We never want to lose a client. However, there is at least one situation in which losing a client is cause for celebration.
At Communiqué PR we focus on helping our clients leverage PR in order to achieve their business objectives. Sometimes those business objectives involve selling the company, and by successfully positioning a company for acquisition, we may ultimately lose the account. We have seen this happen over the years with a number of our client companies including SnapIn and Open Interface North America.
In November 2010, we began working with another organization focused on positioning itself for acquisition – The Shops at The Bravern. We strategically targeted our PR activities on securing results that would reinforce that objective. These activities included building local and regional awareness of The Shops at The Bravern, driving retail traffic and sales, and demonstrating momentum within the retail industry. We leveraged key events including Holidays at The Bravern, Fashion’s Night Out, and Sips & Sounds, and tapped into broad trends to help secure the results needed to reinforce the owner’s objectives.
Those efforts paid off in a big way. Earlier this year, our client Schnitzer West sold The Shops at The Bravern to Ashkenazy Acquisitions, achieving its business objectives with the property. Once again, we successfully worked ourselves out of a job.
PR success is measured in many ways. We take pride in helping our clients achieve their business objectives, even if those objectives include setting the enterprise up for acquisition. The strategies and tactics we employ are always focused on the clients’ goals – so we consider it a positive reflection of our success when our clients achieve key milestones, including a successful sale.
Thankfully, we work with a broad range of clients and not all of them are focused on acquisition!