What Small Businesses Can Learn About PR from a Child
Last week my son brought home a small plant from school. His teacher told him to water it and give it plenty of sunlight. Before bed that night, my son watered it and left it in a sunny spot.
The next morning, my son carried his plant into my room and was in tears. His plant had not grown. All he saw was the same dirt he saw yesterday.
"Once you plant a seed," I explained, "it takes time to grow. You don't get an apple tree the next day. All you have to do is nurture it with sunlight, water and love, and over time, it will start to sprout, grow and give fruit. But you have to give it time. Lots of time."
He seemed content with that answer. Each morning since then we look at the plant. A few sprouts have finally emerged.
This story is one that many small businesses can learn from. Patience and perserverence in marketing pays off - only if you let it. If you hire a PR firm, give them a chance to do their job. They need at least 12 months to make any long-lasting difference in your business.
I realize that the lesson I taught my son of patience and perserverance is one that many adults have not be taught or have forgotten. I just experienced it firsthand with a client who was not willing to give me time to do my job - it really upset me. In fact, it's devasting for a PR firm to work so hard for a few months and put their name on the line for your company, only to have the company lose faith so quickly. We already planted the seeds and began to nurture them. Only, the client who lost faith, won't garner any fruit. The seeds have been wasted.
Remember, the only place Success comes before Work is in the dictionary.