Marketing Mistakes your Company is probably making

Scott has (once again) come up with  an embarrassing list to check yourself against. I cringed at most of the responses for me; like most of us I guess but I learned more about my business in the five minutes  it took to read than any amount of consultancy and therapy  I've ever had. 

Have fun and go to a quiet place to read this, where no one can hear you sob gently.

1. You’re not That Guy.
2. You’re not remarkable.
3. You’re not blogging yet.
4. You’re not marketing daily.
5. You’re not focused at ALL.
6. You’re not using Google Alerts.
7. You’re not word of mouth worthy.
8. You’re not building a permission asset.
9. You’re not reading Seth Godin’s books.
10. You’re not giving enough away for free.
11. You’re not building a timeline of credibility.
12. You’re not the origin; you’re just the echo of someone else’s idea.
13. You’re not leveraging your media appearances in every possible way.

14. You ARE getting talked about, but you don’t know who’s doing the talking.
15. You ARE remarkable, but you’re not relevant. Or worthwhile. Or marketable.
16. You ARE blogging, but you’re not disciplining yourself blog every single day.
17. You ARE blogging every day, but your posts are too long, too safe, uninteresting, unfocused and written with poor architecture and ZERO Call to Action.

18. You’re saying WAY too much.
19. You’re creating noise, not music.
20. You’re trying to force word of mouth.
21. You’re the observer, not the observed.
22. You’re trying to hard to convince people.
23. You’re trying to be the arrow instead of the target.
24. You’re worried about marketshare, not mindshare.
25. You’re interrupting people, not interacting with them.
26. You’re relying on your customers to connect the dots.
27. You’re marketing efforts cause customers to hear FROM you, not ABOUT you.
28. You’re trying too hard to be authentic, which results in you NOT being authentic.
29. You’re sitting around waiting for your annoying, low-rent YouTube video to “go viral.”
30. You’re using WAY too much text on EVERYTHING. (Come on. Nobody’s gonna read all that crap.)

31. You’re (still) calling it “marketing.”
32. You’re (still) calling them “customers.”
33. You’re (still) wasting your money on advertising.
34. You’re (still) using Papyrus as your company’s primary font.

35. You think people care.
36. You think people have time.
37. You think customers aren’t smart.
38. You think putting up a MySpace page is (actually) going to help grow your business.

39. You don’t know who you are.
40. You don’t have enough samples out there.

41. You take too long to return calls and emails.
42. You stop marketing when you become successful.
43. You have a strong web-SITE, but a weak web-PRESENCE.

44. Your marketing looks like marketing.
45. Your goal is to make money, not create positive change.
46. Your company name includes words like “Associates,” “Communications,” “Creative,” “Kwik,” “Premiere,” “Solutions,” “Deluxe” and “Ultimate.”

6 drivers of change

I thought I’d write a short post providing some immediate reflections from an interesting panel discussion I f read about  today.

The panel, titled “Innovation: Change Happens,” featured Dow Corning Chairman, CEO and President Stephanie Burns, Eastman Kodak President and COO Phil Faraci, and Procter & Gamble Chairman and CEO A.G. Lafley. It was part of the Newspaper Association of America and American Society of News Editors “Capital Conference 2008.”

Each of the panelists provided a short account of their respective company’s change efforts and answered audience questions. The six key points that seemed to be in common across the three companies were:

• The need for a crisis or some kind of “burning platform” to motivate transformational change
  
• A clear vision and strategy … that allows room for iteration
  
• A recognition that transformation is a multi-year journey
  
• A need to put the customer or consumer in the center of the transformation equation
  
• The critical importance of demonstrating to skeptics that different actions can lead to different results
  
• The need to over-communicate to employees, customers, stakeholders, and shareholders
  

The Two Big Questions

In new New Product Development or indeed any new business venture there is one critical question to address first. If you don't know the answer you are in grave danger of producing  just a me too or a karaoke product and service. If my local pub karaoke evening is anything to go by this means simply a poor impersonation of  something better.

What's going on?
To answer that we need to provide answers to 5 critical questions

What’s the problem.
What needs to be fixed, and what is the driver for changing it?

What’s the impact? 
What effect doesn’t this problem have and why is it so important?

What’s the information?
What do we know about the problem, what is the root cause and what else do we need to know? 

Who’s involved?
Who exactly is this problem important too, who is a stakeholder, beneficiary or looser if it doesn’t get fixed?

What’s the vision? 
What is the future position we can imagine that would reslove this problem?

answer those and then comes the next big question

What is success? 

This really is about Imagining the future 

• What will the company report say in three years?
  
• What will a future press release read like?
  
• How can you describe the future if the problem if it is solved or reversed?
  

The right question

Unless you ask the Right Question- it doesn't matter how good the rest of your work is

21 Beautiful Questions for the Entrepreneur

My 21 beautiful questions for any new business to ask itself.... and should keep asking daily

1. How can you charge a premium price so you have a large margin to provide an extraordinary value & experience?

2. What is the ‘Reason Why’ customers should do business with you and pay you a premium.

3. What rules do we want to make the rules for your business and how can you prevent industry norms dictate how you’ll work or who you’ll work with.

4. How can you create your business around your life instead of settling for your life around your business?

5. How can we constantly force ourselves to focus on the ‘critically few’ proactive activities that produce exponential results. And prevent getting get caught up in minutia & bullshit?

6. How can we minimise start-up risk but have maximum upside potential?

7.How can you get your idea out there as fast as possible even if it’s not quite ready by setting must-hit deadlines. Let the market tell you if you have a winner or not. If not – move on and fail forward fast! If it’s got potential – then you can make it better.

8. How can you find partners and team members who are strong where you are weak and appreciate being paid on results?

9. How can you avoid ever get paid based on hours worked.

10. How can you leverage your marketing activities exponentially by using direct response methods and testing?

11. How can you measure and track your marketing so you know what’s working and what’s not?

12. How best to Bootstrap? Having too much capital leads to incredible waste and doing things using conventional means.

13.Keep asking the right questions to come up with innovative solutions. “How?”, “What?”, “Where?”, “Who Else?” & “Why?” open up possibilities. How can you get the headspace to realise never have a perfect business and you’ll never be totally “done”? Deal with it.

14.How can you focus most of our time on your core strengths and less time working in areas you suck at?

15. How can you make it easier for customers to buy by taking away the risk of the transaction by guaranteeing what you do in a meaningful way?

16.How can you have something else to sell (via upsell, cross-sell, follow-up offer, etc) whenever a transaction takes place? The hottest buyer in the world is one who just gave you money.

17.How can you fire your most annoying customers? They’ll be replaced with the right ones.

18.How can you prevent the market from beating you down into being just a commodity? and how can  you develop and build your business’s personality so that it that stands out. People want to buy from people.

19.How can you create your own category so you can first in the consumer’s mind?

20.What is the opposite direction competitors are headed – how can you go there ? You’ll stand out.

21. How can we do the unexpected before and after anything goes wrong so customers are compelled to ‘share your story’?

Sharing and caring pays the bills

I often get asked why I blog and give away so much information so freely?

One of my mentors once told me that only by learning and sharing do you get the right to learn more. Thats on the wall of my office. But there is a much more pragmatic reason. Because, as a marketing tool both for me and the business I am involved with, it works and is the cornerstone of my own values and practice. Not just because it is fun and gives me a warm fuzzy feeling but it pays in the long run. And I've proved it over and over again. Yes, some take advantage but they are generally people you wouldn't want as customers anyway. and thats is their problems. Anxiety over al sorts of stuff generally keeps the wrong person awake at night.

For me there are simply 7 actions I focus on. All result in the building a reputation ( Hopefully for common sense and genuine interest in my clients) and developing dialogues with existing and potential customers.


No 1. Give away valuable information

All of your marketing should revolve around this law. Articles,
reports, surveys, teleclasses and other valuable information gives
prospects a real taste of what your business and services are all
about. And these days you can distribute this information
practically for free via email and the web.

No 2. Share valuable resources

When you make an initial connection with someone, it's not
unusual that you learn of a resource they are looking for. It could
be a tip on how to add sound to PowerPoint or a book on how to
work with virtual assistants.

If you know of a resource, let them know and follow up after the
meeting with an email with the information or an online link.
Make it a habit to be a resource and people won't forget you.

No 3. Give free bonuses with your services and products

A bonus can be an enticement to work with you: "When you book
X months of work with me, you'll also receive a copy of this
planning software." Or "If you buy two online products You'll get a
third one for free."

However, it's more than an enticement. It adds real value that
can make a difference to your clients or customers. And if it helps
them get better results, you get more positive word of mouth.
Everyone wins and your cost is minimal.

No 4. Give leads to clients and associates

People value good leads to potential clients. Sometimes they'll
reciprocate, of course. But a good lead that results in a new client
also buys you some access or time with your associate where you
can expand your collaboration.

For instance, you send a lead to an associate and that lead turns
into a good client. You then follow up with the associate and say:
"I'm glad John became a client. I'm sure he'll be happy with your
services. You know, I'd like to sit down with you and brainstorm
some ways we could help each other grow our businesses."

No 5. Give something away to the associates of your clients

This law can create powerful leverage. Say you have a number of
clients who have associates and clients who are also good
potential clients for you. If your client has been happy with your
services, they will often be happy to spread the word about you.
You'd be surprised how generous people can be.

Let them know you've put together a valuable report, a recording,
a teleclass or a live presentation. And then work out a way to offer
this to the clients and associates of your client. It needs to be a
triple-win. The associates win because they receive something of
value. You win because you get access to potential clients. And
your client wins because they are seen as a valuable resource.

No 6. Send written and emailed thank-you notes

Good business is conducted in an atmosphere of gratitude. When
you give, you'll also get in return. You'll also receive valuable
information, resources, bonuses and leads. And you want to
accept these with an open heart and with thanks.

And the best way to make that thanks real is with a written note.
Email will do for little things like the exchange of information and
resources. But when someone goes out of their way to help you,
give you a lead, or assist your business in some way, send a
hand-written card. It goes a long way.

No 7. Give away complimentary sessions by phone

I've left this one to last because it's so important, and for many,
it can be the key to filling a professional practice. At its heart, a
complimentary session is an opportunity to assist a prospect in
getting clear about where they are going, what's in the way, and
what they need to do next.

Sounds simple, but it's not a conversation many business people
have the opportunity to engage in. To focus 100% on a prospect's
situation, dreams and challenges can be a life-changing
experience. And it often paves the way to introduce your services
which can facilitate the realization of their dreams.

Hope this helps.

Follow up questions

The Art of the Follow-up

You may have heard the assertion that people are more afraid of
public speaking than death.

I don't yet have the statistics to back it up yet, but I think the
fear of picking up the phone and calling someone you don't know,
trumps both of these.

I've met many people who have little fear of public speaking, but
I've seen several grown men and women quake with fear at the
prospect of making follow-up calls. In fact, many long years ago, I
was one of those people!

A follow-up call means calling someone by phone whom you've
previously met and who might be a prospect for your services. It
could also be a lead you've received from an associate or an
attendee from a talk or presentation.

The follow-up call is the pivotal action between marketing and
selling. Marketing warms up the selling process, but the follow-up
call is the key action that furthers the business relationship and
often secures the appointment.

To call or not to call, that is the question.

Not only do we not like making follow-up calls, we tend to do a
bad job of them when we finally get around to it. It's not
uncommon that we avoid them altogether, hoping that interested
prospects will call us back instead.

However, when I meet the very rare person who is good at
making follow-up calls, I know they won't have much trouble
consistently attracting clients. They don't wait, they connect.
They seize the opportunity, not wallow in the difficulty.

Let's do a reality check:

1. For the most part, prospects are not going to call you back,
even if they are interested in your services. If you want to turn
that prospect into a client you MUST make the follow-up call.

2. You will survive if you make these calls. I haven't known of
anyone who has died by making follow-up calls or has had the
prospect send a hit man to take them out. It is not fatal.

3. You can get very good at making follow-up calls. You can learn
how to do this relatively easy. Like anything, it will take some
time and practice, but it's not rocket science.

The way to succeed with follow-up calls, is through scripting.

If you were playing in Hamlet, you'd have a script. If you didn't,
can you imagine how you'd come across? You'd bomb! Well, isn't
your business more important than a play?

With follow-up calls, you can't wing it; you need to know what to
say, when to say it and how to say it. You need to write out your
scripts and use them as guidelines as you make your calls. You
never actually read your scripts, but use them as outlines to keep
you on track.

I'd recommend four kinds of scripts:

1. The script for voice mail
2. The script when you reach a prospect
3. The script for dealing with gatekeepers
4. The general purpose information script

Armed with these four scripts, you finally have power when you
make your calls. You will start to control the flow of the call
instead of the call controlling you. (In the audio program, we go
over these scripts in great detail and even role-play each one of
them.)

Also, like being in Hamlet, you need to practice. Out loud. Use a
mirror and a tape recorder for immediate feedback. Until you feel
comfortable with your scripts, you will sound awkward and
hesitant, missing that authentic connection with your prospects.

If and when you master the art of the follow-up call, you will see
the following results: Fewer opportunities missed, more
appointments with qualified prospects, and more business closed.

Follow-up calls need to be a central part of your marketing plan.
No matter what marketing activities you do, follow-up calls need
to be part of the equation. If you don't make them, you may be
waiting a very long time for prospects to call you back. And that,
my friend, can kill you!

Customer Qualification Questions

I think it's very useful in business development to break down marketing into its component parts and then study the details and how-tos of each of these parts.

My "Next 50 customers Model" breaks the client-attracting process
into the following four parts:

Part 1. Developing your marketing message, identity and
materials that communicate the essence of your business.

Part 2. Engaging in marketing activities, from networking and
speaking, to eZines and blogging (utilizing the messages and
materials from Part 1).

Part 3. The Marketing Conversation, where you interact (usually
verbally) with a prospect as a result of engaging in marketing
activities.

Part 4. The Selling Conversation where you move on from the
Marketing Conversation and explore the actual needs of a
prospect, and then present your services.

Today, I want to focus on the Marketing Conversation.

The Marketing Conversation has four distinct steps. Most people
have some practice with the first step (getting attention and
interest), but usually fall down on the last three steps.

Marketing Conversations - The Four Steps

1. The Audio Logo.
This is the initial interaction with a prospect
where you get their attention and interest. This includes talking
about who you serve (your target market), the problems and
issues that challenge your clients, the solutions and outcomes you
provide, and stories that illustrate all of the above.

2. Qualification.
These are the back and forth questions and
answers you and the prospect engage in to feel each other out for
a possible match. It also includes sharing in more depth about
how you work with clients and the results you produce. We'll go
into this step in more detail below.

3. The Offer.
Once you have the attention and interest of a
prospect and you've qualified them, you need to have a call-to-
action, or nothing will happen. The best way to do this is to offer
more information related to your business (an article, for
instance) and an offer to follow up (usually by phone and/or
email). Again, more on this below.

4. The Follow-Up.
After you've provided information, you need to
follow-up and explore with the prospect if there is enough
common ground to engage in the Selling Conversation. I
discussed follow-up strategies in detail in recent eZines.

If you master the four steps of the Marketing Conversation, you
will jump much faster from marketing activities to Selling
Conversations, and ultimately to new closed business.

If you miss one or more steps in the Marketing Conversation,
marketing will usually be a struggle. You'll talk about your
business, even generate some interest, but you won't have a clear
path from the initial connection to a Sales Conversation.

Qualification Secret

One of the biggest mistakes we make in the Qualification Step is
talking all the time about what we do. The prospect asks a
question and off we go, a mile a minute. Then at the end, you
hand out your card, they walk away and you wonder. "Wha'
happened?!"

Here's the secret. Simple, but not so obvious. When a prospect
asks a question, answer briefly and then turn around and ask a
question of them.

Prospect: What process do you use to increase retention?

You: We use various processes, with our main focus on hiring the
right people to begin with. Can you tell me the biggest issue your
company has with retention?

With several of those exchanges you are informing your prospect
about your services (in bite-sized pieces), and you are learning
more about their needs.

Step Three Secret

Once you've qualified the prospect and they seem to be a good
potential client, you need to find a comfortable transition that will
lead to a Sales Conversation. Once a prospect is interested, they
want one thing: more information. So offer it to them.

"I've written a White Paper on retention called, 'The Seven
Biggest Mistakes Companies Make in Retaining their Best People.'
I think you'll find it very interesting. Can I send you copy?"

The answer to such an offer is almost always "Yes." Remember, if
you've interested them, they WILL want more information. This
relevant information makes you stand out immediately as a
valued professional. (Time to start working on that article!)

Then you reply, "Great, I'll send it to you by email. Then I'd love
to get your reaction to it and find out a bit more about your
business. When's the best time to reach you?"

End the conversation by agreeing on a time you'll make a follow-
up call. This works a lot better than saying, "Okay, I'll send it to
you and please give me a call if you have any questions." That's
called "dropping the ball." It's YOUR job to follow-up!

If you work at mastering the Marketing Conversation, you'll go
way beyond getting attention and interest; you'll end up with a
lot more Selling Conversations and, ultimately, more clients.

Hope that helps.

Wanted! Innovators

Reblogged from Jeff Philllps

Read this and thought it about sums up the state of innovation in the UK.


Sometimes I think that many firms should place an ad in the employment pages that says: Wanted: Innovation Leaders. Must be visionary, tough, well-connected and willing to risk it all.

I was reading a post from Drew Boyd about academic research into what competencies are important in innovation practitioners and innovation leaders. Drew, and the academics and research he cites, are far more eloquent than I can be. However, the lack of eloquence has never slowed me from climbing up on the soapbox.

Any firm that decides to build a consistent, sustainable innovation capability needs senior executive commitment and funding. That goes without saying. But the innovation initiative needs a strong, determined leader who can demonstrate the following four skills or competencies:

Vision
Commitment
Fearlessness
Excellent communication

A person lacking in one or two of these competencies might be able to compensate with the addition of a sidekick or team mate who can bring that specific skill to the table. Let's drill into each to determine why they are important.

Vision: The innovation team leader will recruit people to his team in an uncertain climate to do some fairly risky things. She needs to be able to communicate her vision for innovation capabilities and how that aligns to the senior management team's needs and strategies.

Commitment: Sorry, part-timers need not apply. If your innovation team leader is part-time, how can she convince people to join her team and make a big commitment. They'll all have one foot in the innovation team and one foot firmly planted in their safe, comfortable existing roles. An innovation leader trying to start a challenging new process that probably runs counter to organization culture can't succeed on a part-time basis.

Fearlessness: You can't succeed when innovation trying not to fail. Too many innovation programs seek very simple, very safe ideas to generate and implement. That's not the point. We've already got Black belts and continuous improvement programs and product roadmaps. We need some risk and danger. The leader needs to be able to stick her neck out and ask some crazy questions, cannibalize existing products and overturn markets, or the end result will be more of the same.

Communication: The innovation leader will recruit full time and part time people to a completely new task, create new processes and methods and generate ideas that will hopefully threaten existing products and services. Based on that description, don't you think they need great communication skills? This means both the skills to speak to the executives as well as to inform the team and the general population.

If your team is forming, or you are considering building an innovation program, now is a good time to write the job description of the innovation leader. Part Gary Cooper, Part Dr. Phil and fully committed to success.

What to do with what you have learned

FIRST: Preserve your learning by evaluating it.

After all, we learn not from our experiences but from intelligent reflection upon those experiences.

So, ask yourself these questions:

*What else is like this?
*What did I just learn from this experience?
*How does this fit into my theory of the universe?
*Does this statement give me any insight about myself?
*How can the basic concept be applied to different areas?
*What went right/wrong/perfectly about what just happened?

SECOND: Preserve your learning by writing it down.

After all, if you don’t write it down, it never happened.

So, ask yourself these questions:

*How can I blog about this?
*What folder does this go into?
*What journal does this go into?
*How can I make writing a part of this?
*What list can I immediately make this into?
*What are the various ways I can recycle this intellectual property?

THIRD: Preserve your learning by teaching it to others.

After all, you learn something most effectively the moment you teach it to someone else.

So, ask yourself these questions:

*How can I teach this to others?
*Who else needs to know about this?
*What’s the Universal Human Emotion/Experience?
*Through which medium can I best teach this idea to others?
*Now that I’ve written about this, what else does this make possible?
*If everyone did exactly what I said, what would their world look like?

FINALLY: Preserve your learning by leveraging it.

After all, killing two stones with one bird is always the best business practice.

So, ask yourself these questions:

*Where can I use this?
*What else can be made from this?
*How can I make this last forever?
*How many different ways can I leverage this?
*How can I use this to add more value to myself?
*How can this mistake quickly be made into something good?

REMEMBER: Evaluate. Write. Teach. Leverage.

How to stop wasting your time.

Scott has again come up with some simple but remarkable motivation bytes I thought I'd share

1. Stop wasting your time … advertising.
If people always hear FROM you instead of ABOUT you, you’re doing something wrong.

AS OSCAR WILDE SAYS: The only thing worse than being talked about is (not) being talked about.

2. Stop wasting your time … trying, in general.
If someone uses the word “trying” a lot, he probably ISN’T.

AS YODA SAYS: There is no try. Only do or do not.

3. Stop wasting your time … trying to prove yourself.
If YOU know you’re good enough, that’s enough.

AS BUDDHA SAYS: He is able who thinks he is able.

4. Stop wasting your time … trying to convince people.
If they don’t “get it” right away, they probably never will.

AS SETH GODIN SAYS: If you can’t explain it in 8 words or less, it’s not a good idea.

5. Stop wasting your time … trying to be better than the competition.
If you position your value correctly, you won’t HAVE any competition.

AS SCOTT GINSBERG SAYS: The best way to eliminate the competition is to not have any.

6. Stop wasting your time … dealing with people who can’t sign the check.
If they’re not the economic buyer, save your breath and move on.

AS ERIC MAISEL SAYS: Playing to the wrong crowd is dangerous.

7. Stop wasting your time … selling to people who just aren’t going to buy.
If they’re just there to kick tires, that’s cool. Greet them warmly and move on to someone else. They’ll come when they’re ready.

AS SCOTT GINSBERG SAYS: If they want you, they’ll find you.

8. Stop wasting your time … selling to people who don’t know how to value you yet.
If they’re not ready for you, they don’t deserve you.

AS DAVID ALLEN SAYS: Saying NO to the wrong person leads to saying YES to the right person.

9. Stop wasting your time … following up with people who never, ever call you back.
If they wanted you, they would have hired you already. You can only call so many times.

AS LAO TZU SAYS: Any over determined behavior produces its opposite.

10. Stop wasting your time … making people happy who aren’t in your target market.
If they’re not your ideal customer, who cares if they don’t like you?

AS MY DAD SAYS: Focus on pleasing the people who PAY.

11. Stop wasting your time … sending prospects your hideous brochures and literature.
If they get it, they will immediately store it in the circular file cabinet.

Marching to a different drum

I-Google's 'quote of the day' service does serve up some gems. Today's is one that resonates a lot when thinking about creativity and innovation, both at a individual and at a corporate level.


'Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity'

If you immerse yourself in same things, do the same things because that is why we have always done it. Look at the same competitors and use them as your benchmark instead of looking at completely different sectors and how they do it then you can't be entirely surprised if you feel stale,find yourself in plod mode and just loose energy.

Its not always about looking outside the box, more looking at what is already in your box but with different eyes.

Monday Morning

Sometimes we just need to unplug. We can get so wrapped up in the politics and frustrations of work life and the turmoil of everything else that sometimes we simply can't breath - but on monday morning do yourself a favour. Set the alarm for about 4, earlier if you can stand it and go outside, hopefully where there is little light pollution and just look up.

First thing you will notice is that there is no moon, This is a good thing - and then you should begin to see dozens and dozens of shooting stars. If you are lucky enough to be in the Southern hemisphere it will be even more. what you will see is the remnants of Halleys' Comet, well bits of it bouncing, across our atmosphere.

Take your kids out with you, rent them or borrow them if you don't have any. And just look. Take a blanket and lie on the ground, with fresh coffe and a big sweater.

And while you do try some communicating with yourself. You might like what you hear.

Although the din of the dawn chorus, now in full voice, might make it a bit tricky to hear yourself think but will probably make even better.

Just enjoy.... its a day off anyway so you can go back to bed.

Intranet World and Virtual Reality Intranet

Thanks to all the lovely people who turned up at Internet World and heard my colleague Tony Tickle from t3d and myself talk about Virtual Worlds- a reality check. We received some interesting and complimentary feedback and at the request of a couple of people are just about to launch our own blog on the subject of Virtual Reality Intranets.

We are looking for a good name though so any suggestions for a working title would be gratefully received.

Intranet World itself was interesting but only in what hasn't changed- just more of it; More CMS vendors, with bigger garish stands, more SEO companies and a lot more speakers which is frankly the main reason for going. So please Mr Organisers, can we have some bigger theatres so more people can attend. and here is a thing, why not a conference without an exhibition or vendors but a real conference, not something just tagged on. Internet World has outgrown the venue. It is pretty cramped and just nasty. Move it to the NEC where we can all get a hotel, travel to it, walk around without traffic jams and get home before midnight and not have our cars towed- Tony is still upset. And it will give all those poor London bods a nice day out. They need to get out more anyway.

Having said that I know t3D who were exhibiting there were overwhelmed with interest in their web enabled VR solutions, and some fantastic enquires and contacts to work with. So he isn't complaining. well maybe about his car...

to make him feel less like Mr Grumpy you can check out his web site

www.t3d.co.uk

Blogging About

I’m having a great time right now, putting together the final chapter on my book, and the workshop that goes with it, which looks at communication strategies and tools for innovation amplification in an organisation. What I call Speed Duck Herding.

It has a little bit of everything. Basically, I walk readers through a four-step system for improving their internal communications generally but specifically for ideation and new knowledge. The same ideas work for any communication goal if I’m honest, but as it is supposedly about creating and promoting innovation I thought we best focus on that.

1. Research. This is the essential but sometimes tedious part of finding out what people probably already know or suspect and would normally pay a huge consultant's fee just to have a sanity check. What you get back is ' nobody in the warehouse has a clue what the sale departments are doing'. ( Sales don't know what they are doing anyway so no surprises there) That sort of stuff: we do introduce the concept of simplifying it using a Map of Engagement™ and lines in the sand.

2. Planning. The even more tedious part which lays out what we are going to do although it is basically is the same for each programme, just the copy and paste and change the name of the project. It is that generic. I can actually write it in a paragraph but most people seem to think that they need 50 pages of analysis and justification for any document to be worth anything. They don't feel as if they are getting their money's worth unless there are at least five appendixes. Common sense is as common as a politician’s apology.

3. Implementation. Now this is the fun part, where we talk about the development of the stories and beautiful questions, the ways to get them out there into the social software and all the social media, intranets and all the fun stuff that really floats my boat.

4. How are we doing then? The necessary stuff about measurement- to look at gaps, impact and essentially gives the bullets for the gun that gets the budget from the board for the next phase.

I’ve passed this new the chapter on to a few colleagues for their input. I had thought that the implementation and soclal media part would be of most interest, but I'm surprised at how hungry people are for information on the 1, 2 and 4 processes.

And, as usual with my writings, I'm learning as much as I am teaching. For example, one of my network was telling me about what is happening in their company were they have a policy where any employee can blog . . linked to their intranet, (clever people) .and about 30 % of them are bloggophiles which is a pretty remarkable take up. They use them to share information, swap ideas, get the word out about something, anything. From baby news, holiday and car sharing to asking and looking for specific solutions. All sorts of reasons.

But their bosses are using it in a different way I hadn’t heard of before. They are a multi site operation; have 200+ retail outlets and are using a variation of the 'management by walking about principle'- a really effective tool started in the 80’s and used with great effect by managers with imagination. Definitely so in this case, as rather than burning petrol, they are popping on with the odd comment, to employee's blog sites. They read the comments, and see what people are saying and add to the discussion. Just a brilliant use of social networking to get a real dialogue going throughout an organisation that bypasses the upward and sideways filters that so often get in the way of the real story.

The process has been gaining momentum on the back of just one story of it working in practice. One casual employee, a student who just worked a few hours a week, posted on their shop blog site a low level complaint that the stock was not being labeled clearly enough and the codes were all over the place. Wouldn’t it be easier to put a photograph of the content on the outside?

Operations director talked to their suppliers about labeling, and just asked the question, was it actually doable? And it was so. Now it is being phased in across their suppliers as part of prequalification. This saves them hours of frustration, clipboards, climbing up and down ladders to read code at 10 pt size from ten feet. It makes the retail managers jobs a whole lot easier more fun and requires less training. Its is so easy to misread a 12 figure code number so they are adding images to their ERP system and stock control and ordering system. You do it for your client on your web site, why not for your own colleagues? Of course the IT department had a kitten fit about bandwidth- No Surprises there then) Derrrr. . God knows how much money time and effort it saves them but importantly it shows how sometimes the obvious can be overlooked. The scary part is that this idea that would have been missed. The Saturday girl comes up with the beautiful answer.

Now I remember one CEO who used to complain to me that 'his door was always open' but no-one ever came through it and I was trying to explain, tactfully, that the door works the other way too. He has legs. His staff, no matter how affable he thinks he is are just plain scared. That is how it works. The beauty of blogging about is that with just a few minutes every day any manager get a feel for the mood, problems and general well being of her of his ecosystem. Identify problems and eliminate some of those worst practices that have a disproportionate effect on company morale. You can’t be everywhere but the benefit of employee blogging gives the opportunity to at least have the opportunity to absorb and understand in a way that zillions of reports and PowerPoint files and spreadsheets just cannot do. And most importantly to provide a continuous feedback and constant noise rather than an annual engagement survey which is basically a historic document as soon as you receive it. But you have to start somewhere.

Of course, it will only work if employees are allowed to blog in the first place . . . so it probably won’t catch on anytime soon.

But I’m going to have to add another bloody chapter now, just in case it does.

King Coal

Even though China is bringing on line two coal powered power stations a week it currently has only a couple of weeks coal left stock piled after a terrible winter according to New Scientist. And air con requirements in the southern provinces are actually outstripping industrial demand so the summer isn't going to help much..

Now this is a really interesting and relevant story for me being based in the centre of the old Yorkshire coal mining area that was ripped out in the late 80’s, - I can see the old NUM HQ and Arthur's Seat from my window. It shows, amongst a great deal of other things, that one man's gold is another man's poison. And now - and I'm not sure if it is ironic or paradoxical or probably both, we, in my little town, are sat on a bleedin' fortune. Like steel, the price of coal is set to go through the roof and what used to be a marginal business looks like it may rise again. Chinese economic growth is actually limited by how much coal they have and how fast they can get out of the ground.

Another interesting fact the article points out is that despite its reliance on fossil fuels for generation it still has a lower emissions per head figure than the US.

Maybe the Olympic torch will be the only light shining at some times in Bejjiing this summer. If you are going, take your own candles. In the mean time anyone got a shovel?

He who asks the best questions gets the customer

Questions are the basis of all sales

Questions are the basis of all knowledge

Questions are the basis of all creativity

Questions are the basis of all discovery

Questions are the basis of all learning

Questions are the basis of all listening

Questions are the basis of all understanding

and just to repeat

Questions are the basis of all sales

For my top 20 sales questions of all time e-mail me at barry@thesavvypartnership.co.uk and I will send you them for free.

Questions about questions

Types of Questions and Why They Work


Asking The Beautiful Question is essential to creativity. Ask the right question and people will move into different places in their head and help them to see the same landscape but with new eyes.

In innovation and creativity there are a whole slew of questions based around the principles of TRIZ that I use to enable people with the opportunity to shift their preconceived ideas. But even at its most basic level a brainstorming session will only be productive if the questions the participants are asked to throw their energies into are refined enough paradoxically to open up the horizons. Creativity loves constraint.

Questions and what to ask when are essential in any communication, building engagement, rapport and trust. We don't ask enough or use their power to anything like their full potential

So here is a whistle stop tour of some questions I use, how and why they work.

1. Are you saying…?
Identifies someone’s language patterns.

2. Are you willing to…?
Tests someone’s limits.

3. Can you give me…?
Encourages examples and specifics.

4. Can you remember…?
Taps into someone’s memory.

5. Did you ask…?
Questions someone’s questions.

6. Have you considered…?
Non-threatening proposal of options.

7. Have you given any thought to…?
Suggestive, yet doesn’t sound like advice.

8. Have you thought about…?
Forces someone to think!

9. How are you constantly…?
Promotes consistency of action.

10. How are you creating…?
Proves that someone has a choice.

11. How can you become…?
Future oriented, motivational.

12. How can you make…?
Enlists someone’s creativity.

13. How could you have…?
Focused on past performance improvement.

14. How do you feel…?
Feelings are good.

15. How do you measure…?
Clarifies and specifies someone’s statement.

16. How do you plan to…?
Future oriented, process oriented, action oriented.

17. How do you want…?
Visualises ideal conditions.

18. How does this relate to…?
Keeps someone on point, uncovers connections between things.

19. How else could this be…?
Encourages open, option-oriented and leverage-based thinking.

20. How long will it take to…?
Clarifies time specifics.

21. How many different ways…?
Enlists someone’s creativity, explores various options.

22. How many people…?
Clarifies and specifies.

23. How might you…?
All about potential and possibility.

24. How much energy…?
Identifies patterns of energy investment.

25. How much money…?
Identifies patterns of financial investment.

26. How much time each day…?
Identifies patterns of (daily) time investment.

27. How much time…?
Identifies patterns of energy investment.

28. How often do you…?
Gets an idea of someone’s frequency.

29. How well do you…?
Uncovers abilities.

30. How will you know when/if…?
Predicts outcomes of ideal situations.

31. If you could change…?
Visualizes improvement.

32. If you had to…?
Possibility thinking.

33. If you showed your…?
Imagining what others would say.

34. If you stopped…?
Cause-effect question.

35. If you were…?
Ideal situation.

36. In what areas…?
Searching for multiple answers.

37. Is anybody going to…?
Deciding if something even matters.

38. Is there any other…?
Challenges someone to find ONE more answer.

39. Is there anything else…?
Yep, there probably is. Answers are rarely absolute.

40. Is your idea…?
Forces someone to think objectively.

41. On a scale from 1 to 10…?
Putting a number to an emotion clarifies it.

42. What are some of the…?
Encourages list making.

43. What are the biggest mistakes…?
Negative based for preventative measures.

44. What are the keys to…?
Searching for best practices.

45. What are the patterns of…?
Uncovering commonalities.

46. What are the things that…?
Because there’s probably more than one answer.

47. What are the ways…?
Freedom (not) to resign to one solution.

48. What are you currently...?
Assesses present situations.

49. What are you doing that…?
Assesses present actions.

50. What are you willing to…?
Explores limits.

51. What can I do to…?
Demonstrates a desire to serve.

52. What can WE do to…?
Partnership-oriented.

53. What can you do right now…?
Focuses on immediate action being taken.

54. What can you do today…?
Focuses on daily action being taken.

55. What causes your…?
Uncovering true motives without the dreaded, "Why?"

56. What challenges are…?
Identifies barriers.

57. What did you learn…?
Because people don’t care what you know; only what you learned.

58. What do you need to…?
Needs assessment.

59. What does that tell you about…?
Encourages someone to figure out the answer individually.

60. What else can you…?
Because there’s always options.

61. What evidence…?
Because specificity is persuasion.

Lets kill marketing

The word 'Marketing' often gets a bad rap. It is seriously contaminated by intrusive telesales, junk mail, spam, and advertising that seems to fill every waking and sleeping second.

Internal marketing, which if IC professionals are really honest is what we really do, is even more tarnished and viewed with skepticism. Focus groups, quality circles or yet another management gimic - it is often difficult to separate out the genuine from the lip service however polished it may be. Marketing means Manipulation for most of the population. So why not reposition marketing in your head and everyone who comes into your space? Here are a few suggestions

It’s not marketing.
It’s STRATEGIC SHARING.

It’s not marketing.
It’s TRANSFERRING EMOTION.

It’s not marketing.
It’s TELLING A STORY.

It's not marketing.
It's BEING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF

It’s not marketing.
It’s STICKING YOURSELF OUT THERE.

idea kick start

My friend Scott came up with the following which I’d like to share about how to capture and kick start new ideas and get some momentum.

He is such a smart guy

1. As soon as you get the idea WRITE IT DOWN
Because if you don’t write it down, it never happened.

2. ASKING yourself, “What’s the next action?”
Because ultimately, that’s the only question that really matters.

3. LISTING all the steps you need to take to leverage an opportunity.
Because listing is the quickest, most efficient way to organise all of your thoughts.

4. GOOGLING various elements of your idea as soon you get it.
Because you need to find out if someone else is already doing it.

5. ASKING for feedback from smart people right away.
Because they can ask questions and see things you can’t.

6. REGISTERING domains as soon as you get the name of the idea.
Because he owns the domain owns the idea.

7. EMAILING someone right away with a action-oriented question.
Because initiative is attractive.

8. SCANNING your opportunity radar constantly.
Because now that your mind is fixated, related ideas will be attracted to you.

Storyteller or agent provocateur?

Story telling has the power to inspire, influence and persuade. Any arguments out there? Hopefully not. If so please step away right now and mind the gap.

It also has the power to challenge, and changing the normal thought processes and modus operandi is the key lubricant in freeing up any organisation innovation inertia.

Thinking sideways is a powerful skill. The best stories are the ones with the slight twist, the ones that have the ah-hah moment as opposed to the ha-ha moment. There is only an 'h' difference but that 'h' is a mighty big letter.

Internal communications for me is primarily about looking at ways of delivering stories not just to engage and inspire change but to make anyone think what if I….??

I was in a meeting last Friday that turned from a brainstorming session about a part of a new promotion into a therapy session for one of the participants. He suddenly woke up to the fact that the reason he was so unhappy at work, and everything was getting complicated and he couldn’t keep on top of the basics was that he kept passing the responsibility for the decision onto other people. Justifying this by, but then cloaking it in, a laudable desire for inclusiveness; instead of just simply doing it.

I remember one day talking to another group about a time I had had to make some not insignificant changes to the intranet web site copy. The group in question, working in that organisation, asked how I had got through the mass of approvals they would normally have to go through? I told them I just did it. I didn't ask. By the time the permissions had worked their way down through the mass of emails and cc’s (continuity cock-up) the opportunity to address the topical issue would have disappeared. And the chance to make a salient point had evaporated. I hate wasted ideas.

So i just did it and hoped that the reason for my indiscipline in the ranks would allow me to escape the headmaster’s wrath. The result was interesting. Firstly, the powers to be didn’t even notice and then,when I did mention it in passing and through guilt to the person who should have been at the head of the approval food chain, they were not only supportive but began a process to shortcut the process in future. He is, not unusually, continually stacked up with e-mails and appreciated that no decision is worse than the wrong decision, in virtually every situation.

Waiting for approval for stuff that they pay you for your judgement to produce is just nuts. Frustrations with poor communications and irrelevant controls are sited as the major reason that employees leave companies. Here is the rub. Bosses feel the same frustrations believe me. They do empathise. So if you do find a renegade in the ranks, don’t fire them; nurture them. culture them, and get them to spread the word. To tell their story. See what happens.

People don’t want more information

People don’t want more information
They want faith, which only comes from trust.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about storytelling and how you can weave these into the communication tools and techniques we use every day; not just in face to face communications but in on-line and print too. Storytelling, in my opinion, is the one skill which is singularly lacking at every level in virtually every organisation yet is the one that can move mountains In some cases literally. No-one ever made the decision to follow somebody else’s dreams because they saw a Powerpoint presentation nor were carried away on the wings of an Excel spreadsheet. They have their place ( no-where near as many as most people think) but what moves, what engages, what motivates you and me and has for thousands of years is the craft of the story.

Today we have to deal with so much information, too much that is just contradictory or useless and we are simply overloaded. We live in a time of record levels of depression and stress, not just in the workplace, largely because we feel out of control, uninvolved and irrelevant.

Every religion across the world uses stories to maintain, guide and control its followers Churchill’s ‘fight them on the beaches; motivated a nation’. Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ changed the face of a nation that was in itself born from the stories told in coffee shops and street corners across Europe. Story is the single most powerful tool we have, used wisely it can provide the lubricant for change or shift the perception of a generation. Used mistakenly it can lead us into a trillion dollar war. Not convinced ? Those with even short memories can remember 45 minutes to missile launch and WMD.

Our children will be the ones that win the real battle to save our environment, not because of a bunch of statistics ( which no two scientists seem to agree about anyway) but because they have engaged with the story. They can see their role,they see that they can have a influence, no matter how small. But it is not one big story but the small stories which move people step by step. Funny that - isn’t that exactly what Change management. Is all about. Why is it that storytelling seems to have no consistent or formal place in the IC toolbox?

Engagement surveys, Pulse studies, are there for one reason; to show us just how good or bad we are at story telling. It’s a view. Discuss.

I am reminded daily of that old joke- She is so intelligent, she agrees with everything I say.

A Terminal Five moment

I am really sorry to be jumping on a bandwagon but if ever there was a case study brewing for calamitous communications, planning, delivery and execution then the events 27th March (and what now appears to be the upcoming weeks) will go down as one of the biggest and blackest days in the Communications industry history.

A 'T5 moment' will enter the lC lexicon.

There but for the Grace of God go we all.... or maybe not.

Planning ahead - Writing your way to redundancy

The written word is powerful. We all know that. It can be incredibly positive and motivating or, with one misplaced word, a slight ambiguity or the use of an over blown phrase can work in exactly the opposite way and kill all the hard work and good intentions.

I was trying to explain to a CEO that the ‘ planning ahead;’ phrase above, (one that he used more than once in his weekly newsletter), and while understanding entirely what he meant could be sharpened considerably just by using the first word and cutting out ahead. It took a while to sink in. In fact we revised his copy so it said exactly the same but was a third the length.

The problem is that everybody thinks they can write. Just as everyone is an expert in design. The challenge is that communication isn’t just about words. It is about impact, emotion and clarity and that is a skill and a hard skill to master while you are busy juggling all the other aspects of your job.

The CE0 in question read his version, read ours and then smiled. ‘I get it’ he said and you know what, he really did. That is why he is a CEO and a brilliant one at that. Everyday you learn something from somebody else. What I leaned was that the best leaders know when to let somebody else lead.

Tweets and Twitters

You may have noticed, sneaking up in the right hand column, that I am now a twitterer - I think that is what you call it. It is an interesting cute name but actually an awesome tool, in the right hands and used the right way.

Its been gaining steady interest in the US since early last year but, always on the 'bleeding edge' of technology, as Jo Savage at Barnsley BDA calls it, and being on the ball as the UK IC industry generally is ( I am joking of course) its now starting to find its way over here.

Of course you don’t just use technology for its own sake sake but now that it has been field tested I am always one for jumping on a band wagon. Providing it still has wheel, so here goes.

Essentially twitter is like a text message crossed with a blog You can post up to 140 characters and receive updates as text messages on your phone or RSS reader. Lets say you post a rather incredible blog and it then goes off into the ether. Twitter automatically sends a little message to your mates, colleagues - the ones you really want to read it anyway.

I’ve got mine hooked up on to my IPhone, using a web app called Hahlo 2.1 ( which fits perfectly with the Iphone design and function vibe ) although you can get other great looking apps and apps for Messenger too - and it works a treat and looks just right. It allows me to use my blog site to post mini blogs on the fly.-' Tweets', how cute is that.

A longer article is on its way but I can see dozens of uses for the technology in corporate environments, the largest of which could be to try to curtail the avalanche of e-mails and using it prioritise messages.

Watch this space or follow my Tweets on social media applications for IC and KM
.
Some links you may find interesting that helped me

Twitter on the Web
Twhirl, a desktop client built with Adobe AIR - very sexy
Twitterberry (Twitter for BlackBerries)
Twitter Display for your Blog
Twitterfeed (posts your latest blog on Twitter)

Play Nice!

How to be listened to

There are no big secrets to becoming a person who can communicate effectively - and remarkably enough it is the effective communicators who get the rewards in their career. More importantly are the positive effects we receive as it spills over into work and social relationships. More often than those that master that skill get the work/life balance right too.
.
The ‘La’s’ as I call it is a one of the workshops I use as part of a Internal Communication Bootcamp. The following has been written by over 500 people who have taken part in them and is a work in progress so i can’t take any credit for it. I’m just the facilitator. But it increasingly makes sense to me. If you want to add then please feel free to post. I’m not one for tree hugging but this is about as close as it gets to a mantra.

How to be listened to.

Learn: We spend most of our time in delivering projects and remaining time in learning new technology skills. Apart from this, we should invest our time to learn how to build long-term relationships, how to be congruent, and how to develop one’s strengths.

Laugh: It is important to know how to avoid making mistakes, but is more important to know how to handle mistakes and move on by laughing at yourself. And when you can laugh at yourself, other people are more comfortable with you.

Look: The most obvious step to differentiate yourself is to look beyond expected. Looking for associations that have never existed before, looking for relationships that will yield maximum benefits to both parties, looking for simplicity, and looking for clarity are some of the ways to do something remarkable to receive the attention that you desire.

Lasting Impression: People you meet along the way constantly reshape your life and every engagement offers you the opportunity to make the lasting impression. We can leave a lasting impression by caring for other’s problem as if it is ours, solving the right problems, by getting things done, by going beyond the call of duty, and by being resourceful.

Love: To be successful, love what you do and do what is required. Nothing can substitute passion—not hard work, not intelligence.

Leverage: When you apply the concept of leverage in your life, you will accomplish more in 24 hours than you can on your own. The focus should not be on saving money, it should be on saving time. Money can be earned back, but you can not get back time!

Likeability: If we are likeable, people will often bend rules and make exceptions for us. To increase the likeability index, we need to make others feel good about themselves, be genuinely interested in other people, add measurable value in somebody’s life.

Listen: We all know the importance of listening well. Feedback is the breakfast of champions and if there is no listening, there is no feedback. If you want to be a champion, start listening and practice this ability consistently.

Lead: Leadership is not tied to a position. To lead, look for gaps in your organization and start filling those gaps

A great town hall meeting??

Face to Face communications The Town Hall Motivator

Love this video. Bit of background Sam Kell the owner of The Chicago Tribune has been criticised in certain quarters for his colourful use of language. This is his response to the staff, Interesting, what do you think?

Paste this link into your browser and stand back,. I don’t think he has a script writer but does he need one? Could he get way with this in the UK? Probably. Maybe.

Click on this link

Sam Kell at the Chicago Tribune

What do you think about the use of profanity in internal communications? Post below.

Facing the face to face communication challenge.

Employee engagement Part 2
Extract from Defrag your business

Change management's biggest challenge is inertia. I’m not telling you anything that isn’t blindingly obvious here. I can’t count the number of times I have wanted to run from a meeting room screaming “why don’t they get it?’ But we always have to remember it is a fair and human position. They haven’t heard or really probably listened to your story yet. Or, more likely we just haven’t told it well enough. We are all guilty of making assumptions, it is just part of the human condition for the majority of us and is heavily weighted by the simple fact that bad news has far more speed and penetration in transmission than good news. And it will come from lots of different directions. One of Steven Wright’s, my favourite comedian, questions is ‘What is the speed of dark?’ I can tell him that its it is twice the speed of light.

The key skill in any face to face communications in my opinion is in employing techniques to challenge, as gently as possible, the assumptions people have made.

This is hugely important in coaching the news deliverers, the steps in the cascade and vital in any internal communication or change mangement process.

Over the years my colleagues and I developed what we call our ‘Ass’ breaking questions. What do I mean?
Well, before we start though bear in mind that:

Some people make assumptions.
Some people speak without thinking.
Some people are full of BS.
Some people are nothing but talk.
Some people use invalidated, vague, baseless arguments to prove their points.

We have to use techniques to challenge them - to identify the hidden assumptions and avoid mindless acceptance.

You do this for two reasons:

1. YOU gain clarity on their motives, intentions and beliefs.

And probably more importantly

2. THEY gain an opportunity to restate, reform and rethink their ideas. In other words you give them an opportnity to find a dignified way out.


Here are seven examples of common situations and dialogues where you can use them, some are painfully obvious:

THEM: “I can’t do that!”
YOU: “Why not?” or “Says who?”

THEM: “I never thought I’d say this, but…”
YOU: “Why did you never think you’d say that?”

THEM: “Well, they say that…”
YOU: “Who’s ‘they’?”

THEM: “So, is this your full time job?”
YOU: “Yes. Why do you ask?”

THEM: “I’ve been calling you all week and I’d really like to get together to talk about a business opportunity!”
YOU: “What is your positive motivation for wanting to meet with me?”

THEM: “I heard/read it was terrible…”
YOU: “Who’d you hear that from?” or “Where’d you read that?”

THEM: “I dunno, this seems pretty expensive?”
YOU: “Compared to what?”

Here are a few others you may want to think about using; Some require a little more skill in presenting as you can imagine.

1. Is that always the case?
2. How do you measure that?
3. How did you arrive at that?
4. So?
5. Why do you believe that?
6. What do you plan to do with this feedback
7. Why?
8. What’s (really) bothering you?
9. What’s your point?
10. When did you decide this?
11. What would happen if you didn’t?
12. What’s your proof?
13. How do you know that’s true?
14. Where’s the evidence?
15. Are you sure that’s true?
16. What stops you??
17. Can you prove it?
18. Why did I receive this email?
19. Why do you think that happened?
20. Why is that so important to you?
21. Why was I put on this list?

All these questions, if the delivery is right:

Catches their attention.
Causes them to stop and think.
Causes them to clarify their remarks.
Causes the REAL motives and beliefs to surface.
Causes you to better understand where they’re coming from.

The delivery is all important. Framing these in anything that remotely suggests an aggressive or condescending manner will have the opposite effect.

The point is that we should always

Challenge irrational thoughts.
Challenge programmed knowledge.
Challenge people's positions.

It helps both parties. Vocalising an argument is the best way any individual can fully come to grips with almost any situation and reach that state of acceptance, the warm fuzzy feeling, which needs to precede their buy in to your idea.

Let me ask you, if you have any other 'Ass breakers' then please post them here. I’m running out of questions with one of my current clients. For them the sky is pink and the sea is made of custard and that is view the CEO and it filters across the whole of the organisation. If he is reading this listening he knows who he is. Sometimes, even with all these little skills and tricks and experience you just have to shake your head and walk into the sunset.

Copyright Rainmaker 2008

Give them new eyes, not new landscapes

Employee engagement Part 1
Extract from ‘Defrag your business’.

I’ve been working on one truly inspirational and breathtaking web based project for over eight months now. It is just mind boggling and humbling to come in every day and see what the boys and girls have achieved. No-one can say that web technology hasn’t taken massive leaps forward over the last few years. Except, that is, if they look at one specific area. Intranets. Almost without exception they look exactly the same as they did five years ago. While the wide-scale adoption of social networking and the early stages of true Web-based applications are part of our daily out-of-office lives we haven’t seemed to connect to the benefits and opportunities they provide. Sure, they may have added a few tweaks and funky functions but actually fundamentally not much has changed.

I find this both bewildering and exciting. Exciting as being in exactly this business it presents me and frankly my business with tremendous opportunity. Bewildering because the power and potential is passing by with scarcely a nod or glance.

Intranet audits are a staple of my consultancy. I see lots of them, I’m working on three of these audits at this moment. With some glorious exceptions that I can count with my socks off there is little to suggest that intranet teams, (where the intranet it is actually seen as a key lubricant for internal comms programmes), are utilising the true power of intranets and adopting the characteristics of the “read-write” Web to develop the concept of two way communication and engagement and all the fluffy pink stuff we put into our mission statements.

Sure, forums, blogs and wikis are finding their way onto some intranets, but the number of companies employing these social computing tools is a bare fraction of the total number of intranets functioning today. As for the other elements of Web 2.0, I’m aware of less than a handful of intranets that have embraced notions like social tagging (as exemplified by del.icio.us, the social bookmarking Web site. The opportunities for social computing applications on intranets are huge.

Some enterprising companies are starting to use Wikipedia to develop an in house internal knowledge banks.( arguably more useful is actually a failure bank but that’s another story) These tools are used so not much for communication but stitches into the ‘at least we know where it is when we want to find it’ principle. But the true asset value of a company is its knowledge repository. It is 60% and more or your net worth if you believe Harvard Business School. Can you think of a better reason than giving the management of knowledge flow, its retention and acquisition in your organisation anything less than 150% support and making it your number one priority? I can’t think of any either but amazingly although Internal communications, innovation and differentiation features in pretty well every survey of corporate priorities, and even more annual reports, few pay it more than lip service. Why? Because it is hard to do and few know really where to start. ‘We tried the intranet thing but it doesn’t work ‘is probably the most often used phrase I hear. So you give up do you? Or, do you just get better at it?
The commonest .net2 deployment are blogs used by collaboration and project documentation but even these only have even now a tentative deployment. Which is frankly bonkers.

Imagine, just for one dizzying moment, that the CEO has a blog for a new product and then, just imagine the impact and discussion arising from 40 sales people dealing with the inevitable launch issues and how quickly these issues would be flagged, fixed and customer facing people made aware of solutions.

Imagine him feeding back by video with a small thank you and identification and appreciation. It really isn’t hard this stuff but lets not get too giddy here.

As I keep saying, there is nothing common about common sense.

So, why have so many intranets become covered in dust and moss?

Frankly, because it is not that big signal on the corporate radar simply because on the face of it there are few metrics that can get put on the spreadsheet for the weekly meeting that get the juices going. It is true to say that the benefits (and costs) are largely hidden. But if you have to pick one try just this one. Staff retention. Then look at the incurred costs for loss of knowledge and recruitment and training. Now that is truly scary. It can wipe of the profit for a business unit in no time. One loss alone will pay for the tweaks in the intranet that may (I would say probably) alleviate much of the frustration in allowing them to do their jobs effectively. Which, if you are still awake, is cited as the number one reason individuals leave jobs

If you can’t measure it then you can’t do anything about it. Its blindingly obvious and one of the true clichés in business. I don’t know why I even have to mentioned it. This position is reinforced by the often prevailing view that it is just good money chasing after bad. The existing intranet hasn’t lived up to expectations in the first place; why invest time and effort in it now? Many executive teams, optimistic about the intranet’s potential in its early days, now wonder what all the noise was about. While there certainly are productivity tools online—that’s just a matter of common practice in the workplace anyway—the innovation and the knowledge sharing that was supposed to flow from the intranet just never materialised.

Why? Well we could point to a range of contributing factors. Actually just pick one and you won’t be far wrong. Ill advised planning, design, not enough thought given to search and findability but in most cases its just simply down one major description often made at the beginning of conception- will will be its ownership. Who looks after it, nutures it and cultivates it. For the answer to that see Chapter 8. ‘What does a knowledge manager manage then?
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Being more specific it is easy to blame IT departments. Too easily in most cases. Now I’m going to stick up for them, well for a minute anyway. It’s a s**t job. That is why they bring their own sandwiches, it is their one small pleasure. (Its really so they can play war games at lunch and not leave their desks). I

t is a close tie as to whether HR or IT departments get more bad raps. To be fair to IT they have probably invested time and effort into developing the infrastructure of the current iteration of the intranet and, unsurprisingly, are in no hurry to move in a different direction. They haven’t had their lunch yet anyway. Intranet software vendors aren’t exactly blameless either. Few are using .NET2, most use ASP. or ASP.net at best. which is five year old technology. Do you get the theme here? I can’t help thinking what is going to happen next few years and when are they going to make that leap. And then we haven’t even mentioned Sharepoint!!! Or bless it, Lotus Notes and making that compatible with their new ERP system.

Corporate IT staff and corporate coms staff, some of them, anyway—are largely under informed, if we can put it delicately, about what’s happening on the Web and often have a blind-spot that something they use daily actually could be relevant to them. They hold the belief, justified or not that ‘Our company would never sanction that’ so they don’t suggest or push their ideas forward. Its a self fulfilling prophecy and a depressing spiral. And any way, the IT department should be doing that. Who should be keeping on top of this - Can it really be the IT department’s responsibility, most of which are stretched pretty thin just keeping the meter fed, printers on line, drying out the latte in sales reps keyboards and coping with Mr. Gates First Tuesdays. And beating their previous best in Call of Duty 4.

Many communicators figure the intranet is working just fine the way it is; why fix what isn’t broken? An interesting view from the delusions of competence. How do they know??? By definition, at least the ones I know, change is not discrete but is perpetual motion. It’s a classic mistake to look at the project having an end and walk away from it when it goes live and not put continuity and development factored in to its ongoing lifecycle. If it is put down on a shelf you can’t be surprised if it just gathers dust and gets ignored.

Trust in communications is developed through consistency, relevancy timeliness and accuracy. One intranet I recently was asked to look at had not had anything added to it for three years. That is not an intranet, it is a historic document. Is it any surprise I some times have to run out of meetings screaming.


Then we start talking numbers as you or somebody else from higher food chain undoubtedly obligingly point out. That there already has been an investment that been made in the existing portals that haven’t produced the kind of results most companies hoped for. It’s difficult for organisations to write off significant investments in order to start from scratch. But that doesn’t mean you should persevere with old tools tactics otherwise we would all still be pushing paper memos around. It is interested to see the metrics applied to measure its affect, success or return on investment. Generally it’s a big fat none, which is just plane daft. Its tricky yes, but hardly impossible.

The really infuriating thing is that none of this has to be expensive either to implement. SOAS such as Basecamp to name but one, or my current favourite Page flakes which has now demoted my I-Google as my home page costs peanuts or less than that compared to your ERP or SAP introduction. The effect though is disproportionately positive

There are some practical limitations too and by far the trickiest for most organisations, both public and private sector, is struggling to retain a command-and-control structure for their intranets. Tools that put control into employees’ hands are an anathema to intranets where only authorized representatives of the company can contribute content. But is that what they should be their role anyway? Is there an argument for loosening the approval processes in key areas? I’d argue, yes absoblinkinlutely yes. Should senior management really be a feared of any possible negatives and shouldn’t they be aware of them and manage them anyway? We live in a world of 360 degree reviews and employee engagement surveys, you carry out them of course don’t you? You don’t? Well you are in trouble then.

Or maybe you subscribe to the view I saw recently in a post from an HR VP which was a thinly disguised ‘You should be bloody lucky to work for us, just get with it’. And then to sweeten the message, guess what, we are having a pajama day next week just to show you how cool and cute we are. Erm, yeah. Really? Then I’d polish my CV. You will be needing it when your competition cream you into history or you get ‘outsourced’.

Just ask for this stuff, what can they say? No? Its just a word and won’t kill you. I’m hoping here that you actually have some form of innovation and idea management built into your intranet. No? Then start reading at the top again and pass this onto your boss.

Copyright Rainmaker 2008

Idea bubbles

One of the questions I am often asked in seminars and by my clients is “how do you get your ideas?’

I’m glad you asked too. I’m just assuming this as presumably you are reading because as you are a little curious. Most of my rent is actually paid by providing the answer to that very question and showing people how they can plug into their own creativity.

For my sins I have always been endlessly curious, I always want to see what is on the other side of the hill and desperately avoid giving what I call “car key’ answers. You know that feeling of mild panic when you can't find your car keys? When you find them, you stop looking don't you? Most people answer questions in the same way and work on the basis that the first answer is the correct one. They don’t push on to look at the alternatives, the outlandish, the bizarre, the more creative solution. Some people are good at sport, singing, maths. I'm blessed, or cursed if you like, by being a thought nomad. My school reports didnt; ever suggest that this would actually be a good thing, but i can't complain and the journey it has taken me on and count myself lucky that it has allowed me to meet such an interesting bunch of people along the way.

This part of my persona has got me into trouble on several occasions, caused some amiable ( at least on my part) frictions with other colleagues who are content to paddle their canoe with everybody going in the same direction, at the same speed. There is nothing wrong with that. Its is comfortable. I’m just not comfortable with comfortable. It doesn’t float my boat. That's not to say I seek the uncomfortable for the sake of it. That would be daft and I’m not that. Bewildered and deluded maybe. My other pet hate is waste, wasted talent, wasted time, wasted opportunity. I’ve always struggled with the balancing act between the two. Sometimes you have travel up a dead end just so you and others don’t go there in the future. Ask Mr Edison( If you could). That my frustration is now my mission in life - to show the people paddling the canoe how much fun it is, how rewarding and just how fulfilling getting out of their comfort zone can be. Then they really would be able to exploit their talents and experiences and enjoy their 37 hours a week plus the commute. And take it home with them to their relationships, their children, their hobbies.

I know for some people the coming up with a new idea it seems insurmoutable. It is difficult to get the creative juices fully flowing. Our current educational system, seemingly at every stage, fails woefully to train us how to think sideways, upways or downways. It doesn’t help that in any creative process we are asking ourselves, and others, to move out of the comfort zone. You almost always have to move out of the canoe flotilla. Being out on your own, the fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of a whole bunch of stuff, can build mental barriers that are almost impossible to breach. But I firmly believe that anyone, and I mean anyone, even the most cynical sceptic, (providing they can fog up a mirror), can be trained how to be creative. No really... even accountants. You just have to know how to plug them in to the mains.

Not every technique works in every circumstance. A case in point is the brainstorming session; one of the most used tools to effect creative thinking. Over twenty years in this business have failed to leave me convinced of their true effectiveness in most circumstances where they are poorly executed and only serve as the starting point for the innovation process that should follow. Few see the connection. We had a brainstorming session It'll be alright then, then. Despite the fact that there may be a 'no judgment’ rule, in good brainstorming sessions anyway, you just know that at the next coffee break somebody will be whispering: "Did you hear what he said? How stupid is she?" They work for certain projects for certain groups, copywriting and ad campaigns come to mind, but only with a great facilitator and they are a rare bird indeed. I’ve lost count of the truly painful mind numbing sessions, that I've had to chew my tongue through,that have created enough flip charts to kill a small forest. They have their place true but I’m not a fan for other more practical reasons too, there are much better techniques but we shall save that for later posting

My own trick, which seems to improve my personal ideation productivity at least initially, involves working alone. Not that I’m antisocial. Just the opposite actually, according to teh resluts of my latest character personality assasination/anaylsis questionaire. Please never put me in an open plan office if you want quick answers. My “place” is my study at home, I kick off my shoes and grab a very strong coffee and then pace about the room for an hour, or more, often all afternoon, humming. This foible, I find, tends to drive people mad in an open office. Others, I know, need a hot shower and to get dressed up, and , sad as this sounds I know, may even have to put a tie on! Some will drive a car, walk the dog, do the ironing, or jog. Mundane repetition has been shown by psychologists, studying the bleeding obvious, to clear the brain; providing a sort of colonic irrigation for the head. Just a word to the wise here. Don’t, as a friend of mine did, ever suggest that the ironing would be 'therapeutic' for his partner and ‘free up her creative energies’ or you may find that the flying iron can leave a nasty mark.

There are lots of places and tricks we can use, and what works depends on individuals and the organisation and its social software. Somethings we do unconciously are actually the triggers. I read in one academic paper that smells can do it too. Interesting to observe the test programme for that I think.

Over the fifteen years I worked in New Product development I’ve gathered a few tools along the way to help my colleagues and me smash through hurdles. There are a dozen or so techniques for fueling creative thinking, which I’ve found consistently work really well, but the first and most important part of any creativity exercise is figuring out what is the right question to ask in the first place.. The killer question as Phil McKiney calls it.

But how do you figure out what the key questions should be? Glad you asked.. again. One of the key tools that has consistently helped extract myself and my team out of a pile of whatever is a methodology called TRIZ, (This is pronounced ‘Trees’ by the way, I give you this information just so you don’t look like the clot I did for three years when you talk about it!) A Russian gentleman developed this technique about 50 years ago. He obviously had too much time on his hands, as he reviewed hundreds of thousands of patents looking for common threads. We must thank him sincerely (Through a medium) for his efforts though as Mr Altschuller identified 40 inventive principles. Along with these his matrix and contradictions principles form the basis of the key tools and have lead directly to some huge steps in technology I won't bore you with here. The current database has now reviewed over 2.5 million patents. If you want more information then google TRIZ after you have raed this and I’ll wake you up in the three months it takes you to read every paper written about it. It looks and is damn confusing when you start off, until some kidn soul takes you by the hand and shows you the way. Luckily for me I found one such person. It isn’t the most accessible of tools and, to be frank could do applying some of its own problem solving power to some creative self PR.

However, over the years it has been modified and simplified somewhat and developed into the systematic inventive system, a series of tools for those tricky problems, in new product development, problem solving, inventin and innovation. It is particularly effective at deveoping and strengthening patents. It has been getting a much higher profile with the CEO's as they can now more easily evaluate and develop their company's most valuable asset, its IP.

Although developed initially by and applied largely to engineering problems the same principles can be applied to any aspect of Marcoms, CRM, new product and service development and is even being applied to conflict resolution in the MIddle East and other theatres. Maybe Mr Blair and Mr Brown need some edification in its delights?

There are five key Tools to help you. Although the idea behind each Tool is quite simple (the Tool of Subtraction, for instance, simply asks that you subtract some element from an existing product), actually using the tool can be tough, since it requires that we think in new and unintuitive ways. That is the hard part. Our natural resistance to doing truly unintuitive things - moving outside our comfort zone- creates a mental obstacle, which makes it hard to get the most out of the Tools. To solve this problem, a set of Principles was devised which we use alongside the Tools. The Principles help the user of a tool get into right head place for using it and, hopefully, becoming more innovative. Unfortunately it is not a substitute for talent. It enhances those who have it, but it does often make those who may ordinarily struggle at least stand out from the crowd.

No point just talking about it. Let's see how it works in practice using one of the tools, the Tool of Subtraction, and the Principle that they call the Path of Most Resistance (PMR).

Imagine you're a mobile telephone manufacturer and you're trying to come up with a new product. What sort of innovations comes to mind?

Most, if not all, of your ideas probably involve either adding something to the phone, or enhancing a feature that already exists. Can you actually get a phone without a camera? At the risk of being accused or becoming one of the Grumpy Old Men I have to admit that this drives me slightly nuts when I go into one of my defence industry or R&D clients. For security reasons you often cant take your camera phone on site so you have even more forms to fill in and check outs and check ins often take longer than the meeting itself. I digress.

When we try to create things, our usual mindset is to add something to the existing product. It has to be faster, smaller, have more buttons, more functions - it's the easiest way to go about it, and we naturally follow the path of least resistance. To use the Tool of Subtraction - to take something away from the product - is not intuitive, and not as easy. It requires us to follow the Path of Most Resistance - to do the least intuitive, most uncomfortable thing - at least temporarily.

As we move forward, we continue to use the Tool and the Principle together. Let's start by subtracting what seems like the most essential element of a phone- the screen. We will most likely want to rush to replace the missing screen with something - a monitor, or LED, let's say. But since replacing the missing component is our intuitive response, and we're trying to follow the Path of Most Resistance, let's try, at least for the time being, to leave the screenless telephone as is. Let's ask ourselves if there could be any possible use for such a product. Well of course there is, they didn’t used to have screens until a few years ago anyway but then maybe we have forgotten and revisit some of the basics.

In fact, there are some interesting possibilities for our screenless telephone:

A communication and entertainment tool for the sight impaired
A telephone you can use just in the car
A phone you can take into secure areas, (yippee!) You know some libraries and museums are banning camera phones to protect copyright and pirate photocopying!
A low cost onsite telephone system for employees
A phone you can build into other appliances and equipment, or a car.

Sound far fetched? Wrong answer. If you are looking for a real example of reduction just look at the Motorola Razr phone. I’m not sure how true this but it is a story doing the rounds in innovation circles in the telecommunication business as I write. It was originally canned by the Motorola execs as they thought there wouldn’t be a market for a phone that had less functions than the competition. The only reason we, and seemingly every other body in the universe are walking around with them now is because one engineer ignored them, used his budget to rapid prototype in China and then presented it to the board only after he had shown it to two or three major potential carriers. I for one, can easily believe it. On a roll now, just applying one simple change took it into the stratosphere. Praise the soul who asked the next question “What if we make it pink? We will double the potential market”. Actually one of the 40 TRIZ inventive steps on your checklist is, 'change the colour'.

A product that may at first have seemed ludicrous turns out to have several uses.

The value of using a Principle like the Path of Most Resistance is that it forces us to think differently than we normally would. But you might have noticed that once we were pushed past our initial resistance, it was fairly easy to come up with uses for a screenless telephone. The Tool and the Principle working together make it easier to be innovative.

Let's return for a moment to our screenless telephone. If we continue to follow PMR, we can push this idea even further. Once we see that the product has potential users - the blind, the security conscious and drivers - we may want to consider how else those users can use the product. Will the driver, for example, use her screenless phone outside the car? Will the blind person's sighted family be able to enjoy it? Yes - but only if they can see, and not just hear, their programs. Which of course requires a screen. Our natural inclination might be to search for the best possible screen to which we could attach our screenless TV, but PMR will direct us to look for at solution that already exists in the product's immediate environment - like a PC. This can be the basis for a sort of PC TV, which is easy to implement by installing a card into the PC or plugging your phone into a laptop or the DVD TV player in your kitchen for wireless video streaming and video conferencing . Or….. you get the idea.

In this case, the user of Subtraction is guided by the PMR Principle, to maximize the tool's effect. Similarly, all the Principles support the use of any of the five tools. Just for fun I can tell you that the other tools are;

Attribute Dependency
Division
Multiplication
Task unification

But they are a whole other bag of monkeys! To be continued…

However, please don’t overlook the most important tool. What we in the innovation business call the ‘Idea Capture Device” but, you may know as simply a notebook. You never know when the idea will come and if you don’t write it down as soon as it arrives, you risk loosing it forever. At my last count I've got over 200 notebooks, but them I'm an idea Junkie.

Next Blog issue, "capturing the moment and couple of tricks to help".