Why? Why do they do that???

I sat across from the VP of Marketing for a large regional organization last week, in his office. With a smile on his face he said, “I told my boss last week that we are just pissing away money…[James], we’ll spend a couple hundred [grand] on anything just to see if works.”

Am I the only baffled one here. Two questions – why would anyone smile while admitting he wastes money and why would anyone spend that much to see if it worked.

Here is why? This guy like most marketers spends (or pisses away) his money in what I call the competitive zone. The competitive zone is when a buyer is activly searching for a solution to his or her problem and it out and about talking to solution providers. The buyer is online filling out forms, walking into stores, calling on sales people etc. It it is the easiest place to find buyers – and the most competitive as well – for the obvious reason.

Great marketers exist here out of necessity – but spend little time or money. They spend the time in the opportunity zones. The opportunity zones are not crowded at all – but take a little work.

Opportunity Zone 1: Those thinking about buying. The question to ask here is, where are they now? What are the situations that lead them to think about buying? Which of their  friends have already been through this buying cycle. There are a few others you can ask, but I think you get the point.

If you can be the expert before the scream for a solution, but are merely considering it, and prove it before the active searching begins, they may never enter the competitive zone and head straight to your door.

Opportunity Zone #2: This actually occurs after the sale. Why do people buy again? Why do  they refer their friends? How do we make the answers to those questions a no-brainer to take action on.

Some advice to marketers and business owners. If you test your spare $200K on those two zones -competitor free – your VP will stop wasting the rest and you will see (with this kind of budget) millions added to the bottom line. That is some share holder news for you.

If you are a smaller business with little or no marketing budget – this should be your sweet spot.

Who defines creativity?

I recently read a Forbes article titled, How To Think Like Steve Jobs, by Carmine Gallo. The point of the article is that creativity is not unique to any one person, and that everyone can do what Steve Jobs does. Carmines only point is that the creativity is simply connecting things? I agree with him that creativity is connecting things (very simple def)- but I don’t agree that all people can be creative (at least not to the same level).

Here is what we do know about creativity. Thanks to great researchers and brain experts like Dr. Daniel Amen (see Youtube video at the end of this blog of him on Larry King Live with other experts) we know that creativity is a core function of the brain. Like many functions of the brain, creativity can be restored, strengthened, and even created itself. But it is not easy and it takes conscious effort.

Here are three things that you can do to spark creativity:

1. Challenge your both sides of your brain intellectually. It is proven that creative people use hard facts (right brain) to develop new ideas (left brain). Creativity is function of your whole brain. If you cannot easily move back and forth, practice it.
2. Challenge both sides of your brain physically. This goes back to point #1. One way to practice is participate in physical exercises that where you are crossing the center line with purpose. An example of this is throwing a ball, alternating hands that you use to throw. I also suggest you take up a Yoga class.
3. Eat well, Sleep well. No your mother didn’t tell me to say this. My mother did (haha.) All kidding aside, with what we know about power foods, processed foods, and everything in between – no person should ever feel scammed. It is easy to find out what is best for you. Remember – rich in protein. Meats like Tuna, Salmon, Shrimp, and other fish are high in protein, contain other acids and oils that are healthy. Broccoli is an energy multiplier. Blueberries are a natural detox. All this from a guy who is not a nutrionist. You have no excuse for not knowing how to feed your brain. Sleep – well, here is a question, have you ever performed well at anything sleep deprived? Ever had a surprise project at work when you are exhausted. Lets not let that happen again shall we?

In summary – these are great ways to spark creativity. I believe that all people are capable of it, hardly any will do anything to get it. If you are the one who will – the competitive edge is yours.

What’s so wrong with the basics?

Last week a friend and I were discussing how technical and segmented marketing has become over the last decade. Organizations these days are required to have SEO experts, bloggers, blog responders, social media guru’s, app developers, killer email specialists…the list goes on and on. What is even more amazing is that these specialities are relatively new. Many of these specialities require either techical programming backgrounds and some of them even require english majors – but none of them require a marketing background.

In the hustle to advance marketing – the new skill sets are forging forward without fundamental skills in marketing. When I say fundamental I mean more basic the the 5, 6, or 83 P’s.

If you are a marketer or person responsible for delivering new leads and business here are a few questions to keep you grounded in the fundamentals.

1. Where are my customers? This question helps you determine what social media, what SEO keywords, what blogs to participate on, what traditional adverstising media to use etc.
2. Where do they go when they get serious about buying? This question allows you to adequately determine what sales tools to use, how to incentivise referrals, and what to expect in the sales process.
3. What do my customers need to hear, feel, and know to make a good buying decision. These questions help you determine the what and how for the previous questions.
4. Why do they stay? Most people end at the sale. But good marketing also focuses on current clients. This questions helps you determine how to make and keep loyal customers.

The Networking Meeting

I recently attended a Chamber of Commerce networking event. The was nothing amazingly different about this networking group than the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands across the globe. But not having attended something like this in over 6 years I was awestruck by the diversity of quality of the 30-second elevator pitches. A little disclaimer – mine was significantly short of being anything good. My excuse is that I went last minute and had less than an hour to prepare (even though I knew about it for over a week).

Some elevator pitches as they are called were simple and to the point, “My name is Joe Schmoe and I sell homes. What distinguishes me apart from my competitors is that I am nice and pay attention to detail.”

Nothing to fantastic, memorable, or believable there.

On the other hand others also in industies with little differentian between competitors had some very creative and memorable spills, all at the end of the 30-seconds. One lady who represented a hotel sang for the last 10 seconds. Talk about guts and enthusiasm. While I never would recommend it, I loved it and it worked.

Then there was the home remodeler whose tag line at the end was, “From floor to ceiling, we do the healing.” Very catching, creative and the retention on that is high.

Walking away from this I had two take-aways. A good impression can happen in 5 -10 seconds, not 30.. and if you get 30 – why are you wasting the first 20 of it?

the challenge I am giving myself is to me to come up with something creative, powerful, and memorable that will take up the entire 30 seconds and not waste a second. Note that I will not be singing it, if you want to know why, call my boss. She can tell you (thats a story for another blog posting.)

How does your elevator pitch go? Does it work? Why do you think some people get lazy with them?

What is it that you really want to do?

I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about one of their family members who is hating life at his new job. I was shocked. I spoke with his wife just over a month ago and she was telling me how it was his dream job and dream company.

Turns out this company is the leader in the field that he loves – but after putting in some time has realized its is not a culture fit at all. It must be ultra dissappointing and discouraging working for the best in your preferred field of interest and knowing you don’t belong there.

As we discussed it further I took on the idea that  what we want to do may not necessarily have anything to do with role or industry or company.

I propose that  some people want:

• To put in time and just get a paycheck.
• Add value to a company in any way possible.
• Climb to the top and be the head honcho.
• Be passionate about the purpose and mission of the company and play whatever role is asked of them.
• Work in their job category regardless of company and industry.
• Work in an industry regardless of the job or company.

There could be other reasons as well. But ultimately I think next time this person will do a better job interviewing for fit next time.

I submit that job seekers should do four things:

• Interview for anything. You can never know a companies culture, opportunities, purposes etc by looking at a job description. You may find a dream job in a very drab description.
• Ask question around the those things that give you immediate fulfillment.
• Ask questions about those things that will satisfy you in the long run.
• Ask situation questions about inter company interactions, how the handle difficult situations,  and how they have evolved in the last decade of two recessions.

Why shouldn’t you? After all – every organization looks at cultural fit when they choose to hire why should the interviewee  not be making the same assessment on their end?

In the end – if the fit isn’t right it works out poorly for everyone.

The Job Search

Do You Dread, or Look Forward to Company Conferences?

Last week I spent nearly 5 days at my companies annual Global Sales and Delivery Conference. (No, I am not above shameless company promotion, but I do not work for SalesLogix either.) I am aware that some people love these get togethers. There is plenty of networking that goes on, you learn the the new strategic direction of the company, enjoy inspirational entertainment and keynote speakers – and get to stay at fancy hotels.

On the flip side, I am also aware that some people absolutely dread these conferences. They already keep in touch with all the associates they want to and the networking seems pointless, they grudgingly applaud the CEO as he/she pronounces the soon to be dead initiatives, can’t stand the cheezy motivational hoorahs and would prefer to be at home.

I have to admit, I am the kind of person who really enjoys these things – but only when they are done right. This year, my company did it right. Here are five things that made this a success:

1. The keynote and breakout sessions were relevant. Before the conference the organizers did a great job of finding out what topics we needed and wanted to know more about, what we were struggling with, and what we wanted to do better. They then executed on that information flawlessly. I wanted to attend every breakout session but could only choose 1 per time slot. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my clone to attend the other sessions.
2. They allowed for networking time, but not so much you didn’t know what to do with yourself. The first night of the conference was brief and packed with activities you could do with a tight knit group or branch out and meet others. Perfect for the Woo’s and the Wall Flowers. Other than that you had to be aggressive on the 15 minute breaks and before dinner. Those power networkers got a lot done, and those who are less prone to stick their hand out and meet somebody could easily waste time pretending they were checking email.
3. The company executives kept themselves brief, engaging, and and on topic. This included their presentations, introductions of others and even the award ceremonies. Their time wasn’t short – but not long winded either. Much of it involved recognizing and involving the lesser known employees who do a lot of the “rolled up sleeves” work as well. It was very tasteful. One of the executives even turned her presentation into a skit of sorts, involving a rag-time like pianist and vocal singers. Lots of fun and very engaging. Most of all, we weren’t drowned in data and easy to forget numbers and information.
4. The strategic direction is perfectly aligned to what needed to be done, not some grandiose and unrealistic proposition. Don’t get me wrong, we are pushing the envelope again and challenging ourselves. But what we heard wasn’t surprising, doesn’t demand an overhaul of job roles and responsibilities for the front line, and allows us to truly serve value to our clients at the same time.
5. They planned for us to get outside in thefresh air doing non-business activities for renewal. 3-5 days in a hotel is tough. Very little natural light, almost no fresh air and long periods of time sitting in one spot (minus all the stand up applauses that are frequently over used) can be mentally and physically draining. So this year when they bused everyone out to the nearby mountains to do activities of our choice (Fly Fishing, Horseback Riding, ATV, Shopping, Mountain Biking, and others) everyone came back re-invigorated. The timing was perfect and allowed us to be fully engaged for the rest of the conference.

So tell us, what are some major successes and failures you have seen at your company conferences – oh, no name dropping on the failures please.

Do you love your boss?

Most of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their work done.
Peter Drucker

I just finished reading a blog posting from Daniel Pink, author of the recent book, “Drive”. In his most recent posting he asks the question, “Are you a good boss or a bad boss?” This naturally gets us thinking about two things: 1) Are we a a good boss, and 2) Is my boss a good boss?

While I don’t believe there are very many “perfect’ bosses, I feel very fortunate to have had worked for some amazing people who were very different. I also feel very fortunate to have worked some whom were quite the opposite of amazing. I wish to share with you lessons learned from my observations of a few of those people whom I have worked for.

Amazing Bosses

Mo. I worked in restaurant as a server. The thing about Mo that makes me think he was amazing was that once you declared your standards – he respected them as completely as you respected them. What that means is those people who lived and worked in accordance to core values felt respected, honored, and appreciated. Those who tried deceit and manipulation were rewarded with tough work conditions, and thus left. Mo was amazing because his style attracted those with high integrity, strong team work ethic, and win-win attitudes, and deflected liars, cheaters, and lazy workers.

MJP. I will admit, I currently report to MJP. (I will still say these things when I don’t.) The thing that stands out the most with MJP is this persons capability to appreciate humanity. This connectivity to humanity is more than just compassion and sympathy. It is a deep awareness of what motivates people, what we will compete for, and where we are best suited to contribute in the organization. In summary, MJP has a tapped humanity to drive human behavior that has resulted in intense loyalty to company and team, employee ownership of delivering results, and a unique feeling of workplace camaraderie.

Not so amazing

RS. RS is a friend of mine on Facebook. He might end up reading this and when he does, he will know what I am talking about.  About 7 years ago this organization underwent  serious financial trouble that eventually resulted in it going out of business. At one point this organization had been a consecutive 3-time Inc. 500 company.  During this time of I was called into RS’ office and was chewed a new one because a relative had used the company toll-free number to reach me. (this number which had been plastered by the company in dominate spots on the website, on marketing collateral, and audio CDs). I had never given any work number to this relative, and so when  I recieved this butt-chewing from RS the result was the opposite of engagement.

I think RS was a horrible boss at the time because at a time when the company needed financial growth and stability – it treated its employees as enemies of the state rather than as potential solution holders. This company had loyal and passionate employees and created enemies.  (keep in mind – I love this guy to death on a personal level, one the funniest and most personable people you will ever meet.)

What about your bosses? Have any Dilbert-like stories to tell? Do you have the perfect boss? What makes them ideal? Please share.

Please take the poll below.

Do your customers get Christmas morning everyday?

I think that Christmas morning paints a great visual for how our customers should feel each and every single time they do business with us. For those readers who don’t celebrate Christmas or who have forgotten what its like to be a kid, let me paint a picture.

On December 24th you can’t wait to go to bed because you know that the next morning brings all your wishes of the last 364 days. But you can’t fall asleeep because all you can think of is which of those things you are going to get. You imagine walking down the stairs and turning the corner to see something big, wonderful and that exceeds anything you could have ever imagined. You also imagine all the accessories that adorn your gifts like stocking stuffers, candy, oranges – and all the other traditional things that come along with Christmas. When you finally do fall asleep the morning can’t come fast enough and sure enough, Santa delivered. All your expectations were exceded with a lot of flair.

That my readers is what I am talking about. Do you create a high level of contagious excitement around doing business with you? Do you have the fun flair for surround sound?

Who does this well? We all know that Apple is infamous for creating amazing product launches?  What about every day business not just product launches?

Customer Appreciation Month Gift

Pictured here is a Customer Appreciation Month gift from one B2b company co-branded with one of their clients as a gift to all the other clients. The purpose of the co-branding was to reduce costs, make it fun and not about the giving company, and make sure the recipient received it as a sincere thank you, and not a sales gimmick. This campaign cost less than $12 each, including the $10 gift card not pictured. Not a bad price to say thank you to people spending tens of thousands of dollars with you each year.

Having had campaigns like this for over 5 years now, this companies clientele looks forward with anticipation and excitement to Customer Appreciation Month. Doing business is fun and is exciting.

Of course – this company delivers the business results as well, otherwise fun and exciting wouldn’t happen because you would be having “fix-it” conversations instead of “Thank You” celebrations.

What about you? What can you do to create excitement and energy around your business?

Are There Rules To Texting?

I admit, I feel a little sheepish writing about this topic. I have recently been reading on some really innovative ways that marketers and businesses can use sms (texting) technology for business.

Restaurants text out coupons or specials, clubs use it to announce guest DJs, event promoters use them to for announcing concerts and pushing ticket sales, many organizations use it to remind people service payments are due. The list goes on and on.

What I want to know is when do people break the un spoken laws?

My mother-in-law recently began texting and treated it like mass email forwards of daily thoughts and inspirational messages. IRITTATING!!!! I told my wife, “Call your mom and let her know if she sends me one more text that goes out to her list of everyone she knows about something that has nothing to with me, I will get a restraining order.”

Have you ever felt that way about an organization texting you? What kind of info do you want sent to you? How often is too much? What would be the big faux pas?

What about B2B? Think about vendors or people you  buy from in the workplace? How could they use text messaging with you?

I want to know. Please share.