Interesting feedback

I talked recently with my brother, an executive at a major software company, and he had this to say about journalists and interviews:

1) Decent journalists nearly always get their interviews. Why? Because no one questions executives, particularly corner-office types. Whether they like it or not, high-power execs tend to get surrounded by yes-men and yes-women. Often, a journalist is the only one who can challenge their ideas. This, on the whole, is a good thing, he says. How do you get an interview? If your reputation preceeds you, often a phone call directly to the boss is enough. This is why developing a beat is important; people in the industries you cover should already know you, and Latin Trade.

2) Repeatedly getting the run-around, press flacks and lots of bureaucracy? Unless you're reporting from Mexico, where bureaucracy is pretty much business-as-usual, the reason why might startle you: The company doesn't trust you. This is because either a) they don't know you and/or your publication very well or b) more likely, you've written some dumb stuff in the past, and although they might want exposure, they fear you'll get it wrong.

So, what can you do? Short of simply being an ace reporter (always a good thing), you might try to convince your potential source in advance of your seriousness. The reputation of the magazine will get you something, but closing the deal means being serious, getting it straight and demonstrating that their information will arrive accurately and completely to our pages. Media is reality, folks, and no one is more cognizant of that these days than big companies. Play the game their way -- clear objectives, responsibility, professionalism -- and doors will open.