Already, 2022 is off to an incredible start. Our economic-development pipeline remains strong, and our team has been exceptionally busy working with partners to align resources to projects that will transform our community. Our Syracuse Surge partners and Economic Inclusion team is kicking off several training programs to connect talent to in-demand jobs. Our Racial Equity and Social Impact portfolio is leading numerous training sessions with local businesses that are ready to strengthen their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within their organizations. Likewise, our Research, Policy and Planning team is busy providing data and analytics to support these efforts, while also tracking the development of federal and state proposals, policy changes, and budgets.

Notably [recently] our Innovation and Entrepreneurship team took center stage when we welcomed U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves to The Tech Garden for a roundtable discussion as part of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC). As you’ll recall, the CenterState NY Smart Systems coalition was named a finalist in the nationwide BBBRC, and if selected as a winner, could be awarded up to $100 million to implement its strategies and projects.

The visit by these federal leaders provided us an opportunity to showcase the exciting, growing companies that are contributing to and aligned with regional efforts to develop a “smart systems” cluster. It was a truly exceptional visit that highlighted our region’s successful efforts to drive results through collaboration and targeted strategies. Our guests were impressed with our [coalition’s] vision to position Central New York as a global tech hub by expanding its semiconductor-manufacturing industry, growing its existing UAS and quantum-computing industries, and creating the potential to attract more than 5,000 new jobs and train workers to enter in-demand fields.

I’m incredibly excited to see how all of these efforts drive progress and new opportunities for Central New York. If your company’s work aligns with these efforts to advance our regional smart-systems cluster, I encourage you to reach out to CenterState CEO’s chief of staff, Ben Sio, at bsio@centerstateceo.com to learn more. Thank you for your continued engagement.        

Robert M. Simpson is president and CEO of CenterState CEO, the primary economic-development organization for Central New York. This article is drawn and edited from the “CEO Focus” email newsletter that the organization sent to members on Feb. 3.

Public relations and communications professionals are most popular during times of stress. When rhythms are off and out of synch, organizations rely on expertise to develop thoughtful messages, navigate crises, and chart clear paths forward. But, when there are lulls in turbulence, the value of public relations is often overlooked; or worse, mistakenly reduced in budgets, which sets the stage to fall behind the next time something goes wrong. 

This dance can be made much smoother when the music has been written. No matter how big or small your team may be, having a solid communications plan and strategy in place is integral to long-term success. It provides everyone with a map to follow when opportunities for your business are abundant, as well as during stressful times. With just a few minor adjustments, the organization will stay in tune. And in quieter times, this active, ongoing strategy continues to generate positive momentum. 

The most-effective communications plans set expectations through measurable metrics and if you dread long-term planning, start by thinking about what may be cyclical. Whether your organization measures time by calendar or fiscal year, chances are at least a portion of what you work on happens in semi-regular intervals. Go month-by-month and identify deadlines to help inform external communications. For example, do you hold an annual meeting, or perhaps an annual golf tournament? Think about the purpose of these events and activities. If they’re designed to promote your business, generate new customers or growth in some way, incorporate these elements into your communications plan. Including these details will inspire action that will make other aspects of planning the events run more efficiently and generate ideas that could raise your organization’s visibility through potential press coverage — in addition to numerous other benefits.

Organization goals are another layer to building a solid communications strategy. Ask yourself what your company does well, and where it might benefit from improvements. Expand the lens out to examine the industry you represent. Are there external factors that pose threats? What about anticipated obstacles to overcome? Document these elements and refer back to them once per quarter. As you make improvements and things ebb and flow, you may find that your organization’s strengths grow, or that items previously identified as threats become opportunities for success. 

And, if you have a proactive ongoing communication strategy in place as you are evaluating and adapting within your organization and your industry, you become well-positioned to serve as a thought leader in your industry, with local news media, or even national news media.

From an internal-communications perspective, there are benefits to inviting employees to be part of these conversations. Opening lines of communication by getting their thoughts on what is working well for them and what they may not like as much will provide you with valuable insight. Practically, you may also learn how they would prefer to receive information from the company and how often they’d like to hear from you. 

In the short-term, asking questions like this will help you gain trust, build morale, and foster a familial “we’re all in this together” culture among employees. In the long-term, this approach will help you establish ambassadors to amplify your company’s message(s) and mission. 

The phrase “No news is good news” might be true when you’re anticipating medical-test results, an expensive bill from the car mechanic, or the renewal fate of your favorite TV show, but when it comes to communications and public relations, this is a myth. When there is seemingly “no news” to share within your organization, this is the best time to reconnect with your communications experts.                 

Alice Maggiore is a consultant for Strategic Communications, LLC and serves as director of communications for the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. Syracuse–based Strategic Communications (www.StratComLLC.com) says it provides trusted counsel for public relations, including media strategy, media outreach, media monitoring, and analysis. 

Say goodbye to the out-of-the-blue, icy interruptions of years past. The cold call is dead.

We are entering the age of the informed call, a better way to sell over the phone. The informed call, a warmer approach to B2B lead generation, delivers a hard-core punch in a way the old model of cold calling simply doesn’t deliver. 

The informed call is a more artful and more data-driven approach to reaching out to leads. Traditional cold calls were made with only a person’s name, company name, and related industry. It was “dial and smile” and a game of numbers. Now, sales teams are equipped with much more information at their disposal. Used properly, this information can inform how to approach each lead in a more targeted and refined way.

Answering a few key questions will go a long way toward maximizing your time on the phone with each lead. Before a call, ask your marketing team questions like these: How have the people you’re speaking to interacted with your website, content, webinars, and social-media channels? Where did they spend their time? What did they download? And what were they searching for when they found you? Platforms such as HubSpot, Salesforce, and Google Analytics help fill in these blanks before every conversation is initiated. An informed call leverages this information to make the most of each lead.

Because of HubSpot’s robust CRM capabilities and its integration with other platforms, sales teams can use these tools to track the interactions of leads over time and know the precise moment when they’re ready for a call. 

This process might sound invasive. However, no one’s time is wasted when pertinent, actionable information is put to good use. Sales teams have the data they need to immediately provide value and articulate over the phone how their business can give prospects what they seek. No leads receive a call until they’re ready.

In this way, the informed call is more respectful than the cold call. Data and analytics inform where each prospect is in their buyer’s journey, revealing their needs as they move from awareness to partnership. Someone who has just discovered your company should never receive a hard sales pitch. Conversely, when someone is ready to be contacted about a purchase, you can be ready to act because you know.

For the informed-call method to work, there must be alignment between sales and marketing teams. Marketing teams need to drive toward sales goals, and sales teams must communicate their needs with marketing. This results in more qualified leads — both teams are working toward the same goal. When marketing and sales are at odds, the result is inefficiency.

For some organizations, this de-siloed approach flouts the traditional company structure. To fully integrate sales and marketing efforts, traditional organizational structures need to evolve. Individual roles and responsibilities may also need to be re-evaluated. 

Marketing can no longer be the brochure factory of an organization. It must provide audiences with compelling, relevant, and timely content that meets a need, educates, or generates a lead. Every piece of content must be trackable, and analytics reported and shared across both marketing and sales.

So, go ahead. Pick up the phone and make that sales call. But make sure you’re armed with insights supplied from marketing. A nice, warm lead awaits.             

Michael I. Brown is sales and marketing director at ddm marketing + communications. With more than 25 years in marketing, Brown has served clients across many industries, including health care, manufacturing, building and construction, and higher education.

Dear Rusty: I am 63 and my wife is exactly 4 ½ years younger than me to the day. I plan to file for Social Security when I turn 70. My earnings history is considerably higher than my wife’s. I talked with a person at the local Social Security office, and she suggested that my wife file at age 62 based on her own record then convert to her spousal benefit when I file at age 70. However, from what I can tell, if she files before her full retirement age of 67, not only will she get less money based on her own record, but she will also receive less for her spousal benefit, as well as her survivor benefit if I die before her (which is statistically likely). Is my analysis correct?

Signed: Planning Ahead

Dear Planning Ahead: Your analysis is correct regarding your wife’s spousal benefit while you are both living, but incorrect regarding her survivor benefit if you die first. Here is why. 

If your wife takes her personal Social Security (SS) retirement benefit at age 62, she will get 70 percent of what she would get if she waited until her full retirement age (FRA) of 67 to claim. That amount is permanent (except for COLA), and it is what her “spousal boost” will be added to when she takes her spouse benefit (when you claim). In the scenario you mention, in addition to your wife’s own benefit being reduced by 30 percent for claiming at age 62, since she will not yet have reached her FRA of 67 when she takes her spouse benefit from you, her “spousal boost” will be reduced as well. So, claiming at 62 not only reduces her personal benefit, but also means your wife will get less than 50 percent of your FRA benefit amount when you claim (FRA amounts are used to compute spouse benefits, regardless of the age benefits are claimed). All of which means her spousal benefit will be considerably less. 

That isn’t necessarily an unacceptable strategy unless she is working, in which case she will be subject to an earnings limit that will either reduce how much Social Security will pay her while she’s working or, if her earnings are high enough, eliminate her eligibility for any benefit until she stops working. The earnings limit changes yearly but for 2022 it will be $19,560 and if that is exceeded, SS will take away benefits equal to $1 for every $2 she is over the limit. There is no longer an earnings limit when your wife reaches her FRA, so your wife’s plans for working should be factored into her decision on when to claim. 

In any case, you should look at your overall benefit opportunity as a couple to see when your wife should claim, and life expectancy should always be factored into your thinking. If your wife expects to live a long life (and does), waiting until her FRA to claim her own SS will maximize her monthly benefit (including her spouse benefit) for the rest of her life. If her life expectancy is less optimistic, claiming earlier has much merit. Just for reference, a woman your wife’s age, statistically, will live to an average age of 87. 

Regardless of when your wife claims her own benefit or her spousal benefit while you are both living, her benefit as your widow will not be affected. What impacts her survivor benefit is her age when she claims it. If she has reached her full retirement age when she claims her widow’s benefit, she’ll get 100 percent of the benefit you were receiving when you died instead of the smaller benefit she was previously getting. If she hasn’t yet reached her FRA when she claims her widow’s benefit, then it will be actuarially reduced by a fraction of a percent for each month earlier than her FRA she claims it. Be aware too that even if your wife hasn’t reached her FRA when you die, she can choose to delay claiming her survivor benefit until it reaches maximum benefit at her FRA.        

Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4 million member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.

Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.