Self Storage Stakeholders: Never Say This

December 20th, 2006

“I have never had a problem in my five years in business, and now I have to start from scratch. At this point I have no idea what I will do for security until I rebuild.”‘

Lawrence Hartpence, owner of Allstore Inc. self-storage along Route 690 in Madison Township told this to his local paper after a Nov. 19 fire destroyed the 34-unit building.

Never say anything like that to the media! It’s great that he talked to the media instead of trying to hide behind a bushel on one hand, but if you are going to tell the local community that you have no idea how you will secure the facility until the property is rebuilt, then it it’s better not to say anything at all.

The self-storage industry, as many other industries, needs to get savvy to crisis communications: what to say and what not to say in the midst of a crisis. I feel for this poor self-storage owner whose property was devastated and his customers who lost their goods and had no insurance. And I also feel for the industry because stories like this have the potential to damage the every day Joe’s perception.

It’s so important what we say to the media — and how we say it.

Click here to read the rest of the story about this unfortunate incident, and consider how you would have handled it. If you need some advice on how to handle these types of situations in the press, give me a call.

In the meantime, here’s a general rule of thumb: never say anything to a reporter that you wouldn’t want to whole world to hear. With the Internet Age, your story isn’t just local. It’s probably international. Never shed a negative light on a situation. Always find a positive. And always give the reporter the impression that you have it under control and are taking measured steps to repair any problem quickly.

Entry Filed under: Crisis Communications