Want to get better?

April 23, 2009

I'm a firm believer in these three things.

• No matter how good we are, we can always get better
• Learning is not optional or age restricted
• One of the best ways to learn is by interacting/sharing with your peers

Which is why I am thrilled to tell you about three amazing learning opportunities that will help you get even better by interacting with smart, interesting and and giving professionals.

In April:

BlogWell:  How Big Companies Use Social Media, New York City on April 29th

BlogWell features 8 great case studies on big companies use social media, including Johnson & Johnson, GE, Nokia, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Tyson Foods, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Turner Broadcast System.  One afternoon — only $250.  Use the discount code: THANKSDREW for 10% off.

Get more information/register here.

Note:  Or attend in San Francisco on June 23rd or Minneapolis on August 13th.

In May:

SOBCON '09:  Biz School for Bloggers, Chicago, May 1-3

Now on it's third year, SOBCON brings together bloggers who want to take their game to the next level.  This year, the focus is the ROI of relationship.  Organizers Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker put on quite the show.  Lots of elbow rubbing with the likes of Chris Brogan and other blogging superstars.  3 days, only $795.

Get more information/register here.

In June:

MarketingProfs Business to Business Forum, Boston, June 8-9

The Business-to-Business Forum will focus on three key areas that b2b marketers are struggling with: 1. Integrating your marketing programs for better results, 2. Measuring and evaluating your marketing programs to prove ROI, and 3. Keeping your customers and prospects engaged.  Also enjoy keynote speaker Barry Schwartz, Author of "Practical Wisdom" and "The Paradox of Choice."

Until May 15th, only $1,145 but you can get a special $200 discount on top of that by clicking below.

Get more information/register here.

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Now is the perfect time to try some crazy marketing idea

April 22, 2009

Why not?  Everyone's in a tailspin about the economy and you have some down time.  Why not try something bold?  Dare I say… get a little crazy.

An excellent photographer here in Central Iowa sent this to me the other day.  Is it risky?  Sure.  But did it get me thinking?  You bet.

 

My guess is, he could fill some dead spots in his calendar with some pretty interesting projects. 

He solidifies his relationship with existing clients.  He creates new relationships with people who might not have given him a try. 

But best of all, he reminds us that he's willing to be creative, flexible and work/think with his clients, not just for them.  We're going to remember that long after the recession ends.

What crazy idea do you have buzzing around in your head?  What could you do in your marketplace to cause a stir.  Or even a disturbance?  What could you do that sounds crazy….but maybe crazy like a fox?

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Are you real?

April 21, 2009

How many times have you listened to a radio commercial and started laughing out loud because “no one talks like that!?”  

We all have a certain style in how we talk and write. As individuals. As a society. As an age group. As an income bracket. As a profession. Getting the idea?

One of the aspects of social media that I love is that it is making authenticity and being real something that people value and recognize.  Advertising in that "false, no one talks that way" style is finally on its way out.

We know authentic works.  We know it attracts the people you want to talk to.  We know that it's honest.

When you want to talk to your customers, take the time to study them first. See how they communicate. 

• Do they speak and write formally?
• In their industry jargon?
• Do they use short, choppy sentence or long, complicated ones?
• Do they use simple, common words or very precise and less common ones?
• Fast? Slow?
• A lot? A little?

We’re all bombarded with messages every day. The messages that break through the noise are the messages that are in our native voice. We don’t want to have to work hard to be communicated to or with. So, we are naturally drawn to those messages that sound and feel most like us.

Am I advocating that you change your native voice to match theirs?  Nope.  I am suggesting that if you talk/write in your native voice, it will attract those customers who talk that way too.  Those are your best customers.  Those are the ones who "fit" and who are most likely going to around for a long time.

But…I am suggesting that you be very honest with yourself and check your marketing materials.  Do they actually sound like you?  Like your best customers?  Or do they sound like you just swallowed a thesaurus and a guide for marketing speak?

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Importance Of Good Copywriting (tlmarketing.net)
• Write Attention Grabbing Headlines (adamzaius.net)

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Want to be more creative — think again.

April 19, 2009

One of the aspects of working at an agency that I love the most is the shifting from one account to another and one challenge to another.  It's a constant mental wind sprint.  But sometimes, after really sinking into a project — I need a little help to etch a sketch my brain and start fresh.

I've found that a 5-10 minute shift in the kind of thinking I do really does cleanse my palette.   A quick round or two of scrabble or sudoku usually does the trick.

Now here's what I find interesting.  I usually will do a sudoku puzzle until I get stuck.  At that moment, I see no additional solutions.

But when I go back to the same sudoku puzzle the next day or even a few hours later — I always see the answer.  I don't know what it is about my brain that renders it blind one minute and a day later, it sees all.  (I'll bet Robyn McMaster or Ellen Weber will know.)

But…my brain is cooking enough to recognize there's a lesson in that for all of us.  We're all working at such a crazy pace today.  We push to cross things off the To Do list and all too often, we don't go back to add another thought or take one more crack at finding a better solution.

We don't think again often enough.  I think when we fail to do that…when we do not walk away and then pick it back up, we're leaving much more than scraps on the table. 

Do you build in think again time?  Do your processes or systems support going back for another look?  Have you mastered this?  If so…tell us how!

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Recency: Where is the lagniappe in your marketing? (Stan Phelps)

April 17, 2009

Drew's Note:  As I try to do every Friday, I'm pleased to bring you a guest post.  Meet another  thought leader who shares his insights via the blogosphere. So without further ado…Stan Phelps.  Again. Enjoy!

The concept of primacy and recency simply defined is: People have a greater recall of the first thing and the last thing they experience.  Advertisers are well aware of this principle as it relates to television.

The first and last three seconds of a thirty second spot are the most critical.  The first three seconds are all about grabbing your attention and the last three seconds are about reinforcing your message or brand. 

In general marketing, primacy is important because you 'never get a second chance to make a first impression', but recency is the last thing your customer or client remembers before they walk out the door or hang up the phone.   

Challenge:  How do you leave a great impression after the sale is made or the contract is signed?

There is great word that originated in Louisiana called 'lagniappe' (pronounced lan-yap).  The creole word literally translated means 'the gift.''  It refers to a small unexpected extra gift or benefit presented by a store owner to a customer at the time of purchase. The people of Louisiana have embraced the term and have broadened the definition to include any time a little something extra is given.  [Click here to read Mark Twain's account of his first introduction to lagniappe from Life on the Mississippi]

How do you integrate the concept of 'lagniappe' into your marketing?

Here are the four main ingredients:

1. Unexpected – the extra benefit or gift should be a surprise.  It is something thrown in for good measure.  Think 'surprise and delight'.
2. Relevant – the item or benefit should be of value to the recipient.  Make sure that the item or service is a true benefit.  It shouldn't be a one size fits all proposition.
3. Unique – if it's a small token or gift, try to select something that's rare, hard to find or unique to your business.  
4. Authentic – many times it comes down to the gesture.  It becomes more about 'how' it is given, as opposed to 'what' is given. The small gift or extra communicates that you care about your client and you appreciate their patronage.

In today's difficult business landscape the ability to provide 'added value' will set you apart from your competitors.  Are you always striving to deliver above and beyond?  What is that 'little something extra'? 

Where is the lagniappe in your marketing?

Stan Phelps is Executive Vice President at Synergy Events.  Synergy is an award winning experiential marketing agency specializing in mobile marketing tours, pr events / launches and sponsorship activation. You can also check out his blog 9 INCH MARKETING which discusses how to bridge the gap between traditional and social media by taking a sensory approach to integrated marketing. [FACT: The average distance between the brain and the heart is 9 inches]

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day.  Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew's Marketing Minute?  Shoot me an e-mail.

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Don’t mistake getting stuck for being smart

April 13, 2009

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know that I am a big believer in having a plan.  Strategy is king.  Today’s marketing dollars are too scarce to be wasted.  The 4th quarter and early January seems to have most marketers knee-deep in research, budgets, what if scenarios and gantt charts.

All of that is well and good.  And important.  But there is a serious danger that you can get paralyzed in your planning.  Smart is good.  Perfect is paralysis. 

Sometimes, especially when spending even a dollar feels like a calculated risk — we can let the need to be absolutely right freeze us in place.

Marketing is a healthy mix of art and science.  Exacting precision is for engineers and surgeons, not marketers.  We have to settle for darn close.  The reality is we don’t have the luxury of operating in a sterile space.  We have to function in the nitty-gritty of the real world.  We can’t control all the variables and factors. 

At a certain point in the process, we have to walk away from theory and leap off the edge into reality.

It feels safe to stay in planning mode.  After all, the plan looks so pristine and right.  There’s nothing tainting the purity of it. Once you step out and actually launch a new initiative, things get muddy in a hurry. 

While we can be pretty smart and quite right during the planning process, it’s in the fray of the action, that we get even smarter.  We can observe reactions, listen to customers, make little tweaks and then re-evaluate all over again.  Unlike an operating room, the marketplace brings nuances, unpredictable truths and quirks of human nature.

If you need one more nudge to get you unstuck and out from behind the planning mode, just remember, no one ever bought a product or service from a gantt chart.

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Is employee communication really a 2-way street?

April 11, 2009

Your employees are an absolutely critical audience for your organization.  No brand promise gets delivered, no customer is delighted and no customer feedback flows back to you — if your employees are not inspired and feel like a vital part of the team.

So how do you make sure all of that happens?  Talk to them.

It's human nature to want to be in the know.  it eases worry and keeps you from making up stories in your head.  Typically most employees believe that their boss could do a better job in the communication department.

Ironically, if you ask the management team (boss, owner) they'll tell you they are huge communicators and the employees know everything they could possibly want to know.

So where lies the truth?

According to a recent survey I read about on MarketingCharts.com, nearly three-fourths (71%) of US communications and human resources professionals in a recent survey say are getting the right amount of information about the current state of their company during the recession, but many would like more opportunities to use social media and have face-to-face communications with company leaders. (all data according to a survey by Heyman Associates Executive Search.)

The survey, which was conducted to gauge the effectiveness of corporate communications in today’s tough economic climate amidst repeated company failures and layoffs, found that 85% of survey respondents say their CEO, among other managers, is communicating with them, though 65% would still like more informal, in-person communication.

CEOs Stepping Up

When asked who in their company is speaking with them about the current state of affairs, respondents overwhelmingly cited their CEO:

• 85% said their CEO was speaking with them
• 43% cited their department head
• 35% cited their direct manager
• 30% mentioned the CFO
• 15% cited a human resources representative
• 5% said no one communicated with them

Among those who say nobody in the company communicates information, some have found out information about their own company in the newspaper, while others tap the grapevine, which they acknowledge is not always reliable.

Need for In-Person Communication, Social Media

Though many respondents are already receiving a large number of electronic and mass communications within their company, the survey uncovered an important need for more in-person communications.

When asked how they would improve the way they receive information about their company, a majority of professionals responded that they would like increased, informal, face-to-face communication. Out of 452 responses:

• 65% want increased informal in-person communication
• 50% want increased formal in-person meetings
• 31% want increased formal written materials

The responses also indicate a desire for more social media because of its interactive nature. Some respondents suggest that an increased mix of in-person communication and social media will create and repeat frequent and trustworthy messages, while others want the communications to better explain how any given situation affects them personally.

So…what do you think?  How does your company communicate with you?  or if you're the leader — how would you rate your information flow?

What's the most effective method of communicating company news, in your opinion?

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Characteristics of Successful Salespeople (Dave Kahle)

April 10, 2009

Drew's Note:  As I try to do every Friday, I'm pleased to bring you a guest post.  Meet another  thought leader who shares his insights via the blogosphere. So without further ado…Dave Kahle.  Again. Enjoy!

Are successful salespeople made or born? It is the eternal question: the sales manager's version of nature versus nurture.

Since I spend most of my time teaching salespeople how to become better at their jobs, I'm 100 percent in the "made" camp. There are best practices in the sales profession, and outstanding salespeople do many of the same things. A salesperson can, and should be, taught those best practices so they know how to do the job well.

Much of my practices consists of identifying and teaching the best practices to salespeople. I'm a believer in the notion that sales is a proactive profession – that you must first act, and then your actions get reactions. A good salesperson acts in the right way. His or her behavior is ultimately what determines his degree of success.

Thus, I believe that anyone can be taught the principles, processes and practices of effective sales. I like to characterize it like this: On a 1 – 10 scale, I can take 7s and make them into 10s. I can take 4s and make them into 7s. I can take 1s and make them into 4s. But I can't take 1s and make them into 10s.

As in every sophisticated endeavor, in the world of sales it sure helps if you have the aptitude and character with which to begin. "Character" is the operant word here. The Encarta Dictionary defines character as "the set of qualities that make somebody distinctive, especially somebody's quality of mind and feeling." In a common sense, we understand a person's character to be that combination of qualities, beliefs, tendencies and attitudes that give rise to his/her behavior.

It is the combination of characteristics that define who is the person. The practices and principles we teach instruct the person on what to do. While countless books and articles have addressed "what successful salespeople do", few have described "who successful salespeople are."

I don't claim to have the last word on this, nor do I believe that this group of characteristics is the whole story. But, from one person's perspective, here are my observations of the essential character traits of a successful salesperson.

The first characteristic that I see among successful people is this: They truly want to be successful. This isn't as simple and self–evident as it sounds. The world is mostly populated by people who don't want to be successful – at least not if it is going to cost them anything. Most people would like to have the benefit of success – the sense of confidence and competence, the material advantages, the respect and admiration of others – it's just that they aren't willing to accept the cost that is the inevitable prelude to success. 

Success is almost always the result of a consistent, long range investment of time and energy on the part of the successful person. You must give something up if you want to be successful. For example, if you want to be home everyday to watch Oprah, and you won't give that up, you probably won't be successful. You're not willing to give up something in order to get something larger. 

Successful salespeople want to be successful to the point they are willing to accept the costs and invest the time and effort that it takes to be successful. Thus, the success–focused salesperson works more hours than his average colleague. They try to make their first appointment for 7:45 a.m. and their last for 4:30 p.m. And when someone cancels, or the salesperson finds himself with unplanned downtime, he finds something productive to do. 

Whereas most salespeople have not invested $20 in their own development in the last year, the success–seeking salesperson constantly buys the books, listens to the CDs, and attends the seminars in an attempt to gain more ideas and, therefore, shape his behavior more effectively. He/she is eager to learn from others, pays attention at sales meetings, and solicits his manager's input into his performance. He constantly thinks about his job, and continually tries to do it better.

This willingness to trade a short term pleasure and invest in themselves for the long term benefit is the first characteristic of a successful salesperson. Most just aren't willing to make the sacrifices that success calls on them to make.

I call characteristic number two "the ability and propensity to learn." For salespeople, I define learning as exposing yourself to new ideas, and then changing your behavior in positive ways as a result. Thus a successful salesperson is always looking for the next good idea, and continually experimenting with practices and behaviors that are designed to give him the best results. 

This is the operating expression of the first characteristic. Whereas the desire for success supplies the energy and motivation, the ability and propensity to learn is one key way that motivation expresses itself.
Following this life–changing practice means that eventually every success–seeking salesperson is going to become exposed to the best practices of his profession, and every salesperson so inclined will eventually fold them into his/her routines. That means, equipped with this characteristic and given enough time, they are going to be successful. It is inevitable.

These two characteristics are so powerful and fundamental that they form the cornerstone of a success profile for a salesperson. The other characteristics which follow are derived from and expressions of these two characteristics.

For example, successful salespeople deal successfully with adversity. They don't let failure knock them off the path. They see failures and adversity as temporary stumbling blocks, and bounce back from every defeat. This is such a pronounced characteristic of successful salespeople that some authors hold it up as the single most outstanding characteristic of successful people. 

It is this characteristic that causes them to make the second sales call after having been rejected in the first. It is this characteristic that stimulates the salesperson to approach just one more prospect, or visit this account one more time in spite of having failed previously.

It is this characteristic that prods the salesperson to bounce back from a failed marriage, a financial reversal, a bad experience with an employer, or a manager with whom he doesn't get along.
Motivated by his desire to succeed, and equipped with the ability to learn, he sees adversity as just another learning experience, and becomes more focused, wiser and more committed as a result.

The last of my big four characteristics is "the ability to focus." This is particularly important in our 21st Century economy. There are so many "things to do", so many opportunities and demands on our time, the unfocused salesperson can squander much of his day reacting to the superfluous.

Remember the movie "City Slickers?" When asked his secret for living a successful life, Curly held up one finger. "One thing" he said. Focus on one thing and do it well.

Very few people can do more than one thing exceptionally well. Sales is an incredibly sophisticated profession wherein real, long–lasting success takes years of disciplined work. Successful salespeople know that, and stay focused on the basics of their job, and the practices and principles that they know will pay off.

Given these four characteristics and enough time, the salesperson will become successful. When we find one of them, and then we add training in the principles and practices that define the best way to do the job, we have every reason to expect that person to develop into one of the successful superstars.
It starts with character.

Dave Kahle is the country's premier sales training educator.  Since 1988, Dave has worked with over 400 companies, helping them to increase their sales and develop their sales people. He's been published over 1,000 times, writes a weekly Ezine, and has authored seven books.  He has a gift for creating powerful training events that get audiences thinking differently about sales.  Also, check out Dave's blog.

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day.  Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew's Marketing Minute?  Shoot me an e-mail.

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