What’s happening now in New York state under Gov. Andrew Cuomo borders on miraculous. State political leaders and Cuomo have reached agreement on a $132 billion budget ahead of the April 1 deadline. It closes a $10 billion gap without increasing taxes or selling off the highways.
Are we still in New York? Nah, can’t be.
Cuomo’s messaging and public issue campaign to bring this home merit more review. There are lessons here that any business can apply. And how he did it may also tell us something about the mood all of us in business face now:
1. Cuomo started his messaging during last year’s campaign, and he stuck with it. New York needed reform. New York needed to rein in spending. New York could not continue down the “business as usual” path.
It was evident even last fall that he wanted to constrain the traditional interest groups. Meanwhile, the benefit would be a revived economy and business climate.
Here at my agency, the translation would be: Find a good, simple, compelling message. Stick with it. Talk about it all the time. Talk about it more.
2. Cuomo didn’t abandon his message when the going became rough. He said no new taxes, and meant it. He benefited some from the focus on spending and taxes in other states, true. But he never said, “Oh, gee, I’ve been wrong about tax hikes.”
Agency translation: If your guarantee says you’ll take anything back, will you really? What you say in your message and how you run your company in practice need to match. Customers will pick up on a disconnect, maybe even spread it by word of mouth, which today means Facebook or Twitter. That means you could be skewered even faster.
3. Cuomo used personal entreaties and meetings to make his case. Even in an era when politicians are on Facebook (and Cuomo is, or his people are, anyway), it’s pretty impressive for most of us to talk with a governor, senator or representative, even more so in a small-group setting.
Agency translation: Why does so much in business still get done in person? Because it works. You and your staff need to make a connection with people. If you have a chance to make the connection, do it!
Finally, I suggest the mood of voters and the mood of customers are similar today: They are demanding. They want solutions. They’re tired of products that underdeliver.
So don’t underdeliver. Try to overdeliver instead.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a leading Hudson Valley advertising and public relations agency. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 294-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
