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Tiger Woods Reinforces Old PR Lesson:
Staying Silent Only Makes Things Worse

November 28, 2009  |  No Comments

Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world and likely the best to ever play the game.

But when it comes to public relations, mark him down for a snowman.

It took Tiger’s camp 13 hours to release a public statement about the bizarre car accident near his home this weekend. And because the statement left so many questions unanswered, Tiger has now become the subject of widespread speculation about his personal life.

All of this reinforces an old lesson in public relations: When breaking news raises legitimate questions, staying quiet will make things worse instead of better.

He can’t opt out

Like other championship athletes, movie stars and business leaders, Tiger cannot simply “opt out” of news coverage when something major occurs in his life. He is a public figure. When he wrecks his car at 2:25 a.m., that is news and media professionals will ask questions.

This is not a judgment on whether Tiger deserves privacy. It’s just a fact of American life that when you’re a public figure, the media will report on and scrutinize your behavior when an aspect of it makes news.

Certainly Tiger’s camp realizes this. That is why it’s so astonishing that their media statement was so slow to materialize and so lacking in substance.

What should he have done?

Since Tiger cannot opt out of media coverage, he has two choices when things like this occur. First, lay up and let an information vaccuum prevail so that rumor mongers and others can fill it. Or, swing away for a measure of control by becoming the first and most complete source of information.

Tiger’s camp has decided to play short, and to his detriment. His slow response and lack of substance have not only become part of the story, but have left the fairway wide open for rampant speculation.

It could be that Tiger was advised to take a more proactive path but didn’t listen to the advice. Tiger’s injuries could also have delayed a more meaningful response . . . but not by 13 hours.

It could be that some of the details behind the accident are embarrassing to Tiger (though we’re not sure of that yet). If so, those details are better coming from Tiger himself in the early going than being “revealed” down the road by somebody else. The high road is a more efficient path to acceptance and forgiveness.

Lessons learned

Unfortunately, being in the media spotlight and faced with difficult questions isn’t a fate that befalls only superstar athletes. It can also happen to well-meaning small business owners, civil servants and non-profit leaders that don’t have PR teams on retainer.

There are lessons to be learned from Tiger Woods’ roadside triple bogey. Among them are these:

  1. Don’t let a vaccuum develop. Instead, become the first and most complete source of information. That won’t insulate you from negative coverage, but it will give you the credibility and access you need to best protect your reputation.
  2. Tell the truth, even if it’s not flattering. It’s best that embarrassing information comes from you, early, and accompanied by related information that provides a proper perspective. Humility and honesty inspire forgiveness and acceptance. Information that is “discovered” from other sources will likely be played more negatively and will likely lack context.
  3. Be consistent and responsive. Make sure the story is told the same way to everyone. Inconsistency ruins credibility.
  4. Use these situations as opportunities. Media relationships are more valuable than media transactions. By being honest and credible under fire, you will improve your chances at being treated well by media professionals down the road.

Personally, as a fan of the Tiger, I wish everybody would just leave him alone until his next tournament. But that’s not the way our society works. Therefore, he and his team need to manage his reputation more effectively, and they’re going to need more club.

Here are some other good reads on Tiger and his PR challenges:

If You’re Consistently ‘Swamped,’
You Might Want to Raise Your Prices

November 23, 2009  |  No Comments

A new friend of mine owns her own business and is always “swamped.”

She’s slow to return phone calls and emails. And the only two times I’ve done business with her, she missed her deadlines.

This lady is good at what she does, but she needs to raise her prices. You might need to do the same, if you’re consistently “swamped,” late or unavailable because of excess demand for your services or products as they’re now priced.

The first reaction to such a suggestion is often: “I can’t raise my prices. My clients will go elsewhere.”

And that might be true. Or, it might be more true that if you don’t raise your prices, and continue being late and “swamped,” your clients will go elsewhere at your current prices.

Raising prices should be done carefully. Factors to consider include:

  • The uniqueness of your product/service. Can clients just go elsewhere if you raise your price, or do they see you as uniquely equipped?
  • The extent to which your customers need you. Is your service something they can do without, or would they still see value at a higher price?
  • The relationships with your customers. Do you have good “roots” in your clients, or are they about to walk?
  • There’s nothing wrong with raising the price if the market can bear it — even if you know it will cost you some customers. It might be worth losing a few customers in order to bring demand back in line with supply, so that the customers you keep get their work on time and stay with you.

Let’s say you raise your prices by 20 percent, and 20 percent of your customers leave. You’d preserve 96 percent of your revenue with only 80 percent of the work. That might relieve some stress and free up time to court your best customers for referrals.

There’s definitely a risk involved in jacking up prices. But if you’re “swamped” like my friend, there may be greater risk in preserving the status quo.

Here are a couple more good reads on raising prices:

My Clients Will Leave if I Raise My Prices. Really? (Authentic Promotion)

Should We Raise Our Prices … in This Economy? (Entrepreneur Magazine)