Devil's PR Problem Explosion

Whilst enjoying a cheeky pint with an old friend, I heard his tale of how he got a food stall voucher.

Apparently convinced the culprit for a bout of what he called Montezuma's Revenge was a chicken burrito.

After tricky back-and-forth, he secured compensation worth double the initial outlay. Then complained further. This was not enough. Considering the duration and severity of his consequent discomfort. A second voucher was duly proffered.

He delighted in telling me how he was always "the squeaky wheel". Often focusing on making the problem bigger.

This latter steer reminded me this can also be adapted for a winning solution sell tactic. A couple of things sprang to mind. Including how I blogged on this at the start of last year.

Then I remembered a piece of book launch promo about Phil Elwood. A notorious American PR man. Infamous for sanitising some of the world's utmost unsavouries.

One example of his penchant for getting dirty came from helping Antigua.

It also includes the driver to "make the problem bigger". Here's three paragraphs [sub'n req'd];

[Phil Elwood] had been hired by the government of Antigua to undo the damage after the US government banned gambling in the island’s online casinos, wiping out a reputed $3.4 billion from the country’s economy. Nearly 4,000 people had lost their jobs and the prime minister was up for re-election.
As he came in to land, Elwood realised what they had to do. To solve a small problem, he told the Antiguan prime minister, you sometimes need to make it much, much bigger. To get America’s attention, this tiny nation needed to start a trade war with its most powerful ally. Or at least threaten to do so, through the press.
Elwood called a reporter at the Associated Press and told him that the prime minister was considering refusing to honour American intellectual property laws, putting pirated versions of films, music and computer programs for sale online at a huge discount. By doing so, he was putting a gun to America’s head and forcing them to listen.

Going for 'bigger' simply was not enough here. He explodes it.

Sometimes I see Enterprise sellers happy to merely locate a "problem". They can resolve it. Let's drill into our fix.

Yet said problem is not solely historic. If allowed to continue it will fester. Unchecked, its tentacles can have far-reaching, catastrophic even, (unintended) consequences.

Imagine how the problem can metastasise. You think things may be just about manageable today? Do they really want to be in the place in the short while where things have got totally out of control?

This is also a decent way of bringing home for prospects the folly of maintaining any status quo.

Overtaken by competition. Resource diverted from core areas. Best people leaving. Pet customers leaving. Careers in flames.

Make it bigger indeed.