Last week, I ended a call with a prospective client who verbally agreed to move forward with our services. Before we hung up, he gave me some feedback on why he wanted to work with #Strella. He said, “Rachel, I love reading your blogs and your posts. You really put yourself out there. I am looking forward to hiring you to do the same for our organization.”
I’ve heard people say they enjoy reading my blogs, but I don’t believe I’ve ever been hired because they wanted me to replicate that formula for their own business or organization. Frankly, it was a welcome change.
This particular organization is going through a transition with the help of a strategic planner and a team of advocates. They are re-developing the way they operate, which will pivot how they acquire funds from three of their four major tiers. As we discussed the addition of blogging to their efforts, I asked them if they were open to subtly sharing what’s going on with their organization. If they had any reluctance, they didn’t show it. The details are not anywhere near finalized, but they were agreeable to sharing the process as they work through it.
I was excited, because our clients are seldom open to sharing some of the things they’re working on internally, especially if it means it will change the way they operate.
Why is this so challenging for many businesses?
If I had to speculate, I believe it’s because they feel vulnerable by doing so. There’s an unnecessary pressure to be perfect. Nothing can roll out until it’s ‘ready.’ Perhaps they feel that by sharing transition – or even strife – it will damage their credibility.
I am certain there are some PR professionals cringing while reading this blog. Allow me to share a disclaimer. No two businesses or organizations are the same. Obviously, a doctor would not want to blog about how he barely kept (or maybe didn’t keep) a patient alive because of an internal error. So, of course, I am generalizing.
But, I believe that sharing experiences helps to make a company or organization more relatable. We all deal with change. We all deal with controversy. And, we all struggle on our journey. Putting it out there, within reason, is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I would argue that it actually enhances credibility because people can identify with our experiences. To me, that’s the heart of an excellent blog. I do not believe we have to have all of the answers. We just have to be real.
What do you think?
I find asking the right questions will help my clients answer their own questions.