ability to increase business and grow revenues will be finite. For example, if you have done a brilliant job representing your client in one particular area of service or in providing one type of product...then referrals from those satisfied clients will mostly be pigeonholed to that service or product alone.

As a result, you will lose the power of garnering exponential revenue-generating opportunities (from those who already have a need for your service or product) to a colleague or competitor...And the unsettling part is that you had no idea you were so close to these new business opportunities.

For example, if you are a financial or legal professional who provided only residential mortgage counsel to a client, and they did not know that you or your firm also provides other areas of counsel and services they are not using, then you have definitely “left that business on the table.” Here is why...Since they do not know that you or a member of your firm also provides bankruptcy and corporate turnaround counsel or healthcare benefits and workers’ comp planning (that their boss may be now seeking), review and/or preparation of corporate contracts (that their sister-in-law’s company may soon need), or nonprofit governance counsel (for which their church, synagogue, or other charity of choice is pursuing)...you have lost any opportunity to capture those revenue-generating prospects. They did not know you exist to support their needs.

This type of business development faux paux is not prevalent in just one single business industry, category or management level, but rather it is a rampant business-zapper across the board from retail, entertainment, healthcare, legal, and nonprofits to C-Suite level executives, and entrepreneurs. We at Kaye Communications, Inc. coach clients on how to effectively “look inside” and integrate communications channels to maximize opportunity to grow and dominate their marketplace.

To learn more about how you can bring more business to the table, contact Jon A. Kaye, Chief Marketing Officer for Kaye Communications, Inc. at (561) 392-5166 or via email at jkaye@kcompr.com. Jon has a 20-year career in hospitality marketing and sales, plus 13 years co-partnering Kaye Communications, developing strategic plans for a variety of clients in the resort, private club, healthcare, retail, entertainment, professional services (legal, financial, medical, Realtor™), commercial and residential development, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, etc.

THE BEST TIME TO PLAN FOR A COMMUNICATIONS CRISIS IS BEFORE YOU ARE IN ONE

(but if you are already there...do not waste a moment
to engage a seasoned communications specialist)

If your company or a client of yours is facing bankruptcy or foreclosure, in the process of turbulent turnaround management, or experiencing negative news media coverage, it is important that a crisis communications plan is developed and executed to work in your best interest.

Many times we read in the news media the phrase "no comment" by a company CEO or its attorney, but while it maybe legally prudent, it does little to uphold a positive positioning of a company or individual. Depending upon the issue, the reality is most often readers will perceive the "no comment" to be a sign of guilt, disconnect, and weakness from one who previously may have been quoted on a variety of high profile topics, hiding behind lawyers (as what can happen in celebrity-related matters)...all of which, you will agree, is not always in one's best interest.

A well-seasoned crisis communications specialist knows how to work closely with a client’s attorneys, C-suite executives, human resources management, regulatory agencies, civic leaders, etc. to effectively strategize a plan of action (from pre-planning for an anticipated crisis to post-crisis management). They will know when to engage various departments or outside entities, develop and manage the messaging, handle all aspects of news media relations (including media training for executives, and sometimes serving as a company spokesperson), etc.

“To be effective, Crisis Management is not for the faint-hearted, it is for the results-hearted,” notes Bonnie S. Kaye, president and chief strategist of Kaye Communications, Inc. who directs the firm’s KCOM CrisisPro services. “Companies and individuals must first commit and entrust themselves to a seasoned crisis specialist and then be open to the honest feedback. At KCOM, we tell our clients what they need to hear, not just what they want to hear.”

She adds that, “While at times, it may seem like a 'downer' to hear about obstacles and market push back, you cannot effectively develop and manage a communications crisis plan and make sound decisions if your counselor does not outline every potential scenario prior to setting a direction. There can always be surprises (i.e. an unanticipated jury verdict, a whistle blower, construction accident, high-profile crime), but your crisis communications professional's counsel should be taken in the same light as counsel from your attorney or financial counselor who regularly advises you on potential pitfalls in their area of expertise.”

To learn more about KCOM CrisisPro, contact Bonnie S. Kaye, President and Chief Strategist at Kaye Communications, Inc. at (561) 392-5166 or via email at bkaye@kcompr.com. Bonnie has a 25-year career in public relations and marketing agency plus a five-year tenure in corporate communications for Time Warner’s Home Box Office (HBO) responsible for a 14-state Northeast U.S. region. A published journalist in area of public/private partnerships, and a board member of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce (for which she serves as Communications Task Force chair), Bonnie has co-partnered Kaye Communications, developing and implementing internal and external communications plans (including crisis management) for a variety of clients in healthcare, business-to-business and consumer-driven organizations, professional services (legal, financial, medical, Realtor™), resort, private club, retail, entertainment, commercial and residential development, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, etc.

STANDING STILL? TO MAXIMIZE MARKETING ROI BEGIN WITH KAYE COMMUNICATIONS' NEW KCOM EVAL-U™ SERVICE

"My father (who would have just turned 92) was ahead of his time...he repeatedly said to me, 'You cannot possibly know where you are going, if you have no idea where you are today,'" notes Kaye Communications, Inc. President & Chief Strategist Bonnie S. Kaye. As more and more businesses are re-visioning and refining to meet the needs of today's marketplace, Kaye Communications, Inc. has done its due diligence and developed its new KCOM EVAL-U™ service to help clients assess and enhance communications programs for small and large businesses, professional services providers and nonprofits.

Knowing that the foundation for building a strong communications program begins with an in-depth solid review and evaluation of the "state-of-the-business" with respect to its current and future revenue goals, the KCOM EVAL-U service is available to companies and organizations of all sizes. The service includes client discovery sessions, review of past and current marketing channels and their effectiveness, informal and formal focus groups, shopper service, analysis of marketing strengths, weaknesses, obstacles and threats, and action plan recommendations for enhancement.

“In a fast-paced world with sufficient cash flow in pre-economic tsunami days, businesses kept doing business the way they have been doing business for years without a concern for a formal PLAN B, C, or D if any need arose (including an executive succession plan),” adds Bonnie. “During the pre-downturn time, the denial approach masked underlying fundamental business development issues while significant lines of credit from banks were easy to secure, hedge funds and investors were providing substantial working capital, and employment rates were high so employees could keep the economic wheels moving for a variety of industries by buying homes, cars, refrigerators, and going to dinner several times a week.”

To succeed today, all businesses need to review and assess their unique selling proposition (what differentiates them from their competition), and to whom and how they are communicating the value of their product and service. We often hear resistance to change...”we have never done that before”, but reality is:

• In today's highly competitive business and ever-changing communications environment, traditional public relations and marketing approaches alone, can no longer deliver desired results. Afterall, what is traditional today, may no longer be traditional within even a matter of weeks. It is in looking ahead-not just at today's agenda-that a business must effectively prepare for tomorrow, and tomorrow's tomorrow.

• To achieve results-driven success you must effectively blend traditional and non-traditional approaches, and not rely on repetitive “cookie-cutter” plans and programs that may have worked for a business in the past, but are no longer relevant to today's and tomorrow's goals.

• At KCOM, the process requires a synergistic combination of research (formal and informal); knowledge of a client's business and how they do their business; familiarity of a client's clients and customers; and ability to distinguish a client from their competition. That all reinforced by the keen ability to identify new, untapped prospects; absence of tunnel vision (a common and costly error); clear mutually agreed upon objectives; a purpose-built communications plan; a realistic budget, and astute implementation.

To learn more about the new KCOM EVAL-U service, contact Bonnie S. Kaye, President and Chief Strategist at Kaye Communications, Inc. at (561) 392-5166 or via email at bkaye@kcompr.com. Bonnie has a 25-year career in public relations and marketing agency plus a five-year tenure in corporate communications for Time Warner’s Home Box Office (HBO) responsible for a 14-state Northeast U.S. region. A published journalist in area of public/private partnerships, and a board member of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce (for which she serves as Communications Task Force Chair), Bonnie has co-partnered Kaye Communications, developing and implementing internal and external communications plans (including crisis management) for a variety of clients in healthcare, business-to-business and consumer-driven organizations, professional services (legal, financial, medical, Realtor™), resort, private club, retail, entertainment, commercial and residential development, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, etc.

WHY OUTSOURCING MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS SAVES AND MAKES YOU MONEY

In tough economic times with difficult decisions to be made to improve a balance sheet, the natural instinct for most business owners is to cut back rather than invest for success. However, true visionaries know that, even in a shrinking marketplace, there is ample business out there, and they proactively and aggressively pursue their share.

Just as businesses rely heavily on the specialized advice of their attorneys and accountants, visionaries know the value of having a strategic communications counselor on their senior "think tank" team. Engaging a proven, seasoned outside counselor, such as an integrated marketing and public relations firm with a successful ROI track record, will:

• add more specialized expertise to your team and "think tank"
  
  
• add more team member support (more hands and brains) without increasing your payroll, benefits, etc.
  

• allow C-Suite and management teams to remain steadfastly focused on building their core business (what they do best), while experienced communications professionals focus on what they do best
  
  
• immediately increase and broaden your circle of relationships with your firm as a third-party endorser

• assist you in re-visioning to best capture market and news media opportunities today, while planning for future growth
  
  
• provide thought-provoking outside perspectives to prevent costly tunnel vision
  
  
• save money (by averting detrimental mistakes in image building, branding, printing/production; and eliminate non-results-generating activities/initiatives)
  
  
• help grow business by:

• developing and managing a flexible strategic plan
• identifying and introducing new and untapped markets, referral sources, and media opportunities
• recommending in-line diversification and/or repositioning
• increasing credibility by serving as your “market” ambassador
• interacting with the firm’s established relationships
• help avoid or navigate through an unanticipated crisis ("The best time to search for a crisis manager or plan for a crisis is not while you are in the midst of one!")