LOSERS OF ACCOUNTS AND JOBS may bitterly complain “I gave management exactly what they wanted but here I am. They dumped me!”

The problem of some managements is like that of a three-year-old who comes to you in the kitchen before bedtime and says “I want somethin’.” Would she like a cookie and milk? “No.” A little more of what was served for dinner? “No.” Then what? “I dunno!” She really doesn’t know what available and it’s frustrating!

The three-year-old’s problem is like that of management: not knowing what PR achievements are available. If you say you can’t help them unless they tell what they want, the child says “you’re mean” and management may eventually say, politely phrased, “you’re outa here.”

Katie Payne’s ideas are a danger to PR losers because Payne is persuasive that PR objectives can be verbalized and PR results can be measurable. A boss or an account should not be in the dark about what PR benefit was produced for the money.

It’s almost like PR evangelism: believe in the power of PR as many do most profitably; give your faith and budget to a PR exec or firm you trust; then look for measurable results and judge whether you got good value, little value or hopefully amazing value which many mangements do get.

You don’t have to take it on faith; you can measure and you should. A classical evangelist might say “yea measure as thee thyself shall be measured by higher ups. Thine own judgment day cometh.”

WINNERS OF MAJOR ACCOUNTS AND TOP JOBS sometimes succeed because Payne repeatedly triumphs over suffering. Her wisdom is to:

.1. Guide management up to the top of the mountain so they can see the lay of the land and what they can aspire to get.

.2. Guide management into making a PR objectives choice it will be happy with.

.3. Use Payne methods or if you can afford it use Payne herself to help management see what it is GETTING from PR.

FOR MARKETING SUPPORT, count the clicks. Management may know very well what it costs to generate each 1,000 clicks via advertising so you can use your PR skills—including your special events and measurement skills—so your management is VERY happy with your PR work.

FOR WINNING IN WASHINGTON, your lobbyist can be your endorser and the lobbyist’s win can be part of your endorsement. Ask the lobbyist to start: “What can PR get into the media and online so the public will want what we want? Will it help you if PR generates tons of letters to legislators from their constituents?”

Lobbyists know this—sometimes brilliantly. Old media and online sites may be welcoming to you because almost always the lobbyist’s pitch is abut the public interest and media year for information on the public interest. Information on the public interest (but not just opinion) is what builds what media cherish: audience!

Using Payne’s wisdom in setting PR objectives and measuring PR results can help you give management more happiness and give yourself more success.