When Peter Shankman was in his second job out of college, working for the New Jersey Devils, he saw a sign in the locker room at the Meadowlands Arena that read “Good isn’t good enough, when better is expected.” That always stayed with him, and he’s tried to live by that motto ever since.

What he’s realized over the years, however, is that it’s not, better service or even “good service” that’s expected by most others, but rather, bad has become the norm. Shankman|Honig was founded on the premise that purveyors of all types should be trying better all the time.

Peter is a renowned author and speaker on customer service and marketing topics. His latest book, Nice Companies Finish First: Why Cutthroat Management is over and Collaboration is In (Palgrave-MacMillan, April, 2013) has already become a best-seller. Peter is also the author of Customer Service: New Rules for a Social-Enabled World (Que/Pearson, 2010), and  Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work and Why Your Company Needs Them (Wiley and Sons 2006).

Peter is perhaps best known for founding Help A Reporter Out, (HARO) the largest free source repository for journalists in the world. HARO, a two-sided customer service marketplace, helps both journalists and marketing professionals at the same time, and was sold to Vocus, Inc. in 2010.

Since 2004, Peter has traveled the world consulting on marketing, advertising, social, customer and public relations issues. During that time, he’s seen the best and the worst of customer service, and with the rise of social media, has helped hundreds of companies, from Saudi Aramco to Disney, from Liberty Safe to Taj Hotels and Resorts improve their customer service, leading to increased revenues and decreased customer acquisition costs.

Peter is also a frequent keynote speaker at corporate summits, conferences, and tradeshows worldwide, including TEDx, South By Southwest, TBEX Europe, Affiliate Summit, BlogWorld Los Angeles and New York, The Public Relations Society of America, CTIA, CES, Mobile Marketing Asia, and the DMA, as well as dozens of private corporate events each year.

Peter sits on the advisory boards of several companies, including DailyWorth, ScotteVest and Namely, and is honored to hold a seat on the NASA Civilian Advisory Council.  Peter lives in New York City’s Times Square, being bossed around by tourists, a beautiful wife, a beautiful daughter, and a not-very-bright cat.