“Industry expertise” vs. “skillset” - A BusinessWeek Case Study

One of the most frequently asked questions that PR professionals hear is “who (what journalists) do you know in my industry?”

I’ve always found this question interesting. Why? While it is important who you know, what’s more important is what you know, how you know it, and what skills you have that are transferable.

Sound counter-intuitive? Let’s take a look at Fortune 2000 CEOs and CMOs. They cross industries all the time. Take Edward Whitacre - previously a senior exec at AT&T and now CEO of General Motors. Clearly, GM thinks he’s extremely qualified despite the fact he didn’t come out of the automotive industry. What matters is the fact that Whitacre is a seasoned business professional and CEO.

A great leader is a great leader. A great marketer is a great marketer. A great communicator is a great communicator.

At BOCA, we often take on a new client in an industry that is new to us. One example is Shipwire, a company we began working with a few months ago. Shipwire is our first client (of many, we hope) in the SMB (small/medium-sized business) world. We learned its space, uncovered key reporters, and more importantly, used our seasoned communications skills to secure them a very nice position in the Small Business section of BusinessWeek.

Coincidentally, a technology writer from the same publication wrote a feature story today on our semiconductor client, Telegent. Two different writers in two completely different industries – one within which we’ve had years of experience (semiconductor) and the other new (SMB).

What’s the point here? Knowing the right reporter is a very small piece of the bigger puzzle. Being a seasoned, strategic PR professional who understands business and relationships is how one wins the game.

Read more:

http://www.career-line.com/job-search/new-gm-ceo-comes-from-att/

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/mar2010/sb20100318_940081.htm

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-25/maxlinear-s-34-advance-signals-potential-for-telegent-s-ipo.html