Archive for November, 2010

To Party or Not

Monday, November 29, 2010 by:David Zahn
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This time of the year is when many companies wrestle with how to acknowledge the season and how to show their appreciation for both their employees and their customers or clients.  The issue of HOW to behave will be addressed in numerous articles, tv stories, blogs, and the like; but WHETHER to hold a party or not; and WHO to invite to the party; and WHAT kind of party to hold continues to perplex executives confronting the issue.

Companies must decide whether to hold a party or not.

Importance of Actions, Not Words

One company walking that line between showing sincere appreciation for employees and customers during this holiday party season without overdoing it is Cohen and Wolf PC.  Unlike some other companies that have recently had to reconsider their approach to parties given the economy or other factors; they have always had a low-key approach to internal parties during the holidays.  Dan Nagel, a Principal in the firm’s Real Estate and Common Interest Group, and a member of the firm’s Marketing Committee shares that; “the firm has always held three holiday parties. One has always been a staff only party (no spouses) held at a local restaurant where a grab bag of nominal value gifts is exchanged.  A second is a black tie party for attorneys, senior staff and their spouses.  Third, a potluck and hor d’voures tasting get together for attorneys and staff in our office “. Nagel differentiates their approach from some other companies by pointing out that, there is no lavish 400 person ball and there are no 3rd parties included.”  On a smaller scale, Southport Veterinary Hospital chooses to keep things very informal.  Dr. Patricia Hart noted that, “we don’t do any big party for clients or ourselves.  We just do a small restaurant thing for staff.”

Fairfield county restaurants contacted for this article added that while they are booking holiday parties at a level comparable to previous years, there is a greater emphasis on controlling menu options available for party-goers, ancillary expenses, and going alcohol-free for the parties.  Some companies are controlling costs by switching to employees only, timing it for lunches vs. dinners, and weekdays vs. weekends.

Avoiding Client Backlash

Cohen and Wolf is very attuned to the appearance of holding lavish parties inappropriately while clients or others in the community may be struggling in the current economy or political environment. Dan Nagel commented that; “the firm’s 50th anniversary happened to coincide with the tragedy of 9/11 and was delayed and held as a much more sedate occasion than an over-the-top party.  The firm’s 60th anniversary is scheduled for next year and we are very conscious of planning an event will not be appropriate for the economic climate and not be excessive.”

Like many companies, the company does thank clients with various gifts of appreciation throughout the year to acknowledge their gratitude for the business, but very keenly avoids trying to solicit business through gift-giving.  Nagel recounted that the emphasis on offering meaningful gifts that are chosen specifically based on that client and relationship, “We have season tickets to many of the local teams, but as often as not, those tickets go unused because there is no attempt to force attorneys to use tickets with clients that would have no interest.  Rather, a meal at a vegan or kosher restaurant for a client with dietary restrictions is much more appreciated.  Toward the end of the year to express our appreciation, we provide significant clients with memory/USB devices, water bottles, wine sets with corkscrews, and other gifts that are both functional and able to serve as thank-yous to our clients.”

The holiday party dilemma is one that requires a level of finesse, insight, and aplomb to pull off well and not risk alienating customers or employees.  As such, the decisions made should be consistent with the current times and economy – but also allow the company to express their appreciation for those that have contributed to their business performance throughout the year.

The New Truths About PR (Part 2)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 by:David Zahn
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In the previous column, David Meerman Scott shared some ideas about how business owners can leverage the new media options to maximize their business performance. In this second and final column, Mr. Scott concludes answering additional questions. As a reminder, he will be speaking at the FCPRA in Stamford, CT on November 22nd (register at www.fcpra.org.).  Scott’s most recent book has recently hit the best seller list on both the Wall Street Journal and USA Today as of 11/7/10.

David Meerman Scott, Expert in Social Media to speak in Fairfield County

 

6.       Is it best for the CEO to participate or to have a professional staffer do it?

DMS: Only people who are passionate about a subject should participate. If the CEO is passionate about the business then they should be communicating. (I fear for you if your CEO has no passion. Probably time to quit your job.) NEVER should a CEO employ a ghost writer!!! The more people that participate in your company – the more you benefit. The mind-set has to start at the top. If your leaders get the need for real-time speed they must give explicit permission and proactively advocate cultural change at all levels. Companies who are wiling to take the challenge of participation in real time have the potential to create a new market niche, and a competitive edge by delivering faster than everybody else.

Of course, the downside is that without a plan for how to share and what to share online – the potential damage done by an untrained person can be enormous. Social media mistakes can hamper the best intentions of any corporate executive.

7.       What resources exist to learn how to do it “right?”

DMS: Dare I say that my books: The New Rules of Marketing and PR and Real-Time Marketing and PR are great starts? Both are bestsellers and New Rules is now in its second edition, and is published in 26 languages from Bulgarian to Vietnamese

Of course, the presentation given on the 22nd will address many of the tips and techniques included in the books, as well.

8.       How do you measure success? What is the objective?

DMS: How are sales? How many people are talking about you? How many people are recommending you to their networks? Are you having fun?

Like all marketing efforts, if there is no clear benefit or advantage derived from the participation in social media, then it needs to be re-assessed and improved so that it does create a positive outcome.

9.       What can one do to monitor or track social media influence?

DMS: Monitoring what’s being said and using social Web analytics to make reacting to it a part of your organizational culture is critical for any business that is serious about operating in real time.  Two free tools to use right now if you are not already are news and blog alerting tool like Google Alerts and a Twitter client like TweetDeck. Enter your company name, products, services, and category of product and monitor what’s happening.

10.   What companies do it best? 

DMS: I love talking about the US military. All 3 million members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard are encouraged to be active in social media. If the Pentagon brass have overcome fear, so can you.

11.   How do you cut through the clutter of all of the inane chatter about personal nonsense to share a business message?

 DMS: You understand that in today’s real time revolution, the swift are out front, and you EARN attention online by creating something that is interesting and publishing it online for free: A YouTube video, blog, research report, series of photos, twitter stream, ebook, and the like. Instead of creating jargon-filled, hype-based advertising, you create online content that your buyers naturally gravitate to.

12.   How should marketing budgets be allocated between and among PR/Advertising/Social Media?

DMS: How do you allocate budget for the telephone? I think online communications is not a nice to have. It is essential, like the phone, and therefore should not be thought of as a budget item.

13.   How do I decide whether to blog/LinkedIn/Twitter/Facebook or do anything else/nothing at all?

DMS: Before you decide this, you need to decide who you want to reach and which tool will work best on your or your company’s behalf for doing so. You must also decide what content you will use to engage the audience with those tools. Whether you are a solopreneur or a major corporation content has in many ways leveled the playing field. When you build content especially for your audience, you build a relationship with people before you’ve even met them. When it’s obvious you understand your buyers and their problems, it jars your visitors into paying attention.

 For more insight and discussion around the evolving fields of marketing, PR, social media, etc.; be sure to register for the presentation at www.fcpra.org.

The New Truths About PR (Part 1)

Sunday, November 14, 2010 by:David Zahn
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Come hear David Meerman Scott in Stamford

One of the most disconcerting things that can happen in business is that once the owner believes they have figured out what to do, what works, and how to do it; the capabilities and requirements change.  The “rules of the game” shift and what once was seen as progessive is now outmoded or replaced by newer methods of performing.  This is perhaps nowhere as true as it is in Marketing and Public Relations.  With the speed of change in technology, the pervasisveness of social  networks, and the cultural acceptance of many of the new sites and platforms for communication; there has been a revolution in how to integrate the use of social networks into one’s marketing and public relations efforts. 

 On November 22nd, the Fairfield County Public Relations Association (FCPRA) will host renowned expert, author, and consultant, David Meerman Scott in Stamford at the Italian Center for a breakfast meeting scheduled to start at 7:30am to discuss how businesses can leverage the “real-time marketing skills” needed to compete in today’s marketplace. In what promises to be an illuminating presentation, Scott will address issues including:

  • How real-time marketing and public relations can help and hurt today’s communications professionals;
  • Ways in which the Internet fundamentally impacts the way in which we do business; and
  • How speed and agility are a major advantage in today’s competitive marketplace.

David Meerman Scott will speak in Stamford on November 22nd.

 Scott recently answered a number of questions posed to him in anticipation of his presentation addressing the new truths of real-time marketing and PR.

1.       Define social media (what it is, what it is not)

DMS: Most discussions about “Web 2.0” and “social media” focus on the technology . We hear discussions about blogging, blog software, YouTube, and tools like Twitter and Facebook. But what few people have figured out is what kind of content brings out the enormous potential of this technology. What that requires is understanding your buyers and building the content to get them to notice your ideas.

  1. So, in essence, the need for being customer-focused supercedes the enticement to use social media to explore the outer reaches of what the technology “can do.”
  2. 2.    What are the “new rules” vs. advertising and PR?

DMS: Many marketers steeped in the tradition of product advertising naturally feel drawn to prattle on and on about their products and services. Marketers need to understand this, “Nobody cares about your products and your services (except you).” What people do care about are themselves and how a product can solve their problems. Instead of hyping products and services, new rules demand that marketers/companies create interesting, compelling and useful online content for their potential customers.  In all your communication, think how it benefits the customer, not what’s in it for you. 

3.       What are the “dangers” of participating in social media?

DMS: The only danger is choosing to not actively participate online because even if you choose as a company to not participate, your brand and your company are still being talked about.  Many company executives and PR people trace their worries about social media to their belief that “people will say bad things about our company.” This fear leads them to ignore blogs, online forums and prohibit employee social media participation. But the benefit of this kind of communication is that you can monitor in real-time what’s being said and respond appropriately. You can meet your customers’ needs in real-time and that’s an incredible advantage over your competitors.

Of course, we have recently also seen CEO’s like John Mackay run into trouble when he blogged under an assumed name about the merger with Wild Oats Markets.  Steve Jobs, of Apple has also been criticized for how he has answered customer posts on blogs and corporate bulletin boards.  So, while it is advisable that companies not shy away from social media, it is also appropriate to realize that whatever is shared will be subject to review by anyone and everyone.

4.      What should companies do to make sure they are adhering to good “brand messages” in social media that are on strategy?

DMS: I think the nature of “brand messages” is inherently dangerous because it forces marketers to be stupid because it means that companies talk in an egotistical manner. The right thing is to forget about you and focus on your buyers and your marketplace and let that drive how you communicate.  

5.       Is Social Media private communication or not?

DMS: Everything you put on this Web is accessible and it will continue to be so.

Here in Connecticut, there is heightened interest in this issue as a woman was recently fired over Facebook posts.

Part 2 will include additional questions with David Meerman Scott in preparation for his presentation to the FCPRA to be delivered in Stamford.  For tickets, please go to http://fcpra.org/.

Does Nostalgia Sell?

Friday, November 12, 2010 by:David Zahn
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As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, many of us begin to reminisce about the smells, tastes, and memories of going back “home” (whether home is a few time zones away or just down the street). In the haze of our recollections, we tend to romanticize our experiences and heighten the more positively prominent aspect of our history or legacy. We also tend to downplay the negative or view it through a different lense. The tension, hurt feelings, having to sit at the “kid’s table,” etc. now are remembered much more fondly than when they were a more current experience.

For most people, the thought of returning to a place we are familiar with and know well (and are well- known)  is sought after much more commonly than a place we are unfamiliar with or from which we feel disconnected.  However, that insight seems to be discounted by many business people and experts. 

Conventinal Wisdom

 If an entrepreneur were to listen to most business experts, read the latest writings of gurus, or investigate what passes for progressive thinking, s/he would comer away believing that one must constantly be innovative, re-create the business to adapt to new realities, and seek to re-invent onself.  And, it is hard to argue with any recommendation that suggests that the business owner should constantly be vigilant about monitoring, measuring, and challenging the relevance of the business versus customer expectations, competitive realities, and current economic pressures.  However, taken to an extreme, the business begins to resemble a “Flavor of the Month” entity and loses what makes it the company it was, has been, and potentially is and will be into the future.

So, how does one align remaining contemporarily relevant, and not losing what made it “home” for previous customers, shoppers, or clients?

Personal Example

Nathan's is best in Coney Island

My personal experience with this is around the hot dogs, french fries, and orange drinks available at an outdoor seating restaurant in Coney Island, NY called Nathan’s.  Living in Connecticut, it is a rare treat to head down to Brooklyn (3 hours or so), stand in a line 20 deep, have to step over and around all of the bird droppings, pigeons begging for food, avoid the spilled saurkraut, mustard and ketchup on the ground, and then have to battle for a seat at one of the outdoor tables that have not been wiped down from previous diners since the Carter Administration, or choose to eat over a filled garbage can and swat away the bees or flies that attempt to share the meal with you.

How appetizing does that sound to you?  Of course, it does not at all.  And yet, even though there are now “outposts” of Nathan’s restaurants in airports and in free-standing locations, those are not nearly as desirable as the “original.”  Afficianados even maintain that somehow the food tastes better BECAUSE it is eaten in that environment.  They maintain that the “pain” of the experience enhances the enjoyment.

What Is the Application?

So, what can be done to take a lessons learned approach to this seemingly random experience? 

Businesses are sometimes best served to remain as tey have been if there is a “legacy memory” that exists.  When Nathan’s attempts to expand their menu (they tried pizza for awhile), it is not endorsed by the customers.  One goes to Nathan’s for hot dogs, crinkle cut french fries and perhaps one or two other items.  Trying to be “fashionable” and appeal to those with different tastes is outside their ability.  No one would ever consider ordering a Chicken Satay (if it even existed on their billboard menu) or think of asking for a garden salad. 

 A recent article on innovation ran in Forbes that speaks to the problems that some businesses confront when they attempt to innovate and run the risk of diffusing their identity in the marketplace.  Sometimes, it is best to just be what and who you are, warts and all.  Afterall, it is family!

Working Out Without The Sweat

Wednesday, November 3, 2010 by:David Zahn
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As we approach the holidays, many of us are concerned about not indulging in bad dietary habits and then having to live with the guilt of weight gain. To combat the excesses of holiday eating, many of us will have to endure the sweat, pain, and fatigue of working out.  Contrarily, businesses have a chance to work out as well, but their workout is not nearly as tiring, does not cause perspiration, and in fact; actually makes things easier and more productive.

Began at GE

As with many business initiatives,Fairfield’s  General Electric (GE) was at the forefront of a particular business improvement process.  Since the late 1980′s GE has been conducting a methodology for reducing complexity in business processes and improving employee accountability for results.  The process is referred to as “GE WorkOut” and has now been adapted by many other companies to help them create more productivity and efficiencies.  The process is focused on:

  • Streamlining existing processes and simplify the steps/complexity of procedures
  • Reduce and eliminate work tasks that do not contribute value
  • Identify and prioritize new business needs/initiatives quickly
  • Reduce the time required to make decisions
  • Increase the level of compliance with new initiatives
  • Improve implementation support for business processes
  • Empower workforces to asssume responsibility for results (ownership of outcomes).

How it Works

The WorkOut process is implemented by bringing members of cross-functional groups (stakeholders in the outcome, production, delivery, or other involvement) together and ensuring that those closest to the work output can contribute recommendations that can be acted upon fairly immediately.  Ordinarily, recommendations are tied to action plans and implemented within three months (90 days).  Senior management is linked into the process by providing oversight and guidance on the strategic imperatives or most important priorities forbusiness  improvement.

When correctly implemented, the WorkOut process builds synergies across different functional silos that often emerge within organizations to focus attention on business issues that are shared or experienced in common across departments.  Further, it serves to reduce the disparity in views on issues between the management team and those tasked with performing job tasks. Lastly, it also encourages shared values that positively impact the business without regard for organizational structure, managerial level, tenure, etc.  The internal morale and commitment to the organization therefore often improves.

The WorkOut process includes immediate follow up and action planning to implement recommendations.  Unlike other committees that are formed to “study” issues and rarely take the steps to recommend actions to improve results.  The WorkOut process is most effective when it can be implemented and focused on solving a business issue that cuts across multiple functions and has the endorsement and support of senior managers, while also assigning the right mix of people that are empowered to act upon the output of the WorkOut team’s recommendations.

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."

Importance of Team

As anyone who has ever been part of a group or a team tasked with achieving an objective can attest, if the group is not universally committed to the same goal, the chances of succeeeding is greatly diminished.  In many organizations, management makes decisions without a full appreciation for what those decisions may mean for those that have to execute or implement them.  Those that have responsibility for ensuring that work is completed correctly according to management’s wishes are often left feeling under-appreciated and as if management is disconnected from the ramifications of those decisions.

Michael Jordan famously commented that, “talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”  The WorkOut process provides opportunity for team members to collaborate to ensure that the work is done according to realistic contraints, and done in a way that maximizes the skills of the team members.