Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/954585
WEEKLY EDITION March 14, 2018 How to Change the Public's Perception of Your Company: Part I By PSAI Executive Director Karleen Kos We all know how it goes. Something bad happens at an event — your driver damaged prop erty, the units were overused, they were locked or inconveniently located — and your name was on the door. Maybe you even warned the planners this could happen. Now you are facing bad publicity – word of mouth, online, in print. None of it is good. A tar nished image requires dedication and resources devoted to rebuilding client trust and loyalty. You need to develop clear steps and intentions to help your team make positive impressions and convey thoughtfully crafted messages to the public. You want to en sure that when potential customers search for you on the Internet and through social media, they see positive reviews and reasonable responses that counter - balance negative ones. Here are some steps to aid in the process of identifying your company's posi tive attributes to educate the public and help sway opinions to the positive side. Take responsibility While the first instinct might be to get defensive when faced with criticism from an attendee, customer, or the press, doing that is not productive. Nev er argue. It's better to hear the person out and acknowledge the concern. Something caused those negative opinions of the company, product, or service and it is in your best interest to take responsibility for addressing them – even if it isn't entirely yo ur fault. Keep this in mind: nobody cares more about the success of your company than you do. So what if the event planner shares some blame? You can be sure that person isn't going to go to any trouble to repair your company's tarnished reputation. So i t's up to you to do what you can to change the perception about your brand. Of course, if the upset was caused by a member of your team – or by something that was clearly on you -- it should be admitted and an apology issued immediately. Do what you can t o make it right, and to make it known that you are committed to running the sort of business that takes care of the people it serves. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ARE YOU ATTENDING THE 2018 PSAI CONVENTION AND TRADE S HOW NEXT WEEK? See what you need to "Know Before You Go" on page 5