{"id":123542,"date":"2024-03-15t11:55:35","date_gmt":"2024-03-15t15:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/?p=123542"},"modified":"2024-09-01t14:48:41","modified_gmt":"2024-09-01t18:48:41","slug":"why-accountants-should-be-nice-to-journalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2024\/03\/15\/why-accountants-should-be-nice-to-journalists\/","title":{"rendered":"why accountants should be nice to journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"woman<\/strong><\/p>\n

or else you\u2019ll turn into a pumpkin \u2013 or something.<\/strong><\/p>\n

by bruce marcus<\/i>
\nprofessional services marketing 3.0<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

editor\u2019s note: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 was privileged to have a long relationship with bruce w. marcus, who was ahead of his time in his thinking and practice in marketing for accounting. we are publishing some of the late expert\u2019s evergreen work, which retains wisdom for the present.<\/i><\/p>\n

your mother raised you to be nice to everyone, and you\u2019ve always been taught to be nice to journalists. answer their questions. tell them everything. stop what you\u2019re doing and cooperate. be polite.<\/p>\n

that\u2019s the conventional wisdom. you\u2019ve even read that in the marcus letter<\/em>. but are there ever times to tell the press to bug off, and leave you alone? maybe.<\/p>\n

more: <\/b>when there\u2019s a leak in your firm<\/a> | creating the perfect ad<\/a> | how hard do you work to keep your clients?<\/a> | when clients think they know marketing<\/a> | how to put target marketing into context<\/a> | everyone in your firm is marketing<\/a> | accountants vs. lawyers: who wins the marketing battle?<\/a> | professional services marketing requires flexibility<\/a> | how to set marketing objectives<\/a> | how marketing in accounting has evolved<\/a> | accountants don\u2019t sell soap.<\/a>
\n\"goprocpa.com\"exclusively for pro members. <\/span><\/strong>log in here<\/a> or 2022世界杯足球排名 today<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

on the face of it, the media seems to have all the power. they speak to a lot more people than you do, and they do it with what the general public accepts, usually unquestioningly and with little reason, as objectivity.
\n
\ntrade lore abounds with stories of a journalist spurned. back in the days of the famous columnist walter winchell, any celebrity \u2013 or press agent \u2013 who didn\u2019t cooperate with him might have done well to buy a grocery store for a new career. one press agent who promised him an exclusive, only to find that another columnist had inadvertently submitted the same story, was driven from her otherwise successful career.<\/p>\n

virtually every company, and every marketing or public relations executive, has a story of being trashed by the press \u2013 sometimes despite following all the rules and cooperating extensively.<\/p>\n

but then, there are stories of companies that refused to deal with segments of the press, and are still around. mobil \u2013 now exxon\/mobil \u2013 refused to talk to wall street journal <\/em>reporters for years. there is no empty crater where mobil once was; they still thrive.<\/p>\n

there may indeed be times, then, when being cooperative with the press is not the best thing you can do for your firm.<\/p>\n

if you\u2019re dealing with a hostile journalist or publication, and believe you\u2019re in a no-win situation, you may have more to gain than to lose by refusing to cooperate.<\/p>\n

if you\u2019re dealing with a publication whose editor thinks it\u2019s more important than it really is, and you know you\u2019re not going to get a fair shake anyway, why waste your time?<\/p>\n

if you\u2019re asked to comment about a competitor, or about a situation in your industry to which you\u2019re ancillary, and there\u2019s any chance that your comment may be misinterpreted or even misreported, \u201cno comment\u201d is a great response.<\/p>\n

there are many comparable situations, but they all add up to one thing \u2013 blind obedience to all rules, particularly the rules of marketing, doesn\u2019t always make sense.<\/p>\n

the rules of media relations aside, the governing factor should be the well-being of your firm. there are values to public relations, obviously, and there are times when, despite the negative aspect of the story, you have an obligation to tell your side. but not always, and not universally.<\/p>\n

frequently, the press will trash a company. a few years ago, a major public relations firm took a beating on the front page of a major newspaper. conventional wisdom at the time was that because of the story and the place in which it appeared, the firm was through. it didn\u2019t happen that way.<\/p>\n

after a flurry of trade discussion, and possibly the loss of a potential client or two (no current clients were lost), the firm continued to thrive. why? because one story, positive or negative, doesn\u2019t have much effect. only an ongoing campaign, positive or negative, has sustaining results.<\/p>\n

so if you know that you\u2019re going to take a beating no matter what you say or do, or if you know that the reporter is unlettered or unknowledgeable in the subject and is only passing through the beat, or if you know that commenting is going to get you involved in something that may turn out to be flat, stale and unprofitable to you, then tell the media to bug off.<\/p>\n

if you know that a reporter is misrepresenting to you what he\u2019s writing, in order to get your participation in a story that you might otherwise be reticent about, or if that reporter has done that to you in the past, you\u2019re perfectly right to decline.<\/p>\n

in fact, participating in a roundup story should be done cautiously anyway, with you asking the reporter as many questions as he or she asks you. and if you do consider participating, take notes of what you\u2019re being told about the nature of the story. you may want to complain later.<\/p>\n

the press has an inalienable right to pursue. they don\u2019t have an inalienable right to catch. there\u2019s a difference between being firm and declining and being rude. rudeness is somebody else\u2019s game. declining firmly and politely may very well be the way for you to win your game.<\/p>\n

your mother, then, may have been right. but not always.<\/p>\n