Pollster advises business leaders

Renowned pollster Frank Luntz is a lot of things. He's an expert on focus groups and elections. He's a best-selling author. He's a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Oxford University. And he's a winner of the Washington Post's Crystal Ball award for being the country's most accurate pundit.

But there's one thing Frank Luntz is not. He's not a Las Vegan, and that's because our schools stink, he said.

Luntz came to town Thursday to discuss how businesses could improve their fortunes following Tuesday's election. In a presentation that was part pep talk, part dressing-down, part data cram session and part talk show Q&A, Luntz told about 200 attendees at a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce luncheon inside the Four Seasons that school quality is just one hurdle facing the Las Vegas business community.

Luntz, who said he almost moved here six months ago until the schools scared him straight, also talked about hostile consumer sentiments toward business. His overriding message? Economic troubles and Congress' bailout bill have angered consumers, and businesses need to carefully choose words that will help redefine how the public views them.

Members of the business community don't appreciate the power words have to shape debate, Luntz said. It's the difference between talking about estate taxes and death taxes, Luntz said, or exploring for energy versus drilling for oil. Or take transparency versus accountability: Consumers don't understand transparency, but everyone gets -- and wants -- accountability.

"Businesspeople like to speak like people who wear ties," said Luntz, author of "Words That Work: It's Not What You Say It's What People Hear."

Las Vegas has "a lot of problems in the business community," Luntz said.

The public schools top those trouble spots, Luntz said. Rather than prep kids for high-skilled jobs in a high-tech economy, schools here "train kids to park cars," he said. "You have the best customer service in the world. But I've been in your schools, and they frighten me."

The city's saving grace, said Luntz, is its citizens' ability to come together like people in no other regions can. And here's what they must join forces to grapple with: an electorate that awarded President-elect Barack Obama overwhelming shares of the vote among Hispanics, young people, first-time voters and even the independents who'd broken for Republicans in seven of the last 10 elections. The election's results mean Americans want fundamental change, Luntz said. They're especially unhappy with leaders on Wall Street and in Washington, D.C.

"People physically want to punish Lehman Brothers and AIG," he said. "How can Congress pass an $800 billion bailout bill, and then we learn executives were going on fox-hunting trips? What the hell? That casts a bad shadow over all of you."

Businesses employing fewer than 20 workers still maintain goodwill among the public, Luntz noted, but Americans want companies with more than 1,000 workers to pay a price for today's economic turmoil.

"You need to offer a positive message for Americans," he said. "You need a step-by-step, accountable plan of action for improving the day-to-day quality of life of every American and proof that you get things done."

Local business leaders also must select their words thoughtfully -- a lesson they might find useful as they maneuver a business-tax battle set to begin in February, when the Nevada Legislature convenes amid a state budget shortfall of more than $1 billion. Phrases such as "tax cuts" or "tax rates" reek of politics and bureaucracy. Instead, Luntz said, personalize how levies already affect everybody. When consumers buy coffee, they pay a sales tax. When they turn on the lights, they pay a utility tax. They shell out taxes on cable, on water, on hotel rooms, on gasoline.

"We're taxed from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to sleep," Luntz said. "Someone could have said (during the election), 'Sen. Obama, what do you not understand about that? We're working harder than ever. We're working two jobs to make ends meet. It's too much.' (Republican presidential candidate John) McCain never said that. You need to personalize everything."

When pollsters asked Americans to name the most important role of businesses, citizens gave job creation as their top answer. So companies should focus on talking about who's growing and who's hiring to help bolster optimism and confidence among consumers, Luntz said.

More than anything, though, consumers want to feel like they're in control, he said. A company that lets consumers believe they're calling the shots will enjoy more business. Companies also need to demonstrate how the goods and services they provide have value for people.

"Do things the bold way and show that you can solve the challenges consumers are facing," he said.

Luntz said he might still move to Las Vegas someday. He also said one of the two major political parties could bring their convention here in the next cycle or two, and he'd be willing to work hard to make that happen.

"I love Las Vegas," he said. "I need you guys to succeed, because you have normalized this community. And you need to be healthy for future generations. If you can make it right for your schools, this will become the No. 1 place to live, not just the No. 1 place to visit."

Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512.