The Similarities Between Poker and PR

One of my hobbies is poker. I have been playing the game since I was a kid. It’s fun. It’s amusing. It’s sociable. It’s also important to note that if you play well, it can help with one’s finances, ie you win more than you lose. And although I will never make it to the world series, overt the years, I have won significantly more than I have lost. Over the years, the stakes for which we play have increased and are now at the point where one needs to be careful. For me, poker is not about making big bucks – and it’s not about taking your buddy down. It’s about fun and camaraderie. I often show my hand when I am not called – that’s sportsmanship.

That said, there are many similarities between poker and public relations (my profession), that should be noted:

1. Never bitch – Ever notice those sorry people that sit on the sidelines? The wallflowers? They complain about everything. They also tend to have few (if any) friends. Every circumstance is wrong – and that’s the reason why they lost at poker – or were crucified by an angry public. If things are going against you (and they sometimes do), stop complaining. Every time you do, you look like a putz and two things happen. First you look like a sore loser and second, when things finally go your way, people won’t call you (in poker) or be interested in your achievements (in PR)

2. Play the cards you are dealt, not those you wish you had. Sounds like a no brainer, but it seldom is. It’s easy to imagine that you have that elusive straight flush, but it’s no fun looking down at your hand to discover that all you have is a miserable pair of threes. It’s no secret that they way you’d play your threes is entirely different from how you’d play the straight flush. In PR, work what you have and stop wishing for other scenarios – they seldom change

3. Show up on time – another cardinal rule of poker and PR that is often broken. If the game starts at 8:15pm, then show up at 8:15pm. In as much as it’s not cool to show up late for a client meeting, it’s not cool to show up late at poker. Why? Well, for two reasons. First, you want to feel out the flow and tempo of the game before it actually begins and second, arriving late is likely to stress you out. It’s never good to arrive stressed out at a client – and it’s never good to arrive stressed out at a poker game. You need to be relaxed to win.

4. Look around you. Poker, like PR is not all about you – it’s about your surroundings as well. In as much as you’d never issue a news release without understanding what your competitors are doing, so to do you need to look around at what’s happening with the rest of the table. Proud of your trip fives, well, what happens if a flush is on the board and you’re playing against four others, each of whom are raising … well guess what? Suddenly your trip fives are not that good.

That said, poker’s just a game and thank goodness I do not need to make a living playing it.

Pride Shows

So a few weeks ago, I decided to get my building painted (I am a part owner in an investment property – a building of 30 apartments). So, I met with several painters each of whom claimed they could do the job best for the least.

One painter stood out (literally and figuratively). About 6 foot 3 and as thin as a stick, he just looked strange, in a pleasant way. His name was Eric. I liked him. He seemed to know his trade and when we negotiated him down (I love getting a good deal), he seemed amenable – far more amenable than the other painters we had called. So we took our chances and went with Eric

He started the job when he said he would, he did what he said he would do and he finished when he said he would. (That in itself is rare these days). I was told by my partners, (far more detail oriented than me when it comes to painting), that he did an awesome job.

About halfway through the job, my partners and I (they had never met Eric before) went for a site inspection, and Eric – with much pride, walked us through the building, pointing out all that he had done and all that he was going to do.

Man – was this guy proud of the job he was doing. You could see it in the way he walked. You could see it in his animated expressions. It was clear that this was no ordinary job to Eric – it was a special job and he was so proud he had won our business.

During the walkthrough of the building, we paused and sat briefly in the building’s laundry room to discuss next steps. It was at that point that Eric finally blew me away. “Do you mind if I take off my leg – it’s kind of itchy,” he asked nonchalantly. “What? (I said to myself). With that he lifted op his pant leg and proceeded to take of his prosthetic leg (below the knee). “I lost my leg a few years ago,” he said. “In an accident.”

Now, painting a building is far more physical than say sitting at a desk or even driving a car. Painting is not easy for a guy with two legs. For a guy with one leg, it must be an order of magnitude more difficult. But for Eric, our job seemed the easiest he had ever done.

And that’s the difference. I saw it in Eric’s work and I see it in PR/ social media all the time. You see, you get the doers and the talkers. The talkers spend their time talking and the doers spend their time doing. And in most instances, there is an inverse relationship between talking and doing.

And that’s what my clients have come to appreciate about me over the years:

I don’t overtalk
I make every client feel special
I am proud of what I do
I give my clients a fair deal
I do what I say and say what I do
I start and finish when I said I would

Looking for a painter? Contact Eric at (416) 828-7469. Looking for some PR/ social media help? Call me.

Time To Get Social

It may sound mundane, but social media is more powerful than one may think, and here’s why, based on an experience I had a few minutes ago, courtesy of Peter Shankman (@petershankman). So Peter posted what he would like to do in 2011. See it on his blog at http://shankman.com/whats-next/. I commented what I would like to do … just a fast 3 line comment. See it below his posting at http://shankman.com/whats-next/


No big deal so far? Right! Pretty simple too!

I was also interested to see some of the other comments people had made as to what they wanted to accomplish in 2011. I saw Kendra Kroll’s (had never heard of her )comments beneath mine … here’s what she says she wants to do …

“I’d like to find a way to get a more ubiquitous (TV) demo for my PortaPocket line so that people will recognize its true function and not confuse it with just another ipod holder.

I’d like to get in at least 3 more major outlets for more distribution.

I’d also like to encourage more resources to truly understand the difficulty involved with launching small business and perhaps offer special reduced pricing for those of us working stiffs so we might be able to participate. ;-)

Beyond that, I’d like to be able to make people return their messages (whether e-mailed or voice) so that actual progress on issues can be made.

May all of us entrepreneurs out there be able to stay the course and have a HAPPY & PRODUCTIVE 2011!!”

Mundane? Perhaps! But interesting to me.

Then I found out her Twitter handle (took me all of 4 seconds) and then I started following her (3 seconds). She’s at @PortaPocketGal --- please follow her. And based on our interests, I am sure she’ll follow me back. This is not profound, but it sure highlights a few things I love about social media:

1. Connections are immediate

2. It’s all about being social – will either Kendra or Peter be aggravated by this posting … I don’t think soooooooooooo!

3. Peter unwittingly intro’d us – Kendra and I being two random individuals with common business interests (Kendra’s looking for PR among other things)

4. It’s interesting

5. It’s just so easy.

That’s all for today folks! I have two words to say ... "Get Social"