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Alan See: Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2017 9:51 AM
Whenever a new president takes office talk turns to the vaunted
first 100 days. The phrase has been
around since FDR and is now used by the media to measure the successes and
accomplishments of a president during their initial leadership transition. It’s interesting to note that this benchmark
has rarely correlated with the subsequent success or failure of a president’s
time in office. After all, every president
goes through ups and downs as they face the challenges that are unique to their
particular time in history. |
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Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 4:35 PM
“I’d like to connect and collaborate for mutual benefit.” Like
many of you, I’m often approached with that line on many social platforms. In truth, when that phrase is used within a
LinkedIn connection request from someone I don’t know it makes me cringe
because past experience has proven that they really mean one of two things:
1.
I’d like you to accept my connection request so
I can immediately pitch you on the solution I’m peddling because I’m sure you
are a qualified persona. |
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Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2016 12:00 PM
Ha-ha, made you look! When my kids
were little they would sometimes taunt me with that phrase. It was intended as a playful insult because
they tricked me into looking at something that didn’t really exist. With my marketing teams, that phrase is not
said in jest. Its code for marketing content
and messaging that forms a favorable impression; it catches our target audiences’
attention and piques their interest.
Marketers want attention. They
want their audience to engage with their social profiles. |
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Alan See: Posted on Friday, November 25, 2016 3:22 PM
It happens all the time by email, telephone, and through social media, the
fake“I
just wanted to follow up”sales prospecting approach.
Large company or small, no decision-maker wants to have their time
wasted. So, they’re probably not going
to visit your website to first “learn more about” your product. In addition, executives generally don’t open
their calendars for total strangers to talk to them about something they are
ill-informed about, or couldn’t care less about. In short, you are pushing a button that turns
them off, so it’s no wonder they are not returning your call or replying to
your digital contact. |
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Alan See: Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2016 9:56 AM
“We’re looking for a lighter version of you.” In a business recruiting situation, they
probably don’t mean that you’re overweight.
Odds are they’re telling you that they think you’re “overqualified.” And overqualified is usually code speak for
the following:
1. You are too old. 2. You are too expensive. 3. The hiring manager would be uncomfortable
with your credentials. Perhaps even
intimidated. 4. They don’t have the forward thinking vision
to consider expanding the position, or to anticipate their future talent needs. |
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Alan See: Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2016 1:47 PM
“On the Beach.” In the consulting world that expression means you
are not involved in activity that is billable.
In other words, you are not directly creating revenue for your company. And that is always a dangerous place to be if
you want to stay employed. An early
mentor of mine told me to “never get removed from the real revenue stream.” For several years I lived by that advice
through a career in sales, but I knew there were also important positions
within an organization that by design, were not directly revenue producing. |
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Alan See: Posted on Thursday, November 03, 2016 2:25 PM
People simply are not subject to the rigorous
laws of logic or measurable with the precision that data-driven marketers would
like. In fact, most purchase decisions
are made emotionally, and then justified, rather than the other way
around. That means it’s critical for
organizations to create customer relationships through emotional bonds. Here are eight ways your organization can help
create emotional bonds that build deep customer relationships:
1. Brand: You
need to start with a strong brand identity that your customers can identify
with. |
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Alan See: Posted on Friday, October 28, 2016 7:37 AM
Several years ago I heard a story about a shoe repair
shop from one of their long-time customers.
It’s a small business tale about trust with a twist that might surprise
you. Like many businesses, this shoe
repair shop was built on a self-service model.
That model was necessary because the sole proprietor did his cobbling at
night; during the day he held down a full-time job as an employee of another
company. His customers left their shoes
for repair in a converted newspaper vending machine located on his front
porch. |
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Alan See: Posted on Friday, September 30, 2016 10:09 AM
Your
company needs a marketing leader so your HR team is engaged to round up the
best possible candidates. This person
will provide leadership for your entire marketing group, craft your strategic
marketing plan, and report directly to your CEO as part of the executive
management team. Your notice in LinkedIn
draws many qualified candidates; in fact, you suspect there are some who
currently earn more than your budgeted reference range. You can only hire one of them though and you
have a small staff, so you tell yourself that you don’t have time for niceties. |
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Alan See: Posted on Monday, September 26, 2016 4:34 PM
Beloit Collegereleased
their Mindset Listfor the class of 2020. This
year’s list contains 60 items that provide a look at the cultural touchstones
that have shaped the lives of this fall’s entering class. Most of this year’s freshmen were born in
1998, just for fun; take a look at the world through their eyes:
- There has always been a digital swap meet
called eBay.
- Grandpa has always been able to reach for the
Celebrex.
- They never heard Harry Caray try to sing
during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field.
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