Content provided in partnership with

Business Services Industry

The spin doctor

Los Angeles Business Journal, June 30, 1997 by Dan Turner

<< Page 1 Continued from page 1. Previous | Next

Q: You have a reputation for being very good, but very expensive. How do you prove to clients that you're worth the $350 an hour, or whatever you charge?

A: Well, it's actually more than that. But I'll tell you, expensive is relative. I know of a company that went into Chapter 11 because the CEO said the wrong thing to a Wall Street Journal reporter. If I had had a 15-minute conversation with him beforehand to advise him on what to say, what is that worth? Is it worth $125 or $150 or whatever it comes to? You bet it is.

Q: Well, it's not too often that a 15-minute conversation prevents a company from going into bankruptcy.

Most Popular Articles in Business: Research and Markets : Tesco Plc - SWOT Framework Analysis; Do Us a Flavor - Ben & Jerry's Issues a Call for Euphoric New Flavors; eBay made easy: ready to start an eBay business? These 5 simple steps will ...; Katrina's lawsuit surge: a legal battle to force insurers to pay for flood ...; Wal-Mart's newest distribution center opened last month near the southwest ...; More »

A: No, but it's that expertise that you're buying. The other thing is, our rates are competitive with the one or two comparable firms there are that do the kind of things we do. Fortunately, the only other firms that do it are in New York, but our rates are actually less than our major competitor.

Q: It seems that your role is a lot like that of a defense attorney, with maybe one difference: The defense attorney doesn't want to know if his client is really guilty, but yon have to know.

A: If we ever find that a client has lied to us, we resign the client. We work very much like a lawyer; we first investigate the facts, do due diligence, gather the information, put it together in a form where we can present it in a persuasive way, and if we're successful we win by having the article or the constituents react the way we want them to.

Q: But there must be times when yon investigate a client and find that they genuinely did something unethical or immoral or illegal. Have you ever had moral qualms about being the paid advocate for those people?

A: Well, no, because we wouldn't take the client unless they would take corrective actions. We've had cases that are controversial and once in a while someone feels uncomfortable working with them, so I say, "Fine, you don't have to."

Q: So you just assign someone else to the client?

A: Sure. But most of the time, companies that do something wrong say, "What do we have to do to fix it?" So a lot of times you can right a wrong. The best public relations is doing good, you're fixing things. I know that sounds a little corny. I don't want people to think I'm a nice guy, that would destroy my image, but I really do think it's true.

Michael Sitrick

Company: Sitrick & Co.

Born: June 8, 1947

Education: University of Maryland, B.S. business administration and journalism, 1969.

Hobbies: Cars, photography

Career turning point: Changing careers from a reporter with a Baltimore radio and television station to public relations

Personal: Married, three daughters

Business Services Industry

The spin doctor

Los Angeles Business Journal, June 30, 1997 by Dan Turner

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Home & Garden

Most Popular Articles in Business

Most Popular Publications in Business