Emma Sargsyan

A good reputation takes years to build and seconds to demolish. 

A couple of years ago I was interviewing Edward Segal of Forbes for my program. The topic was crisis management. One thing that caught my attention, although I have always been mentioning that to my students and clients, was that the first thing he said was – it is not a matter of an IF, it is a matter of a WHEN. 

This means that any company and any brand inevitably will have a moment of crisis, and disregarding that fact may be a shot in the foot. 

When facing a crisis situation, it is important that the parties clearly understand and define the situation as critical. Sometimes particularly the business owners underestimate the situation, which leads to worse results. So, for businesses, it is important to understand, that crises will happen, and that also is a normal part of our lives and businesses, what is not normal is not to have adequate response when you are hit by one. 

Here are a few tips on how to avoid a crisis and what to do when you find yourself in one. 

First and foremost, be prepared and ready. This means that you have to have the plan for contingency ready at hand at all times. This also means that you need to have a PR agency or a crisis consultant handling your issue. It is important to note that not all PR agencies are specialized in handling crisis situations, even though many of them say that they are and even though crisis is considered to be a part of PR efforts. When working with the PR agency make sure that they are the ones who will be there and have the capacity to protect your reputation during a crisis.

You need a Crisis manager who is ready to protect you and your business, someone who desperately wants you to succeed. Your crisis manager has to be available all the time, no matter day or night so long as you are facing the crisis. They know the right media to contact, they have the answers, they are the ones speaking to media, preparing releases and statements, and generally, in the case if crisis your crisis manager is the guy that you – the business owner and CEO listens to.

Second important thing is to have a crisis plan already in place. You do not need to wait until a crisis strikes you to think of your next steps. Moreover, when you are ready the crisis will not be as bad. Sit down with your crisis manager or PR firm and discuss all the scenarios where a crisis may occur. This will help you not only be better prepared for a crisis, but also to understand any possible weaknesses that your business might have.

Third important thing is to make sure that you address the crisis as long as it is relevant. In today’s media I am fond of saying that any piece of news has a lifespan of 1 day. The news makes the headlines, then comes other news, fresher , more important and juicy and casts a shadow on the news of yesterday. Hence, it is very important to make sure that you address the crisis when it is hot, and avoid speaking about it when the fuss is gone. When you crisis breaks lets say on a Friday evening, waiting till Monday , when your team comes to work to prepare a statement is not a good idea. Here again, if you have a good crisis consultant they will be available with the plan in their hands before you even know it.

In the third point I mentioned about the importance of addressing a crisis. Yes, you HAVE to address any crisis, event if you think that it is a small one. And when you address it your message has to be relevant. One shoot in the foot is to think that if you do not speak – the crisis will solve itself, another shoot in the foot is to address it in a wrong manner. Sometimes, I can say it is better to not to take care of the issue, rather than make a wrong statement. 

Crisis is a matter of a WHEN, not an IF. There are a lot of techniques and strategies that experienced crisis consultants will use to make sure you get out of the situation with minimum damage. So when picking your PR team or agency, make sure you have the crisis part covered as well. A good crisis manager is not cheap, but is indeed worth the investment, considering that you have your rears of work and reputation at stake.

Stay safe!

Love,

Emma