by Lisa Wedmann | Jun 13, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative, Latest
A few years ago I was having a conversation with a photographer friend of mine. We were talking about business and giving each other tips on how we could become more effective. At one point in the conversation he turned to me and said, “There’s always time to do it over but there’s never time to do it right in the first place.”
I wondered what point he was trying to make since this statement seemed contradictory. Then he told me his story. A long-time client of his was on a tight deadline and needed a high priority, rush shoot. His assignment was to go to a busy street and shoot the crowd. Sound easy? You would think so.
He rushed over, took the shot and raced back to the client. He couldn’t wait to show them. He was proud of himself and was positive they would be happy. At that time he didn’t know about his BIG MISTAKE, he was still caught up in the delight of meeting his deadline.
What he didn’t know was there was a large billboard in the background of the photo. So what, many busy streets have billboards. Well, it wasn’t the billboard that was the problem, it was the competitor’s name on the billboard that was. And do you know what happened next?
He had time to do it over.
If he had taken the time to think through his assignment this wouldn’t have happened. And the moral of the story… the client never hired him again.
When we are rushing to meet deadlines we often jump in without thought. When we jump in without assessing the environment we make big mistakes and the consequence is we have to do it over and like my friend you may lose a client. So how do you do it right when you are faced with seemingly impossible deadlines?
DON’T GET CAUGHT IN THE HYSTERIA
In order to do it right from the beginning do not get caught in the hysteria of the moment. You need a clear head to determine how you will get the job done. You look out of control when you run around screaming “I have to meet a deadline” and it can be infuriating for others who are trying to get their own work done.
As my friend felt about his photo, not a pretty picture. Instead, pause and take that spot of time where you would have been running around to plan your approach. Those few minutes can make all the difference.
ASK QUESTIONS
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Make sure that you know and understand what is required. Ask what is the purpose and what you are intended to accomplish. Obtain as much detail as you can. This information will steer you in the right direction and provide answer questions that you don’t have time to ask.
One question you might not think to ask is why is there such a tight deadline? Is this deadline final or is there any wiggle room? Is the deadline for a specific time of day? If it is at the close of one day you might be able to squeeze in some extra time by asking to provide your deliverable in the morning of the next day.
Just remember doing it right from the beginning will save you time in the long run.
by Lisa Wedmann | Jun 12, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Latest
I looked up and high on the shelf in the Dollar Store was a giant eraser with the words “We Make BIG Misteaks”. I thought it was funny and not so funny.
Not so funny when you are the one making those misteaks.
I bet Lululemon doesn’t think making misteaks is funny after their recall of yoga pants in March because you could see through them. The recall amounted to approximately $67 Million in sales, a big chunk of change but small change when last year’s revenue was close to 1.4 Billion.
The supplier said they followed specifications so what happened?
Maybe the Chief Product Officer knows. He was fired immediately.
Then, three months later after the excitement settled down it was announced that the CEO, Christine Day would step down. She gave no explanation for leaving.
Looks like that was a big misteak somewhere. But where: Lululemon or the supplier? The Product Officer or the CEO? We may never know.
We can only hope it doesn’t happen to us.
If don’t want to make big misteaks like Lululemon I have two recommendations to help you ensure product quality control.
Define Guidelines
An important way to ensure quality control is to have specific written guidelines for your product. These standards must be followed at all times. Do not turn a blind eye and make the excuse to let it pass just this one time. If you turn a blind eye to quality you are on a slippery downward slope.
Teach your vendor about your products
Having a good relationship with your vendor will go a long way to getting good results. Help them understand and teach them what is important about your product . Regularly rank your vendors so you can determine which of them needs improvement and work on getting that improvement.
By making these recommendations I am not meaning to act like I know better than Lululemon. I’m not. It’s hard to beat a Billion dollars in revenue. But what I do know is I can protect my business ….and with all pun intended … that’s the bottom line.
by Lisa Wedmann | May 30, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
Influential at work
Let’s face it you can’t get anyone to do anything. Nobody cares. You’re a big loser and you get nothing done.
You’re not the boss and everyone knows it. It doesn’t matter that the Big Giant Head told you to make it happen. It’s not happening. They won’t listen. Just like the theme song for the TV show, Malcom in the Middle, your coworkers are telling you “You’re not the boss of me and you’re not so big”.
Sigh.
If only you had authority. If only you could put your foot down and make people do what you want. If only you were influential. Then it would be easy.
… double sigh.
You may think you are the only one who has this problem. You’re not.
We all do.
No matter where you are in the organization, each one of us needs the help and cooperation of others in order to get results.
The challenge for you and for each one of us is how to get results without being the Big Giant Head?
One of the most important strategies to get results from others is influence.
Being influential is not manipulative or devious or taking advantage. It is about working with the team to overcome barriers that can stand in your way to get things done.
There are many ways to influence others. But in my view these are the top 5.
1. TAKE AN INTEREST IN OTHER PEOPLE
People do things for people they like. Become sincerely interested in other people. Smile, remember their names and be a good listener. Encourage them to talk about themselves. It’s that simple.
2. BE SENSITIVE AND PERSISTENT
What if they still say NO?
Don’t give up.
Many times no doesn’t mean no. It could really mean I need more information or I am lost. After you identify the underlying reason, do what you can to fix the objection and don’t hesitate to ask again. Be sensitive and persistent.
3. KEEP YOUR OPINIONS TO YOURSELF
Do not criticize your coworkers. Do not criticize management. And in particular do not talk about your personal beliefs. Do not discuss politics or religion. Criticism is insidious and will rip your team apart. Instead be professional and focus on the positive aspects of the job.
4. BE GRATEFUL
Everyone wants to be appreciated and noticed in a positive way. Acknowledge to them and to others the important role they are playing or have played. This is not about you and the praise you receive it is about recognizing others. If they think you won’t express appreciation then it is unlikely they will do anything to help you meet your goal.
5. STOP WHEN THEY SAY YES
And once they’ve said yes. Stop. Don’t continue to say why it is important. This is insulting and plain annoying. They understand, why do you keep telling them?
So now you have a strategy and some tools to work with your team and get the job done. The Big Giant Head will be proud.
by Lisa Wedmann | May 28, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
Most of us are familiar with Morse Code, that mystifying alphabet where letters are represented by a combination of long and short signals mostly called dashes and dots.
Typically we’ve seen Morse Code used in movies where the distress signal S.O.S, three dots, three dashes, three dots is sent and a rescue is made.
What made Morse Code so popular in movies is that it could easily be sent in a short time and get an immediate response. The tool was adaptable. You could use a hammer on a pipe or a flashlight. Whatever worked.
Poignantly when Morse Code was retired in the nineties, the French Navy’s final message was “Calling all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence.”
Obviously they hadn’t heard about Twitter where silence has been replaced by a deafening roar.
And talk about immediate response.
In 140 characters or less, Twitter provides a quick and easy way to get your message out to clients and potential clients.
OK I’m sold. What are you waiting for? Let’s get tweeting right?
Not so fast, before you do anything else you must develop a TwitterMarketing Strategy and Plan.
Begin with your marketing objective and build a Twitter strategy around that objective. What do you hope to accomplish with your Twitter Campaign. This is the most difficult to establish since your objective will set the tone and your approach to tweeting.
On the plus side having a strategy makes it easy to manage your account since you do not have to second guess yourself when sending out a message. This also makes it easier for multiple people to manage an account while keeping it consistent with company goals and branding.
In creating your Twitter Strategy and Campaign consider:
How will your landing page look? Will it include photos?
What is the name of your Twitter account? Will it reflect your business name and brand in a way that makes it easy to remember? This may seem obvious but is it easy to spell?
How will you get followers?
What are the keywords associated with your account? This is an important element since these keywords will attract the right followers.
What type of tweeters will you follow? Will you follow only those who work in your industry or will you include others?
How often will your post?
What type of information will you post? Will you post about specials or sales, news events or other comments about your industry?
Will you be provocative to stimulate feedback?
Will you block irrelevant or spam accounts?
What is your policy on “Favourites”? This is strategically important since each time you favourite someone’s content they are notified and your name is in front of them.
What are the rules for abbreviations? Will you develop a lexicon of common terminology and abbreviations for your business that you will use consistently to promote your brand?
Will you retweet and if so what type of information will you share?
These are just a few examples of what to include in your Twitter Marketing Strategy.
This is your first step in a quick and easy way to get your message out and you won’t even need a flashlight.
by Lisa Wedmann | May 14, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
It always amazes me how many start up companies and entrepreneurs operate without a marketing plan. You wouldn’t head out to a destination without at least which direction you are heading or more to the point, input the address on a GPS so you can get there in the most timely way. The purpose of a marketing plan is to articulate where you need to be and define the measurement of success for your business. It provides you with the forum to focus on your business, on your competition, on the current market trends. In short, it makes you do the homework you need to do to get a clear and concise understanding of all the roads and road blocks that will lead to your business’ success…. before you start your engine and put your car into drive.
No matter what size, or type, or whether you are offering a product or a service this “road map” will prove to be invaluable when decisions need to be made. You have a great product or service and you are anxious for everyone to know about it and you want to just get out there and start selling. STOP. Do you have a plan? Do you know when you get there? It always amazes me how many start up companies and entrepreneurs operate without a marketing plan.
In the not so recent past many businesses, start ups, retailers and b2b companies felt that any marketing initiatives were well beyond their reach. To have any impact on their audience, a lot of dollars were needed. Enter Social Media, and businesses everywhere are getting into the “marketing” of their businesses. Which is absolutely wonderful! In today’s business landscape, businesses are all embarking on the Social Media… some with little or no understanding of the true time cost of doing it properly. But I digress,that’s another blog for another time.
Jumping on the band wagon without a clear definition of your value proposition and your unique selling point is dangerous. Equally dangerous is not defining your businesses brand voice, brand tone and brand personality. This is where a marketing plan comes in. The purpose of a marketing plan is to map out the direction of where you need to be… and define the measurement of success for your business… it is essentially this “destination point” which will prove to be invaluable when decisions need to be made.
In this “road map” you need to determine your strategy, identify your priorities and then build out your tactics from there. Start by identifying who your target market is. Define as much as you can: age, sex, profession or career, income level, level of educational attainment and geographic location…. and go farther. Define your target markets likes and dislikes, habits, hobbies. This is the age of niche marketing!
Clearly define your business and set reasonable quantifiable objectives. It’s important to be honest. Don’t set yourself up for failure…be aware of the potential hazards before you start…and when detours happen along the way, your marketing plan will provide you with a solid base to switch gears and turn to an alternative road to get you where you are going… to success!
