SNP Communications

We’re Not Consultants!

By Renn Vara

That’s right. And we don’t have clients either, we have customers. My team knows this is a big pet peeve of mine. To me, consultants advise but don’t necessarily do, and the term clients infers dependency while using the term customers clearly states who’s in control. Subtle but important.

This regularly comes up in our business. Traditional corporate communicators and trainers have the habit of calling themselves consultants and refer to customers as clients. So when we hire someone from the industry, they invariably cross swords with me over the subject. It’s a fruitless debate often conceded because “the boss is just a bit nutty and what do I care.”

Well, it’s bigger than that to me. And fundamental to how we view who we are, what we do, and how we do it.

At SNP we’re big believers in being paid for what we actually do versus what we know. That means we don’t charge for advice, meetings, consultations, or anything that involves the sharing of our expertise. That’s free. Why? Because everything we know was funded by customers. We learn from them, we learn from our work with them, and we learn by serving them. We’ve even gone as far as designing a training program without being hired to deliver it. Not good for the bottom line but it fits our long-standing values. (more…)

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How About Another Technology Blog Channel?

By Renn Vara

Sure. Let’s create another place for people who have too much time on their hands to waste it listening to other people who have too much time on their hands. Sorry for being the cynic. But these people bore me to death with all their babble. Shut up please. Thank you.

There are a number of blogs, podcasts, vidcasts, webevents, and channels trying to duplicate what CNET and TechTV (remember that group of losers?) have both failed to do on the web. We don’t need more TechTV on the web. We do need forums for self expression and for developing micro audiences. Yep, a YouTube for technology companies and their stakeholders. Have you ever wondered why YouTube doesn’t hire technology “broadcasters” to host shows? (more…)

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Top 5 Tips for Today’s Corporate Communicators

By Renn Vara

Having gone through the dot com era with all its talk about things being different this time, I have mixed feelings about saying the same about what’s happening today in corporate communications. But here goes: (more…)

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Top 3 Lessons from the 2008 Campaign Trail

By Renn Vara

At the risk of being political, we can learn a thing or two about communications in this campaign. Presentation styles, the use of the web, even their content development teach us a lot of the good, the bad, and the ugly of executive communications. (more…)

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Going Virtual

By Renn Vara

Our business continues to evolve. We’ve grown from doing TalkRadio’s with sales leaders to motion video webevents, from presentation content development and skills training to the roll-out of social networks. To us, content, training on that content, and then effectively and consistently communicating that content require a singular vision and implementation. Now we’re taking this process virtual.

(more…)

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In Search of Michael Scott

By Renn Vara

A few months ago I caught an interview with actor/comedian Steve Carell talking about his character on the The Office. The interviewer asked Steve if most businesses have a person like Michael Scott. Steve answered, “If you can’t find a Michael Scott in your office, then you’re Michael Scott.” I’ve been haunted by that comment ever since. (more…)

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The New PR

By Renn Vara

A silent revolution is taking place in corporate communications. The big freeze between internal communications and public relations is melting away ala the ice caps in summer. The result is the reality of what a company is inside (to employees, partners, and investors) is now the public perception outside. Some corporate communicators embrace this new world, some don’t, and worse, some who do understand it think they can control it using traditional corporate message management techniques. (more…)

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Self Creation

By Renn Vara

Oh, the good ol’ days. When you needed a video shot or wanted to capture a demo on your desktop, you’d review your list of corporate approved vendors for audio/visual companies or new media web creators. You’d make a few calls to get bids. The pricing would come back and after you picked yourself up off the floor, you’d strategize how to talk them down or how to get more budget from your boss. Then you’d get moving. (more…)

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Presenting Web 3.0

By Renn Vara

For years we’ve been talking about automating different aspects of our business. Building business presentations was considered our most challenging task. Then we met a company called Late Night Writer (LNW). (more…)

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Manipulation vs. Truth

By Renn Vara

Corporate communicators, particularly executive communicators, take (sometimes) well deserved heat. Aren’t they just all about manipulation? Aren’t these so-called professionals on the same or lower level as D.C. political hacks?

Those of us, who do this work, don’t like to think of ourselves that way. And, thank God, we’re rarely thought of at all. Popular media don’t seem to have caught on to our line of work. Truth be told, a number of media people “do” corporate communications to help pay for their love of general media and journalism. Maybe that’s why we’re given a reprieve from the light of public scrutiny. Just a thought. (more…)

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