Here at Garden Media we talk a lot about garden marketing and public relations.  We hope it helps clients, potential clients and anyone looking for a PR firm understand the science and technique behind what we do.

I recently came across this post from Henson Consulting about five qualities that make a potential firm a great fit for your lawn and garden business.

1. Kindness: Although probably not at the top of other agencies’ lists, kindness is supreme Garden Media. In a boutique agency setting, where every teammate counts, it's important that each individual represents my firm's brand well. Kindness adds integrity across the board—and it can be easily seen from how an employee handles a challenging situation to the way he or she treats others out on the town. No one can discount or criticize kindness, and it goes a long way toward showing others the value of the Golden Rule. 
2. Creativity: Some people say there are no new ideas in PR, but we wholeheartedly disagree. There are always new ways to attack the issue of moving product, launching a new program or telling a client’s story. Learn about a candidate by the way they generate ideas. You have to be a  bold thinker and brave to share ideas—good or bad. Creativity is the vital energy that powers a successful PR firm, and it's a gift that is essential for any agency’s bench.
3. Passion: There’s a saying that goes, “it’s PR, not ER.” While we can joke about the all-too-common fire drills and heart-pounding deadlines that are simply a reality of the job, your blood pressure should rise when your client's business is on the line. I try to only hire employees who care deeply about their work and their accounts, and who go to the ends necessary to complete a job with excellence—and, yes, even if that means over-servicing the client a bit if that keeps them “feeling the love.” You can find out a lot about a person you are interviewing by asking them about what they love to do outside of a work setting. You can just sit back and watch them light up and talk about what makes them tick.
4. Hustle: In the PR business, things happen fast. Today’s agencies can’t be weighed down by process and bureaucracy when the Today show is calling. Initiative, drive and hustle are essential in making things happen for your clients. "Act like you can" is a motto we subscribe to and always look for employees who take charge and understand the urgency that fuels PR. 
5. Smarts: Although a bachelor’s degree is required for most PR positions, managers should be looking not just for book smarts but for street smarts as well. There’s no substitute for a smart cookie. The way a person approaches any challenge and the solutions they employ can illustrate if a person will have the know-how to figure it out at your office. Nothing is more frustrating than when you have an employee show up at your door with a problem—and no recommendation on a solution to accompany it.

There are plenty of other worthy qualities that I’m sure might make your list (people who are fun and confident rank up there for me), but after reading these five specific traits I found that it applies to hiring a PR firm or hiring a new employee.

Bottom line is, you need to find people who love what they do and bring that excitement and energy to work every day of the week.

If this sounds like something you want in your company, then give us a call!