Bring the Love Back

Below is a little clip from You Tube with a great commentary on how customers are becoming much more interested in being part of the choice as to how they receive communications from advertisers.

Bring the Love Back

The key to this short parody is that when trying to create unique 0ne-on-one customer experiences mass communications and messages are ineffective. It is crucial to segment your customer base and find effective ways to communicate a unique, distinct message that will resonate with your customer.

Once you've determined your segmentation approach it is crucial to keep going: learn about your customers, ask questions, and try innovative new ways of communicating with them.

Most important of all is record your / their experiences. If they don't enjoy it -- then don't do it again. Try new things and allow the customer to share with you why they prefer being communicated to in their preferred fashion. You may find a way to build a strong brand with a part of your customer base you never knew existed.

Media and Location

I had the privilege of attending this past weekend's Police concert at CommonWealth stadium in Edmonton. The atmosphere was great and the music was electric -- or is that supposed to be the other way around?

What I noticed however was that when the Police took the stage the 'show' left much to be desired. Not unlike any kind of event or experience (including advertising) there are several components to a concert such as this: the music, the venue, the atmosphere, the people and, especially of late, the show.

The show is the culmination of the whole concert. It is why people are willing to pay $400+ for seats right up front. It is to see not only the musicians but to get the whole of the concert's visual experience. On Saturday night what the designers of this concert didn't anticipate was that on June 2 in Edmonton Alberta at 8:45 PM it isn't dark.

The light show that backed the trio was an expensive array of new technology providing a 'flash-back' experience back to the late 70s (more on this in a later blog). All this grew in impressiveness as the show went on and its full effect was there at 10:30 PM when the concert closed.
Why is this important? As a small business you need to investigate the location whenever you plan on placing any kind of media. In the winter we Canadians are often faced with the opposite since we are so far north, the fact that it is dark very early. Is the location well lit? Is the media appropriate for the location you've selected? There is nothing less effective than something someone has to strain to see -- 'cause they won't.

Right People; Supporting Roles

As many of you who know me I love a good football match (or soccer for those completely North American-ized). I was coaching my U10 Development team 'Strikers FC' last night when the team captain asked for the opportunity to play keeper.

He's a strong player on the ball and a natural centre mid-fielder. He also calms down the play when we are under attack and is often in on our scoring attempts. So what is a coach to do?

Life is a leason on risk. Those more risk adverse may wait for another opportunity to put their key players into a supporting role, especially in a close match. However there was an opportunity here with very little to lose (except some pride) to reward a key player and see how the rest of the team gels when faced with some adversity.

Obviously the game changed. It always will. An emphasis was put on the defensive.

About half-way through the second half an interesting twist occured. Teams at this level are used to having a team play defensively. Our opponents got frustrated and then we started to get the odd offensive chance -- naturally. I was on the sideline saying little and just watching this occur.

We scored the only goal of the second half and as a coach I was proud to see how the team performed. Not as individuals but really in adjusting to what was required by the team in the moment.

All too often we may lean too much on our key players in our organizations and don't know how the team will come together if they were to leave, go on vacation, etc. When there is an opportunity to see how the team can perform without -- try it! In most cases we think there is too much to lose, however if you truly look at the situation more often than not it is just some pride at stake.

The 4 Horsemen of Change

I've read numerous books on change: the impacts of change, the importance of change, what happens if people don't change, how to get people to accept change, ...

Recently I find myself reflecting often on change as organizationally things around me may be changing in the coming months. For those who don't know, I've been working with VOXCOM for the past year as part of their executive team focused on Strategy and Planning. In April another Income Fund tendered an offer to purchase the VOXCOM Income Fund. If the purchase goes through then change will be part of the package.

I'm unsure if there is a mapped out 'stages of change' similar to death but I found that there seems to 4 general reactions to change.

Fear of change: This reaction may be the most normal for people. What does this change mean to me? How does my life or the lives of others I care about change? Why can't it not change?

Denial of change: Perhaps the most unhealthy reaction is ignoring the fact that change is either not occuring or convincing yourself that it won't. For those suffering from Denial of Change the book 'Who Moved my Cheese' would be a good resource.

Apathy of change: You'll notice I don't use the word 'acceptance' as three of the reactions accept change is happening. With Apathy the person is just indifferent to the change. This can be the most dangerous of all reactions since often people suffering from Apathy have seen too much change and may have an opinion of 'ride it out and it will change back'.

Change-Addict: This is someone who seeks out change. Someone who, on the positive side, is always innovating and seeking new ways of doing things, but on the negative side, is never comfortable with something that works. These people are great when tempered with someone who is suffering with Fear of Change to balance them out a bit.

If you are wondering how I see myself, I see myself as a Change-Addict. I love change! I crave it! I get frustrated when I'm in a scenario that change doesn't occur quickly enough. There may be good reasons but I'd much prefer to fail at something then not change because I was afraid of change. So over the past month, and for the coming months, I have to school myself on patience.

I you believe there is someone in your organization that is a Change-Addict, recognize it. There is a chance that this person will create their own change if not allowed to lead change within your organization. These people are often your intrapreneurs!

Web 2.0 in the Entreprise

I think I mentioned before that there is a plethora of business people talking about the changes within the digital home industry here at CEA Connections. For me, leading that group is a prominent business leader named Daniel Scheinman from Cisco.

Dan had a keynote address yesterday in which his focus was the changes ongoing in the digital media arena and the strategies that service providers need to evaluate to be successful as their markets look for information, including advertising, in different manners. The most part of the presentation for me was how he viewed the evolution of the value chain.

Old Internet-based value chain:

Universities -> Entreprises -> Service Providers -> Consumers

New Web 2.0 value chain:

Universities -> Consumers -> Service Providers -> Entreprises

His insights are meant to make many ponder the role of social communities and web 2.0 tools. For many here (who are Service Providers) it is about how to address this flux of Consumer driven applications. For me it opened up the door to ask how will Entreprises adopt web 2.0 collaboration tools.

Cisco has (according to Dan) approximately 1,500 employees using Facebook today within the organization. With entreprises being focused on process, control and rules can open collaboration tools thrive? How will it change the organization?

I truly am led to believe that the one who can answer these questions will have a great opportunity when the value chain turns to Entreprises and their needs to be more creative, innovative and nimble in a very new digital media world.

The importance of Crowds

For a business, the concept of going with the crowd isn't always a bad thing. In fact when we are the one leading the pack it can be a very lucrative proposition.

I'm in Santa Clara this week at CEA Connections, a conference on the digital home, and there has been several conversations about standards. Now this a plethora of high-speed connectivity options, including a variety of ways to pull it all together in the home, many companies are out there trying to differentiate themselves on the fact that they are different.

How are they doing? Most have a great story to tell but no great revenues to speak of.

Think back to the battle of VHS vs. BETA. It didn't matter that BETA was better quality... what mattered is that people were adopting VHS; rental stores, manufacturers, end consumers, all wanted a single working platform -- and VHS was eventually just that.

I don't claim to know how to get yourself in a position to lead the pack, but if you find yourself walking away from the pack, all alone and can't figure out why you aren't succeeding, have the courage to admit your vision may need some tweaking before it is too late. The crowd may just dictate that your concepts are before their time and they want a 'lite' version, or the product in blue, or a phone that just calls people...

Seth mentioned in his blog this morning that 'The last 75% of [The Davinci Code] sales were made to people who never ever buy books. They bought it because 'everyone else was buying it.''

The Crowd can be your friend and an invaluable guide -- especially if they don't agree with your business.

The Business of Ethics Part II

Once the an organization has put the 'Right People' in the 'Right Roles', then that organization must move on to marketing itself. Yet again this comes down to brand.

Who is your target customer? What are you seeking from them? Where are they?

Let me give an example. If you are an organization that appeals to and fits the needs of the elderly, then why focus your time and energy on the youth? There is a reason why your strength is in marketing to the elderly and if mission is to appeal to the youth of today you've obviously got either the wrong people in place, the wrong product / service, or the wrong promotions -- 3 of the 4 Ps of Marketing.

The first step in marketing your organization has everything to do with identifying your target market and ensuring that your business plan is altogether feasible. Once you are sure the numbers add up then it's time to focus on grabbing the attention of your customer base.

'Enthusiasm in Marketing' for the Small Business Owner

The best person to market your business is yourself. You are the ultimate advocate so make sure you have your message down. Your pitch has to be flawless. Practice it until your kids can say it in their sleep.

Then get out into your target segment of customers and learn as much about them as you can. Document it. Study it. Learn where there are similarities are pounce on those marketing opportunities. A B2B business may want to join a local networking group if their target segment is there... it only makes sense to join if they are. A retailer may want to setup a kiosk at the local skateboard park -- if their target market is pre-teens with attitudes.

Whatever you do, focus your energies on marketing to the right segment. If it doesn't feel right then return to the start and determine if you have the Right People in place to make it happen.

Phone Spam

The importance of accurate data only grows more and more important the more connected you get to your customer. Last night I received a call from a survey company asking for feedback on behalf of my cellular phone company. Problem is that I haven't been a subscriber to that cellular phone company for over a year.

A real-life person contact is one of the most powerful connections you can have with a customer, whether in-person or over the phone. It also means that as much of an opportunity you have to build your brand and relationship with a customer; it is also a chance to tarnish your brand beyond repair.

One VP I work with will not even talk to some past service providers because every time they talked the sales person / customer service person would have no clue as to the types and amounts of services we had in our business and what they could contribute. They were only there to sell.

Seth Godin talks about robocalling in his blog Some people might like it this morning. Unlike email spam which is easily disregarded -- this type of marketing is a direct brand killer. You are immediately notified of the brand they are trying to sell (trying to keep you on the line) and if it doesn't appeal to you (which it doesn't to most) then your brand is immediately taken down a notch.

Small businesses / entrepreneurs often get caught in the scam of trying to close 1% of thousands. Instead they should spend some time on a focused segmentation exercise, identify a group of customers and make a couple of calls and debrief -- what messages engaged the customers? Which ones didn't? What was the customer experience?

The Business of Ethics Part I

Being involved in local community organizations as much as I have been over the past twenty years, it never ceases to amaze me on how many not-for-profit organizations do not believe they are a business. After all businesses don't practice ethical behaviour do they?

Ethics of businesses is a topic better left for another day, however I have been thinking a great deal lately about the business of ethics. Churches, charitable organizations, not-for-profit, etc. are abundant in today's market and make for some of the least efficient and clumsy businesses out there.

When advising organizations on the BREAK model, there is often very little problems in having the organization define their 'Believe in a Vision'. Many organizations have spent more time in fact on their visions, missions and goals then on the business itself.

The first place I find they all struggle is with the concept of 'Right People, Right Roles'. After all how do you say no to a volunteer? Who wants to work for the small not-for-profit vs. the corporate superstar or next web2.0 company?

The reality of the situation is that, just like any other business, the right people will make or break the not-for-profit business. If we are trying to attract a certain demographic segment to our church, you need a pastor or priest who appeals to that segment. Someone who engages them, makes them think and, most importantly, makes them want to contribute their time, talents and treasures to the not-for-profit.

Ultimately it is more important, not less important, to be able to get rid of anyone who does not fit the overall vision of the organization. Is it ethical? How can you fire a volunteer? Does this show love for others?

The answer to all three is easy: YES. In fact I truly believe you are showing more love and devotion to a volunteer or employee by having a truthful, candid conversation about their fit in the organization than ignoring it and watch them, and your business, fail miserably.

If you are unable to surround yourself with the right people, working in the right role, then your business will flounder. Do yourself a favour and the ethical decision; make that change you've been avoiding; part ways with that one employee who just doesn't get it; let a member of your not-for-profit board go that just distracts you from your ultimate goal -- you'll be a stronger and more ethical business for it.

Avoiding Deathly Meetings

Seth talks about running different types of meetings if you seek different levels of results. I've been implementing many of the same concepts in companies like Dell and VOXCOM over the past couple of years, largely influenced by the book Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni.

It seems if there is a common issue that faces a business manager or executive, Patrick Lencioni has written a fable about it. Meetings are no exception and he lays out some good tips and tricks around how to keep from drowing in meetings throughout the week.

A couple extra tips I've learned implementing meeting strategies in large organizations:

Only book meetings for the time necessary: Organizers such as Outlook and BlackBerries are causing grief all over the globe because they book meetings in half-hour segments. Don't be afraid to build a culture where 15 minute meetings are booked and observed, or 10 minutes or 40 minutes. Outlook will do that for you too without much extra work.

Book meetings often: It may seem contrary to trying to staying away from drowning in meetings, but combined with the first tip above, you can spend less time in meetings and be more effective and prompt in making decisions to grow and move forward. Don't rely on a 'weekly meeting' when you need something more often than that.

Book the next meeting today: The last thing you need to do at the end of the meeting is agree to the next meeting time and date. Based on the next steps of the issue being discussed you should have an idea of when it the optimum time to hold the next get-together.

I encourage you to read Death by Meeting, you can order it from my Squidoo LENS if you wish, as it makes for some enjoyable airplane reading.

Educational Brand = Personal Brand

Patricia McQuillan's blog Campus as “branding ground” for success on the CMA website discusses the inconsistency of branding efforts of many universities across the globe. It is easy to get really lazy when hordes of new students flood your doors every fall mainly because the belief instilled by moms and dads is that you'll go nowhere in life without a degree.

In more recent years I've witnessed a greater movement in people associating themselves to educational institutions as part of building their personal brand, and not only with those who have always wanted to be the 'best' in their class, or have the 'best' education, or go to the 'best' school.

So is the education you receive as important as the university name on the resume?

For most people this comes down to your brand. I undertook the journey of getting my MBA a few years ago and, when I was deciding where to go, I spent some long hours evaluating all those things that a university would give me that aligned themselves with how I defined myself. I never had the luxury of going to school full-time, as I am the wage-earner in a single income family, and wanted something I could apply right now -- not as I got the letters at the end.

Ultimately I am glad I made the choice I did. It wasn't, and still isn't, about the letters. For me it was about the education and I did much more for my personal brand by learning as much as I could and making the businesses I work with all the more successful. When interviewing new candidates for jobs I am increasingly surprised at the number of Master-level graduates that have no experience to back it up. This is the main flaw of many of today's 'branded' universities: you can't afford to work while in school due to the intense level of studies.

I have one small piece of advice for all those aspiring Bill Gates, Martha Stewarts and Steve Jobs out there: Unless you plan to get a PhD and teach, apply what you are learning today to a real business -- even if you do it for free. If your program won't allow it, or doesn't have a co-op option -- find another program!

If you can't find a business that'll work with you, contact me and I'll work with you to find one. This is crucial because an education gives you the foundation to suceed but a specific universities name on a resume will only get you a smile, a 'wow' and a 'thanks for coming in'. Later on if you want the some pretigious letters to follow your name you can always enter in Seth Godin's New Order Business School.

Coming to Your Senses

Last Friday (and again today) I was not only intrigued by posts in re: Famous Quitters but also moved to share my personal favorites (more to come there) with Seth Godin. Though I believe it is much more around passion than a lack of will.

I myself am a 'quitter'. It started at a fairly young age in fact. Just prior to entering high school I 'quit' playing hockey. I loved the game and still do play casually, but my passion doesn't surpass my love of the game.

When I entered university my big goal was to become a high school teacher. After two years though that goal was derailed by a new-found passion in business. Again I quit as my passion for business surpassed my passion for teaching.

Sometimes quitting is the right thing to do. It doesn't mean you have failed. But I can almost garuntee that if you don't have a passion for your business anymore you won't succeed. Choosing to quit is often the most courageous thing a person has to do in their lives and I've not met someone who has regretted their decision.

By the way... my favorite 'quitters' are Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka, President and CEO respectively of Bioware.

Squidoo: A Resonance Human Resources and Marketing Lens

Based on advice in a recent post by a marketing leader and influencer, Seth Godin, I have built a Squidoo Lens for Resonance Human Resources and Marketing.

The LENS contains a bunch of links to some of today's business minds that I follow, along with some of the must read books that every small business owner and / or entrepreneur should read.

The initiative is meant to be a process of learning myself as well. Part of marketing your business is also having the will to spend those few minutes a day in purposefully doing things that will extend your brand. For me it is way too easy to just 'think' it will happen anyway so...

I've started this Blog...
I've started a LENS...

And the goal is to continue to feed valuable insights I share with my friends, colleagues and clients on a regular basis into a format that others can read and enjoy.

Dragon's Den Auditions

In February I had the opportunity to meet Sean Wise at WestJAC, a weekend conference for high-school students involved in Junior Acheivement. That weekend we talked about how exciting it would be for high-school / university students to appear on the Dragon's Den with a business venture just waiting to be funded by the Dragons. Well your chance is coming very soon...

Dragon's Den Auditions in Edmonton:
April 18
Edmonton, AB
CBC Edmonton Centre Stage
10062 102 Avenue
Edmonton City Centre East
Time: 10 a.m. - 1p.m. and 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

I know more than a few of you students here in Edmonton have the skills necessary to get your business concepts flying so plan on being there... and if you need some help on your pitch feel free to email me -- always more than willing to help out a student.

mCrowd

I've had a concept for the past three to four months of creating an organization that brings together two groups both suffering through a great deal of pain -- small business owners and business students. One group needs all the help they can get to market and grow their business, the other needs all the experience they can get to one day be successful in their respective fields.

The idea came to me to create a Crowdsourcing environment that will bring everything together. What the model looks like I'm not 100% sure today but the 'advisors' (a.k.a. students) would be guided by seasoned professionals in their industry and the clients (a.k.a small business owners) would purchase credits to get support for various opportunities facing their business.

More details to come but I find that writing will help me figure it all out -- welcome to mCrowd.