I picked up this article from SuccessNet Online by Brian Tracy. Here is the gist of it.

The deepest craving of human nature is to feel valued. So the secret to charming others is to make them feel important.

You can do this in five ways. Be accepting of others exactly as they are. Show appreciation for anything they have done. Similarly, praise others for what they have done. Compliment others on a trait, possession or accomplishment. And finally, give them your undivided attention.

Some of these sound similar, and may in fact be the same, but you get the idea. We all need acceptance, appreciation, approval, admiration and attention. Pay attention and make a friend!

When we speak of “corporate communications” usually think about big companies. I don’t think it has anything to do with the size of a company. I think corporate communications (as differentiated from marketing and sales) is more about relationship building, building a reputation, and building a lasting legacy.

A little story about Corky McMillin, the founder of McMillin Communities. He started out in 1960 as a small contractor building homes in his hometown of Chula Vista, CA with just a couple helpers and his wife doing the books. He pooled his employees with his mechanic and dentist to get a health insurance plan.

One of his sons took to the construction side of the business, and another to the real estate sales side, and his daughter created an interior design business to serve the needs of the business. The business grew until they had created whole neighborhoods in Chula Vista. They built relationships with the residents of Chula Vista by building good homes, through their community volunteerism, their love of offroad racing, and the resale of homes they had built through McMillin Realty.

As the company grew larger, my newsletters served to keep his employees and subcontractors informed of what was happening.  The newsletters celebrated employee anniversaries, introduced new people to the staff, covered the planning and openings of new projects and new phases in developments, and maintained relationships with staff and subs.

Corporate communications is very much about building a brand, and staying in alignment with everything that brand represents. In the case of McMillin, they never produced anything but consistently high quality homes which will serve their occupants for years to come. The company has built nearly 30,000 homes in master-planned communities, as well as community parks, thousands of miles of roads, schools, shopping centers, commercial office and industrial parks, college dormitories and 2,000 military residences on seven military bases. It is now building homes throughout California and parts of Texas. Its prominent redevelopment of San Diego’s Naval Training Center into Liberty Station on San Diego Bay was voted Base Redevelopment Community of the Year by the Association of Defense Communities.

Corky McMillin’s reputation for quality construction and personal service — as well as his induction into the offroad motorsports hall of fame, and being honored for his financial support to the real estate program at San Diego State University — have established a living legacy to the man who started it all in Chula Vista, CA. Corky McMillin even has an elementary school named after him. Even though the man passed away several years ago, the relationship between the company he built and the communities it serves is still strong.

This is an example of how corporate communications (and the company which employees it) is about growing relationships, not making transactions. There is a saying that people don’t remember so much about how much you know or do, but do remember how much you care. Corporate communications communicates that to the world.

Our business networking group’s business-to-business marketing “power group” seeks to add three new members: a sign company, a promotional items specialist, and a meeting planner. If you know of any of these companies in the San Diego area who would be interested in increasing their business through word-of-mouth marketing, have them contact me at 619-203-0522.

Here is a puzzle which will reveal some of the work which I do. I am presenting to a group of business people on Tuesday, and will have the answers to the Jumble in my handout. Enjoy the puzzle.

SPEAK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS’ NEEDS

Know and address known concerns of your customers or readers, because they will be foremost on their minds when they evaluate what you are presenting. Write in the customers’ language. Tell them what they will get from your product or service. Appeal to their emotions. Tell a story, paint a picture. Tell them what the product will do for them, not what it is. An 8-megapixel camera with 10x zoom lens may mean nothing to the reader, but if you tell them this camera will let you take pictures that get you closer to the action, that’s valuable information which can make the sale.

SOLVE YOUR CUSTOMERS’ PROBLEMS

Become an expert on every benefit your product or service offers. Develop a profile of the type of customer you are selling to, what the person needs and desires, the person’s most pressing problems, and what will directly solve his problems. Address your customers with an appropriate tone, and use words and phrases the customer likely uses. Use strong, active language to describe the most appealing benefits of your product or service. Make an offer they can’t refuse, and include a call to action. You will know you addressed your customers and their problems when the orders come in.

USE ACTIVE VOICE

Use active voice to get your readers attention, and make your point clearly. The guidelines are clear on the use of passive voice:

Worst: The passive voice should be avoided.
Bad: The passive voice should be avoided by writers.
Better: Writers should avoid using passive voice.
Best: Writers should use active voice.

DON’T MAKE FALSE PRODUCT CLAIMS

Everyone has highly sensitive BS detectors these days. Readers can tell when you’re trying to sell them something. Passion and commitment for your product is a good thing, but expect that readers will spot it when you are the least bit dishonest. I was in “traffic school” a week ago, and the instructor began telling stories about how he rides his bicycle in traffic. “Forty miles per hour — that’s the speed I ride my bicycle.” Being a longtime cyclist, I had to challenge him on this. Lance Armstrong doesn’t maintain that kind of clip. Nothing that instructor had to say the rest of the class had much meaning to me, and the only thing I particularly remember from the experience is that he didn’t know what he was talking about, at least when it came to how fast he could ride a bicycle. Be aware that any false claim you make about your product or service will be spotted, and remembered. Once your reader recognizes that you have misrepresented your product or service, he will be resistant to any offer you make.