They say there are no free lunches, but many think that Communication is free. Will media companies be perceived as NGOs and employees seen as volunteers who do not have to be paid for their work? Will communications advisors not have bills to pay, families to support and the right to live?
Whenever a group of businesspeople in the communications field get together, there is a set of “regrets” that are common – regardless of the sector in which they work. One of the biggest common denominators is the lack of respect and devaluation of the communicator’s work – whether by mayors, CEOs of large business groups or even professional colleagues who hire agencies.
Those who turn to media companies at any time of the day or week, those who, at the slightest crisis, demand solutions to resolve them on the spot, are those who most often discuss the budgets presented to them by media companies – as if they were not the value of the work to be provided was legitimate.
Who has never heard the famous expression: “but that can be done in a minute”? These are informed that even if it only takes a minute, it is the result of knowledge and knowing that they were acquired at great financial cost as well. And most of the time, of course, it doesn’t take a minute – which reveals enormous ignorance on the part of those requesting the work. Which could even be another reason to trust and value him more.
Unfortunately, many of those who demand low-paid work and extraordinary results are leaders who enjoy a huge salary without ever showing results or competence for the position.
It’s frustrating to have to argue how demanding the work of a communications advisor is and therefore the financial valuation is more than fair when the interlocutor doesn’t even know about his work, let alone value that of others!
Colleagues, who never?