Can We Do That?! by Peter Shankman

The first phrase that comes to mind for me while reading “Can We Do That?!” by Peter Shankman for the second time (and half-way through it) is: believe in yourself or we’re all doomed. I can only help but wonder what businesses wouldn’t be around today if someone pulled their own plug.

Moving on.

A couple of things (or many things) I’ve learned from Shankman the second time around.

- Just because you know someone in your industry because of how well-known they are and you are inspired by their energy does not mean everyone around you will know who they are.
--> In other words, spoon-feeding the information to someone from the ground up will make them feel less lost, more likely to listen to you and in the end, when you’ve done your research, you look like the genius. Therefore, be brilliant and become a “genius”. It’s a simple logic a lot of people forget to think about.

- Doing something really cool and you want to drop a reporter you’ve never contacted before an e-mail? Explain who YOU are first because YOU are the person their going to be contacting if they have any questions…not your client.
--> Also, if it’s the first time you’re contacting them, make sure you’ve done some research and know who they are and why you’re pitching them. It would drive me bonkers (no really, it would), if someone contacted me and they pitched me effectively, but I had no idea how they know who I am. I personally think it’s very important that that extra little connection is there because as they say, a little bit goes a long way.

- When it comes to numbers: no matter what a number represents, do NOT let it control you; age, stock, cash-flow, etc.
-->If you’re super inspired, psyched, pumped, amped up about what you’re doing and you’re good at it, let the numbers fall as they will, but don’t forget that there is always (or so I would hope) a goal you want to attain and conquer.

“One of the things I like most about being in PR is that there’s always something to outdo.” – Peter Shankman

That quote…is why I chose (without evening knowing it at the time) to go into PR. It’s exactly what I need. Because I cannot seem to quit thinking and challenging myself –small or big. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: sometimes the challenge is a personal goal I set for myself that no one else needs to know about.

Shankman refers to another big idea to consider: someone called a “Stopper” and being prepared to “ROAR” (Responsibility, Opportunities, Awareness, Results) at them with the right answers to ANY (and I mean ANY) questions they might have. If you haven’t caught on yet, this means you have done your research and put everything on the table that could possible go wrong in the case that someone could sue you and/or the company you work for. There are no gray areas with Stoppers. They will say no faster than you can blink if you don’t have all the answers they want.

For me, “ROAR” is much like what I learned in the classroom: “SWOT” an acronym for Strengths, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats.

The term “under-promise and over-deliver” comes to mind as it goes well with either acronym. If you don’t see this phrase everyday, I’d advise you post it somewhere. Why? It’s a simple way of reminding you that YOU are essential to the project. Educate yourself, communicate with your team members, set meeting times for business purposes to keep everyone on track, have an agenda and bring to life whatever is it you believe in.

There’s a line that pops out and SCREAMS at me in Shankman’s book when it comes to PR, Marketing and telling people about your business and what it means to them or why they should even consider spending their precious time realizing what it is you do: “The problem is, with constant noise comes very little signal” and with that said, the first virtual tool that comes to mind is Twitter and followed very closely behind that? Facebook.
Shankman is referring to people attempting to stand out from the crowd and advertise their business in some matter. There are much better ways to do reach for your future customers so get dirty and creative and make it fun!! People forget that just because you're an adult doesn't mean the "fun-o-meter" has dissapeared. You will thank yourself for doing so.

A couple more tips I couldn’t agree with anymore than I already do?
- Always take the meeting.
- If you run into a problem, find a way to turn it into an advantage for you and your client.
- Don’t spend time blaming; work the problem out and find a solution.

Shankman is a smart guy. Wait, that’s an understatement. He doesn’t waste anybody’s time; he’s good at what he does and I’ve resorted to his book twice now because I know that Shankman not only means business, but he’s been around the globe a few times and people trust him. Oh and the guy and doesn’t take life too seriously…I mean, he’s only skydived a couple hundred (or a few hundred) times. I stopped keeping track.

Thanks Peter Shankman for keeping my wheels turning.

I’m sure I’ll pick up your book again and read it for the third time, in time. That would set a record for me.