Healthy client relations are the lifeblood for PR agencies. Every client is unique, of course, with disparate needs, and PR agency owners often must take pains to provide those services, as well as a trust-based relationship. When it comes to effectively serving clients, one size doesn’t fit all. The same holds true for agency billing….
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Category: Strategic Planning
Why PR Firms Need an Exit Strategy From Day One
We advise our clients to build their PR firms “as if” they plan to sell it. That’s because this mindset not only prepares our clients for the last day they own their company, our experience shows that it maximizes profitability, builds value and intelligently guides business decisions. An integral part of this approach is the…
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Post-Merger Integration Plan Critical for Long-Term Success
The PR transaction has closed. The buyer wires a multi-million-dollar transfer into the seller’s bank account. The staff members of both buyer and seller are notified. The press release announcing the deal has been distributed across the business wires online, sprinkled with quotes regarding a “win-win” for both firms, and, naturally, “new digital and marketing…
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The Strategic Planning Process in Three Basic Steps
It is impossible to provide an all-encompassing example of how a firm should approach strategic planning. Ultimately, company executives need to reconcile the planning framework and their firm’s individual culture to make an effective plan that fits their situation. Here are the three basic steps to get Strategic Planning started: Step one. Assess where you…
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The Value of Human Capital
The term “Human Capital” is offensive to some. They see it as treating people as material objects. I hope to build a greater appreciation that the character, competence and commitment of a firm’s professional talent has a major impact on its valuation in an M&A situation. That acknowledgement, together with other recommendations, are intended to…
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VIDEO: PR Benefits of the Bolt-on Acquisition
Expand your firm’s talent pool. Diversify your PR services and boost the agency’s appeal among both existing clients and prospects. Find new cost efficiencies. These are just a few of the PR benefits of the bolt-on acquisition. Unlike a full-blown acquisition, bolt-on buys are relatively small and won’t break the bank. However, similar to larger…
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Lippe: Incumbent Upon PR Industry to Promote More Women
Maureen Lippe, founder-CEO of Lippe Taylor, recalls a series of dinner meetings she initiated with other female leaders in the PR industry. “What was astonishing to me is that most of these women had competed for years in business, but had never really met each other,” says Lippe, who since founding her PR firm in…
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Webinar: Millennials Eager to Lead, Willing to Learn
Millennials and older PR executives have a great deal to learn from one another. By collaborating more effectively they can bolster the value of their firm, break into emerging markets and land new clients. They just need to put their suspicions of one another aside and not let stereotypical thinking get the better of them….
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VIDEO: Transparency Key to Integration, Post-Sale
The celebratory dinner was a blast. The tapas were a joy to behold and the Merlot was ever so zesty. But now that the party is over, the real work of creative services transactions begins. The new teams have to commit to working together for what can often be a six-month transition process. It’s probably…
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VIDEO: The ‘Build to Sell’ Mindset
Clients are satisfied with your firm’s work. You’re on the short list to land a new (and prestigious) account. The staff is growing nicely. They’re all positive indices for creative services firm owners. But, in order to maximize the profitability and overall value of their firm, owners need to adopt a ‘Build to Sell‘ mentality….
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PR Agency Spotlight: 3 Ways to Meet Millennials Halfway
PR Agency Spotlight: Kate Finley, CEO, Belle Communications PR Firm Owners Need to Be More Willing to Adapt to Millennials but Not Bend Over Backward Kate Finley, CEO of Belle Communications, was about to start her presentation at a work session at the PRSA’s Counselors Academy spring meeting titled “The Marvelous and Mysterious World of…
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The PR Trifecta: Growth, Profitability and Billing Rates Stalling
In light of this solar eclipse this week, the constellations have started to align for the PR industry. But it’s not a pretty picture, with all the major financial indices down and little sign that the industry has started to make headways in order to reverse the declines. Just check out the tale of the…
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