Over the past 15 years or so, I've interviewed literally hundreds of people seeking fame and fortune (well, maybe just fame!) in the world of public relations. I've also had the privilege of working with hundreds more practitioners, from fresh graduates to "old hands" with decades of experience under their belts.

I've often been asked, "what does it take to become a good PR consultant?" After years of deliberation, I've crystallised the necessary skills into five key attributes. And let me give you a clue from the outset … "I enjoy meeting people" is not one of them! (It never ceases to amaze me how many people still cling to the stereotypical view of the PR consultant as a "party animal" whose professional expertise is limited to knowing the best restaurants and telling a chablis from a chardonnay …).

So, in no particular order, here are my five keys to success in the PR consulting business.

Strategic Analysis and Advice
"Strategy" is probably the most misused word in the PR lexicon. That's because too many people in our business, on both the client and agency sides, haven't much clue about what it really means.

In my book, being "strategic" means the ability to take a client's issue or objective (which could be anything from profiling a new CEO to managing a product recall crisis); analysing it to get to the crux of the issue; then developing a plan that logically and clearly builds a communications platform to take the client forward.

Sounds simple, huh? You'd be surprised at how many PR people struggle at this. I believe it's because strategic planning requires a healthy dose of "left-brain" thinking – whereas many of those who find themselves attracted to PR and other marketing disciplines in the first place are probably more creatively inclined and thus "right-brain" dominant.

Please don't get me wrong: creativity, and the ability to excite a client with innovative ideas that will raise the profile of their brand or product, must always be an essential part of the value offering from any PR agency. But it's important to ensure that good creative ideas are balanced by a sound strategic foundation.

Written and Verbal Communication Skills
The ability to write well is a vital requirement of our craft. Put simply, most clients expect a PR consultant to draft a press release, speech, or feature article better and quicker than they can do it themselves – otherwise, why would they bother hiring you if they could do it themselves just as well?

Sadly, a few too many people coming into our industry these days aren't strong writers. It's one reason why people with a solid writing background – such as journalists – are often in keen demand.

Good verbal communication skills are also important – not only when having to front up for the ubiquitous pitch presentation, but also to counsel clients on how to present that perfectly-written speech of yours!

Effective Media Relations
Modern PR has been dressed up in all sorts of fancy-terms: "reputation management" … "perception management" … "stakeholder outreach" … the list goes on. But for even the most sophisticated client, getting "good ink" is seen as a key test of the value of any PR agency. And for the less-sophisticated client, often it's all that matters!

Working effectively with the news media is not just about knowing the journalist - it's about knowing how they think, and how they assess what makes for a good story. You can then package up your client's information in the most appealing way to maximize its news potential.

For obvious reasons, former journalists often excel at the media relations game. But only if they can manage to "jump the fence" and modify their newshound instincts to work in the client's best interests.

Disciplined Project Management
The devil, as they say, is in the detail. A brilliantly-conceived event to launch a new product can turn into the classic "PR disaster" through a few hiccups in the planning and implementation. A good PR consultant will ensure that rigorous attention is paid to every aspect of the project plan to ensure nothing is left to chance. A bit like strategic planning, this also usually requires "left-brain" thinking and a well-organized, disciplined approach.

Client Relationship Management
Some wisecrack once said that the PR business would be easy if it wasn't for the clients. Like every other service industry, the ability to work well with clients —good ones, not-so-good ones, and downright bad ones—is highly prized. The best relationship managers work out how to do just that: "manage" the relationship, so the client is happy with what they are getting, while the consultant gets what they need (which is usually a robust and growing account, with increasing fees!). Get the relationship wrong and, well, let's just say that in my experience, 90% of client terminations involve relationship issues. The best technical work won't save you if the client doesn't like you!

Multiplying that one client by four, five or even more times—and making each of these clients continually feel like they are number one—is probably the greatest challenge for any PR consultant. Many find it just too hard, which is why many a good PR practitioner might struggle in an agency but do much better in a corporate in-house role.

So there you have it, the keys to consultancy success. How would you rate yourself against these five attributes? Don't despair if you fall short of the mark on a couple of them; it is very rare indeed to find the perfect all-rounder in our business. But work to improve yourself, as they say, "accentuate the positives, eliminate the negatives!"

As featured in Marketing (Singapore).

Meet the Team: Public Affairs Team, Weber Shandwick in Japan

The Tokyo public affairs team. Lead by account director, Mr. Toshiya Takata, the Japan public affairs team is made up of consultants from various industry practice groups—such as healthcare, technology, and global communications—that have expertise in government relations and public affairs. It is a loose constellation of colleagues, rather than a rigidly structured team. “Nevertheless, when working on a new business pitch or a critical account, we come together and cooperate flawlessly,” said Robert Magyar, a senior consultant and member of the public affairs team in Tokyo. The Tokyo office of Weber Shandwick was originally set up in 1959 as an agency focusing on government relations and public affairs. Since then, public affairs practice has remained an important component for Weber Shandwick in Japan and the agency is a well-recognised player in the field. Weber Shandwick's president in Japan, Takeo Nishitani, is respected as one of the most influential people in public affairs in Japan today. Major clients of the public affairs team in Japan generally come from the telecommunications, healthcare, energy, and information technology industries. We try to stick to the saying, "never say never"... A recent challenge the team faced was when one of their biggest clients requested to meet with the Chief Cabinet Secretary of the Japanese Government. This was with very little notice and at a very busy political time of the year. The team’s job was to make the meeting happen. “Our team tries to stick to the saying ‘never say never,’ but admittedly we had our doubts about the possible success of their outreach effort,” said Robert. “With Nishitani-san's help, we were able to secure and organise the meeting which was, of course, to the greatest satisfaction of the client.” When asked about the team’s greatest achievement, the public affairs practice agreed that so far, it has been the result of their extensive work for Japan's leading IT company in connection with its negotiations with the United States government. When their client was one of the main focuses of the US-Japan trade dispute in the 1980s, the team started a constant lobbying campaign through outside agencies in Washington D.C., as well as on their own in Japan. The campaign was long and arduous, but constant efforts paid off. By providing the right information to key lawmakers and government officials, and by advising the client on how to improve the image of its misrepresented business practices, the public affairs team managed to support the Japanese side in attaining a government-led settlement in the late 1990s. For more information on the public affairs team in Japan, contact Toshiya Takata: takata@webershandwick.com

Meet the Team: Axis Agency in the United States

The Axis team. The ABSOLUT® APEACH launch has been one of the most successful launches in Absolut’s history. By 2007, people of colour will represent one in three Americans. African Americans, Hispanics and Asians are increasing in population seven times as fast as the general market, and have a spending power that has doubled in the past decade and is now more than $1 trillion. The award winning, Axis Agency is one of the nation's leading multicultural marketing agencies and a part of Weber Shandwick. Axis creates marketing programs across a variety of media that reflect the culture, language and lifestyle of multicultural consumers. The agency works to bridge the gap between the general market and the Hispanic, African American and Asian American communities with a unique approach combining strategy, creativity and diversity. It specialises in the areas of strategic planning, public relations, marketing communications, promotions and visual communications. The agency has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Chicago and Dallas. For more information about The Axis Agency, contact president, Armando Azarloza aazarloza@theaxisagency.com

Meet the Team: Healthcare Team, Weber Shandwick in London

Picnic time! The London healthcare team takes some well deserved time-out to relax and catch-up. London is one of the most vibrant, cosmopolitan cities in the world, and the Weber Shandwick healthcare team matches the city in both drive and enthusiasm. The ever growing healthcare department has tripled over the past two years, bringing in business at a phenomenal rate. The London office is the hub of the European healthcare practice and something new and exciting is always going on. The London team's new business achievements are a testament to their skills and dedication, they pitched for a total of 37 pieces of new business last year. Fifteen of these were delivered by the healthcare department alone and they won 87 percent of these! Work aside, the healthcare team is a young, buzzy department very much in favour of ensuring that their work-life balance is kept in check. The "Overtime Police" enforce a strict food and drink policy, ensuring that anyone working late has access to a good takeaway and keys to the drinks cupboard. The social calendar is always busy: recent highlights have included a somewhat competitive pub quiz, a ‘Picnic in the Park' and a Thames disco cruise. Participation in outrageous games is compulsory - much to the dismay of the deputy managing director Lucie Harper who recently found herself re-enacting "that" scene from When Harry met Sally opposite one of our new directors! It's a really exciting time for the team; 2005 was a great year and 2006 looks set to be even better. To find out more about the team, contact Danielle Nathan: dnathan@webershandwick.com

John Russell on his Segway.

Next time you're in Beijing and you spot a western male on what looks like a hybrid of a Vespa and a unicycle, it could be Weber Shandwick's own Asia Pacific executive vice president, John Russell. The somewhat strange looking machine is a Segway Human Transporter, a superbly engineered, environmentally friendly, people-mover which runs on electricity and will transport a single person from A to B in quirky style.

When John is not zipping around Beijing on his Segway, he is busy overseeing Weber Shandwick's Asia Pacific corporate and public affairs practice. Prior to joining the Beijing office in January, John worked at Weber Shandwick's office in Brussels, which is where John discovered the Segway Human Transporter. Segway, made by a Boston based company, was one of John's clients. John became so convinced that this machine was such a clever moving solution, he bought himself the cross-country version and has never looked back.

John liked his Segway so much that he took it with him to conquer the roads of Beijing. Driving the Segway in the busy capital has turned out to be a match made in heaven.

John drives his Segway the two to three mile journey from his home to work everyway. At a maximum of 15km (9miles) per hour, this little machine sure has some grunt. John's cross-country Segway can easily navigate hills and bumpy roads. "I usually use bike lanes though," said John.

Considering the vast amount of both human and car traffic that John has to dodge in the crowded streets of Beijing, the Segway is an ideal choice. Parking is never a problem; John just brings his Segway into the lift and parks it in the Weber Shandwick boardroom (when there aren't visiting clients!)

John also drives his Segway to nearby client meetings. Asked how clients react, John commented, "The Segway is a great icebreaker with clients…No one else in Beijing has one."

You can order your shiny new Segway online at www.segway.com. There are currently no Segway enthusiast groups in China but Orient predicts that John may start a trend across Asia…

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