Keeping In Touch... Not Such A Simple Concept

A large part of my everyday job is very simple… it is basically to keep in touch with people, clients and reporters, and make sure that they know everything that is going on. Some call it pitching and for the sake of making it easy I do to but it really is a matter of keeping communication going and talking to people. After all, there is only so much selling that you can do before someone just tunes you out and starts thinking about how they can get you off the phone.

However, as I previously mentioned in my blog yesterday, while I am constantly talking and writing while at work, some of the other connections that I have most importantly friends, have suffered a bit in my desire to keep working and pushing myself harder and harder. While I have made a little bit of progress as of late in getting in touch with friends whenever I have a minute or two here or there, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. If only I had more hours in the day.

The way that I approach my job is not really a common practice for most people in the industry (at least most people that I have met over the years) but it has been working for me. I enjoy talking to people, getting to know them, and seeing if there are commonalities we share beyond the work that we do with a given company. I try to do the same thing with clients when given the opportunity as well. After all, success in this business is reliant upon the relationships that you form with people.

By approaching my job in such a way there are moments when I get a call or an email from reporters and editors and before we delve into business we see how the other is doing, any plans, and anything that may have happened since the last time we spoke. Without a doubt, talking to the media is my job but it is also the job of every other PR person out there. By treating the media as people and not publications or positions, there is a greater possibility of them actually talking to you and you looking forward to reaching out to them. Do that enough times and you have made a professional friend.

As has been a common thread in many of the posts since I began this blog, this is another instance where I need to keep seeking the middle ground. I can’t have work completely dominate my ability to keep in touch with people… there are many friends that I haven’t spoken to in some time. Actually, sitting and thinking for a few minutes, there are many that I can’t remember the last time that I actually heard their voice. Keeping in touch seems so simple until the day you come to the realization that you are only using ten percent of the numbers in your cell phone. Time to get that percentage up.