My favorite items for this week include a call to action, social media platform comparison, integrated marketing example, and a customer care callout.

Blog Posts:

“You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know” by Amy Africa

The Queen of eCommerce issues an extreme call to action for companies that want to move their business to the next level. She introduces a new word (at least for me because I don’t speak Farsi), “Tarouf”. You have to read her post to understand how it is important to you. Her callout to marketers to move away from “likeminds” and find new definitions can be applied to any role.

“Why Twitter Followers are Better Than Facebook Fans” by Tim Baker

Baker uses an eMarketer survey to show the difference between fans and followers from a marketing perspective. The quote, “Facebook is for the people you know while Twitter is for those you want to know,” is perfect. He recognizes that many of the people on Twitter drop off after a few tweets which leads to high MIA rates (as shown in the breakdown of @chrisbrogan’s followers.) Every marketer should take a look at their social media strategy to insure that their resources are being utilized on the right platform.

Marketing Innovation:

Jewelry retailer Michael C. Fina is using mobile marketing to pull foot traffic into its New York store. QR codes (two-dimensional barcodes that are readable by phones with cameras and smartphones) are placed on posters with instructions on how to use them. When people scan the codes, they are taken to a landing page that allows them to explore different themes. It is a great integration of mobile, ecommerce, and retail marketing.

Tweet:

Maybe we should all “play the customer” on our websites to see how user-friendly they are so we don’t lose prospects and customers. by Lois Geller of Lois Geller Marketing Group

Have a great weekend!

Change is hard. It doesn’t matter whether you are the architect or worker, adapting to a new environment is challenging. Sometimes the resistance is so overwhelming that the plan is abandoned and the status quo remains.

The problem is that without change, growth is impossible. Without growth, companies die. Change is the life force that moves organizations from mediocrity to excellence. Failure to embrace it leads to self-destruction. Innovation is mandatory to thrive in a competitive environment.

In the typical change initiative, there are two leading characters. They play adversarial roles. The first is the architect. She pours her heart and soul into the project. All of her creative juices are flowing. When she is done, she believes that her work will jettison the company so far ahead of the competition they will never catch up.

On the other side, you have the team members who have to make everything work together. They don’t want to be resistant, but enough is enough. One day they’re doing their job the same way as always. The next, there’s a new directive requiring them to change everything. Accepting it is challenging because every time they get used to the new stuff, it changes again. There’s never an explanation or a chance for their opinion, only instructions on how to do it. And, most of the time, the instructions never work the way that they are intended.

In a world where change is the norm, how can you motivate people to embrace it?

It’s simple. Let them own it.

While change is hard, it is even harder to step up and say, “Yes, I contributed to that idea, but it is a bad one.” The best change comes from the bottom up instead of the top down. Roles have to change. Your leadership team has to move from ” here’s the plan, make it work” to “let’s get something started.”

Their role is to issue the challenge, monitor the progress, keep everything moving in the right direction, and cheer the team on. They have to be willing to step aside and let team leaders call plays when necessary. Successful businesses have teams, not dictators.

How do you shift from the traditional change architect model to the team model?

One step at a time. If you have a history of forced initiatives that often fail, it will take time and a lot of effort to transition to a team approach. Here are the steps to move the process along:

• Identify the natural leaders in each group. It may be the supervisor, but most likely not. These are the people that others glance at during meetings to see their reactions. They are usually the ones with the most resistance to change because it threatens their position of authority.
• Clearly define the challenges in as simple terms as possible. Position your statements so that your team members can see how the change will benefit them. For example, instead of stating, “we need to improve productivity” ask, “are there any unnecessary steps in the process from order entry to shipment?”, and then listen.
• Ask the natural leaders for their suggestions. Listen carefully and make sure that you understand their points. Make sure that you incorporate some of their ideas in your initiative. Always remember that they are the ones who have the most effect over the success or failure of the initiative.
• Get to know all of the team members. Identify where they fit on Roger’s Innovation Adoption chart. In my experience, all team members belong to one of the categories. They may transition from one to another, but they all have a position on the chart.



• Communicate, communicate, and communicate. Don’t let rumors undermine the process. If there is a success, celebrate it. If there is a problem, explain it and ask for suggestions. Reward the early adapters so that they keep supporting the initiative. Others will follow.
• There may be a few laggards even after the initiative is complete. If so, meet with them individually to hear their issues. Make every effort to convert them. If they continue to resist the change, termination may be the only recourse. If there are more than a few laggards, revisit the process. Ownership wasn’t transferred.

Normally my posting are about how you can improve your business. Today is different. I am going to talk about how I improved mine.

I wish I could say that I discovered the latest widget that was going to change the world, but I didn’t. My discovery was simply a new business model.

Let’s start with a little history. My first consulting experience began when I was in college. I designed warehouses for Fortune 500 companies. It was enough to infect me with the consulting bug and I have never been the same since.

After graduation, I moved to NYC to work with, you guessed it, another consulting firm. Before starting Wilson & Ellis Consulting, I took a few years off from the consulting world to take a position as Chief Operating Officer for a home furnishings catalog.

During my tenure as an executive, I learned that you can accomplish more from within than without.

There are some basic rules in the consulting world. If you follow them, you may be successful. (There is never a guarantee.) In most cases, they are the same rules that work in all businesses.

• Market your business by building brand awareness with your prospects. This usually translates into speaking at conferences, writing articles, and networking.
• Build your client base with good companies. Establish and maintain solid relationships.
• Repeat as needed.

I followed the traditional rules and built a good business. Unfortunately, my success didn’t allow for some things vital to my personal life. Specifically, I wanted to spend more time with my family and less time traveling. Growing my company and having time at home was a major conflict.

It remained that way until I changed my business model. When I stopped looking at the rules and started looking at how I could help people grow their businesses without spending all my time on the road, I made a discovery. I could help more people in less time if I taught them how to do it themselves.

That view conflicts with most things I have learned and practiced as a consultant. But, it agrees with everything I know to be true. Such as:

• The best growth comes from within the organization. Nothing can compete with a corporate team working together for the good of all.
• Consultants are outsiders who have a different perspective. Sometimes they miss the big picture because the insiders fail to share all information.
• Companies that never look outside their walls for inspiration implode.
• It is good to shake things up, even when you are a conservative consultant.
• Sometimes, when the need is there, the best solution is traditional consulting.

The discovery changed how we do business with our clients. A few still follow the traditional consulting approach because it makes sense for their organization. Most are investing their resources in learning how to improve their business. It is cost effective for them and freeing for us. We get to spend more time doing and less time traveling.

Technological tools help with the process, but the key to the transition was to stop doing and start thinking. It is a work in progress that I hope is never complete. Who knows how much we can grow by teaching other companies how to grow their business?

Now think about your business. Who knows how much you can grow if you change how your business operates? Take some time over the next couple of weeks to review your business model. Does it still make sense? Are you utilizing all of the tools available to improve your service to your customers? Do your services and products match your customers’ needs and expectations?

The future is bright if you look out the right lens. Start your strategic planning now.

…you gotta wear shades! No, I haven’t lost my mind, but I do admit it seems like an odd statement following the latest economical gloom and doom numbers. Let’s start out acknowledging that there are challenges in our global economy. Some companies may not survive, but the ones that do will be leaner and stronger than before.

On a flight from NY to Atlanta, I overheard some people talking about the economy. Instead of looking for opportunity, they were lamenting that they had missed the Internet boom. There were a lot of “if, then’s” in the conversation. Yes, some people made a lot of money in the early Internet days. (Some lost it all and more, too!)

When the Internet was in its infancy, if you had the right vision, you could grow exponentially. Those days are gone. Or, are they?

Zappos, Inc. is doing quite well post boom. And, they are doing it by focusing on old traditions like quality service and using new technology to execute their vision. Check out their “About Us” page for a snapshot of what makes them special.

If you are starting a new company or trying to revitalize an established one that forgot service, you may not be ready for the sunglasses. But, if you have a solid customer base, founded on traditional principles, break out the shades, lemonade, put your feet up, and start thinking.

Innovation is the best way out of a slow economy. You have the foundation; it’s time to build the structure. Start testing your ideas and then roll out the successful ones. There hasn’t been a better time. People are hungry for something new as long as it comes with quality service. So, create, test, redesign, test, and repeat. Inspire your customers, employees, shareholders, and self. Our world is changing. You have the choice to be an innovator or follower. Choose wisely.

Dr. Seuss knew that innovation was the key to problem solving. He tried to teach us in our formidable years by making thinking fun and whimsical. Even so, most of us wait until we are at the end of our ropes before we put our thinking caps on!

Innovation is the only way out of our economic woes. Continuing to do the same things and expecting different results is insanity. It is time to stop working non-stop and start thinking about how you can change your business to take advantage of the global market.

The first step is to know your exact position. Is your customer base growing, stagnant, or declining? If it is growing, are your new customers as valuable as your old ones? Or, are they hit-and-run visitors, looking to buy one item, never to return?

Are your resources allocated to the items that provide the most return? Is your customer satisfaction high? Is it declining or rising? Do you know the cost of fulfilling an order? Acquiring a customer? Keeping or reactivating existing buyers?

The list could go on forever, but the bottom line is – if you don’t know where you are, you can’t figure out how to move forward.

The second step is to know where you want to go? Do you want improve profits, increase growth, or go green? Or, do you have another destination in mind? You have to know where you are going before you can create a plan.

The third step is where the heavy lifting thinking actually occurs. It is also the hardest part. You have to stop doing and start thinking. At first, it will seem like a waste of time. Why sit, doing nothing, when you could be productive?

Because, the more time you spend thinking, the less time required for doing! This is not to say that you can be a slacker. You have to actually work at thinking. Start with a problem you want to solve. Schedule some time alone. Make a rule that you cannot use a solution that has been used before. And, THINK!

When you have some viable solutions, test, test, and test. You will find the answers to all your problems, one thought at a time.