"So," continued Melinda on the phone, "would it be fair to say that it's over?"

"I think so," responded Beth, "But I want you to know that I really appreciate the fact you've been so diligent in getting back to me the past month."

"This may sound like a dumb thing to ask, but I just want to be clear …" she waited for a response.

"Go ahead, it probably isn't dumb."

"You and I are not going to do any business, correct?"

"Not now," said Beth, "but in the future we will definitely consider you again."

"Understand. Can I ask you one more dumb question?"

"Sure."

"Knowing that we aren't going to do business, why did you ever consider us?"

Melinda planned on waiting for a response however long it took, It took a good 15 seconds.

"Well, I don't think I ever told you why I called to begin with … you were recommended by John Tate over at Carrier Corporation. He couldn't say enough about you."

"That's interesting; I'll have to thank him. But now there's a problem … maybe you could suggest how I deal with it."

"What's that?"

"Well this is kind of embarrassing for me … I'm going to call John, thank him, and then he's probably going to ask me what happened. What do I tell him?"

Another 15 seconds of silence ensued. "Well, it seemed that we needed better terms with your company than you could give; I don't suppose you could help us out with that."

"By better terms, you mean …"

"Well, on the large orders like we talked about, if somehow we could have …"

The Result

Melinda turned this "no" decision into a situation where the prospect is reconsidering. In addition, she learned that the payment plan had to be more flexible. Whether this prospect can be accommodated is something Melinda's company will have to decide. Melinda turned a "no" into a "Let's work on it."

The Reason

Why do many salespeople bail out when a prospect says that the sale is not going to happen? One reason is that many salespeople expect, before the call is even made, that the prospect will end it. "I call any 10 prospects and nine of them are a waste of time. Nine times out of 10 I lose." So they gear themselves up to not succeed. They expect not to succeed. It's now a lot easier, when the call is headed toward "no interest," to give up. They know what the prospect is going to say, and they know what they are going to say. Both are following the "no interest" script. Both are comfortable in their respective roles.

Is there any reason why salespeople should act out their role in the script that leads them to give up? Why can't a salesperson rewrite the script?. Because it's easier to give up than try something different? Because that's what the prospect expects you to do and who are you to disappoint the prospect?

None of these reasons seem valid, especially if the salesperson wants to go to the bank. Who should make the decision to end it? The prospect or the salesperson? If you let the prospect make it, you bail out, and worst of all, you know that. If you make the decision to end it, you leave without any doubts in your mind. That's a much healthier mental attitude to go away with.

The Approach

If the prospect figures that the pressure for her to make a buying decision is over, just about any question you ask her at that point will be answered. Once she makes that "no" decision, she's relieved. Once you seem to accept the "no" decision, she's even more relieved, "Thank God that's over with."

Yes, it may be over. No matter what you do now, you won't make the sale. But you need to try one last time so that the "end it" decision is yours. "Why did you ever conside us?" you ask.

As you saw in the story, the prospect began reciting all of the reasons why she should be doing business with the salesperson. Isn't that what you want?

The Conclusion

You have nothing to lose by asking a prospect, who has told you "No, thanks," to give you one more chance to get back in and do business. To find out more, you can check out How To Make Your Customers Reconsider You.

Do you sometimes hear yourself say 'yes' to a project when you know should really be saying 'no'? Do you sometimes feel that you are drowning in work and stress, yet feel fearful and hesitant to speak to your managers about it? Have you ever been in a group of confident people and struggled to express your views, as you doubted the merit of your contribution?

If you do, you are not alone. Recent studies show that organisational leaders who come across as low or high in assertiveness tend to be seen as less effective. Leaders in the middle may have an "optimal" level of assertiveness, but the majority of leaders are on the extremes. The research suggests that being seen as under- or over-assertive may be the most common weakness among espiring leaders.

Studies reveal that at an organisational level, possessing the optimum level of assertiveness is evaluated as a key trait of effective leaders – be they middle managers or top level executives. Leaders who come across as low or high in assertiveness tend to be seen as less effective, according to a study that came out in the February 2007 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA). These leaders are unable to motivate their teams in achieving the company goals and sustaining their competitive edge – a particularly dangerous impact during a tougher economic climate.

In their article "Making Yourself Indispensable" of the October 2011 issue of Harvard Business Review, J.Zenger, J.Folkman and S.Edinger state that assertiveness is among the behaviours that when paired with honesty and integrity correlate most strongly with the high levels of overall leadership effectiveness. If a highly principled leader learned to be more assertive, he might be more likely to speak up and act with the courage of his convictions.

Behaving assertively gives many advantages, such as:

• You are honest with yourself and others in a respectful way – thus establishing a foundation for truthful and reliable communication.
• You are able to give and receive constructive criticism.
• You build strong relationships with colleagues and superiors at work as you are straightforward, honest in your communication and also respectful of their needs, wants and rights.
• You perform better at work and have higher prospects for career growth.

What is Assertiveness?

Assertiveness means getting or asking for what you want while showing respect for the other person. When you are assertive, you ask for what you want but you don't necessarily get it, and you accept that.

There is often confusion between assertiveness and aggressiveness. These are very different. Assertiveness is based on balance: you are forthright about what you want and need and still considering the rights, needs and wants of others. Aggressive behaviour is based on winning. You do what is in your own best interest without regard for the rights, needs and feelings or others.

Do assertive people ever feel anxious about expressing their needs and wishes?

Of course they do, but they still act and take responsibility for the outcome. Rather than focusing on how much fear and anxiety they feel, they deal with other people and situations despite their fears or worries.

Here are 8 simple ways to become more assertive at work:

1. Set the intention to be an assertive person.

Choose somebody that you admire for their assertive behaviour, observe and learn from them.

2. Develop a belief system, which allows you to assert yourself.

This means to give yourself permission to be angry, to say "No," to ask for help, and to make mistakes.

3. Communicate your feedback using the following formula:

a. Summarise the other person's beheviour.

b. Let the other person know how you feel about it, using the "I feel" statement (instead of "you make me feel…" or "you are…". This is especially useful for expressing negative feelings. The "l" language helps you focus your anger constructively and be clear about your own feelings.

c. Make a request on how the other person can specifically change that behaviour. For example, a co-worker keeps coming late to meetings. You respond by saying, "When you arrive late for our meetings (part 1), I feel frustrated because I feel unrespected for my time, and I have to disrupt my daily task plan with allocated times (part 2). Please come on time for our meetings so I, and you, can proceed effectively with our day (part 3). Remember to state facts, feelings, and requirements.

4. Communicate with calmness and clarity.

Don't call names or accuse the other person of anything. This preserves the dignity of all involved.

5. Use language that is direct but respectful.

If you were blatantly accused of neglecting your company's interests, your response could be: "When did you begin feeling that I don't care about the company?" Or, "Joe, that is an aggressive statement."

6. Ensure you are allowed to complete your thoughts.

If there are attempts for interruptions, you may say "Just a moment, I haven't finished yet."

7. Listen and let people know you have heard what they said by paraphrasing and repeating their statements.

Ask questions for clarification.

8. Maintain direct eye contact, keep your posture open and relaxed, be sure your facial expression agrees with the message, and keep a level, well-modulated tone of voice.

If necessary, practice what you have to say in the mirror or with a friend or family member until you feel comfortable. Build up your assertiveness muscle gradually. Every new skill takes time. Few people like confrontation, but it's important to stand up for yourself and it will become easier the more you do it. Celebrate and reward yourself each time you've pushed yourself to be assertive.

In conclusion, there are many pay offs from being assertive. It means getting your priorities right, negotiating with other people rather than arguing. It allows you to be authentic and true to yourself knowing who you are and what you believe in. It leads to a more empowered life with bigger prospects for personal and professional growth. To find out more, you can check out How To Become More Assertive At Work.

It's no secret that the power of advertising has waned drastically over the years. But why is it that advertising still work well for some brands, and why are there brands that don't require much advertising to sell well?

Both questions have the same answer – these brands have built such a strong credibility with their target consumers that it takes little convincing for consumers to do business with them. But this did not happen by chance. The brands had taken a concerted effort in marketing their credibility on top of marketing their products and services.

However, when we look into our marketing plans, rarely do we find a clear strategy on how we are going to market our credibility. Most business owners leave this to chance, hoping that the quality of their products will speak for the brand's credibility. In today's highly cluttered market place, this is going to take a long time to happen, if it ever does happen.

Business owners and marketers need to accept the fact that the consumers of today are savvy and connected across geographical and chronological boundaries, thanks to social media. Most people will check up on what others have to say about a brand before committing to a purchase. If you are thinking of being in business for the long haul, you cannot afford to just market your products/services – you also need to plan on marketing your credibility.

A good credibility marketing plan should cover four essential domains. They are:

1. Having a personality
2. Becoming a maven
3. Engaging consumers
4. Getting publicity

Having a Personality

Today it is not a question of 'What is your business?' anymore. Quality and innovation are expected. The question that needs to be asked is, 'Who is your business?'

If people like to do business with people they like, so it should be with brands too. Too many businesses offering high quality products/services never really get noticed by consumers because they suffer from 'zero personality'. They want to please everyone. So by not having a clear personality they hope that more people will like them. But as the adage in sales goes, if you sell to everyone, you sell to no one.

In a world where nothing is really new anymore, it is your distinctive personality that lets you stand apart from your competitors. Take Abercrombie & Fitch for example. Despite the uproar over its larger than life sexy advertisement and their selective hiring of hot bods and good looking people, they choose to turn a deaf ear to criticism. And they should! After all, their brand symbolises youth and rebellion. They know who they are and they are not afraid to be themselves. Wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch is telling everyone that you are sexy and rebellious. Who cares what others say? And never mind if you are not really all that sexy and rebellious in reality.

Even by being nice to everyone you can't please everyone, so get off the middle ground and start thinking of your business as a person. Will it be a male or female? What are some of the values that he or she adheres to? What are some issues he or she stands for? How will he or she communicate and what would be his or her style of communication? Who will he or she hang out with (i.e., your target consumers)? Will your target consumers relate to him or her?

If you are considering whether it's worth the effort, remember the classic battle of mp3 players between Creative (technologically advanced) and Apple (big on personality). We all know who won in the end.

Becoming a Maven

In an age of information overload, people are looking towards aggregated content to make meaning out of the avalanche of data out there and thereby making their life a little easier. Help them and they will like you for it.

Think – what kind of information can I give to my consumers that will get them thanking me for education them? Focus on a niche topic within your industry. Organise the information into bite sized chunks and give it away. Help your customers solve their problems with your information. Do that in a consistent and committed manner and consumers will gravitate towards you.

This might be obvious for consultancies, but what about the B2C businesses? If you are selling beauty products, you can share information on skin care. Paula's Choice, a skin care brand from the USA, built a strong brand without ever having to advertise. They simply educated their consumers constantly. If you service air conditioners, you can talk about the importance of clean air, educate on airborne sickness, etc.

No matter what you sell, your brand can be a maven of your industry. If you believe this, you will find information to share.

Engaging Consumers

Let's face it, there is no better way to engage consumers directly and consistently than social media. Much has been said on this topic, but business owners and marketers seem to want everything done right the first time with social media. You need to accept the fact that it is a dynamic medium, in a constant state of flux. So don't spend too much time pondering and planning. Who knows, a well thought out plan might not work at all. Get your plan into action, and ride the wave. And like a surfer, adjust as you go along. Keep in mind that without a distinctive personality, social media efforts can lack focus, direction, intention and style – all the factors that attracts your consumers online.

On the other hand, don't get so caught with social media that you forget the good old fashion ways of engaging consumers. Reach out to your community – plan an event, start a cause, help a charity. All these add character to your brand and make it more likable.

Getting (Consistent) Publicity

No business grew because it was good and humble. I would like to think that all business owners want favourable media coverage for their brand. Having journalists feature your products or services or even yourself in the media is one of the best endorsements you can get for your brand.

Unfortunately many business owners who want publicity tend to have a very narrow focus. They want exclusive features of their products, services and business. Anything else is just not good enough. But there are only so many times the media will want to talk about your brand per se. And let's face it, there is also only a finite way you can angle your products and services before the media gets bored with your brand. Yet you need to create a consistent presence in the media to build your visibility and credibility. How do you get there?

Look beyond product and profits. Leverage on your distinctive brand personality and community engagement activities to get media to take notice of you. Have fun, create publicity stunts if you have to. But at all times stay true to your personality.

There is a reason why every product launched by Apple gets sensational response from consumers unparalleled in the consumer IT space. There is a reason why everybody seems to love Starbucks, even if they don't like its coffee. Kids love McDonald's not because they sell the best tasting burger.

It's the credibility that these brands built over the years that kept their customers coming back for more. Wouldn't you want to be in that position? To find out more, you can check out Four Domains of Credibility Marketing?

Writing articles for online newsletters, blogs and websites can be a low cost, effective and powerful way of marketing via the Internet.

Writing for the Web, however, is quite different from writing for other formats. For example readers tend to scan texts more. Often one search can uncover a number of relevant or not relevant articles instantly. The reader must then sift through and find the appropriate ones quickly, offering little time to actually read your article unless it passes the initial scan.

Determining keywords is a critical step in writing articles online for effective marketing strategy. If your twitter posts, articles, blog, eZine, or website do not contain related keywords, surfers will be unable to find your articles when they conduct searches.

To create visibility you will need to locate terms that are popular and relevant to your target market. The optimal terms in an article should be terms that a potential customer would use when searching for an article.

In order to achieve success your article should be optimised with terms and phrases that are descriptive, related to your content, and which receive a significant amount of searches. These need to be relevant, popular but unique to your business.

Credibility is about positioning your business compared to competitors and turning your unique expertise into searchable articles.

If you want to make the most of the opportunities the Intemet provides, here are 12 tips on writing articles for the net that are essential for effective Internet marketing:

1. Turn your knowledge into articles

Take your unique experiences and ideas as an expert in your field and turn them into at least 10 articles. Brainstorm 10 different topics you could confidently speak or write about based on your hard won knowledge. These topics may not be related but will give you a better idea on areas you are confident on writing on.

2. Start with an informal outline of the main points

The hardest thing about writing articles for the net is getting started! Use a blank piece of paper and a mindmap to work out key themes and points. Add details later. Sometimes several articles will come from one brainstorm as you identify linking themes or different angles to take on a subject.

3. Research websites

Look for websites or e-newsletters that are content hungry and will publish articles by others. Target sites matching your target audience and tailor your article to suit that audience.

4. Clarify the logistics

Contact the editor and clarify the length, style and how much promotional material you can use in your articles. Length will vary from 200 to 2,000 words, with between 400 and 800 words being most common. Often the editor will erase any information from your articles, promotional or otherwise, if it does not fall within the boundaries of the site, It is best to know your limits to avoid having articles taken apart by another party or not posted on the site at all.

5. Keep it short, keep it simple and keep it active

Remember people don't read computer screens they scan them. Keep your writing style simple and active. Use an active rather than passive writing style. This all starts with the subject line. When a recipient or scanner sees your subject line, you will have their attention for about two seconds, Make every second count. After the heading use short sentences and bullet points to keep concepts simple.

6. Use a Dictaphone or voice recognition software

If you are really busy, use a Dictaphone or other technology to get your thoughts down. I have found this a great way to get articles written during those times you are traditionally not very productive. Use a virtual assistant or ghost writer to actually write the article. Remember it is your ideas and experience readers want, they don't care how the ideas get from your head onto the computer screen. Focus on high value work.

7. Provide solid, practical advice

Avoid waffle and useless, irrelevant information. Focus on practical tips and ideas. Use dot points and numbering. Make your article as easy to read as possible

8. Personalise

Use personal stories, metaphors or examples to highlight key points. They make intangible ideas more real.

9. Customise

Tailor your articles for key targets – for example engineers, scientists or accountants. This includes adapting language, using relevant examples and taking new angles on a subject so the market can relate to it.

10. Timing

Timing is everything for news and e-newsletters are no different. Use news events or seasonal angles to make your material more relevant. For example I had great feedback from an article on goal setting in January because this is a great month for planning the year ahead.

11. Be proactive

Always spend time writing articles. It is money well spent and far more credible than advertising.

12. Use links and provide contact details

Always provide a link back to your website and summary details on your background and how people can contact you. To find out more, you can check out 12 Points For Writing Profitable Articles.

To greenwash can be described as an act that misleads or conceals. If an organisation has abused the environment in any way that is harmful and it then puts out misleading information to the contrary, or hides the truth in any way, it can be partaking in an act of greenwashing. Equally, if an organisation is seen as being insincere in its concem for the environment then it will be seen as being involved in greenwashing.

This is the equivalent of political 'spin', especially when green 'credentials' are used for another purpose, typically cost reduction or a profit hike. Often money is spent on marketing communications tools such as advertising or packaging/labelling and used to give the impression that an organisation, product or brand is good to the environment.

Greenwash (sometimes hogwash or environmental whitewash) has bean described as being socially and environmentally destructive in the business arena, being brought in by organisations posing as friends of the environment but also leaders in the eradication of starvation and poverty. The term 'bluewash' has been coined to describe the act of allowing large and rich corporations, who do nothing new, to wrap themselves in the blue flag of the United Nations in order to be seen as being a humanitarien world citizen.

There are many different types of greenwashing. If an organisation offers a truly 'green' product but then gives the impression through advertising, PR, or some other planned form of communication, that this kind of 'green' value system is present in all that the organisation does then this may be seen as greenwashing and become the source of unplanned but negative communication about the organisation. In other words certain actions that are meant to give a positive impression can rebound.

There is now a long history of greenwashing that not surprisingly follows that of the environmental movement as claiming to be green can be seen as a counter to criticism or simply seizing upon an opportunity. From the 1960s onward many companies have spent millions on advertising with varying degrees of success.

Greenwashing is at the centre of the debate as to whether legislation or self-regulation is the best way forward. The advent of Earth Day (a day in April where people are encouraged to support green projects – visit http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2011) – in 1970 is seen by many as worthwhile but by sceptics who see it as tokenism and a way for people to ease their conscience one day a year.

Pressure groups have emerged to oppose the excesses of organisations who engage in greenwashing. Apart from the more famous organisations such as Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth, CorpWatch is one such organisation that has as a subtitle 'Holding Corporations Accountable' to its name. Like many other organisations CorpWatch is a member of the Greenwash Academy that issues World Summit Greenwash Academy Awards to those organisations deemed culpable in one category or another.

In 2002 for example, the 'Best Greenwash Award' went to British Petroleum (BP) for their 'Beyond Petroleum' rebranding campaign (the one that saw the emergence of the green and yellow sunburst logo). The charge is that oil companies become solar companies and giant agribusiness claim to provide a solution to world hunger – but that such companies are hypocrites.

Against the backdrop of energy companies being accused of being the biggest polluters globally and in the light of the 2010 BP oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, it is easy to see why there are controversy and conflict. Other activities give rise to suspicion around the practices of the likes of BP and rivals such as ExxonMobil, the latter having questions asked of them regarding the processing of tar sands and the building of vast pipelines. Another charge is that organisations often spend more money on advertising their green projects than on the projects themselves.

On the other hand there is advertising industry concern over-regulation by the Federal Trade Commission (FRO) in the USA in the 'environmental advertising' arena but especially around packaging. The principle concern appears to be restrictions on what marketers can tell their consumers about packaging innovation which could lead to the stifling of innovation itself, the argument being that if innovation is stifled then, somewhat ironically, this could contribute to environmental problems if innovations that have a real contribution to make to a greener world and that might have occurred do not.

The FTC issue green guidelines to follow and lots of examples for clarity. One such example is in the automobile sector. If a car manufacturer was to claim a car to be green for say, its low energy requirements, this would be seen as an oxymoron, especially if the car was fitted with an internal combustion engine. Such a product could only be less harmful to the environment than a more conventional car. The company concerned would have to be careful with its words and phrases that have emerged and used by companies in advertising and other communications.

Some examples are 'carbon neutral', 'wholly sustainable' and 'low emission'. Some companies appear to be forgetting that any green claim needs to be true. In the UK, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), like the FTC in America, has made the CAP code more specific. Advertising can be withdrawn or have some other sanction imposed. Marketers should take note; complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK advertising industry watchdog, have soared in recent years.

There are many scientific grey areas around 'green' technologies which is a challenge for regulators. If an oil company implies in advertising that it uses its waste carbon dioxide in horticulture to, for example, grow flowers, when the reality is that less than one percent of this waste was actually used then there is potential conflict between company, pressure groups, regulators and perhaps Government.

If an energy supplier uses consumer-friendly cartoon characters in its advertising to suggest that the company has 'carbon-zero credentials' i.e. no carbon produced, but the reality is that carbon is produced, then there is potential for conflict, and this has led to mistrust on the part of the public when dealing with carbon (or lack of carbon) claims.

However greenwashing is not just about energy or energy-linked companies such as car manufacturers or energy suppliers. There are many more complaints about greenwashing in other industries from around the world. For example in the food industries, breakfast cereals that are claimed to be made up of natural ingredients may in fact be genetically modified. 'All natural' meat may have been treated with antibiotics while the animal was still alive, giving rise to the label 'Frankenfood'. Shampoo manufacturers may claim to use natural, organic ingredients whereas in fact they may be using chemicals that are not organic. Airports may grow trees but this will hardly dent the monumental size of their collective carbon footprint and the beef farmers will not compensate what has been lost by flattening traditional land by the creation of a nature reserve.

On a positive note, all is not lost. There are some positive, forward thinking marketers out there that have thought through a lot of these issues. Advice is available on how to avoid false and misleading greenwashing. For example the temptation to propagate one, strong claim around a green attribute which serves to hide other, possibly harmful aspects should be avoided, as should being deliberately vague or irrelevant, where the claim is truthful but unimportant or unhelpful.

Companies should also avoid the temptation of using claims that are superficially plausible but where there is no real evidence, or situations where the green claim is true but distracts from environmental impacts elsewhere. They should definitely avoid outright lies where claims are simply false, because these are almost surely going to come back to bite them. Companies should understand environmental impacts, the science behind claims, use language that resonates with customers, provide evidence that supports the claim and always tell the truth. This is basic, good PR.

There appears to have been some deliberate but some not so deliberate attempts at greenwashing over the last few decades. Marketers should think about the pitfalls for companies who might be tempted to jump on the green bandwagon. They should also think about and understand the role of pressure groups and organisations such as Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth and the positive advances that could be made in the green issues arena. Is it possible that large and small companies alike can benefit by thinking through their real green credentials rather than claiming product attributes and company actions that are not quite what they seem?

Marketers should consider their stance on environmental leadership and the ways to formulating winning strategies, communications and positioning. To find out more, you can check out What Is Green Marketing All About.

I had a chat with a CEO of a media agency recently and what he shared got me spewing up the contents for this piece. Despite enjoying double-digit growth in digital advertising contributions, he clearly admitted that traditional media still plays an important and definitive role when it comes to connecting and communicating with the bulk of consumers in Singapore! Basically what he said was that new media strategies must be anchored on the strong foundation of our tried and tested offline mainstays.

I can appreciate his views entirely just by looking at how advertisers are allocating their A&P funds. Take for example – on a discounted value basis, close to 70% of advertising expenditures here in Singapore are parked with print media. This is a far cry from how advertising markets in the west are performing where digital advertising in many cases has overtaken traditional platforms. And it wasn't too long ago when we were paying good money to travel to conferences across Europe and the Americas to learn best practices from leading publishers and media moguls.

Of late, this has taken a 180-degree turn of sorts where Asian advertising and media practitioners are now very much sought after as keynote speakers for major events across the globe!

In my opinion, traditional media will continue to be relevant here in Singapore for quite a while longer and I attribute three major reasons for this: One, it is a trusted source and consumers are generally confident with it; Two, it is of high repute and stature, hence it accords instant status to brands; and Three, it still reaches a whole lot of people! With buzz-words such as "multiple touch-points" and "R.O.I" bantered around so freely in the marketplace, it is not unusual for the middle level of advertisers and up to leverage their communications strategy across a host media platforms in the hope of evoking positive response from their desired target segments.

With an increased clutter of ad messages overwhelming , each and every one of us from the moment we wake to the time we hit the sack, coupled by the fact up to that most of us are adept at doing multiple things at the one time, advertising has to be delivered over a series of encounters and across different environments for us to finally commit to a decision to buy.

One phenomenon that has rose quickly through the ranks and has undeniably taken the number one position on the "digital charts" is social media or what I have fondly nicknamed the new "Bling Bling". It is indeed good to see that instead of just letting advertisers go wild and having them jump headlong into creating Facebook profiles for all of their brands, industry observers have cautioned that "Social media, in and of itself, is not a marketing programme. Did you get that? In fact, one can argue, and many do, that social media is overrated and not even truly needed as part of a marketing programme in 2011" (Patric Fransko).

Social media is the delectable flavour of the month – so much so that in many instances, straight-cut advertising on website verticals has been made to seem passe and old fashioned. This leads me to a point which I have been championing of late – that more creative options need to be developed for the digital realm. Being digital alone does not absolve one from challenging the confines of the box and coming up with newer and more novel options other than the staid and traditional leader-boards, transitional ads, banners and tiles.

With advances made in printing, ink and paper technologies, creative advertising in newspapers and magazines has skyrocketed to such great heights in recent years – so much so that the stuff you see on the web on many instances pales very much in comparison to the innovation witnessed on offiine media platforms.

Coming back to the topic of traditional versus social media, in a blog piece by Xavier Lur as posted in the Happy Marketer website earlier this year, he cited that from his observations, "Singapore Airlines' primary advertising avenue is still the conventional print media outlet, which encompasses newspaper, magazines and TV commercials. The company has a relatively small social media presence and they have yet to jump on the social bandwagon."

He goes on to elaborate saying, "Singapore Airlines offers premium flight fares targeted to businessmen and the wealthy folks who are willing to fork out tens of thousands of dollars for a one-way First Class trip from Singapore to Los Angeles. This type of customer rarely uses social networking sites, whose main demographics tend to be skewed towards the 18-25 age group. Instead, The Straits Times and The Business Times are their essential cup of coffee every day. As a result, it makes it more relevant for Singapore Airlines to advertise their flight fares and destinations on the print medium."

You need only flip the pages of our national dailies to witness major brands such as Courts, Nikon, Cold Storage, Far East Organization, Robinsons, OCBC Bank, confidently anchoring their advertising campaigns on traditional media, more specifically newspapers. Credible brands believe in being seen in the right company – and who better to partner with than with a trusted platform that takes pride in maintaining a high level of editorial integrity.

Mr Fransko, writing in windowfilmmag.com, made a pertinent comment in an article asking "Is traditional media dead?" He goes on to answer his own question by saying, "Traditional media is not dead, but it needs to be complemented with a strong strategy to reach people in their social graph. This is the reason that you are seeing more newspaper and magazine ads including a smart tag.

These direct someone to a particular spot on the web where they can continue the story started in the ad." This supports very much what Singapore Press Holdings, Singapore's media publisher of choice, has been engaging in – resulting in more and more innovative options continually being made available to print advertisers (3D technology, QR codes, sticky labels, scented advertisements, etc).

Having said all this, it is my belief that the integration of digital media (including social), mobile services, radio, and out-of-home, and weaving these seamlessly within traditional mainstays such as newspapers and magazines, represents the ideal strategy to reach out to the busy modern-day multitasking consumer.

Albeit that at the current moment, while traditional is still "king", advertisers must not be blinkered to the extent of merely paying lip service to digital. Gone are the days when one small black and white advertisement will suffice to sell a whole shipment of goods.

With me-too products increasingly prevalent in the market-place, coupled with the exponential escalation of "buying/shopping" options and alternatives, strategic advertising which encompasses stunning creatives, great media selection/placement, a superb product/service, an equitable price, and highly accessible channels – all these when configured well will accord businesses the best chance of success.

What has hit us in the last few years in terms of technology and gadgetry is highly unprecedented and excruciatingly phenomenal. The late Steve Jobs helped bring on a whole new understanding to how we interact with and enjoy content. You name it, and someone out there is doing it – iPod, iPhone, iPad, Android devices, Kindle eBooks, cloud technology, augmented reality, QR codes, 3-D interfaces, multisensory advertising, gamification, and the list goes on and on. From point of writing till the time this post is "live", you can be assured that hundreds of new apps, hardware, and new media ideologies would have been further introduced.

It's no wonder that there is no shortage of budding technopreneurs out there all salivating for a slice of the action. VCs have been sprouting up left, right and centre. Government funding is readily available for those with the right product and business model. The "Silicon Valley" mentality has successfully been replicated in many parts of the world including Singapore (and it's not just for the fact that Eduardo Saverin of Facebook fame is now a resident here).

This is an exciting period for all of us. Although "Traditional" is good, let me say that "Traditional-Plus" is even better. It is now no more "either or" – it's categorically both and more! So recognise the "King" but be conscious of the "Bling Bling". Enjoy the ride folks! To find out more, you can check out Traditional Media Marketing vs Digital Social Media Marketing.

No matter how big a brand's home market is, there will come a point in time where growth opportunities in that market are exhausted. When that happens, there are two roads that a company can take. One, stay put and diversify into other products and services. Two, expand into new international markets.

Both have its pros and cons. This blog post will look at some of the things that you need to look out for should you intend to expand your brand into new international markets which will help your brand from being torn apart by the different local market forces acting on it.

Offensive Versus Defensive Position

When you enter a new market, there will be local competitors to deal with. Although these local competitors may not be as big in absolute terms, you should not dismiss them because they got into that market first and their brands are more established in the local market. There are two basic strategies that you can adopt – offense or defense. In your home market, you may be the market leader. If you are the market leader, you play a defensive game. You block your competitors' moves.

In a new market, you are up against brands that have been established long before you arrive. So, in that market, you are the challenger, not the incumbent. In that situation, you have to attack the leading brands. Conventional wisdom tells you that when you attack, you attack where the enemy is weak. Conventional wisdom will not work in the hyper-competitive market that you operate in today. You need to attack the enemy's strength.

And the way to do this without getting killed is by figuring out the weakness in the competitor's strength. That means you have to turn the competitor's strength into a weakness. This is something that my colleagues and I do for every client. We try to help them figure out how to turn the competitor's strength into a weakness. I won't use any of our clients here as examples because they are all in highly-specialised B2B sectors that are hard for outsiders to understand.

An easy way to illustrate this is the long-running Pepsi versus Coke battle because these are brands that everyone knows. Coke says "We Are the Real Thing" and the world agrees because Coke invented the category. So, if you are not drinking Coke, what are you drinking? The fake thing? How do you turn that strength into a weakness? Pepsi's strategy was brilliant. Pepsi says, "We Are The Young Thing". In other words, Pepsi is admitting that Coke is the real thing but because it is the real thing, it is also the old thing and if you are young or young-at-heart, you'd want to drink Pepsi.

Don't Dilute Your Brand Idea

Although you need to compete against a different set of competitors and deal with local market conditions, you should maintain the core idea that differentiates your brand against other brands. 3M = Innovation. DuPont = Science. Caterpillar = Construction Equipment. Oracle = Database Software. The ideas that define these brands don't change just because they operate in new markets. The way you market and communicate your idea might change from market to market but the idea cannot change or you will end up with a schizophrenic brand.

Now, all of this is assuming that you have a well-defined and well-accepted brand idea. Many companies that have ventured into new markets might not be differentiated and might not own a well-defined brand idea so they don't do as well against local competitors. If you don't have that brand idea defined already, it's time to do so. Otherwise, you will also end up a confused brand that stands for one thing in Market A and another thing in Market B and yet another thing in Market C. That's not a problem 20 years ago but today, markets have become bordedess thanks to the Intemet and any inconsistencies will be easily communicated and magnified.

Make Enemies, Not Friends

If you want to build a strong brand in the new markets that you want to enter into, you need to make enemies, not friends. This sounds counter-intuitive but there is a reason for that. In such a crowded market, your customers have plenty of options. They don't need you. Therefore, you need to make enemies.

Enemies give your brand a reason to exist. If you are not here to fight something or someone, then why are you here? That's the way customers will think. Your enemies don't have to be other companies. They can be a problem that you have a solution to. But you need to define that enemy clearly and then focus your customers' attention on that enemy.

These are just some of the things that you need to look out for when you are entering a new local market. You will encounter more challenges. I know because when my clients venture overseas into new markets, they faced a lot of competitive challenges as well. Having the right brand strategy and the right execution of this strategy will go a long way towards overcoming these challenges. To find out more, you can check out Expanding Your Business Internationally.

A few years ago, a media company was trying to sell to a large Indian Telco. The client contact, Manoj confirmed to Chandran, the vendor, that a big deal was approved but that they just had to wait a bit of time for his department to clear a couple of other projects.

All looked well. Six weeks later Chandran brought his manager in to meet Manoj to see if they could sign off on the deal. Manoj told him the other projects were nearly cleared and he should be able to get full sign off very shortly.

Two months later, during a follow up meeting, Manoj apologised for the delay, said his department head, Mr Ramamurthy was about to sign off on a couple of other projects but all would be going through very soon and not to worry.

A few months later, Manoj was no longer with the company. Chandran managed to secure his first meeting with Mr Ramamurthy, who told them that he had never heard of their company and had never had any discussions about the large deal that they had been promised.

So what went wrong? Chandran did not call on Manoj originally. As Chandran's initial pitch was product-oriented, it made sense to the gatekeeper to pass him on to a junior person in the department that might eventually use the service.

For most salespeople there is a natural inclination to focus attention on people who are, like them, junior staff. If the junior staff in question are somehow influential in spending a budget, than it is well within a salesperson's comfort zone to focus efforts there.

But the few professional salespeople who manage to get through to the CEO with a compelling message have a fair chance of getting a meeting, if they understand and can communicate on a level with chief executives.

To get a dialogue going with a chief executive it is essential for the vendor to communicate on a strategic level about their product or service. Vendors (like Chandran) who decide that their product or service does not fulfill a strategic need for their clients are correct and will be treated as such when they call.

Not every product bought by a company can fit into the strategic category. But companies are certainly getting smart about how they position their services. DHL, a courier and logistics company, has commissioned studies to examine the correlation between a country's policy on supply chain management and it's propensity to move up the trade levels to be able to serve high value industries. DHL has used the findings to gain political traction at economic forums in the region.

Fuji Xerox, a printing and document management company, produces thought leadership works that show how more effective document management can create operational efficiencies and cost savings for companies. Fuji Xerox then positions its sales people as knowledge managers, who can re-engineer a company's document management process to increase efficiency and security while reducing costs. It certainly makes for a more compelling business case than for a straightforward gadget sell.

Recruitment companies position themselves as essential links in the search for talent, by producing studies that demonstrate how leadership or innovation are critical for a company's success. Software companies, looking to protect their intellectual property in emerging markets have commissioned studies to look for links between strong IP regulation and economic benefts. According to their studies, countries that actively discourage software piracy manage to create higher levels of employment in software and service systems integration and consulting than countries that turn a blind eye to IP theft.

Smart companies use thought leadership to reposition themselves or direct a discussion in a more favourable direction. Tobacco companies like to champion the cause for corporate social responsibility by creating dialogues about best practices used by other companies for community development. The reasons are clear. If they can host discussions about the positive contributions that corporations can make in society then they will turn attention away from the traditional negative press that follows their industry. By doing this they can thus hope to receive a more favourable regulatory environment for their business.

Companies that are already strong in an area use stronger methodologies in their thought leadership to help target their messages. IBM, a global IT hardware and services company, has had a long association with a global IT index that measures countries on their effective use of information technology. Their executives find the comprehensive nature of this study to be an effective door opener and discussion starter with senior level government officials in countries they are looking to target.

For all these companies, it is certainly easier to get a discussion going at high levels by offering a discussion that centers on an original study created by a neutral third party. This seems to work especially well if the study is done on the target customer group that the vendor is trying to sell to.

This approach is especially useful for companies attempting to influence senior level executives who are not currently using the product or service offered by the sponsoring thought leadership party. The vendor recognises that they need a more powerful message than a simple call for an open mind for a sales pitch to demonstrate product superiority. Hence the vendor needs to completely reframe the target customer's point of reference at a senior level.

So how is this done in practice? Sometimes the business challenge is quite straightforward. The market has a certain perception, but research can show a different result. The Pepsi challenge, in which blind tests demonstrated a clear consumer preference for Pepsi over the market leader, Coca Cola, is one such famous consumer example. But it takes a bit more to create a piece of thought leadership to reframe and ultimately win a large business contract. The challenge is to create a more compelling story that will appeal to the strategic thinking of the senior executives from your clients.

At a simple level this can be a straight quantitative survey of business buyers in a certain geography. Chief executives are interested in hearing what other chief executives think. Hence the more senior the sample group is, the more likely it is to appeal to a senior audience. The number of respondents is also important. Large global surveys and indices tend to gain a lot of interest in the media, which further helps with getting a select audience for a briefing or discussion group.

The key to developing an interesting and neutral thought leadership piece that works for the vendor is to consider the research from the position of the sponsor's value proposition. Hence a relocation company with offices all over the world might be interested in a global survey showing cultural differences in adapting to new postings. The implied message would be that the sponsor can help relocated staff to make the necessary adjustments through their large network of offices and long experience. A niche ASEAN-focused company in the same line of business, might instead want to showcase a series of interviews with executives who have relocated to the region.

Going back to the original example of the media company, we can see how much time and effort was wasted without using a strategic approach. And conversely we can see how a different approach might have helped the vendor to by-pass the junior gatekeeping staff and get straight in at senior levels.

And what was the outcome in Bangalore? Sadly there was no happy ending for the vendor. Manoj went on to perform a similar job for a competitor. Ramamurthy employed a new gatekeeper to deal with Chandran who never got to sell them anything. Meanwhile the CEO of the Indian Telco carried on business as usual. To find out more, you can check out Selling To CEO.

"If you build It, they will come." That's the now-famous phrase that Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella hears in his corn field in the 1989 hit movie Field of Dreams, and it has entered the popular lexicon as a metaphor for having faith in one's vision. But if you want a Hollywood ending for your prospect or customer event, you're going to have to rely on a lot more than faith. Even the most well-conceived events need a powerful promotion campaign to fill seats.

How will you reach your target audience and communicate the benefits of attending?

No matter how you choose to promote your event – mail, phone calls, direct mail, and so on, you'll be competiting against literally hundreds of other demands on an executive's attention at any given moment. Your challenge is to break through the clutter and earn a spot on that executive's agenda.

We'll talk more in a minute about how to get your message across, but first let's talk about how not to. Pay close attention: if you're currently using any of these promotional methods, you're throwing your money down a black hole.

Wedding-style Invitations

Many event planners, in an effort to seem classy and elegant, spend vast sums on engraved invitations that list little more than the time, date, and place of the event. That's fine because your attendees certainly need that info. But they also need much more than that to decide whether your function offers enough benefit to warrant taking time from their busy schedules.

Postcards

Same as above. It's tempting to want to hit your targets with just the facts. But you'll need much more space to hammer home how your target audience will profit from attending. And the odds are against you if you expect prospective attendees to visit a Web page for more details. Few do.

Advertisements

Occasionally you'll see ads in trade magazines, inviting readers to visit a company's booth at a trade show or attend a seminar. These can be enormously expensive on a cost-per-attendee basis.


Now that we've talked about what doesn't work, here's what does work-if used judiciously.

Public Relations

Send press releases about your event to local business publications that publish event calendars. Or for a bigger bang, enlist the business publication as a cosponsor. That will likely give you more coverage, both pre- and post-event.

Direct Mail

Here's a pop quiz: which works better in direct mall – long copy or short? You might think that short copy outpulls long, since most executives are so time-pressed. In fact, research shows that long copy, separated into readable chunks with bullet points and subheads, is almost always more effective. The more information you can give a prospect about your offer, the more likely he or she is to bite.

Pass every piece of communication through this filter: will my target audience care? It's great if you want to hold a demo of your new software release. But what tangible benefits will attending this event offer your customer? In all your communication, stress your value proposition. For example, "Five Things Every Manager Needs to Know about Hiring and Firing" is a powerful title for an event, while "Announcing the New Hire FirePro Software Pack Version 2.0" is not.

And slant your message toward your intended audience. If you want to attract CEOs, frame your copy in terms of profits, shareholder gains, and the like. Managers, users and techies, on the other hand, will respond better to copy that talks about information and tools you'll give them that will help them do their jobs quicker and better. For an extra dose of credibility, include testimonials from previous attendees.

Email

E-mail is a popular way to promote many types of events, especially webinars. But can you be sure you're getting through? With today's corporate spam filtering, as little as 30 percent of e-mail from outside addresses actually lands in the recipient's in-box (that's especially true for mail sent to multiple addresses). Be sure that the addresses are valid. And consider following up through some other method such as phone or letter.

Telemarketing

I always recommend including telemarketing in your pre-event promotion. After you've sent out letters and e-mails, call VIPs who haven't responded. Also confirm with key people the day before the event, and let them know you're looking forward to seeing them.

You may be wondering why I've left "gimmicks and giveaways" off this list. In my opinion, these are used far too often. If you've created an event with a compelling benefit, you won't need a clever theme or a bribe, such as a drawing for a cruise, to fill seats.

However, there is one exception: when the audience is so select and hard to reach that you can't get their attention any other way. One company I know needed to reach the top 10 hedge fund managers in Manhattan. So, for its event, the company promised either an Xbox or a personal digital assistant to every attendee and asked each person to check off in the RSVP which item he or she would like.

Another clever company mailed a violin bow to each member of a select group of executives and promised that if they came to a seminar, each of them would receive a violin that they could give to their kids, play themselves, or display on a shelf. But again, because the cost of such promotions is so high, they should be used only to reach a small, sought-after audience.

Now that we've covered the "how," let's talk about the "when." It's vitally important that you hit your target audience repeatedly with your message. Once or twice doesn't cut it – you risk being buried in the "in" box or falling beneath a busy executive's radar. The following timetable is a good basic template to use.

Two Months Out

Send a "mark your calendar" message that urges invitees to save the date.

One Month Out

Send a second communication listing all the reasons they should attend and urging them to reserve space. If you're sending e-mall, include a link they can click on to enroll online. In all cases, send an immediate confirmation that gives directions to the event and encourages guests to invite their colleagues.

You might also include a pre-event questionnaire asking what they'd like to learn at the event. This can help you customise the content, and guests are more likely to show up if they feel their crifical concerns will be addressed.

Two Weeks Before

Send another communication, similar to the one above, to people who haven't yet signed up. The content needn't be radically different-all you need to say is, "We haven't heard from you yet," and to repeat your information.

One Week Out

If you haven't filled all available seats or are waiting to hear from VIPs, start using telemarketing.

The Day Before

Call and send out an e-mall reminder with the date, time, and directions.

After the Event

Thank each attendee, by mail or by phone, for coming. Also let no-shows know that you're sorry they missed your event, and send them relevant presentation materials (or let them know where they can find materials online).

Remember, recurring communication is the key. No matter what your objectives for the event-moving customers further along in the buying decision, educating them about new products, or simply introducing them to your company – you've got to fill seats. A well-executed promotional campaign will help your event pay off. To find out more, you can check out Event Promotion Techniques.

Throughout my career as an executive search consultant, and even now with my role at Sandier Sales Training, I was continually asked: how can I move from a Sales Rep, i.e. an individual contributor, to a Sales Executive? Conversely, I witnessed too many Sales Executives plateau and flame out of very promising careers. So what gives? How does an individual contributor move up through the sales management ranks? And what contributes to the flame out of promising, high potential sales executives?

The simple answer to both: training, coaching and mentoring. Sounds easy you might be thinking, but you are wrong. You see too many outstanding, exceed quota quarter after quarter, President's Club sales representatives get pushed into sales management because someone thinks it is the right thing to do: tenure, success, retention and general likeability contribute to, and justify, this thinking. And they continue to get pushed through the pipeline, because it is the right thing to do. Yet we fail to fully outfit them with the necessary tools they will need.

It is too easy to keep promoting someone you know and trust, someone with "institutional and client knowledge", much easier than it is to bring in someone with the proper skills from the outside. It is far less expensive as well. Not only would you have to pay the search fees for such an outside hire, but chances are this hire is going to cost you at least 20% more on the basic, plus, plus (this is Singapore after all). And then there is the uncertainty – the new person was able to perform before, but is this proof enough that this performance can be matched at your company?

So the excuses keep coming, we keep telling ourselves we are doing the right thing by promoting the hopefully qualified, by offering "stretch assignments" to those who are rigid, but are we? Actually, what we are doing is putting the incumbent into harms way. We have unintentionally derailed his career – all because of tenure, success, retention and general likeability.

What's happening here? According to Stephen Drotter, James Noel and Ram Charan in the book Leadership Pipeline, as one progresses through their work life stages (management of self to management of others, etc.) there has to come a change of skills and a change of work values. These change of skills include getting work done through others, selecting and hiring talent, upgrading communication skills, coaching, mentoring, adapting a longer term perspective and improving ones financial acumen, it is for the sales function, in my view, moving from management of self, to management of client, to management of others to leadership.

And by leadership, I mean, no longer managing tasks, but leading people – people you are directly responsible for and for those you are indirectly responsible. This includes clients as well. No longer are you thinking about client A and B, but you are now looking at the entire eco-systems of the company's clients, what sales representatives you have looking after those clients, and the health (and let's face it, wealth) of those relationships. And making the hard decisions – which sales representative will always be a sales representative, or maybe a key account manager, and which ones can we develop into a sales manager and eventually a sales leader.

For example, here is a situation one of my clients faced:

Tony was an affable, well-schooled sales representative whose forte was closing large deals. Within 3 years of his joining the ABC Company, he was chosen for their high potentials programme, and his career was set in front of him.

Year after year, Tony was given more challenging assignments, including managing of people, yet each assignment still allowed for him to be in front of clients and to continue to close large deals. Training programmes were offered, but they were optional. Given his lust for the field, Tony always found a reason not to attend. Soon ABC was merged with DEF to become the dominant company in their industry.

Tony was sent to Singapore to manage the Singapore office, plus to manage a newly created industry practice. Tony struggled; his forte was to be out with the customer, yet he now had reports to file and people to manage outside his area of expertise (sales). He decided to put the development of the fledgling Singapore office (which included manufacturing) as his second priority and focus on what he knew: the selling of his industry's products and services.

HQ was not happy – production was down, and so were sales of their other products. Their solution: ask me to bring in a new head of sales to report to Tony and be responsible for all products, including Tony's pet industry.

Kirk was brilliant and had the training needed to build a strong sales team. He was knowledgeable about the products, had good mentoring skills and took a long-term approach to the business. However good he was, Tony's good intentions, and need to always be in front of the client hampered him. Kirk left within two years, and Tony? He is still there. Why? Tenure, early success, retention and general likeability,

Tony is the classic example of leadership pipeline clogging. As he progressed through ABC he did not change or upgrade skills, and because he was a wunderkind at ABC, after the DEF merger, they continued to heap on responsibility, again, without change or upgrade of skills. Today, Tony is a 50 something year-old general manager who lags behind his peer group professionally by at least 5 years and lags behind them in compensation by around 20%. Kirk? He landed on his feet, he continues to get the development he both needs and desires, and is ahead of his peer group by the same 5 years.

What are the biggest differences between Kirk and Tony? First, Kirk had the knowledge and the self-awareness to understand that to be a sales executive, he had to give up the day to day carrying of "the bag" and groom others to carry it for him. Second, when training was offered, Kirk attended. Not to take a day or two of vacation, but to take in what was being offered. He realised his education had not given him the proper training for sales, nor did it give him the training to mentor and coach others. Lastly, Kirk was not afraid to take a lateral move to learn more about sales operations even if that meant a hit to his pay. He realised the intrinsic return on his training investment and took advantage of the offerings.

As you look to advance from sales rep to sales executive, whom will you take your cues from? Kirk or Tony? Are you brave enough to take that first cut in pay in order to eventually become the leader? I challenge you to make the commitment to yourself, and your family, to not wimp out and to demand the necessary training, coaching and mentoring to allow you to move into the ranks of sales leadership. To find out more, you can check out Career Advancement Questions.