So Here’s Your Challenge: Recent Episodes
Randall Craig
Provocative questions, innovative models & new thinking on growing your business in a 5-minute action-oriented podcast. Insights on Business Growth, Thought Leadership, Digital Strategy, and Trust. Each episode focuses on solving one issue, gives perspective, practical tactics and a motivating call to action. Randall Craig is a serial entrepreneur, former public company executive, and author of 8 books and over 600 articles on business growth. He has advised over 100 major organizations, including global financial institutions, professional service firms, publishers, entrepreneurs, and not-for-profits. Recognized as #10 in Feedspot’s 30 Best Business Strategy Podcasts list: https://blog.feedspot.com/business_strategy_podcasts/
Look around, and you see others enjoying great vacations, fancy cars, and the fruits of their professional success. Especially when you don’t have these things, it is easy to lose your confidence, which makes these (and other goals) even less attainable.
Looking to grow your organization? If so, a key question is this: Where are all of the “new” zip codes? The ones that live in different sectors and geographies? The ones who come from different cultural backgrounds and different generations? The first-time bums in seats?
One thing is for sure: these completely new prospects are not in one place: your social network.
Are you an information thief? Have you ever plagiarized, pilfered, or “borrowed” someone else’s knowledge or reputation? And has someone ever done this to you?
Thanks to Google, we have the entire internet in front of us; it is too easy to use others’ information without their knowledge or permission — even if it is free. Depending on how (and what) you share, you’re either seen as in-the-know… or a thief.
After a seminar I recently delivered, I was approached by two undergraduate business students and asked if I could give them some advice.
How many useless meetings have you attended? And how many have you been in charge of? Whether the meeting is a team status review, sales pitch, in-person or via Zoom, following a structured approach can make an appreciable difference.
At one time, a marketer needed only consider a few communications channels: Print, TV, Packaging, and the speaking points within a salesperson’s sales pitch.
Today, all bets are off: Traditional channels still exist, but have been eclipsed by the website, marketing automation emails, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and 100s of other Social Media sites. These newer channels have one other key difference: target audiences are influenced by third-party blogs, likes, shares, and comments — not just by the organizational message.
What can the world of manufacturing teach us about Social Media, Marketing, and Stakeholder Engagement? On the face of it, not much, but look more closely, and there are two concepts that are surprisingly relevant: Continuous Improvement, and Just-in-Time.
Doesn’t it feel good when someone recognizes the great work that you do each day? And conversely, doesn’t it feel awful when your faults are publicly exposed?
Too often, we jump on the “fault” bandwagon, and don’t give credit to others for the great things that they do.
It is tough saying “No” when someone asks for your help or your commitment. We don’t want to let down our colleagues, friends, or family. We don’t want them to think we lack the capability. And we want to develop the reputation as someone who always steps up to the plate.
Consider these Podcasts: there hundreds of them, and they certainly don’t “sell” anything. Each provides a small nugget of information, and tie it to an immediate action. These non-salesy Podcasts, like the vast majority of blogs, are designed to credentialize expertise and build trust, slowly over time.
Are you really satisfied with the response rate of your newsletter registration form on your website? Do you think that, just maybe, your list could be bigger?
Instead of thinking of the sign-up form as a sign-up form, think of it as a transaction...
What is the difference between a successful marketing campaign and an unsuccessful one? Yes, ROI is certainly the standard answer, but it is also completely insufficient...
In an army, every person has a role. The foot soldier is on the front line. The general sets the strategy. But how does the general know what’s happening, beyond the front lines? And similarly, how do senior managers understand the impact — and the opportunity — of the newest digital almost-trend or platform? Hint: Rangers and Scouts...
Many organizations struggle with setting up a digital response strategy. How do you trust front line staff to answer properly, if they don’t know the policies? How do you have a consistent response, no matter who responds, or when? How do you provide these responses, whether the channel is the website chat, email, social media, mobile, or phone? And how do you minimize service costs, while maintaining service quality?
Wikipedia defines consumerization as the reorientation of product and service designs to focus on (and market to) the end user as an individual consumer, verses an earlier era of organization-oriented offerings. It speaks to growing markets by looking for a completely different category of buyer, who may also be an influencer for the organizational purchase...
While it may have been quite some time since your student days, there is a concept — the Long Game — that is more relevant as your career progresses. While instant gratification is satisfying, longer-term fundamental advancement often takes much longer. Said another way, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will be your success...
In grade one, we were told no cheating. In grade six or seven, we learned about plagiarism. By high school, we learned about citations, attribution, and the importance of quoting the source.
But in today’s digital world, have these rules changed? Sadly, maybe, the answer is yes.
If you are old enough to remember Black and White televisions, then you’re old enough to remember how revolutionary color television was. If not, perhaps you remember how the microwave oven changed how the world cooked? Or what it was like without the internet, let alone Facebook, YouTube, or Google...
What determines the confidence in your brand? Yes, the visual identity and what people see. And yes, the experience and interaction people have, both online and in the real world. And yes, the social media (and traditional media) buzz — both positive and negative. But is there another factor, hidden from most marketers, that can have a critical impact?
One of the major downsides of technology is the addictive nature of it: even when we are on vacation, we feel the need to post photos, check others’ Facebook walls, watch TikTok videos, see who has viewed our LinkedIn profiles, and Tweet about what is important to us.
Here’s the question: do we do better when we are not always on?
What’s your reaction when you read a company newsletter, instruction manual, or other corporate communication? Do you think it is plastic, anti-septic, and homogenized? If so, you’re like most people — they see corporate-speak as fake, and they can sniff it a mile away.
At any point in your life, have you ever found yourself backed into a corner, uncertain how you were going to proceed?
The Trust Curve is one of the most important Marketing 2.0 concepts around. It states that as trust builds over time, the relationship strengthens and the target person (prospective client, prospective member, prospective employee, etc.) moves through the stages of awareness, preference, trial, and commitment.
Key marketing question: What happens after Commitment?
Very often marketers look to the logo, web, advertising campaigns, and earned media to execute a brand strategy. But how might they look internally to do the same? Or rather, where might they look internally to do the same?
Many people are not really comfortable developing new business relationships — or personal ones, for that matter. Yet this skill — networking — is critical to business success whether you do it within your organization, or amongst your peers in a trade association or professional group. It increases your value, and can open the door to any number of new opportunities.
Unfortunately, many see networking as the collection of business cards at trade shows, or “small talk” at cocktail receptions.
If you are listening to this Podcast, the chances are very high that you understand English. But what if you didn’t? What if your target audience didn’t? Or what if your target audience did understand, but felt more comfortable in their own mother tongue? The obvious solution: translate your content.
Have you wondered why an organization’s rebrand doesn’t seem particularly right? That maybe they missed something along the way? A bad rebrand can mean that at best, that the expected benefits aren’t delivered, and at worst, the brand is ridiculed in the market.
Have you ever been in a conversation when the other person spends more time talking about themselves than the subject at hand? They pepper the conversation with me, myself, and I, assuming that you (and others) are held spellbound by their perspective and accomplishments.
Whether real world or on the web, trust is a powerful factor. Yet there are still websites that advertise themselves as "Not Trusted" — and this is totally avoidable.
In your professional field, who is the best at what they do? Chances are, you didn’t name yourself. This is not surprising – between personal modesty, and our competitive instinct to look over our shoulders, we will usually make the comparison to others.
Have you ever been gulled into reading an article, blog post, or viewing a video because of the headline? Not the descriptive type of headline (such as Clickbait Headlines Lose Trust), but the kind that reels you in, like a helpless fish on a line.
DOS, Windows, MacOS, Android and iOS are all names of computer operating systems. They control the computer chips, memory, and give the device its unique personality. While we are certainly not computers, we too are controlled by a system: a Brain Operating System.
Have you ever wondered why companies choose to rebrand? A few years ago,Microsoft, after more than a decade, has changed it’s logo to one that evokes the new “Metro” look-and-feel of its latest Windows operating system. But why? And what should the criteria — and costs — of this type of decision?
Have you ever been in a situation where your personal reputation has been called into question online? Or your organization’s brand is under attack from a special interest group, and it is emerging somewhat battered? Not good. Of course, the best way to build a great reputation is to do everything “right” in the first place. But no organization (or person) is perfect, and sometimes reputational attacks occur for no other reason than someone sees you as an easy target. So how might you rescue your reputation?
In just about every organization, the focus is on action. The connotations of words such as goals, objectives, action plans, and status updates are all positive, and are viewed as necessary for organizational, professional, and personal success.
Yet is the path to achievement exclusively achieved through action? Or is action necessary, but not necessarily sufficient? And if so, what precisely is necessary?
A recently promoted executive confided in me that the pressure of time was increasingly difficult to manage: especially the conflicts between work and home responsibilities. This is a very common issue — not just to the recently promoted, but to most people who are serious about their professional success — and their family. One approach to solving the conundrum is to master your schedule — and not let it master you.
Most people spend years getting good at what they do. They become superb analysts, salespeople, engineers, or managers. They are rewarded for their efforts.
But is the reward worth the effort? What separates the most successful from those that merely just become “good”?
Beyond ads, media mentions, and the web, is there another mechanism to build your organization’s brand? One that might cost significantly less, yet yield powerful positioning advantages?
Brand Transfer is the “borrowing” of another organization’s brand to better convey — or even amplify — your own.
What is the one rubbish statement that single-handedly limits our creative potential? “Some people are incredibly creative, and others are not. I am more analytical than creative.” Rubbish!
There has always been a fringe element in society; and now, Social Media has provided an unwitting channel to help advance their agendas. Can anything be done about it?
You probably recognize that successful communication is partly based on the words you use, but also your tone of voice. And most people recognize that body language trumps both. But how does it do so?
Marketing and sales are at the core of almost every organization. Whether it is writing a proposal for a prospect, encouraging a person to join your organization, or selling an internal team on a concept, the act of gaining alignment and commitment is critical.
Why then, do so many organizations completely miss the mark?
Graphic designers know that if you have one element on the page, and lots of white space around it, the eye is drawn to that one element. Professional speakers know how to use a pause — silence — to emphasize a point. And musicians know that a break in the music creates anticipation. This is white space.
So how can we use the concept of white space?
After arriving at an event and noticing a few people you know — and hundreds that you don’t — what is your first inclination?
Too often, organizations see an arithmetic connection between the resources allocated to a task, and the return on investment from it. Chasing the digital holy grail of engagement seems to be no different. But is it?
Ask your CEO, and they will say that your greatest asset is your people. Ask your marketing chief, and the answer will be your brand. And ask your CFO, your value is determined by your revenue or EBITDA. But is it possible that they may all be wrong… or may soon be? (Hint: how would your CIO answer?)
Have you ever heard the expression “you’re only as strong as your friends”? Nowhere is this more true than with digital marketing.
When you are faced with an unexpected delay or a long line-up, how do you deal with it?
Are you involved in your professional association? Or do you run one — either as a director, staff, or volunteer?
If so, you’re probably concerned with one aspect of today’s digital world, and particularly social media: How do you compete with free?
One of the more popular thought leadership “strategies” is to create relevant, provoking, leading-edge content. Not only does this provide evidence of the thought leader’s special knowledge, but it also helps attract new followers, through sharing (social and real-world), and through discovery (Google, conference speeches, and publicity.)
So far so good, but who has the time to do all of this work?
While corporations are trying to figure out how to use the Social Media carrot to entice their customers to buy, their customers are using a powerful Social Media stick when it comes to expressing their disappointment and dissatisfaction.
In the olden days, corporate policy may have been the customer is always right. Today it is a bit different.
When was the last time you considered your craziest, wildest dreams of professional success? For many people, it was probably a very long time ago. Others do so more often, but consider these dreams ridiculous, unattainable, and beyond their station in life. In both cases, the end result is the same: no action, and no movement to achieving their ambitions.
Many people are interested in writing a blog or starting a podcast, particularly if they have special expertise. Yet, the specific topic area usually eludes them. Choose the wrong topic area, and you’re stuck with it, and because of Google, it sticks to you… forever.
In 1903, Elias St. Elmo Lewis coined one of the most important marketing frameworks: AIDA. It has stood the test of time, and has helped many marketers more strategically plan their campaigns. AIDA is an acronym for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. But is AIDA intrinsically flawed, or at least no longer relevant for today’s more complex marketplace?
Are your networking activities strategic? .... or is "learn a networking strategy" one of your new goals...?
The common theme with networks is that one must “exist” before you can use it — and therefore without one, you are at a distinct disadvantage. This woe-is-me attitude rests upon the assumption that a network is a “thing” that you have, as opposed to a process that you engage in.
The purpose of networking is to meet new people, and deepen the relationships with those that you already know. Networking is the journey, not the destination.
In this week's podcast, I take the extreme example of someone with no network, and share a strategy for how to build a robust one.
Is your perspective the best perspective? How adept are you at shifting your position to improve your problem solving... and your writing?
One way to do so is to use a zoom lens. Zooming out gives you a top-down view; max zooming in gives you a bottom-up view of the problem.
Of course, with a maximum zoom, you lose the overview, but this isn’t the only problem. No matter how much (or how little) you zoom, your perspective is always the same. Looking at a problem from someone else’s perspective is the only way to see the situation… from their perspective. (Truly great problem solving requires both zooming and shifting.)
In this week's podcast, I apply the zoom lens metaphor to communication. Listen closely… (or zoom out…?)
Is the inertia of the past stifling innovation in your organization?
Many organizations face a problem: they have rules and regulations that have far outlived their useful lives. Innovation requires flexibility — yet rules and regulations breed inflexibility.
In fact, under cover of terms like “policy”, many organizations are stifling not just innovation, but also customer service, employee motivation, and ultimately profitability.
In this week's podcast, I invite you to look carefully, and identify the rules and regulations at your organization that directly impact your goals. Is there room for openness, innovation, and connection?
There is no question that professional certification in your area of specialization provides enduring value. Becoming certified differentiates you from your competition, and signals to others that you uphold certain standards and practices.
But what if you haven’t? Is it even worth it to start?
How often do you research a product online, and then purchase it at the store? Or, check out the product at the store, and then use the internet to make the purchase? If so, you’re not alone.
These newer consumer behaviors are both the new reality for retailers — and a special challenge: Omni-channel.
Lester Thurow, one of last century’s great economists, coined the phrase (and wrote a book) called “Zero Sum Society”. In it, he described an economic system that had a finite limit, where one person’s gain would precisely be another person’s loss.
Unfortunately, many of us seem to use this mindset as we progress along our careers.
Price/Expertise/Trust: Do these dimensions — by themselves —generate sustainable competitive advantage? Not necessarily.
Most service-based organizations compete based on Price, Expertise and Trust. But developing competitive advantage requires taking each of these items to their logical conclusion.
✅ From Price to Value.
✅ From Expertise to Thought Leadership.
✅ From Trust to Trusted Advisor.
Unfortunately, many organizations (and people) pay lip service, at best. Or they claim to offer value, be thought leaders, and be trusted advisors, but in the minds of the market, they do not. In this week’s podcast, we ask: how might we do better?
To rebrand or not to rebrand? Not a question to be taken lightly, but it has been asked – or considered – by just about every CEO and every marketer at one point or another.
First, a quick definition of brand: it’s not the logo, or the name. The brand is the intrinsic quality of what you and the organization represent. It is how your organization interacts at each touchpoint. The question is whether your brand is truly aligned with the values you aspire to.
In this podcast, I share five reasons when rebranding makes sense... and four circumstances where a brand should be left as is.
Boost Your Leadership: If you hold a leadership role in your organization, meet Randall and ask your toughest business questions, without obligation. Find out more here:https://www.randallcraig.com/growth-coaching-for-ceos/ or book a time on his calendar directly at www.RandallCraig.net/30.
Boost Your Event: Do you have an event or meeting where Randall's presentations on marketing, thought leadership, or becoming a trusted advisor could make a difference? Call Randall directly at 416-918-5384, or reply to this email. (Presentation Descriptions: https://www.randallcraig.com/speaking/speaking-topics/)
Boost Your Organization: Socializing new concepts and developing a common language is key to team performance. Is there someone on your team — or someone you know — who would benefit from receiving our weekly Tipsheet or Podcast? Share our Tipsheet sign up link: https://www.randallcraig.com/thought-leadership/weekly-tipsheet/ and subscribe to our podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/so-heres-your-challenge/id1577359964 .
(And also check out the Braintrust Professional Institute for your team: https://braintrust.randallcraig.com.)
Creativity can help you solve some of the most difficult problems, which is why it is why it is valued so highly by clients (and your employer). Yet why are some people seemingly so creative, and others aren’t?
Too often it is the marketers, advertisers, PR folks, and others involved in the sales process who “own” digital within an organization. This isn’t surprising, but it is unfortunate. The development of relationships is critically important in just about every organizational department, and each person’s individual success.
In Japanese culture, there is a cultural practice to avoid causing others to lose face. In business meetings, this often means that objections are not raised, and decisions are made apparently without a thorough discussion. While this is what appears to an outsider, the reality is far different.
Why are all consulting projects not wildly successful? Why are some merely acceptable, and others fail?
Without a doubt, consultants are often to blame: they over-promise, under-scope, or take on assignments with unrealistic deadlines. Yet clients also control the outcome of the engagement, and often, unwittingly, sabotage their consultants.
Consider this scenario: you get a phone call from a key client or a distraught family member: “didn’t you get my email?” They are clearly upset that you “ignored” them: they see evidence that they are not your priority. You are not unresponsive. You don’t care.
Or maybe, your spam filter was doing just a bit too good a job. Welcome to the world of Type I errors.
When was the last time you ever gave anything (or anyone) your 100% complete, undivided attention? If you’re like most people – and you’re honest – it was probably a long, long, time ago.
The question is why.
In the olden days, external advisors would be called in whenever there is a problem to be solved. Proposals would be reviewed, contracts negotiated, references checked, and the engagement would begin. The consulting team would show up, diagnose the source of the problem, and help the management team focus exclusively on getting rid of the bad.
Then, more often than not, the real problems would begin.
Most organizations invest in their external digital footprint. They start with a strategy, then execute it, monitor it, and if they are good, they feed these results back into the strategy. A feedback loop is critical, as it both injects market knowledge into the organization, and enables continuous improvement.
Have you ever wondered how Starbucks, Mcdonalds, or any global retailer guarantees both consistent service and consistent food quality? Or how KPMG, Baker & McKenzie, or any global advisory firm provides the same quality of work, no matter the jurisdiction?
Behind every successful french fry, coffee, or advisory engagement is one thing: methodology.
If you are a service provider, how do you set your price? And if you are a buyer, how do you know whether the price that you are given is reasonable? Beyond the obvious, price itself is an indicator of a number of factors: value, credibility of the service provider, work effort on the project, and risk.
While some may say that pricing is an “art”, it isn’t: it is bound by three specific factors...
The essence of just about any job – or any type of business development – is reaching out to connect with other people. Yet one obstacle typically gets in the way: making that very first call. It shouldn’t be an obstacle, but it is uncomfortable. And we tend to avoid activities that make us feel a bit uncomfortable.
An athlete’s training schedule holds an important lesson for those looking to develop a successful career.
How often have you read a prediction, statement, or about a trend, and began to wonder if it were true? Sadly, with so many instant experts, pundits, and self-serving gurus, it is sometimes difficult to tell fact from fake news. In this podcast, Randall reviews six tests that can help you improve your signal-to-noise ratio.
Have you ever spent time with some colleagues talking about the good old days? Perhaps wishing that someone you worked with was still part of the team? Or maybe wishing that the old bonus plan was still in place?
For many of us, Social Media has become ubiquitous: we couldn’t imagine a day without Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube. or TikTok. For many companies, Social Media is at the core of their marketing strategies.
But what if the plug was pulled?
The term diversity has become associated with the human rights movement, and lives in the same space with terms such as enforcement, quotas, and affirmative action. Despite these seemingly negative terms, there is a powerful case for organizations to adopt a positive and proactive approach to diversity.
With millions of pages written on the subject, presumably there is an answer for every Digital Strategy question that comes up. Unfortunately, this is not the case – and it’s not Google’s fault.
Do you look for shortcuts in order to more efficiently reach your goals? Do you feel jealous when others achieve before you do? If so, it’s not surprising: you’ve been programmed that way. Many organizations set annual goals for their employees; they follow-up with annual evaluations. Compensation is tied directly to achievement… and the cycle continues. You’ve been programmed.
Have you ever been in a situation where someone has used a word that seemed wrong? Or maybe out-of-place, suboptimal, or or ill-considered? Each of these three words means something slightly different, and each tugs a slightly different emotional chord, although in this case, they are all negative.
How much spam do you get in your email box each day? Probably too much. How many Social Media “updates” do you read each day? Probably too many. And how relevant are they? Not.
Most successful executives are bombarded with emails, voicemails, text messages, Social Media messages, and a queue of people looking for feedback or approval. With their attention so divided, how much time do they have to be creative, do their own analysis, or even digest the big picture?
How often do you read a blog post or listen to a podcast that was just not relevant? Or from the content creator's perspective, how do you make sure that your content is relevant, makes a difference, and achieves its objectives?
Have you ever been in a situation where you answered someone’s question, and you’re sure that they didn’t “get” your answer? Or have you tried to explain an issue to a work colleague – and all you get is a blank stare?
If you have spent any time on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok (and now, sadly, LinkedIn), you may have been the victim of over-sharing. You are subjected to pointless, and often narcissistic postings, often from people and organizations that should know better.
While the impact on you is wasted time, the posters often don’t consider the brand impact of their actions: Every posting, comment, picture, or video, tugs the brand in one direction or another.
With all of the wheel-spinning and effort spent on social media, wouldn’t it be nice to actually use it to grow sales? Not improve awareness, develop the brand, help with marketing, or “continue the conversation”. But actually sell.
Project managers the world over build Gantt charts, PERT charts, Work Breakdown Structures. They focus on delivering on-time, on-budget. No matter your role, is there something that can be learned from the profession of project management?
How do you determine the ROI on your marketing and sales investments?
Unfortunately, most marketers focus on the conversion rate - say 5%. But this is a fundamental error: what about the other 95 per cent that haven't converted? What can be done about them?
Gutless and spineless…and afraid of the marketplace of ideas. These are not exactly the attributes that most organizations (or people) aspire to. Yet most have a Social Media strategy that conveys precisely that.
You invest in events, send out emails, educate, and send invoices. But how well do you really know your target audience?
Beyond the basic demographics, perhaps not as well as you might think...
Have you ever spent time staring at your blank screen, wondering what your next blog post should be about, then staring at the clock, stressing about the looming deadline. While it’s tempting to think of this problem as writer’s block, it is really a question of process gone wrong. (Or rather, gone missing.)
What is the one lesson that appears in every newspaper article, every magazine article, and for that matter, every bestselling book? Journalists and editors realize that they have to work exceptionally hard to get people to actually read what they write. And unless you actually do so, their work has no value – so they have become experts on “hooking” you in. Here’s how they do it.
My recent trip to India has once again sensitized me to an assumption that writers and speakers too often make: that everyone understands what you mean to say.
This is absolutely not the case. Test yourself – what do the following three words mean? Flyover, Subway, and Removalist.
Governments use regulation to influence how we each make decisions, either through tax policy or laws. Business uses money to change our behavior, either through commission plans, bonuses, or advertising. But how do we, as individuals, change the attitudes and behavior of those around us?
Where do you call your social home? Likely it includes LinkedIn and Facebook. Perhaps YouTube and Twitter. But what about Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok? Or, the 500+ other social networks that exist?
The significant challenge of social media is that you don’t know who is looking for you (or your services), nor where. What you do know is that if your target users can’t find you on these 500+ sites, then a potentially important opportunity will be lost.
But who has the resources to maintain a presence on 500+ sites, let alone 50? (Or ten?)
Enter the Anchors and Outposts model
While the internet has changed the world of publishing fundamentally, the world of writing has been fundamentally shifted as well.
Consider the vastly different groups who are actually doing the writing: Professional writers, and Subject Matter Experts...
Is your content really that effective? Do they grab the reader, listener, or viewer, and convince them to continue? And is there a magic bullet that can immediately make this so?
Too often, content is an outgrowth of “stream of consciousness” thinking, and rarely hits the mark. Adding strategyand structure can make a vast improvement.
Do you actively seek out different opinions than your own, or unwittingly reinforce your personal world-view by only consuming “agreeable” content? While we may think we do the former – who doesn’t have a self image of being open-minded – too often we live in a bubble.
How often have you struggled to show up on time for a meeting, only to be kept waiting as others stumbled in 5-10-15 minutes later? Or have you ever tuned in to your favorite TV show, only to find that it was “rescheduled” for some other time? Or travelled to a faraway store, but finding it had closed an hour early and you couldn’t get in.
Research shows that by far, the two most important determinants of service quality are responsiveness and reliability...
Do you see your website, CRM, social media, and other digital initiatives as a way to improve service levels, market your organization, or be a central part of your thought leadership strategy? While important, at best these are merely tactics: too often the bigger opportunity of digital transformation is ignored. This isn’t surprising, as digital initiatives are often driven from marketing or IT, not from the board or the CEO.
Have you ever had a problem – or a disastrous – project in your organization? When this happens, it is often “clear” that the problem is with the consultants hired to help, and sadly, this is often true. But is some of the fault also with your organization?
Has your organization invested in a “game-changing” software project, only to discover that the promised benefits never really materialize? Or that the implementation was so flawed that the system is regarded as a financial and operating disaster?
Sadly, this happens far more than it should… but must this always be the case?
Would you rather be a reporter, or a columnist?
Reporters have a great combination of investigative skills, communication skills, moxy, and pluck. Columnists are made from the same raw material, but they get paid far more. Why?
How can you be your most creative? Google the topic and you will find millions of pages with an answer. Some will say you are “born” with it. Others will say it is a matter of following a process. And others will claim it is a matter of using a secret sauce formula, which, when applied, will help you create the new and the beautiful...
Too often, the signals we send through digital channels (web, social, email, etc) are so focused on transactions – which often mean price – or so focused on expertise – which means content – but very little is focused on trust. Pretend to be a client: when they interact with you online, will they see you as cheap, smart, or trusted?
Unlike the written word, it is almost impossible to scan a video and get any value from it. At best, a video scan helps a user find their place: at worst, it is an exercise in frustration. But does it have to be such a low-value experience? Is there a way to impregnate your video with value, knowing full well that the user might merely be a scanner?
Did you ever wonder how children can so quickly learn new things? And ever hear the expression “Children should be seen, and not heard”? Maybe there is a connection between these two concepts that can help us be better leaders.
What professional activity have you purposely decided to do over a multiyear time-frame, continuously? Perhaps attending monthly trade association meetings? Completing an advanced degree or certification? Or perhaps writing a thoughtful blog?
The concept of 365 is equally applicable at the organizational level: what is the stake in the ground – and the associated initiatives that support it – that your organization is known for?
While the increasing speed of change is not new, how we market around it is. Today, marketers have two key responsibilities: the ‘today’ marketing of today’s products and services, and the ‘today’ discovery of tomorrow’s products and services. Unfortunately, because of the very real pressure to drive current quarter sales, most marketers focus exclusively on the today. Tomorrow is someone else’s problem.
Where do you spend your organization’s budget? Should it be on communications, or on training? Should it be on infrastructure, or on people? Inside the organization, or to partners?
While these may all be good questions, there is merit on reframing it – especially when it comes to questions around growth.
Most marketers think of themselves as builders. Their work grows the organization, grows market share, grows the portfolio of products and services. A bit more tactically, the marketer builds page views, conversions, and social engagement; underlying all of these activities, the marketer builds trust, and builds relationships.
But is there merit in growing marketing itself? Not the ad spend or departmental head count, but the number of simultaneous marketing initiatives that the organization can successfully run?
Have you ever considered why some of your content resonates, and some seems just a bit off? Too often emails – especially ones that form part of a marketing automation sequence – fail because of one thing: voice.
With so many people and organizations getting on the blogging and podcasting bus, it seems that blogging must be very important. But why? Deciding on a strategy helps clarify the underlying purpose of the content itself, and provides focus to the creative process.
Who do you prefer being – the host or the guest?
When you are asked to be a guest at an event, it is a validation of your skills, experience, and your importance. Of course, being a guest has it’s obligations: if the invitation is a personal one, you often will bring a small gift. If it’s professional, you are expected to contribute your professional attention to the purpose of the event.
At its core, the rationale for market research is to help make better decisions. Market research can discover, validate, and reduce risk. It can improve ROI, improve management confidence, and expose competitive threat. And it can also be the worst thing that an organization can do.
Even when done perfectly, traditional market research – both qualitative (focus groups, interviews, etc) and quantitative (surveys) – has one inherent flaw: it takes time.
Today, we see digital marketing techniques (such as “squeeze-pages”) that also presume too much: How many sites have you seen that exhort the reader to “Sign up for our promotional newsletter, and we’ll give you a free ebook.”
Unfortunately, this approach is completely backwards: the marketer is asking for something – your contact details – without earning the right to do so. Even worse, they are trying to bribe you (the so-called ethical bribe) to participate! If the goal is to build trust, the “transaction” must be completely different: First give, then get.
What do houses, cars, and Social Media all have in common? For one thing, they all share a primary question: Buy or Rent. Buy a house, or look for a rental? Buy a car, or lease it? And should we rent our Social Media, or build our own?
Most leaders don’t even think about this last question, because they don’t consider that Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube (and in fact, every Social Media site) is rented space.
Does the trend to digital mean that traditional communications are effectively… dead? That all of your traditional communication tools (newsletters, magazines, brochures, booklets, etc) are destined for the trash heap?
One only needs to look at the sorry plight of the newspaper business to see that the future doesn’t look rosy. The world has changed.
Have you ever felt that each year, there is yet another set of marketing buzzwords that you need to learn? Service marketing, value marketing, values-based marketing, content marketing, Social Media marketing, and the list goes on. What these terms all have in common is the connection between your organization and its target prospects: the relationship.
While much has already been written about relationship marketing, sometimes unpacking the term in a different way will yield some different (and valuable) insights. Consider, the four Rs of Growth: Recruitment, Retention, Referral, and Recovery.
How long is your attention span? How long is the attention span of your clients, colleagues, or kids? The conventional wisdom is that it is very short – 30 seconds – the length of a typical TV commercial. Supposedly, the attention span of a Gen-Xer is even shorter.
Thankfully, both of these urban legends are wrong – very wrong. The attention span is highly variable, but is dependent on two key factors, both of which are under your control.
There is an eerie parallel between marketing automation today, and desktop publishing in the mid-late 1980’s. Back then, the newfound ability to choose between so many fonts/sizes/styles gave the writer incredible power when it came to formatting and layout. Some of what was produced was brilliant – but most was a disaster. Today, marketers have been given similar superpowers: some superpowers are being used brilliantly, and some… not so much so. (And some marketers don’t even know what these marketing automation superpowers actually are.)
In the olden days, domain names were easy. Take your brand, add dot com and you’re done. Those of us who didn’t want to fight the squatters also registered the dot net and dot org versions. But with 100's of domains available, how many is too many?
The biggest risk in email fraud isn’t clumsy emails of this nature, but when a hacker gets access to your email account, and actually sends their requests directly from the account itself.
The world is changing: it’s getting smaller. Ironically though, the smaller it gets, the more choice there seems to be.
So much choice means that we need to know what we are looking for, and why, before we begin our expedition of discovery.
Whenever there is uncertainty, we look for answers. We investigate alternatives, and then choose a course of action. Often, however, we are unsatisfied with the results, or have a sinking feeling that we’ve missed a key piece of information along the way.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with incremental improvement: in fact, it should be part of the day-to-day processes. But when there is an inflection point – new year, new strategy, new staff in the role, new senior leadership, etc – it is a shame to squander the opportunity to make substantive, and possibly transformational, improvements.
Have you ever listened to a presentation, and felt the signal-to-noise ratio could have been improved? Or have you ever delivered a critical presentation, and felt that you could have done better… but you were not precisely sure how?
Too often we add debris into our presentations. These are those filler words, unrelated sidebars, and administrative notes that we unwittingly slip in. They get in the way: debris obscures your point, distracts the listener, and extends the amount of time required to deliver your message.
Most first impressions are formed within the first 10 seconds of conversation. Most hiring managers will take only 20-40 seconds to screen a resume. Most prospects will tune out a sales presentations in the same amount of time. What is the key to forming that first great impression?
Ever hear the expression Learn from the Best? This is great when it comes to a coach or consultant, but a more powerful concept is Learning from the Rest.
Each day, we interact with our workmates, friends, and sometimes even the youngest of children. Each of these folks has something unique that they can give us, if only we paid close enough attention.
The internet is squeezing out traditional journalism. Something is gained, but something is also being lost. No guarantee of accuracy. No editing. No guarantee of independence. No oversight. While it is true that the wisdom of the crowd will expose the most egregious errors (and bias), there is no guarantee that what is being read is reporting, or merely opinion masquerading as reporting, or even propaganda pretending to be reporting.
How much does your organization spend on your brand? Usually, this question yields answers in the following spending categories: research, logo design, collateral production, messaging, and ads. And maybe content, Social Media, and a few other things.
While all of these are important, this list is missing the two fundamental delivery mechanisms of the brand itself: people, and the online user experience.
Have you ever put in a proposal, or answered an enquiry about your products or services, and then waited patiently for their answer about the next step? If they found you via referral, or through your content, then they likely value your expertise, but perhaps the timing may not be right: when they say no, they may really mean not yet.
Is there a gap between how you perceive yourself, and the reality that others see? Too often, we use self-descriptive marketing terms so much that we convince ourselves of their truth. And what are the biggest culprits? Here are two: Thought Leader and Trusted Advisor.
Marketers can learn an important lesson from fast food menus, and particularly, the vastly different strategies of McDonald’s and Five Guys.