Stop talking, start listening; 8 minutes with Wealth Without Borders on PR for business owners

I had the pleasure of interviewing Howard Whiteson of Wealth Without Borders, but this time, he's interviewing me on his podcast where I was able to share my insights on PR for business owners and talk about the problems that EASTWEST PR solves for its clients, the main one being to help clients get noticed. Any business owner or organisation leader who has value locked up in their organisation and is looking for low-cost and effective ways to share that with their stakeholders is the perfect client for SPEAK|pr.

The number one problem that business owners face when it comes to public relations is not knowing which part of their business to communicate to and how to communicate properly. They're often so wrapped up in the product or the service and all the other issues, that distilling the core value of the company, the one problem that it solves for its customers, is difficult to do. Companies have three different audience groups: the internal, the external, and the partners, and each group needs different messages, and so EASTWEST PR helps clients communicate and engage with these audiences and change them from being ignorant about the company to becoming evangelists of the brand.

How EASTWEST PR provides solutions to clients' problems

Common mistakes of entrepreneurs when trying to solve communications issues include not being able to reflect and listen objectively, and they may say things which are unfocused or they may say nothing at all. So, it helps to record oneself talking about their company's proposition as if speaking to audience just for one minute and then playing it back, writing it down, and reading it to oneself. This is an extremely simple yet meaningful exercise to help leaders analyse their own message and figure out how to improve on it. One valuable free resource they can use is SPEAK|pr's tool set which includes a Message Home, a Story Planner, and a Technology Applications Directory. These enables clients to focus, plan, and amplify their message using technology.

I shared with Howard that something that has greatly impacted me is Verne Harnish's Rockefeller Habits. In it, he talks about the importance of data, of priorities, and of rhythm. Having these three elements helps any business owner focus and decide not just what to do, but what not to do as well. Before companies go on to talk about their message, they have to stop talking and start listening to truly understand what their audience wants rather than what the business thinks they want. It relates to the old saying of, "Seek first to understand, and then to be understood."

Public relations is all about communications, and the messaging should be relevant to the audiences listening. The challenge, therefore, is remaining aligned with the business' mission while meeting the customers' requirements, and this comes back to deciding who the key clients are. In summary, SPEAK|pr helps clients focus on the work that needs to be done and helps them communicate that effectively and at scale using technology. The key is to focus and have confidence that what is being offered is of value. With that, I hope I was able to enlighten Howard and his listeners on what To learn more about Howard and Wealth Without Borders, you can check out his website. 

This is a transcript from our podcast which you can find here. If you're interested in learning more about what we do, you can sign up for our newsletter here.

Cover Photo from Wealth Without Borders