The Monday Missive

Hire Me HeadBlade

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:48:00 +0000

Today’s Missive is about a lot of things. It’s about shaved heads. It’s about social media. It’s about a man on a quest for his dream job. But mostly it’s about passion. And putting ourselves out there to realize a dream.

Once upon a time, there was guy called Eric Romer. Eric shaved his head. He loved that clean scalp look. And he used products by HeadBlade to keep him nick-free. He was a fan.

On Twitter, Eric heard that HeadBlade was looking for an Interactive/Social Media Manager. He wanted this job. He dreamed about this job. And he was determined to get it. But how to stand out of the pack?

So, Eric started a campaign. HireMeHeadBlade.com, @hiremeheadblade, www.youtube.com/user/HireMeHeadBlade, hiremeheadblade@gmail.com, and his Facebook fan page were born.

The buzz exploded. Including this one on Twitter:

@HeadBlade If you don’t hire @HireMeHeadBlade, you’re nuts. He’s already executed a social media campaign for you. FREE.

He got a call from HeadBlade for an interview. In ONE DAY. That’s right. From the time he saw the job posting, through development of his campaign, to the huge social media buzz that prompted HeadBlade to actually call this guy – 8 hours. A mere 24 hours later, he was on the phone interviewing with the CEO.

And, in case you’re wondering – yes, he got the job.

So what’s the moral of this story? The moral is: You need to care. And commit to being something great. You can’t just throw a resume together and expect to get hired. You can’t just show up at work, slog through your day, and expect to get a raise and a bonus.

You need to be passionate about what you do. Whether it’s chasing an uber-cool new job or making the job you already have totally amazing, be fierce in your commitment to getting what you want. Do what it takes, even if that means colouring outside the lines. It will change your life.

It's Okay to be Different

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:59:00 +0000

With its Think Different campaign, Apple found common ground with designers, artists, and rebels of all kinds. This ad was first released in 1997. A decade later, it's still relevant. And not a single reference to an Apple product.

Here's to the Crazy Ones.

Is Being Nice Overrated?

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Today's post inspired by Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan.

Suppose a leader goes to a plant or business headquarters and speaks to the people there. He is sociable and courteous. He shows superficial interest in his subordinates' kids - how well they are doing in school, how they like the community, and so on. Or he chats about the World Series, the Super Bowl, or the local basketball team. He may ask some shallow questions abour the business, such as "What's your level of revenue?" This leader is not engaged in his business.

When the visit is over, some of the managers may feel a sense of relief because everything seemed to go so well and so pleasantly. But the managers who are any good will be disappointed. They'll ask themselves, What was the point? They had prepared for tough questions - good people like to be quizzed because they know more about the business than the leader. They'll get frustrated and feel drained of energy. They didn't get a chance to make a good impression on the leader - and the leader certainly didn't make a good impression on them.

Of course, the leader hasn't learned anything. The next time he makes prognostications about the company, the press or the securities analysts may be awed, but the people in the business will know better. They'll ask each other, "How on earth could he say those things so confidently when he doesn't have a clue about what's happening down here?"

MM: When you work with teams, are you asking the tough questions and finding out what's really going on? Or are you just a superficial "nice guy" leader? Yes, absolutely you need to have a pleasant and open working relationship. But gaining the respect and trust of those you work with does not come from just a hearty handshake and a quick chat over coffee. Your best people want to be challenged. So dive into the issues. "What's holding you back from delivering plan?" "Give me three things you can do to improve your bottom line within the next six months." "Why did you have a downturn last quarter and what are you doing to correct this?"

When I was in my senior year of university, my grades weren't all they could be. I whined about it to my boyfriend - the work is so hard, my profs are so tough, I'm doing the best I can. He could have just been nice to me: Yes, it is hard. And those profs are just mean. But he did more for me, because he really did care about me: You know, you are not really working as hard as you can. You're better than this. His answer shocked me. Wasn't he supposed to be on my side? But here's the thing. He was right. I was coasting and he called me on it. I re-doubled my efforts at school and my grades went up by 15%. That boyfriend risked a breakup by showing me the cold, hard truth and demonstrating that he really did care about me. This is one of the reasons why that boyfriend is now my husband. 21 years and still going strong.

Do the right thing by your team and help them be all they can be.

The Moment of Silence

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:02:00 +0000

Say you're in a room full of people. Everyone is talking at once. You've got something important to say but no one can hear you. An 800-lb gorilla steps into the room and everyone falls silent, afraid to speak. But you stand on a chair, point to the back door, and shout: "Hey! There's a way out." Everyone hears you and they safely exit the room.

It's the same with Brand. Don't talk when everyone else is. Have something of relevance to say. And take advantage of the moment of silence when it arrives. (Hint: That moment is here.)

The Economist explains with pretty pictures. Of course, this doesn't just work with print advertising. This relates to all marketing-related tactics: online, social media, brand building, etc. (Please forward this post to anyone you know who cares about business development, marketing, or industry leadership. Please Twitter, Facebook, or share via flattened dead trees. (Via Brand Flakes for Breakfast.)

Ads on Edge

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: branding recession)

Interruption Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:10:00 +0000

Just like TV commercials, print ads have to work hard to get our attention. On average, readers of engineering journals (or any magazine) spend less than 2.5 seconds looking at print ads. You spent more time than that reading this post. So what do you have to do to get people to pay attention to the story you are trying to tell?

Here's three critical things.

1. Be relevant. When you go to the grocery store, you don't stand in the aisle wondering what product might jump out and grab you. You went because you wanted to buy specific items: bread, milk, cat food, etc. So you'll be focused on cat food brands, not curried chicken or olives. Unless those brands are really good at Step 2.

2. Be interesting. Ads work on the principle of interruption. You pick up a journal because there is a really fascinating article you want to read. I need to interrupt your reading (Spaghetti Cat) with a really startling and compelling ad. To be effective, the ad must grab and hold your attention with something that jolts you out of your train of thought.

3. Be brief. Edit your copy. Then edit some more. No one reads ads. No one. (Except you if you placed the ad.) If you fill your ad with paragraphs of text, I'll get bored and move on. Tell me one thing. I'm more likely to remember that. (But give me a link to your website so I can learn more if I want.)

It's Never About Cost - It's About Value

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Professional service firms that have to compete for work are always aware of offering lower rates to customers in hopes of swaying a customer's mind. Remember though that low-cost does not always equate to customer interest.

Here's an example from the product world. Via the blog of Guy Kawasaki.

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2008/12/signs-of-the-ti.html

Initiatives

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:27:00 +0000

I'm a big believer in step change. Incremental improvements to existing processes absorb effort but produce minimal positive impact. So minimal that most people don't even notice it. But step change makes impact - enough that people do notice - in a way that affects their behaviour. And that is what most system change is really trying to affect - human behaviour.

Effecting real change is tough. It requires commitment, it requires resources, but most of all it requires a vision. You have to be able to see the future that this change will bring - how people will behave in new patterns and the benefit that the change will bring - faster, more effective, less effort - whatever metric you want to use.

Okay, I'm in. I know what the problems are, or at least I know of one big problem that needs solving. I just haven't had time to tackle it. Well, here's the secret. You should have made the time. All improvements require an investment, whether it is time or money (hiring an outsider is just a conversion of time to money). And once you achieve the change you seek, you will make back your investment of time or money in the benefits of that change.

As you move into setting your personal goals for 2009, take a stand and commit to making one life-altering change. Find one initiative you can champion. Gather people around you and share your vision. Secure resources that will be your investment. Distill the benefits into a mission that you can take to leadership. Invest in a half-day offsite meeting to map out the specific steps you need to take to make that behavioural change. Implement those steps and when you encounter resistance, talk about your vision, share the benefits that will follow, and demonstrate your step-by-step plan to remove this particular roadblock to success.

Every one of us has what it takes to change our world. Commit to making one major improvement to your workplace this year.

Happy Holidays from the Monday Missive

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:13:00 +0000

As 2008 comes to a close, the Monday Missive wishes you and yours the happiest of holidays. When the Missive began, two years ago this month, our goal was to learn and to share that with others. We hope that you find some measure of insight and inspiration from these messages. And we thank you for inspiring us in return.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours.

Once again, the Monday Missive presents our Holiday gift to you - the most rockin' digital holiday cards from around the Net. Enjoy. (Please send us any that you are think are totally amazing. We're collectors. But don't send us anything lame. Or we will FedEx you a lump of coal.)

http://fl-2.com/giftofcode/index.aspx (Via the Denver Egotist - who you should read cause they totally rock.) Site takes a while to load but your patience will be rewarded. Crank the sound - it's groovy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgBUqJzgvBo One word: Awesome.

http://andrewhoffmandesign.com/egotistholiday/ Note the subtle colour boxes. Yes, go on .... from left to right ...

http://liquidgivesagoat.com/ Despite the recession, Liquid is still hiring. Unfortunately, these candidates just didn't work out.

Leadership and Management Are Not Synonyms

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:57:00 +0000

First, we hope you don’t mind the multiple Missives this week. We just find these Brand Autopsy posts about Peter Drucker to be massively important. Today, Drucker describes the difference between leadership and management. So often, we confuse the two. With predictable results. Second, the Monday Missive hopes to acquire this book. It may even be necessary for us to send a holiday gift to ourselves. If so, we will share the lessons with you, dear readers, in the new year.

“Leadership is not magnetic personality … it is not ‘making friends and influencing people’—that is salesmanship.” — Peter Drucker

Peter Drucker clearly delineated the difference between being a leader and being a manager. He famously riffed, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” The right things for a leader to do, according to Drucker, include these ideals:

1. Courage with Character
It takes courage to practice “purposeful abandonment." It also takes character to make connections with people who are genuine and compassionate. Natural leaders do both.

2. Articulate a Clear Mission
“The foundation of effective leadership is thinking through the organization’s mission, defining it, and establishing it clearly and visibly. The leader sets the goals, sets the priorities, and sets and maintains the standards.” (THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER, 2001)

3. Foster Loyalty
A leader must be worthy of receiving loyalty. To be so worthy, Drucker maintains leaders must set their standards high and always live by those high standards. When loyalty is fostered throughout a business, employee morale increases as does employee effectiveness.

4. Make Strengths Stronger
“Nothing destroys the spirit of an organization faster than focusing on people’s weaknesses rather than on their strengths, building on disabilities rather than on abilities. The focus must be on strength.” (THE PRACTICE OF MANAGEMENT, 1954)

5. Hire People Smarter than You
Ineffective leaders worry about their direct reports usurping them. Effective leaders don’t. Effective leaders encourage their direct reports to assume greater responsibility and to make more meaningful contributions to the business. Effective leaders measure their success by the success achieved of the people s/he hires, manages, and promotes.

6. Earn Trust
”To trust a leader is not to necessarily like him. Nor is it necessary to agree with him. Trust is the conviction a leader means what he says. It is a belief in something very old-fashioned, called ‘integrity.’” (THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER, 2001)

7. Develop People
Peter Drucker understood no business will survive if it is led by only one leader. A thriving organization needs leaders throughout and not just at the helm. According to Drucker, “The gravest indictment of a leader is for the organization to collapse as soon as he leaves or dies.”
MM: If you are truly indispensable, you have failed as a leader.

All Hail the Designer

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:01:00 +0000

How do you not watch this? Really engaging from a design perspective.

Focusing on Strength

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:56:00 +0000

Please enjoy this Bonus Mid-Week Missive. So timely with goal-setting happening for 2009. Summaries, snippets, and takeaways from Inside Drucker's Brain (Jeffrey Krames biography of the father of management - Peter Drucker) via Brand Autopsy.

“Most organizations take their employees’ strengths for granted and focus on minimizing their weaknesses. They [identify] ‘skill gaps’ or ‘areas of opportunity,’ and then pack them off to training classes so that weaknesses can be fixed. But this isn’t development, it is damage control. And by itself damage control is a poor strategy for elevating either the employee or the organization to world-class performance.” — Marcus Buckingham & Donald Clifton (2001)

Psst … decades before Marcus Buckingham became the poster child for “building upon strengths, not weakness,” Peter Drucker heralded the cause. In THE PRACTICE OF MANAGEMENT (1954), Drucker actually launched the strengths movement by writing:

“Nothing destroys the spirit of an organization faster than focusing on people’s weaknesses rather than on their strengths ... The focus must be on strength.”

“One can only build on strength. One can achieve only by doing. Appraisal must therefore aim first and foremost on bringing out what a man can do … a man should never be appointed to a managerial position if his vision focuses on people’s weaknesses rather than on their strengths.”

“One cannot do anything with what one cannot do. Once cannot achieve anything with what one does not do … Appraisal must therefore aim first and foremost on bringing out what a man can do.”

Drucker revisited the concept of strengths-based development with a must-read Harvard Business Review article (MANAGING ONESELF, 1999). He updates his stance by writing:

“Most people think they know what they are good at. They are usually wrong. More often, people know what they are not good at - and even then more people are wrong than right. And yet, a person can perform only from strength. One cannot build performance on weaknesses, let alone on something one cannot do at all.”

“Waste as little effort as possible on improving areas of low competence. It takes far more energy and far more work to improve from incompetence to low mediocrity than it takes to improve from first-rate performance to excellence.”

Also in MANAGING ONESELF, Drucker explains how “measuring feedback analysis” is the best way to discover your strengths. He encourages executives to, at the time they make a key decision, write down the expectations they hope come from that decision. Then after nine or twelve months, compare the actual results with the written-down expectations. It’s a process that worked for Drucker to identify areas he excelled and areas where he struggled to meet expectations.
A more scientific way to identify one’s strengths is to use the StrengthsFinder test from Gallup. This online test formed the basis for Now, Discover Your Strengths (2001) and for Tom Rath’s StrengthsFinder 2.0 (2007).

Are you reaching your potential?

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:58:00 +0000

By BBDO, via AdAge.

Develop a Fleet of Bus Drivers

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:54:00 +0000

Organizational structures traditionally center around a group of people following a leader. It is the leader’s job to create the vision for success, map out the implementation plan, assign tasks, and monitor the work. And it’s been fairly successful for a long time. But as we try to do more with less, we need to engage all the capabilities of our team members. A single person can't drive the bus all over town. But as Jon Gordon tells us in the Positive Business Manifesto, leaders can do more than drive the bus - they can develop a whole fleet of bus drivers.

Leadership is not just about what you do, but also what you can inspire, encourage and empower others to do. To build a positive business, it’s not enough to just be a bus driver yourself. You must also develop a fleet of bus drivers in your organization. This involves a process where a united leadership team shares the company’s vision with their managers and employees, invites them on the bus and then encourages and empowers them to drive their own bus.

The leadership team explains that it’s their job to create a positive environment where managers and employees can perform at their highest level and it’s each employee’s job to stay positive and utilize their gifts and strengths to contribute to the goals and vision of the organization. Individual conversations should also take place between leaders and managers, and managers and their employees. Each person needs to understand the organization’s vision and identify how their personal vision, job and effort contribute to the overall vision. When this happens, instead of one bus with one driver, you now have a fleet of bus drivers all moving in the same direction. This generates a tremendous amount of power and momentum in the organization.

MM: As you develop your goals for 2009 and work with team members to develop theirs, consider helping them create a personal mission along with their tasks. "Your mission is to improve Process X. You decide what the parameters are, you decide how it gets done, you decide who should be involved. I will be a resource if you have questions, but this is your baby. Go make it happen."

You might have some concerns: "But I won’t be able to control what they do. What if they go in the wrong direction?"

Two things:

1. Control is an illusion. We never really have control over other people. And when we try to exert control, they just withdraw their commitment. It's like trying to hold sand. The tighter you hold on, the more sand leaks out your fingers.

2. When we are passionate about something and take ownership, we are more likely to succeed. Our hearts and minds are engaged when we take personal responsibility for the outcome of the project. And even if the mission is not successful, it provides a growth experience. And that is always worth doing.

Love the Monday Missive but tired of it clogging your Inbox? We hear you. You can now access the Monday Missive anytime on the Web. Share with family and friends, post comments, or add us to your favourite RSS reader. Check us out anytime at: http://mondaymissive.blogspot.com/

Pauline Graf
Rock the Casbah.

Three Simple Rules

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:48:00 +0000

Drew McLellan, owner of the Marketing Minute blog writes about leadership. In a recent column, Drew offers three lessons he learned from his mentor Al. Al led a team of advertising creatives, and offers good advice no matter what business you are in.

1. Love your people: Surround yourself with talent and then make sure they always know how much you appreciate that talent. Celebrate their wins. Help them grow. Push them, but push them knowing you won't let them free fall. When one of your team stumbles or makes a mistake -- acknowledge it first. Use it as a teachable moment but never let them leave the situation feeling bad. And last but certainly not least...know their aspirations and help them chase their dreams.

2. Success is no excuse for not staying out front: No matter how successful your team or agency is, you need to stay current and lead the way. Your clients expect you to ahead of the curve. It's also a very powerful argument for retaining your best employees. Al was always one of the first to be trying something untested or listening to the latest book. Sometimes he didn't get it or see the value in it. But that wasn't the point. He knew he was setting an example for his team and his clients.

3. Only work with clients who appreciate your smarts and skills: Al's belief was that life was too short to work with jerks, know it alls, or people who didn't have the manners to say thank you now and then. He understood that sometimes good clients had unreasonable deadlines, or had to please an ungrateful CEO, or dropped the ball on their end. He didn't mind that -- it's just a part of the business. But he wouldn't tolerate clients who berated, brow beat or were demanding in their tone. His employees didn't deserve to be treated like that and he made sure they knew he felt that way. As a result, most of his agency's client relationships were 20+ years or longer. They weren't just clients, they were respected friends.

Al had figured out the formula for success in this crazy business. Surround yourself with people who had oodles of talent and heart. Only work with clients who appreciate and value those people. And keep everything fresh by always being willing to explore something new. He led by example and with his heart.

MM: Great advice. But wait. What are you going to do about it? Challenge yourself to consider if you are weak in any of these areas. Now, it's time to take action. You have 22 days before the end of 2008. That's just enough time to start something good.

Pauline Graf

CNR PUBS Ink.

Let it rock. Let it rock. Let it rock. .

When Less is More

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:08:00 +0000

Darryl Ohrt of Brand Flakes for Breakfast received this business card from Brian Shaler at SXSW [emerging technologies conference] .

Darryl writes: At a conference like SXSW, there are a lot of cards attempting to be great. Many try so hard to be "creative" that they just end up blending in. Or look like an invite to a party.

But Brian Shaler is different. Brian Shaler has reinvented. His card is pictured at right. You're probably thinking that the back of the card has all of his contact information, laid out in a clever way. It doesn't. Just his name, backwards.

At a party, I was talking to Brian, and someone came up to complain. "C'mon Brian - I need a real card. I need a card with your email address, or something."

Brian's response? "You have everything you need to contact me, on that card. If you can't find me by using that card, then we really don't need to communicate."

MM: So true. In today's ultra-connected world of Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, Twitter, ..., if you can't find someone, they probably don't want to talk to you anyway.

Pauline Graf

CNR PUBS Ink.

We wear our sunglasses at night.

Need Creativity? Grow Your Own.

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:37:00 +0000

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:46:00 +0000

Two words, people - Video. (Okay, it's one word.) My point is that video is highly underused as a marketing tool. And Web 2.0 has opened the door to making it effective and cheap. Just pick up your camcorder, round up a few friends, add a laptop plus the Internet and you're ready to go.

What can you do with this tool? Here's a few examples.

Marketing a high school: See every classroom and facility, the cool dudes in AV, and the obligatory Goth kids while grooving to Thriller. 140 people in a single take. Nice.
http://vimeo.com/1952036

You'll Have More Fun at Purdue: Flashmob worshiping the Sacred Engineering Fountain at Purdue University.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6PLSZ9liIU

Why I Love My Company: I Love Rewards gave these as the Top 100 Reasons they love to work for the company.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wjQo8rGRbY

Raving Fans

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:27:00 +0000

Today, we hear from Logic+Emotion, the blog of David Armano. A simple but powerful lesson.

I am currently in Orlando and decide to try out some of the restaurants up-scale Disney offers at Walt Disney World. Last night I went to their "Flying Fish" restaurant in the Boardwalk area next to Epcot. During the already fantastic meal, the chef came around to all the tables to check in on us and to visit. At one point, he asked if this was my first visit to the Boardwalk and I answered something like "No. we've been here many times but this visit is so much better than the last. That time we got stuck on the Boardwalk in a horrible rain trying to get back to pick up our kids from the Disney Child care facility. We got them, no problem, but along the way I misplaced the cinnamon rolls I had purchased from the bakery as a breakfast treat for the kids for putting up with my wife and I going out to a nice dinner without them. This visit, I might not be with my family, but I sure wasn't going to miss out on the food again!"

He made a joke about me being responsible for bad weather... rain last time and "cold" this time (60 degrees as a high yesterday and the locals were in parkas). Then, he was back to visiting.
About ten minutes later, I was paying the bill and the chef came back with a white paper bag as "a little treat for later." After a "thanks" I headed out. When I got to my hotel, I unwrapped the surprise to find a cinnamon roll and a note: "A little something to warm your morning. Just keep the rain away. -C"

Yes, I know that it was not expensive to have someone add a $4 cinnamon roll to a $80 dinner, but it was done so quickly and with such personalization that I stood stunned thinking about it. Not only was he concerned about my interaction last night, but he made up for my own stupidity a couple of years ago. Disney wasn't even at fault that night... but he tried to correct the wrong in such a classy way.

Will Disney get something out of it? You bet. I'll tell that story as an example of top-notch service whenever I can. I'm sure my wife will be sick of hearing it. Many folks will hear how Disney is at the top of my "best service" list.

MM: Word of mouth recommendations are powerful tools. What are you doing to ensure your customers receive a WOW experience that gets you raving fans that keep coming back for more?

Demonstrating Innovation

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:54:00 +0000

The competitive nature of our business - competing for projects, securing the best resources, maintaining industry leadership - requires that we show the world how great we are at solving problems. We try to demonstrate how having the best minds and the best incubator for that brain power allows us to come up with world-class solutions. That we are ahead of the pack and always seeking the next frontier.

Awesome. But how can we show that picture in a way that captures the imagination and sticks in the mind. Not everyone in our target market is an engineer. Not everyone we seek to influence is technical in nature. But every person we care about wants to believe in us. They want to see us as intelligent, imaginative, and creative. How do we marry the creative with the technical? Here's how BMW has done it. Beautifully. Showing us that there is a place where Art and Engineering can co-exist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW-9-Iiu7pI

The Story of Nick the Tailor

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 23:19:00 +0000

Those who want a direct ROI for every marketing tactic linked to guaranteed results, just don't get it. Marketing doesn't sell products directly. What marketing does is to start a conversation. And you need that to happen. Here's an analogy.

You are Nick the Tailor. You are at a formal cocktail party. There is an man across the room. His name is Rob. Rob is surrounded by friends and seems well-liked and interesting. You'd like to get to know him. Then, because you are a tailor, you notice that his dinner jacket does not fit as well as it should. It's clearly custom-made so it should be working better for the money he invested. You'd like to offer some help. But you can't just go over and say: "Hey, your jacket sucks. I'm a great tailor and I can do a better job."

But, later that night, Rob's wife mentions that he should get a better-fitting jacket. Now, he is considering whether his current tailor really gives him the best service. He is open to changing providers. He tells his friend Sam that he is considering a new tailor. Sam says, "Rob, you should consider Nick the Tailor as he does very good work - very personalized service."

Two things can happen.

1. Rob has never heard of you and is not interested in taking a chance on an unknown. (Proviso: It is possible that Sam may extol your virtues and urge Rob to seek you out. This is generally unlikely unless: a) you really are that good and b) you have become a key advisor to Sam so that he will act on your behalf. However, this doesn't happen often. And it's not a scalable strategy.)

2. Rob has previously run across references to your work: you won the Tailor of the Year award, you work with a Chamber of Commerce committee providing underprivileged kids with free formal wear for the Prom, and you had a really great ad in the local newspaper. Rob looks for you on the web and researches your work. Luckily, you have a killer website that shows examples of your clothes with (this is the critical part) how you used specific techniques to customize each garment. You demonstrate a thorough understanding of tailoring, you prove your commitment to each client, and your site's overview of the tailoring process educates visitors proving the value of custom over ready-to-wear. Rob asks around and gets enough good references that he finally calls you.

You scored a client. Hurray. Your skill as a tailor is rewarded. But you also needed those background marketing tactics to make the sale happen. Rob may have seen your ads and your awards in the past. At that time, he didn't care. He wasn't open to new providers. But they shaped his view of you, whether he was aware of it or not.

Now, here's something really interesting. When Rob comes in for the first fitting, you dutifully ask him how he found you. He replies "My friend Sam recommended you." Ha! He didn't mention the ads, the awards, the charity work - all those things that created a pictured of the talented, considerate, and dedicated tailor that he was looking for. But those stops along the road were critical to his decision to hire you.

Don't be fooled into thinking that customers don't use marketing as a reference. They do. They just don't talk about it. Don't use direct tactic hits as your ROI indicator. Use overall change in revenue.

Marketing - it's like the wind. You may not see it but you can feel its effects.

Bringing Life to Presentations

noreply@blogger.com (Pauline Graf) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:13:00 +0000

Making presentations - you might love it, you might hate it, but it's a fact of corporate life. Many of you are asked to give presentations. We do it to persuade, to teach, or simply to tell a story. Whatever your goal is, here are three handy rules for making your next presentation really great.

1. Get Help.
Death by PowerPoint. We've all been there. We don't want to return.
This is your goal: Meet Henry.
If you can't do this alone, call for backup.

2. Watch Steve Jobs.
The ultimate presenter, Steve understands about "one thing". Just tell them one thing. He tells his story well. "Sell the sizzle, not the steak."
Don't say "Hey, we have a new music playing device with dual core processor that links to your hard drive."
Say "The iPod - bring your music everywhere".

3. But Be Yourself.
Okay, you've designed some great slides, you've edited down to the core, and now you are ready to rehearse. For many folks, this is the hardest part and the piece they avoid. AT YOUR PERIL. Being unrehearsed is like wearing the perfect dress and shoes but forgetting to comb your hair. It ruins the whole picture. We often avoid this step because we are nervous. Okay, I get that. But rehearsing will allow you to be less nervous when you get up to the podium. Once you get started, your talk will start to flow, just out of sheer repetition.

When you speak, do it from the heart. The best presentations are really conversations. Talk to people as if you were sitting in their living room. This is what I mean, this is something I feel passionately about, this is how it affects you.

Just remember: Be focused. Be passionate. Be yourself.

Oh, and one more thing. It's good to have a sense of theater.

Pauline
Live from Omicron Persei 8.