W2M's (Write2Market) COPE methodology nails better investor value in each interview
Television
and video segments create value for a long period of time-they
showcase the company and do more than just inform, they also sustain
credibility for years. Video interviews are also tough to live down when they
go wrong.
Our
firm, Write2Market is a leading Atlanta PR firm with an investor relations team that
preps our CEOs to handle any kind of interview, and you can see from their
performances on national television they came to us with tremendous skill
already-and it's our privilege to polish it.
The
successful CEO on camera
What I
find with transparent, intelligent, passionate CEOs is they make a few of
the same mistakes and they're easy to correct.
Here
are the four rules for CEOs-if you do these things, you can be sure the
interview opportunity is building investor value big time.
The
memory device for these rules is COPE.
CEO
media relations rule #1
CALM
Executive
pace is even, calm, collected and unflappable. A measured pace-think Walter
Kronkite reading the news-OOZES "I'm capable and so is my company." It's
POWERFUL. Many execs, especially innovative and enterpreneurial ones,
are too fast, flighty and uber-energetic. That doesn't play well. Your
"SOLID" feel is an asset. (PS: see me on Inc. Magazine: I have to
work on this one myself!)
CEO
media relations rule #2
OPEN
DON'T
change your openness. You are naturally open and trusting. You are
a connector of people and ideas. Your transparent comments communicate in
a "real" way to people who have been oversold. I know your legal
department and your CFO are chapping your hide on this and have a long
list of things you can't discuss, but lead with your gut on this point.
Trust your instincts. If it's not NDA, you can share it-you're the CEO and the
company's vision and its communication ARE YOUR PRIMARY MANDATE.
CEO
media relations rule #3
POINT
POINT
one is "big sandbox." If you communicate one thing well, this is it. So
most CEOs- DO change your first POINT. Most CEOs are asked, and will
always be asked in the first couple questions, to tell how your company
"fits in." That question can sound like this:
▪ which market do you serve?
▪ who are your biggest customers?
▪ what do you do?
▪ tell us about "your company?"
You
can get this SANDBOX question in any number of ways.
▪ First, recognize it.
▪ Second, go for the BIGGEST SANDBOX.
You do
that concisely by giving the biggest number that is truthful. Then
clarify that number however you like.
PROCESS
FOR SANDBOX QUESTIONS
So, I
would suggest you always answer the SANDBOX questions like this example from a
recent live interview:
JOURNALIST: So how do you compare to
"competitor" and other companies that do "your thing?"
YOU:
"Over a billion dollars in business flows through our platform every *month
for companies like (name big client.)"
Another
option:
JOURNALIST: So how do you compare to
"competitor" and other companies that do "your thing?"
YOU: "We are the only company that leads
in (hedgehog!), and that's why companies like (key client) rely on our
(product)."
CEO
media relations rule #4
ENOUGH
ROOM TO WIGGLE
This
is how you answer the question most CEOs hate about the competition
or their industry.
It
hits you like this, drawn from an interview I watched last week for one of
our clients:
Journalist: SO Mr. E-commerce CEO, HOW DO YOU
STACK UP TO COMPANIES LIKE MAGENTO?
CEO
SAMPLE ANSWER (first broadens question)
"THERE
ARE THREE TESTS OF E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS: SCALE, STABILITY and SIMPLICITY.
So you bring up the world of opensource or community-sourced e-commerce,
and that's not very SIMPLE. Platforms like SHOPVISIBLE however...
The
technique to handle this competitive landscape issue is called BROADENING
the scope of the question. Try not to mention your competition by name,
and if you do, mention at least two more companies along with them so your
comments cannot be misconstrued as inflammatory or libel.
I
think it's handy to think in 3's. When you talk about just one competitor,
like MAGENTO, you create potential issues. But if you go BROAD, you will
find it's very hard for legal or others to get hands on you.
Follow
up your broadening tactic with a mini story (a case study) if you
have time. Like this, "To illustrate how important scale is, when Vapour
Beauty went on Oprah... To illustrate how important SIMPLE is, when Office
Depot wanted to put all of Canada on one platform in three months..."
CEO as
media relations artisan
Investor
relations mean vision
For
media, start large and go small. You may be serving small companies mostly
but that's not the point. Journalists are into soundbites because that is
how they grab audience attention to read the depth of the story. It's
not bad, it's just reality. Your true audience WILL read at depth because
they care about your subject like you do, so this fact isn't even working
against you. Use the medium. Become a media artisan.
Media
relations analysts love
Another
broadening approach for you numbers and analyst minded CEOs- think of the
Cartesian coordinate system and the x/y axis, just quad 1. Think of the
two axes you like to be compared on-is it PRICE and FEATURE SET? Is it
SERVICE and INNOVATION? Pick your two favorite, outstanding items,
and then rank all your competitors on those items so that you are clearly
the "top right" of the quad-max value. Share this illustration with
journalists. It's killer. : )
Write2Market
the leading Atlanta PR firm could put that together for you!
Seriously, I
hope these 4 rules have helped you COPE (memory device!)
with your next national interview in ways that make you both more
comfortable and more communicative at the highest level. Drop me a note
and let me know what you think.
About Atlanta public
relations (PR) firm Write2Market
Write2Market is one of the leading technology PR agencies, famous for
creating recognizable industry leadership for clients in energy, technology and
healthcare. Empowered by our proprietary Triple A industry leadership
methodology, we help companies get the national recognition they deserve
through building awareness in new and traditional media, winning high profile
awards, and creating access to decision makers at conferences and tradeshows.
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