You lost me at “Hello”

I’m sorry if I am being a tad harsh on future would-be PR interns, but your cover letters to me can only be described this way: GAH!!

Let me run down the biggest mistake when sending me a cover memo with your resume attached: Get my last name right! I know, I know, I have too many vowels and Ls in my last name. Sorry, blame my ex. He gave it to me, along with a Tylenol 3 headache that lasted about 8 years until we divorced. But I digress. Please, if you are sending me a letter then at least get the “Ms. Rusciolelli” right. I’m easy to please, really.

When you spell my last name wrong, two things instantly happen – I don’t read the rest of your cover letter and I quickly trash your accompanying CV. No saving it, no lovely response telling you how much I loved your letter, that I have no openings right now but will keep your CV on file ... nada, niente, zilch. Why? Because when you can’t spell my name that tells me you are sloppy, hurried and careless. Three attributes that don’t go over well in our business. Do you have any idea how many emails and letters we send to media, clients, analysts, politicians, dignitaries, CEOs and VIPs every day? Well, I don’t really know the answer either, but it must be a ton for sure. One misspelled cover letter could cost us big.

So, a little advice my dear young students: when sending those well crafted cover letters to me that you agonized over writing, get my name right and you’ll get a response. Maybe not the response you want, but you will hear from me. Promise.

Oh, and by the way, if I read “To whom it may concern” (why I still get those is beyond me?) your email address instantly goes into my spam filter and I place a much needed call to your parents.

Remembering Alexander Graham Bell and the Postman …

There are two simple pleasures I enjoy in the business environment that are quickly becoming extinct.

Let’s start with my favorite: Receiving mail, the traditional way … via the mailman! I love it! Letters, notes, invitations, packages (not the direct mail kind), RFPs, thank-you notes etc. You feel extra special when you see a pile of envelopes and packages sitting in the in-basket with your name written on it. In my view, taking the time to write a letter, buy a stamp, address the envelope and drop it off in the mail requires a lot more effort than whipping off an email.

I’m very old fashioned when it comes to some aspects of mail. And please don’t get me started with electronic cards. How do you spell lazy? H T M L greeting card, that’s how! I couldn’t believe the number of electronic Christmas cards we were sent last year. Nothing to rip open, nothing to display on the mantel, no pen signatures with a personalized greeting … just a bunch of dancing reindeer and spinning snowflakes that slowed down my computer. Ugh.

And speaking of old fashioned, can we have some live conversations please? Let’s stop hiding behind email. Doesn’t anybody pick up the phone anymore? Everyone is popping up in my Outlook these days. Potential clients, suppliers, candidates, and spam … you name it, there it is. The problem is I am bombarded with so many intrusive emails that I delete in a hurry. With my spam filter on steroids, I often don’t return suspicious looking “hi there” messages. I’ve deleted countless important emails that could have easily been prevented by a phone call. I’m a strong believer in the “personal touch” approach. The PR business was built on that premise, and we need to remember the importance of reaching out and giving clients and stakeholders some TLC. When Jerry Maguire needed to resign “Cush” to save his agency, he didn’t email his dad, he got on a plane and worked the living room! A touching scene.

I think it’s vital for our business. We are raising a bunch of socially inept PR professionals at the junior level when they can’t even hold their own in a business meeting. Why? They’re too busy hiding behind their emails and “IMing” the world to even notice that there are human beings in the room. The power of persuasion and client intimacy doesn't happen over an email, it's often a face-to-face encounter or a live conversation over the phone.

Let’s all remember that while digital electronic devices may be ruling our mode of communication, there is still room for those ancient phone calls and hieroglyphic hand written notes.

Call me old fashioned … but for heaven’s sake call me!