Multiples

One of our clients swears the best thing I ever told him was to make a meeting before a scheduled meeting and make one after.

As long as you’re in the building/neighborhood/country plan another stop.

That means you need a stop-by rationale, tools, and research. However the meetings that create a favorable result are easy to remember.

When job hunting, a fruitful tactic once you have found an opportunity you like, is to locate a half dozen similar organizations and present a similar concept. They usually aren’t as far along in developing the opportunity, but your competition is sparse, too.

Software development and consulting, the biggest cost is creating the first copy. Margins are real high on copies.

Can you add to this meme?

SalesLab’s Rainmaker series returns to the Capital Technology Management Hub, Tuesday, September 13^th with 300 seconds of Mark Your Territory. The featured CTMH speaker will be Professor Steve Gladis, author of The Agile Leader. Come join us!

Analytics, Vision, and Reality Checks

I got another question about analytics from a business owner who was thinking about adding social media to her toolbox. She wanted to know what analytical tools she should be acquiring...even before moving beyond her website.

I’ve decided analytics are seductive, because they offer the promise of buying some packages and then knowing more. That should be a lot easier than writing blog posts, so that’s why we want them.

I know several weekend golfers who say, “There is nothing wrong with buying new equipment to cut strokes.” The only problem is, it seldom works. Playing three times a week improves my handicap.

A long time ago, Jack Gates challenged me, how did I know a blog post went to 200,000 people? “I count,” I replied. He subsided.

A week later he told me one of his posts went to seven hundred fifty thousand people. I didn’t ask. I already knew how he knew.

In a factory, a good manager can often tell me things about the customers that shape strategic direction. Owners think I’m a gifted consultant because I seek out their best managers and ask them.

Toys’R’Us was famous for putting in a cash register system that replenished inventory, which led to fewer out-of-stocks, and created more overstocks. They then had to solve the new problem.

I see analytics as an occasional tool, which when needed has delivered incredible insights the first time. Second time, not so much. Third time means calibration error.

Put another way, if you measure the wrong things, you get the wrong answers.

Google uses analytics as their sales tool. Analyze until you think you’ve discovered something, then place some bets to see how good your analysis works. Who knew placing bets on adwords would be a billion dollar business?

But in Google’s business operations I see some other tools that are possibly more valuable than analytics, especially where analytics is the wrong tool.

The first is vision. What should be?

Once you establish what should be, having somebody create it goes pretty quick.

I also see Google is quick to buy core or accessory technology as soon as they know they need it and find someone who’s got it.

Make or buy decision, increasing speed to market. That’s business 101.

I enjoy reading opinioners declare Google products failed. That’s usually because they don’t understand what just happened. They like completed stories, commonly agreed facts.

The innovator’s way is to improve the offering. Whether the press thinks something is a success or not is of little value.

How can you tweak the carb and change the tires to knock a half second off the run?

And then do it again?

The third tool is the reality check. My best example of a reality check was intoned by the Reverend Johnson in the management training film Blazing Saddles (caution bad words...it's Mel Brooks!) No matter where you are in the process, you need to keep one eye on the goal line, as especially these days, goal lines have a habit of changing.

So there you have it. As much as we hope for magic analytics, the right analytics work best with the right vision and an ongoing reality check.

Or as my favorite yogi has written, “You can observe a lot just by watching.”

Your Comment?

Sales Lab’s Rainmaker series returns to the Capital Technology Management Hub, Tuesday, September 13^th with 300 seconds of MarkYour Territory. The featured CTMH speaker will be Professor Steve Gladis, author of The Agile Leader. Come join us!

Rainmaker # 7 - Mark Your Territory

Animals mark their territory to help keep competitors away. I think it also helps to remind the hunted (prospects) they may be dinner someday.

In business we also mark our territory – by letting folks know who we are and what we offer.

How?

Tell them.

Show them.

Remind them.

Tell them on your website and blog about your capabilities and what you offer.

-No Website? No Blog? No Business!

Show them your results through recommendations and stories/articles from the client's point of view – how they benefited from your work.

- How do you get recommendations? Ask!

Remind them by always leaving something of value with them whenever you 'touch' them – which includes your contact information.

- Who you are, how to reach you, where to learn more (website/blog), and a bookmark for what you offer (tag line or catchphrase).

Mark your territory by being visible – even when out of sight - and findable, while familiarizing your prospects on your capabilities and results.

One final point: Never!!! go to a meeting naked – no business cards; no handout, no nametag. Marking territory is full time work.

Sales Lab’s Rainmaker series returns to the Capital Technology Management Hub, Tuesday, September 13^th with 300 seconds of MarkYour Territory. The featured CTMH speaker will be Professor Steve Gladis, author of The Agile Leader. Come join us!

The previous Rainmakers:

Rainmaker # 6 - Networking – Are you Being Served?

Rainmaker # 5 – Start With An Offer

Rainmaker #4 – Time, Talent, and Treasure

Rainmaker #3 – Process to Purchase

Rainmaker #2 – The Nametag

Rainmaker #1 - Gifts

Welcome!

“They're rioting in Africa, they're starving in Spain.
There's hurricanes in Florida, and Texas needs rain.
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls.

...And I don't like anybody very much! ”

Kingston Trio

There’s August ugly in the Congress and citizens, media and bloggers, students and teachers and facebook, police and crims, workers and management, you name it.

When you get that many groups affected, it’s not them, it’s some kind of social paradigm shift.

What I see is we are all, for better or worse, dealing with new levels of technology, some of it really poorly designed, which can make it harder to do a good job than before we were burdened with all that helpful technology.

Defensive behavior is to huddle down, poking at the busted process, spending long hours on rework and wrong results.

I was recruited to revitalize an important program that affects the public and private sector, and draws support from government, commercial, academic, and not-for-profit sectors. I was recruited because I think it’s important.

The program was being throttled by mindless, useless, creeping administrivia. 

I slashed the reporting, the waiting, and the disappointment, while increasing the immediate benefit for customers, participants, and sponsors. Biggest complaint now is it doesn’t look the same.

As part of the program, I went to a secure installation watching an unending progress prevention protocol, which was getting everyone involved testy. I measured something close to 300% rework from the original plan, zero benefit.

On the way home I stopped at Costco to get some printer ink refilled. The gate guard looked like the people at the other gate. She was operating screens, scanners, and manual apparatus and charged with keeping the riffraff out. I’m sure her systems didn’t work any better than other systems.

But she had one other responsibility I hadn’t seen anywhere else that day.

As I walked through, she said enthusiastically, “Welcome to Costco!” and flashed a pretty good smile. I smiled back, so she smiled more, so I smiled more...and suddenly this was a different, better experience.

It’s not worshiping and worrying the busted process, it is paying attention to the people that gets the results we want. Or as that Kingston Trio litany to unhappiness finishes:

“What nature doesn't do to us, will be done by our fellow man.”

Ah, wisdom of the ancients!

Your Observations Invited

Sales Lab’s Rainmaker series returns to the Capital Technology Management Hub, Tuesday, September 13^th with 300 seconds of Mark Your Territory. The featured CTMH speaker will be Professor Steve Gladis, author of The Agile Leader. Come join us!

A Dozen Golden Nuggets from the Blog Lab Event

The WebManager's Roundtable and Dick Davies put on a powerful practical workshop for active organizational bloggers – covering a broad range of attendee inspired topics, such as process – better/easier blogging; managing – avoiding blogger burnout or lighting the flame; volume – achieving greater distribution & getting more readers; comments – being a comment shill & reader contributions; and writing – finding the voice the readers want & building relationships.

From the wealth of material at the front of the room and tips and techniques shared by bloggers, here's some of the best - a dozen golden nuggets:

• Always be thinking about your next blog and potential topics as you attend meetings, events, have conversations, read others – what can I add of value
• The Rule of One – one thought per sentence; one subject per paragraph; one topic per blog post
• On Editing: overworking a blog is like overworking a piece of metal – eventually it weakens & breaks
• About comments: do you invite them; conduct reader surveys; use the recent or most commented widgets; comment on other blogs; give a timely reply to all comments received or acknowledge them; and reuse the comments (with attribution) in other places
• Every post must have a purpose – as the test: Why would you want to read this post?
• A post offers another view; advocates a position; shares thoughts & ideas; educates; illustrates; and gives desirable alternatives – be clear in your mind and consistent within the post what you are seeking achieve
• Successful bloggers set a goal and run to meet that goal – e.g., 5 paragraphs, 10 lines, two posts per week
• Web 1.0 was push oriented – put it out there; Web 2.0 was two-way oriented – asynchronous dialogue; Web 3.0 is just now coming in with computers using comments, reader feedback, news, and other data sources to create content on the internet
• Timeliness is important when blogging; credibility is critically important as a blogger
• Analytics are useful to a point – don't obsess on them
• What a quick gauge of the influence of a post – Google the title to see who is reposting it and commenting on other sites
• A snappy title can draw in readers – scan Buzz for current hot phrases for ideas for your headlines

And #13 for a baker's dozen: just as you may have different private and public personalities, as a blogger you have an electronic (on-line) persona – the you that appears to your readers through your blog and posts; establish and refine your voice as a blogger and work to strike a clear picture of who you are and remain consistent to that image – don't write like a professor one day and a comedian the next. This is who the readers are developing a relationship with and who they will follow in Google Reader.

Comments keep the learning going – please share your nuggets to help us all learn to blog better.