The Importance of Follow Up

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Thursday January 28, 2010 | No Comments

For many, the stress of business communication concludes when we hit “send.” We sit back, sip our coffee, with one less burdensome task for the day: Mission accomplished, right?

Absolutely wrong! While a strong, tailored message sets the tone for a successful new business appeal, or PR pitch, a positive response is typically the result of several follow up correspondence that establish a professional rapport.

At PC, the key to building awareness around our clients, products, and our own reputation is a series of relationships with editors, physicians and partners, thriving on dialogue and responsibility to drive success. To convey a sense of attentiveness that reassures clients and empowers potential new business partners, dedicate more time to follow up.

Making a new business proposal? Politely check in on a regular basis to ensure potential clients get a sense of your thorough and organized manner. Be specific with any questions, and comprehensive in any responses – after all, a genuine inquiry often yields an equally sincere response. Use your actions to draw parallels between the tenacity you employ to gain their business, and the energy with which you promote their product.

Have clients already? Use consistent follow up tactics to reinforce your staff’s efficiency, rendering the client confident and secure in your care. Don’t leave your clients researching unanswered questions on the internet, or worse, asking your competitors. Establish (and live up to) an image of each employee as an efficient and reliable expert for your brand.

Finally, no client or editor wants to feel like a “task” or target of a mass email. Take the time to develop strong, distinct, lines of communication; follow up messages allow for the “small talk” after the “handshake.” Personable, genuine, and well-researched follow up will result in anything but an empty inbox.

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PC Clients in their own words: Why Pascale Communications, LLC?

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Friday January 15, 2010 | No Comments

To conclude our fabulous week of anniversary celebration, we share with you the sentiments of our amazing network of dynamic clients, partners, and editors. In just a few minutes, we’ve assembled opinions of the most outstanding individuals we work with – Those who inspire us with their vitality and intelligence.

Thanks to everyone for a great week!

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Why PC Works: Our staff answers in (around) 140 characters

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Thursday January 14, 2010 | No Comments

We asked our staff, over their morning coffee, to answer a simple by important question – Why does PC work for them. Their responses below are unique and flattering! Thanks to all for your help!

“Lifestyle flexibility for my continuing career and my husband’s retirement; perfect winters in Florida, summers in NW Pennsylvania.” – Deb

“Virtual is convenient for my lifestyle and I’ve surrounded myself with a diverse groups of colleagues who are all champions of my mission!” – Georgette

“The virtual office cuts out any office drama or politics, plus GP inspires daily with her work ethic, organizational skills, tenacity, creativity, leadership skills” – Devon

“Its taught me 1,001 things about dealing with people – Not only clients, but how to best project myself through any medium, or in person.” – Chris

“I feel I’m a part of something that matters; to my boss, to the clients, to the editors we work with – it drives me to do my best each day” – Erin

“Our team is interested in the clients and companies that we work with. We strive to understand both technology and product, the media’s need, which proves successful by leaps and bound” – Allison

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Steps forward in 2009

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Wednesday January 13, 2010 | No Comments

The challenges facing companies were increasingly ubiquitous in 2009, as market skepticism prompted constricting budgets nationally and globally. In these trying economic conditions, our team took the opportunity to think creatively on our clients behalf – to best optimize plans, with attention payed to their pocketbooks.

Two of PC’s tireless and enthusiastic account managers, Deb and Allison, describe five projects and ideas that demonstrate the innovative solutions that addressed the client’s needs in 2009 – Our success this year is manifest in our ability to remain adaptable and strategic under confining parameters to help deliver a great final product.

AMO Media Day convenes industry on home turf

With the downturn in the nation’s economy in 2009, PC recommended to AMO that we take Media Day to the publications in order to minimize travel costs for attendees. Media Day 2009 would be held on the east coast, where the majority of publications are located. The attendance in Philadelphia was record-breaking – Participant attendance doubled typical numbers! After this largely PC-organized event, we welcomed the overwhelmingly positive feedback from our media colleagues and contacts! Additionally, AMO’s data and technology updates presented that day were covered extensively in the ophthalmic trade press.

Rapid planning of Clarity media event proves positive results

Clarity was interested in getting back on the publications radars, providing them knowledge of their product, the RetCam, without crossing the lines of their current FDA regulations, which limited what they were able to say as a company. With just three short weeks to plan (generally, we plan over three months), PC was able to organize an event at the annual AAO meeting, attended by all ophthalmic editors and publishers.

Further, our innovative approach, using a more descriptive and educational discussion around the product rather than a process of comparison, was welcomed by participants, who reported some events as too strongly promotional. Our wide-ranging experience and intuition allowed us to achieve phenomenal results, eliciting positive feedback and followup interest to-date.

When virtual doesn’t work – Keep it personal.

PC is a virtual agency—currently, all employees are located on the East coast, in Pennsylvania, New York and Florida. With that said, many of our clients are based in California. While many clients respond well to phone conferences and virtual communication, others respond better to intermittent in-person contact. PC flew to California to meet in-person with a client in 2009, both to launch their PR Plan, and to present their 2010 plan after a successful relationship had bloomed that year.

Throughout 2010, we will be meeting many clients in person when possible, to provide the same personality and security that a traditional business structure suggests, while truly exercising the possibilities of our virtual workplace.

Byline Writing / Pitching – Changed way we do this, KOL submitted, etc

At the beginning of 2009, many editors were faced with the task of cutting articles, unable to outsource articles to writers, and were tied to strict editorial calendars. As a result, PC worked with the publications—we changed our pitching style, assisted in the submission of more MD bylines (coordinated by our team to ensure timely placement) and, in general, increased coverage across the board for clients. Editors began turning to PC for quick turnarounds on articles, with sometimes even less than a week to get from start to finish—and we’ve done it, and will continue to provide the same outstanding services. That’s the PC way!

Be Proactive, Efficient, and Honest

To assuage and economic angst, from both clients and editors, we’ve streamlined our workflow in 2009 – by increasing the transparency around our daily tasks, allowing the client to most efficiently spend his dollar.

In rough times, prospective clients are examining every cent under a high-powered microscope, determining where to best put their dollars. Generally, it’s not easily convinced to put it into PR. Not only has PC been able to prove their worth through their services, but we’ve also altered the way we work with our clients—by providing measureable proof of activity through monthly detailed project reports, regular updates on progress, and cutting through the fat to get to the meat of what is important to each client.

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Five Years and Five Lessons Learned

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Tuesday January 12, 2010 | No Comments

While she promised she could generate dozens, we asked our President and CEO, Georgette Pascale, to share just five lessons she has picked up as a young business owner. Here are her tips – one for every year – on success as an entrepreneur:

1) You have to act on your vision and dedicate yourself to the follow-through.

Its simple, and describes all the “hard work” you’ll ever encounter; I am very fortunate, but I wouldn’t say lucky – You will have to work to make your dream happen.

2) Healthy relationships are the key to building a productive business and a thriving personal life.

Take the initiative to create opportunities, build relationships, and then maintain them – Truly rich friendships and client relationships are based on reliability, and a conscious effort to dedicate attention to one another.

3) A great support system is invaluable

From my industry contacts, to my husband, to my lawyer, nanny, and bookkeeper! On top of that, the right staff makes the company; I’m happy to have a great one. Achieving success means having someone on board that believes in your goals for the company (hello, Erin Caffrey!).

4) Business is business; Personal is personal

5) Put your name in the company’s.

With that kind of pressure, you will take the responsibility of being more flexible, nimble, focused, and excited about owning your business.

“Owning a business is, at its basics, pretty simple,” describes Pascale, “be grateful to your friends, return every phone call, smile politely under criticism, on and on… – Rely on the lessons that got you by on the schoolyard, and get you through every day, and whatever you’re trying to accomplish will follow.”

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