BULLDOG REPORTER SEMINAR UPDATE: Due to the inclement weather throughout the U.S. the sponsor of the seminars will be holding them solely in NYC on March 24-25th. Look forward to seeing you there.

The purpose of our StevensGouldPincus' Surveys is to ultimately enhance PR firms’ performance. Our national Survey Reports provide essential information to shine light on a company’s strengths and weaknesses by comparing that firm’s statistics against industry benchmarks. Participation in SGP surveys gives you a hand in establishing those benchmarks and an even more meaningful relationship with the results revealed in the StevensGouldPincus Benchmarking Survey Reports. If you would like more information about participating in an SGP survey(s) and how it benefits you, please feel free to contact me personally by emailing rgould@stevensgouldpincus.com 

SGP will be co-sponsoring and I will be speaking at the 1 ½ day Bulldog Reporter event: The PR Agency Growth & Profit Seminar.

We have a terrific roster of speakers and value-added topics regarding profitability and marketing your services. This event is the perfect opportunity to sharpen your executive team’s focus and skills---to increase new client acquisition and improve your profit picture in 2014.

To get specifics on the topics we'll cover and speakers you'll confer with, as well as details on the $200 discount offer, plus an amazing half-day add-on session--- the PR Agency New Business Generator ---just print out the brochure , go to online details or phone 1-800-959-1059.

Bulldog Reporter's Upcoming PR University Seminar Series - PR Agency Growth and Profit - to be co-sponsored by StevensGouldPincus...

PR University describes their new four-city Executive Round table Series as an advanced boot camp to help agency principals and top executives push their firms to the next level of new business and profit.

StevensGouldPincus, a respected leader in profitability management strategies for PR agencies, is pleased to co-sponsor the series.
Rick Gould, Managing Partner at StevensGouldPincus, will also be among the key faculty members presenting the seminar in Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago and New York during February and March.

Rick is the author of two books on the subject of PR agency profitability, including "The Ultimate PR Agency Financial Management Handbook."

More than a dozen of the most seasoned and successful management consultants and entrepreneurs in the PR industry will share their profit-proven knowledge with you during this powerful event.

PR Agency Growth & Profit Seminars will be held on the following dates:

Atlanta on February 10-11
San Francisco on 24-25
Chicago on March 10-11
New York City on March 24-25

Special Half-day Add-on Boot Camps: PR Agency New Business Generator will be available in Atlanta, Chicago and New York.

Additionally, there will be a roundtable seminar on "How to Launch a Successful PR Agency", held on January 27th in San Francisco. This one is geared specifically to startup and solo practitioners only.

For more information on the series, including detailed topics and registration, CLICK HERE.

For phone information call 1-800-959-1059.

If you would like to meet with Rick personally during on of the seminar gathers, please contact him directly at rgould@stevensgouldpincus.com or phone 1-212-779-2800.

Charting the Industry – Spending on Social Media

Despite the constants drumbeat throughout PR and marketing precincts to ramp up spending on social platforms, nearly 60% of senior level PR executives said they are spending between just 1% and 5% of their overall revenue on social media, according to an exclusive study for PR News conducted by StevensGouldPincus.

            The online study, which was conducted in September and October, took the pulse of 64 senior-level PR executives.  It was an effort to gauge the appetite among both agencies and clients to boost spending levels on social platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, which have quickly moved to the top of the PR food claim.

            The big picture?  Shifting PR budgets to enhance spending on social platforms is most likely going to be a long and arduous process.

            A lot of agencies are not sophisticated with spending on social media and are still feeling their way around the space. There are some CEO’s in PR who are still looking for their comfort zone.  According to the survey, roughly 16% of the respondents said they devote between 10% and 15% of their overall revenue on social platforms while approximately 11% of the respondents said they were spending either less than 1% or more than 20% on social platforms.

            When it comes to which social channels are gathering the most spending among PR execs the distribution was fairly equitable, with Facebook grabbing the most dollars, followed by Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Lean Out

I totally related to the cover story by Sheelah Kolhatkar in Blumberg Businessweek June 3- June 9.  Sheelah praised the new generation of “Alpha Dads.” She exemplified the Toronto office of Deloitte’s Consulting Group, about their flexibility in work-life balance and the resulting increased productivity.  Leaving the office early to attend a son’s hockey game and then logging in from home office does not in any way hurt the firm.  If anything, it helps it.  The “Deloitte Dads,” the “fraternity of paternity” have received extensive media coverage as manager Jonathan Magder, 35, stated, “if I leave for the day, I’m just changing my (work) location.” The Deloitte Dads were inspired by the Deloitte mothers group, “Career Moms” which now has four chapters in Canada, promoting networking and more flexible schedules for working parents with young children.  It is a “Lean In” prototype for parenting executives, inspired by the bestselling book “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.

When my son, now 23, was growing up I missed many of his basketball, soccer & martial arts events because I was working.  That was a mistake that I will not repeat with my wonderful young daughter, Jaime, now 6.  I now make it my priority to be at every event at school & sports activities.  Seeing her evolve as an excellent swimmer has been very gratifying.

It’s all about flexibility in scheduling, efficient prioritizing and careful time management.  The IPAD, blackberry and other new media and mobile devices make it even less of a challenge.  As the Toronto based manager of Deloitte said “I’m just changing my work location.” 

How do you improve your bottom line and increase value? Embrace Benchmarking!

Wouldn’t you agree that knowing the key PR firm benchmarks by size, region & specialty would be a valuable tool in assessing your business?  Wouldn’t you agree that having the actual billing rates and utilization/productivity percents of your PR industry peers can assist you in proactively managing your firm?  Embrace benchmarking and gain these valuable keys to unlock profitability in your firm.

Our initial deadline for responses to our latest annual benchmarking survey was last Friday, March 22.  Dozens of firms requested extensions of 2-3 weeks, and we granted all of them.  Why?  Because we are told year after year by the most successful PR firms that our benchmarking results guide their profitability throughout the year. 

If you haven’t already participated, email me today to request an extension too.  We will resend you the survey. Participants are the first to get the full results.  Our survey reports help participating firms turn unprofitable businesses into profitable ones, as well as build value to the firm.

I’ve surveyed the industry about benchmarking for over 20 years. Benchmarking data can give you insight into profitable hiring, firing, rent rates, T&E expenditures, benefit offerings, operating costs and minimum monthly retainer levels.  The Revenue Per Professional metric has become the most important indicator of profitability.

Take the survey today and participate by clicking on this link.  I guarantee it will be worth your time.http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=b7faeb48cc27f1c53217e9ede&id=43cdeaff96&e=dc8c90a24a

Contact me directly with questions or comments: direct line 212-896-1909, or rgould@stevensgouldpincus.com.