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ATLANTA - Last week, I wrote a post on MarketingHeadhunter.com called "Do you need a resume? Google thinks so" in which I took marketing author Seth Godin to task for stating that "great people shouldn't have a resume." You can read my post to see what I wrote, but the reader comments were especially thoughtful.
Of particular interest were the comments of search engine expert Alan Rimm-Kaufman and Richard Millington of "I want to work with Seth Godin" -- a great blog, as it turns out. Richard wrote ...
"Anyone who clicks through to my URL will spot my obvious bias here, but I think Seth's comments are meant as aspirational. It's the difference between looking for a job and being the first guy that comes to mind when looking to fill a position. It probably works better at the higher levels, but it certainly doesn't hurt. For the record, I don't have a CV anymore - but I have had offers through my blogs."
That's a lucid argument.
Seriously. I don't fence with Seth Godin much -- mostly because I'm too busy agreeing with him. And you will notice that I spend hundreds of hours blogging and NO time at all tweaking my resume.
But if I were going to apply for a job anywhere (no matter how I generated the job lead), I'd submit a great resume that highlights what I have done with my blogs, my "brands," my recruiting business, etc. The resume would be a compendium of my accomplishments, which is why you need a resume -- despite what the experts might have you believe.
Rule #1 in a tough job search: "Don't buck the system."
My point in writing "Do you need a resume?" was that there is a recruiting process and a hiring protocol, and HR executives are NEVER going to migrate to a less standardized system. There are simply too many candidates out there.
A move away from a standardized system would be like a move back to the days of barter without paper money: There is no way to objectively compare the "value" of one candidate to another unless there is a common currency, and a resume is a proxy for that currency. Which is why Seth says not to use them. But that's a dangerous idea, at least if you want to land a job.
Think about it: A company needs a star executive who can deliver X, Y, and Z. It gets the names of ten candidates who have no resumes. Now what? Most hiring committees have a tough time agreeing on what goes into a job description to begin with.
Why make their hiring decision harder by not having a resume that is mapped to their job posting? That's poor marketing on the candidate's part. The best marketers know to sell how the customer buys. I know Seth knows that because I learned it from him.
All due respect.
In the event that we do move away from a resume based system, my bet is that dozen of software companies will emerge with products to quantify the "worth" of candidates whose accomplishments and online bios are scattered all over the web.
In fact, Broadlook Technologies already offers "candidate information aggregating" software, and let me tell you -- it's extraordinarily powerful. Check out this quick demo featuring Broadlook's founder, Donato Diorio.
And ZoomInfo offers a similar service, though the major difference is that Broadlook sells software, while Zoom sells a database. But either way, it's all about compiling and "templatizing" candidate information.
Just like Facebook and MySpace.
Not a week goes by that I don't get a call from a VP of HR looking for a VP of Marketing who is a "servant leader." Servant leadership seems to be all the rage these days. Every company wants servant leaders, but few seem to know much about it. They talk the talk, but walking the walk is much harder.
Humility: The Core of Servant Leadership
Most people, if they really knew anything about humility, wouldn't like it. That's why so few people are humble. Humility involves dying to oneself -- sacrificing oneself to a higher good or legitimate authority. Quite often it means doing what you don't want to do. Sometimes it means going down with the ship so that others may live. And always, it means killing the egotistical, self-centered person inside all of us who wants to be comforted, petted and admired.
For the truly humble servant leaders, everyone has dignity. Everyone is a child of God. Everyone is the best in the world at something. Everyone deserves respect. Everyone deserves to be elevated and encouraged to improve. Everyone deserves to be perfected, and servant leaders perfect those around them by nurturing everyone and and setting a benchmark example.
But here's the paradox of humility: If you think you have it, you don't. Imagine someone bragging about how humble they are. That's an oxymoron, isn't it? You can never be too humble.
I'm not talking about the "awe-shucks" false modesty that most of us have. I'm talking about putting others first always. That is absolutely antithetical to our secular, me first, he who dies with the most toys wins society. I can't tell you how to gain humility. Usually one has to fail (and fail spectacularly) before one discovers how much one needs others. But barring that, here are some signs that you lack humility:
I could go on but I won't. You get the idea. Zig Zigler has long said that you can have anything you want in life as long as you make sure that others get what they want first. That's a hard truth to recognize -- and an even harder truth to live.
SAN FRANSISCO - This weekend, the WSJ had a great interview with Reed Hastings of Netflix. Mr. Hastings has been a keynote speaker at Shop.org, DMA, eTail, and Internet Retailer events, and he's always a hit. Buried in the third paragraph of the WSJ article was a gem about Mr. Hasting's genius as a marketer ...
"... [Mr. Hastings] has already convinced 7.5 million Netflix subscribers that their local video store is too far away and that late fees are evil."
I have not seen a marketing premise that good since Domino's used "Fresh, hot pizza in 30 minutes or less or it's free. Guaranteed." Mr. Hastings' premise is actually two premises in one (a real rarity): "Long distance + late fees = You're crazy to support Blockbuster." It tacitly slams the incumbent while building a case for Netflix. Sweet.
And it's not like Blockbuster didn't see it coming. It's that vested interests within the Blockbuster organization did not want to disrupt their existing business by pursuing initiatives that would ultimately cannibalize it. A classic Innovator's Dilemma.
Frankly, there's not much missing from the Netflix sales appeal. It ...
Boom. If you can offer a risk-reversal proposition (# 28) on top of that, you've got it made.
Peter Drucker used to say that "only two things matter in any business: marketing and innovation." Therefore, your business had better be your innovation -- and the thing that you market consistently across every single customer touch point.
What's the premise behind your business? Is it as good as Netflix's? Is it innovative? Is it so disruptive that your largest competitor's CEO would kill it if it were bubbling up inside his own company?
Extra credit: Click here to see Mr. Hastings on Charlie Rose. Notice how Netflix was built on the back of a single story: "I got hit with a $40 late fee on a rented video -- and I was so embarrassed that I didn't want to tell my wife. And I thought to myself "There must be other people who have this problem...""
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SEATTLE, WA - Following is an email exchange between me and a new fan of my weblog 97 Job Search Tips. I thought you job-seekers might enjoy it ...
Dear Harry:
I came across your blog "97 Job Search Tips" while surfing the net this afternoon. In 2006, I came to work for a small aerospace company and loved it. Unfortunately, I fear that I have until September before they decide to close the doors. Our VP of Marketing was let go last December -- and the writing is on the wall for the rest of us.
I know I have to market myself and I wanted to tell you that your article was really good. I'm sending it home to study and try to work through all of the steps. I'm in the Seattle area and am having a hard time identifying other jobs in my current field.
I have a very strong background in marketing that goes back 10 years. Your article made it very clear to me that my resume is a big glob of information that isn't specific enough. I'd like to consider taking a new direction with my career, leaving the aerospace industry -- but I'm not comfortable pursuing something in which I don't have specific experience.
I have great analytical skills for example, and I'd like to get a position as a web analytics manager, but I'm lost on how to link my experience to the job requirements.
Can you give me any advice?
Signed,
Nervous in Seattle
Dear Nervous,
The best thing to do is follow 97 Job Search Tips step-by-step. I'd also do a little work and try to target companies in a particularly hot industry. A rising tide raises all ships -- even the bad ones.
Look at the tools at http://online.onetcenter.org/find/ and see how much of what you're good at is transferable to other industries. Then go to http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/ind_index.html and get the report for this industries that are relevant to you. Start your search there.
It's a ton of work -- but you're worth it.
Kind regards,
Harry Joiner
HOUSTON, TX - This holiday season, I thought I'd give my readers a gift: Marketing guru David Frey has graciously agreed to let me publish his fantastic primer on the most important marketing concept ever: The Unique Selling Proposition. All marketers should understand this concept. No exceptions. Marketers who plan to interview in 2008 -- I encourage you to visit David's wildly popular website, MarketingBestPractices.com
Differentiate or Die
What do all three of these slogans have in common? They are powerful statements of uniqueness that helped to propel their respective companies to success.
Your Unique Selling Proposition
Each of these slogans is their respective company's unique selling proposition (USP). A USP is something that differentiates you from all your competitors both local and industry-wide. It's what makes you so unique that people will choose to do business with you over any of your competitors. Your USP states your distinct advantage.
One of the deadliest mistakes small businesses make is not being unique. Now more than ever you must differentiate your small business.
Explosion of Consumer Choice
Today there is an explosion of choices for consumers. During slow times the same amount of small businesses will be vying for a diminishing amount of prospects. When this happens the competitive landscape gets tougher and choices for consumers gets more difficult. If you want to survive during the slow economy you must differentiate yourself in the eyes of your prospect. Your USP is what states to the world why you are different.
Factoid: The origin of USP comes from a man named Rosser Reeves, considered the 'high priest of hard sell.' An advertising agency chairman back in the 60's, Reeves wrote a book titled, 'Reality in Advertising' which was translated into 28 languages. It was Reeves who introduced and defined the concept called Unique Selling Proposition. In fact, one of Mr. Reeves most successful USP's was "Melts in your mouth -- not in your hands."
Why is Your USP so Important
To be successful in business you don't have to be the best, you just have to be unique. Identifying, developing, and incorporating your USP into everything you do is challenging. But the reward is worth every effort. It will differentiate you, distinguish you, and give you an advantage over everyone in your marketplace.
'Me too' businesses rarely survive. They usually end up in price wars because they don't have anything unique about them to establish value in the minds of their prospects. They are left with only one weapon with which to compete, price. And unless you have a significant cost advantage over your other small business competitors, you will lose.
Make Your USP Crystal Clear
The more clearly you announce your USP, the more often they'll choose you over your competition. You must use your USP to dominate your local market. When a consumer thinks of buying a product in your industry, your name must be the first one that pops into their mind.
Your USP must create a real and perceived advantage in your prospect's mind. For example, Dominos made a very bold guarantee that if they didn't deliver your pizza within 30 minutes of ordering, it would be free of charge. Dominos put their USP into action.
Be Specific
How many small businesses do you hear saying, 'The Best Selection in Town' or 'Service with a Smile.' I have to tell you that these phrases are worn-out, tired renditions of a 'me too' business. Be specific with your USP. When Domino's stated that your pizza would be, (1) fresh, (2) hot, and (3) delivered within 30 minutes, it was specific and measurable. Likewise, 'Buy it today and install it tonight,' that's specific and measurable.
How to Identify and Develop Your USP
You shouldn't rush or hurry the decision of your USP. You will spend thousands of dollars on advertising and promoting your USP. Once you've made your impression and then decide to change it you begin to confuse your prospect and it will cost you even more money to re-implement a different USP.
If your USP is a promise or guaranteed you must make sure that you can fulfill your USP promise. Domino's had a very bold USP. To get a pizza to anyone's house in their marketplace within 30 minutes was sometimes a difficult feat to consistently accomplish. But the rewards were fantastic.
How do you pick a USP?
You need to first identify which needs are going unfulfilled within either your industry or your local market. These are called 'performance gaps.' Many businesses that base their USP on industry performance gaps are successful. Here are some examples in different small business industries:
Example # 1 - Auto Repair Industry
Example # 2 - Dental Industry
Example # 3 - Real Estate Industry
You can see how a performance gap can lead to a powerful USP. You can also have local performance gaps that will give you a great USP as well. For instance, if you are an electronics outlet and you have more inventory than anyone else in town your USP could be, 'We Have 10 Times the Selection than Any Store In Town. Go Visit the Rest, Then Come Shop at the Best.'
Your USP Doesn't Have to be Unique
Although a USP is a statement of your uniqueness it doesn't always have to be something that is only unique to you ... if you proclaim it first!
For instance, if you were a furniture retailer and you proclaimed your USP to be 'Buy today, we'll deliver it tonight.' Most other competitors can do that too, but because you were the first to proclaim it, it is yours exclusively. This is sometimes called 'preemptive marketing.' You can preempt your competitors if you take a strong benefit, whether or not it's unique, and put your stamp on it first. All others who come after you will just be strengthening an advantage that you have already placed in the minds of your prospects.
Live Up To Your USP
Be bold when developing your USP but be careful to ensure that you can live up to your USP. Your USP should have promises, guarantees, policies and procedures, employee evaluations and other reinforcing processes to make each USP come alive. Having a strong USP can make your business super successful, on the other hand, having a USP that you can't live up to is suicide.
I'm sure that Domino's had to eat the cost of a lot of pizzas when they didn't arrive within 30 minutes, but they developed a system that allowed them to deliver on their promise consistently.
Integrate Your USP into Everything You Do
Once you have put some careful thought to your USP and have developed it, you need to integrate it into everything you do.
You can't over do or wear out your USP
... especially if it's powerful. The nation's most successful furniture dealer is based in Houston, Texas. You can't turn on a radio or television without hearing the furniture store's USP, 'Saves You Money!' across the airwaves. It's everywhere.
If you stopped someone on the street in Houston and said two words, 'Gallery Furniture' and asked them to finish the sentence, nine out of ten people would say, 'Saves You Money!' That's why it's the most successful furniture store in the United States.
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BOSTON, MA - We all have our favorite TV shows. I happen to love Boston Legal.
It's part drama, part social commentary, part comedy and a huge dose of zany, wacky farce.
Denny Crane is the Chief Executive Farce. He's by far my favorite character, and I can't imagine anyone playing him better than William Shatner. His lightening-quick humor and razor-sharp jabs that come out of left field combine to make him, in my view, the funniest character on network television.
If you watch the show, you know the character. If you don't, I'll sum it up in one long, run-on sentence:
Denny Crane is an aging partner in a Boston law firm who's completely lost touch with reality, openly chases every skirt in the office (clients included), has slept with many and brags about it to anyone who'll listen, puts the firm at risk each week by violating every ethical code of workplace conduct, routinely embarrasses himself, the other partners and the firm, has an ego bigger than Boston's Fenway Park, has pulled a gun and shot two people for ridiculous reasons, has been arrested more times than some of the firm's seedier clients, is allowed to stay because his name is on the door, and in last night's episode fired a junior lawyer because she's fat, told her so, and then hurled no less than 8 to 10 demeaning "size" insults at her while doing it. (Whew, I need air.)
The character is masterfully written and brilliantly acted. I tip my hat to the writers and Shatner.
Leadership: What it's not.
You may be wondering: How can a steward of high integrity leadership and frequently speak out against the liars, cheats and thieves. So how can you love a leader who's a disgusting slug like Denny Crane?
Great question. Simple answer. Because for 60 minutes I tune out reality, put the real world aside, and enjoy pure fantasy. It's Hollywood at its entertaining best. (And that's the ONLY part of it I like.) Same reason I love Homer Simpson even though he's a certified, card-carrying buffoon.
It's entertainment. A funny and temporary escape from the real issues of the day, something to laugh my fool head off at.
But the other part of the Denny Crane character? Well, that's my target for today.
Leadership Lessons For You:
Now let's put fantasy aside and re-engage the real world.
Truth is, there really are some Denny Cranes running around in leadership positions. I hope not as lecherous and despicable as the TV character, but yes, possessing several of his not-so-admirable qualities.
Denny Crane on TV is funny. But in your company, he's anything but. He's a boil on your hind end. A lawsuit waiting to happen. A horrible example you don't want any of your other leaders to see, let alone imitate. He's the worst possible person to occupy a position of high authority. In short, he's cancer to an ethical organization.
And an even bigger crime than his behavior itself is when there are no consequences for his atrocities and he is allowed to stay. All because he's the owner, a partner, and has his name on the door. So the other partners make excuses for him. Give him a free pass. Scold him gently behind closed doors but take no real action to end his unacceptable and illegal behavior. Making them just as guilty as he is.
Other employees in the firm are seldom shown, so we don't see how they're impacted. But it's no mystery that they would be disgusted about a partner who is continually allowed to violate every principle the firm stands for.
Yes, I've got a real problem with leaders who let their fellow leaders get away with murder. Not just partners, but anyone up and down the line who occupies a position of authority -- owners, CEOs, senior execs, managers, supervisors, team captains, department heads, and so on. To see infractions and do nothing about them, is to be an accomplice.
Like the leaders at Enron, who got away with their illegal shenanigans for a long time before someone finally blew the whistle. Or any manager who won't deal with offenders and draw the line.
And the most heinous of all: a parent who knows the other parent is abusing the kids, yet does nothing, says nothing, tells no one.
Responsible, ethical leaders step up and do what's right. One of any leader's chief obligations is to ensure that leadership throughout the organization is of the highest integrity at all times. Anyone unwilling to walk that line should rip the stripes off his own sleeve and clean out his desk.
The Denny Crane on Boston Legal is funny because he's fiction. But when I turn off the TV and go to bed, I don't want to wake up in the morning and find him working in my company.
Got a Denny Crane at your place? What will you do?
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Rick Houcek, President Soar With Eagles, Inc. To subscribe to his newsletter, please visit Soar with Eagles.com and fill in your name and email address in the upper left of the home page.
ATLANTA, GA - My 11 year old son's Boy Scout Troop is holding elections this week for its 14 leadership positions. Some of the positions seem like small potatoes: Troop Bugler, Troop Scribe, and Troop Historian jump out as a way for a rookie Boy Scout like my son to cut his teeth in troop leadership.
But some of the positions seem like they'd be great fodder for a college application.
Take the position of Senior Patrol Leader, for example. This Senior Patrol Leader is the alpha dog of the troop, and according to BSA founder Robert Baden-Powell, “The best progress is made in those Troops where power and responsibility are really put into the hands of the Patrol Leaders.” Kind of like a multi-national corporation or franchise operator that pushes responsibility and accountability down to the local level.
Good command skills
We have a family friend who served as a Senior Patrol Leader, and this young man ...
Basically, the kid was a leader -- and his leadership skills only sharpened with practice. Without trying to be the Great Santini, I'm encouraging my 11 year old to pursue an elected role.
It's kind of a big deal.
This morning I received the application form to determine which boys will go on the voting ballot. Should my son decide to run for one of these positions, he must complete the form. The form was less than one page long. At the bottom of the page was a text box, not nearly large enough to answer the question it contained:
Use this space to tell why you want this job, how you would do the job, and why you are the best choice for this position.
There is clarity in brevity -- and there is power in clarity. I especially love the red part. Any candidate who can answer this question in just 100 words has really thought through the issues, don't you think?
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Candidates: Check out 97 Job Search Tips
ATLANTA, GA -- Monday is Labor Day in America -- a day set aside to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold", to use the words of Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor. McGuire was the first to suggest holding a "Labor Day" in 1882, though it's argued whether or not he was the actual founder.
I agree. We do need a day to honor those hearty souls who bend steel, ship mail, plant seeds, paint buildings, fly planes, mill paper, bake bread, build cars, and on and on. But while Labor Day initially focused on members of labor unions, today it goes far beyond that.
It now constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions all workers make to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country. Blue collar and white, hourly and salaried, factory workers and office, night shifters and day, weekends or weekday. Everybody!
I'd like to take it further. In my view, it ought to be a worldwide celebration, not just American. We should honor every human being who helps churn the economic engine of Planet Earth by being gainfully employed and doing honest, respectable work.
So my hat's off to each and every one. That said, let's switch our focus to you -- the leader -- in 3 primary ways.
You have important responsibilities on Labor Day.
First: You too are a laborer. Those at the top of the pyramid -- owners of businesses, managers of departments, and leaders of teams -- are also logging hours of toil. So please accept my thanks and congratulations for your contribution of blood, sweat and tears to the productivity of our beloved planet.
Second: As a leader, you guide the efforts of others. I hope you'll take pause to ask yourself, with brutal honesty: Am I doing all I can do to improve my effectiveness as a leader? And assuming you're not (c'mon, there's always more you could do), let me suggest you commit, right now, to 3 profound actions before the end of September to take your leadership game to a higher level. Maybe it's reading books, listening to CDs, attending workshops, spending one-on-one time with a mentor, a combination of several ... or whatever.
You choose. Just do something. Your followers deserve you at your best. (Hey, it's back-to-school month -- so jump on the learning bandwagon with all the kids.)
And third: You absolutely must not let this holiday pass without saying thanks to those who work for you. No, it doesn't have to be Monday, the holiday itself. You could declare that 4-day week to be "Honor Our Staff" week. Or designate all of September as "Celebrate Our Hard-Working Employees" month.
You could pick one day next week and order lunch pizza for your employees. Or pick any timeframe and give it any name. People are grateful for being recognized and appreciated -- they'll take it any time and frankly couldn't care less what you call it. (But do tie it to Labor Day somehow, so you don't miss this opportunity.)
Lessons & Actions For You:
I'd do 2 things: First, I would take immediate action on suggestions 2 and 3 above. Get the ball rolling. And second, I'd log those same 2 ideas into my calendar for next Labor Day ... September 1, 2008 ... so I don't forget them. Labor Day is more than just a day off work. It's a day smart leaders acknowledge their staffs.
Before I started my own business in 1991, I was an employee of other companies up to that point. In all my "employee years", I honestly cannot remember one owner, CEO, VP, supervisor, manager or boss ever saying thanks to me on Labor Day. To be fair, I'm not sure I ever said it to anyone who reported to me either. Blood on my hands too.
You have a chance to be smarter than that. What you do is up to you.
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Rick Houcek is President of Soar With Eagles, Inc. He specializes in facilitating off-site strategic planning retreats, helping CEOs and Leadership Teams create high-impact plans that overcome the crippling effects of lousy execution (the single biggest cause of plan failure) -- and get successfully implemented.
Rick's dynamic Power Planning strategic process drives action through his Escape-Proof Accountability system. It's ideal for small and mid-size businesses. To bring this potent weapon to your team, contact Rick at www.SoarWithEagles.com.
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Candidates: Check out 97 Job Search Tips
ATLANTA, GA -- Last week I heard a speaker at a conference tell a touching story about her 5th grade teacher. Seems this speaker, when she was a little girl, was shy, lacked confidence, and had few friends. Her teacher took her aside one day while her classmates were at recess, and gave her very encouraging, inspiring words she has never forgotten. To this day, she vividly remembers the moment -- and how her spirit lifted, her shoulders squared, and an ear-to-ear smile became etched on her face.
By her own admission, it was a turning point in her life. One, she says, that she recalls fondly and frequently when she needs a jolt of motivation. She added: "Those sterling words, on a day no more significant than any other, gave a lonely kid a bright future."
Wow. As I listened, a thought flew through my mind: I wondered if this lady had ever told her 5th grade teacher how her uplifting words on that day long ago had altered the course of her life every day since. Did she ever return to the school to tell her in person … pick up the phone and have a conversation … send her a card or note … or maybe (today) an email.
Or, did she, like most of us, never again make contact with her source of inspiration?
I was too curious, so I approached her after the speech. And I asked. Turns out, she had not ever gone back. Hadn't called. Sent no card or note. Never said thanks.
Hmmmmmm.
And somewhere, in some city, sits that 5th grade teacher today. Maybe she's still teaching young children. Maybe she changed professions. Maybe she's long since retired. Or maybe she has passed on.
But wherever she is, she has no idea that her words that day more than 40 years ago -- words I'm willing to bet she forgot saying soon after -- created hope for a struggling young child. A child who today is a noble, worthy adult, who influences others, who has raised a fine family, and who has built a life on the very words the teacher doesn't remember saying.
We frequently tell stories about people who made a difference to us -- parents, teachers, coaches, bosses, co-workers, ministers, best friends. At times, it's even someone we've never met -- like the author of a book, actor in a movie, a pro athlete, an average person we read about in the paper, someone we saw on TV, or a person from centuries ago.
But even when it's someone we know, how often do we pick up the phone and tell those people we shared a wonderful story about them, and what they meant to us? We don't -- we just tell the story. And they never know.
Mother Teresa said "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." How true. And they'll have even more meaning if we will just tell the person who uttered them the power and influence they had on us.
What about you and your influence over others? Have you ever wondered: "Gee, have I ever done anything so noteworthy, so meaningful, so exceptionally wonderful … that right now, at this very minute, someone is telling a story to another person about that very thing I said or did?" It forces you to take stock of whether you're setting a good example for others … or bad. Assuming good, wouldn't you like to be told?
Lessons & Actions For You: There are two.
First, it's time to say thanks. Sit down and make out a list of all the people who positively influenced you the most. Think back to childhood, through your teen years, your young adulthood, and beyond … right on up to the present. This will take more than one sitting. Keep a running list and add to it when a new name and story pops to mind. Zig Ziglar tells about his "Wall of Gratitude" that contains pictures of all the people in his life who have helped shape him into the person he is. (Got an empty wall in your home?)
Then commit to yourself that you'll endeavor to contact each one and tell the story that touched you most, the one from which you draw inspiration, the one that gives you the boost you need. Don't be surprised if they don't remember it. Is there a greater gift you could give them? (How would you like to receive a phone call or letter with such a message?)
If you're like me, the number will be quite large. Don't overburden yourself to do it all in a few days or a week. Plan it out over several months or a year, if you must.
Second, commit right now that your decisions and behaviors going forward will be the kind that others will want to tell positive stories about well beyond your years. Commit to making whatever changes you need to make to stay in integrity, to live your values, to be respected by others, to inspire those who need it … and to be worthy of following, of quoting, and of being talked about in a positive light. If you're not sure what you need to change, go to the person in your life who is the most brutally honest with you and will tell it like it is, pulling no punches. Fasten your seat belt -- we all have some things that need fixin'.
To say thanks to others … and to behave in a way deserving of thanks yourself … are two of the most noble acts of life. Isn't that the kind of leader you want to be?
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Rick Houcek is President
of Soar With Eagles, Inc. He specializes in facilitating off-site strategic planning retreats, helping CEOs and Leadership Teams create high-impact plans that overcome the crippling effects of lousy execution (the single biggest cause of plan failure) -- and get successfully implemented.
Rick's dynamic Power Planning strategic process drives action through his Escape-Proof Accountability system. It's ideal for small and mid-size businesses. To bring this potent weapon to your team, contact Rick at www.SoarWithEagles.com.
____________________________________________
Check out 97 Job Search Tips
One of our clients has an opening for a "Web Analyst"
This position is responsible for conducting strategic analysis and day to day fulfillment of web and business metrics to aid decision-making within the organization.
Primary Responsibilities:
Skills:
Work Experience:
If you feel you have these skills and would like to be placed in our industry-leading database for confidential consideration of online retailing and ecommerce opportunities, please send your resume in WORD format to Harry.Joiner@Gmail.com
Please reference “Web Analyst” in the subject field of your email.
____________________________________________
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This is a little freaky: For years, direct marketers have known that one of the best predictors of buying behavior is called recency. Recency means that how recently a customer has purchased often dictates how likely they are to buy again in the near future.
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My friend Rick Houcek (pronounced "HO-check") is an amazing leadership development and strategic planning facilitator based in Atlanta. Today Rick sent me his following article which I thought was outstanding. I thought you might enjoy it too.
How Will You Be Judged In The End?
A Dose Of Reality About Excellence For People In Charge, And Those Who Aspire To Be.
Two days ago, Sunday July 29th, all seemed right with the world. Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn, poster boys for consistent stellar performance and non-stop integrity, were inducted into Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
I'm a baseball fan extraordinaire. Watching these two guys play (20 seasons for Gwynn and 21 for Ripken) was as good as it gets. They gave you every ounce of their best every game. And as a fan you knew you were witnessing immortality right before your eyes.
How does that translate to leadership? What kind of leaders were Ripken and Gwynn?
I could devote space to a dozen or more admirable leadership attributes that both showed with consistency, but I'll hit on just four where I think these two guys were over the top. And it's important to take pause and reflect on their examples. They taught us so much.
1. They played within the rules of ethics and integrity. Too bad the sports page today is littered with stories of illegal performance-enhancing drug use, illegal and despicable off-field activities, recruiting violations, game fixing, and on and on. Gwynn and Ripken played the game the way it was meant to be played -- with honor. They were stars on their own merits -- using only their own natural bodies, talent and hard work. They violated none of baseball's codes of conduct. They respected their teams -- and the game of baseball -- with integrity 24/7, on the field and off. Gwynn said, "Fans felt comfortable enough with us because they could trust us, how we played the game and how we conducted ourselves -- especially in this era of negativity."
2. Winning was more important to them than money. Greenbacks seem to rule the day in sports. While I'll never knock someone for improving his or her financial position by seeking new employment, it's nonetheless refreshing to see two superstar athletes -- already multimillionaires early in their careers who could have significantly increased their wealth by jumping teams -- choose to stay home for less.
I've heard pro athletes proclaim "I want to be the highest paid at my position." (or "...in my sport.") If I'm a teammate bent on winning a championship -- that's what the games are really about aren't they? -- that angers me. We've got an ego-driven superstar more concerned with "me" than "we". But not Ripken and Gwynn -- they came to play and win. And if they did well, they believed, they'd be rewarded. They were, handsomely. Without jumping on the free agent bandwagon.
3. They never cheated their teammates, the fans, or the game. In his Hall of Fame induction speech, Ripken told of his regret when hearing that a family saved their money to come to Baltimore and see him play, and he was ejected in the first inning and the little boy cried the whole game. He realized, kids see everything, and he changed his ways. How many others would care about that? Or alter their behavior? Ripken and Gwynn left it all on the field, every game, giving 100 percent effort. They saw their every move as an "example" for someone else.
4. They were always humble winners. Ever hear either of them brag? On any day of their playing careers? I'll challenge anyone to dig up an old interview transcript where either of them is pontificating of personal achievements or degrading others undeservedly. Bet it doesn't exist. I'll stand corrected if found, and I'll be shocked. In their speeches, both gave more credit to their teammates and the game itself than they accepted themselves. Ripken said, "It's easy to pound your chest and say it was about me in some ways, but it was not. We play a small part, a small role."
Lessons And Actions For You:
Not sure I have to spell it out anymore than I already have. If you just added those four traits to your bag of behaviors -- or enhance them if they're already in your bag -- you'll win the hearts of your followers. You could look long and hard and not find two better role models. If any of us could be judged in the end like Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, it would have been a pretty good life.
Bravo, Rick! Well said.
To learn more about Rick Houcek, click here.
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A friend of mine is interviewing for a new sales job. Today he received the following instructions for his upcoming interview:
Instructions to Candidates for Sales Presentation
Assignment: Select a product or service you know well or have sold before. The product need not be related to our product or industry. It is best to select a topic that enables you to demonstrate strong product knowledge and confidence.
Prepare a 15-minute presentation intended to educate and convince prospective customers about the benefits of using your product/service.
As part of our selection process, you will deliver your presentation to an audience of 2-3 members of the Senior Sales Management Team, who will play the role of your prospective customers.
Note: Please come ready to present. You will not have time to prepare for this during your visit.
Objective: This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your skill at presenting product or service information in small group settings. You will be assessed on your performance in six dimensions:
Try to close the deal.
Guidelines:
Your presentation cannot exceed 15 minutes, so carefully select and narrow your topic. Your presentation will conclude at 15 minutes, whether you are finished or not. There is no separate Question and Answer period, so you will want to build some time for this into your presentation. Seek opportunities for give-and-take with your customers rather than a straight presentation.
At a minimum, please provide your audience an agenda for your presentation. You may use a product sample if demonstration is necessary to your presentation. You may also prepare and use up to two handouts (e.g., related notes or charts) if you wish. Other materials, such as flipcharts or professionally printed brochures, are not allowed.
You may NOT use Power Point presentations.
As the CEO of a fast-growing paid search agency that’s hiring regularly, many resumes land in my in-box each week. These are resumes at all levels: entry, mid, and senior folks.
One of my current hiring pet peeves is getting resumes in Office 2007 format. That is, we’re seeing an increasing number of inbound resumes coming in “.docx” format.
I can’t open these resumes with one click, so I am tossing them straight into the trash. Not even considered. Sorry, but true.
Now, I happen to have Vista and Office ’07 at home (ugh), but I do not have these at work. Our IT folks are holding our firm on XP and Office 2003 as long as we can hold out. On the OS side, Vista isn’t baked enough, our IT gurus believe. On the apps side, I fear the productivity hit of switching to Office 2007, when our amazing crew of power Excel users on our analyst staff suddenly won’t be able to find anything anymore. (Want to pull out your hair? Find pivot tables in Excel ’07. Or try to format several graphs in parallel. All the menus changed! Argh!)
Candidates: You know hiring managers are moving fast. Hiring managers are looking for reasons to cull your resume. If you want to be considered, make things easy for the hiring manager.
Sending your resume just in “.docx” comes off as rude to me. Seeing just a “.docx” resume makes me wonder if the candidate is clueless (because she/he doesn’t realize Office 2007 isn’t broadly adopted yet), not technically savvy (because she/he doesn’t understand file types), or self-absorbed (because she/he assumes that everyone should be using the latest-and-greatest out of Redmond, just like them). Actually, I don’t spend much time wondering, as I’ve already hit “delete” on the email and moved on.
My suggestion: Send your resume in multiple formats.
Plain text, in-line in the email below your sig, is always good. (I also like to see a resume well-presented in plain ascii – that suggests the candidate will be able to compose good-looking text emails.) A PDF attachment is also good -- it shows the candidate cares enough to control the page layout and typography. (Hint: if you use PDF, don’t PDF an ugly resume – ugh.) Use Word if you want, but be smart and use Word 2003 (“.doc”, not “.docx”). 2007 Word can read 2003 Word seamlessly, but not the reverse, so use 2003.
Just please avoid ".docx" as your sole resume format.
Landing your dream job requires executing lots of small details right. Choosing the wrong resume file format can derail the train before it even leaves the station.
Alan Rimm-Kaufman leads the Rimm-Kaufman Group, a paid search and web effectiveness agency located in Charlottesville Virginia. Find Alan online at http://www.rkgblog.com
Lots of times when I deal with online marketing executives, I feel a little like a sports agent. I mean, if you are reading this blog, then you are either a hiring manager or you are "the talent." Being the talent is fun -- especially these days, when great internet marketers have so many options.
So as your agent, allow me to get preachy for minute.
Do you eat fast food french fries? C'mon. Who doesn't? I'm a father of four kids and my wife is due with our fifth in June. I steal my kids' fries like they are going outta style! In fact, today, I swiped two chicken nuggets and ~20 fries from the massive grocery bag of Wendy's I bought the kids after church.
For some reason, when the food is for my kids, it's easy to lull myself into thinking that it doesn't effect me -- as if sneaking junk food from four small orders makes it better for me than if I had simply ordered my own. So I grab a my "fry tax" as I pass the food into the back of the van where my progeny maul it like lions. But I digress ...
Watch this video. If you never eat another fast food french fry again, it will allow you to lose weight and think more clearly. I could link to a bunch of research to prove my point, but we both know it's true. But watch this anyway. And eat like an athlete. That way, when I send you out on an interview you'll look and feel better about yourself -- and you'll probably get an offer. Ka-ching!
As my long-time blog readers know, before becoming a marketing recruiter I owned a B2B inside sales consultancy called "Reliable Growth." Essentially, I taught companies like NCR and Aflac how to research, identify, and develop new business with a phone, an internet connection and a fax machine.
Telemarketing was the lynch-pin of my campaigns.
My campaigns always involved tightly choreographed, sequential steps and sought to establish permission-based relationships with highly targeted prospects over a 6-8 week time frame. Each interaction was like a chess move. You can see the gist of the method in this page from my old manual. This small portion of my process is based on the un-improvable work of Jim Cecil -- the father of nurture marketing.
Needless to say, I know a thing or two about cold calling. Indeed, I have made many thousands of ice-cold calls in my life -- and if the telephone were a slot-machine, I would be waaaay up in my winnings.
But there's rejection -- and lots of it.
After all, a cold call interrupts the prospect's day. It's an intrusion, and most folks don't like to be intruded on. The cold call loser focuses on this element and takes the rejection personally. The cold call winner simply "moves through the target" (as they say in the Navy SEALS) by regarding cold calling as a numbers game.
Here are five basic truths about cold calling:
Which brings me to the point of this blog post:
Today on iMedia, Sean Cheyney, VP of Marketing for AccuQuote, has a nice piece called 5 Ways to Screw up a Cold Call. His tips include ...
Sales reps get hung up on cold-calling (no pun intended), but an old sales manager at Aflac had it right when he told his reps "I don't care if your own mother refers you to a prospect: If you have never spoken to the prospect before, then your first call is always a cold call." Truer words have never been spoken.
So given the above, here's my question: "Is cold calling an effective part of your company's marketing mix?" Why or why not??
I dunno why, but I love tough questions. Not because I can solve them, but because I can't. There's something really cool about the unanswerable question, and even cooler about the first person to answer it.
Anyway, tonight for some reason I'm trolling the Forrester Research site, browsing all of their upcoming marketing and ecommerce seminars for 2007. Forrester, btw, is teaming with brainiacs. And they all get paid to answer big, hairy, audacious questions. Sort of the intellectual equivalent of Evel Knievel.
Here are some of the sphincter-tightening marketing and ecommerce questions they will be examining in '07 (modified slightly to read as job interview questions):
If you are a C-level hiring manager looking for a new marketing VP, why not trot out some of these babies during your next round of candidate panel interviews? And please: Let me know if there are any colossal wipe-outs.
It sounds like a late night infomercial biz-op:
Today's Washington Post has an interesting article about about click fraud -- and what Google and Yahoo are doing about it. Google estimates that less that 10% of its Adwords clicks are fraudulent, while some industry experts peg the problem at 15-30%. Regardless, it's big money for professional click fraud artists -- and even the FBI is said to be getting involved.
The article tells of a lady in Iowa getting addicted to earning a half-cent for every ad she clicks, reporting that she makes $300 a year. By my math, that's 60,000 clicks a year -- or 164 clicks per day. In America, you can make more than that flipping burgers. But in India, where much of the click fraud is originating, $300/year might be good money. Whatever. Fraud is fraud.
Two things for marketers ...
Thing 1: Until this mess gets straightened out, you marketers RELAX. It's not like most of you know what you are doing in the area of paid search, so is click fraud really the source of your problems? No. Remember, this problem effects everyone, and marketing effectiveness is relative. Your job is to outrun your competitors, and the PPC track is slick for everyone. So shaddap.
Thing 2: Regarding his company's advertising nearly a century ago, John Wanamaker commented "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." At least with paid search, even the most dire prediction is that 70% of of your advertising is working.
Try that with a space ad, a TV spot, or a blimp.
Are you a Sales Manager? Do you know a Sales Manager? Good! Send them this post. They'll be glad you did.
Now then: If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you might know that I was a frozen food trader throughout the 1990s. A "trader" is basically a sales rep who does much of his own buying.
I learned more about the nature of negotiation, price competition, manufacturing, intermodal logistics, and international trade while working at AJC International than at any other time in my life. It was awesome.
In 1997, I bought more than $14 million worth of frozen beef and pork for my own account -- and I sold almost $32 million in frozen food to more than 17 countries throughout the pacific rim. Have you ever haggled with a beef packer in a falling shortrib market? Me too!
None of this makes me a hotshot. It simply means that AJC forced each trader to think like a small business owner, and it paid its traders based on two metrics: Booked revenue and invoiced revenue -- which was "booked revenue adjusted for actual storage, handling, inspection, shipping, insurance, interest accrued on inventoried product, bank surcharges, customer credit, and quality claims." Whew!
One of the great things AJC required its traders to do was "cost out" every trade on a spreadsheet. For example, a trader couldn't simply buy a truckload of frozen chicken legquarters for USD 0.135/lb FOB from a packer in Fort Smith, AR and sell them to a Chinese distributor for USD 0.2425/lb CIF Qingdao without accruing (and sometimes negotiating) the costs listed above.
Once the costs were known, the trader would write up the sale on a 3-ply form resembling the spreadsheet -- with one ply going to Accounting (who would tie back to the trade any ensuing bills), one ply going to Logistics (who would manage the movement of the load), and one ply being kept by the trader (who would constantly review his portfolio of deals with Logistics to make sure that they shipped in accordance with the terms of the contract).
As each load moved through the international supply chain (the transit time was usually 40-50 days), each trader had to actually approve the vendor invoices that got tied back to their individual trades.
Just like in real life.
It was not uncommon to get hit with a "lumping" or "box stamping" bill on an odd pallet of product taken from inventory to make weight in a container. If mis-accrued, those charges came out of my paycheck as they were tied back to my trades. Ouch. Loads that arrived