We all start off as "newbies" but HOW you approach coming into an organization or professional situation can tell so much. Believe it or not, seasoned people can often tell a newbie right off the bat. Some of the tattle tale signs are coming in too aggressive, being disrespectful to others and name dropping. In the media, music and entertainment business these are some of the quickest ways to get your name placed on the "do not call them to work again" list. Here are two examples of what I mean...
While on assignment with the City of Atlanta for a relaunch campaign I encountered my first example. The campaign, already somewhat in motion, was not cohesive and basically not engaging enough to capture the eyes of the city. When I came on board I made efforts to get a handle on the media, posters etc that were currently being designed and shocked to find out that they were missing important pieces of information like the seal from the city and the dates and times of events. I immediately went into redesign mode and brought things up to par. The next task was to craft the official release about the relaunch of the city's services. As I was working on that, I got a call from one of the magazines we were working with inquiring about a woman whom had contacted them about the very ad that we had just spent hours revamping. The woman said that she would be the contact for things moving forward but the editor was not having it and called me immediately. She said she didn't believe this woman and to make matters worse her phone etiquette was horrible. I thanked her for the call and went back to my writing.
Just as I regained my focus on the press release, my line rang and it was the women. She was not very pleasant and some what demeaning at the same time. She started by telling me her name and going straight into questions like what so what are you doing on this campaign? Before I answered I asked her to explain her role. She stopped and replied, I will be marketing and media for this campaign. OK I thought, she is new to this. How did I know? She was so excited and she was more concerned with everyone's title vs. the actual work that had been done or not done! It was like she had been sitting home praying someone called her to work. Most seasoned people would start a call a lot different, they want to know where the bodies are buried, all the pertinent info to get this thing up and going without having to be on the no sleep team. Most of us could careless about the title they have, we want to know about the work! I ended that call by saying we can discuss all of that when you come into the office, can we expect you tomorrow? She seemed stunned by my answer but told me she would be there first thing tomorrow morning. Oh Goody, I couldn't wait...
When we finally did meet, she was very different from the phone. I don't know if she was on a sugar high or just excited to be on this assignment but she was different in a good way. That's when I decided she wasn't hopeless just clueless so I decided to share some wisdom. I told her to never ever approach a situation like that again. I informed her that the best way to handle it would be to ask, what is your role instead of asking "did they just ask you to write a release?" Pretty much the same question but a lot more professional. Her question nor tone showed me the professional she turned out to be (thank God!). She agreed and apologized for the behavior. We worked together for months and actually collaborated on what would become a successful campaign for the city. When the assignment ended, I moved on to my next but got a phone call from the young woman. She said, "I just want to let you know I enjoyed working with you and hoped that we can keep in touch". I don't hold many grudges so I agreed that we could stay in touch.
Then there was the email encounter I had with someone who limited himself to only doing PR for the hip hop community. I was working with a DJ who wanted to increase his bookings. We came up with a plan to do an email campaign. We combined our lists and sent the blast. Not 30 seconds after the blast hit in boxes, I got a reply from a guy asking..."How do you know DJ XXX?"....no introduction, nothing just how do you know him? First off I'm like why is he so protective of another man? And who the hell is this? Finally I replied is there something I can help you with? He replied, yes, I am a personal friend of his and was not aware that he was working with a PR (that phrase bugs real PR people but I'll save that for a whole other blog!)...I laughed because I knew this DJ was not committed to one PR person and worked with quite a few of us. I waited about an hour then replied...I've known him for 20 years, I drove him to many of his first gigs and even helped him carry crates...how do you know him again?
There was no rely. Then about 2 weeks later, I woke up to find a Facebook friend request from the newbie with a note saying "sorry". Do you think I added him? Ha Ha Ha!
While on assignment with the City of Atlanta for a relaunch campaign I encountered my first example. The campaign, already somewhat in motion, was not cohesive and basically not engaging enough to capture the eyes of the city. When I came on board I made efforts to get a handle on the media, posters etc that were currently being designed and shocked to find out that they were missing important pieces of information like the seal from the city and the dates and times of events. I immediately went into redesign mode and brought things up to par. The next task was to craft the official release about the relaunch of the city's services. As I was working on that, I got a call from one of the magazines we were working with inquiring about a woman whom had contacted them about the very ad that we had just spent hours revamping. The woman said that she would be the contact for things moving forward but the editor was not having it and called me immediately. She said she didn't believe this woman and to make matters worse her phone etiquette was horrible. I thanked her for the call and went back to my writing.
Just as I regained my focus on the press release, my line rang and it was the women. She was not very pleasant and some what demeaning at the same time. She started by telling me her name and going straight into questions like what so what are you doing on this campaign? Before I answered I asked her to explain her role. She stopped and replied, I will be marketing and media for this campaign. OK I thought, she is new to this. How did I know? She was so excited and she was more concerned with everyone's title vs. the actual work that had been done or not done! It was like she had been sitting home praying someone called her to work. Most seasoned people would start a call a lot different, they want to know where the bodies are buried, all the pertinent info to get this thing up and going without having to be on the no sleep team. Most of us could careless about the title they have, we want to know about the work! I ended that call by saying we can discuss all of that when you come into the office, can we expect you tomorrow? She seemed stunned by my answer but told me she would be there first thing tomorrow morning. Oh Goody, I couldn't wait...
When we finally did meet, she was very different from the phone. I don't know if she was on a sugar high or just excited to be on this assignment but she was different in a good way. That's when I decided she wasn't hopeless just clueless so I decided to share some wisdom. I told her to never ever approach a situation like that again. I informed her that the best way to handle it would be to ask, what is your role instead of asking "did they just ask you to write a release?" Pretty much the same question but a lot more professional. Her question nor tone showed me the professional she turned out to be (thank God!). She agreed and apologized for the behavior. We worked together for months and actually collaborated on what would become a successful campaign for the city. When the assignment ended, I moved on to my next but got a phone call from the young woman. She said, "I just want to let you know I enjoyed working with you and hoped that we can keep in touch". I don't hold many grudges so I agreed that we could stay in touch.
Then there was the email encounter I had with someone who limited himself to only doing PR for the hip hop community. I was working with a DJ who wanted to increase his bookings. We came up with a plan to do an email campaign. We combined our lists and sent the blast. Not 30 seconds after the blast hit in boxes, I got a reply from a guy asking..."How do you know DJ XXX?"....no introduction, nothing just how do you know him? First off I'm like why is he so protective of another man? And who the hell is this? Finally I replied is there something I can help you with? He replied, yes, I am a personal friend of his and was not aware that he was working with a PR (that phrase bugs real PR people but I'll save that for a whole other blog!)...I laughed because I knew this DJ was not committed to one PR person and worked with quite a few of us. I waited about an hour then replied...I've known him for 20 years, I drove him to many of his first gigs and even helped him carry crates...how do you know him again?
There was no rely. Then about 2 weeks later, I woke up to find a Facebook friend request from the newbie with a note saying "sorry". Do you think I added him? Ha Ha Ha!
