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Public relations firm adds value to
membership By
Bob Kenney
Regions Coordinator As those who read the last issue of the magazine may recall, ASSIST hired in December The Texas Consulting Group Inc., based in Dallas, to provide public relations, public affairs, marketing, and business communications assistance and consulting for our association and its members. Since that time, TCG principals Tina Peyton and John Weekley have been hard at work writing articles for the magazine, meeting with ASSIST groups, attending legislative conferences in Austin, and meeting with Walt Roberts and myself � and Dallas officials � on Verified Response.
To their credit, on April 2, the Dallas Police Department recommended to the City Council that it continue the policy of Verified Response. And, keeping VR working in Dallas is important to the rest of the efforts going on statewide to institute verification of alarms in order to recapture and redirect critical police resources by having security firms initially respond to unattended automatic alarm signals � almost all of which are false alarms.
Our PR firm also engaged in ASSIST�s Legislative Day which, by all reports, was a great success. Because they work with a variety of legislators and lobbyists, they were able to help provide background on some issues and meet with Walt Roberts, Keith Oakley, and others discussing legislative strategies that included state as well as hometown interests.
TCG has also been designing and conducting media relations and public presentation seminars for ASSIST, and is working with Dave Scepanski to put on a special seminar at our October State Convention in El Paso.
While some of their initial time has been dedicated to VR-related topics, they have also been working with the PR Walt Roberts and me putting together various communications plans and strategies for ASSIST, including a membership survey to be conducted later this year, individual regional seminars on local media relations, and working with us to put together protocols for Verified Response as well as a First Responders Kit for dealing with the Media when an event occurs.
As Tina Peyton points out, �Much of the work of a PR firm is listening, getting to know your clients and their needs, and prioritizing and organizing the tasks that
need to be accomplished into a plan of action. It�s not an overnight process, but it�s a steady and ongoing process that builds layers for a foundation of success.�
Once an organization has invested money � and more importantly time � into improving and energizing the way it communicates with the public and the news media, it�s worth engaging in the strategic planning process to set objectives and measure results while doing the job. As the saying goes, �If you don�t know where you�re going, any road will take you there��, she adds.
Tina spent a number of years working with the Dallas Blue Foundation which raises money and provides assistance for the families of fallen Dallas police officers killed in the line of duty, and offers scholarships for their children. �One of the really enjoyable aspects of working with ASSIST and its members is meeting business people with the same kind of dedication and sense of public service we see with our fine police officers,� she says. �In a post 9/11 world, the concepts of �security� have taken on entirely elevated and very personal meanings,
and we believe an important part of our job is telling anyone who will listen why security professionals in Texas are more than equal to those challenges.�
TCG is busy positioning the association and our profession, raising the public perception of the security profession from the general notion of �guard services� to one more appreciative of the professionalism. They are performing a variety of studies and surveys on behalf of our profession that not only will give us a better picture of how our profession is seen by the public and sees itself, but also gives TCG a better roadmap for several other projects that will be forthcoming. These research projects will, as well, give them the information to use in preparing better marketing strategies for ASSIST member companies.
This is an exciting time for our association and the members it serves. We continue to raise the bar in our profession and with the help of TCG, will be able to get that message out.
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