Post Type: Blog
Stop Selling Stuff
Nothing happens, as they say, until someone sells something. Unfortunately, many executives and sales people are in the habit of saying the wrong things – and thus they miss opportunities to make things happen.
...Who Feels Ownership of Your Message?
It is a common, and quite natural, question. When some new branding or corporate message is rolled out, employees and other potential messengers will wonder (or even skeptically ask aloud), “Who came up with this message anyway?”
...3 Entrepreneurial Tips from Donald Trump’s First ‘Apprentice’
You might have noticed that a certain Donald Trump is getting a lot of attention these days. The chatter about Mr. Trump, as both presidential candidate and business mogul, is a reminder of his time as star of The Apprentice—and lessons that other business people were able to draw from a group of budding entrepreneurs. It reminds me specifically of Bill Rancic, the first winning ‘Apprentice’ and a very successful entrepreneur in his own right. Bill founded Cigars Around the World in a 400 square-foot studio apartment years before entering The Donald’s orbit.
...Two Out of Three Is Bad, Part 3: When the Management is Missing
A client in the technology/analytics space was expanding rapidly. This meant bringing in new sales people, account managers, and technical experts. They were hiring people all over the U.S., especially on the coasts where a lot of their clients are located. Their solution is complex, and their customers split between big end-users and smaller service providers who bundle the technology into their own offering. This would be a difficult management transition for any company.
...Why it’s Hard to Connect the Conversation
Most organizations aren’t that good at real-time customer conversations. You’ve likely experienced this as a consumer yourself, or you might have seen symptoms of message issues in your organization or in a client's company..
It’s difficult to present a coordinated and relevant series of messaging across all channels; a number of psychological and organizational forces get in the way. Here are five that separate organizations from good customer messaging:
Companies (and people) go for comfort.Salespeople tend to call on the same people and say the same things. At networking events, teams from the same company will gather by the shrimp cocktail to talk office politics among themselves rather than engage strangers. Yet prospective buyers, members, donors, or voters would actually like to see and hear something they didn’t already know.
...Customer Conversation Challenge 4: Culture
Does your company’s culture enable a great customer conversation?
“Culture” can seem like such a big, squishy concept that it’s (1) nearly impossible to define, (2) difficult to connect to daily behaviors, and (3) an imposed force which can’t be changed. My experience is that none of these are necessarily true.
I like the pithy definition of culture from Alan Weiss: “that set of beliefs which governs behavior.” That means culture is something that can indeed be changed, and not just by the founder or CEO. Essentially, if managers or teams can change some pieces of the belief system then the culture will change over time as well.
...Could Shell (or others) lure you to the expensive middle?
As I was standing at the gas pumps, cringing and preparing to fill the tank again, I noticed this Shell station’s clever use of a psychological shortcut. Do you see it?
You might reasonably assume that the three product options—Regular, V-Power, and Plus—would be arranged according to price with the lowest-priced variety on the left. However, the Shell people placed their highest-priced gas variety right in the middle.
Perhaps they did an online search and found this column which demonstrated how consumers tend to respond to a “center-stage effect.” People tend to disproportionately select product options that are place in the center, even when the number of choices or product features are varied.
...How Meeting Professionals are Meeting Needs — in a More Virtual World
What is the value of professional meetings when one can GoToMeeting without going to a meeting?
As someone who speaks at meetings, attends meetings, and uses virtual-meeting tools on a regular basis I am continually evaluating what works in various settings these days. And by “works” I consider the degree to which meeting participants gain knowledge (including cultural knowledge), specific skills, and confidence for performing better in their jobs.
On the PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) website Michelle Crowley shared this expert view:
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