You are SO busy.
You find yourself deleting every incoming email that isn't absolutely necessary to read. Maybe it has become your policy to do so.
You've become great at saying no – to every committee, volunteer opportunity, maybe even every industry podcast.
You have lunch at your desk.
You put off meeting the person from the company or organization down the street (or across the state) who thinks you may have working synergy. Hey, you don't even take the phone call.
The fact is, you may save yourself valuable minutes every day.
But you, and we all, have lost something, too, and that is the freedom to stretch your mind and enlarge your base, grow your idea bank and enrich your network of people, ideas and opportunities.
When I started van Schouwen Associates way back in 1985, it was still relatively easy to get a meeting with a prospective client, even if the time wasn't right to do business. People were comfortable talking for a few minutes, and holding out the possibility that they might someday work together – or not. They read materials sent to them – even, sometimes, direct mail flyers! They accepted phone calls.
Now, many people find themselves the recipients of too much of nearly everything… from emails, texts, calls, and social media alerts to demands on time, talents and resources. In many professional disciplines, we're expected to do more with less, respond faster, create better results, and to avoid mistakes and waste, at all times and at all costs. It's hard even to take a vacation day "unplugged."
But… again. We've lost something. It would be great to make room, talk with different people, listen to new ideas, have contact with groups from which we may learn, or may just enjoy.
Here's a proposal: Where you can, and where it may add some value or color (to your day or your life), I urge you to open the door, read the email, listen to the podcast, attend the meeting, or agree to volunteer. Create the time to explore new ideas, new paths, new relationships. Work and life can be a little broader and richer... even if it is less efficient by a small factor.
Friday, June 2, 2017
Friday, April 28, 2017
Five questions customers ask vSA now
2017 is a new adventure in this business of developing, launching, marketing, growing, and sustaining products, services and enterprises. Right now, we're hearing several of the same key questions from our prospects and customers.
Here they are, with brief answers. (If you'd like to know more, just reach out to vSA.)
1-How can we make sure we develop the RIGHT plan to succeed with our new product or service launch?
First, carefully determine who your best customers are likely to be (by category or name, depending on your business). Then, find out (don't guess) what these prospects need most that your product or service can provide (you may want to invest in focused or broader research).
Then, develop GREAT messaging based on prospects' key needs and your provided benefits - don't skimp on the effort you put into message development.
Next, seek and plan the best ways to achieve multiple points of touch most cost-effectively. Most product launches are marathons rather than sprints, so having a sustainable marketing program that lasts for 12 months or more is often the best way to go.
Think digital and use every appropriate online venue from social media to industry news media and blogs. Make sure the product presentation on your own website is outstanding, offering a "point central" for prospects to get information and move toward purchase. While we typically endorse the concept of leading with digital, your launch may also benefit from non–digital marketing – everything from trade shows to print marketing.
2-Are we spending enough to make a marketing program worthwhile?
This is a legitimate question. One-off efforts can be of value, if they entail: A great website, a killer event or a critically important trade show, for example. But the best and soundest approach to marketing entails a commitment to well-planned, ongoing, targeted, strategic outreach. Done right, this becomes an investment rather than an expense. Talk with your marketing partner about return on investment (ROI) and what to expect.
3-Should we care about social media?
Yes. If you don't utilize social media marketing, you're missing out on a cost-effective platform to reach thousands of interested eyes. Best tactics will vary according to what you offer and to whom you need to speak.
4-How can we best use data to build sales and revenues?
Know your prospects (again, by name and/or by category) and learn by experience what they respond to, how many points of touch they typically require before taking what action, and which prospects offer you the best ROI. Know when your customers are buying more… or less. Really leverage your customer relationship management (CRM) software, really track your eblasts, and really look at your website analytics. No time? Get professional help.
5-What are our competitors doing better than us?
Are you seeing their names everywhere? Do they consistently show up ahead of you on Google? Are they the "big name" in the industry while your company looks like an also-ran? Are they winning away your customers, or beating you to the best new business opportunities? Are their offerings better than yours?
Look hard at each of these issues, and get a strategic marketing partner to support you in developing an action plan. This action plan may include some mix of competitive research, marketing response, search engine optimization (SEO), and search engine marketing (SEM), plus content, social media and other marketing to step up your game wherever it has been weak.
We're happy to provide a consultation. Please contact us to get answers to your own big marketing questions.
Here they are, with brief answers. (If you'd like to know more, just reach out to vSA.)
1-How can we make sure we develop the RIGHT plan to succeed with our new product or service launch?
First, carefully determine who your best customers are likely to be (by category or name, depending on your business). Then, find out (don't guess) what these prospects need most that your product or service can provide (you may want to invest in focused or broader research).
Then, develop GREAT messaging based on prospects' key needs and your provided benefits - don't skimp on the effort you put into message development.
Next, seek and plan the best ways to achieve multiple points of touch most cost-effectively. Most product launches are marathons rather than sprints, so having a sustainable marketing program that lasts for 12 months or more is often the best way to go.
Think digital and use every appropriate online venue from social media to industry news media and blogs. Make sure the product presentation on your own website is outstanding, offering a "point central" for prospects to get information and move toward purchase. While we typically endorse the concept of leading with digital, your launch may also benefit from non–digital marketing – everything from trade shows to print marketing.
2-Are we spending enough to make a marketing program worthwhile?
This is a legitimate question. One-off efforts can be of value, if they entail: A great website, a killer event or a critically important trade show, for example. But the best and soundest approach to marketing entails a commitment to well-planned, ongoing, targeted, strategic outreach. Done right, this becomes an investment rather than an expense. Talk with your marketing partner about return on investment (ROI) and what to expect.
3-Should we care about social media?
Yes. If you don't utilize social media marketing, you're missing out on a cost-effective platform to reach thousands of interested eyes. Best tactics will vary according to what you offer and to whom you need to speak.
4-How can we best use data to build sales and revenues?
Know your prospects (again, by name and/or by category) and learn by experience what they respond to, how many points of touch they typically require before taking what action, and which prospects offer you the best ROI. Know when your customers are buying more… or less. Really leverage your customer relationship management (CRM) software, really track your eblasts, and really look at your website analytics. No time? Get professional help.
5-What are our competitors doing better than us?
Are you seeing their names everywhere? Do they consistently show up ahead of you on Google? Are they the "big name" in the industry while your company looks like an also-ran? Are they winning away your customers, or beating you to the best new business opportunities? Are their offerings better than yours?
Look hard at each of these issues, and get a strategic marketing partner to support you in developing an action plan. This action plan may include some mix of competitive research, marketing response, search engine optimization (SEO), and search engine marketing (SEM), plus content, social media and other marketing to step up your game wherever it has been weak.
We're happy to provide a consultation. Please contact us to get answers to your own big marketing questions.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Practice reputation management – don't be the next business casualty
United Airlines is having a really bad time. It may have thousands of well-intentioned, hardworking and dedicated employees. But its policies of overbooking and right-to-remove passengers, plus the actions of a few decisionmakers and some thug-like security officials resulted in dragging a paying customer off a flight, bloodying the customer and United's already iffy reputation for customer service. The passenger, a doctor, had refused to exit the flight, citing the need to see his patients.
United CEO Oscar Munuz compounded the public's fury by apologizing for “for having to re-accommodate these customers" and then, in an email to employees, calling the passenger "disruptive and belligerent" and commending his staff for going "above and beyond." The word "re-accommodate" was a particularly egregious bit of insensitivity, if social media response is any measure.
Meanwhile, video of the doctor being dragged forcibly from the plane while other passengers protested loudly went viral globally, as did every word United officials have uttered or written about the incident. United stock fell sharply at one point during the day following the dragging event. Predictably, the damage to United Airlines' reputation will be harder to recover than the lost dollars.
United is far from alone.
A prepackaged salad company recently sold more than expected when customers discovered a decomposing bat in the salad greens.
Fox News has lost more than half of its advertising sponsorships for its Bill O'Reilly show in one week because of sexual harassment complaints against host O'Reilly.
The lessons business owners and management can learn are priceless:
-Train your staff to behave in a manner that will not incite customer fury. That's the low bar, of course. Train your staff to respect and, whenever possible, please customers. Some would say "delight customers."
-Establish employment policies to assure employee and public safety; to help avoid employee complaints about discrimination, sexual harassment and more; and to assure product quality.
-Also establish training and procedures to avoid inadvertent errors, failures and accidents that can destroy your reputation – health aides making medication errors, failing to meet deadlines on an important assignment, and more.
-In the instance that something bad does happen, immediately get on the job of crisis management.
-Depending on the severity of the situation, you may need to immediately consult with an attorney, your public relations experts… and your conscience.
-Determine where the news has spread. Ideally, in reputation management, your response puts out fires rather than creating new ones. In other words, if an entire group is not likely to hear of an incident, you should carefully think before sharing the news with them.
-Be more considerate than defensive, within the bounds of what your attorney advises. In other words, expressing an apology is valuable. People are more likely to forgive you if you are genuinely contrite about any harm you've done. If your legal counsel says you risk creating liability, you will have to work together to achieve a satisfactory solution.
-The buck stops with you. Even if an employee is totally, despicably responsible for whatever happened, you are the boss and everyone is looking to you for a response. Sorry.
-Reputations are difficult to mend, but it can be done. We've worked with companies that have struggled through everything from major product recalls to painful bankruptcies to mass layoffs, and many have recovered their good reputations in time.
-Finally, don't be a jerk. A jerk in business is as readily disliked as a jerk anywhere else. Decency can prevail.
The lessons huge corporations have learned – or should have learned – can benefit you. While your sphere of influence may be smaller than United Airlines' or Fox's, it's no less important in terms of the success or failure of your enterprise.
United CEO Oscar Munuz compounded the public's fury by apologizing for “for having to re-accommodate these customers" and then, in an email to employees, calling the passenger "disruptive and belligerent" and commending his staff for going "above and beyond." The word "re-accommodate" was a particularly egregious bit of insensitivity, if social media response is any measure.
Meanwhile, video of the doctor being dragged forcibly from the plane while other passengers protested loudly went viral globally, as did every word United officials have uttered or written about the incident. United stock fell sharply at one point during the day following the dragging event. Predictably, the damage to United Airlines' reputation will be harder to recover than the lost dollars.
United is far from alone.
A prepackaged salad company recently sold more than expected when customers discovered a decomposing bat in the salad greens.
Fox News has lost more than half of its advertising sponsorships for its Bill O'Reilly show in one week because of sexual harassment complaints against host O'Reilly.
The lessons business owners and management can learn are priceless:
-Train your staff to behave in a manner that will not incite customer fury. That's the low bar, of course. Train your staff to respect and, whenever possible, please customers. Some would say "delight customers."
-Establish employment policies to assure employee and public safety; to help avoid employee complaints about discrimination, sexual harassment and more; and to assure product quality.
-Also establish training and procedures to avoid inadvertent errors, failures and accidents that can destroy your reputation – health aides making medication errors, failing to meet deadlines on an important assignment, and more.
-In the instance that something bad does happen, immediately get on the job of crisis management.
-Depending on the severity of the situation, you may need to immediately consult with an attorney, your public relations experts… and your conscience.
-Determine where the news has spread. Ideally, in reputation management, your response puts out fires rather than creating new ones. In other words, if an entire group is not likely to hear of an incident, you should carefully think before sharing the news with them.
-Be more considerate than defensive, within the bounds of what your attorney advises. In other words, expressing an apology is valuable. People are more likely to forgive you if you are genuinely contrite about any harm you've done. If your legal counsel says you risk creating liability, you will have to work together to achieve a satisfactory solution.
-The buck stops with you. Even if an employee is totally, despicably responsible for whatever happened, you are the boss and everyone is looking to you for a response. Sorry.
-Reputations are difficult to mend, but it can be done. We've worked with companies that have struggled through everything from major product recalls to painful bankruptcies to mass layoffs, and many have recovered their good reputations in time.
-Finally, don't be a jerk. A jerk in business is as readily disliked as a jerk anywhere else. Decency can prevail.
The lessons huge corporations have learned – or should have learned – can benefit you. While your sphere of influence may be smaller than United Airlines' or Fox's, it's no less important in terms of the success or failure of your enterprise.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
If making great profits was easy, everyone would be doing it
Many owners of small to midsize businesses say 2017 is starting out well from the economic perspective. Still, the need to build and sustain higher profits remains near the top of this year's list of concerns. Wasp Barcode Technologies' new State of Small Business Report shows that, for businesses with anywhere from five to 100+ employees, building profit remains among the the major key challenges.
To improve the top line, companies can look to several avenues:
-Protecting the base: Improving customer experience and retention
-Cross-selling to the base: Identifying and marketing additional services or products that current customers should be getting from the company
-Growing the base: Identifying, nurturing and capturing "more customers like these" - in other words, finding additional customers similar to the ones that already patronize the company
-Expanding to new types of customers: Employing either or both the "good, better, best" model of selling up and down the quality/price scale, and/or creating new, original offerings that will attract a new breed of customers
-Diversification: Creating a whole new line of business that promises to yield strong returns
Whatever the direction, start with rigorous strategic planning and follow through with intelligent marketing and consistent sales. vSA's ongoing interactions with companies of all sorts point to the importance of rigor and a sharp focus on the realities of business in an ever-more-competitive marketplace. Remember, if making great profits was easy, everyone would be doing it.
To improve the top line, companies can look to several avenues:
-Protecting the base: Improving customer experience and retention
-Cross-selling to the base: Identifying and marketing additional services or products that current customers should be getting from the company
-Growing the base: Identifying, nurturing and capturing "more customers like these" - in other words, finding additional customers similar to the ones that already patronize the company
-Expanding to new types of customers: Employing either or both the "good, better, best" model of selling up and down the quality/price scale, and/or creating new, original offerings that will attract a new breed of customers
-Diversification: Creating a whole new line of business that promises to yield strong returns
Whatever the direction, start with rigorous strategic planning and follow through with intelligent marketing and consistent sales. vSA's ongoing interactions with companies of all sorts point to the importance of rigor and a sharp focus on the realities of business in an ever-more-competitive marketplace. Remember, if making great profits was easy, everyone would be doing it.
Friday, January 13, 2017
In B2B marketing, basic truths remain
Reading industry pundits' predictions for B2B marketing in 2017 can be dizzying. So much to do! More automation, lead grading, tracking the life cycle of the customer experience; more content, less content, shorter, longer, denser; new SEO practices, the "death" of lead generation (although, as Mark Twain might have said, reports of the death of lead generation are greatly exaggerated).
At vSA, we keep up with all that's changing, so we can best serve client interests. Even so, we assure our readers that certain truths remain relevant for 2017:
-Marketing needs to be sharp, targeted and powerful. This includes the increasingly important arena of content marketing. Don't let anyone talk you into publishing dozens of poorly written, minimally valuable, less-than-targeted articles or posts... or even one.
-Lead grading is great, but if marketing outreach tactics can be implemented cost-effectively, even second-tier leads can stay on the radar. Sometimes great new customers still come from left field.
-Inbound marketing offers significant benefits to business-to-business companies, but don't exclude outbound and sales. Many products and services still require so-called "intrusive" outbound marketing. For many B2Bs, "being in the right place at the right time" to make the deal demands a mix of inbound and outbound marketing AND an active sales presence.
-Marketing still requires the long play. Product and service launches should be phased and thoughtful. Prospects and customers require frequent and often diversified touch points. Memories are short, so never assume anyone will remember what you communicated two months back.
-B2B companies must continually nurture new prospects and update their offerings. The customer life cycle is now more trackable than ever, thanks to integrated CRM and marketing automation. It demonstrates that you need to keep creating new customers at all times. Needs change, client companies merge and decision-makers leave their posts.
-Expert partners matter. Marketing is better when good minds work together, and when a client's institutional knowledge and passion is coupled with the marketing expertise of a company such as vSA that provides effective B2B marketing for clients every day.
At vSA, we keep up with all that's changing, so we can best serve client interests. Even so, we assure our readers that certain truths remain relevant for 2017:
-Marketing needs to be sharp, targeted and powerful. This includes the increasingly important arena of content marketing. Don't let anyone talk you into publishing dozens of poorly written, minimally valuable, less-than-targeted articles or posts... or even one.
-Lead grading is great, but if marketing outreach tactics can be implemented cost-effectively, even second-tier leads can stay on the radar. Sometimes great new customers still come from left field.
-Inbound marketing offers significant benefits to business-to-business companies, but don't exclude outbound and sales. Many products and services still require so-called "intrusive" outbound marketing. For many B2Bs, "being in the right place at the right time" to make the deal demands a mix of inbound and outbound marketing AND an active sales presence.
-Marketing still requires the long play. Product and service launches should be phased and thoughtful. Prospects and customers require frequent and often diversified touch points. Memories are short, so never assume anyone will remember what you communicated two months back.
-B2B companies must continually nurture new prospects and update their offerings. The customer life cycle is now more trackable than ever, thanks to integrated CRM and marketing automation. It demonstrates that you need to keep creating new customers at all times. Needs change, client companies merge and decision-makers leave their posts.
-Expert partners matter. Marketing is better when good minds work together, and when a client's institutional knowledge and passion is coupled with the marketing expertise of a company such as vSA that provides effective B2B marketing for clients every day.
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Climate change: Trouble creates opportunities, needs
Business must be opportunistic. It must also provide real value to its customers and stakeholders. At its best, it can be instrumental in making positive change.For this reason, the increasingly clear impacts, present and future, of climate change, create important business opportunities.
For building products, systems and services companies, many opportunities are clear. To name just a few: Increased needs to control mold and mildew in areas with high temperatures and humidity, building exteriors and interiors designed to withstand severe weather, designs for resiliency and minimal disruption following serious storms, better ways to generate energy while reducing carbon footprint, systems to monitor both occupied and evacuated buildings and facilities in the worst conditions, and much more.
It's not just about buildings, of course. Climate change impacts virtually every aspect of life. Hot-weather maladies and insects are coming to new regions, so new vaccines and treatments are needed for Zika and other viruses. Allergy problems become more severe for some people as the changing climate can worsen symptoms. People need ways to prepare for serious storms and disruptions in many aspects of daily life. Power generation companies need to look ahead and develop and market lower-carbon, sustainable and even local solutions. Companies will seek new ways for people to conserve water as comfortably as possible. Inventive businesses will focus on new ways to "live local" and to create more sustainable regions and communities. The next generation should and will be educated about climate change and ways to slow it. And so much more.
Climate change has its doubters, but there will be fewer doubters each year as evidence and experience mount. If climate-change-value products serve important missions now, they will be attractive even to those who doubt that the climates of the world are inexorably shifting. Meantime, for companies that best seize the opportunities to improve lives and make a difference, the rewards will be significant. The time to start is now.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Launch and get leads
Are you ready to launch your next B2B product or service? Be sure you're also ready to extend the steady, lasting, often diversified, effort to generate sales leads.
-DON'T assume that one tactic alone, be it enhanced SEO or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising or whatever, will meet your lead generation needs... that is not likely
-DO know that, for every message point you need to deliver, you should employ multiple media to reach more ears and wallets
-DO accordingly plan that you must make the most of every marketing dollar, which may drive some of the techniques you employ
-DO leverage every form of digital marketing appropriate – considering as well that digital marketing can be very cost-effective – leveraging your own website (including the home page), creating an ongoing stream of relevant content marketing including a blog, issuing eblasts to your stakeholders, boosting both organic and paid SEO, and taking full advantage of social media relevant to your launch
-DON'T neglect more traditional venues, from trade shows and speaking engagements, to print and digital media relations, print and digital advertising, and direct mail to key decision-makers; being contrarian can separate you from the crowd
-DO encourage industry experts to vet and review your new offering, but not until you're confident it's ready
-DON'T stop. The old adage is still true: When you are sick and tired of delivering that same message, your intended audience may just be starting to pay attention
-DO get help. Launch marketing and lead generation is both science and art, and you will maximize your ROI by working with a strong, qualified launch marketing team.
-DON'T assume that one tactic alone, be it enhanced SEO or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising or whatever, will meet your lead generation needs... that is not likely
-DO know that, for every message point you need to deliver, you should employ multiple media to reach more ears and wallets
-DO accordingly plan that you must make the most of every marketing dollar, which may drive some of the techniques you employ
-DO leverage every form of digital marketing appropriate – considering as well that digital marketing can be very cost-effective – leveraging your own website (including the home page), creating an ongoing stream of relevant content marketing including a blog, issuing eblasts to your stakeholders, boosting both organic and paid SEO, and taking full advantage of social media relevant to your launch
-DON'T neglect more traditional venues, from trade shows and speaking engagements, to print and digital media relations, print and digital advertising, and direct mail to key decision-makers; being contrarian can separate you from the crowd
-DO encourage industry experts to vet and review your new offering, but not until you're confident it's ready
-DON'T stop. The old adage is still true: When you are sick and tired of delivering that same message, your intended audience may just be starting to pay attention
-DO get help. Launch marketing and lead generation is both science and art, and you will maximize your ROI by working with a strong, qualified launch marketing team.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Providing best value to the exceptionally busy client
Most days, the typical vSA client does not wake up thinking about marketing. vSA provides business-to-business (B2B) launch marketing, and our client is very often the VP of engineering or sales, a divisional manager, a product development guru, or perhaps the company president or CEO. The marketing role is a "bonus." And, in virtually every case (including when we deal with a full-time marketing executive) the vSA client is very, very busy.
Please note, we are not talking about the kind of "busy" where someone dashes about, creating a flurry of activity. No, we're referring to the productive person who travels weekly to work with multiple, distant customers; or who develops or reviews important engineering specs or new product prototypes; or answers daily to a board or parent company; or must assure a sales team meets its revenue numbers. (Sometimes this is "and" rather than "or.")
So, vSA deals with the exceptionally busy client, which means we play a role we truly relish. Often, vSA provides all the outside marketing for the company. Our client relies on us – trusts us – to meet important business goals, on time, on budget, and in a manner that makes the client company (and our client contact) shine.
Specifically, vSA must...
-Provide smart strategy and program implementation... as independently as warranted
-Assure very proactive forward movement on marketing, even when our client is devoting the lions' share of her time to other matters
-Do our homework, so that the questions we ask and the information we need isn't something we could have learned online or in the public record
-Ping the client efficiently for real needs – specific information, approvals at key junctures, etc.
-Keep the client in the loop when successes happen or milestones are achieved
-Alert the client for any challenges that require his attention, preferably also providing recommended solutions
-Supply the client with new opportunities and optimized ways to achieve business goals
-Meet and exceed the client's needs
B2B marketing – from launch marketing to social, media relations to inbound, and especially complex integrated programs – is a tremendous boon for the exceptionally busy client, assuming that client has a marketing partner who cares and knows how to make the right things happen. We do that.
Illustration © 2002 van Schouwen Associates, LLC, by Steve van Schouwen.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Limited-budget quandary: Engage a marketing company or hire a marketing employee?
It's a question the van Schouwen Associates (vSA) team has heard many times over the years, and we understand the thinking behind it. Some small to midsize B2B companies have limited marketing budgets. The person "in charge of marketing" may be an owner, an engineer, a project manager, or a sales VP, all roles that leave limited time for marketing.
In such cases, the B2B company may debate the merits of the following either/or proposition: It could engage a company such as vSA to develop, implement and manage a marketing program. Or, it could hire a single marketing manager to do the job.
vSA, and other marketing companies of our caliber, are the best choice in such situations. Here's why:
-Good B2B marketing companies such as vSA are accustomed to taking full responsibility for proactively managing our clients' marketing. Our clients are often far too busy, so we make sure each program adheres to high standards of progress and ROI.
-A single entry- or mid-level marketing employee is not likely to have top-notch skills in all the areas you may require: strategic planning, writing, digital, video and print design, production management, and more. By contracting for integrated marketing with a good company, you access and leverage all those skills as well as the synergy of a team.
-Four-walls thinking avoided. Marketing companies like vSA can provide marketing that addresses your major needs while staying out of the weeds of the day-to-day trials and tribulations. We're your short-term, mid-range and futurist planners - something every company needs.
Of course, if your company can invest both in a marketing staffer and a marketing company, that's a good alternative. But if you must choose one or the other, go for the expertise, multiple complementary skills and powerful perspective of a marketing partner like vSA.
In such cases, the B2B company may debate the merits of the following either/or proposition: It could engage a company such as vSA to develop, implement and manage a marketing program. Or, it could hire a single marketing manager to do the job.
vSA, and other marketing companies of our caliber, are the best choice in such situations. Here's why:
-Good B2B marketing companies such as vSA are accustomed to taking full responsibility for proactively managing our clients' marketing. Our clients are often far too busy, so we make sure each program adheres to high standards of progress and ROI.
-A single entry- or mid-level marketing employee is not likely to have top-notch skills in all the areas you may require: strategic planning, writing, digital, video and print design, production management, and more. By contracting for integrated marketing with a good company, you access and leverage all those skills as well as the synergy of a team.
-Four-walls thinking avoided. Marketing companies like vSA can provide marketing that addresses your major needs while staying out of the weeds of the day-to-day trials and tribulations. We're your short-term, mid-range and futurist planners - something every company needs.
Of course, if your company can invest both in a marketing staffer and a marketing company, that's a good alternative. But if you must choose one or the other, go for the expertise, multiple complementary skills and powerful perspective of a marketing partner like vSA.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Business ethics in a not-so-ethical world
How many months or minutes has it been since you’ve been outraged by a business practice you’ve seen in the news or experienced in person?If you have recently been alarmed, annoyed or upset by an incidence of price gouging, cheating on regulations, purchase of political favors, or other questionable business practices, you haven’t become numb yet. Congratulations.
Having been in business for three decades, and having witnessed both honor and decency and its inverse, I argue that being ethical beats the alternative. On the practical side, research indicates that good business ethics lead to better customer relationships, a stronger reputation and higher profit margins. Maintaining good ethics is also better for your conscience.
It helps to have guidelines, because it’s all too easy to get lost in the weeds of the daily struggle.
-Determine the mission and standards of your business. Decide in advance of crises what behaviors and methods are acceptable to you. How do you handle a cash crunch? How do you deal with problem employees? Difficult customers? Have standards to which you can stick in good times and bad.
-Ask yourself, in any interaction, the questions in this Arab proverb: “Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?”
-When dealing with unpleasant people, I’ve found the following technique helpful in making appropriate, ethical decisions about responses and action. I guess this is my own business proverb. “Listen to the message. Ignore the tone.”
-If ever you are asked to compromise your ethics for a customer or anyone else, remember that the bad taste of doing wrong lasts longer than the pleasure of winning a deal, making more money or evading responsibility.
And one more thing. I realize that these standards mean nothing to some people. If you have read this far, you are probably not one of them. Remember that the cheaters, corner-cutters and other dishonest types make poor employees, worse employers, bad partners, and terrible customers. Avoid them when you can, eliminate them from your circles when you must.
That last bit may not sound kind, but it is sometimes necessary.
This article, by Michelle van Schouwen, president of van Schouwen Associates, LLC, was first published in Succeeding in Small Business in July 2016.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Learning from Goliath
Small business owners benefit from observing both strengths and weaknesses of large companies.
Fostering innovation
Innovation is everyone's responsibility. Innovation starts at the top, but unless it permeates the culture, a large company is not likely to optimize it.
The good: The tech sector is famous for creating conditions conducive to creativity and innovation. Google is a prime example. It hires the best people that money can buy, gives them time to investigate projects that interest them, feeds them to keep bellies full and brains hungry, and altogether creates an environment in which invention is prized.
The bad: Eastman Kodak neglected to encourage innovation when it needed to. Instead of using its deep resources to lead during the early digital photography revolution, the company clung to its core offerings for film-based imaging. It did not direct its team to go forth and "think digital" during the early years when other companies were making the leap. As a result, Eastman Kodak (formerly Kodak) has now been through bankruptcy, sold off many of its assets and shed lines of business. A 2015 New York Times article says, "Today [Eastman Kodak] has $2 billion in annual sales, compared with $19 billion in 1990 when consumer film was king. It now has 8,000 employees worldwide; it had 145,000 at its peak."
The takeaway: Innovators win. Companies that fail to foster innovation (or to adapt; see below) suffer. Innovation is not typically accidental; it is part of a culture, or it is not.
Becoming an adaptive company
Adaptability is related to innovation, but being an adaptive company is less about the whole team than about management, the board and the shareholders. An adaptive company must be adaptive at the top; otherwise, nothing changes.
The good: Just think of all the new invention you've seen in recent years. From the latest smartphone to Facebook, drones to new cancer-fighting drugs, time-saving apps to improved wind turbines for renewable energy, adaptive companies have brought a myriad of inventions to our lives, for better or worse. Many have been set forth by large companies. But make no mistake, small startups and independent inventors and developers have been part of the community that allows adaptive companies to succeed.
The bad: In 2011, Harvard Business Review published a popular article Adaptability: The New Competitive Advantage. It is still relevant, unlike some of the products its readers may have introduced back in 2011. The article explains that traditional goals, such as building "an enduring (and implicitly static) competitive advantage" and pulling together the "right capabilities and competencies for making or delivering an offering" are under siege in an era in which the moment a company completes these tasks it may have to toss the work aside and start over with new market needs in mind. Many companies address these challenges with adaptable teams, partnerships with other companies, digital processes, and – once again – a culture that fosters innovation. Clearly, however, the struggles are real. Think about the erstwhile Hewlett Packard, Yahoo and other distressed large companies; Eastman Kodak, too, of course.
The takeaway: Big companies have it tough. Small companies are often more adaptable than large ones. Fewer people are involved in decisions, you probably don't answer to a team of stockholders and in many cases, you – or maybe you and a partner – are in charge. Here is a good story about The Marlin Company, an 103-year-old printing company. Most of its innovation has been in the last dozen years. Your team has the capability to do the same.
Developing a satisfied workforce
Why do some companies seem to have happy, productive, engaged employees, while others foster grumbling and high turnover?
The good: That's funny – Google again. For seven of the last ten years, it has ranked as Fortune's best company to work for. Others on the list also rate high in their employees' evaluation of the "Trust Index": "management's credibility, overall job satisfaction, and camaraderie," factors which are weighted as two-thirds of Fortune's job satisfaction ratings. Pay and benefits, by the way, are grouped with other factors for the remaining one-third of the ranking, the "Culture Audit."
The bad: 24/7 Wall St. conducted a survey to check out the other end of the spectrum: the worst companies for which to work. For the companies that had the misfortune to make this list, factors irking employees include lack of work-life balance, culture and values, and to a much lesser extent, pay.
The takeaway: Trustworthy and trusted management is the most important factor in employee satisfaction. Job satisfaction, which can include not only the work people are doing but also their sense of having satisfactory work-life balance, is also very important. Pay your employees fairly, but in many cases, money is not the most important factor in satisfaction.
Managing reputation
Big companies are highly visible. Their reputations are affected by customer service, product quality, legal issues, and stories – good or bad – that make the news or populate social media feeds.
The good: Wall St. 24/7 has done the research, rating companies on factors including "emotional appeal, products and services, vision and leadership, workplace environment, social responsibility, and financial performance." According to this post detailing its 2015 results, "Upstate New York-based grocery chain Wegmans is the most highly-regarded company. Also notably, Samsung surpassed Apple this year as the technology company with the best reputation, and Amazon.com moved to second overall after occupying the top spot in the previous two years."
The bad: According to the same Wall St. 24/7 study, Goldman Sachs has the worst reputation of any American company. Bank of America and AIG were close behind. Apparently Americans are not forgetting the financial meltdown of 2008-2009, and are holding these financial companies, all of whom were players in the crisis, responsible.
The takeaway: "Ask for forgiveness rather than permission" can be a terrible mistake. As Warren Buffett famously said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you'll do things differently.” Once again, having good values and living by them can be key to long-term success.
Goliath… and David
Large companies have many advantages. They have a great deal of money, in most cases. They can afford to hire and retain excellent people. They can lobby the government for advantages and favors in ways that small businesses generally cannot do. But they are also behemoths, and can be beholden to shareholders, run by inefficient or misdirected teams, bogged down in procedure, and slow to respond to industry and market change. Sometimes they are highly innovative and other times tone-deaf to changes in culture.
From this, take the best practices that you can reasonably apply to your own business, and avoid the serious missteps even a household-name company can make.
Sure, Goliath, that Fortune 500 giant, is powerful. We, the Davids, the small companies, at our best, are agile and smart. We have our strengths, too.
Fostering innovation
Innovation is everyone's responsibility. Innovation starts at the top, but unless it permeates the culture, a large company is not likely to optimize it.
The good: The tech sector is famous for creating conditions conducive to creativity and innovation. Google is a prime example. It hires the best people that money can buy, gives them time to investigate projects that interest them, feeds them to keep bellies full and brains hungry, and altogether creates an environment in which invention is prized.
The bad: Eastman Kodak neglected to encourage innovation when it needed to. Instead of using its deep resources to lead during the early digital photography revolution, the company clung to its core offerings for film-based imaging. It did not direct its team to go forth and "think digital" during the early years when other companies were making the leap. As a result, Eastman Kodak (formerly Kodak) has now been through bankruptcy, sold off many of its assets and shed lines of business. A 2015 New York Times article says, "Today [Eastman Kodak] has $2 billion in annual sales, compared with $19 billion in 1990 when consumer film was king. It now has 8,000 employees worldwide; it had 145,000 at its peak."
The takeaway: Innovators win. Companies that fail to foster innovation (or to adapt; see below) suffer. Innovation is not typically accidental; it is part of a culture, or it is not.
Becoming an adaptive company
Adaptability is related to innovation, but being an adaptive company is less about the whole team than about management, the board and the shareholders. An adaptive company must be adaptive at the top; otherwise, nothing changes.
The good: Just think of all the new invention you've seen in recent years. From the latest smartphone to Facebook, drones to new cancer-fighting drugs, time-saving apps to improved wind turbines for renewable energy, adaptive companies have brought a myriad of inventions to our lives, for better or worse. Many have been set forth by large companies. But make no mistake, small startups and independent inventors and developers have been part of the community that allows adaptive companies to succeed.
The bad: In 2011, Harvard Business Review published a popular article Adaptability: The New Competitive Advantage. It is still relevant, unlike some of the products its readers may have introduced back in 2011. The article explains that traditional goals, such as building "an enduring (and implicitly static) competitive advantage" and pulling together the "right capabilities and competencies for making or delivering an offering" are under siege in an era in which the moment a company completes these tasks it may have to toss the work aside and start over with new market needs in mind. Many companies address these challenges with adaptable teams, partnerships with other companies, digital processes, and – once again – a culture that fosters innovation. Clearly, however, the struggles are real. Think about the erstwhile Hewlett Packard, Yahoo and other distressed large companies; Eastman Kodak, too, of course.
The takeaway: Big companies have it tough. Small companies are often more adaptable than large ones. Fewer people are involved in decisions, you probably don't answer to a team of stockholders and in many cases, you – or maybe you and a partner – are in charge. Here is a good story about The Marlin Company, an 103-year-old printing company. Most of its innovation has been in the last dozen years. Your team has the capability to do the same.
Developing a satisfied workforce
Why do some companies seem to have happy, productive, engaged employees, while others foster grumbling and high turnover?
The good: That's funny – Google again. For seven of the last ten years, it has ranked as Fortune's best company to work for. Others on the list also rate high in their employees' evaluation of the "Trust Index": "management's credibility, overall job satisfaction, and camaraderie," factors which are weighted as two-thirds of Fortune's job satisfaction ratings. Pay and benefits, by the way, are grouped with other factors for the remaining one-third of the ranking, the "Culture Audit."
The bad: 24/7 Wall St. conducted a survey to check out the other end of the spectrum: the worst companies for which to work. For the companies that had the misfortune to make this list, factors irking employees include lack of work-life balance, culture and values, and to a much lesser extent, pay.
The takeaway: Trustworthy and trusted management is the most important factor in employee satisfaction. Job satisfaction, which can include not only the work people are doing but also their sense of having satisfactory work-life balance, is also very important. Pay your employees fairly, but in many cases, money is not the most important factor in satisfaction.
Managing reputation
Big companies are highly visible. Their reputations are affected by customer service, product quality, legal issues, and stories – good or bad – that make the news or populate social media feeds.
The good: Wall St. 24/7 has done the research, rating companies on factors including "emotional appeal, products and services, vision and leadership, workplace environment, social responsibility, and financial performance." According to this post detailing its 2015 results, "Upstate New York-based grocery chain Wegmans is the most highly-regarded company. Also notably, Samsung surpassed Apple this year as the technology company with the best reputation, and Amazon.com moved to second overall after occupying the top spot in the previous two years."
The bad: According to the same Wall St. 24/7 study, Goldman Sachs has the worst reputation of any American company. Bank of America and AIG were close behind. Apparently Americans are not forgetting the financial meltdown of 2008-2009, and are holding these financial companies, all of whom were players in the crisis, responsible.
The takeaway: "Ask for forgiveness rather than permission" can be a terrible mistake. As Warren Buffett famously said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you'll do things differently.” Once again, having good values and living by them can be key to long-term success.
Goliath… and David
Large companies have many advantages. They have a great deal of money, in most cases. They can afford to hire and retain excellent people. They can lobby the government for advantages and favors in ways that small businesses generally cannot do. But they are also behemoths, and can be beholden to shareholders, run by inefficient or misdirected teams, bogged down in procedure, and slow to respond to industry and market change. Sometimes they are highly innovative and other times tone-deaf to changes in culture.
From this, take the best practices that you can reasonably apply to your own business, and avoid the serious missteps even a household-name company can make.
Sure, Goliath, that Fortune 500 giant, is powerful. We, the Davids, the small companies, at our best, are agile and smart. We have our strengths, too.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Unconventional business reads
Summer is coming. You really need a mental-health break, but you also really need to keep learning and thinking fresh thoughts. Pack these books in your beach bag and achieve all of the above.Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble by Dan Lyons: Dan Lyons, a former Newsweek journalist and author of the popular Fake Steve Jobs blog, accepts a job with Boston-based start-up HubSpot, and the misadventure begins. At 52, he's twice the age of the typical employee, and nobody lets him forget it. Moreover, he rapidly becomes turned off by a culture of “forced fun,” an exceptional lack of fealty by management toward a team from which management expects TOTAL loyalty, and ultimately the disparity between the company’s mission of inbound marketing and its reality of its aggressive telemarketing. Not to mention the fact that HubSpot is at that time bleeding money. And yet Lyons stays, hoping to cash out nicely when the planned initial public offering (IPO) happens. The result is a hilarious, snarky and ultimately disturbing read that will have you questioning fast-growth startups, IPOs and the better-than-everybody-else we-change-the-world attitude of companies that aren’t and don't.
No B.S. Ruthless Management of People and Profits by Dan Kennedy: If the word "ruthless" doesn't give it away, Dan Kennedy is nobody’s Mr. Nice Guy. If he can manage his company from a back room with one employee and a security camera monitoring that employee's every move, and make more money by doing so, he will. He scoffs at the feel-good management guidance promulgated by HR managers who don’t have to manage the bottom line, instructs readers not to over-hire to impress anybody with the number of employees the company has, and advises that employees are loyal only as long as you feed them. He provides painfully familiar examples throughout the book. Kennedy coaches business owners on specific tactics to take control, set and enforce standards and maximize profits. Whether you agree or disagree with his approach, Kennedy’s “no B.S.” theory is worth a read. By the way, this is one of a series of “No B.S.” books by Kennedy.
The Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth by James Altucher: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold,” warned Yeats in his epic poem The Second Coming. That was a hundred years ago. Today, Altucher, no less compellingly, argues that everything is changing, that the bottom falls out of the economy every few years, that the traditional "safe route"" of long-term, secure employment and owning a home is disintegrating – and that the best, albeit winding, path to whatever you call success is to “choose yourself.” Altucher is as eccentric as he is brilliant. Some will dismiss this book, which encompasses both theory and excruciatingly personal details of Altucher's insecurities and failures, as the stream-of-consciousness ravings of a man who, despite his financial and business success, is a little unhinged. Others, including me, will find inspiration in a number of his ideas and earned wisdom. I highlighted about a quarter of the text. In either case, reading Altucher is like playing a wild game of ping pong with the world’s most unpredictable opponent.
Enjoy.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Deal-making for business owners
We've been hearing a lot about the art of the deal lately. For many business owners, making deals is less about thinking HUGE and more about getting deals done right, not that the two are mutually exclusive.
So how can you get your deals done, and done right?
-Some people believe that business deals are a zero-sum game, with a winner and a loser. If you will be working with the other party after the deal, or if you may want additional deals with the same party in the future, OR if you may want to make deals with other people in the party's circles of influence, the win-win deal works better. Period. Business expert Stephen Covey agreed.
-You can make deals only with the decision-maker. If the decision–maker isn't at the proverbial table, you are wasting your time.
-Know who has the power in a deal. Who needs this most? If it isn't you, find ways to assure you are not desperate – or at the very least, that you do not appear so. Here's a fun article on the topic.
-Don't bury important issues just to get (an inferior) deal done. Get them out in the open and get your important questions answered.
-Know what issues are negotiable and what ones are not – on both sides.
-Learn to read subtle signals during negotiations. Here's a good Entrepreneur article on that topic.
-If a deal feels bad while you are making it, it's probably even worse than you think. Apply a multiplier to that gut feeling.
-Unless you are getting married, most deals shouldn't have "forever" or even very long-term clauses. Situations change, and escape hatches or exit plans can be valuable when they do.
-Deadlines can be advantageous. Urgency of real need helps get deals done.
-Aside from deadlines, many deals have organic shelf lives. When stale or stuck, they really aren't happening. Know when to stop chasing a deal.
-Also know when to keep lightly in touch, because some good deals come back to life when you least expect it.
-Negotiating, at its best, is the art of coming to an agreement, not conquering an opponent.
-Not good at negotiating? Attend a seminar or webinar (there are many) or read a negotiation book.
As in all matters, model your negotiation skills after people you admire, not only for their ability to make advantageous deals, but for their overall reputations and ethics as well. This article was originally published in Succeeding in Small Business.
Image © 2004 van Schouwen Associates, LLC, by Stephen van Schouwen.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Pinpoint your small company's vulnerabilities
For small business owners, it is not the case, sadly, that the only thing we need to fear is fear itself. On the contrary, we must remain vigilant that we don't miss the one vulnerability, or the several, that could spell doom for our companies.
Gorilla customers: Do one or two customers provide too high a percentage of your revenues? Would you suffer a great deal if those customers left? Make sure you market aggressively to balance out your base. Gorillas walk away. Believe it. (See an earlier Succeeding post on this topic).
Embezzlement and theft: How many stories have you heard about the employer who realized, too late, that accounts had been bled dry, often by a trusted employee with too much access? Employ financial safeguards.
Overdependence on any one employee: Dan S. Kennedy, in his book No B.S. Ruthless Management of People and Profits, reminds readers that "one is the loneliest number." In other words, if you have one employee holding unduplicated skills or knowledge, you are vulnerable if that person leaves. Either cross-train someone, have a second person in the department (if you can afford it) or, at least, have a few job candidates or contractors on your short list for that fateful day.
Potentially litigious employees: Maybe you didn't do anything wrong. Or maybe one of your staff members said something inappropriate to another. Perhaps you fired for cause and the former employee said it was because of age or race. Who knows. Whatever the reason, and whether or not you triumph in the end, fighting a legal battle over employment issues is expensive and distracting. For less than you may think, you can purchase Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) and, largely, leave the litigating to the insurers.
Empty piggy bank: Does your business have two to three months cash available, whether in the bank or as a line of credit? If not, the specter of customer loss, general business downturn or a slowing of customer payments is scary. Start building a fund, or find cash alternatives to which you could turn.
Falling behind on taxes and obligations: It's a sad day when a company makes the news because it hasn't met its obligations, whether for payroll taxes, employee retirement account funding, sales tax payments, or similar commitments. If you fear you may fall behind, talk with your accountant immediately and get help. Failing to pay important obligations is a losing game.
Neglecting your reputation: It's one of your most important assets. We've blogged about this before. Build and protect your small business' reputation.
Your business may have its own unique vulnerabilities. What are they? And how will you repair them before they negatively impact all your hard work?
This article was originally published in Succeeding in Small Business.
Gorilla customers: Do one or two customers provide too high a percentage of your revenues? Would you suffer a great deal if those customers left? Make sure you market aggressively to balance out your base. Gorillas walk away. Believe it. (See an earlier Succeeding post on this topic).
Embezzlement and theft: How many stories have you heard about the employer who realized, too late, that accounts had been bled dry, often by a trusted employee with too much access? Employ financial safeguards.
Overdependence on any one employee: Dan S. Kennedy, in his book No B.S. Ruthless Management of People and Profits, reminds readers that "one is the loneliest number." In other words, if you have one employee holding unduplicated skills or knowledge, you are vulnerable if that person leaves. Either cross-train someone, have a second person in the department (if you can afford it) or, at least, have a few job candidates or contractors on your short list for that fateful day.
Potentially litigious employees: Maybe you didn't do anything wrong. Or maybe one of your staff members said something inappropriate to another. Perhaps you fired for cause and the former employee said it was because of age or race. Who knows. Whatever the reason, and whether or not you triumph in the end, fighting a legal battle over employment issues is expensive and distracting. For less than you may think, you can purchase Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) and, largely, leave the litigating to the insurers.
Empty piggy bank: Does your business have two to three months cash available, whether in the bank or as a line of credit? If not, the specter of customer loss, general business downturn or a slowing of customer payments is scary. Start building a fund, or find cash alternatives to which you could turn.
Falling behind on taxes and obligations: It's a sad day when a company makes the news because it hasn't met its obligations, whether for payroll taxes, employee retirement account funding, sales tax payments, or similar commitments. If you fear you may fall behind, talk with your accountant immediately and get help. Failing to pay important obligations is a losing game.
Neglecting your reputation: It's one of your most important assets. We've blogged about this before. Build and protect your small business' reputation.
Your business may have its own unique vulnerabilities. What are they? And how will you repair them before they negatively impact all your hard work?
This article was originally published in Succeeding in Small Business.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Trendspotting and idea generation build your value proposition
[caption id="attachment_2051" align="alignleft" width="281"]
Illustration © 1990 van Schouwen Associates, LLC. Created by Steve van Schouwen.[/caption]
Entrepreneur, writer and engaging character James Altucher advocates becoming an "Idea Machine," coming up with ten new ideas a day.
Good ideas are the best starting point for good business. In an ideal world, your products and services will respond to a need so great, so obvious, that they will practically sell themselves. With this in mind, our two preceding blog entries focus on what climate change means to the architectural, engineering, building products and systems, and construction industries in terms of future customer expectations and new opportunity. Climate change and its impact is going to become an increasingly significant factor in architecture, building design, products, construction, location, repair, maintenance, and value – among other factors. The intent of each post was to inspire readers to check out the buzz and start generating ideas of their own.
But it's not just climate change or the need to build for resilience that matter. Change continues to accelerate in every business sector, and in our entire world. Which leads us to ask...
What emerging trends are relevant to your business? How can you leverage these trends? Can you come up with five or ten ideas today, to spark your thinking?
Change is a primary driver for new value propositions and new success... when you spot trends, generate ideas and move forward with the best of these ideas. It's a great feeling for our team to work with clients who have discovered a need, a trend or a pain point that the client feels uniquely qualified to address.
Illustration © 1990 van Schouwen Associates, LLC. Created by Steve van Schouwen.[/caption]Entrepreneur, writer and engaging character James Altucher advocates becoming an "Idea Machine," coming up with ten new ideas a day.
Good ideas are the best starting point for good business. In an ideal world, your products and services will respond to a need so great, so obvious, that they will practically sell themselves. With this in mind, our two preceding blog entries focus on what climate change means to the architectural, engineering, building products and systems, and construction industries in terms of future customer expectations and new opportunity. Climate change and its impact is going to become an increasingly significant factor in architecture, building design, products, construction, location, repair, maintenance, and value – among other factors. The intent of each post was to inspire readers to check out the buzz and start generating ideas of their own.
But it's not just climate change or the need to build for resilience that matter. Change continues to accelerate in every business sector, and in our entire world. Which leads us to ask...
What emerging trends are relevant to your business? How can you leverage these trends? Can you come up with five or ten ideas today, to spark your thinking?
Change is a primary driver for new value propositions and new success... when you spot trends, generate ideas and move forward with the best of these ideas. It's a great feeling for our team to work with clients who have discovered a need, a trend or a pain point that the client feels uniquely qualified to address.
Monday, January 4, 2016
Resiliency in building: Why it's hot, what you need to know now
[caption id="attachment_2593" align="alignleft" width="388"]
Image courtesy Union of Concerned Scientists[/caption]
Launch marketing for architectural and building products, systems, services, and tools has a whole new focus. We urge our clients to take a close look...
Check out the clear and growing opportunities in resilient building. "Resilient building" is a hot topic with USGBC (including via LEED), The Rockefeller Foundation, GreenBiz, and too many other forums to list here.
Climate resilience, from which the term "building resilience" most likely derived, is defined by Wikpedia as: The capacity for a socio-ecological system to: (1) absorb stresses and maintain function in the face of external stresses imposed upon it by climate change and (2) adapt, reorganize, and evolve into more desirable configurations that improve the sustainability of the system, leaving it better prepared for future climate change impacts.
For companies in the architectural and building industries, questions to ask now include:
-Are we already involved in resilient building?
-How should we develop or increase our involvement to provide meaningful value to our customers and stakeholders?
-What should we tell our stakeholders about our contributions, products, services, and commitment?
Climate change and its impact is going to become an increasingly significant factor in architecture, building design, products, construction, location, repair, maintenance, and value - among other factors.
The time to build your value proposition in resilient building is now.
Image courtesy Union of Concerned Scientists[/caption]Launch marketing for architectural and building products, systems, services, and tools has a whole new focus. We urge our clients to take a close look...
Check out the clear and growing opportunities in resilient building. "Resilient building" is a hot topic with USGBC (including via LEED), The Rockefeller Foundation, GreenBiz, and too many other forums to list here.
Climate resilience, from which the term "building resilience" most likely derived, is defined by Wikpedia as: The capacity for a socio-ecological system to: (1) absorb stresses and maintain function in the face of external stresses imposed upon it by climate change and (2) adapt, reorganize, and evolve into more desirable configurations that improve the sustainability of the system, leaving it better prepared for future climate change impacts.
For companies in the architectural and building industries, questions to ask now include:
-Are we already involved in resilient building?
-How should we develop or increase our involvement to provide meaningful value to our customers and stakeholders?
-What should we tell our stakeholders about our contributions, products, services, and commitment?
Climate change and its impact is going to become an increasingly significant factor in architecture, building design, products, construction, location, repair, maintenance, and value - among other factors.
The time to build your value proposition in resilient building is now.
Friday, December 18, 2015
Make one change
As a lifelong sucker for the new year's resolution, it's not surprising that I'm also an advocate for using January 1 as an inspirational start point for business change. However, just as a list of five or ten personal resolutions is hard to remember, let alone to achieve, let's agree that in business too, less may be more.
Start with one important change you want to make. Make it the challenge, concern or irritant that:
A) keeps you awake nights
B) makes Monday mornings tough to face, or
C) drives you to drink... or whatever.
For some business owners, cash flow or profitability rises to the top. For others, it may be the long hours they perpetually work, or an employee that is a perpetual challenge. Maybe you need to write an employee handbook, or promote or reassign a key staff member. Whatever it is, you've been putting it off.
Once you've identified your #1 trigger, the real work begins.
Let's take a complex example first. Cash flow and profitability is a big issue. What is the first and most important step you can take to improve your company's financial situation? Write it down. Write down subsequent or supplemental steps as well. Don't know what the first step is? Do some research, or get some help. This blog and many books on the topic will help. Try Six Steps to Creating Profit for starters. Your accountant may have recommendations for improving your numbers as well. Then, get to work.
In some cases, the change you need to make is less complex but difficult for other reasons. Take the example of working overly long hours. You've probably developed the habit over years. Again, break the problem down. Figure out why you are working too much, and what you can do about it. Do one thing to reduce the hours you work on a regular basis. For example, leave work an hour earlier one or two days every week. Or delegate a few additional tasks to staff members.
When you have addressed your most important single change, or at least have set the desired change in motion, you can move on to a second challenge.
While this approach may sound overly simple, it works well. Business owners have a raft of everyday responsibilities, so big changes tend to get pushed back. By focusing on one important change at a time, you can make it happen faster and more surely than if it remains one item on a long list.
Here's to a happy, productive and successful new year.
Post adapted from Michelle van Schouwen's article in Succeeding in Small Business.
Start with one important change you want to make. Make it the challenge, concern or irritant that:
A) keeps you awake nights
B) makes Monday mornings tough to face, or
C) drives you to drink... or whatever.
For some business owners, cash flow or profitability rises to the top. For others, it may be the long hours they perpetually work, or an employee that is a perpetual challenge. Maybe you need to write an employee handbook, or promote or reassign a key staff member. Whatever it is, you've been putting it off.
Once you've identified your #1 trigger, the real work begins.
Let's take a complex example first. Cash flow and profitability is a big issue. What is the first and most important step you can take to improve your company's financial situation? Write it down. Write down subsequent or supplemental steps as well. Don't know what the first step is? Do some research, or get some help. This blog and many books on the topic will help. Try Six Steps to Creating Profit for starters. Your accountant may have recommendations for improving your numbers as well. Then, get to work.
In some cases, the change you need to make is less complex but difficult for other reasons. Take the example of working overly long hours. You've probably developed the habit over years. Again, break the problem down. Figure out why you are working too much, and what you can do about it. Do one thing to reduce the hours you work on a regular basis. For example, leave work an hour earlier one or two days every week. Or delegate a few additional tasks to staff members.
When you have addressed your most important single change, or at least have set the desired change in motion, you can move on to a second challenge.
While this approach may sound overly simple, it works well. Business owners have a raft of everyday responsibilities, so big changes tend to get pushed back. By focusing on one important change at a time, you can make it happen faster and more surely than if it remains one item on a long list.
Here's to a happy, productive and successful new year.
Post adapted from Michelle van Schouwen's article in Succeeding in Small Business.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Fine-tuning your management style
Forbes contributor and longtime corporate manager Victor Lipman recently published the book The Type B Manager: Leading Successfully in a Type A World. He contends that, while Type A people have long been regarded as the best managers, many of those hard-driving, competitive characteristics aren’t optimal for directing employees. Type Bs, more reflective, slower to anger and in some ways less competitive, may in fact motivate and manage more effectively.
Of course, for any manager – whether Type A, Type B, collaborative, self-motivated, quick or slow to delegate, with great or so-so social intelligence – supervising people can be a challenge.
As managers, understanding ourselves is the first step to unlocking our best performance. Once we better understand ourselves, we can leverage our management strengths and mitigate our weaknesses. The following examples apply to business owners as well as team managers in large companies.
-George, a young, bright and eager researcher, had recently taken on his first management position. Having excelled as a lone wolf, he soon found himself in conflict with the people he was charged with directing. His staff regarded him as condescending and dismissive. Once George became aware of this, he worked to adjust and manage his attitude. Admitting to himself that he did at times consider himself smarter than other people was an important first step, which he eventually followed by 1) not allowing himself to reveal these feelings (even subtly) when they cropped up, and 2) teaching himself to look for and respect a broader range of personal strengths in others (for example, kindness, energy or dedication). In other words, while George had always valued intelligence above all other characteristics in himself and others, as a manager, he needed to look at people in a broader and more compassionate way.
-Miranda had been a manager for nearly three years when she realized she was exhausted. She asked a more seasoned manager to mentor her. The senior manager advised Miranda that she was allowing perfectionism to rule. If Miranda had any concerns that a staff member might not do an outstanding job on a project, she would either micromanage the project or take it over completely. Miranda’s mentor showed her how to back away enough to allow employees to do their jobs as completely as possible, checking in only at specific intervals.
-Jane directed her team well on projects and mission. However, she learned that her close-knit group regarded her as uncaring. She didn’t join them in social events, forgot their birthdays and failed to ask even the occasional “how is your family” question. Jane found a compromise solution. She admitted to the staff that she had been known to forget even her own mother’s birthday, and asked them to keep a calendar of events they wanted to observe as a group, and to give her a heads-up. Jane also marked her online calendar with regular reminders including a bi-weekly “Today, ask someone how they/their family etc. is doing.” The combination of letting her team know she did indeed care about them, while also admitting to them that reaching out personally wasn’t her greatest strength, healed earlier tensions.
-Diego was conflict averse. As a manager, he hesitated to talk with employees about their performance shortcomings, and thus faced ongoing issues with several staff members. Diego began reading about proactive problem management techniques, and came to recognize the shortfalls of his approach. He then planned how he could summon the nerve to discuss problems with employees. He set aside meeting time with individual employees. To make the meeting easier for everyone, Diego would begin each conversation with a positive. “I’ve appreciated your work on the ABC project, which has helped us keep this customer happy. However, I did want to bring up one aspect of your reporting in this project.” He also asked employees to help him devise solutions to the problems he brought up. His thoughtful and collaborative approach helped Diego with what he considered to be the most difficult part of managing people.
-Rebekah was busy, so much so that managing her equally busy staff was starting to feel like a burden. She found a single tactic that helped. When a staff member approached her with a problem, she asked that person to provide at least one, and possibly two, solutions to the problem. This empowered employees, created more options in dealing with challenges, and freed Rebekah – just a little – to cope with other demands of the day.
All managers tread some common ground, so whatever your area of concern, there are probably great books and articles to reference. In addition, seasoned managers are happy to advise or mentor others. So don’t operate in isolation. There’s help out there!
Originally published in Succeeding in Small Business.
Of course, for any manager – whether Type A, Type B, collaborative, self-motivated, quick or slow to delegate, with great or so-so social intelligence – supervising people can be a challenge.
As managers, understanding ourselves is the first step to unlocking our best performance. Once we better understand ourselves, we can leverage our management strengths and mitigate our weaknesses. The following examples apply to business owners as well as team managers in large companies.
-George, a young, bright and eager researcher, had recently taken on his first management position. Having excelled as a lone wolf, he soon found himself in conflict with the people he was charged with directing. His staff regarded him as condescending and dismissive. Once George became aware of this, he worked to adjust and manage his attitude. Admitting to himself that he did at times consider himself smarter than other people was an important first step, which he eventually followed by 1) not allowing himself to reveal these feelings (even subtly) when they cropped up, and 2) teaching himself to look for and respect a broader range of personal strengths in others (for example, kindness, energy or dedication). In other words, while George had always valued intelligence above all other characteristics in himself and others, as a manager, he needed to look at people in a broader and more compassionate way.
-Miranda had been a manager for nearly three years when she realized she was exhausted. She asked a more seasoned manager to mentor her. The senior manager advised Miranda that she was allowing perfectionism to rule. If Miranda had any concerns that a staff member might not do an outstanding job on a project, she would either micromanage the project or take it over completely. Miranda’s mentor showed her how to back away enough to allow employees to do their jobs as completely as possible, checking in only at specific intervals.
-Jane directed her team well on projects and mission. However, she learned that her close-knit group regarded her as uncaring. She didn’t join them in social events, forgot their birthdays and failed to ask even the occasional “how is your family” question. Jane found a compromise solution. She admitted to the staff that she had been known to forget even her own mother’s birthday, and asked them to keep a calendar of events they wanted to observe as a group, and to give her a heads-up. Jane also marked her online calendar with regular reminders including a bi-weekly “Today, ask someone how they/their family etc. is doing.” The combination of letting her team know she did indeed care about them, while also admitting to them that reaching out personally wasn’t her greatest strength, healed earlier tensions.
-Diego was conflict averse. As a manager, he hesitated to talk with employees about their performance shortcomings, and thus faced ongoing issues with several staff members. Diego began reading about proactive problem management techniques, and came to recognize the shortfalls of his approach. He then planned how he could summon the nerve to discuss problems with employees. He set aside meeting time with individual employees. To make the meeting easier for everyone, Diego would begin each conversation with a positive. “I’ve appreciated your work on the ABC project, which has helped us keep this customer happy. However, I did want to bring up one aspect of your reporting in this project.” He also asked employees to help him devise solutions to the problems he brought up. His thoughtful and collaborative approach helped Diego with what he considered to be the most difficult part of managing people.
-Rebekah was busy, so much so that managing her equally busy staff was starting to feel like a burden. She found a single tactic that helped. When a staff member approached her with a problem, she asked that person to provide at least one, and possibly two, solutions to the problem. This empowered employees, created more options in dealing with challenges, and freed Rebekah – just a little – to cope with other demands of the day.
All managers tread some common ground, so whatever your area of concern, there are probably great books and articles to reference. In addition, seasoned managers are happy to advise or mentor others. So don’t operate in isolation. There’s help out there!
Originally published in Succeeding in Small Business.
Monday, November 2, 2015
A Short Guide to Smart B2B Marketing Launches
The good news about B2B marketing is its ultimate practical nature. To misquote Chaucer, “Value will out.” In the majority of cases, business-to-business purchasing is driven by practical considerations including but not limited to:
-Clear and understandable value your offering brings to the buyer
-Timing, as B2B purchases are typically made only when needed (sometimes later!)
-Reputation, because business purchasing decision-makers are often risk averse
-The right price, because the bottom line matters and competition, both direct and indirect, can be fierce; but remember, the lowest price on the market may connote “cheap” so play your cards right
-Problem-solving and pain reduction, because business is nearly always tough and your offering should make it easier
The other good news about B2B marketing launches is that, if you do your homework, you can pretty nicely identify and target your prospective buyers.
-Decide if you have one or multiple vertical markets to reach (schools, hospitals and hotels or just one of these)?
-Determine who is likely to make and to influence the buying decision.
-Research the way these people, as a group or singly, like to get their information (websites, trade shows, social media, video, print or online media, word-of-mouth, search engines, inbound marketing)?
-Remember that delivering your message via multiple methods and media will generally give you stronger results than the Monomaniac Approach of one form of outreach forever.
Once you’ve done some homework and you have your B2B product or offering ready to go, leverage your knowledge and tell your story.
-If your offering is “news” (and a new product or service of value typically is news), treat it as such, with media outreach, video how-tos, social media, trade show exhibition, eblasts, advertising, and lots more.
-Follow up with ongoing “drip” marketing, telling stories, creating case studies, continuing to advertise, and offering advice of value.
-Remember that when you are sick and tired of deluging the market with the same old messages, your prospects may just be beginning to notice them.
-Do you have a high-value offering and key prospects? Consider conversion marketing, in which you reach out to these same people multiple times, in a range of different ways.
-Can you become the expert in the solution you are offering? We may be getting tired of hearing the term “thought leadership,” but it still matters. Offering counsel, expertise and value through presentations at trade shows or conferences, writing white papers, blogging, and publishing articles makes your expertise, and if properly done, your offering top-of-mind.
-Learn as you go. You may later realize that the benefit you ranked as third in importance when you launched turns out to be #1. Revise and leverage. You may find out that schools really want the product you thought was ideal for hospitals. You may discover that your best customers buy one or two right away, and that the biggest prospects take two years to get you a purchase order. Smart B2B marketers are ready and able to adapt to realities and changes in plans.
-Repeat. Keep improving your offering, your messaging, your targeting, and your sales. Once you have the hang of this, you’ll want to keep at it.
-Clear and understandable value your offering brings to the buyer
-Timing, as B2B purchases are typically made only when needed (sometimes later!)
-Reputation, because business purchasing decision-makers are often risk averse
-The right price, because the bottom line matters and competition, both direct and indirect, can be fierce; but remember, the lowest price on the market may connote “cheap” so play your cards right
-Problem-solving and pain reduction, because business is nearly always tough and your offering should make it easier
The other good news about B2B marketing launches is that, if you do your homework, you can pretty nicely identify and target your prospective buyers.
-Decide if you have one or multiple vertical markets to reach (schools, hospitals and hotels or just one of these)?
-Determine who is likely to make and to influence the buying decision.
-Research the way these people, as a group or singly, like to get their information (websites, trade shows, social media, video, print or online media, word-of-mouth, search engines, inbound marketing)?
-Remember that delivering your message via multiple methods and media will generally give you stronger results than the Monomaniac Approach of one form of outreach forever.
Once you’ve done some homework and you have your B2B product or offering ready to go, leverage your knowledge and tell your story.
-If your offering is “news” (and a new product or service of value typically is news), treat it as such, with media outreach, video how-tos, social media, trade show exhibition, eblasts, advertising, and lots more.
-Follow up with ongoing “drip” marketing, telling stories, creating case studies, continuing to advertise, and offering advice of value.
-Remember that when you are sick and tired of deluging the market with the same old messages, your prospects may just be beginning to notice them.
-Do you have a high-value offering and key prospects? Consider conversion marketing, in which you reach out to these same people multiple times, in a range of different ways.
-Can you become the expert in the solution you are offering? We may be getting tired of hearing the term “thought leadership,” but it still matters. Offering counsel, expertise and value through presentations at trade shows or conferences, writing white papers, blogging, and publishing articles makes your expertise, and if properly done, your offering top-of-mind.
-Learn as you go. You may later realize that the benefit you ranked as third in importance when you launched turns out to be #1. Revise and leverage. You may find out that schools really want the product you thought was ideal for hospitals. You may discover that your best customers buy one or two right away, and that the biggest prospects take two years to get you a purchase order. Smart B2B marketers are ready and able to adapt to realities and changes in plans.
-Repeat. Keep improving your offering, your messaging, your targeting, and your sales. Once you have the hang of this, you’ll want to keep at it.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Before you launch: Imagine your product has failed. Conduct a pre-mortem.
Positive thinking is great. Blind spots... not so much.“What could possibly go wrong?” is certainly a question that merits asking during any product or project’s development. However, a managerial technique known as the pre-mortem takes the process a critical step farther.
The pre-mortem process in three easy steps:
“We haven’t launched this product yet. But let’s imagine that it’s a year after the scheduled launch – and the product has failed. Okay, everybody, what went wrong?”
To give your team the opportunity to answer this question as thoroughly, as thoughtfully, and in as many ways as it merits, you’ll want to follow a process that encourages prospective hindsight, a method of thinking as if something has already happened.
First of all, set aside two hours. Sure, you are busy developing the product. Make no mistake (yes, that’s a play on words) you are NOT too busy to perform a pre-mortem, which is far less painful and expensive than the potential post-mortem you will perform when and if the product fails. Start with a two-hour meeting. Select a facilitator.
Second, have everyone in the room begin by independently writing down all the possible reasons for the product’s failure. Have each participant read one reason from his or her list, and repeat the process until all potential reasons for failure have been vocalized. Meantime, the facilitator writes down every reason.
Third, discuss.
And, finally, post-meeting, plan and make changes to accommodate what you’ve learned through exercising prospective hindsight via the pre-mortem. This may require additional team meetings. Again, it’s time well spent.
The research on pre-mortem effectiveness:
Harvard Business Review reported that “Research conducted in 1989 by Deborah J. Mitchell, of the Wharton School; Jay Russo, of Cornell; and Nancy Pennington, of the University of Colorado, found that prospective hindsight — imagining that an event has already occurred—increases the ability to correctly identify reasons for future outcomes by 30%.” Using prospective hindsight allows team members to think out some of the lurking problems that haven’t been brought into the light of day in ordinary planning meetings. It slows the rush toward completion to allow more balanced perceptions to arise.
******
“Why did our product and its launch fail?”
Participants' sample answers
We failed to market aggressively and one of our competitors then seized the market advantage as if we hadn’t been first.
We didn’t ask the market if it was interested in this product – and no one was.
We didn’t make sure the technology worked seamlessly. Early fails damaged our image.
Production was too expensive, and we tried to charge more than the market would bear.
A recession killed demand for “extras” and our product wasn’t a must-have.
Consumers slammed it in reviews.
Our CEO cut the budget just as we launched and we didn’t get to trade shows.
We didn’t train the sales team to sell this complex offering, so they kept selling the old stuff instead.
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