Book Review: Catch Me If You Can

Book Title: Catch Me If You Can

Author: Frank W. Abagnale with Stan Redding

Most people may not be familiar with the name Frank W. Abagnale’s but are probably familiar with his story due to the movie Catch Me If you Can starring Leonardo Dicaprio as Abagnale and Tom Hanks at the FBI agent pursuing him.

In the 1960’s at the age of sixteen, Abagnale left home and began his career as a paperhanger.  A paperhanger is a person that writes bad checks and commits check fraud.  Over the course of his five-year criminal career, Abagnale stole more than $2.5 million in the United States and at least 12 other countries around the globe.

In addition to check fraud, Abagnale posed as a co-pilot for Pan American Airlines, a sociology professor at Brigham Yong University (BYU still disputes this fact, which in my opinion makes it even cooler), posed as a chief resident pediatrician in a Georgia hospital for 11 months and as a Harvard graduate and attorney for the Louisiana State Attorney General’s office at the age of nineteen.

As a co-pilot he was often invited by actual pilots to take the controls of the plane in-flight. On one instance, he took the controls and enabled the autopilot, “very much aware that I had been handed custody of 140 lives, my own included … because I couldn’t fly a kite”.

Abagnale was captured at age 21 in France. When the French police apprehended him, 12 countries in which he had committed fraud sought his extradition. He escaped from prison twice, once by crawling through an airplane toilet as it landed and the second time by impersonating an undercover prison investigator.  He ended up serving six months in a French prison, six months in a Swedish prison and five years of a 12-year sentence in a U.S prison.

Despite the fact that Abagnale is a criminal, I found myself rooting for him and hoping that he’d be successful and continue his life as a criminal.  The movie is fitting as the scams he pulled seemed straight out of Hollywood.  He was so bold and daring that I found myself almost not believing that anybody could actually pull of the scams he was.

After being released from prison, he began working for the FBI.  He’s worked for the FBI for the past 35 years, teaching at the FBI Academy and lecturing for FBI field offices throughout the country. He owns his own business, Abagnale & Associates, which advises companies on fraud issue.  More than 14,000 institutions have adopted Abagnale’s fraud prevention programs.

I loved the book and recommend it highly to anyone interested in a fun and entertaining story.  It’s a quick read and is guaranteed to make you wonder if you could do what he did while tempting your own internal criminal tendencies.

Author: Jeremy Kartchner | Google+

Building Trust All Day

Several weeks ago I wrote about being on deadline and how reporters are constantly driven by deadlines.  In PR, and in any aspect of life, building trust is critical to any relationship.

The other day I was cleaning my desk and came across the December 24, 2012 issue of Sports Illustrated.  This issue is the Year in Pictures issue and highlighted the sports year of 2012.  Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, the MVP of the 2012 season, graced the cover. The magazine included a feature on Peterson, specifically his historical rushing year after a serious knee injury.

On December 24, 2011, in a game at FedEx Field against the Washington Redskins, Peterson, while running, planted his left leg at the precise moment a defender dove into the same leg forcing it to bend in a way that tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and ruptured his Medial Collaterate Ligament (MCL).  An injury like this to a running back can be career threatening and usually takes a year or more to come back from.

Peterson goes by the initials “AD” for a nickname his father gave him as a young boy, “All Day”.  His dad called him “All Day” because he was able to work and paly so hard all day long without tiring.  This tenacity and energy played into his rehab after the knee injury and subsequent surgery.

Peterson came back in 263 days and played every game of the 2012 season.  Not only did Peterson play every game, he rushed for a career high and came within nine yards of breaking the all-time single season rushing record and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP).

After finding the magazine in my desk and re-reading about Peterson’s incredible season, what struck me most was his commitment to keeping his word to a fan.  Before the game started on December 24^th Peterson noticed a kid in the stands with his jersey and a sign that said all he wanted for Christmas was Peterson’s autograph.

Peterson saw the kid and told him, “I’ll get you after the game.  I promise.  I’ll get you.”

After his injury, as he lay in the locker room with his knee in a brace, Peterson asked the team’s Vice President of Communications to get the jersey from the kid so he could sign it and keep his promise. Peterson wears number 28 and on the number two he wrote, Merry Christmas 2011 and signed it.  On the number eight he wrote, All Day/God Bless.

It would have been easy for Peterson to forget about the kid and his promise.  In fact, nobody would have faulted him for it given the devastating injury he suffered during the game.  It’s easy to commit to something and not deliver.  However, when you deliver and keep your word it builds trust and people know they can depend on you.

The same can be said of working with the media.  When we deliver what we promise it builds trust and helps us become a trusted source for the media moving forward.  Once trust is established, the opportunities grow and increase.

Listed below are five steps to build trust and become a trusted resource for the media and for any other relationship, personal or professional.

• Do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it:  If you commit to do something by a certain deadline then do it.  Failure to complete a task you’ve committed to by the deadline you agree to is like crying wolf, it only takes a couple of times of not doing what you say you’ll do for somebody to lose belief in you.
• Under promise and over deliver: Commit to what you know you can do but strive to do more.  We all know somebody who promises the moon only to deliver something far less spectacular.  If you’re able to manage expectations and exceed those expectations, the surprise of the overachievement will build tremendous trust.  This is not to say that you shouldn’t strive to do a good job or commit only to minimal expectations, but rather to avoid promising miracles.
• Communicate:  This sounds so simple, but in reality it’s one of the aspects that causes most failures.  How many times have you heard someone blame a problem on a lack of communication?  Decide what you want and communicate it to all parties involved.  Be clear and concise in your communication.  Ask to ensure that people understand your objectives and what you’re communicating.  Remind people often of the expectations and communicate regularly through the entire process.  Be honest in the communication through the good and the bad.
• Be prompt/on time:  One of the fastest ways to lose trust is an inability to be on time for an appointment.  Being late shows a lack of planning and an inability to commit. It also shows a lack of respect for the person you’re meeting with.  If you’re late to meetings, what else are you going to neglect and not take seriously?  There are always expectations, but in most cases a person that runs late usually runs late for everything.  It makes it hard to depend on these types of people and develop a trust level with them.  Leave early or set your calendar appointments 15 minutes early to allow you enough time to arrive at the appointed hour.
• Be consistent: My wife knows that there are certain things that I will always do and that I will do them the same every time.  In these instances she knows that she can rely on and do certain things based on this consistency.  As a result she has developed a level of trust that allows her to depend on and focus on other things.

The ability to stay true to your word is essential to building trust and being somebody others can rely on “All Day.”  By following these five steps you’ll establish yourself as a trusted resource for those you work with.

Author: Jeremy Kartchner | Google+

Phone Etiquette 101

Phones are awesome, especially cell phones.  They make our lives so easy, especially now with the smart phones and the many apps, games and other benefits you can access.  They’ve come a long way since the early days when cell phones were the size and weight of a brick.

Phones can be used for so many different purposes. You can take pictures and video with them.  You can play games, download apps, track calories consumed and burned and listen to music.  As a kid I used to love to make prank calls.  Even with caller ID you can still make prank calls with them. In fact, one of my favorite comedians, Tom Mabe makes his living off prank calls.

In public relations, one of the most effective ways we have of connecting our clients to the media is via the telephone.  Often the media wants to talk to our clients but are located in different cities so face-to-face meetings aren’t possible. In these events, an interview conducted via phone or SKYPE is the next best thing to meeting in person.

Just as with a face-to-face meetings, there are certain rules and best practices for conducting phone interviews and other phone meetings.  I’ve included these best practices below.

• Don’t whisper.  In one phone interview I scheduled for a client the Vice President of Marketing and CEO participated. During the interview The VP of Marketing wanted to communicate something to the CEO.  The message he wanted to convey was pertinent to the conversation and was something the CEO had overlooked as he answered a specific question.  During a pause in the CEO’s response, the VP of Marketing attempted to whisper his message.  While he thought he was being secretive and quite, on our end of the line, we could hear loud and clear what the VP of Marketing was saying.  It was obvious he was trying to whisper, but he did it directly into the phone for all to hear.  It prompted the reporter to ask the CEO who else was on the call coaching him?  It wasn’t an issue that the VP was on the line with him, but it distracted the flow of the call.
• Be clear about who you are and who you represent.  In a famous Seinfeld episode, Jerry Seinfeld is dating a women who after only a short time dating when she calls identifies herself as simply, “It’s me”.  In retaliation, Jerry pulls the “old switch-aroo” by calling the girl and simply saying, “It’s me.”  The girlfriend mistakes him for a different male friend and proceeds to have a conversation with Jerry about something he knows nothing about.  When on the phone be sure to identify yourself so all parties involved know who is on the line and who they are talking to.  Don’t be the “it’s me” person.
• Make sure you hang up.  When I finish a call, especially a phone interview, I always pick the receiver up to make sure the line has been disconnected.  Remember, you’re always on the record and if you don’t hang up the phone and say something you wouldn’t want a reporter to know or hear, the reporter can use that information.  By checking to make sure the call has been ended properly you’ll avoid a lot of embarrassment.  In one instance, I was on a phone call with a colleague and he did something I thought was unwise.  As I finished the conversation and set the phone down, I proceeded to tell the person in my office what an idiot my colleague was.  As I explained the reasons for his idiocy, I could hear a little voice.  I paused and realized that my phone was still on. As I picked it up my colleague was saying how I hadn’t hung up the phone and that he could hear every word I was saying.  Needless to say, it caused a fair share of awkward moments.
• Avoid taking or making calls in inappropriate places.  Everyone’s probably been surprised at one time or another when a phone rings and the person receiving the call answers the phone.  Usually it’s the bathroom where you would normally expect not to hear somebody on the phone. There are certainly other places that would seem inappropriate but we won’t make a list of these places on this blog entry.  Suffice it to say, for a phone interview with the media you should prepare to be in a place that offers a nice quite environment where you’ll have as few chances for interruption as possible.  A nice tranquil venue will enable you to focus on the interview and hear and communicate effectively without disturbance.  In the event that you can’t find a place like this, for example, due to travel or other unexpected happenings, politely explain to the reporter that you’re traveling and are at the airport.  If an editor knows this in advance they have the option of rescheduling or planning on some potential distractions. You never want to be in a place like the bathroom thinking you have some peace and quite only to have a toilet flush unexpectedly in the background and then have to answer, “what was that, are you in the bathroom?”  It’s bad form and reflects poorly on you.
• Good manners still apply.  Apply the same manners to a phone interview that you would to any other face-to-face meeting.  Be polite.  Be punctual.  Be prepared.  Usually you’ll know in advance what the reporter wants to talk about so be prepared to discuss those topics and to provide any supporting materials.  Be attentive and listen to what the reporter is saying.  Don’t do or say anything that will embarrass your company or your mother.  My friend taught me this and if you apply this to your interactions with the media you’ll do a lot to avoid unnecessary embarrassment.

By following these guidelines you’ll save yourself a lot of grief and embarrassment. The phone is a great way to communicate and allows us incredible flexibility.  You hear all the time about butt dialing, wrong numbers and other phone faux pas but if you pay attention to details, the benefits phones provide will far outweigh any embarrassing situations you may encounter.

Author: Jeremy Kartchner | Google+

PR is A Team Sport

Public Relations (PR) can bring tremendous value and benefits to a business.  The way to get the best results and maximize your investment in PR is to approach it as a partnership with your agency.

Too many times I see company’s that want and need PR, hire an agency and then proceed to do nothing.  An agreement with a PR agency should not be a relationship where the company hires the agency and expects the results to just magically appear.

The most effective approach is to view your relationship with an agency as a partnership.

Here are six steps to ensure that you’re PR relationship is a true partnership:

• Know what you want to accomplish:  Your PR team can help manage expectations and help guide you on how to accomplish your objectives, but it’s critical that you know what your overall business goals are and what you want to accomplish both short and long-term.  In one example, an international company came to me wanting local press coverage.  This company is known and respected all over the world for the service they provide but residents of the state where they are headquartered had little recognition or knowledge the company was there.  The company was looking to hire significant numbers for a variety of positions, including high paying and executive level jobs and was struggling to get applications from the state in which they are headquartered.  Their goal was simple, securing local media coverage to drive job applications in their home state.  With that in mind we developed a strategy to create awareness and in four months were able to increase applications in the company’s home state by 10 percent.
• Commit to PR success: Just like any other goal, whether it’s weight loss or a personal best in a running race, you have to commit to, be dedicated to and be driven to accomplish the goal.  Spend time thinking about these goals and work with your PR team to accomplish them.  Track progress and strategize with your PR team to reevaluate and make changes and adjustments as you go.  If you think you want PR, hire a PR agency and then do nothing with it you’ll never enjoy the successes and joys that come with accomplishing your PR goals.
• Meet regularly:  Your business probably does things and certainly knows things related to your industry that can be beneficial to a PR team and their efforts to secure interviews, drive media coverage and establish you as a thought leader and a go to source for the media.  Usually these items are things you may not consider valuable or newsworthy because you deal with them on a regular basis and they just don’t seem that novel or relevant.  By meeting regularly and discussing issues and company initiatives your PR team will know and be able to recommend what topics and issues are relevant and can be used to pitch the media and help accomplish your goals and objectives.
• Be available:  The media is always on deadline.  Sometimes they work several months in advance, but quite often due to the digital world we now live in, the media can’t or won’t give a lot of notice when they want to interview you for a story they’re working on.   In either case, be available to talk to the media.  I’ve had clients where we’ve set the strategy and in the process of delivering on the strategy will not make themselves available to talk to the press.  If you have to constantly rearrange interview times or can’t meet the media’s deadlines you’re unable to build trust with the media and be a resource to them.  By being available you earn their trust and they’ll come back to you for future opportunities.
• Take advantage of opportunities: Similar to the point above, when your PR team creates an opportunity for you, take it.  I once had a client that wanted a specific opportunity with a very well known and respected national business magazine.  We secured the opportunity and this client was very excited about it.  However, once it came time to deliver on the opportunity and provide the expertise that the magazine had been promised, he faltered and wasn’t able to follow through on his commitment. If a reporter or media outlet agrees to interview you, write about your company or allow you to contribute in some way, there’s a reason for it.  They are interested in what you and/or your company is doing and think it will help them while providing something interesting to their readers.  When these opportunities present themselves, you must take advantage of them.
• Share your expertise: Often you have knowledge about your industry that many don’t but it’s interesting and useful to the media.  I encourage you to follow industry trends, understand what the market is doing and be prepared and willing to share that information with the media and your PR team.  If your PR team knows these things and understands that you posses a level of expertise that differentiates you from others in the industry they can leverage that to secure interviews, brand you as a thought leader and make you a valuable resource for the media moving forward.

Working in partnership with your PR agency will yield far superior results than simply sitting back and watching.  A good PR agency will guide and direct you and be able to educate you on best practices, but to maximize results and get the best return on your investment you need to be involved and engaged with your agency.

In sports great athletes can only carry a team so far.  Michael Jordan, considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time could only carry his Chicago Bulls so far.  It wasn’t until he had a complete team and strong role players around him that he was able to win his first of six championships.

In business, a good leader can only create so much success. I worked with Mitt Romney on the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002 and as great as he was, he was always the first to acknowledge that he couldn’t do what he did without the team he had built.

In both of these examples, with a strong team around them the success rate of the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan and Mitt Romney and the Olympic Committee increased dramatically. You’ll find that by working with your PR agency your success will also increase dramatically.

Author: Jeremy Kartchner | Google+