professionalism | Belle Public Relations

By: Allie Jarreau

This Saturday, Belle Public Relations approached Baton Rouge businesses to gain items for the silent auction table. Connections for Life’s director, Karen Stagg, handled sponsorship donations, but also helped Belle PR with getting auction items. Our team broke up into three separate teams in order to maximize our options. From the beginning, we all knew this would be a hard task, but I am proud of the support we received. Before we contacted each business, our agency’s event director, Margaret Price, compiled an auction item GoogleDoc for the entire team. This document was used as a reference when approaching businesses, so each team didn’t pitch to the same business twice. This organization method was very effective while prospecting potential donors. Each team targeted specific shopping centers in Baton Rouge. Alexis Nicaud and I chose Towne Center because we knew many of the stores’ shoppers were women.

Found at: http://api.ning.com/files/7BK1N10ECs-klUwVYu8-A*1sThqRN7RJxl9wVAGJ2b7YxiGjCroFguyQhs1hvRDj0EsCiUzqdxIJHUOweu*Xkh*DNx1tGIBJ/IMG_6534.JPG

In MC 4005, students are expected to learn and use professional values and competencies. This includes “thinking critically, creatively and independently.” This is something I remembered before going into each store. It was important that we handled each meeting professionally, but we also used our creative minds to target each possible donor.

Before I met Alexis, I created ten folders with a flier, donor form and sponsorship package inside. On the way to Towne Center, Alexis and I decided who would say what and who would speak to each specific store. We were both pretty nervous at our first meeting, but we both left feeling confident because of how well everything went. After that, we felt like pros. It became fun picking out which businesses we would visit next, and we encountered something different at each store.

Flier created by: Megan Gibbs

Although our team only secured two definite auction items, we met and talked with a lot of great sales associates. The main problem was not being able to talk to the store managers, but we made sure we left a packet and got their business cards. After each meeting, I would detail how the meeting went in the GoogleDoc so the other teams could see our progress. On Monday, Alexis and I emailed every store manager we did not speak to and sent them additional collateral.

One thing I have learned throughout this process is persistency. Alexis and I could have easily not followed-up or just dropped off our packets, but instead we asked questions and stayed in contact. It is okay to hear “no.” It’s important not to feel discouraged when you face rejection but instead, you should learn from it and move forward.

Allie Jarreau is a senior studying public relations at the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication. Check out her Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

By: Alexis Nicaud

Source: Belle Public Relations

We are now a little more than a month away from “Fashion for a Cause,” and Belle Public Relations has been working daily to produce a cohesive and organized event for Connections for Life. Just this week, we met with our client twice to establish goals, objectives, marketing tactics, budgets and a realistic timetable leading up to the show. These are just a few of the many, many tasks that are involved in the event planning stage, and it’s safe to say that it’s been a little difficult to think this far in advance. However, these are the steps that must be taken in order to ensure a fun, organized and successful fashion show.

Aside from all of the strategic planning and event coordination that’s taken place, this semester has been an educational whirlwind. In the classroom, we’ve discussed the ins and outs of what it takes to become a motivated and successful public relations professional. Our lectures have focused on the significance of building trustworthy brands, networking in our local communities, problem solving within our organizations and sticking to deadlines in order to complete any and all tasks at hand. We have also delved deeper into the undeniable importance of professionalism in the workplace, and our class welcomes the fact that our campaign project addresses the competencies that employers look for in communication professionals:

Source: http://justoff7thave.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/professionalism.jpg

Action orientation
Dealing with ambiguity
Creativity
Decision quality
Problem solving
Motivating others
Planning
Priority setting
Strategic agility/thinking ahead
Time management

Learning by observation is the best way to become skilled at any task, and Belle Public Relations can think of no better professional leader to emulate than our very own client contact and Connections for Life executive director, Karen Stagg.

From the start, Karen has been an ideal client to work with. She is a passionate, responsive and devoted administrator who contributes her all to this organization. Working side-by-side with Karen, we have seen how committed she is to this nonprofit, and it is clear that she is a dedicated and hands-on director. Because Karen has established personal relationships with many of the Connections for Life women, she has been able to provide us with some incredible insight into not only the struggles that these women face on a daily basis, but also the strides and accomplishments they make with the help from the program. With that being said, she is also more than willing to step back from her personal involvement to carefully examine and address the problems that the organization faces. She openly discusses any and all weaknesses that the nonprofit struggles with and is direct in her approaches to fix these ongoing flaws. Overall, Karen works with integrity and determination to do what is best and most beneficial for Connections for Life.

Through our one-on-one encounters with Karen, we have learned how crucial professionalism is in a real world setting. Belle Public Relations faces a unique task of working closely with Karen to integrate all of the skills we have learned in the classroom to fully represent the nonprofit to the best of our ability. Teaming up with Connections for Life and seeing the impact of our labor is what makes this service-learning course worth it in the end.

Alexis Nicaud is a senior studying public relations at LSU Manship School of Mass Communication. Connect with Alexis on Twitter or LinkedIn.