Latest / The Mobilization Mindset / Episode 157 | How Construction Companies Win Through Better Storytelling with Britni Ackrivo

Transcript

Episode 157 | How Construction Companies Win Through Better Storytelling with Britni Ackrivo · The Mobilization Mindset

0:00
SPEAKER_00: But I think that you also have to now sort of change your mindset that uh you know, you you also need to be out there, and that sort of takes a lot of uh commercial real estate companies outside of their comfort stuff to be well.
0:16
SPEAKER_02: You know what the greatest piece of advice I ever got from a mental mind was He said and we're in a group of heat said.
0:24
SPEAKER_02: There's always a story being told by you.
0:26
SPEAKER_02: The question is whether you want to participate in how it's shaped or not.
0:37
SPEAKER_02: Welcome everybody to the next episode of the Mobilization Mindset.
0:41
SPEAKER_02: My name is Scott Pieper, CEO and founder, and today we're gonna be talking about construction in a little bit of a different way.
0:47
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna talk about PR construction, we're talking about construction in general, where the industry's trending.
0:53
SPEAKER_02: And today I have a great guest with me.
0:55
SPEAKER_02: Her name is Britney Accravo.
0:57
SPEAKER_02: She is the executive vice president at Gregory and the host of our own podcast, Plotlines Podcast.
1:04
SPEAKER_02: Brittany, welcome.
1:05
SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Scott, for having me.
1:07
SPEAKER_00: Glad to be here.
1:08
SPEAKER_02: Of course.
1:08
SPEAKER_02: And you can find both Brittany and I on our LinkedIn.
1:12
SPEAKER_02: You can find our YouTube channel.
1:13
SPEAKER_02: You'll be able to see this on the YouTube channel at Mobilization Funding and also mobilizationfunding.com.
1:18
SPEAKER_02: So if you're listening, you can see this in the video on there too.
1:22
SPEAKER_02: Brittany, where can you people find you?
1:24
SPEAKER_02: Do you I know you have a great uh podcast site that I saw?
1:27
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
1:28
SPEAKER_00: I'm on LinkedIn as well, Scott.
1:30
SPEAKER_00: Very active there.
1:31
SPEAKER_00: Um, also GregoryAgency.com slash plotlines.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: Um, that's where my podcast can be found.
1:39
SPEAKER_00: That's our landing page, but it's also on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify.
1:44
SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
1:45
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
1:46
SPEAKER_02: Well, let's get into it.
1:47
SPEAKER_02: Tell us a little bit about what it what tell us about you and and the podcast and and what Gregory is.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: Sure.
1:54
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
1:54
SPEAKER_00: So I, as you mentioned, I'm an executive vice president at Gregory.
1:58
SPEAKER_00: We are a full service communications agency headquartered outside of Philadelphia, but we also have offices in Boston, New York, and London.
2:07
SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm outside of our Philadelphia office uh here today.
2:11
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I've been with the agency for about 12 years leading our real estate division.
2:17
SPEAKER_00: So everything residential and commercial real estate, uh, you name it, I have helped pretty much everyone in all facets of real estate over the last decade or more with any number of communications issues, whether it's challenges, getting a project over the finish line or getting a commercial building leased up or um simply just boosting thought leadership for CEOs and C-suite executives in the real estate space.
2:46
SPEAKER_00: Um as you mentioned, I also have a podcast called Plot Lines uh that we've been recording for about two years now.
2:54
SPEAKER_00: And the premise of the podcast is all about dissecting headlines in the real estate space.
2:59
SPEAKER_00: So um, being in the communications world that I'm in, of course, we do a lot of pitching and conversing with media.
3:07
SPEAKER_00: Um, really wanted to give guests a platform where they can sort of comfortably and conversationally um weigh in on the headlines that are happening in the real estate space.
3:19
SPEAKER_00: So guests come on, they uh sort of debunk what the headlines are saying or they confirm it from their point of view.
3:26
SPEAKER_00: So it's been really fun.
3:28
SPEAKER_00: And then I give guests the opportunity at the end to write their own headlines.
3:32
SPEAKER_00: So what they would want to see out there about office mixed use um data centers.
3:38
SPEAKER_00: That's a big, big topic lately.
3:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, and so yeah, I I've been enjoying it and it's um fun to sort of be a guest as opposed to a host today.
3:48
SPEAKER_02: I love it.
3:49
unknown: Yeah.
3:49
SPEAKER_02: So tell me, what do you think is happening in the construction industry?
3:52
SPEAKER_02: Our audience is primarily commercial construction contractors.
3:56
SPEAKER_02: Let in a perfect world, being able to hear this podcast from other folks who like yourself or me who talk to lots of different contractors, hearing about what trends they think are coming, ways they should be positioning themselves to be successful, whether they're commercial subcontractors in all trades in all geographies.
4:16
SPEAKER_02: What are some of the biggest items you think if if you and I were running a commercial construction trade contractor group, what would we want to be paying attention to right now?
4:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, good question.
4:28
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think that a couple things.
4:31
SPEAKER_00: I think AI for sure is a hot button, right?
4:35
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we talk a lot about it in our industry.
4:37
SPEAKER_00: I think that historically real estate and construction have been slow to adapt to new technologies.
4:44
SPEAKER_00: But the reality is that um, you know, people are now not necessarily going to Google to find their next deal or their next project, or, you know, future tenants trying to find where they're landing um, you know, for their next project.
4:59
SPEAKER_00: They're turning to Chat GPT and Claude and Gemini and all these different AI search platforms.
5:07
SPEAKER_00: So something that we've been really focused on and that we've been talking to clients and prospects about is that you now visibility is no longer like a nice to have, it's a must-have, right?
5:19
SPEAKER_00: In order to be showing up on these platforms, um, you need to be out there.
5:24
SPEAKER_00: You need to be found in these search results before your competitors are.
5:28
SPEAKER_00: Um, and in order to do that, I mean, again, you you need to be out there.
5:33
SPEAKER_00: You need to be cited by your trade, your construction, your real estate, your commercial real estate media points.
5:41
SPEAKER_00: Um, you yourself need to be seen as a thought leader.
5:45
SPEAKER_00: I love LinkedIn.
5:46
SPEAKER_00: We can talk more about that, but it's a huge, huge platform that also um brings a lot of traffic back to the AI search platforms.
5:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, and you know, I know you have some questions in here about like, well, what's what happens if you don't, if you're not out there and you're not visible?
6:04
SPEAKER_00: Well, other people are gonna do that for you, right?
6:07
SPEAKER_00: So I think that traditionally um contractors especially have sort of operated on a mindset that the work speaks speaks for itself, right?
6:16
SPEAKER_00: And that's still very true.
6:18
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think that you also have to now sort of change your mindset that um, you know, you you also need to be out there.
6:28
SPEAKER_00: And that sort of takes a lot of um commercial real estate companies outside of their comfort zone, if you will.
6:35
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
6:35
SPEAKER_02: You know, one of the greatest pieces of advice I ever got from a mentor of mine was he said, and we were in a group, but he said, Look, Scott, there's always a story being told about you.
6:46
SPEAKER_02: The question is whether you want to participate in how it's shaped or not.
6:50
SPEAKER_02: And once he said that, I I really it resonated and I said, Man, that's like I got to get over the fears of like sharing or talking or putting my face on a camera or typing a LinkedIn post.
7:01
SPEAKER_02: Uh-huh.
7:02
SPEAKER_02: And you know, some of the generations now are much more familiar with that as part of their growing up.
7:07
SPEAKER_02: But for me, that wasn't around in the 80s and 90s when I was growing up, you know?
7:12
SPEAKER_02: And it wasn't even around in the early 2000s either.
7:14
SPEAKER_01: So yeah.
7:16
SPEAKER_02: I guess my question to you is how do you how do you feel?
7:21
SPEAKER_02: Do one, do you feel a lot of construction companies are just neglecting that?
7:24
SPEAKER_01: Uh-huh.
7:25
SPEAKER_02: And and do you think they're starting to see the re the benefits of it and making changes?
7:30
SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think unfortunately a lot are neglecting it until they realize they have to have it, right?
7:35
SPEAKER_00: So something happens with um community backlash or a project gets stalled or whatever it may be, right?
7:43
SPEAKER_00: And that's typically when they're calling firms like myself wanting, wanting help, right?
7:48
SPEAKER_00: Um, but the reality is those that are investing early and those that are planning early are going to be the best setup for success, you know.
7:56
SPEAKER_00: Um, I think also I see, you know, and a a lot of a lot of companies are guilty of doing this, but they talk about sort of what they do and not about why it matters, right?
8:08
SPEAKER_00: So it's easy to talk about um there's this fantastic project coming, but how does that impact the people who are going to live, work, and play at this project or the surrounding community, right?
8:22
SPEAKER_00: What are the benefits?
8:24
SPEAKER_00: And so I think it's telling a broader story than sort of a just brush stroke of of what's coming to be able to control the narrative before other people create that narrative for you.
8:38
SPEAKER_00: And that is what happens, right?
8:41
SPEAKER_00: Because now there's social platforms galore, right?
8:45
SPEAKER_00: And and people who have a negative perception are the loudest on all of these platforms.
8:49
SPEAKER_00: It's just how it works.
8:51
SPEAKER_00: Um, again, there's AI search platforms popping up as we talked about.
8:56
SPEAKER_00: So now people have more options to search than ever before.
9:01
SPEAKER_00: Um, and the reality is that, you know, the more you have sort of that third-party validation, whether that's the media painting a picture for you or a community advocate coming forward, or a great CEO who's who's you know, built thought leadership and a platform for for themselves to put a face to the name.
9:23
SPEAKER_00: Um, again, you're you're leaving, you're leaving too much on the table for others to um create for you.
9:31
SPEAKER_00: And nine times out of 10, it's not going to go the way you want it to do, want it to go versus if you controlled the narrative from the jump.
9:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
9:40
SPEAKER_02: You know, thinking about that too, I think about project managers and the stage and career and age groups of different positions typically.
9:49
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
9:50
SPEAKER_02: You know, and one of the one of the larger general contractors said to me, he said, Scott, Elon, look, here's a great reason why subcontractors need to be on LinkedIn or posting pictures and videos.
10:00
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, well, what is that?
10:01
SPEAKER_02: He goes, My average project manager is between 32 and 38 years old.
10:06
SPEAKER_02: They grew up with these platforms.
10:08
SPEAKER_02: The first thing they do when we have a new project and we need new trades is they go right to the social platforms and they see who's posting and what they can see.
10:18
SPEAKER_02: It's their habit.
10:18
SPEAKER_02: And they bring these people to me with these videos and pictures and images, and it looks amazing.
10:22
SPEAKER_02: He goes, So the people a lot of times we end up looking at are the ones who have told their own story.
10:28
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
10:29
SPEAKER_02: And I thought that was really interesting.
10:30
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, do you find that same comment to resonate too in what you see and be true?
10:35
SPEAKER_02: Have you heard that before?
10:37
SPEAKER_00: Uh, just that they're gonna be more successful if they're out there.
10:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, where even J GCs are looking at like these platforms that way.
10:44
SPEAKER_02: Is that very common?
10:46
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
10:47
SPEAKER_00: I think that again, I I I think LinkedIn gets completely underestimated, right?
10:53
SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's so easy.
10:55
SPEAKER_00: So for anyone listening who's just thinking to themselves, how would I even get started, right?
11:00
SPEAKER_00: I don't have resources to do all of this.
11:03
SPEAKER_00: It's such an easy platform, right?
11:05
SPEAKER_00: Um, real estate construction is a people platform.
11:10
SPEAKER_00: Go to LinkedIn, right?
11:12
SPEAKER_00: Connect with the people that you're conversating with every day.
11:16
SPEAKER_00: Um, but yes, I mean, it's so easy now to, you know, share thoughts on projects, to demonstrate thought leadership about what's happening in the industry through your LinkedIn platform.
11:28
SPEAKER_00: It's free, it's there.
11:30
SPEAKER_00: You can even be promotional in a way that you can't be on some of these third-party sites.
11:35
SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I mean, I I hear that all the time.
11:37
SPEAKER_00: People are going to these platforms, right?
11:40
SPEAKER_00: To either recruit talent, to again find prospective tenants or brokers or investors, um, or to, you know, uh sign their next deal.
11:51
SPEAKER_00: I mean, yes, absolutely.
11:53
SPEAKER_00: I think you have to be there.
11:54
SPEAKER_00: And that's what I alluded to earlier.
11:56
SPEAKER_00: It's no longer like a nice to have, it's it's a must-have because if you're not there, somebody, you know, your competitor is gonna be found.
12:05
SPEAKER_02: You know, what are so let's say you have a cut construction company, they're willing to do it, they're able to do it, they just don't know what to do, or they start.
12:14
SPEAKER_02: What are some of the biggest mistakes you see them making?
12:18
SPEAKER_00: Um, specifically on social media or any communications.
12:22
SPEAKER_02: Okay, I would say any and all.
12:24
SPEAKER_02: They all go together.
12:25
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
12:26
SPEAKER_00: I think the biggest mistakes I see happen is that um companies try to speak to all of their stakeholders the same way, right?
12:34
SPEAKER_00: So they use the same message and think that it's just gonna stick with everybody.
12:39
SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's just not the case, right?
12:41
SPEAKER_00: Um, the way you speak to, you know, current tenants, future tenants, the community, uh partners within your project, the messaging has to look different, right?
12:53
SPEAKER_00: Maybe the fundamentals of it are the same, right?
12:55
SPEAKER_00: So I always say to clients, well, what are the three things, right?
13:00
SPEAKER_00: The magic number of three that you want everyone to know about your project?
13:03
SPEAKER_00: Is it creating jobs?
13:05
SPEAKER_00: Is it generating tax dollars, revenue?
13:08
SPEAKER_00: Is it, you know, changing a blighted piece of land that was an eyesore, whatever it may be, what are like your three main points?
13:16
SPEAKER_00: But then you need to drill down a little bit further beyond that.
13:19
SPEAKER_00: So once you've mapped out all those different audiences that are important to the project, how do how does that message sort of, how does the positioning change a bit for each of them, right?
13:30
SPEAKER_00: So um the community member who's worried about increased traffic and noise and whatever it may be, how are you gonna speak to them about those benefits versus I don't know, someone who's just concerned about the environmental impact of a project, right?
13:48
SPEAKER_00: So I think the biggest mistake is that I see people create like blanket messaging and statements that they think are gonna resonate with everyone.
13:57
SPEAKER_00: And it just simply isn't the case.
13:59
SPEAKER_00: You need to sort of drill down into each of those audiences, understand what's important to them, and then how are you gonna reach them, right?
14:07
SPEAKER_00: Because the way you're gonna reach a certain stakeholder is gonna vary who they are, their demographic, what matters to them.
14:17
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think I think that's the biggest mistake.
14:20
SPEAKER_00: And then I would also say, I just think, especially in construction, people overlook all of the amazing project milestones along the way, right?
14:29
SPEAKER_00: So a lot of people will call and say, we have an opening coming coming.
14:33
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, but but did you announce a groundbreak, a topping off, uh leasing office is new open?
14:39
SPEAKER_00: Like, what momentum have you built along the way so that that foundation is there to celebrate the big opening?
14:46
SPEAKER_00: So I find that people just kind of go in invisible in between those milestones.
14:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, when in reality, there's there's so many ways to build momentum along the project journey, which, you know, as you know, I mean, it could be years for certain commercial projects.
15:03
SPEAKER_00: So you really need to like you need to keep the ante up, you know, um, and storytelling along the way is how you're gonna do that.
15:11
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
15:11
SPEAKER_02: So when you think about a contractor sharing like success stories, particularly, let's think about like a trade contractor on a bigger project.
15:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
15:20
SPEAKER_02: What are the best things you suggest they could do as a trade contractor on a much bigger project to showcase their work on that job?
15:29
SPEAKER_02: Again, it might be if they're a site contractor, all they you know, there's no building yet on it, right?
15:34
SPEAKER_02: But if you're a concrete contractor, you just see this raw shell.
15:37
SPEAKER_02: If you're the interior, electrical or HVAC, depending on what phase it's in, it still might look like an undone construction project.
15:45
SPEAKER_02: But how do you how do you recommend to them to showcase their work and at what phases in their cycle?
15:52
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, it's a really good question because there's so many pieces to the puzzle, right?
15:56
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think um definitely, like we talked about social media tracking progress along the way, lots of visuals, right?
16:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean, and also I think people are sometimes surprised that niche media outlets actually love that kind of like progression story on those types of things, right?
16:15
SPEAKER_00: So you want to capture that every step along the way.
16:18
SPEAKER_00: Um, I also think people just overlook a very traditional marketing tactic, which is case studies, right?
16:26
SPEAKER_00: Like I just don't see a lot of people do them or do them well anymore.
16:31
SPEAKER_00: But um, those are the moments to talk about the before, the in-between, the after, the impact you made.
16:37
SPEAKER_00: Um, and you know, I often, I mean, we represent all different parties within any given project.
16:44
SPEAKER_00: And I think the most successful, though, is when you bring all of those people together, right?
16:50
SPEAKER_00: And if you can sort of tell that mega impact story of how everyone involved brought something different to the table and what the end result was, that's how you're gonna package the best, most impactful story, especially for say local media or or a trade.
17:06
SPEAKER_00: Um, but at the individual level, you wanna you wanna be tracking your progress along the way and you want to have some numbers and you know, strong results at the end to be able to tout, you know.
17:19
SPEAKER_00: Um but don't let the the big project owner, the developer, whoever it may be, sort of push you out of the story.
17:25
SPEAKER_00: I see that a lot too.
17:26
SPEAKER_00: You know, you're a part of it and you wanna be, you want to be um part of that end result.
17:33
SPEAKER_02: You know what's funny is I see so many project owners kind of do PR, but they also do it in ways that don't work.
17:41
SPEAKER_02: Like you said, they'll they'll do it in spots, like only at the beginning or only at the end, or only when it's important to them.
17:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
17:47
SPEAKER_02: Um I've seen some really good trade contractors though lead the story and almost drag everyone else along with them.
17:54
SPEAKER_02: And and it and that can be really impactful.
17:56
SPEAKER_02: I think the point you just made there is really key.
17:57
SPEAKER_02: Like be part of that story.
17:59
SPEAKER_02: And depending on where you are, you could even lead it.
18:03
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
18:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
18:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I uh again, if you don't, if you don't do it, someone else is gonna do it for you, or you're gonna miss, right?
18:11
SPEAKER_00: If you do have a very aggressive project owner who's taking the lead on that, they're you know, um, I see a lot of people get left out, right?
18:19
SPEAKER_00: Not because they want to be, but because they don't feel empowered to say, well, here's how we can help and here's what we can bring to the table.
18:26
SPEAKER_00: And again, from my perspective, if I can go to a reporter and say, I can offer you the angles of everyone involved in this project, right?
18:37
SPEAKER_00: And and how they brought, you know, this end result to fruition, it's a much stronger story anyway.
18:44
SPEAKER_00: So it it's to everyone's benefit to have everyone at the table.
18:50
SPEAKER_02: So let me ask you this question.
18:52
SPEAKER_02: So think about it from your your position at Gregory.
18:56
SPEAKER_02: What does a perfect client look like for you guys?
18:59
SPEAKER_02: And what I mean by that is not like your customer avatar that you're seeking out, but what I mean is the ones that come to you want help.
19:07
SPEAKER_02: What do they do?
19:08
SPEAKER_02: How do they deliver information for you?
19:10
SPEAKER_02: How do they help you do your job the best?
19:13
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love that question.
19:15
SPEAKER_00: Um, well, for projects like this, as I've mentioned, oftentimes we're getting a call late in the construction progress.
19:24
SPEAKER_00: So my favorite and most impactful client is calling me like they have not put a shovel into the ground yet.
19:32
SPEAKER_00: Maybe they're just starting to formulate plans for a project because then we have total control and can be a complete partner from start to finish, right?
19:41
SPEAKER_00: So um, before you've even taken your plans to a community or township meeting, we can help that client plan and get ahead of any potential backlash narratives, um, things like that.
19:55
SPEAKER_00: But on top of that, I think the best clients are those that are, again, willing to step outside their comfort zone a little bit, willing to put themselves out there.
20:04
SPEAKER_00: So, I mean, I always say everyone we work with is sitting on a wealth of information, right?
20:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm not boots on the ground.
20:12
SPEAKER_00: I know the industry well.
20:13
SPEAKER_00: I, you know, I've worked in it for a lot of years and I I run a podcast with fantastic guests, but you all know what's happening better than anyone else, right?
20:23
SPEAKER_00: So I need you to participate.
20:26
SPEAKER_00: I need you to share what you're seeing.
20:28
SPEAKER_00: Um, and sometimes that's putting your neck out a little bit, and maybe it's commenting on something that could be a little controversial or um, dare I say political, right?
20:38
SPEAKER_00: But sometimes it goes there.
20:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, but those are the those are the best clients that are willing to engage, willing to participate, willing to take us along the journey, right?
20:49
SPEAKER_00: We always say we want to be an extension of your team, not an outsourced partner, right?
20:54
SPEAKER_00: And so to do that, I want to be at those meetings with you.
20:57
SPEAKER_00: I want to help you prepare your talking points, I want to help you identify advocates for the project in the community.
21:05
SPEAKER_00: Um, so that when we get there, that grand opening, and those are my favorite projects, and what's kept me in real estate is there's been many over the years.
21:14
SPEAKER_00: I've been there since the beginning to the opening.
21:18
SPEAKER_00: Um but but knowing that I can have a part every step of the way, um, you know, that's gonna be the most successful.
21:27
SPEAKER_00: But, you know, you again, you have to have a client that's willing to bring you in um and take you there and um, you know, put it all out there, right?
21:37
SPEAKER_00: So that we can we could tell the best story and convey it um in the most appropriate and impactful way possible.
21:46
SPEAKER_02: I love that.
21:47
SPEAKER_02: And so you mentioned like personal branding with the company branding.
21:51
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you can touch a little bit on why something like that is important or not important at all.
21:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, I think it's I think it's extremely important, right?
22:00
SPEAKER_00: I think nowadays, again, I'm going to go back to the community again.
22:06
SPEAKER_00: Like people want to know who's behind projects.
22:10
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that sounds silly, right?
22:12
SPEAKER_00: But, you know, oftentimes we work with developers, for example, who have never developed in Philadelphia before.
22:20
SPEAKER_00: They're coming out out of state or out of market, right?
22:23
SPEAKER_00: And people want to know who you are and, you know, um what your vision is for the project, how you intend to give back to the community.
22:32
SPEAKER_00: You know, it's more these days than just, again, putting up a sign, starting a building, and just hoping for the best.
22:40
SPEAKER_00: So I think that the personal brand is just as important as the company brand and the branding of the project.
22:47
SPEAKER_00: So if it's not the CEO, right?
22:50
SPEAKER_00: If it's a, you know, GM or whoever it is involved in the project, that's fine.
22:55
SPEAKER_00: But I think, you know, having that LinkedIn presence, showing up at community meetings when they matter, um, you know, identifying those groups in the community that are going to help you move the project forward.
23:08
SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, I mean, I think there's so many easy ways to do it.
23:12
SPEAKER_00: Again, with social media, with your local media outlets, with your local chamber of commerces, or, you know, whatever it may be.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: There's just so many ways now to get involved.
23:24
SPEAKER_00: Um that I feel like, you know, there's no excuse not to.
23:28
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
23:29
SPEAKER_02: So I have two other questions for you.
23:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
23:32
SPEAKER_02: One one's a comment.
23:33
SPEAKER_02: I think people, it's still true, it's been true forever.
23:37
SPEAKER_02: Uh, people buy and choose to work with people they know, like, and trust.
23:41
SPEAKER_02: And I think what you're pointing out is ways to do that behind the scenes and also in a very massive way that doesn't involve a one-to-one relationship, that you don't even realize how much opportunity it's going to give you or could give you.
23:55
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
23:55
SPEAKER_02: The other side of it, I think it's a self-selection on for folks that don't want to work with you either.
24:02
SPEAKER_02: And so you nobody has to waste their time.
24:06
SPEAKER_02: Which leads me to my question is how genuine should people actually be, in your opinion, when they are out there being in public?
24:16
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I say genuine, I'm talking about who they really are, what their real beliefs are.
24:21
SPEAKER_02: You mentioned politics, you mentioned controversial.
24:24
SPEAKER_02: Where is the line to where you should get to and the line maybe where you should stop?
24:30
SPEAKER_00: Hmm.
24:31
SPEAKER_00: It's a really good question.
24:33
SPEAKER_00: Listen, anything you put out there is out there, right?
24:37
SPEAKER_00: You can't take you can't take it back.
24:40
SPEAKER_00: So who you are as a person on your personal Facebook page, right?
24:47
SPEAKER_00: Um, can be found and can be translated into who you are as a professional leading a company and leading a project.
24:56
SPEAKER_00: So I am, we are very careful to make sure that our clients understand that, right?
25:05
SPEAKER_00: If you're gonna, if you're gonna put it out there and you have strong beliefs, and that is who you are, and you stand by that, and those beliefs also translate into who you are as a company, because sometimes they do, right?
25:16
SPEAKER_00: Um I'm okay with it as long as yes, you're being your full authentic self and you stand behind what you're putting out there.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: I think when things get fuzzy is when that personal um demeanor doesn't match what the company's putting out, right?
25:34
SPEAKER_00: And we've had many instances of that over the years where we get these calls, right?
25:40
SPEAKER_00: Like CEO does X, Y, Z, but the company stands for something completely different.
25:46
SPEAKER_00: So I think there has to be a marriage there, right?
25:50
SPEAKER_00: I mean, especially when you're at the C suite ex C-suite level, um, that who you are does does in some way need to match who you are um at the company level.
26:02
SPEAKER_00: Hopefully that answers your question.
26:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's a tricky one, but I think they're sort of one in the same in a lot of ways.
26:11
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, if I were to if I were to distill that down, I think what I heard you say is these are my words, but make sure they're in alignment.
26:19
SPEAKER_02: If you are who you are, be who you are, but also don't just be who you are on Facebook and then say something different if you're gonna be the company CEO or even doesn't matter what position you are.
26:30
SPEAKER_02: If you're if you ask the same question and you're willing to put it on Facebook and you ask the same question, give the same exact answer.
26:36
SPEAKER_02: Like that's it.
26:37
SPEAKER_02: Bottom line.
26:40
SPEAKER_02: And then the line is wherever, wherever it is at that point, I guess.
26:43
SPEAKER_00: As long as you're I mean, again, you you cannot take things back, right?
26:47
SPEAKER_00: Um we're just in a much different world now, right?
26:52
SPEAKER_00: I mean, with everything, everything can be captured on video, on photo, whatever it may be.
26:57
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, and the reality is that contractors, and again, we talked about, you know, people being in the community.
27:05
SPEAKER_00: I mean, these are people who are out there.
27:08
SPEAKER_00: So any conversations you're having, or again, anything that you're standing behind or or investing your time in, um, just know that it it can be, I don't want to say, used against you.
27:21
SPEAKER_00: That sounds really bad, but like, you know, um it's it's out there and it's accessible and people can find it and people can refer to it, you know.
27:30
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I think you do have to be mindful of that.
27:34
SPEAKER_02: So I have one other question for you.
27:36
SPEAKER_02: No.
27:37
SPEAKER_00: You're good.
27:38
SPEAKER_02: I had a um, I've had someone tell me before, and a strong mentor of mine, it's something I've kind of adopted, but I wonder if you think this is true.
27:47
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
27:49
SPEAKER_02: He says 50% of the people in this world are dispositioned not to really like you anyway.
27:56
SPEAKER_02: And the other half the people are dispositioned probably to like you.
28:00
unknown: Okay.
28:00
SPEAKER_02: Where the problem is when you get into social or PR is you try to make everybody happy.
28:05
SPEAKER_02: And if you just go with the fact and realize, like, it doesn't matter what you do, what you say, the half the people that aren't really gonna dig who you are anyway, it doesn't matter.
28:14
SPEAKER_02: They're just gonna find a reason not to.
28:16
SPEAKER_02: The rest of those folks, though, they have an opportunity to really love you and get behind you.
28:21
SPEAKER_02: And the only way they'll be able to do that is if you're genuine.
28:25
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
28:25
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
28:26
SPEAKER_02: Do you subscribe to that thought process?
28:28
SPEAKER_00: I do, I do, right?
28:30
SPEAKER_00: We oftentimes, again, it's the people who are the least happy or whatever it may be who are the loudest on these platforms, right?
28:40
SPEAKER_00: And I have clients ask us this day in and day out.
28:43
SPEAKER_00: Well, shouldn't we respond or shouldn't we go back or whatever it may be?
28:47
SPEAKER_00: Um, I agree wholeheartedly, you're better off investing your time and your resources and your efforts into those that you you can sway, persuade, change.
28:58
SPEAKER_00: And it goes back to what I said earlier about not treating every audience the same, right?
29:03
SPEAKER_00: Hone in on those that you feel like you can turn into an advocate or um a proponent of the project.
29:11
SPEAKER_00: You don't want to lose sight of the naysayers, but um, that's not where all of your energy needs to be spent.
29:17
SPEAKER_00: Because if you can turn that other 50% around, right?
29:20
SPEAKER_00: That's better than 100% not being on your side.
29:24
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, big believer in that.
29:28
SPEAKER_00: You cannot make everyone happy.
29:30
SPEAKER_00: Um, right.
29:31
SPEAKER_00: I mean, every everything you do in communications in some ways comes with some risk, right?
29:37
SPEAKER_00: Because it might make one audience happy.
29:39
SPEAKER_00: They might love the message, resonate with it.
29:42
SPEAKER_00: And then unintentionally, you could be isolating another, right?
29:47
SPEAKER_00: So um, yes, focus on focus on those audiences that you can change and that you can bring to the table.
29:55
SPEAKER_00: And I think you'll be the most successful.
29:58
SPEAKER_00: So, yes, I agree with your the advice from your mentor.
30:01
SPEAKER_00: That's very good advice.
30:02
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I think it's be be kind to everybody, but I think when you're in if if you're a construction contractor or company and you're trying to think, how do I do all this?
30:11
SPEAKER_02: That is what helped me the most to realize that half folks are just aren't gonna dig what I'm saying anyway.
30:16
SPEAKER_02: And it's okay.
30:17
SPEAKER_02: Like that goes for anything and everything.
30:19
SPEAKER_00: Anything in life, yeah.
30:21
SPEAKER_02: Big it's a big planet.
30:22
SPEAKER_02: But for the folks to that will, if you're not your genuine self, they're just gonna feel like something's off.
30:28
SPEAKER_02: And it and straddling that line and trying to please everybody, nobody likes.
30:33
SPEAKER_02: So I think it was it was really good and helpful.
30:36
SPEAKER_02: And I I tell that story, and I asked you because I for the folks that are out there listening thinking, how do I go about doing this?
30:41
SPEAKER_02: What do I gonna say?
30:42
SPEAKER_02: What am I gonna be?
30:43
SPEAKER_02: How do I make I don't want to make someone mad?
30:44
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna make this person mad, and maybe they're gonna say some people are in your own family, we're gonna love what you're saying, and not yeah.
30:51
SPEAKER_02: It it it brought great peace to it, and then you just let it rip and be who you are.
30:55
SPEAKER_02: Say what you'd say in a normal private conversation, and you'll find a lot more success, I think.
31:02
SPEAKER_02: I think so, yeah, particularly with social and PR.
31:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, I think it would be pretty intimidating for everyone to go into this thinking they can win everyone over overnight.
31:12
SPEAKER_00: It's just not gonna happen, right?
31:14
SPEAKER_00: Smoke it, focus on the small wins.
31:18
SPEAKER_02: So our podcast is called Mobilization Mindset.
31:22
SPEAKER_02: What is one thing from a mindset perspective that you would love people to take from the conversation we've had today?
31:32
SPEAKER_00: I think I think the the that it is a mindset change, right?
31:36
SPEAKER_00: That communications is no longer a line item.
31:40
SPEAKER_00: It needs to be part of your DNA um as a company, as an individual, as a project, um, and treat it as part of the infrastructure, right?
31:52
SPEAKER_00: Like you, like you would do anything else.
31:54
SPEAKER_00: Um, I just think in 2026, we have to.
31:59
SPEAKER_00: It's here, it's not going anywhere.
32:01
SPEAKER_00: Um, and so, you know, take control of your own narrative.
32:05
SPEAKER_00: Like we said, focus on where you can win people and uh, you know, opinions and all of that.
32:13
SPEAKER_00: Um and yeah, I mean, the people who start early are gonna be the most successful.
32:18
SPEAKER_00: So invest now uh versus later.
32:21
SPEAKER_00: Again, it's a lot harder when you know something goes the way you didn't expect it to to try and go back than it is to plan now for you know what could come come down the road.
32:33
SPEAKER_00: So um, yeah, I think it it is a shift in mindset to make it a priority now.
32:39
SPEAKER_02: I love it.
32:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
32:41
SPEAKER_02: Well, Brittany, thank you so much for coming on.
32:43
SPEAKER_02: I appreciate all the insight and wisdom you're able to offer every all of us.
32:48
SPEAKER_02: And check out Britney's podcast, of course, and also her company.
32:53
SPEAKER_02: And if you like what she said, I'm sure you can find her on LinkedIn very easy.
32:56
SPEAKER_02: You can find her show, her company, and her LinkedIn all on our show notes, too, and on our website.
33:03
SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Scott.
33:04
SPEAKER_00: Appreciate it.
33:04
SPEAKER_02: You're welcome.
33:05
SPEAKER_02: Until next time, everybody, have a great week and may God bless you.