Inquisitive Thinking…

Social Media Activity - A Ravan's Conspiracy!!

2011-09-19T16:15:00.000+05:30

It has been a while that I've been asked by my friends and colleagues that why I waste my time in updating blog, using LinkedIn, tweeting, using Facebook, and other social media tools. They strongly believe (since they are hardcore techies) that it’s a waste of time and there are no results out of it. I face this question almost daily in different ways and every time I give them same answer.

Today, I came across an article from Alok Kejriwal, who actually answered these questions in a best possible way. He clubbed all his answers as conspiracy of RAVAN (pretty much inspired from Ravan, an ancient King of Lanka, currently known as Srilanka).

I was so overwhelmed to read his answer that I couldn’t stop myself and re-posting his conspiracy (err...Ravan’s) to my own blog, with few changes and his permission :)

Below is the interesting RAVAN Conspiracy:

Ravan

R - Reality

Facebook, Twitter is REALITY. Alok gave his own example based on his vast network, however for me – I faced this reality when few of my contact have reached me out to help them in something. I remember getting lot of calls looking for my expertise through my blog, LinkedIn profile etc.

We go to ANY CITY in the world and we can have a real friend to MEET - with whom we can share some background, post etc. Don’t you think it’s a huge thing?

A - Ask

Personally, these social tools have been very useful in getting answers on any topic, no matter how stupid you perceive it is. No matter what you ask, there is an answer available to it. It opens a window wherein you don’t feel shy and have power to ask anything – Kind of RTI (Right to Information) stuff. You get connected to industry experts, get new ideas etc.

The more open you are, more information you can collect and share. After all, this is what we need to grow.

V - Voice

Social Networks are our VOICE. You can share what you know, what you think with everyone. I have seen many people looking for answers on many topics which I am aware of and based on my experience I can say that there is no single forum where you can get them. I know using these tools, I can help these people to understand what they are looking for – after all what could be better than that if you can help someone with your knowledge when it’s required.

Take a current example – Mr. Anna and our civil society was able to create awareness using these tools only. Mango man (aam aadmi – general public) was able to share their voice through it.

A - AWARE

Same example which I quoted above, Anna team was able to create awareness on Lokpal bill issue through social median networks. General public was not even aware of that bill, but in a short span – entire India was aware of it.

These tools create awareness; however it depends on what you seek. Alok has wisely quoted that We SEEK to be AWARE.

We spend maximum time in office or at home, our social connections are not the only source wherein we can be Aware of things going on outside our 4 walls.

N - NEW

Every time we connect with someone, learn about something new or spread awareness on something – we get a different feel – which matches to the feel of getting reborn. You get connected with old mates, college friends, colleagues, new business ideas, opportunities etc and also can increase your reach through it. Something NEW is always there for us.

I believe all the above points answers the questions that why I am addicted to Social Media and what results I get from it.

Social Networking Trends in Q3 of 2011

2011-09-13T16:04:00.001+05:30

Q3 2011 Social Media report from Nielsen shows that its popularity continues to grow, allowing people to connect with just everything which they can watch and buy. Like always, tools like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook played a key role in expanding its popularity and concept.

The latest report from Nielsen shows how powerful this influence is on consumer behavior and how they are educating consumers with various options both offline and online.

The value of the time consumers spend online and on social networks and blogs continues to grow, most visible through the influence on purchase decisions. For instance, 60 percent of people who use three or more digital means of research for product purchases learned about a specific brand or retailer from a social networking site. Forty-eight percent of these consumers responded to a retailer’s offer posted on Facebook or Twitter.

The Key Findings from the report are:

Social Media Around the World

Social networks and blogs continue to dominate Americans’ time online, now accounting for nearly a quarter of total time spent on the Internet.
Social media has grown rapidly – today nearly 4 in 5 active Internet users visit social networks and blogs.
Americans spend more time on Facebook than they do on any other U.S. website
Close to 40 percent of social media users access social media content from their mobile phone
Social networking apps are the third most-used among U.S. smart phone owners
Internet users over the age of 55 are driving the growth of social networking through the Mobile Internet
Although a larger number of women view online video on social networks and blogs, men are the heaviest online video users overall streaming more videos and watching them longer
70 percent of active online adult social networkers shop online, 12 percent more likely than the average adult Internet user
53 percent of active adult social networkers follow a brand, while 32 percent follow a celebrity
Across a snapshot of 10 major global markets, social networks and blogs reach over three-quarters of active Internet users
Tumblr is an emerging player in social media, nearly tripling its audience from a year ago

Few other interesting facts from the reports are:

Social Networking is a global phenomenon and in Nielsen reports which collected samples from 10 countries/markets shows that social network and blogs are the top online destination in each country accounting for majority of the time spent.

Social Networking blogs are the top online destination where most of the users spend time. They attract almost 22.5% of traffic compare to online games who does only 10%.

U.S. Internet Users Spend More Time on Facebook than Any Other Web Brand. Almost 53% users are on Facebook, followed by 17% on yahoo. Facebook became a synonym not only with Social media but also with Web use for general use.

Females and 18-34-Year-Olds are most Active Social Networkers.

There is rise in number of users who are accessing Social media through mobile for different purposes.

Men are more likely to Visit LinkedIn and Wikia compare to females, check one image from the report.

Influence of Social Media

Report shows that out of 5, nearly 2 users access services from their mobile which can be for either downloading Music, Social networking or just for browsing.

Active Social Media Users are Influential Offline. Consumers trust the reviews or recommendation from peers on these sites. Almost 60% social media users create reviews of products and services.

Get New Clients with Social Networking...

2011-07-01T17:23:00.001+05:30

Recent global survey of business from Regus business shows that more and more number of companies, brands are relying on social media practices for their expansion, new client acquisitions and winning new businesses.

Results shows that companies worldwide are achieving greater success with social networking compared to traditional practices.

Few of the key findings from Marketing Profs site are:

69% of US businesses (74% worldwide) say social networking is an essential activity for business success.
Single-channel campaigns are less successful: 64% of US businesses (61% worldwide) say companies that only use social networking and online campaigns, and ignore traditional media/techniques, will be unsuccessful.
50% of US businesses (52% of businesses worldwide) use social networks to interact with and to inform existing customers, virtually unchanged since 2010.

Few interesting facts:

1) Experienced profit increased in past year:

2) Countries using successfully to find new customers: China, India are supposedly using social networking in a better way and are attracting lot of new business. Check the facts below:

I believe this study and facts will help companies to think about how they are targeting to get new clients and what extra value they can offer to maintain relationships. No wonder, there is a huge scope in market for social marketing and networking.

My Blackberry Is Not Working - Funny Comparison with Apple!!

2011-04-09T21:27:00.000+05:30

All In One - Funnies ZooZoo Ads - 100% Funny!

2011-03-08T18:24:00.000+05:30

Top Technologies which will define Year 2011

2011-03-04T20:08:00.002+05:30

Year 2011 started with lots of speculations related to new technologies. Everyone company, individual is exploring options related to it and trying to bring something new to the market which can define and shape this year. We have seen Hybrid cars, blossoming of 4G, new mobile technologies, PS3 on mobiles, Android etc. I believe it’s worth looking for the technologies which are in market and are in demand. Below is a quick synopsis on different new technologies:

1) Tablets: With the start of year 2011, different new and unknown players came to the market and tried to eat the share of Apple – which is ruling entire market in this category, especially with the launch of their iPad2 with iOS 4 (The world’s most advanced mobile operating system). HP, Samsung, Olive were trying hard to capture this market, but they are too small (except HP) to compete with Apple when it comes to innovation. After all you don’t want to spend your money on something which can’t pay you back.

2) 4G: We heard lot about it during the end of year 2010 when 3G was exciting users about its advantages, but 4G is something which is now taking over discussions related to this technology. I don’t have any doubts that 4G technology which is fourth generation of cellular wireless standards will provide far better experience. 4G system is expected to provide a comprehensive and secure all-IP based mobile broadband solution to laptop computer wireless modems, smart phones, and other mobile devices.

Cloud Computing

3) Personal Clouds: One of the best thing happened in the world of software industry. Highly demanded by everyone, Cloud is a natural evolution of the widespread adoption of virtualization, service-oriented architecture providing Agility, reliability, scalability, security and last but not least improving ROI. Who cares about the physical location and configuration of the system, all we want is our stuff is available to us when we want and wherever we required.

4) Windows 8: Fear of Chrome OS and iPhone has made Microsoft to launch Windows 8. We know about windows 7, which has saved Microsoft brand image when they goofed up with the launch of Vista. I hope there will be something real there in Windows 8, except UI changes and non user friendly updates/logics. Hype is good for product promotion, but it kills the brand if there is an overdose of it – let’s see what Windows 8 comes up with.

5) IE9: IE9 which is currently in development is already making news about its features with its beta launch. It has been claimed that this browser will support several CSS 3 properties, loads faster JavaScript’s and supports new HTML 5 video and audio tags. It is also claimed that IE9 browser is a first fully hardware accelerated browser for graphics and text rendering. I can bet, Mozilla and Google Chrome are going to have tough competition from this.

Hybrid Future

6) Electric and Hybrid Cars: Best thing which can happen to human race where they can save natural resources, reduce negative impact on environment and make the earth more favorable for coming generations. There are several models in the market, including Pirus, REVA however as per news in the market – few better brands are coming in which will remove the fear of dead batteries etc. Hopefully, with the help of these innovations our ecosystem will recover from the loss which we created!!

7) APP Stores: Few months back I only remembered using iTunes and Apple stores, however now we have different stores for different companies. Google got its own, Microsoft started and now different mobile players like Samsung opening their own. This is a revolution in the market and is definitely going to change our shopping behavior.

8) AMD Fusion: AMD makes a comeback with Fusion reducing the difference between CPU’s and GPU’s. We have seen and reviewed many blogs, comments sharing the fact that Fusion Laptops provide long battery life and high definition graphics at reasonable cost.

Musical Ad with the Vodafone Zoozoos....!

2011-02-28T16:45:00.000+05:30

The new Vodafone 3G - ZooZoo Ad

2011-02-28T16:42:00.001+05:30

Learnt new and easy way to update my blog

2011-01-30T13:11:00.000+05:30

Despite of my curiosity to explore new things, I always think twice to use anything which is technology related – due to a fear of loosing privacy and then also due to misuse of my information. The day I purchased my laptop, I wanted to try windows live writer – however considering my experience of using Microsoft products, I always postponed it.

Today, I finally decided to use this service and frankly – found it useful. Its easy to install and also easy to use. You don’t need to stay connected always to write a blog, draft it and publish it later whenever you get connected and add watermark, which is a cool feature.

I am sure, this tool is going to help me a lot in updating my blog regularly – at least I hope so since its not supporting my lazy thoughts to wait till I connect with internet.

Funny Situation...

2011-01-25T15:44:00.007+05:30

I came across one funny incident few days back when I went to shopping and landed in small building which has couple of shops there. The market is one of the most known area where mostly a paradise for women.

Since I went with my family, I was roaming here and there and suddenly I noticed a door in front of a shop with a sign “Ladies Toilet” with a lock and no one to attend it along with charges and a FINE print “You Will Get Keys at Gents Toilet”

What the FCUK – why will a girl go to gent’s toilet to get the keys - especially when it’s on the other side of the building and with no direction markings?

I can only imagine a chaos when there is urgency – God knows what the complex maintenance team is thinking!

Struggle to Survive!!

2011-01-25T01:06:00.007+05:30

One fine day we took a small break from office work and went out to grab a quick refreshment to fill our energy levels. As usual the place was crowded so it took a while to capture a corner at that place – adjacent to which a road construction was going on. While sipping the tea, we noticed a group of guys working there. In between them there was a handicapped person– most probably suffering from Polio whose legs were not working. He was looking confident, full of life and happy. To our amaze, he was actually one of the most active guy in that group who was carrying the construction material over his head and making sure that work won’t stop for any reason. He was carrying out all sort of jobs which a normal man can do however with a difference that he was having a smile on his face.

It was quite an experience to see him working since in today’s economy where managing a food for those who are below poverty line is like winning a war especially when your body is not supporting you fully. He was independent and I am sure he must be taking care of his family.

He sat an example for those who take advantage of their physical challenges and look for simple way out of struggle. I also appreciate the team who allowed him to work with them - Hats off to them for believing in his abilities and I am sure they are not disappointed.

I’d like the world to recognize such talent and help them to understand the meaning of life. Begging is a curse, don’t encourage it – instead give them opportunities to prove them.

I URGE you take responsibility and help such warriors who fight daily to survive in this cruel and mean world to win respect and peace.

BE HUMAN!

SEO Audit - Free Web Based tool

2010-02-06T15:38:00.007+05:30

From the initial days of my career in IT industry, I got very much impressed by how SEO tactics help companies in increasing their profits without investing much on marketing efforts. Companies used to hire professionals and consultants like me who can help them to reap maximum benefit out of these online marketing strategies/efforts and help them to grow faster than their competitors.

In process of learning about search engine optimization, search engine marketing I tried to collect information from experts who have fair amount of experience in this field but somehow I felt that the due to the fear of competition some of them were reluctant in sharing the knowledge. After few efforts, I thought that its better to extended my search with the help of different search engines like Google, Yahoo, AOL etc so that I can have an access to different forums, blogs and can connect with experts around the world. After collecting the high level information, first thing I did was to search the free tools which could potentially help me in doing the SEO audits of websites - based on which I can provide my recommendation to my potential clients.

Searching free tools for SEO Audits and website analysis was not a simple task since the list of the tools was huge and there was no single tool which can do all the required stuff. I remember that after completing the 1st level of search I was having a list of more than 140 tools, which went down to 20 after reviewing them one by one and again in those 20 only few were totally free tools and rest were partially paid (Incase you want to use full services). I will start sharing the details of those tools in my blog one by one so that in case any new comers wanted to search for this information, they can easily access it.

I will start with one of my favourite Web based instant SEO audit tool - Xinu Returns. It’s one of the best and freely available web based tool which is really helpful for beginners to understand the analysis, however it has one drawback - you cannot download the reports into excel (But you can copy past the stuff :) which is a good thing).

PS: I have seen few small companies using this free tool and charging their clients like anything!

Media Alert from Nielsen news - Top 10 Blogging Topics in May

2009-06-17T17:23:00.002+05:30

Swine Flu was the most discussed topic in April 2009, according to Nielsen news. Bloggers were helping world by providing useful information related to this. In India itself, according to today’s news 31 infected patients/cases have been found so far. According to experts its cure will take at least 6 more months to come to India – though I am not sure it’s available any where else too.

Recently released Nielsen news shows that in the month of May, Swine Flu has been dropped to number 8 wherein Memorial Day and Star trek has taken the top position. Politics again is able to take position in this list – thanks for Barak Obama's desire to pass a new credit card reform law and his visits to different places.

Here is the list:
1. Memorial Day
2. Star Trek
3. Barack Obama
4. Dick Cheney
5. Notre Dame
6. Cinco de Mayo
7. Mobile Phones
8. Flu Virus
9. Sonia Sotomayor
10. Terminator Salvations

Selling Tips

2009-05-09T15:35:00.001+05:30

Being into sales, I feel this is a hard time for sales persons to convince our potential customers. Recession, bad economy has given us a solid challenge and we are trying hard to reach our targets. Companies are looking for magic cure so as they can increase their sales. However, since there is no magic cure available (As far as I know) I believe (based on my search) that there are few steps if we follow can have a positive impact on our sales efforts.

1) Fill the sales pipeline: I have seen and met many sales persons who experience tremendous peaks and valleys in their sales because they do not consistently prospect for new business, may be they are busy in servicing existing client or any other reason. They neglect to prospect because it is the least enjoyable aspect of their job but when the sales drop or business with their current clients ends, they scramble to generate new business. If we invest time in filling our pipeline on a regular basis, we will seldom have to worry about reaching our targets.

2) Ask high-quality and relevant questions: I believe that majority of sales people (even seasoned pros) fail to ask their prospects and customers high-quality questions. This can only happen if either they are not trained about the product/service they are selling or they think that they do it. Unfortunately, this leads to mis-pitch the product, service or solution which causes the prospect to raise more objections.

3) Have patient Ears: I believe that the best listeners are best sale people. If we invest time asking great questions it is critical to listen to what the other person tells us. Many things can get in our way and prevent us from accurately hearing what has been said. The best approach would be to summarize your conversation at the end of discussion and share that with prospect to check the accuracy of your summary.

4) Focus on presentation: In sales, presentation is only focused on customer, his needs and the solution you can provide. It's not about us, our company or our product. I have seen that virtually every sales presentation starts with talks about company, stats about how long they have been in business, who they have as clients, etc. In fact I in the start of my career my approach was the same. However the correct approach is to prepare a presentation in way that it meets the specific needs of each individual customer.

5) Challenge to build Trust: I personally believe that if people don't trust us chances are they won't buy from us. We all know that our prospects are inundated with calls and emails from other people like us who are trying to sell them something and tell several stories. Due to large number of these calls, decision-makers are getting more reluctant to trust someone they don't know. That means we need to demonstrate exactly why a prospect should trust us. We have to show them our worth in a professional manner, treating them with respect and dignity and respecting their time.

6) Show value: The best way to demonstrate value is to show exactly how our solution will benefit our prospects. However this doesn’t mean talking at great length about it or telling prospects everything there exist about our products or services. This means discussing the aspects of your solution that are most relevant to each customer or prospect in a simple way.

7) Value your own Words: My personal experience has taught me that sales people frequently fail to follow their commitments. To make a sale, they commit something which they can’t deliver and this leads to quick loss of trust and lack of respect.

8) Time to Stop: I have seen sales people who continue following a lead even when it is clear that a sale will not happen. This usually happens when pipeline is not active with prospects or they are new into sales or have tremendous pressure to achieve the targets. I feel that, If we know we have done everything we can to move the sales process forward, we should take a break and think whether it is the best use of our time to keep trying to make it happen or just to let it go.

There must me many other things which I have missed here and hence would request you to share your thoughts based on your experience.

Tweet Etiquette...

2009-04-07T16:26:00.003+05:30

I have recently joined twitter and honestly I just loved it. In process of understanding more, I came across this article on Tweet Etiquette’s from Joel Comm, co-author of Twitter Power. I found it useful and thought to share it with you all.

Every conversation has rules. We know not to interrupt someone when they're talking. We know not to use bad language when we talk. We know not to talk too loudly.

And we know too how and when to break all of the rules.

Exactly the same is true for a Twitter conversation. The site hasn't been around for long, but Twitterers have already tried to figure out something like Twittering etiquette.

Some of those etiquette rules are smart, sensible, and should always be followed. Others are smart, sensible, and should usually be followed.

While it's important to know the rules, it's just as important then to know when to break them -- and what happens when you do.

1. Don't spam: This is one rule you can't break. Spammers don't survive long on Twitter. They don't build followers. Any followers they do get don't read their tweets and the number of conversions they can generate will be so tiny that as a marketing method, you'd probably be better off printing a thousand flyers, folding them into paper airplanes and tossing them out of your office window.

2. Follow style rules: Twitter's founders may have had mobile phones in mind when they designed the service, and plenty of users may be typing their updates from their handheld devices, but Twitter isn't exactly the same as SMS messaging.

That means the language needs to look more like real words than the usual SMS-style abbreviations.

3. Give credit for retweets: One of the things that makes Twitter such a powerful tool is the fact that information placed on the site can quickly go viral. When one person spots a good tweet, they can pass that message on to their own followers, and soon it's spreading right across the Twitterverse and beyond.

For a marketer, that's like hitting the jackpot.

On Twitter, it's done by retweeting: Twitterers can simply copy someone else's tweet and tweet it themselves . . . but they must give credit to the original Twitterer. The format for retweets, then, looks like this: "Retweet @username: original tweet."

4. Stick to 140 characters: You have to stick to 140 characters, right? That's all they give you, and they do it for a good reason. Being starved of space stops you waffling and sparks your creativity. It's what Twitter is all about.

Twitter gives you 140 characters because that's all that can fit through SMS systems. If mobile phone companies could handle messages of 200 characters, then that's probably how long our tweets would be.

5. Follow people who follow you: How many people you should follow on Twitter can always make for a great discussion point. Follow thousands of people and you're not going to be able to read all of their tweets. Inevitably, you'll miss tweets you'd really like to read, and you'll look like someone who has lots of acquaintances but no real friends.
In practice, it doesn't always work this way. I follow more than 1,700 people. That's a lot less than the 4,500 or so who follow me, and while I know I'm missing tweets, I love the fact that when I look at my Twitter page I can see a huge variety of different conversations taking place.

Spend any time on Twitter and you're going to come across plenty of other rules too. Some purists, for example, argue that your tweets should only describe what you're doing, not what you're thinking or planning to do. I think that's far too restrictive: if it sparks a conversation and entertains your followers, it's a fair topic. If they don't like it, they should read someone else's tweets.

And that's really the ultimate test of tweet etiquette: how other people react and how you would react to the same kind of thing.

I personally feel that this article has covered many things related to etiquette of using twitter. In simple words, if we are building followers and they're responding to what we are writing, we are following the right rules.

Anger Management

2009-02-19T23:05:00.002+05:30

When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out on someone, don’t take it out on someone you know, take it out on someone you don’t know.

I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I’d forgotten to make. I found the number and dialed it. A man answered, saying “Hello.”

I politely said, “This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn Carter?”

Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear, “Get the right f***in number!”…and the phone was slammed down on me.

I couldn’t believe that anyone could be so rude. When I tracked down Robyn’s correct number to call her. I found that I had accidentally transposed the last two digits.

After hanging up with her, I decided to call the ‘wrong’ number again.

When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled, “You’re an asshole!” and hung up. I wrote his number down with the word ‘asshole’ next to it, and put it in my desk drawer.

Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I’d call him up and yell, “You’re an asshole!”

It always cheered me up.

When Caller ID was introduced, I thought my therapeutic “asshole calling” would have to stop.

So, I called his number saying, “Hi, this is John Smith from Verizon. I’m calling to see if you’re familiar our Caller ID program?”

He yelled, “NO!” and slammed the phone.

I quickly called him back and said, “That’s because you’re an asshole!”

One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking spot. Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for, I hit the horn and yelled that I had been waiting for that spot, but the idiot ignored me. I noticed a “For Sale” sign in the back window which included his number, so I wrote down the number.

A couple of days later, right after calling the first ass hole (I had his number on speed dial) I thought that I’d better call the BMW asshole, too. I said, “Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?”

“Yes, it is,” he said.

“Can you tell me where I can see it?” I asked.

“Yes, I live at 34 Mowbray Blvd., in Vaucluse. It’s a yellow house, and the car’s parked right out front.”

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“My name is Don Hansen,” he said.

“When’s a good time to catch you, Don?”

“I’m home every evening after five.”

“Listen, Don, can I tell you something?”

“Yes.”

“Don, you’re an asshole!” Then I hung up and added him to my speed dial, too.

Now, when I had a problem, I had two assholes to call. Then I came up with an idea. I called Asshole #1.

“Hello.”

‘You’re an asshole!” (But I didn’t hang up.)

“Are you still there?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said.

“Stop calling me,” he screamed.

“Make me,” I said.

"Who are you?” he asked.

“My name is Don Hansen.”

“Yeah? Where do you live?”

“Asshole, I live at, 34 Mowbray Blvd., in Vaucluse, a yellow house, with my black Beamer parked in front.”

He said, “I’m coming over right now, Don, and you had better start saying your prayers.”I said, “Yeah, like I’m really scared, asshole,” and hung up.

Then I called Asshole #2, “Hello,” he said.

“Hello, asshole,” I said.

He yelled, “If I ever find out who you are…”

“You’ll what?” I said.

“I’ll kick your ass,” he exclaimed.

I answered, “Well, asshole, here’s your chance. I’m coming over right now.”

Then I hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 34 Mowbray lvd, Vaucluse, and that I was on my way over to kill my gay lover. Then I called Channel 9 News about the gang war going down in, Mowbray Blvd, Vaucluse.

I quickly got into my car and headed over to Mowbray. I got there just in time to watch two assholes beating the crap out of each other in front of six cop cars, an overhead police helicopter and a news crew.

NOW, I feel much better :)

Most Aggravating Email campaign Faux pas...!!!

2009-02-02T16:32:00.004+05:30

Economy is going down – requirements are on freeze and no proper response from our prospects – which shows that its time to think a bit about our basic strategies, here I have picked Email campaigns.

Most important part during this campaign is to get response from our prospects/ clients? There are peoples with whom we need to communicate on a regular basis that not only don’t answer our emails, but also are seldom available to take our phone calls?

Before we chalk up the lack of communication to other people’s bad work habits or rudeness, it would be wise to take a close look at our own communication style. It’s possible that those who never seem to answer our emails or take our phone calls aren’t careless, forgetful, or rude. They may be just trying to avoid us.

Why?

If we don’t have an ongoing personal disagreement with someone and they aren’t trying to hide from us because they owe us work or money, the problem could be the way we communicate in email. You see, the effect of what we say in email often looks and “sounds” different to the recipient than it would if we were talking to them in person. If the email messages we send seem condescending, petty, picky, or needlessly complicated, we’ll find it increasingly difficult to get responses in a timely fashion.

Here are some of the most aggravating email faux pas to avoid.

Marking emails we send out with an exclamation point to indicate high importance for routine matters: Yes, we want people to read email we send, and yes we think the matter is important. But marking everything as high importance is going to have the opposite effect. Those who frequently receive email from us marked with an exclamation point will start ignoring it – and be mad at us for sending so many emails marked high importance.

Demanding immediate response when it’s not warranted: Just because something is important to us doesn’t mean that others should drop what they’re doing to answer our question or do what we want done. They have their own priorities, too. Not only will they get mad at us, but if requests aren’t truly urgent, they’ll soon be ignored – just like the fabled boy who cried “Wolf!” too often. So, if the matter we are discussing in email isn’t truly urgent (i.e., no one is going to suffer any harm or damage if whatever we want done isn’t handled the same day), then don’t ask for immediate action. And, if something really does need to be handled right away, explain why. (And remember to say “Please” and “Thank You”.)

Responding to someone else with a one-liner without including important details: “Call me,” or “We need to change the date” may work when we’re talking live with someone about a project. But if that’s all we put in an email, the recipient may need to dig through a stack of other email to find out why we wanted them to call us or what project or event needed a date change.

Including too much detail: Consider an example – If we need a manufacturer to do a better job of packaging the inventory products someone shipped us. Unless we’re a Big Box Store, don’t send the manufacturer a long note telling them what kind of packaging tape to use, how many times to reinforce it, and what grade shipping cartons to use. Instead, politely remind them to package the products securely so they don’t get damaged in shipment. If we’ve had a telephone conversation to discuss the problem, mention it briefly (if this is the first shipment since the call), but don’t rehash the entire phone call. And don’t forget the “Please” and “Thank You.”

Similarly, if we send a team member an email request to pull together a report on the team progress or do some other task, tell them what we want done and when we need it by. Don’t include a lot of detail about why it’s important to do the task or how we expect them to pay attention to all the details and format the report the way they were taught. If it’s a task they know how to do, state the task and the deadline in a sentence or two. (And don’t forget to say “Please” and “Thanks.”)

Copying the boss -- especially when the issue is minor: If you and a team member or anyone else you have to interact with has a minor difference of opinion, work it out between the two of you without copying the boss on your emails. If you see someone has made an insignificant mistake and wants it corrected, contact the person privately with a friendly note and don’t copy the boss.

Remember, copying the boss makes you look like a tattletale. And no one loves a tattletale -- or wants to return a tattletale’s email messages.

Changing the subject line when replying to an email: A lot of people use the subject line of emails to determine if and when to open and read the mail. If you and one or more other people are having an ongoing conversation about a project, and the subject doesn’t change, don’t change the subject line in the email. The people you want to read your response, may miss it, or may not be able to find it in the future to refer to it if you change the subject line.

Not changing the subject line for new topics of discussion: You and James have been discussing the best way to set up your podcast. All the messages have the same subject line. But while you’re reading James last response, you remember that you wanted to ask him to find a commercial artist who can design a flier for your next seminar. Don’t hit reply (to the podcast emails) to tell James to find the artist. Start a new email with a new subject line and send that to James so he can keep the issues separate in his email.

Must Read - 'Sex in the Boardroom'

2008-12-06T20:43:00.001+05:30

Recently I got in touch with Merydith Willoughby – an award winning International Organization Development Consultant with more than 20 years of experience. This happened during my search for experts who can share their experience with me on leadership and assist me to understand leadership and ways to create difference.

During our course of discussions I came to learn about her new book which she has recently written called 'Sex in the Boardroom'. The book focuses on development of leadership qualities and provides key strategies to enable organizations to thrive in this economic environment.

I didn't have a chance to read whole book, but I liked its synopsis. I strongly feel that it's worth reading, keeping this in mind, I am sharing the synopsis with you, have a look and enjoy reading.

Synopsis:

Numerous books are written each year about the theoretical perspectives of leadership development yet few, provide readers with key techniques, strategies to use or key questions to help them move out of the ‘don't know what to do stage' to being powerful leaders in their own right. One without the other is not useful and many books just end up on the bookshelf collecting dust. Being a powerful leader doesn't just happen. It requires a lot of hard work, is time consuming and although some may have a natural tendency towards it, every leader has to continue to strive for excellence. Sex in the Boardroom has a systems approach to leadership development and it can be used as a tool to review what you are doing, to make minor changes or to make radical changes in the way you lead. You can learn how to focus on what will give you the most gain for your organization instead of focusing on peripheral issues that just take a lot of time away from what you really should be doing. It's a bit naughty in parts: there are cartoons in it, powerful insights and case studies. The book is a truly global leadership book and represents a number of countries. And whilst Sex in the Boardroom isn’t about work/life balance this is exactly what those in business are getting when they work with the process.

Some organizations realize they have to put the time and effort into developing their leaders because the so-called level playing field has either gone or taken a beating with the increased competitiveness of the global market. Most organizations don't provide their leaders with enough if any development because they just expect them to know what to do. What development they do provide is usually 'training' because they don't know what else to look for or what else actually works. Training provides knowledge and gives participants information but it does not provide them with the strategies, guidance or support to change what is not working well in the workplace. Training also doesn't ask them the 'tough' questions that elicit insights. Sex in the Boardroom does.

Go to www.ibcoaching.com.au for more information or to purchase a copy of the book.

Do share your comments on this!

Love of a Little boy...!!

2008-11-21T10:55:00.002+05:30

I was walking around in a Target store, when I saw a Cashier hand this little boy some money back.

The boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old.

The Cashier said, 'I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll.

Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him: ''Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?''

The old lady replied: ''You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.''

Then she asked him to stay there for just 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to…

'It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas…

She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.

I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all, and not to worry.

But he replied to me sadly. 'No, Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.'

His eyes were so sad while saying this. 'My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.''

My heart nearly stopped.

The little boy looked up at me and said: 'I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.'

Then he showed me a very nice photo of himself. He was laughing. He then told me 'I want mommy to take my picture with her so she won't forget me.'

'I love my mommy and I wish she didn't have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.'

Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly.

I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. 'Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll!''

'OK' he said, 'I hope I do have enough.' I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.

The little boy said: 'Thank you God for giving me enough money!'

Then he looked at me and added, 'I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me!''

'I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose.''

'My mommy loves white roses.'

A few minutes later, the old lady returned and I left with my basket. I finished my shopping in a totally different state of mind from when I started.

I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local news paper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine, because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma.

Was this the family of the little boy?

Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the news paper that the young woman had passed away.

I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was for people to see and make last wishes before her burial.

She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest.

I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed for ever.. The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine.

And in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno: 'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, 'Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

I am touched with this – and thought to share with you all – I believe that the value of a man or woman resides in what he or she gives, not in what they are capable of receiving = Give it a thought!

How to face Traumatic Situations…!!!

2008-11-20T16:04:00.003+05:30

I recently came across a traumatic situation where my communication skills got challenged. I was speaking with one of my client and during our conversation he says – Varun I have news to share, I am getting divorced tomorrow…!!

Since I had never faced such situation before, I went blank for sometime – thinking how to respond and how to take this conversation ahead. Somehow I managed that time, but this conversation made me think to explore more on how we should face traumatic situations at professional end.

I believe that our communication plays crucial role in our professional growth and due to this we generally know what to say and speak when it comes to discuss topics like – Sales presentation, meetings, birthdays, anniversaries, interviews, requesting for referrals, business plans etc. I have learnt to speak on these topics from my seniors, supervisors and others.

However, I never saw anyone facing situations like, death in a family, house fires, divorce, serious illness, bankruptcy etc. I remember how I felt during my conversation – awkward and unqualified to help him. I just told that I am sure you are going through tough time - unfortunately I wouldn’t know what to say – just be calm!

But that was not the right answer and to be honest, till now I actually don’t know what to say. I am sure some of you also have faced the similar situation, which have not - here are few tips which I came across during my search.

1) We don’t need to creative words while responding – sometimes your presence will says enough! I am sure – that person is not going to remember you after you hang up or leave that place. Your presence is what will be remembered!

2) Stay in touch with them - It’s not just that you paid your respect on that day and its over. If you stay in touch – there is lot of meaning to that - as I said before, your presence will do more than your words!

3) Listen to the person – don’t rush to talk and share the similar incidents or any thing. Be a listener – that will be more than enough for that person to be comfortable. We should encourage the person to talk more so as they wont go in stress mode.

4) Offer help – but not for the sake of showing your concern – be practical and specific. A person in stress will welcome all help. For example – Feel free to call me if you need me!

If you face such situation – try these tips – I am sure these will work for you and you will be able to take your relationship that you have been building to next level.

Recession Pricing Do's and Don'ts...!

2008-11-06T16:24:00.000+05:30

I have been hearing news that in this recession time/period companies are trying to revise their pricings. Though this is very natural for companies to think in to this direction – however I feel that revising the pricing strategy in this economic downturn would be very tricky and risky. There are cases when companies only cut the prices to gain more market share and attract new customers – but right approach can help a company to compete and sustain in recession time.

During my search for what should we do and we should not when it comes to revise the pricing strategy – I came across different articles and views of different experts. Below are few tips – which I found are useful:

We may like to consider:

• Analyze the value we are offering to our customers: Customers always feel comfortable if we educate them about the value we are delivering which in turn helps us to be more confident on our pricing.

• Categorize our value offerings: We can bundle our products & services and establish their prices accordingly, which will allow us to appease both cost and value conscious customers without cutting prices.

• Improving internal processes: The best way to adjust in this period is to streamline our company's processes and expenses. We can’t get very far in this competition with just a price cut.

• Innovate our offerings: Personally – I would like to invest a bit more on R&D. This step will surely help us to offer our products and services in a different way and will also allow us to negotiate flexibility with customers. It has been proved that innovation gives us an edge over competitors when customers are looking for something new.

We may not like to consider:

• Giving discounts on our products or services: In this economic downturn it would not be wise to get in to a price war with our competitors, especially without analyzing the value of the product or service. If we get in to this way – that too in this scenario, we can’t survive for a long and most importantly no body is going to win in this.

• Cutting prices on our high-value products and services: It wouldn’t be wise to touch our high value products during economic downturn. The better approach would be to focus on marketing our low value products and services.

• Give importance to price-driven customers: Ws should never encourage customers who threaten to take their business elsewhere especially in recession time. If scenario arises, either – share the unique value that our product and service offers, which justify the price we are charging confidently or let the customer take their business to our competitors and watch them going nuts.

Tips to convert Cold Leads into Hot Leads

2008-10-23T17:13:00.000+05:30

This week I got a chance to participate in a small club party – where few of my friends who are in to sales were also present. While the party was going on its full space, one of our friend raised a topic – How Can we convert cold lead to hot one – in simple words – how to turn the cold prospect in to buyer! Since every one seems to be expert – they shared their views and came on some conclusion which I bet - no one remembered after the party.

But this topic has provoked me to do some research and thanks to different search engines I got to see few articles which were relevant. I picked few of them and prepared this document. [This document is only for reference purpose and its resources can be shared based on request].

To start with - I am sure we all have seen and face issues like prospects giving us the run-around, they had expressed an interest in our products or services when we first contacted them but now they don't return our calls, reply to our emails or seem interested in making a buying decision.

I firmly believe that in order to solve this or any sales related issue – the best weapon is Persistence. It’s an essential trait that all successful sales people should possess. This defines the ability to stick with a specific task, continue in the face of adversity, or use different strategies to achieve our goals.

However, there is a distinct difference between this and beating our head against a wall trying to convince the prospects to buy our products or services. I am sure that we all have gone through the phase where we thought - we are going to win every deal which comes our way – but later realized that we let that deal went away! But now since we got some experience under our belts – I guess it our duty to make sure that our team won’t face the same issues and start striking the deals with 100% success rate.

Below are few tips from experts that we can share with our teams and help them to be more successful and aggressive hunter :D :

1. Email Campaign: We should consider creating an email list of all the prospects and those who said no to our products or services due to some reasons. We can add these peoples into a monthly email campaign – considering some of them will have their situation change and still others are simply very busy with something that is more urgent. Without monthly email follow-up, we may lose the people that were temporarily distracted as well as those whose situation changed.

2. Account Mapping/Mining: This step is very crucial in current business scenarios. We should map the account and try to find other contacts too, since if we have another contact in the company, we can ask them for inputs or to find out why the decision has been stalled. This is particularly very effective if we have developed a good relationship with this person.

3. “Remember us” Campaign: We can also think about developing a “Remember us” campaign to keep our name in their mind. They may not be ready to buy now, but their situation could change in the future and we want them to remember us. We can stay in touch via postcards, letters, articles, newsletters, etc.

4. Respect Gatekeepers: I strongly believe that we should maintain good relationship with the decision-maker's executive assistant. Through this we can easily tap into that individual's insight and knowledge. In some cases, the E.A. can even help us to find a different way to approach the executives. They may also be able to share the reasons of why the sale did not happen or even what we could do differently in the future.

5. Effort Analysis: To become a successful salesperson we are supposed to be proactive. Before we put our efforts in any deal – we should ask ourselves 'How important is this sale?' If our answer is 'important', than determine what other actions or approaches we are willing to take to make this sales happen. We have to identify a best and creative way to pursue it.

To add - no solution is full proof and this is very much fair to raise the questions such as - What if this approach won’t work? What is the cold lead is still the cold one and not moving forward? Considering my experience, my answer probably would be – to drop that lead and focus on new opportunities. We have to realize that we have limited time with us to meet and exceed our targets and hence we need to wisely design our approach.

I have seen and heard that many times salesperson don’t realize the value of their time and they ended up running behind the deal which wont worth that much efforts.

It will always favorable if we follow the simple rule of thumb – wherein we ask ourselves - "What is the best use of my time, right now?" We should also consider the potential value of each sales opportunity. Chasing a high-value sale is a better use of your time than following up on a sale that is of low value (revenue and/or profit).

Samsung Omnia i900

2008-10-15T17:26:00.000+05:30

Gizmo time: I am big fan of Samsung Omnia - Thanks to its killer looks and style!! I was thinking to buy this phone - but dropped an idea due to its huge cost - I guess its in the range of INR - 35K to 40K , competiting Apple's Iphone. But yes - this phone is worth to try :) I have collected its specifications, let me know if I have missed something:

Network Technology: GPRS, EDGE, 3G

Hardware/Processor:
1) 624MHz Marvell PXA312 processor
2) Windows Mobile PPC 6.1 (O.S)

Dimensions (mm): 112 x 56.9 x 12.5 mm

Weight (g): 125

Display:

Screen Size: 3.2 Inches
Screen Color: TFT 65 K
Menu Type: Touch Wiz UI

Design:

Type: Candy bar
Navigation Key: 5 -way block
Antenna: Fixed Internal

Memory:

Phonebook: Practically unlimited entries and fields
Internal(MB): 8 GB/16 GB internal memory
Expansion: microSD (TransFlash), up to 16GB

Battery:

Battery Type: Standard battery, Li-Ion 1440 mAh
Stand-by (hrs): up to 430 h (2.5G) up to 450 h(3G)
TalkTime(min): up to 10 h (2.5G) up to 6.5 h (3G)

Entertainment:

Ringtones: Polyphonic
MP3: Yes
A2DP: Yes
TV Receiver: Null
FM Radio: Yes
Video Record: Yes
Video Support: TV Out, DivX, XviD, WMV, MP4, H.264, H.263
Audio Support: MP3/AAC/AAC+/WMA/OGG/AMR
Voice Support: Voice dial, Voice memo, Voice Record, Voice Command
Games: Yes + Java downloadable

Messaging:

SMS: Yes
MMS: Yes
EMS: Yes
Email: Yes, Push Email
Push-To-Talk: Yes

Connectivity:

HSDPA: Yes, 7.2 mbpss
EDGE: Yes, Class 10, 236.8 kbps
Bluetooth: Yes
3G: Yes
GPRS: Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots)
Infrared (IrDA): No
USB Port: Yes
WIFI/WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g

Software:

Java (J2ME): Yes ,JAVA MIDP 2.0
WAP: Yes
Browser: Yes, WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds
PIM Application: Calculator, Calendar, Reminders, Currency converter, Synchronization
Other Application: Built-in GPS: NMEA 0183, Handwriting recognition, MSOffice document viewer

Camera:

Lens Type: CMOS, 5.0 Megapixel
Digital zoom: Digital Zoom (x4)
Max. Resolution: 2592х1944 pixels
Flash: Yes
Night Mode: Yes
Extra Features: autofocus, image stabiliser, secondary videocall camera, Wide Dynamic Range
Video: Yes
Video Format: MPEG4/H.263/H.264/WMV/Dvix/Xvid

I have tried to cover maximum information, if you feel that some information is missing or not correct, please let me know :)

Recession - How to make our competition irrelevant??

2008-10-14T16:13:00.000+05:30

Further to my previous blog on Power of Recession - Favorable or Unfavorable – the next thing came to my mind is – Can we destroy our competition in this period too? Is there an easy way to make the competition irrelevant, especially when there is an easy access to information, bombardment of advertisements and commercials?

What could be the best strategies, arms and ammunitions one can need to help our customers in making easy decision to buy?

During my search, I came across different articles over my topic and also got a chance to discuss with different industry experts. Result of my study was a big document, however to share the relevant information I have divided in to few points - which I believe can help us in making our competition useless.

Below are the points for your review:

1) We must create a differentiation: The best way to move ahead during the recession time is to create differentiation within our own products or services. If we have a range of products or services to offer, we should identify the differentiation on the priority basis. For example: Products can be differentiated based on size, color, components, combinations or accessories. However differentiations for services include performance, quality, responsiveness, availability, ease or integration.

2) We must focus on the Moment of Truth: The moment of truth is the moment that the customer has an option to make a purchase decision, to buy your products, invest in your services or hires you. This is the moment that you need to put your good, better and best foot forward.

For example - In a retail environment this may be the end-cap, a wall display, shelf space or a counter display. Over Internet this may be an on-line store, e-bay or our personal web site. It could even be part of an email communication.

3) Follow Thumb rule – Provide Good, Better and Best: The best approach would be to provide our customer three options. Show them something good, show them something better and show them our best. Though it may sound simple formula – It takes a little care and creativity also while crafting our message.

We should be able to clearly define our values, the features, benefits and advantages of what we have to offer. Even if we have hundreds of customized solutions or products, we should select and present these three options. Study shows that - In the decision process, human beings can easily compare and contrast three options. Their mind can juggle three prices and three sets of features for a quick and easy decision process.

If we give too many options to our customers, then they will need to spend more time to consider the alternatives, and while they are weighing our multiple options they may start to consider the competition as well.

4) Add the Value Proposition: For better success of our efforts, we have to provide a value proposition for each option that we present to the potential customer. Our value proposition should be something that can be conveyed in three to five bullet points, three to five sentences, or spoken in forty seconds or less. Our message should be precise and succinct and covers customer point of view also.

For example, rather saying "Delivery process may take 3-5 days ", we can say "the product will typically arrive at your door in 3-5 days".

A value proposition typically contains the essential elements of Feature, Advantage, Benefit, Image and Offer. This is a reference to a specific important feature of our offer, the advantage as compared to the competition, and the benefit to the customer.

5) We must Plan, Do, Measure and Adjust: Best strategy to win the game is to plan our offers and the value proposition carefully. Once we introduce our three offers measure the success rate of each option by the corresponding sales rate (This can be done with the help of market research, analysis of reports etc).

The Key is - as long as our customers continue to make a selection between our options and the value propositions, the competition is irrelevant and can be destroyed easily. Our customers can get what they want, and they will remain our customers!!

Recession Power - Favorable or Unfavorable

2008-10-07T23:52:00.000+05:30

Recession Power: Is it possible for Companies Rise to the Top, Even in Down Times…

Thanks to our news channels and papers, I got curios towards a subject called Recession and its possible impact. The way they all are covering this topic – it’s not very far that we all are going to loose our business, jobs and money.

To find out the truth - I did some online research and prepared this document – which shows that we don’t need to press the Panic button as yet. It’s just a normal economic cycle.

I am sure, we all agree that Recession is one of the most distorted, counterproductive words in the English language. We are in economic downturn that may get worse before it gets better. It has generated a fear in the minds of consumers and business owners – a fear of defeat!

But if we see its positive side, it has forced us to get more conscious about our money and spending. Through this we have realized that we have to get rid of waste and conserve our resources where most needed.

If we go by the words of management gurus “Recession IS strictly a matter of our perception". It’s we who perceives and responds to a recession and determine whether our business grows profitably or fights for survival.

This document proves that companies can actually do better during recession, if –

1) We can transform external threats into opportunities: The Japanese are masters at crisis management and look at situations like recessions as polarities. That means, neither all good nor all bad, but a mixture of both. The Japanese symbol for crises is a representation of two separate symbols: danger and opportunity. Such a perspective encourages responsiveness - not reactive ness. As a result, the Japanese focus not on the problem, but on new solutions - not on survivability, but on growth - not on short-term losses, on but long-term prospects.

Give a Thought - How do we perceive the current downturn - as a threat or an opportunity? How might the recession actually be an opportunity for our business?

2) We can take advantage of and profit from changing dynamics in the marketplace: A business can grow and profit during a recession if it understands the underlying dynamics of the marketplace. Crises tend to stimulate change in people. The challenge is to respond to such changes in a timely and direct fashion. To take advantage of these shifts, we have to consider 5 "W's."

¨ WHO: Who is doing the buying now? Although overall spending may be down, such trends cannot be generalized across all industries and business segments. Buying behavior shifts, changes and refocuses more than it declines. What new markets can we address that are actually on the rise?

¨ WHAT: What needs and benefits are priorities for our customers at this time? Are there new products or services that might address these shifts or serve as alternatives to satisfy the status quo?
¨ WHEN: What needs must the customer have satisfied now VS later? What special incentives will motivate the consumer to buy today?

¨ WHERE: During a downturn, customers often rethink their buying loyalties. From what sources are they currently buying? How can we make our products more accessible to our target market to buy?

¨ WHY: The "why" addresses customers' underlying motivations for buying. What motivations are driving customers' buying decisions today? What are customers' expectations of the future? How will these expectations affect their buying behavior today?

3) We can catalyze seemingly "negative" times into positive moves: In recessionary times, we have to aggressively look for the "silver lining in the cloud" and mobilize resources to seize those hidden opportunities. We have to act, not react.

4) We can make room for new growth by "de-cluttering" that which is marginal or ineffective: During times of growth and expansion, it's easy to get hooked into over-spending, "over-doing" and over-confidence. Sloppy behaviors, attitudes and habits often creep in and get masked.

We have to take advantage of down times to de-clutter "excesses" - i.e. any drains on time, money or people resources generating little or no return, have to scale back to what they do best in order to be at their best. We have to make room for new growth and profits.

5) We can build our resilience muscle to thrive in tough times: In the 21st century, accelerating change, increasing complexity and escalating risks have become the new business reality. To withstand external shocks that can destroy a business, we have to build our resilience capacity.

Resilience, first, is a mindset. Resilience thinking transforms uncertainty into confidence, fear into action and adversity into advantage. On an organizational level, resilience comes from a strong culture based on operational flexibility, employee loyalty and team collaboration.

6) We can aggressively position our selves ahead of the competition during economic downturns: During economic downturns, most companies go on the defensive -- cutting back costs, downsizing marketing efforts and commoditizing products and services - just to survive. But to fight we have to do just the opposite.

In recessionary times, we have to position our selves to win -- ramping up promotions, accelerating new product introductions, and keeping a visible profile. By taking advantage of the emerging opportunities, we not only differentiate our selves during the downturn but also position our selves for explosive growth after its turnaround.

7) We can find the "learning" and the "grander purpose" hidden within challenging times: Our greatest challenges are our greatest teachers. Their "grander purpose" is to shift our thinking, behaviors, strategies and actions and ultimately aid us in our future growth.

Companies negatively impacted by a recession never see the grander purpose such times can offer them. Instead, they perceive only the worst, react out of fear and shrink to a victim mentality.

While on the other hand, we have to see recessions as learning opportunities. We have to recognize that yesterday's thinking and strategies will not address today's challenges.

PS: Sources can be shared on request!!