MARKETING ACTUARY

STARTING YOUR OWN PRIVATE SOCIAL NETWORK: NING 3.0 BEATS SOCIALGO AND GROU.PS

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 02:36:00 +0000

Before starting the Sanctum private social network, I looked at the options for creating an online community and explored : SocialGo, GROU.PS and Ning (in that order).

Ning 3.0 Wins

Ning is the most popular, with over two million communities. That’s an indicator they’ll stay in business.

The latest iteration, Ning 3.0, launched in March 2013 and is still under development. Some capabilities I want won't be ready until summer (see the roadmap). Normally, I would not wait but I'm so impressed by what Ning is offering that I will.

Ning has a new pricing model. All accounts get all the important features. The price depends on the size of the community. In contrast, competitors give you more if you pay more. That’s annoying. Just because your network starts small doesn’t mean you need fewer capabilities.

Ning 3.0 makes other options look dated. Why would you want to start a community that looks like it’s from 2008?

Bad News Is Good News

You’ll find lots of criticism of Ning going back to the days when free accounts were eliminated. I understand the anger. Meetup also dropped their free option. Ning 3.0 has changes that Ning 2.0 communities may not appreciate. Since I’m starting fresh, the transition process doesn’t matter.

I was impressed that Ning allowed the discussions to take place on their site. They certainly cannot please everyone. By allowing the discussions in public, they show in extreme level of transparency. Some complainers look like whiners — best ignored.

Some suggestions have led to changes. What more could you want? Having a lively community of network creators is very valuable.

Support

When building a community, there are many questions arise (at least for a novice like me). I tried Ning’s online chat support and got good results. There is also extensive help online.

Ease Of Use

I’m finding Ning 3.0 is very flexible while remaining easy to use. When creating a page, you decide on the layout and who sees it. Most of my pages are only for community members. Some are restricted to different classes of members. Others are public, such as this page showing recommended sites and tools.

SocialGo

My previous choice was SocialGo Network Maker. Support is very poor as the screenshot shows. All I wanted was to reset my password. Normally there is an instant automated way. Their “ASAP” took days.

Also, I wanted a trial longer than 14 days. A rep contacted me but then disappeared without doing anything. I’ll spare you those emails.
This company offers another product called SocialGO, which does not allow member billing. Combining both products might free up resources to support customers.

Be careful where you click. I accidentally recommended SocialGO on LinkedIn. Since I thought I would pick it, I wrote a recommendation. I’ve now deleted the text but there doesn’t seem to be a way to remove all references to me.

GROU.PS

GROU.PS has a weird, too-clever spelling (though I’m fond of the initials “PS”). They seem to be the second most popular way to build an online community after Ning. They have made several very odd decisions.

When you first look at the pricing page, you’re offered a 10% off if you signup within 10 minutes. Who would? You need time to explore. Also, 10% is a measly discount. Why even bother?

You only get a 7 day free trial. That is way too short. One month is ideal, though two weeks seems to be the norm. What’s going on? Do they want to lock you in before you’ve explored what’s there?

The Dark Side

Something went wrong in the registration process and I was unable to enter my credit card information. My site still got created but was shown as having no owner. Anyone who wants can buy your site … that’s not right.

It seems that the site you build does not get deleted if you cancel or close your account. This is not clear while setting up an account. Would you like someone else to takeover your creation? What a trust killer. I didn’t explore further.

Careful

Selecting the right host for your private social network is important and there are clear differences. In particular, you want to pick a provider that’s likely to stay in business. I could have saved time by starting with the leader, Ning (which Seth Godin uses for triiibes.com).

Links

PS If your needs are limited, try a free Google+ Community.

WHY BOTHER SEEING A SPEAKER LIVE?

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 02:12:00 +0000

I’m more likely to watch a movie on a tiny tablet than on the big screen in a movieplex. Thanks Netflix. The experience is different but the convenience and flexibility more than make up for the small screen. No travel time. No parking hassles. No lining up.

I’m more likely to see a speaker for free online than live at a venue. This is scary because I’m a speaker too and want people to see me in person. I’m also starting a term as area governor for six Toastmasters clubs in west Toronto. These speakers need audiences too.

Quiet And Decisive

The nature of professional speaking seems to be changing.

Consider Susan Cain, author of Quiet. I’ve seen her TED Talk about introverts, listened to the audiobook and read interviews. She has a free live video chat on June 5th through Goodreads. I’ve got no strong desire to see her live in person. That’s not because I’m an introvert (though I am). It’s because I’ve already had enough.

Decisive is the new book by the Heath brothers. I saw Chip at Rotman last week. I already watched Dan's book launch webinar (see the WRAP on Decisive) and listened to Chris Brogan’s interview. Dan Pink interviewed both brothers on Office Hours. That's enough. I’ve got the book. My next step is to read it and apply the lessons.

What’s Missing

In a live audience, I want interaction instead of a canned speech. Here’s a formula with appeal. I want to see speakers who show their contact information and reply to sensible emails.

I want to see speakers who have built a community (not a sales funnel). For instance Seth Godin started noncommercial Linchpin Sessions and Icarus Sessions to help us meet the like-minded locally in 1,000+ cities. I’ve found great connections there.

All-Day Speaker Events

There are day-long events with speaker after speaker. You get a big name or two and filler. Examples for Toronto are

The Art of Marketing (Jun 5, 2013; $449+): Biz Stone, Seth Godin, Jonah Berger, Charles Duhigg, David Usher
A Passion for Life (Jul 24, 2013; $329+): Tony Robbins, Robert Greene, Chip Heath, Loretta LaRoche, Joe Plumeri, Desiree Rogers

I’ve attended several times in the past but am not going this time.

Local Heroes

You can see local speakers at local TEDx events. This is often better because you can also forge relationships with people in your community. That’s often the real value. The schedule has frequent long breaks to allow interaction.

Cheaper Options

Sometimes speakers are in major cities for low cost events. For instance, Rotman attracts many speakers. Last week Chip Heath. Next week, Mitch Joel. The admission price is roughly the list price of the book — and you get a copy of the book. It’s as is the speaker is free, as in a webinar or interview. Plus, you often get to talk to the speaker.

One + None

I’d rather see one speaker for longer.

For instance, Tony Robbins is excellent live. You can see him for five hours in Calgary for $289+.

You can see Seth Godin for a full day of Q&A in New York for $955+. In 2010, I attended The Linchpin Session, in which Seth presented in the morning and did Q&A in the afternoon.

What Still Works

If I can’t talk to the speaker, I’m not interested. If the speaker doesn’t provide contact information afterwards, count me out. If there isn’t a good chunk of time for Q&A, I’ll stay at home.

I still like attending live events in the audience or on stage. I’m much more selective and demanding, though. Do you feel the same way?

Links

PS Who’s the last speaker you saw live and in person?

WHERE FREE BEATS PAID

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Wed, 29 May 2013 16:28:00 +0000

Free is the magical price but there's a feeling that paid is better. That's not always true.

How would Gmail or Trello (my review) be better if you paid? Companies have different business models. Google seems to give things away to keep us online longer, which increases the chances we’ll see ads.

We'll look at two examples.

Blogs: Blogger vs WordPress

Google's Blogger (blogger.com) is simple and free. Your tweaking is limited, which gives you more time for writing — the heart of blogging.

WordPress.org gives much more flexibility but that costs you money and attention. You can tweak and optimize but maybe you’re procrastinating? If blogging is your business, your investment in WordPress.org may be worthwhile. Otherwise, Blogger gives you more than you really need. There is a free version of WordPress but is too limited to consider.

Newsletters: MailChimp vs Constant Contact

MailChimp has a Free Forever account which offers more than most of us need (free messages to 2,000 subscribers). You can upgrade to paid accounts with a monthly subscription or pay-per-use with stamps.

Constant Contact does more live marketing and their content is very good. For instance, they are sponsoring the free Social Marketing Summit from Enterprise Toronto on June 11th. Constant Contact seems to have good support but there is no free plan (just a 60 day trial with only 100 contacts).

Web services are most likely to connect with MailChimp. For example, I'm currently testing Contactually and Nimble after abandoning other CRM solutions. Neither works with Constant Contact (at least not now).

Why Free?

Free doesn't have to mean less. There are other ways to make money. Gmail has advertising.
Free brings more buzz. That's free advertising. Free attracts people who might never have tried the service. Would you have joined LinkedIn if you had to pay? Free can start the path to paid (the freemium model).

Free brings more users, which means more information about their usage. That can help in setting priorities and selling ads. There's more user testing too.

The Real Cost

Whether or not you pay money, your real cost is your time. Paying often gives you more options ... which devour more of your precious time to evaluate, select and master. If you believe in the 80/20 rule, do you really want more choice?

Apps on tablets and smartphones help you focus by removing distractions. All you can do is what you’re doing. That’s appealing.

Recommendations

I'm reluctant to recommend a paid solution when there are free options. Getting started is the toughest part and price is a hurdle.

For my new private Sanctum social network, I was planning to charge a monthly subscription. That has hurt the community size. I switched to free to remove the obstacle. There may be a charge for additional features someday but not soon. Lesson learned.

What can you offer for free?

EVEN NIAGARA FALLS GETS BORING

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Do you remember your first visit to Niagara Falls? (If you haven't been, substitute another dream-for-you location like the Grand Canyon or Taj Mahal that you’ve visited.)

Do you remember the anticipation, the wow? Perhaps followed by the "then what"?

Your experience of Niagara Falls depends on factors such as the

the time of day
the season
the weather
how much time you have
your stress level
whether you're there voluntarily
who you're with
how long you're there
how often you visit
why you're there
where you view (Canada, US, the air, the water, a hotel or restaurant)
your condition (tired, stressed, rushed)
how much you care about nature
the crowds

Some factors you control, others you influence and others you might as well accept.

The Same Isn't Enough

We quickly get bored.

The first rainbow is impressive and maybe the second but the third? The postcards don't lie (though they may be embellished).

Niagara Falls keeps changing. There are renovations and new features. For instance, the Canadian side has a casino and a bird place which seem relatively new. On the US side, the Niagara Falls State Park is undergoing renovations for the 2013 peak season. Hotels get renovated, though they may look the same from the outside. Once our sofa got replaced during our stay. It's much nicer to be the first to use the new than the last to use the old.

Your Clients

Your clients and prospects will have different perceptions of you too. That’s not (entirely) your fault but you do have influence.

Expectations are different to predict and they change.

You can stay the same (let's say you're great). That's not enough to be a repeat attraction. Can you keep changing? What's your equivalent of a light show or renovations?

Since expectations keep changing, keep changing too. You probably are --- you can't help it --- but does anyone know? Unless you help people notice, they won't get the benefits. Neither will you. Seller inform.

Links

PS If you haven't visited Niagara Falls, do. If the falls aren't enough, you'll find lots of tourist-trap type things too.

FORGET ABOUT WHO WINS AND LOSES

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:30:00 +0000

It doesn't matter who wins or loses ... unless you lose when winning matters.

Tip: avoid having a three goal lead in Game 7 of a Stanley Cup playoff and losing in overtime like the Maple Leafs did (CBC Sports, May 13, 2013).

At the highest levels of competition, the differences between winner and loser are often miniscule. Look at the Olympics.
Sometimes the pros cheat to get ahead since incentives affect behavior. The honest competitors get tainted too (though maybe they are complicit by not reporting how abuses could take place). Honesty isn't often black and white but a gradient: minor decisions like “borrowing” a paper clip from work can lead to falsified expense reports.

The Emotions

Watching competitions is emotional. The thrill of victory and the despair of defeat. It’s easy to get engrossed. Do you realize how much time you’re spending watching, discussing and thinking about a game?

Fans get caught up in the competition but do the players wear gear with the names of fans written on the back? Unlikely. The attention doesn’t flow both ways.

Another Way

Jeffrey Gitomer asks how much money you make watching TV. He could also ask how much you earn watching sports (let's ignore gambling).

We have limited time and attention. Both are irreplaceable. Invest some in yourself. You then become the winner and have your own fans who give you referrals. Aren't you worth the bet?

You get results when you focus on what Stephen Covey calls your Circle Of Influence --- stuff you can do stuff about. Sports and other competitions may be in your Circle Of Concern but do you affect the outcome?

Stand Apart

We're defined by what we refuse to do ---- especially when others can’t resist the temptation. Spending less time as a passive observer (a couch potato) will not hurt you.

When you focus on what makes a difference, you learn. You get closer to results and further ahead of your competitors. You get ahead fairly. You become the winner while others remain watchers.

Links

PS There is a place for entertainment but there is also a place for getting results for yourself.

CREATING THE PERFECT NETWORKING EVENT

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

How do you make your networking event worth attending? We’ll look at three formats:

speaker-based
facilitated networking
infomercials from the podium

Speaker-Based

Networking may not be enough of an attraction. A speaker or topic may be the draw with networking as the bonus.

These events are easy to mess up.

Who made the selection? If sponsors have any input, the event suffers. It's best to pick speakers on their own merits. The sponsors get recognition in the invitations, on signs, on the screen and from the host. Isn’t that enough?

You're more likely to get sponsors on the platform when tickets are free. That's why I prefer paid events.

Examples

At FP Reach 2013 from the Financial Post, some sponsors were speakers. They took up spots that others could have been used better. There was some self-promotion. No thanks. I'm not planning to return.

In contrast, the Small Business Summit from The Globe and Mail does not give sponsors a microphone or waste much time thanking them. Yeah, we know sponsors help make the event possible. Attendees do too.

Facilitated Networking

Random networking --- walk into a room and talk to whoever you bump into --- has limited value. It’s easy to get struck talking to people you wish weren’t there.

Enter facilitated networking. The former Toronto Board of Trade did this best. You were pre-assigned to two or three tables, each with a facilitator and 6-8 networkers. The facilitator made sure that everyone got 120 seconds to talk. That's much more civilized than 30 to 45 seconds. You have time to say something with substance rather than a hook. You also get to hear from 5-7 other people. You quickly know who you would like to talk to further. One round takes about 15-20 minutes to finish. You then repeat the process at a different table.

Sometimes you get stuck listening to sponsors. Once, I heard infomercials from four bankers. They were of no interest since they would never give me a referral. Sometimes you have organizers at your table. This is reasonably good: as they get to know you, they can introduce others to you.

Infomercials From The Podium

I've been to several events where everyone gets 30-45 seconds at the microphone. I like the practice by not the events. Your brain gets numb when you hear commercial after commercial.

The Star Business Club had an interesting variation. They “only” allowed 30 infomercials (pre-selected in advance). The messages were delivered 10 at a time with networking in between. This was a nice improvement on an unsatisfying concept.

Tip: try an infomercial if you get a chance. However, pay attention to each second. Edit to fit the timeframe the way TV commercials do.

The Mississauga Board of Trade had an interesting approach for Good Morning Mississauga. Five pre-selected members each gave two minute infomercials. You'd apply in advance, pay extra and wait months (three in my case). Unfortunately, the rest of the event had random networking. Ugh!

Multipurpose

An ideal event has more than one purpose --- something for everyone. I like

a speaker or two: education
facilitated networking
food (sit down): more relaxing
getting a scan of business cards afterwards: can't meet everyone you want (cards included by permission)

Value

These days, my favourite networking series in Toronto are from the Star Business Club and Western Alumni. The latest Western event (where I volunteered) took place at The Bata Shoe Museum. We got a guided tour, a professor as a speaker, snacks and networking. That's excellent value for $15. .

ADVANCED NETWORKING: LAUNCH YOUR OWN PRIVATE COMMUNITY

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Their network. Their rules.
Your network. Your rules.

You can join many social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+. They are often free in exchange for your privacy. That's a high price. Your activities are tracked and you may be shown ads. We routinely accept those trade-offs. There is another option to consider.

You already have your own network. What are you doing to nurture it? A newsletter isn’t the answer. How can members of your network get in contact with one another? How can you help each other?

Public vs private

A public network has advantages and we are part of many. A private network has even more advantages if it is yours.

Why run your own?

Your network may prove to be your most valuable asset if filled with quality people who can interact with each other.

The Hassle

Building and nurturing a community takes resources. The biggest cost is your time investment. If you like calculating an ROI, you may be disappointed in the short term.

When you build community, you are building an asset which grows in value with time. A local community can meet in person but still needs a way to stay in touch. An online community have a mechanism for staying in touch and is not restricted by geography.

Meetup

Meetup is an effective way running local events with face to face meetings. I started a group for Goodyear Toastmasters in 2011 and like the platform. It works very well if you want strangers to join your group. There are no ads because you pay a monthly fee. However, members get emails from Meetup to announce other groups that fit their interests.

I started a new group this month. I won’t give the link because I’m in the process of shutting it down. Strangers joined even though I wanted initial members to be people I personally knew. Within days, I realized that I did not want strangers in the group at this time.

Meetup is intended for in-person gatherings. I also saw that an online community would offer more flexibility via options like web meetings. Face-to-face meetings can take place later.

To help with the costs, I wanted a mechanism to charge a monthly membership fee. Meetup does not seem to do the billing automatically and I don’t want to be in the collections game.

You can have a private LinkedIn Group. That’s appealing because many of the people I would want in my community are already on LinkedIn.

However, LinkedIn keeps changing (not always for the better)

LinkedIn Answers ended in Jan 2013
LinkedIn Events removed in Nov 2012
Partnership with Twitter ended in Jun 2012 (see how the split helps you)
was locked out of LinkedIn for days in Jan 2011

There are other limitations. There are ads and data about members gets collected. There is no community calendar. I wanted more privacy and a way to keep outsiders from knowing who is a member. Also, I wanted to give access to people I might not accept as a LinkedIn connection. Finally, there is no way to charge for membership.

Google+ Communities

Google+ keeps improving and communities are another option with reasonable controls. However, you need a Google account to join and Google gets to collect even more data about you. That affects the privacy of members.

There is currently no way to charge for access but you can have video Hangouts.

Facebook

Facebook is an option but I have trouble trusting them and did not explore in detail.

Sanctum for TRUST AND YOU

Since I couldn’t find a suitable solution, I decided to create my own private social network on Ning 3.0: Sanctum for TRUST AND YOU. This community is designed for people who dream of a world in which we trust each other by default. Naive? Perhaps but we can take steps to achieve a reality at least within small communities.

Here are the features of the Sanctum:

private (no access for search engines)
approval process (want quality members)
no advertising or data mining (instead a membership fee: currently $5/month or $50/year)
no blatant self promotion (though ideal if members do business with each other)
well-featured (full set of possible options)

The Sanctum is where I am going to focus my online activities. That means less time on their networks under their rules. If you’re interested, you’re welcome to apply to join the community.

WRITE A WORKBOOK INSTEAD OF A BOOK

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:56:00 +0000

I’ve been planning to write a book on trust and perhaps others. I even have multi-page outlines and thousands of words written. But I’ve stalled. Maybe you have too?

Writing a book is a time-consuming process with unclear results. You get to say you're an author but is that enough anymore?

Instead, consider writing a workbook that goes into a nice binder and gets used in a workshop you deliver.

Consumption

You probably bought books you haven’t read. Contrast that with a workbook. You’re forced to read portions during the workshop. You’re encouraged to complete exercises and often participate in group discussions. The personalization makes the workbook yours. You’ve personalized it. You have a reason to keep it (even if you don’t refer to it as often as you planned).

Price

If a book typically sells for $10 or $20, yours will too. It doesn’t matter how brilliant, well-expressed or life changing your ideas. Put that same content into a binder and now you have training. Your workbook can now sell for hundreds as part of your exclusive workshop.

Length

A “proper” book seems to run about 200 pages. An amateur’s book run might run 100 or less and have more white space to mask the paucity of content.

If your goal is to say you wrote a book, you save time if you make it short. You can then write more books. (If you don’t care about trust, you can pretend you’ve written Speaking Of Success with Ken Blanchard, Jack Canfield and Stephen Covey.)

Readers expect results from a workbook. They want quality without fluff. Shorter can actually be better. You can create a shorter initial workbook and continue to add content later.

Freshness

By the time you publish a book, the content may already be stale. This is especially true of nonfiction books by major authors using traditional publishers: the gap between writing and publication gets measured in months.

In contrast, you can easily update your workbook whenever you want. You can tailor the content for different groups and different session lengths.

Ease of Creation

Writing a book feels daunting. You can’t ship it until everything is done. Observant readers don’t pardon mistakes easily. We expect perfection. You might take time learning to use a specialized app like Scrivener.

Writing a workbook is much easier. You can’t be sloppy but the expectations aren’t as high. Your workshop attendees can point out mistakes and make suggestions.

You can use Word (or another word processor) and work on the key sections first. The learning curve is small. You get professional results if you print on good quality paper with a laser printer. You can even print in colour.

Proven

A book is a time-consuming experiment that can easily fail. What’s the ROI on your efforts?

Publishing costs money. You need a proper editor and a cover designer. There are multiple steps in the creation of the master files for the paper book and ebook. You can outsource for a price but if you don’t have a reasonable understanding of the process, you might not get your money’s worth.

Marketing

Books don’t sell themselves. You need to market them. The best way is to start before you write by gauging if there is demand. Seth Godin ran a Kickstarter campaign.

A workbook is often designed for a workshop. You know if there’s demand if you get an audience (free or paid). You can also test via webinars too. Your audience can become part of your marketing plan. They can give you testimonials.

The Last Step

If you start with a workbook, you can always write a book later. Now you have the structure and know what works with live audiences. You’re earning money along the path. If you start with a book, you don’t get these advantages.

Links

PS Writing a blog helps you write a workbook.

WHAT IF YOU GOT BAD PUBLICITY LIKE RBC?

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:28:00 +0000

RBC has more marketing might when we do. That was not enough to spare them from PR trouble with iGate last week. They certainly looked unprepared. Were you surprised?

The unwanted attention continues. Today’s most recent articles are about how journalists spun RBC (Huffington Post) and that RBC doesn’t owe us an apology but the federal government does (Toronto Star).

The RBC story shows how quickly bad news spreads via media and social networks. The attention was difficult to predict since many other companies (including banks) operate the same way. There is no way to squelch or delete them the reactions.

Apologies

Big companies have great difficulty making sincere apologies, especially if they don’t plan to change their business practices. Responses often come slowly and don’t feel genuine. They read more like an advertisement than a confession. There’s a reluctance to say anything that could bring liability or hurt share prices.

Here are some well-known but less-than-convincing apologies from Apple (IGN, Sep 2012) that even mega-fans would have trouble believing.

What Would You Do?

You don’t fix a leaking roof during a lightning storm. Ask yourself what would happen if you faced bad PR. You can pretend you’d be spared and stay unprepared. That's not a great strategy. The Internet has a long memory.

As a defensive strategy, you could behave well by doing the “right” thing. Your digital tapestry will show that an unfortunate event is an outlier. Most mistakes are forgivable.

You can't build a history the day you need one. You can start now. You build your history a day by day. You collect supporters in the same way. What are you doing?

ONE BILLION REASONS TO CREATE YOUR OWN VIDEOS

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:58:00 +0000

YouTube started in February 2005 (exactly two years before this blog) and already has one billion unique viewers each month. That’s 1,000,000,000.

Where are your videos?

There are lots of reasons to create video. Let's assume you agree. You don’t need to hire anyone. You can create your own.

Better Than Professional

You won't get the same look as a professional. You probably won’t use fancy green screens or specialized lighting. Instead, you’ll be authentic. That’s valuable and costs less.

A key reason to shoot your own video is the sheer flexibility. You don't need to worry about scheduling. You can do take after take. You can shoot more video and more often. You’ll get better with practice.

Equipment

To get started, you need a video camera, a tripod, video editing software, a computer, and an external hard drive. You may need lighting. For now, let's assume you use natural lighting.

The camera can be relatively basic. These days you can even shoot good video with a smartphone. You'll have trouble mounting one on a tripod though. Consider a “basic” video camera. You can upgrade later if you want.

You might even start with the webcam in your computer or tablet.

Stage fright

Appearing on camera is daunting. Practice helps. Try using your smartphone with a free app like Viddy which lets you record and post 15 second clips. Maybe you can get someone else do the recording for you. Here are my examples.

You need not appear at all. You can add a voiceover to a presentation from within PowerPoint (Microsoft explains how). A high quality external microphone USB is a worthwhile investment since audio quality is very important.

Video audiences keep growing, thanks to mobile devices. You’re losing opportunities if they can't find you.

RECOVERING FROM ANOTHER COMPUTER BREAKDOWN

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:33:00 +0000

April Fools Day was yesterday. Today I’ve got more problems with my Lenovo ThinkPads. I’ve learned and am now better prepared.

My ThinkPad W520 workstation hasn’t been the same since the two repairs last year. The fan keeps running loud and there’s heat even when I’m doing basic things like typing. The internal speakers no longer work (for the second time).

My backup ThinkPad X200 Tablet has a pricey 128 GB SSD that’s defective, according to Windows. (My Dell netbook also has a defective 32 GB SSD but I rarely use it.)

This morning, the W520 refused to start because of an error with some controller. Later, it did start but it’s no longer reliable. None of my computers are.

Data Loss

At least I don’t need to worry about data loss. My key files are in my 61 GB Dropbox (see review), which means I have synchronized copies and archived versions. I use cloud-based services regularly.

I've also got CrashPlan+ Unlimited which backs up to an external hard drive and an online archive (review on about.com, Apr 2013). I’ve got every version of every file available.

The issue is no longer data loss. The issue is reliability. That will require another computer. The problem is deciding which to get.

Which One?

Costco has the best basic warranty (2 years) and return policy (90 days) but the selection is limited. Best Buy, Future Shop and Staples offer more choice but still play the game of having sales instead of great prices everyday. Computer stores have better prices but seem to be tough on returns (might even have restocking fees). Online manufacturers Lenovo and Dell offer choice and customization … but also use the gimmick of sales and delivery takes time if you customize.

The Ideal

The ideal notebook computer would have these features (in no particular order):

lightweight
portable (e.g., 13” or 14” screen)
Windows 8 touchscreen (reduces the need for a tablet)
powerful processor (e.g., Intel Core i7)
lots of memory (minimum of 8 GB, upgradeable to 16 GB)
lots of high-speed storage (e.g., 1 TB at 7200 rpm)
all-day battery (e.g., 8 hours)
nonglare HD screen (900x1600 or 1080x1920)
3 year onsite next-business-day repairs
VGA output (many projectors and monitors lack the newer HDMI inputs)
English (non-bilingual) keyboard
inexpensive

There’s no such choice.

Unless you order a customized computer, you’re stuck with compromises like a 1366x768 screen and a slow hard drive. If you order customized, your computer is a one-off. You wait for delivery and get a less reliable computer. According to a Lenovo repair shop, the most problems are with computers that are CTO (Customized To Order).

There are too many substandard choices … but I need to decide.

Your Clients

How do your clients (current and prospective) feel about what you offer? What’s simple or clear to you may confuse them. Rather than asking for your advice, they may decide to do nothing. Isn’t that a lose/lose?

Links

PS What would you do if your computer became unreliable?

THE WRAP ON ‘DECISIVE’, THE NEW BOOK FROM CHIP AND DAN HEATH

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:05:00 +0000

Every book by Chip and Dan Heath is worth reading. They’ve show us ways to make messages memorable (Made To Stick) and make difficult changes (Switch). In Decisive, they tackle the way we make decisions.

Decisive goes on sale today. I saw a webinar with Dan Heath yesterday and listened to a podcast with Chris Brogan. I saw Dan on the tour for Switch.

The Decision Process

Here is the four step WRAP process:

Widen your options
Reality-test your assumptions
Add distance before deciding
Prepare to be wrong

We’ll focus on widening options. This is difficult. We have limited time. Considering many choices is a recipe for indecision or substandard decisions. We also suffer from the confirmation bias.

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is probably the biggest problem in business, because even the most sophisticated people get it wrong. People go out and they’re collecting the data, and they don’t realize they’re cooking the books.
— Dan Lovallo

You likely have opinions on

the existence of global warming
the attention spans of kids today
the merits of fluoride in drinking water
the need for guns at home
whether iOS beats Android

We have our world views and find data that supports our thinking. Our blinders impair our thinking and decisions. We might not see what we're not looking for. In a recent Harvard study, 83% of radiologists failed to see a gorilla waving a fist in a stack of CT scans (Toronto Star, Feb 2013).

Thinking “outside the box” isn’t easy when we are the box. One way is to build a diverse network or team and consider differing opinions early in the process.

An Example

I've found there are strong opinions about the merits of social media marketing. For instance, “YouTube is now averaging 1 billion monthly users who are streaming a stunning 4 billion hours of content every month” (Forbes, Mar 21, 2013). Is that a call to create video or remain on the sidelines?

The ROI question also arises. Coca Cola finds that online buzz doesn’t lead to online sales — even now, television is more effective (Ad Age, Mar 18, 2013). That’s a “stunning admission” for the #1 brand on Facebook with 61.5 million fans. What conclusion do you draw? Are the results meaningful for what you sell? Is there a trend?

What we want to believe may not be what what's comfortable or true. For years, we’ve been told to Question Authority. Now it’s time to Question Biases too.

Decide

I’m confident that Decisive will have solid, practical content that’s easy to apply. It’s on my reading list.

BUILDING TRUST BEFORE MEETING IN PERSON

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Your favorite songs: did you first hear them live in concert or as a recording? Your favorite actors: did you see them live or on a screen?

Maybe your first impression was negative. Songs like Bohemian Rhapsody and Stairway to Heaven might take time to grow on you.

Repetition overcomes initial reactions. As your familiarity grows, doesn’t your desire for a live encounter grow too? The liking starts building trust even though you’ve never met.

Gone

Just because you want to meet someone doesn’t mean you’ll ever get the opportunity. Maybe you’d like to chat with Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Mark Twain or Steve Jobs. They’re gone but live on because we still see what they did. And what they did mattered.

Easier Than Ever

These days, it’s easier than ever to reach out to people who were inaccessible before. We can follow them on Twitter and if they follow us back, we can send direct messages that might get a response. If they blog, we can leave comments, get known and start a private conversation. Maybe someone in our network can make an introduction.

“Regular” people are easy to reach via a quick web search.

The First Impression

Michael Apted’s Up Series (Wikipedia) says that if you look at a child, you see glimpses of the adult too. The past leaves clues about the future.

When you first meet someone, you see their public face. You can’t trust them unless you’ve seen them online before and they’re congruent with your expectations.

You can have an impact on others in the same way: create an advance expectation that you match in person. To do this, you need content online that improves with time. The visible evolution is important.

Your Body Speaks

Your visible body of work speaks for you when you cannot. If you're invisible, you're at a disadvantage to someone who has the courage and foresight to put themselves on display even when they knew they weren't perfect.

If and when you do meet your “pen pal” in person, you already “know” each other. There’s anticipation and more to talk about. Doesn’t that help solidify a relationship that already started?

Links

PS Live encounters are important but expensive and limiting.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SETH GODIN, GOOGLE AND BLACKBERRY AT TECH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2013 (#TLC13)

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 01:34:00 +0000

I attended the Tech Leadership Conference for the first time. I went primarily to see Seth Godin. Overall, the sessions were worthwhile. The day was an excellent value ($199 for nonmembers, including lunch and a reception). Thanks sponsors!

Each session had time for questions. There was plenty of time for networking too. Here are highlights.

Thorsten Heins | Blackberry | President & CEO

Blackberry had the most to gain from a solid presentation. Thorsten Heins spoke well. but I couldn't understand why Blackberry matters when we have iOS and Android. His message was too technical, focusing on solving problems we might not really have.

Blackberry 10 is bringing us mobile computing but lookup that term on Wikipedia and the photo shows a Google/Samsung Nexus.

No one I asked was wowed by the content. A Blackberry user said she was waiting to upgrade but after Thorsten's talk decided to switch to Android. See Blackberry's confusing message (a more detailed review) and three ways for a laggard to beat the market leader.

Tip: Communicate to get into your audience's heart instead of their heads. Have real content (or repackage old content in a fresh, compelling way).

Seth Godin

If you want your idea to be believed, say Seth said it.

I've seen Seth several times already (e.g., see three lessons from The Linchpin Session or five presentations from Seth Godin). I've read his books and read his blog. In gatherings, I sometimes act has an unofficial interpreter: "When Seth said X, he was referring to Y, which is what he said in Z."

Most of the people I asked attended primarily for Seth. He met or exceeded their expectations. Kudos to Communitech for bringing him back after a four year absence. Seth's messages were counter to Blackberry's. A big company that hires 5,000 can fire 5,000 too. RIM did both.

The onus is on us to make our own futures. As Seth has been saying since Linchpin, we need to do what scares us. We need to ship our art. Even knowing and agreeing, few do.

Rather than asking what's next, Seth suggests we ask what's now (and then do something)

Patrick Pichette | Google | Senior Vice President & CFO

Unlike Apple and Blackberry, Google believes in open. I do too and use their offerings as much as possible. Patrick gave us insights into the company. I've seen the Canadian head several times (see Five Marketing Keys from Chris O'Neill).

The company believes in dreaming 10 times bigger (see Larry Page’s interview in Wired). Mere years ago, the world hadn't heard of Gmail, Chrome or Android.

Patrick is involved in the Google Fiber project in Kansas City. Users get a "true gig" of bandwidth (1 Gigabit downloads and uploads) with no caps on usage or bandwidth shaping. The price is only $70/month. Imagine having capabilities like that. A future of abundance. I'd love to have Google Fiber. Instead, we have high prices and restricted service. Time Warner Cable says there's no consumer demand for the speed. Really?

Lesson: Tear down walls and open new possibilities. That's what we want. That's what we'll (eventually) get. (Sooner please)

April Dunford | RocketScope | Co-founder & Managing Director

April's session was the most practical. I've been too many sessions on marketing with content that’s weak or self-serving. April had real substance and knew what she was talking about.

Marketing has changed and small business now has the advantage. That's because big business can no longer interrupt us with mass media messages. They have trouble reaching us at all. We care less about what they want to tell us. We care more about the views of our network and people like us. I often look at IMDB or Amazon Reviews before making decisions. The vendor's website is les relevant.

"In times of rapid change, experience becomes your worst enemy."
— J Paul Getty

Knowing isn't doing. Big business is often stuck in yesteryear. Change takes place slowly. Execution may suffer. Who has a Dell MP3 player or Lenovo smartphone? Best Buy didn't become Amazon. Do you care if your smartphone has Intel Inside?
You can watch April's live session and get the slides from her blog. Take a peek and see what you learn.

Overall

Communitech hosts excellent events and the Tech Leadership Conference is another example.Some keynote presenters are gracious enough to allow their presentations to be posted. Dan Pink is an example (see video). Well worth attending.

WHEN TO HIRE A COACH

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:26:00 +0000

You’re nimble and flexible. You can do much on your own — maybe more than you’d like to do.

Even if you have the time and budget, you can’t outsource everything. For example, you can’t hire anyone to exercise or diet for you. Well, you can but you won’t get results.

Say you want to build trust in our transparent world. You must do the weight lifting yourself. LinkedIn is an essential tool. I’ve shared my best tips via

a 30 day action plan
video and other resources
presentations / workshops / 1:1 advice

That's plenty of help but may not be enough. Consider your own goals. You might need more support to reach them.

Personalization

Even solid content needs adjustments to suit your specific situation. Otherwise, you risk looking generic.

You might not know what to do. You might want to save time. Maybe this is when to hire a coach. The right coach makes a big difference. Much of my learning comes from learning, thinking and experimenting. I’ve still used coaches over the years.

Accountability

Habits take time to build. Bad habits take time to vanish.

You might need outside discipline until your new scripts are engrained. I participate in masterminds. A Pick Four goals group may help (and you can start one). A coach is another option.

Independence

When you’re paying for help, look for ways to limit the cost and duration.

As an example, we've been wanting to get physically fit for years. We couldn’t make sense of the conflicting advice and didn’t exercise consistently. At the end of a busy day, pizza has more pull than the gym. Our son is out of town, studying at my alma mater, Western University. He’s taken the initiative to get fit and he

Developed a fitness plan for us
Showed us the exercises
Guided us during the holidays

We’ve been following the plan regularly for three months. We now have discipline. We no longer need him — but he’s still welcome back home.

If what you’re doing isn’t getting you to your goals, you may need coaching until you’re self-sufficient.

Links

PS There's no shame in using training wheels … as long as you take them off.

ARE YOU AS RELEVANT (OR IRRELEVANT) AS THE OSCARS?

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:00:00 +0000

Maybe the Oscars mattered years ago when movies were still magic and we on big screens in rooms filled with strangers. We now have more variety and other options too. Ticket sales have dropped to the lowest levels since the mid-1990s (MarketWatch).

Here are observations which may also apply to your business.

Annoying The Clients

We watched segments of the 85th Academy Awards online. Or tried. In Canada, the ABC feed was blocked. The CTV feed had the usual TV commercials plus extra Internet commercials that played with no regard for what was airing. The result was a very poor experience. Shame on American Express, Cadillac and Target for annoying viewers. A ticker tape at the bottom of the screen would have been more considerate. We stopped watching.

Are you annoying your clients, because you think you can? Are you holding back on what you offer (like Apple did by not putting a camera in the first iPad).

Lack of Preparation

The winners sometimes stumble when they give their speeches. Why is that? They know how to memorize lines. They know how to deal with pressure. They know how to act. They have huge advantages over us. Yet the acceptance speeches tend are often repetitive and dull. Can't they say something worth our attention?

The nominees don’t know in advance whether they won. However, the presenters know their roles in advance. Even they are less than amazing. The hosts keep changing. Despite the preparation, the results are unpredictable.

How prepared are you? How memorable is your message? Toastmasters is an excellent place to practice impromptu and prepared messages.

Other Judges

Do you really care who wins an Academy Award? Is that really a factor in deciding which movie to watch? Are the winning movies necessarily the best films?

These days, I will check IMDB for reviews from other members. The reviews by experts are not very interesting or compelling. They used to matter but now they are merely other voices without special weight. Instead, I’m more likely to listen to people I know, such as Peter McGarvey, author of the Molly Parsons mysteries. The amalgamation of votes on IMDB is also helpful.

If the title is on Netflix, there is no risk or cost to watching. You can experiment. If you don't like a film, simply stop watching. If you do like something, provide a rating and Netflix will find you more like that.

As the process for making buying decisions, what happens to your business? If buyers rely on web searches and other buyers (e.g., the equivalent of IMDB or reader reviews on Amazon), how do you rank? Are you visible? Is buying from you risky in comparison with other options?

Safe Is Risky

We are more discerning. Have you seen how many types of rice a grocery store stocks? Standing out becomes ever more difficult and valuable.

Does your success come as a specialist or generalist? Are you noticeably different?

BUILDING TRUST WITH NETWORKING

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:08:00 +0000

The company disappeared.

I was the product actuary and reported to the Senior Vice President. He was about to retire. This created wonderful opportunities — or would have ... but the company disappeared. The parent decided to “harmonize” operations. I lost my team of 10 and corner office. This was 2004.

I was spared but worried about next time. What would happen then?

I decided to become known by strangers. That has made all the difference. I started blogging in 2007. I even decided to do the unspeakable ... start networking. That’s not easy if you’re introverted and don't know many people. In my usual way, I started to learn the techniques.

I found the advice obvious or self-serving. For instance, give before you ask (and be sure to ask). The stories were entertaining — like the ones in get-rich-quick schemes. I met this stranger and now I have a private jet.

Maybe the ideas worked yesteryear when networks were hidden in private Rolodexes. The Internet makes valuable what's visible — networks included. The transparency showed that too many networking experts lacked congruence. Too often, a quick Google search showed that their words on stage and did not match their actions in real life. That chasm destroys trust.

I discovered three keys to networking in today’s interconnected world.

Act like a host
Stay visible
Nurture

Act Like A Host

Pretend you’re hosting the event and want to make sure your guests enjoy and benefit — even the introverts. Introduce yourself. Introduce people the people you’re meeting to each other.

As a host, you have permission to talk to anyone there. What's more, you have the obligation to talk to some guests, even if you’d rather not.

General questions like these help start conversations:

How did you find out about this event?
Why did you decide to come?
What other events do you attend?
How do you like this event?

In To Sell Is Human (a book you need to read), Dan Pink suggests asking “Where are you from?” That simple question leads to a range of conversation starters such where they were born, where they work or where they live.

You can also ask questions specific to the event. At an alumni gathering, you might ask fellow attendees

When did you graduate?
What are you doing these days?

Maybe you volunteer to join the organizing team. You are then a real host and make connections with the organizers. That's valuable.

When you act like a host, you’re giving. People want to stay in touch because you helped them and the event. Let them.

Stay Visible

A great first impression that doesn’t mean much if you don’t stay in touch. Out of sight …

Follow-up matters. The process is simple but rarely done well or consistently. Since anyone can follow-up, the ones who don’t sink and disappear. After all, life is busy. There are often substitutes.

Even if you create a so-so first impression, maintaining contact increases your impact. Maybe your 20th impression matters more than the first or second.

Meeting in person is ideal but may not be possible often. What happens in between? You can phone or text, if the other person welcomes that form of contact.

These days, staying in touch is especially easy via social networks. If you don’t feel comfortable talking or get your best ideas afterwards, that’s okay. With social media, your communications are asynchronous. You have time to think and edit before you click Send. This gives introverts an advantage.

When you want to stay in touch with someone you’ve met, exchange business cards (you have business cards, right?). Ask if they’re on LinkedIn (usual answer: yes). Ask if they’d like to connect (usual answer: yes). Send them an invitation within the next few days. If they accept, thank them. See how you can help without them asking. I’ll often give a tip on how they can improve their LinkedIn profiles.

Some events have “celebrities” (say as speakers). You can probably chat and have photos taken with them but that doesn’t mean they want you in their networks. You have a better chance of staying in contact with “regular” attendees.

Nurture

These days, your network is visible. You’re judged by the company you keep and how you help them. It’s tougher to maintain false impressions over time. Incongruence is easy to spot.

Networking is like gardening. Besides planting the unmarked seeds, you must nurture and be patient. You can’t tell what will grow or be in demand. Plant a diverse crop. Connect to “good” people outside your niche. You don’t know who knows who. You don’t know know who needs what when.

As a steward, you have the responsibility to protect, grow and strengthen your network. Help without expecting a direct or immediate payback. You will get rewarded. Your network notices your ongoing generosity if you share online. As your digital tapestry improves, you’ll make stronger impressions on each new connection.

People connect to you for various reasons. They aren’t necessarily ready to become a customer. If your contact looks self-serving, you’re harming the relationship. My primary network is on LinkedIn, where I post regular updates of value and pay attention to my connections.

Rewards

You never know when you’ll need help. In 2009, the corporate world thought they could do without me.

What would I do next? This time, I had a solid, diverse network in place. I got an unexpected suggestion.

There’s a growing and unmet need for insurance literacy. The products are complex and advisors vary in skill. I've become an insurance literacy mentor with free services at Riscario (blog, wiki) and paid services at Taxevity. My growing network vouches for me and invites clients.

Transparency has changed networking. The benefits in both directions are unpredictable and immeasurable when you focus on consistent persistent generosity.

Links

PS This post is based on a speech to graduates of Woodsworth College at the University of Toronto. The opportunity arose via networking. Feel free to forward to people who needed to attend but didn’t.

THREE RULES TO USE THE RIGHT WORK TOOLS

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Not everything you do requires you to be physically present at your desk.

You can work almost anywhere. That doesn't mean you should. Technology need not enslave us. Set rules for

what you do
where you do it
the device you use

Use each device has an optimal use. If you only have one screwdriver or a multi-tool, you end up using a suboptimal tool, which gives suboptimal results. You might even take extra time to get lesser results.

rule 1: Do not answer email from your smartphone

Your smartphone does lots in a jack-of-all-trades way. Consider email. Checking for messages at selected times is productive but difficult when your smartphone is within easy reach. Besides, you may have received an important message that requires an immediate response. You probably didn’t but you never know …

Check your messages but refrain from answering them using the tiny keyboard (and having a disclaimer apologizing for typos). Delete the useless messages and mark the important ones for a response later when you’re at your computer or tablet.

rule 2: Talk Instead Of Type

Talking is faster and easier than typing. A modern smartphone has voice recognition that’s excellent and improves with use.

In the past, I drafted blogs post on paper or on my iPad. Santa brought a new smartphone, the remarkable Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (which ranks higher than the iPhone 5 in user satisfaction). The free Google Voice Recognition is amazing. As a result, I'm drafting this post on my phone using Trello (my review). I finish sooner and make fewer mistakes than when typing. The iPhone has similar capabilities.

In the past, I used Dragon NaturallySpeaking for speech recognition. It works quite well but requires a powerful computer and continual upgrades. You may find value if you’re tethered to your desk.

rule 3: explore continually

What didn't work then may work now. For instance, I find a task organizer without subtasks is ineffective. However, if you like an app you like, you may find that the feature you want gets added soon. Asking helps. If you don't see progress, pick an app that improves.

I liked Remember The Milk (my review). Subtasks were often requested but not added. I switched to Toodledo (my review) but the interface is horrible. Other apps use Toodledo as a backend but then you're paying for two services. Most recently, I've been using Trello and Asana for work items, and Astrid on my phone for personal tasks. That's after trying out other options.

Follow Your Rules

Use the best tool even if it's not at hand right now. For instance, you can create a mindmap on different devices. Maybe your tablet is the best choice because it's portable and doesn't require a mouse to move things around.

Since we have much to do, a slight delay may make us more productive.

Links

PS How do you pick your tools?

REASONS FOR LEAVING THE TORONTO (REGION) BOARD OF TRADE

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:26:00 +0000

I’m leaving the Toronto Board of Trade after two years of membership. I feel obligated to tell you why because my posts about the experience have been read thousands of times:

Why join the Toronto Board of Trade? (the most-read post today and this week)
A nominee’s view of the Business Excellence Awards
What matters more than winning an award?
Fixing what's wrong with conferences and networking
Reviewing the SMB Exchange (the most-read post this month)

First, no one incident lead to the decision. We’ve grown apart.

Get Involved

To get the most out of an organization, you must participate. Here’s what I did

attended most events for small business
attended the excellent SMB Exchange event (here’s why) and joined the online community (my testimonial is on the home page)
joined the Community Advisory Committee which helped with the small business events
joined the Business Excellence Award Committee (focused on the Local Economic Impact category)
made and maintained connections with selected people

I’m not sure how I could have been more involved.

No Events

Since the Business Excellence Awards gala in mid-November 2012, small business events have vanished without explanation.

No December holiday luncheon.
No networking in Etobicoke, North York or Scarborough.
Only one small business event in downtown Toronto.
This month there is absolutely nothing.
Yet there are many other events.
Maybe the focus has changed.

Why belong when there aren’t any appealing events? There’s isn’t much else to do besides attend.

What Else?

The Toronto Board of Trade has different levels of membership with different privileges. I had the basic $475 Connected plan which includes a $200 credit to use towards purchases, such as tickets. Opportunities to speak and write appear to be restricted to members who pay more. That’s unfortunate.

Compare with the Mississauga Board of Trade. Any member can write for MBOT Magazine and I did several times. Also, the committees have meaningful roles (e.g., selecting themes and speakers) while the staff handle the logistics.

Other Places

There are other ways to meet nice people without paying an membership fee or a surcharge as a nonmember:

the Star Business Club from the Toronto Star
the Small Business Summit from The Globe and Mail (now in Calgary and Vancouver too)
alumni events: e.g., Western University (where I also volunteer) charges $0 or $15 for events in nice spots like the CN Tower, 180 Panorama or the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

There’s no shortage of quality events. I get ideas by asking my LinkedIn connections and noticing where they go.

The Name Change

On Jan 28, 2013, the Toronto Board of Trade became the Toronto Region Board of Trade (announcement).

Huh? What’s the Toronto Region? Not even Google knows. A search gives results for Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Just because members and issues extend beyond the City of Toronto doesn’t require a longer name with more syllables. Can you imagine these name changes?

the Toronto Region Star
the Toronto Region Blue Jays
the Toronto Region Maple Leafs
the Toronto Region International Film Festival

There’s power in brevity.

Based on the lack of media coverage, the name change looks like a nonevent. Here’s Google News a week later.

The Future

The Toronto Region Board of Trade may be ideal for you. You might want to attend several events before deciding. You can join the mailing list to find out what’s happening.

Maybe amazing changes are underway. If so, I may return. For now, I’m taking a break and felt you deserved to know.

COLLECT, PLAN AND DO WITH TRELLO

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:00:00 +0000

We have many different ways to organize our lives. The challenge is finding apps we like enough to re-use.

I’ve been looking for a tool that’s

appealing to use
powerful and flexible
cloud-based: nothing to install, sync or backup
accessible anywhere: desktop/Android/iPhone, offline
free for reasonable features

Trello is an ideal solution, except you can only use it when you have an Internet connection.

Wary

I got Trello (trello.com) months ago but couldn’t figure out how to use it. Rather, I didn’t bother learning how. Maybe it didn’t suit what I wanted to do at the time.

Now I see how simple and intuitive Trello is. You’re productive within minutes if you start with your desktop browser. There are many powerful features but they’re not intrusive. You see them when you look for them. That’s ideal.

Trello is currently free and I was wary about the future pricing even though the website says:

Yup, Trello is free, now and forever. That means we’ll never take away everything you love and put it behind a pay wall. So feel free to fall in love—it’s here to stay. If only more of life were like that!

How can a company stay in business? There aren’t even any annoying ads anywhere. I was convinced that free means free after reading let me pay you for Trello. They answered questions I didn’t realize I had.

The Magic

The magic of Trello is the structure. Deceptively simple. Extremely powerful.

You put information on cards in column lists. You move a card from list to list as you progress. For instance from To Do to Doing to Done. I like this approach much better than a conventional single column To Do list with the completed items crossed out. You keep seeing what you haven’t done instead of what you’ve accomplished.

Actual Uses

For an upcoming workshop, I’ve got lists with advance questions from registrants and examples I want to show. I might even use Trello live.

Brainstorming

In the past, I brainstormed in mindmaps using iThoughtsHD but I don’t always have my iPad with me. What’s worse, I can’t see or make changes on my desktop or Android phone. Now I’m using Trello because I always have it at hand via my smartphone.

Curating

Sometimes I read articles on a mobile device and decide to share or save them. I’d email a link to myself which adds clutter to my inbox. Now I use a board called To Tweet with four lists: @mActuary, @riscario, @trustandyou and sent. I’ll finally be able to find my updates because Trello has a search feature.

Writing

For this blog, I created a board with these lists: Ideas, Drafting, Editing, Posted.

I’ve started drafting blog posts by voice on my Galaxy Note. Previously, I would jot by hand (which requires retyping) or create a text file with iA Writer on my iPad (which syncs to my desktop via DropBox).

Since this blog post was getting long, I moved a 122 word tangent to Trello for later use. In the past, I would have deleted them because there was no convenient place to put them.

Scope

What’s possible with Trello depends on your imagination. If a feature doesn’t exist, ask. The team at Fog Creek Software are friendly and open. They are also transparent. They must have had requests for a downloadable version (not sure why). Here’s the honest response that prevents false expectations:

“We will not be offering Trello as an installable product. It will only be offered as a cloud-based service. Sorry if this means you can't use Trello for your organization.”

You can collaborate with others. The capabilities look promising but I haven’t tried. The features would even work for family projects and ad hoc virtual teams.

You can do the usual things like assign due dates to tasks and add notes (including links, images and files). What about the ever-important subtasks — cards within cards? There is a reasonable substitute: add a checklist to a card.

Premature?

I normally wouldn’t write about a tool until l became more proficient. Trello is too good to wait. Do give it a try and share your thoughts.

ADD WEBINARS TO YOUR MARKETING MIX

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:00:00 +0000

If you only make presentations in person, you face limitations

time: travel, parking, setup (shorter online)
geography: you can’t be in two places at once (you can online)
audience: members from different firms may avoid going to the same event (how would they know online?)
facilities: sometimes squishy, with obstructed views, poor acoustics (you control the environment online)
health: do you want to catch or give the flu? (online attendees can watch without worries)
weather: adds uncertainty (online you can continue with those available and have a “rain date” for the ones who can’t attend)
cost: no room rentals, screen rentals or refreshments

Webinars look like an ideal addition to your in-person events. I haven't been a fan because too many are boring or salesy. That's not a criticism of webinars but how they’re used. Webinars are a quick, low cost way to extend your reach. Here's what you need:

a compelling presentation
an engaging voice
basic technology

The Presentation

When you're speaking live, you have the advantage of your physical presence. When you're remote, your slides become more important. Are they simple and engaging? Do they build by element or do you show everything at once? If you use a video clip, will your audience be able to see and hear it properly? Are you telling stories?

Tip: Practice, ideally with someone watching remotely.

The Voice

When you're not on camera, your audience only sees your slides and hears your voice. Think radio. You need more energy than usual. Try speaking a little faster (or a little slower if you normally talk fast). Enunciate clearly. Sit straight in your chair. Breathe deeply and regularly.

You need to adjust for time lags in transmission and reception. Some animations may be too fast for your audience to see. Some words may cut out as happens with mobile phone calls.

Tip: Record yourself and watch the playback. Repeat until you're comfortable with the results. Now get others to watch. What do they think?

The Technology

You'll want a fast, reliable Internet connection and a high quality microphone. If your mobile phone can create an Internet hotspot, you have a Plan B.

You'll find many services which let you host webinars from your web browser. Here's what's ideal.

a well-featured always-free version: lets you experiment (likely ad-supported)
recording capability: lets you practice, allows replays
webcam option: lets you appear on the screen at least part of the time (much more engaging)
fixed web address: looks more professional than having “no fixed address”
registration which captures contact details: lets you stay in touch with your audience, including those who were unable to attend
monthly plans: saves money since you may not have events every month
option to charge: you may want to sell tickets

For some reason, most paid plans only allow 25 attendees. That may be realistic but doesn't seem like much.

I was considering join.me ($20/mo for 25 attendees) but it lacks basics like recording and webcam support. I'm currently investigating AnyMeeting ($18/mo for 25 attendees, $70/mo for 200 attendees). The free ad-supported version allows 200 attendees. I'm impressed so far.

When's your next webinar?

Links

PS If you think you have to be physically present to achieve your call to action, maybe you can strengthen your content and delivery.

YOU NEED TO READ DAN PINK’S ‘TO SELL IS HUMAN’

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 04:31:00 +0000

I confess. I didn't know much about selling until 2005. That’s when I switched from working in a life insurance head office to helping insurance salespeople (“advisors”) in the field.

I started listening to audiobooks, attending seminars and observing. As an outsider, I found the recommended sales techniques stale and manipulative. Here's how to prospect. Here's how to handle objections. Here's how to close.

There had to be better ways. Something was missing since advisors were always looking for more clients.

Discoveries

I made three observations

The teachers were often salespeople who failed
The approaches predated the Internet
The techniques were losing potency

During my research, I found these main guides

2005: Zig Ziglar (selling products)
2006: Harry Beckwith (selling services)
2007: Seth Godin (modern marketing)
2007: Robert Cialdini (universal principles of influence)

Ideas followed.

Imbalance

In the life insurance world, the insurers knew more than the sellers who knew more than the buyers. Even now, information doesn't travel freely. In particular, the buyers might not understand the downsides before signing.

This didn’t make sense. The Internet was bringing transparency to other sectors. Anyone with a web browser had instant access to previously-unavailable information from insiders.

Since the inner workings of the insurance world would eventually be known, why not help? In Feb 2007, I started the Riscario Insider blog to blast the walls away

I figured that advisors would stand out if they started sharing the best of what they knew for free via blogging. I thought this ongoing generosity would invoke reciprocity,create a lasting competitive edge and build trust.

I didn't have research to back up my hypothesis until Dan Pink wrote To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others.

Think Pink

Dan makes the point that we're all in selling. Don’t cringe since selling has changed.

Dan observes that the information asymmetry — buyers knowing more than sellers — has generally disappeared. I've said we're moving from buyer beware to seller inform. Since he’s a lawyer, he used Latin to say we’re moving from caveat emptor (buyer beware) to caveat venditor (seller beware).

Dan says the ABCs of selling have changed from Always Be Closing to

Attunement: build rapport
Buoyancy: be resilient to deal with rejection
Clarity: help buyers discover issues they may not have detected

Dan doesn’t merely express his opinions (as I'm doing here). Instead, he's looks at the research, identifies the sources and interprets the findings. The results are compelling. You also get solid, practical tips on how to sell today.

To Sell Is Human is a must read, a must re-read and a must act-upon. Imagine selling becoming noble. Even for insurance.

YOUR FAVOURITE POSTS OF 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:49:00 +0000

Let’s start 2013 by looking back at what got read on this Marketing Actuary blog last year. If you’re a new reader, this post gives you a quick sample of the content before you subscribe.

THE TOP 10

Some of these posts are from years ago but still get read. That's an advantage of creating a digital tapestry: what you've done remains available.

Worth Noting

The year ended with 51 new posts for a total of 283 since 2007. Most readers are from the United States, Canada and Great Britain. Visits are up 53%, though the average length has dropped by 12 seconds. Mobile devices account for 11% of the visits. The number of page views is up 44%. Visits via social networks are up 182% (mainly LinkedIn and Twitter).

If you like statistics, you’ll find lots on the yearly highlights on Riscario Insider.

Worth a Peek

Here are the 2012 posts by category.

Trust

Performance

Events

Positioning

Focus

Marketing

How’s that for last year? Let’s make this one even better.

WHAT WILL YOU STOP DOING?

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:55:00 +0000

When we make plans or resolutions, we think about what we're going to do. Unless our days and/or weeks expand, we face the hurdle of finding the time.

We can put new items at or near the top of our priority lists. Other items will drop off for lack of time — unless we're told to squeeze them in too.

Clear The Clutter

We develop habits and stop noticing how they drain us, unless we pay attention. Where is your time going now? Consider using time tracking tools. Ask others where they think you’re misusing time.

Now, decide what you'll no longer do in your personal and work lives. You then free up time for the new. More important, you free up mental energy.

Example

As a supplement to this blog, I've been sending out a free monthly newsletter, Marketing Reflections. The goal is to help you pause, reflect on your marketing and then act. Each issue had links to five articles worth a (re-)read.

I didn't mind creating the issues and readers liked them. That's still not a win/win because of the hours consumed. Also, the newsletter stopped serving a marketing purpose since I already share content via social networks.

The final issue, #42, shipped last week.

Stopping is more difficult than continuing. Even when I decided, I had misgivings. Yet, I felt lighter. That's a sign of a good decision. I knew many readers through past corporate work but we haven’t stayed in touch. The newsletter was maintaining an artificial connection.

A simple newsletter was sapping my mental energy. I didn't know until I stopped.

Your Case

Don’t you do things that make little sense today? Can’t you make better use of that time?
You could stop what seems unnecessary and see if anyone notices. That's cowardly compared with announcing your intention. Give your reasons and you might get commended for being proactive.

Ideas

What might you stop? Here are ideas.

Stop waking up to news: feel good instead
Stop checking email before breakfast: get ready first
Stop meeting for the sake of meeting: review the need, frequency and format
Stop checking email all day: focus instead
Stop disruptive multi-tasking: even if you’re a great juggler
Stop responding to fake rush requests: you encourage poor planning
Stop putting out fires: find ways to prevent them
Stop taking on projects without proper time estimates: be realistic
Stop being a bottleneck: you're more valuable when you enable and empower
Stop feeling guilty on vacation: the world will survive
Stop using two calendars: pick paper or electronic

This is the final post of 2012.

Best wishes to you and yours during the holidays.
May 2013 be the best year you've seen!

HOW TO REFRESH YOUR POSITIONING

noreply@blogger.com (Promod Sharma) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 23:46:00 +0000

What you do may be clear to you but not to others. Don’t blame them. Life’s busy and attention spans short. Refresh your positioning instead.

The Challenge

Positioning is tough. If you say you’re a coach, you’re easily stereotyped even though you’re unique (at least until cloning). If you pick a clever title (e.g., “Angle Coach”) and tagline (e.g., “Changing By Degree”), what you do may not be clear. If you’re given the opportunity to explain, you’re stereotyped again.

What you do may have evolved since you positioned yourself last time.

Example

I've been calling myself a Marketing Actuary for years. That’s reasonable because I own marketingactuary.com (this website) and have helped entrepreneurs market better. My last official title in the corporate world was Director of Advanced Marketing.

While I have a personal website, promodsharma.com, some people have trouble remembering or correctly spelling my name. In contrast, Marketing Actuary is easier to remember and leads directly to me.
The only drawback is confusion.

My real work involves life and health insurance (education, reviews, sales). I’m really an “insurance actuary” but don’t show up in a web search with those keywords.

Title

I started calling myself an Insurance Actuary last week.

Tagline

I changed my tagline from “actuary to the wealthy” to “actuary | advocate | blogger” earlier this year. My new title gave me a better idea: “promoting insurance literacy”.

My name is spelled “Promod”, which is usually pronounced “pro-MOD”. The correct way is “pro-MODE” (which rhymes with “commode”). “Promote” has a similar sound and positive connotations.

Financial literacy is a big problem but the battle focuses on investing. Who’s talking about the more specialized world of insurance? I can align myself with “promoting insurance literacy”. It’s even true, since I started a financial wiki in 2006 (Riscario) and blog in 2007 (Riscario Insider).

Clever, huh?

Your Turn

Your positioning may still make sense to you. What I've done might suboptimal. That’s okay. There’s value in making changes even when they’re less than perfect. You get closer to the ideal.
You don’t need fresh business cards while you experiment. Instead,

Make the changes on your LinkedIn profile.
Modify your “elevator speech” or commercial.
Gauge the reactions and make adjustments.

Getting Ideas

You may have trouble figuring out better ways to position yourself. As a start, ask the people you know how they’d describe you. Take notes. You may not get a flash insight but you’re gathering data. Think about what you’re being told without over-analyzing. My process took several weeks.

If you’re stuck, ask for help. Look for someone who specifically does positioning.

One Small Step ...

My changes are minor but I'm already getting good responses to Insurance Actuary | Promoting Insurance Literacy. I've also got an untapped niche, a “blue ocean”.

When you reposition yourself, you get fresh perspectives. You see yourself differently and others do too. You may think your new position isn't far from your old one. It is.