For any business to survive there are several keys. First the business must offer a great product. Second, the business must effectively manage its costs to produce that product. And third the business must have great public relations and marketing services.

Even businesses with the first two of these principles covered fail miserably without great public relations and marketing services. History is filled with businesses that have failed, not because they offered a poor product or could not manage costs, but because of management public relations.

Marketing public relations goes hand in hand with a companies reputation. If a company has a bad reputation it will not likely succeed. Even companies that improve their product after an initially bad product may have already done the damage. The business may have already sealed it own fate. The bad product will always be associated with the business unless something is done.

Businesses that begin with a well designed product build a good reputation. Even if they have a product that is a dud, the public is willing to forgive, because of the earlier reputation.

This is not to say that it is impossible for a company that began with a poor product to overcome that barrier. It is saying that it will take a lot of work in the marketing public relations area.

The following ways may help a business overcome a poor reputation.

Offer samples of the best product you can produce. Diet sweeteners developed a bad reputation in the 1970s. Cyclamates had been banned as causing cancer in 1969. Saccharine had a very bitter aftertaste. In 1984, everyone got a gumball in the mail which contained a new artificial sweetener. Almost overnight the reputation of artificial sweeteners changed due to the blue packets. With the image change, aspartame became the sweetener of choice for everything from soda to dipping strawberries.

A second way to change marketing public relations is to offer a better warranty. Kia motors used this strategy to gain a large share of the market. The first Kia's sold in the United States markets were far from the best vehicles ever built. Even after Kia began to improve their vehicles but had a reputation to overcome. They began to offer the best warranty in the industry at the time, ten years or 100, 000 miles for all their vehicles. Today, they have gained a respectable share of the market.

Offer a better price. For many people, the ultimate determination of what product is bought it the price. Even if a company has had a bad reputation in the past some people will try the less expensive product. If your product has improved, then you will begin to get a following. Kia motors also used this campaign along with easy financing to win back their share of the market.

If you want to overcome your public relations & marketing problems in your businesses' past and become a great company today, you must have good public relations & marketing.