S&MM SoundOff

How to Exercise Good Leadership Skills

Good leadership makes a difference in the lives of followers. Strong leadership is indicative for Organizations success. Quality and leadership are co-related when we look at governance. How can we discern quality leadership?

Quality leadership entails the following process:

1. Training

2. Education

3. Experience

4. Self-improvement

5. Effective communication

6. Be a good listener

7. Empower staff

8. Celebrate success

Training encompasses knowledge gain over a period of time, which consists of both classroom and on the job training. Additionally, a leader needs to be in charge of his learning organization by being a role model to followers. Training is important in setting the stage for organization growth and well-being. Workers are more likely to stay with their employees when proper training is place according to research studies.

Education is part of good leadership whether it is on the job training or lesson learned over a period of time. What a leader brings to the table in reference to education will assist the organization in changing times. Education is also at the heart of change. It allows leaders to make executive decisions using different processes.

Experience is important in quality leadership. Every leader needs an opportunity to develop quality leadership skills. This experience is gained over a period of time. Experience allows leaders to deal with different situations as they arise.

Self-improvement should be at the core of all leadership. A leader should always look for ways to improve his/her leadership. Leadership calls for self-improvement especially in our changing world. For a leader to be effective self-improvement should be at the top of his/her list.

Effective communication is critical to leadership. Leaders who know how to communicate with their followers get the job done than leaders who lack this basic skill. Communication sets the tone for the organization culture.

Be a good listener. Leadership calls for listening to followers. How can leaders solve issues if they don't listen to their followers.

Empower staff is important to quality leadership. Workers will feel as sense of self-worth when they are recognized for a job well done. There are different ways leaders can empower staff to progress on the job. For example, birthdays, newsletter, staff party, ice cream social and much more.

Celebrate success along the way is another way to keep the energy level high in organizations.

Annmarie Edwards

Energize Your Workforce Expert

Summer Cool Down

Well, the summer is at its peak which can only mean one thing--autumn and changing leaves are not far away. As temperatures dip back to bearable and days noticably become shorter, it's not uncommon for your employees attitudes to dip as well.

Sure, we've all heard of the seasonal depression syndromes and perhaps have experienced the onslaught on fall/winter sluggishness. We can't deny that our once catapulted summer productivity usually takes a nosedive once we realize our vacation time has been used up for another few months (though that trip to the beach did do its part in re-energizing your motivation).

If only there were a way to keep that summer motivation glow shining a little longer. Why not start planning to host a company luau-themed party in October? Or ask each employee to send in a funny summer photo from their family vaction to share with the department? Maybe you could even bring back some salt water taffy from your recent excursion for your staff to share? Even the smallest action can keep the summer spirit alive a little longer.

Have you ever experienced an end-of-summer slowdown in your company? What will you do to pre-empt it this year? What motivational tips do you have for the rest of us?

Editor's Note: Craving more motivation? Read this post and others on motivational strategies at The Daily Perk, the official blog of Incentive magazine.

Making Search Fit In?

Is search engine marketing just like this 'new' wall plug? Just add it to your outlet and shazam! Five appliances work where only two did before. How does search marketing fit in with TV, radio and print advertising in your company?

Gord Hotchkiss of Enquiro says:

here's the reality of search marketing. Its one thing to say "you're doing search" internally and it's a totally different thing to have the searcher realize that "you're doing search".

Isn't the point of doing search to have the searcher find you? and therefore realize that you're doing search?

In his blog entry here, Gord emphasized a symptom experienced by a Tourism promotion department of a provincial government, something most often associated with big budgets. Here the joy of influencing eyeballs and feeling good about the brand awareness completely overshadows the statistical significance of the conversion capabilities of search. Buyer performs a search, clicks on link, becomes informed about product, purchases online and voila, a direct correlation to purchase is made.

While at 3Com (I introduced the company to search engine marketing in 2004), it was clear that the big budget projects of reaching out via direct mail, telephone followups and the like were more fun for some than the simple and real-time aspects of search engine marketing. Change comes hard for some. It's what they had always done.

So, how does search engine marketing fit in your marketing plan?

Peter Brockmann is President of Brockmann & Company, a communications industry consultant and researcher with over 20 years experience. Learn more at www.brockmann.com.

How Do I Get the Training I Need?

By Mona Piontkowski
(www.SeminarInformation.com)

We live in a society where we must learn and relearn to survive. It seems as if almost everyday a new technology rears it's ugly head and we must deal with it. Why is it that just as I feel comfortable with the latest software update an entirely new software is released and I'm forced to learn it. I thought my old software did the job just fine - but no I must be wrong - the latest software has this new feature - do I really need it? How can I possibly keep up - I'm only one person with one aging brain - help!

No matter what age you are - as a member of the working world you have encountered so many changes in the way we conduct our everyday life it would make your head spin - if you had time to think about it - that is. Things change so quickly that the once reliable training industry has found it difficult to keep up. Sure you can find training on the old standards like "Managing Emotions Under Pressure"  (http://www.seminarinformation.com/event/23185) or "Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers" (http://www.seminarinformation.com/event/3944).

But what about the  latest technology? It comes at us so fast that no one has a chance to really learn it  before it's upgraded, patched or even changed. I remember attending a seminar on the latest Microsoft software and the instructor confessing that he only knew parts of the program - he doubted that anyone knew it all or even cared to know it all except maybe the developer.

How can you even find the help you need? Google it? What if Google hasn't heard of it yet? Try the manufacturer? Read the manual - well I can't even get to the manual sometimes if I don't know the program since the art of printing seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur and unless I know how to log into the program I can't read the online version.

Training companies are stretched to the limit but fortunately they are up to the challenge "Deploying & Administering Windows Vista: Hands On" (http://www.seminarinformation.com/event/23903) for example, came on the scene just about the same time as the software was released. Since there are all these new things to learn it's nice to know that seminar companies are still there to help.

Editor's Note: Read this blog entry and other posts about training at our sister blog, Training Day (the official blog of Training magazine). Get into the discussion on the latest training best practices, tools and strategies.

Going Beyond the Click-Through: Selecting the Right Partner

As director of lead generation for ON24 Inc., I am accountable not only for the quantity of leads but also the quality of those leads. For me, I track every lead to the source and determine how much I delivered to the sales pipeline. And when I discuss this with other marketers, they are surprised that I can do this!

Everyone wants to measure the return on marketing programs. But how do you fully measure the cost of your programs while maintaining the quality. Unfortunately, it’s rare for B2B marketers to purchase media buys based on a cost per lead (CPL) or cost per acquisition (CPA) basis.

In a two part posting, I will look at how I get beyond the click-through. This post focuses on selecting the right partner for you media buy. Sometimes it’s not where you place your insertion order but rather who you work with that can maximize your program. I’ll then follow up with tips and tricks for tracking your media buys.

• Know Your Media Rep: Without a CPA or CPL model for B2B, media reps will inevitably argue that the benefit is the number of impressions and great branding. I don’t need impressions. I need measurable results that I can report back to my CEO. Personally, I’ve never seen a banner ad without a call to action. The advertiser is always expecting leads. I’m no different. In order to get the insertion order, the media rep must understand and meet my marketing objectives quarter after quarter.


• Know My Business: My biggest turn off is when a media rep calls me and tries to sell a competitive product without knowing my company. I’m seeking a rep who understands my objectives. I look for a media rep who has researched my messages, previous ad and media buys, products, and more. This earns my trust and marketing dollars.


• References – The Good, Bad and Ugly: I’m seeking a partner to help me achieve my objectives. Part of my due diligence is hearing the whole picture, not just the good points. I learn a lot about a media rep based on the references she provides to me. And if it takes the media rep too long to provide a sales reference, this raises a red flag.

These are my top three considerations. Valerie Maltoni provided her “Dos and Don’ts of Corporate Pitching” at MarketingProfs Daily Fix. What are yours?

Recruiting – A Slow Reluctant March into Enemy Territory

By Tom Richards

How many times you have you heard this line: It's not about the products, it's about the people.  Yes, of course it is.  But sitting in on hundreds of presentations have shown me that a salesperson will go to product as soon as possible without establishing the rapport and potential trust that makes for a great presentation.  It’s where they feel comfortable; never mind what makes the customer feel comfortable.  So, are you sure you’ve hired the right person?

Some of you will have new selling seasons coming up shortly.  Others will have new people to interview several times a year.  And if you hire strictly on 'gut feeling,' your percentage of successful hires will be low.  Many managers make the mistake of hiring someone they have a good time interviewing.  Glad you're having fun but what you'll end up with is a group of people like you or they're people who are trying to be like you.  An eclectic group that will appeal to a wide range of customer personality styles is more productive and will establish a better customer experience.

WHITHER MARKETING? Part I

By Gerry Linda

Two years ago as a counselor to the Gerson Lehman Group I commented that the marketing model was broken and nothing had come a long as yet to replace it. I still think this is the case and would like to tell you why.

THE HISTORY OF MARKETING

Marketing was in the main invented in the

United States

in the mid-1950s and is one of the fundamental theoretical justifications for capitalism. It posits that the goal of the firm is to first discern the underlying wants and needs of customers and prospects and then to provide those goods and services in such a manner that customers are satisfied and profits are generated. Think Peter Drucker, who famously announced that the only assets a firm really has are its customers. Marketing thus provides a means for society to allocate resources in accordance with the wishes of the population.

Historically, the marketer used a toolkit that included control of the Product, control of the Price, control of Promotion and control of the Places where the goods were distributed. This rubric is the famous “4 P’s” of Eugene McCarthy, author of the most famous and widely adopted early marketing textbook.

Here’s more of a fast trip through marketing history:

• Invented in the 1950s, marketing came to the fore after the 1957 recession, which heralded the end of the exuberant post WW II buying spree. Immediately after the War virtually anything that could be manufactured was easily sold. There was a natural storm (in the good sense) of selling opportunity: consumer optimism was high because the War was over and had been won; savings were high because during the war little could be purchased; concomitantly, there was pent up demand; and millions of marriages followed the War’s end leading to millions of household formations and an orgy of spending. What a time to be a salesman!
• The early days of marketing, the 1960s, were characterized as those of “mass marketing.” This was when P & G, among others, invented the Brand Management system, when many of today’s national brands of consumer packaged goods first came into their own. Manufacturers had all the marketing information and controlled their channels of distribution. Soon, however, there was lots of competition and the marketing watchwords were “product differentiation.” The TV spot was chief form of consumer advertising and it was 60 seconds long.
• In the 1970s the so called marketing philosophy was adopted by more and more companies and articles were written about whether CEOs could be successful without marketing skills. Mass markets, it was learned, were very expensive and even unprofitable propositions for any but the top two or three brands in a category. Perhaps it would be better to be a big fish in a smaller pond than a little fish in a big pond. Hence, the 70s were the era of “market segmentation,” which is still a vital marketing strategy. By the end of this era, TV spots were still dominant, but they were 30 seconds long.
• By the 1980’s segments had yielded to still smaller-sized definitions termed “niches.” By now, too, the revolution that began with check-out scanners as a way of reducing head counts in supermarkets had also revealed a new sovereign. Retailers now solidly controlled the channel of distribution; Knowledge is King, as they say.
• The last 20 years or so have seen the rise of one-to-one marketing, which sounds like the ultimate manifestation of the marketing ideal. Satisfy the needs of customers one at a time with a product and marketing program geared to their exact needs. Think Dell computers, for example. Think database marketing, think CRM.

A FALSE PREMISE?

OK, so now it is 2007, 50 years or so after marketing was invented. Does the historic marketing philosophy still guide business? Alas no. In fact it never really did. Let’s take the 4 Ps, for example. In only a few cases of consumer packaged goods companies did anything like the marking philosophy ever really exist. Only in these organizations was marketing ever considered a “line” function, responsible for generating revenue. Everywhere else marketing was a staff function, which supports the line and is a cost center. This refers to all business–to-business sellers, and most of the large service providers, e.g., finance, banking, professional services, hospitals, etc.

And here’s what I’ve learned from regularly querying attendees at American Management Association marketing courses (middle managers from a Who’s Who list of companies). When marketing is a staff function, sales (or its equivalent) dominates. This was the case 50 years ago and is still the case today. Show me a VP Sales and Marketing, and I’ll show you a sales guy or gal. Further, engineering and product development specialists control the Product and marketing is lucky to be invited to meetings. The idea of competitive parity dominates and leads to many me too products—even though marketing knows that “we can make it here” is not a customer benefit. Marketing rarely even gets a seat at the Pricing table, around which assemble engineering, manufacturing, finance, and sales. The only items really controlled by marketing come in the promotional toolkit.

But even if the old model did not really apply everywhere, it nevertheless did provide a common understanding of how marketing worked and what it was supposed to do. This is the model that is broken. In Part II of this article we’ll diagnose more recent changes in the marketing discipline. (It’s not written yet so I can’t be sure they’ll be a prescription for what should be done.)

Gerry Linda is President of marketing consultancy, Gerald Linda & Associates. He can be reached at [email protected].

How to Lose the Sale Quickly & Easily

Here are five sure-fire ways to guarantee you will not get the sale;

Focus on yourself.

I recall meeting several salespeople from a variety of vendors regarding an initiative I was working on for a client. EVERY single person began their presentation by telling me about their company rather than learning about my needs and wants. I ended up being subjected to information that had little or no relevance to my situation, which meant that 20-30 minutes of my time was wasted in each interview. I understand the importance of providing some background information on your company at the beginning of your presentation but keep it brief. I personally don’t care how much your company is worth, how long you have been in business, or what projects you have recently completed. I want you to focus on my needs first. Demonstrate that you care about my particular situation or show that you are interested in learning more about my business needs and I will reward you with my full attention.

Don’t listen to the customer.

When I worked in the corporate world I gave countless salespeople information pertaining to my business requirements only to have them draft a proposal that did not take these needs into consideration. Don’t waste your prospect’s time asking questions if you are not going to listen to his responses. The best salespeople ask probing questions, take written notes, and clarify their understanding of the prospect’s needs at the conclusion of each meeting. This enables them to create a proposal that addresses the client’s specific concerns, issues and situation.

Make elaborate claims about your product/service.

I once had a salesperson claim that his product was completely unique from anything on the market. When I questioned what he meant, I discovered this “unique feature” was something that several other companies offered as well. This salesperson immediately lost any credibility he may have established and failed to close the sale. Do your research and learn what your competitors offer. Know how to position yourself differently without exaggerating or overstating your product or service.

Talk too much.

It continues to amaze me how many people think that telling is selling. I have window shopped in a variety of stores and excellent salespeople understand the importance of silence and have learned to become comfortable with it. Unfortunately, too many people talk far too much. I recall listening to a salesperson ramble on at great length about a product I was genuinely interested in purchasing. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a word in edgewise to tell him I wanted to buy it. In fact, when I told I wanted it, he tried talking me out of the sale by stating, “If you want some time to think about it, there’s no rush.” While I appreciated his low-pressure approach I couldn’t help but wonder how many sales he had lost in the past.

Do not respect your customer's time.

Today’s business executives are extremely busy. In fact, I recently read that most decision-makers have just one hour of unscheduled time during a given week. When you are granted an appointment or are talking to someone over the telephone, respect their time constraints. Get to the point quickly and keep your presentation concise and brief.

You may think these are pretty basic mistakes and you may believe you don’t make them. I suggest that you think otherwise. The majority of people who sell a product or service fall prey to these mistakes on a regular basis. Here is a final example;

When I was the manager of training for a large retail organization I was contacted by many sales trainers. One in particular, spoke at great length about the features of his program and how valuable it was because participants would learn how to effectively qualify customers. He told me that this workshop would teach people how to ask the right questions and listen to the answers. In turn, I would see a noticeable increase in sales. While I agreed with his concepts, I seriously doubted his ability to deliver. Why? He did not apply the concepts of his own workshop. In fact, he spent most of the allotted time talking rather than learning about my needs! If he didn’t practice what he preached, how could I be sure he would deliver?

Pay more attention to your prospect’s needs and respect their time. Avoid these common mistakes and increase your sales.

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals improve their results. Receive a FREE copy of “100 Ways to Increase Your Sales” by subscribing to his free newsletter available at http://www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or  [email protected].

Don't Believe the Hype

Recently, I had the opportunity to try out a new widely popular cell
phone belonging to a friend of mine. After going through all of the
highly publicized features and applications, I quickly came to realize
that my current laptop computer, not coincidentally, can perform the
exact same menial tasks and boast thousands more features than this cell
phone. But, what got me really thinking was that my laptop costs only a
few hundred dollars more than the phone--and that's not including the
service plan!

As I tried to explain this to my friend, he was unable to stop his
fixation on the fact that it made him " cool" and how much the media
claims it's revolutionary. That was when I knew that my friend had
become the victim of the hype monster.

Now, there's a difference between publicity and hype-- there is the
excellence expectation with the latter. Overly-hyped products are not
only dangerous (is this the right word?) to the consumer, but it can
also to the promoting organization. For many companies, having a large
amount of push means boosted sales, company recognition and consumer
loyalty. But this is not always the case, as many products can end up
significantly underwhelming the consumer and potentially hurt sales, the
company, the related industry and future hyped products.

Fortunately, for some companies, the hype around a product can be so
large that it protects against complete failure and salvages the
company's reputation. A great example is Sony's Playstation 3. Despite
lackluster reviews, a steep price tag and being panned by the New York
Times, its hype was so great that millions of consumers still purchased
it.

As for my friend's phone- I knew that no matter how good or poor the
reviews, this product would be successful from its hype alone. I just
let him know that next time he's going to spend $600-plus on a product
to make sure its because he alone wants it, not because everyone else
does.

Eight ways to make blogging pay off

The following advice will build on my previous post, where I shared the basic recipe for launching your own blog. I also hinted at my company's blogging results: exposure, leads, sales, credibility and brand equity for starters.

Here are a few things we learned along the way:

1. Be flexible. My company started with a blog from our CTO aimed at promoting our group chat technology. Since his time was limited and we have a CEO who's got the Vision Thing, well… we had two blogs in short order. I still saw some major market topics that needed addressing (and had a few personal notes to post as well), so soon we had three blogs – each with a distinct voice, which is important.
2. Cross-promote like crazy. We reference one another's blogs and link to them in our own posts. We reference key industry blogs and link to those, too. We find interesting posts in the blogosphere and post comments on those, giving those readers a chance to visit us. We "tease" our blogs on multiple pages of our web site and have a dedicated landing page. We cross-promote with our news releases, newsletters, podcasts and collateral. The trick is to reference the blogs whenever possible.
3. Develop a circle of friends. Link to bloggers who have linked to you. If you comment on another's blog, post the comment in your own blog and include a live link to the other person's blog. Join blog search engines like Technorati and Google, and provide links for readers to submit you to popularity-based sites like Digg and del.icio.us. What we learned is that you can get results by focusing on a small audience first. No need to boil the ocean!
4. Create a standard process for writing blogs. Rule number one: post regularly, whether that's once a week or once a month. Use Google alerts to collect a steady stream of news to comment on. Create an editorial calendar based on your communication priorities. Post spontaneously, make it personal and don't get overanxious about messaging consistency. This is not traditional marketing, so be real!
5. Create a blogging policy. Determine who can blog, who can comment on your blogs, who can comment on others' blogs and what content is off limits. For example: "Never blog about company financials or unannounced deals." We have a huge number of top tier customers but we refrain from mentioning names without their approval.
6. Sustain the momentum. Carve out time to keep on blogging. It's easy to lose steam once the novelty wears off, but it's worth the effort to keep going.
7. Check your logs. See how many visitors you're getting, which posts they're reading, what search terms they used to find you and how many readers are subscribing. How is blogging activity affecting your corporate web activity?
8. Look for results in unexpected places. As Gartner says, "Corporate blogs will have narrower appeal, but they can have industry impact that goes beyond raw traffic numbers." Blogs generate sales leads, become published articles, spark stories by influential journalists and give analysts something to think about. Analysts and reporters, by the way, have blogs, and they want traffic, too. Blogs often generate new messaging that the sales and PR teams can deploy to influence deals and seek higher level meetings ("Our CEO recently wrote a blog entry that might be of interest to your CIO, and he is in town next week, can we hook them up?"). They also make good pitches to secure speaking opportunities at industry events. In fact, we had unsolicited requests for articles and speakers from a blog entry that our CEO wrote on the beach one day. Now, THAT is delegating upwards!

My company has done all of this and we like the results we're getting. We have become recognized thought leaders in our industry because we've taken the initiative to share our thoughts in the first place, by blogging. We're seeing a greater interest in our solutions, a greater number of actionable sales leads and an upward trend in web traffic.

And, our executive team is more deeply involved than ever in public communication, keeping our message steady, fresh, relevant and effective. All of this constitutes pretty good ROI.

So … see you soon in the blogosphere. I'm sure we'll connect at some point.