It's Not All Luck...

Fellow PR professionals are an important source of insight and knowledge. Today's tidbit comes to us from the blog of Kat Waters, a freelance PR pro and writer based in Dublin, Ireland. In her latest post she uses the way the Irish Government has dealt with their current recession to demonstrate some lessons in crisis communication and strategic reputation management on a large scale.

Ms. Waters mentions several points anyone who is attempting to manage or prevent a crisis should take note of, the most important of which I feel is to have a solid crisis prevention plan, and be seen to have one. Taking this step alone could prevent many crises I've encountered from occurring!


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Another Professional Opinion.

My friend and professional associate, Gerald Baron, authors his own blog, the Crisisblogger, covering stories ranging from the recent salmonella outbreak to his opinions of the White House website. An engaging and enlightening read on the subject of crisis management in this new era of communication, I highly recommend that you make it a regular read!

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

"No Promises!"

I try not to pull material too often from any one site but this story was too good (or rather, too bad) to pass up. Coming to us again from The Consumerist, today's story is another example of spectacularly poor customer service, this time from Comcast cable. Apparently they charged the customer, a recent hurricane victim who called to inquire as to why techs had not showed up for appointments two weeks in a row while he was still being billed, a $24.95 "Customertroublecall" fee for the information! When he called to complain the service reps told him that they will "try" to fix the issue, "no promises."

We have published articles on the importance of reputation management in the Crisis Manager newsletter before and I remain of the opinion that it is one of the most important and most overlooked aspects of business today. Often businesses will wait until their problem has become a crisis to attempt any sort of damage control. With the speed information flows at now that is FAR too late. If your company does not already have a strategic reputation management plan in effect then you are asking to lose customers, respect, and money.


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

"No One Will Ever Really Know..."

Another gem from The Consumerist today. According to the Washington Post, Heartland Payment Systems, a payment processor that handles credit card payments for over 250,000 businesses, has had more than 100 million transactions compromised through malicious software that had been unknowingly installed on its network. As if the situation were not bad enough, Heartland's CFO has been putting on a stunning display of what not to do when managing a crisis. Not only will Heartland not be extending the standard offer of free credit monitoring to anyone potentially affected, but they refuse to release information regarding which businesses were affected, stating that it would be unfair to mention any one of their company's customers. CFO Baldwin is quoted as saying "No merchant of ours represents even [one-tenth of one percent] of our volume...their customers might end up having their cards used fraudulently, but that fraud might turn out to have come from their store, or it might be from another Heartland store and no one will ever really know."

Heartland and Baldwin have unwittingly violated some of the major tenets of crisis response, most of all lack of disclosure. In this day and age the first thing a company or individual should do in time of crisis is to lay it all on the table. By not doing this they give fuel to the thought that, as the article says, "It's clear that Heartland is in the business of servicing other businesses, not consumers..."


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Food for Thought.

Today I'd like to point out an example of good crisis management that anyone involved with a food-related business should take a look at. Many of you have probably seen news reports of the most recent Salmonella scare, which has now grown to over 480 cases spanning 43 states. Although the news stations make sure to spend plenty of time hyping the scope and danger of this outbreak they do little to inform consumers of the actual details of the situation. This is where the CDC steps in. They have created a site here which has every detail from case count to information on the investigation and recommendations to consumers on how to protect themselves.

In the food business one problem can quickly snowball into a nationwide story, have you identified your organizations' weaknesses? Do you have a crisis prevention plan?


JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

They Assembled It Where?

As subscribers to my Crisis Manager newsletter may know, I am none too fond of Best Buy due to their consistently poor customer service. Unfortunately, a recent post on The Consumerist gives another example of Best Buy's incredibly bad customer service that only serves to cement my opinion.

Properly training and preparing all levels of employees, from top CEO's to truck drivers and low-level customer service reps is an important part of any reputation management strategy. With the power of the internet lack of preparation means one bad move could cause a ripple effect that trashes even an established reputation.

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Don't Let Your Crisis Become a Disaster!

A new blog penned by John Withington - author of The Disastrous History of London, A Disastrous History of Britain and (his latest) A Disastrous History of the World - dissects current disasters and examines them in a historical light. While somewhat macabre, Withington's posts make clear what I have stressed time and time again - disaster can strike at any time and without warning. The very best thing we as crisis managers can do is be prepared and at the ready with a thorough crisis response plan.

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

He Said, He Meant, He Should Have Said

In this article reported in my online newsletter, Crisis Manager: The Internet Newsletter About Crisis Management, Jim Lukaszewski has given us a clear view of what we all know: sometimes what is said is not what is meant. Unfortunately, the meaning is usually very clear to the listener.

When responding to a crisis too often the curt, short answer convey a message that is unresponsive and damaging to the company. Be sure to read the full article, He Said, He Meant, He Should Have Said in the January 15, 2009 issue of my newsletter.

Oh, and by the way, the ezine is free!

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Wisdom from the Computer Goddess

After working with SEO guru Chesa Keane of TAO Consultants for some time, we have established a working relationship that is both interesting to the both of us as well as extremely valuable to our online crisis clients.

In my latest Media Bullseye column, REPUTATION MANAGEMENT ONtheLINE, I explore some of the strategies we use to help with negative online reputations that website owners are experiencing. Chesa shares her five biggest mistakes organizations and individuals make regarding their online reputation and some of the key elements to the SEO reputation management strategy we use to help them overcome their difficulties and set them back on the road to being the "good guys" in their industry.

Remember, unlike gravity, on the Internet what goes up will never come down. If you have negative commentary directed toward your website, your brand name or your corporate/personal identity, you need help.

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

No-Cost Resources for PR Pros: Top 10 Email Newsletters, 6 Content-Rich Sites, Popular Blogs

I happy to report that my newsletter, Crisis Manager: The Internet Newsletter About Crisis Management, has been rated by MarketingSherpa as one of the top 10 newsletters for PR professionals.

Thanks MarketSherpa -- and all my readers!

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Pilot Had Crisis Management Experience

Given my comment on my blog yesterday about the news of the US Airways crash into the Hudson River -- pray first, analyze later -- I found this article about pilot Chesley "Sully" Sllenberger interesting. He proves that being prepared for crisis means you can successfully handle crisis.

Jonathan
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Added 1/17 -- check out this discussion of the power of Twitter in communicating about a crisis!

Hey, hey!!! It's a Contest!

Everybody loves a contest, so here at Bernstein Crisis Management, we thought that a good contest to begin 2009 would be a great idea. Here's the scoop:

If you have a crisis management-related case history worthy of publication in my Crisis Manager: The Internet Newsletter About Crisis Management we have a deal for you:

1. The authors of the first 15 case histories accepted for publication will be invited at no cost to an interactive Webinar about Online Reputation Management featuring your editor and SEO/Reputation Management guru Chesa Keane of TAO Consultants.
2. 17,000+ people will ready your case history when it is first published, then countless more people will read it when it is archived, indefinitely, on my highly trafficked website.
3. The business links and URLs that you can include in the artcle "credit line" will -- experience demonstrates -- generate traffic to and improve the SEO of your website, as well as (my guest authors tell me) often generate business inquiries.

Oh, but wait -- there's more!!!

If you think you would be a highly credible interview subject for an article specifically related to Online Reputation Management, let me know why you think I should interview you. The piece will run in my new REPUTATION MANAGEMENT ONtheLINE column in the online magazine Media Bullseye. In addition, you will probably find your interview being reprinted elsewhere, thanks to the proliferation of well-written articles online for topics of interest.

The first 10 selected for these interviews will be the only other no-cost participants in the webinar, which will strive to give even experienced practitioners a higher level of knowledge and understanding.

Submit entries to jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com. Include "I want to enter the Contest" in the Subject of your email.

Good luck!

Jonathan
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

A New Approach to Advocacy

Stephen C. Rafe makes some very good points in his article reported in Crisis Manager - The Internet Newsletter About Crisis Management about the appropriate responses to crisis that a company should take. It's important in any crisis to avoid confrontational and defensive behavior when confronted by critics. Rafe says that "when you believe your position is justified and serves the interests of others, consider...an advocacy approach."

Several points make up the advocacy approach: 1) identify the "wronged" party, 2) construct your response to support or even defend them, and 3) respond with calmness and civility.

Read the full article on this advocacy approach to crisis management as well as more crisis management and crisis prevention strategies on my website.

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Vulnerability Audits

I've been refining my process of "Vulnerability Audits," the first step in crisis prevention. Read how doing a "scan of your operations" in advance can help you avoid or minimize crises that may arise unexpectedly.

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
President
Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.

BIMBO Awards

Have you ever seen Merrie Spaeth's hilarious "BIMBO Awards"? They're monthly collections of mostly famous people suffering from foot-in-mouth disease, along with some examples of "doing it the right way" in crisis communications. For example, here was this month's "winning BIMBO":

"I’m here to tell you right off the bat that I’m not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing," said Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich after being arrested for corruption and charged with trying to trade an appointment to President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat for personal gain. (In one of the more bizarre press conferences, the Governor quoted Rudyard Kipling’s poem "If" with the famous lines, "If you can keep your head when all about you/ Are losing theirs and blaming it on you". The BIMBO denial made it into numerous headlines, boxed quotes and countless repetitions on the news. Does this mean he’s guilty of wrongdoing -- just not the criminal variety?) The Wall Street Journal, "Blagojevich Denies All Federal Corruption Charges," Dec. 20-21, 2008

You can subscribe at her website! Enjoy.

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
President
Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.

So Much For Those Early Retirement Plans

In a blog posting on My Global Career, Kristina Cowan writes about why Americans are altering their retirement plans in response to the state of today's economy. I was quoted as a good example of someone whose retirement plans have changed due to the recent economic situation.

Many retirement portfolios has been adversely affected by the economic downturn along with the decreasing value of our homes. Nearly two-thirds of workers 45 and older say they’re likely to delay retirement and work longer if the economy doesn’t “improve significantly.” In response to the fiscal crisis, 31 percent are delaying retirement, and 22 percent are returning to work.

But others say current financial woes won’t make much difference because a number of Americans weren’t planning to retire anyway. They have an innate drive to keep working. They want to continue to contribute, feel healthy and fit, and are intellectually stimulated to do so.

Kristina's article has some great links that you might want to visit.


Jonathan Bernstein
President
Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.

A Crisis Management Resolution for 2009

To start the New Year off right, I wanted to offer you the format for
a resolution that can and, in my opinion, should be adopted by any
organization that has not engaged in comprehensive crisis planning.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT RESOLUTION
(Name of Your Organization Here)

WHEREAS, (name of organization) is vulnerable to (add if appropriate:
and has endured) a wide variety of crises;

WHEREAS, (name of organization) knows/strongly suspects that it is
underprepared to engage in the best-possible crisis prevention and
response;

WHEREAS, (name of organization)'s leadership is concerned that this
lack of preparedness could cause significant preventable damage to
(name of organization); NOW THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED, That (name of organization) will engage in a multi-
disciplinary vulnerability assessment process that will provide the
intelligence necessary for immediate, mid-range and long-term crisis
prevention and planning;

RESOLVED, That (name of organization) will engage in crisis planning
that will address business continuity, disaster preparedness, crisis
communications and online reputation management.

RESOLVED, That (name of organization) will consider internal
stakeholders as important as external stakeholders;

RESOLVED, That (name of organization) will ensure that personnel are
trained to implement all crisis-related plans.

RESOLVED, That (name of organization) will ensure that all plans are
tested through appropriate exercises and/or drills.

RESOLVED, That a process of ensuring that all plans remain updated to
changes in the internal and external operating environment;

RESOLVED, That (name of organization)'s board of directors/leadership
team/(or similar descriptive) will complete the initial cycle of
vulnerability assessment, planning, training and testing no later than
(date);

RESOLVED this __ day of (month), 2009, in (city, state).

(signatures of resolving body members)

Jonathan Bernstein
President
Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.

First Crisis Manager Ezine of 2009 Now Online

The latest issue of Crisis Manager is now online at my main business website. It's free if you'd like to subscribe!

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
President
Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.