At this point in the post, it would seem appropriate for me to tell you what motivates me to succeed. I’m not going to do that though. It’s a little part embarrassment and a little part none of your business! That’s right, the only person who really needs to know what motivates you is you. Sure, you can share it if you want to, but it’s not necessary. As long as you know, you can move forward.

Discovering what motivates me wasn’t as easy as it sounds though. It took an exercise with two very smart women to help me admit to myself what it is that I want out of life and what will motivate me to get to that point. They had me imagine where I wanted to be in 5 or 10 years. What did I want my business environment to look like? What did I want my personal life to be like? Who were the people around me? How was I perceived in that environment?

Next, I had to determine what it would take to get to that ideal future I had imagined. What would motivate me to get to that place? Was it money? Power? Prestige? Helping the community? Spending less time working and more time with my family and friends? All of these things can be motivators…the key was to determine which of those would best motivate me.

This is where the tricky part came in. Obviously, some motivators are little bit more self-serving than others. Some could even be called downright selfish. Which is why I am keeping my motivators to myself and not sharing them with you. And which is why I suggest you do the same. As long as you know what will motivate you to become a success, then you can work toward achieving those motivational milestones.

For example, if money is my strongest motivator, then building my business and increasing my client base should be one of my primary goals. If building prestige in the community is one of my motivating factors, then becoming more involved in community organizations and donating my time to local non-profits should be on my list of things to do.

Bottom line – loving money is not a bad thing. Loving power and prestige is not a bad thing. Just make sure that if those are the things in your life that motivate you, be honest with yourself about it. It’s the only way you will succeed. And, along the way, if you can use the power, money and prestige you accumulate to help others, that’s just icing on the proverbial cake.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Let’s take the popular chart topper “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (yes, that is the correct spelling!) If you have never had the opportunity to play the Michael Jackson Experience (available on gaming systems like Wii) then you don’t know that in addition to showing a video of a Michael Jackson-like character dancing to the song as it plays (with the appropriate backup dancers) the words to the song also flash up on the screen so you can sing along as well. Imagine my surprise when the following lyrics to this song appeared on the screen:

[Chorus]

I Said You Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’

You Got To Be Startin’ Somethin’

I Said You Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’

You Got To Be Startin’ Somethin’

It’s Too High To Get Over (Yeah, Yeah)

Too Low To Get Under (Yeah, Yeah)

You’re Stuck In The Middle (Yeah, Yeah)

And The Pain Is Thunder (Yeah, Yeah)

It’s Too High To Get Over (Yeah, Yeah)

Too Low To Get Under (Yeah, Yeah)

You’re Stuck In The Middle (Yeah, Yeah)

And The Pain Is Thunder (Yeah, Yeah)

You’re A Vegetable, You’re A Vegetable

Still They Hate You, You’re A Vegetable

You’re Just A Buffet, You’re A Vegetable

They Eat Off Of You, You’re A Vegetable

Before I go any further, I bet you guys sang the words as you read them…admit it…you did!

Now, back to the story. After singing these fun lyrics, I said to myself: “Self…did Michael just sing about vegetables? Did he just call me a vegetable? And where does a buffet fit into all this?

After going to the kitchen for a snack (all this singing about food made me hungry!) I finished the dance with my son. Of course I whooped his butt on the game – I mean, he is six and I did grow up dancing to these songs. But I just couldn’t get the words to this song out of my head. I’ve looked online to see if there is some deep-seated meaning to the vegetable reference, but so far, haven’t found much. Some claim he was referencing the fact that most people don’t like vegetables, so by calling someone a vegetable, he is putting them down. That seems like a stretch to me, but who knows. Maybe the next time someone is rude to me I’ll just call him or her a cauliflower. That’ll show ‘em!

So, what have I learned about college this first week? What is the same? What is different? Here are some of my first-week observations:

1. Parking still sucks! Sorry to be so blunt, but there really is no other word. Even with new parking garages popping up all over campus, and a shuttle service for those students willing to Park-n-Ride, there still seems to be one parking spot for every three students. Fortunately for me, I get to park in the “special” lot, reserved just for staff. And, I am two for two when it comes to finding the very last spot in that special lot. I am a parking rock star!!

2. Does anybody even go to the library anymore? When I was in school, the library was my home away from home. When I wanted to search old newspaper articles for a research project, I had to physically go to the library and look on microfiche or search in old issues of the paper to find what I was looking for. Today, a simple Google search or archive search on a media’s website gives a student everything they need to know. No fair!!!

3. The crazy religious zealots are still here! Now, I consider myself a good Christian. I go to church, believe in God and try to live a good life. But these people that come onto campus and shove their religious beliefs at these students drive me crazy. Do they really think that they are going to convert anyone? So far I’ve seen the Dianetics folks (stress test my tush) and the Born-Agains. And I’ve only been here two days! It makes me sad to see students interacting so aggressively and negatively with these people. Just ignore them, please! I understand free speech, but I don’t think this is what our Founding Fathers were talking about.

4. Whoever the person was at Subway who decided that putting restaurants on college campuses was a good idea was a genius! The Subway here was just as busy today as it was 15 years ago! This spot is a goldmine. I wish I had thought of it!

5. Finally, most students are good kids. There is always going to be the student who doesn’t pay attention. The one that is totally ignoring what you say. And the one that makes snide comments to other students that may or may not be about you, the professor. However, when the other students laugh, and you aren’t in on the joke, it isn’t a good feeling. Fortunately, for the most part, the kids are listening, interested and are really trying to learn something. Some are even trying to help me be a better teacher! I thank those students for that, and I look forward to teaching you for the rest of the semester. Those that aren’t so great…well, you know who you are.

Happy Studying!

This is also the time that most of you will make those same New Year resolutions that you’ve made every January 1^st for who knows how long.  “This year I am going to lose weight, be a better parent and wife, be more patient, and finally clean out the junk drawer!” And, just like me, you’ll probably forget these resolutions by the end of the week, and continue on just like you did the previous year.

This year, I challenge you to do something “new” in the New Year. Don’t make the same old resolutions. Try something in 2012 that you’ve never done before. Really challenge yourself, both personally and professionally.

In 10 days, I will begin teaching a college public relations course at my alma mater (Go USF Bulls!) The course is PR Research, and I am scared to death! Teaching is something I have always wanted to do, but have never really felt like I was experienced enough to do. So, in 2012, I decided to swallow my fear and step outside of my “box” and just do it. I may love it…I may hate it. Either way, at least I’ll be able to say that I did it.

Personally, I would like to run a 10K. If you know me, you know that I have never really been a “runner,” but again, it is something that I have always wanted to be able to say, ”Yeah, I’m a runner.” So, in 2012, I am going to find a 10K and I am going to train so that I can complete this run. I should say that I will run/walk it, because that is more realistic, but hey…I can dream!

So, what are you going to do new in 2012? Forget the generic resolutions that don’t really mean anything. Pick something that is achievable that will give you a sense of accomplishment for the year. Just pick one or two and stick to them. And tell a few people what you are planning…that way someone else can help you stay accountable.

So, let’s make 2012 the best year ever! Yeah, I said it…now let’s do it!

P.S. I will probably keep the cleaning out the junk drawer resolution though. It is REALLY bad!

Customer Service is the new Public Relations. I’ve heard several very smart people say that lately. By providing excellent customer service, a business can almost guarantee that its clients will do their public relations for them.

We all know that when we have a terrible experience at a business we just can’t wait to tell everyone about it. Now, with the advent of Facebook and Twitter, sharing our horror stories has never been easier. Fortunately, the same can be true for those excellent experiences we have with a business. I know that if I go to a restaurant and receive an amazing meal and excellent service, I am likely to tell my friends and neighbors about it.

This is why quality customer service has never been more important to a business. It only takes one disgruntled customer who knows his or her way around the blogosphere or has 100,000 followers on Twitter to give your business a black eye. This is not to say that if you make a mistake you’re doomed. The important thing is not to be perfect, but to make sure that when mistakes do happen, you handle them quickly, honestly and appropriately.

Which brings us back to Disney. Disney knows how to treat their customers (or Guests as they call them). Even when boarding the ship, it was blatantly obvious which employees were Disney employees and which worked directly for the Port. The second you board the ship, you are made to feel like royalty as your family’s name is announced and you receive a round of applause from the crew. Disney knows that it’s the “cast members” who ultimately can make or break a vacation. So these cast members are empowered to do whatever it takes to make sure the guest is happy. Sometimes that may mean finding escargot for my sister-in-law, even though the restaurant we are eating in doesn’t have it on the menu. Other times, it is as simple as making my son laugh when he is tired and grumpy after a long day. The bottom line is that these little examples of excellent customer service played a huge role in the success of my cruise. And because I had an enjoyable experience, I plan on telling a whole lot of people about my amazing Disney Cruise. Thus, I am doing their public relations for them – for free!

Disney has ruined me for all other cruise lines. Can you imagine someone saying that about your business? If you aim high and strive toward providing customer service the same way Disney does, you just might succeed.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date with a Mouse!

Now, I don’t mean to brag (ok, I do!) but I’m pretty good at getting media coverage for my clients. I’ve had many successes in my numerous years as a PR person. Even so, every time I see a successful story placement for a client, I still get a jolt of excitement and a sense of pride for the accomplishment. I just love seeing my clients in the news media.

A few days ago, the tables got turned on me because it was my name and my story in the news! And you know what? I still got that jolt of excitement when I saw my name and story online at the CareerBuilder.com job seeker blog! It all came about because I decided to respond to a HARO (www.helpareporter.com) media query about work nightmares. This time, I was the one that had an interesting story to share. Just like I’m always telling clients, whether or not you succeed in media relations all comes down to whether or not you have a good story to tell. Apparently, CareerBuilder.com liked my story, and used it in their article about nightmares and work.

So, what does all this mean for me and my business? Probably nothing. But maybe someone will get a good chuckle out of my experience and enjoy reading my story. At the end of the day, that’s not to bad of a ROI for less than five minutes of my time.

Click here to enjoy the blog post!

The Good

Here’s just a small sampling of the good stuff.

• Chris Brogan.  Enough said.  Actually, quick story. I sat at the table next to the one Chris was sitting at in the hotel bar for over an hour, too chicken to go introduce myself. Finally, after much urging from my tablemates, I went over. And guess what – he was such a nice guy! We commiserated over stories of our five-year-old boys and their cuss words of choice. FYI…his likes the f-bomb, mine prefers the good old s*@t.  I got a picture with him and left him feeling awesome. By the way, the next day he tweeted that shy people should use conferences as a way to practice not being shy. Great advice…would have been a great way for me to break the ice if he had tweeted it THE PREVIOUS DAY! Oh well. It was still a highlight of the conference…oh, and his keynote speech was unbelievable as well.
• I had no idea that Google no longer includes Facebook shares and Twitter real time search results in their Google search results. Wow, that was a shocking fact to learn. I guess I better get my clients and myself up on Google+ right away. Wow, I guess I better learn how the heck to use Google+ right away.
• Apparently, after 16 years in the business, I have no idea how to write a news release. At least, that is how I feel after hearing Ann Wylie explain the right way to write one. Think like a reader. It’s so simple, but so true. I can’t wait to start implementing what I learned from this amazing woman.
• I WON AN IPOD TOUCH!!! It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. I am now the proud owner of a new iPod Touch; complete with the musical library of amazing 80s and 90s songs we rocked out to at the Sunday Night Reception. Yeah me!
• The 3,000 attendees. While I obviously didn’t get to meet all of them, I did meet many wonderful people at this year’s conference. I tried to talk to everybody I ran into, whether it was in the elevator, the hallway or even the bathroom (when appropriate of course.) I met Tom who works in the Netherlands on an Army base but hopes to move back to Colorado next year. I met Kelly and Natalie, two Independent Practitioners who have been hugely successful in their own careers and who have convinced me to join the PRSA Independent Practitioners Alliance (I think!) And I met Greg, who is now my BFF and works somewhere in Jacksonville…he’s told me several times but I can never remember. I am going to try really hard to stay connected with many of the people I met at this year’s conference, because they really were one of the main reasons it was so amazing.

The Bad

Nobody is perfect (although Chris Brogan comes close!) The same holds true for this conference. For all the greatness that was the 2011 PRSA International Conference, one huge dark cloud hung over the entire conference experience. No coffee, no soda, no snacks during breaks. That’s right. After paying over $1,000 registration to attend this conference, plus more than $600 to stay in this fancy hotel, I had to fork over $2 every time I wanted a Diet Coke. No coffee in the morning or during breaks was more than some people could take. It got a little ugly at times. There was even talk of “Occupy Marriott Grande Lakes” at one point. It’s such a simple thing. It’s common sense and just the decent thing to do. It’s also Event Planning 101. Trust me, before I register for the 2012 PRSA conference, I’m going to make sure I can get a Diet Coke and a cookie without having to break the bank.

The Bizarre

Usually, after the good and the bad comes the ugly. But in this case, I have to share the bizarre events and people that were a part of this year’s conference.

• The Red Man. If you attended the conference, you know exactly who I’m talking about. A tiny man dressed all in red is bound to get attention. Add to that a penchant for asking odd and downright confusing questions at EVERY presentation and you have The Red Man. To learn more about this exotic creature, check out his tweets at @PRSARedMan. Good times.
• The Eartha Kitt Sighting. For those who are too young to remember, or too cool to admit it, Eartha Kitt played Catwoman during the third season of the 1960s Batman television series. She was also a famous singer, Broadway star and writer, but most people remember her for her time in the famous black cat suit. Well, last night, I would have bet anything that we saw Eartha Kitt at a restaurant in Orlando. This woman looked exactly like her, and seemed to have three bodyguards with her as well. We tried to take pictures on the sly (we weren’t real smooth unfortunately!) We even tweeted about it! This would be a great story if not for the fact that Eartha Kitt died three years ago on Christmas Day. This fact was brought to our attention the next day, after a quick Wikipedia search. I’m still not convinced it wasn’t her though. Hey…some people say Elvis is still alive. Maybe Eartha Kitt is too. You never know!

I could keep writing for pages about everything that I learned and experienced at this conference, but I’ve probably written too much already. If you want to hear more amazing stories and anecdotes from the conference though, just give me a call. I’d love to share.

I’ll close with a big thank you and good job to Bonnie Upright, Pete Scott and Andrea Finger, three of the people that worked on making this conference happen. There were many others, but these are the guys I personally know. You all did an amazing job and you should be very proud of the results. You guys rock.

And finally, to my crazy, party animal cohorts. Bryan, Sam, Roxie, Angela, Cyndee, Missy and Noelle. Thanks for making “Conference Diane” so much fun! You’ll see her again at the 2012 Sunshine District Conference in Tampa!

Go PRSA!!

Final note…this blog post is optimized because I learned that we should optimize everything. Not just news releases that get sent to the media. Duh!!

Me: Dr. T, I was looking online at some blogs and websites about what to expect after this surgery and was wondering if you could explain a couple things to me.

Dr. T: (in a frustrated voice) I really hate when my patients go online and get all kinds of misinformation about procedures. Those people writing those posts aren’t doctors. I’m the doctor and my patients can always call me to ask any questions they have. I really wish my patients wouldn’t go online for information.

Me: (nervous because I had just ticked off my surgeon minutes before he was going to be slicing and dicing on me) Oh, I know you’re right. I was just looking at a couple of things. Sorry. So sorry. I won’t do it again.

Dr. T: Well ok. I’m gonna go sharpen my scalpels now.

OK, I kid about the last line, and Dr. T did a wonderful job, but his comments have stuck with me as I lay in bed recuperating. Now, sitting here in bed with my laptop, I wanted to jot down a thought that has been nagging me ever since surgery day.

My Thought – Your customers/clients/patients/whatever want information and they want it now. If you aren’t able to give it to them in the format they prefer, they will find it elsewhere.

Let’s look at the first part of this thought. It relates to so many situations. Here’s an example. If a story leaks about your company, most likely people will check out your company website first to find out if you have reported on it yet. They are looking for the correct information. Unfortunately, If you haven’t posted anything, they will go looking elsewhere for some kind of information…right or wrong.

Let’s take the example of my surgeon. I did go to his website first for information about my procedure. While he did have a few paragraphs about it, there really wasn’t much there for me to learn from. I wanted to hear from other women who had had this procedure done and find out what their experiences had been. I had lots of questions that could have been answered on his website. I wanted to see pictures of the procedure and to see what I could expect after it was over. Unfortunately, none of this was available on his website, so I went looking elsewhere. As a result, I read lots of information that wasn’t quite accurate and subsequently, mentally prepared for a recovery that is quite different from the one I am experiencing. Now I know that if I had called Dr. T and asked him all these questions beforehand, I wouldn’t have been in this predicament. That, however, brings up the second part of my original thought:

If you don’t give people the information they want in the format they prefer, they will find it elsewhere.

I remember very clearly Dr. T telling me that he wished his patients would just call him when they had questions instead of going online and “self-diagnosing.” FYI, I have also learned that doctors HATE when patients go online and self-diagnose. Don’t even get them started.

Anyway, like I was saying, Dr. T told me I should have just called him when I had a question. Here’s the thing. I didn’t want to call him every time I had a question. Frankly, I had a lot of questions, and many of them came to me at very strange hours of the night. I wanted to find out the answer right then and there, and a call to him was not convenient. Hence, the beauty of the Internet. You can find out information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which is why so many people prefer the Internet as their main source of information. It’s also why as a company, an organization, or even a doctor, you need to make sure that this very important source of information (particularly your website) is up-to-date, accurate and chock full of information. The more the merrier.

So, I challenge you all to look at your website and ask the question, “What information could potential customers be looking for on this website?” If it isn’t there, add it! And keep adding it, because as we all know, a plethora of new, unique content is not only good for making customers happy, but also Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

I follow-up with Dr. T tomorrow and I am going to make sure he reads this post. I really think he needs to rethink how he communicates with his patients and potential patients. I also think his website needs A LOT more information on it. And if he doesn’t agree, what can he do now? Hmmm…maybe I’ll wait until after he removes the stitches to tell him. Ouch!

Well, it turns out that the name of your business shouldn’t be a quick decision without much thought involved. The name of your business is the first introduction to a new client in many instances. It is your calling card…your brand…your label. It is an important component of a new business, and deserves a little thought and even some research.

Before deciding on the name of your business, think about what services you will be providing? Are there key words that should be included in the name to help identify what the business does? Are there key words that are already identified with a competitor that you want to make sure you don’t include in your name, so that your company is not confused with another?

Once you have a name in mind, do an online search to make sure there aren’t other companies in the area that have the same or even similar names. Check different spellings to ensure that your name isn’t already out there, just spelled a different way. And make sure the name you are considering couldn’t be misinterpreted to mean something else (for example, that your company provides public relations services for DJs!)

Yes, in hindsight, the name of my business might not be the absolute best possible choice I could have made when I created my company four years ago. I probably didn’t give it enough thought and just got too excited about the new phase in my life that I was about to take. But, except for a few random e-mails asking me to help with DJ services, it hasn’t been too much of a problem. It could be worse. I found a company online with offices in Toronto. Their name…WTF Group. Yikes!

I attended my 20^th high school reunion last night and was astonished at how difficult this question was to answer for so many of my classmates. I thought it was a simple question, but apparently I was wrong.

Let’s take Bryan for an example. I asked Bryan what he did for a living. His response involved something to do with helping businesses strategize and grow and there was something in there about percentage increases. Most of it just sounded like “yada yada yada.” I asked several other questions to try and figure out what he was talking about but not until I saw his business card did I finally learn what he did – he sold life insurance.

Was he embarrassed that he sold life insurance? Does he do more than sell life insurance but his business card doesn’t reflect that? Did Bryan just have too much to drink and couldn’t remember what he did for a living? I really don’t know (well, actually I do think he had too much to drink, but I don’t know if that was the explanation behind the vague answer.) What I do know is that Bryan really needs to work on his “elevator pitch.”

In this example, an elevator pitch is a short summary to quickly and simply define what you do for a living. The name “elevator pitch” refers to the fact that this statement should be able to fit into the time allocated for an elevator ride (30 second to 2 minutes.)

As a public relations practitioner and a small business owner, my elevator pitch needs to quickly and efficiently explain to someone what I do and what I can do for their company or organization’s bottom line. Actually, after talking to dozens of my former classmates last night, I now realize that I need to work on my own elevator pitch. It needs a few tweaks. But that’s ok, because a few tweaks is a lot better than a complete overhaul (remember Bryan?)

If you Google “elevator pitch” you get hundreds of websites that will help you perfect your own personal elevator pitch. It’s a good idea to do, so that the next time you are presented with the question, “So what do you do for a living?” you’ll be prepared.

The best answer from the reunion last night came from Pat, who when presented with the simple question of “What do you do for a living?” gave me a simple answer – “I sell toilets.” Having intrigued me, he went on to explain that he was a distributor for an industrial parts provider that provided, among thousands of other things, toilets. Pat knew how to answer this simple question and I will remember Pat and his business.

Bryan…well…at least he could party!