Three Simple Ways to Get the Most From Your Employees

Photo Credit: Hire Velocity Blog

Corporations do many things to attract and retain top talent--from offering flexible work schedules to in-office benefits and perks such as beer on tap, catered lunches, and games (pool, anyone?). However, some are acting even more progressive by considering the health and well-being of their employees as a top priority. Many studies have shown that people are far more effective at their jobs when they are healthy, when they successfully manage stress, and when they feel positive and optimistic. 

A few ways these companies are increasing employee productivity by proactively addressing wellness, driving ROI right back to the organizations:

1. Onsite Health and Fitness- from free cholesterol screenings to onsite gyms, yoga classes, and meditation. Companies that benefit the most are those that encourage and enable employees to engage with these offerings (i.e. health fairs, free group personal training, walking groups during lunch, fitness competitions, etc).  
2.  Cafeteria Menus- Google is a shining example of a company that promotes health and wellness in its cafe, by placing healthy foods into the direct line of sight and relegating candy and high sugar products to less attractive containers that require more effort to access.
3. The Human Factor- A little trust goes a long way. Treating employees like adults will result in increased loyalty and superior work product. This entails enforcing the No Asshole Rule and allowing employees the freedom to work wherever and whenever they are most productive (which for many, does not entail confinement to a cubicle or an open office environment from 9-5) and encouraging them to have lives outside of work (some even offer recreation allowances).

The bottom line- Happiness and health are two essential--often forgotten--ingredients to superior work product. 

It's Better in Groups

As children, our academic curricula itself was only part of the learning equation. The part that really prepared us for life was learning how to learn. 

What’s Your Style? 

The same goes for fitness as it does in academia. Many of us (myself included) enjoy the camaraderie and motivation of group exercise. Personal trainers learn to adapt to each client’s individual style, but how is this applied in group fitness or small group personal training situations when there is more than one style at play? 

In reality, while we may favor one style more strongly than the others, we all leverage a number of different techniques when it comes to learning. The three main ones are: 

-visual (seeing)

- auditory (hearing)

-kinesthetic (doing)

Since each group fitness participant favors a different blend of the three learning styles--for example, some need to see and even try an exercise in order to complete it successfully--instructors and trainers use all three to deliver a safe and effective fitness program. This is the reason you’ll see the instructor demonstrate the moves--and most often do them along with you--as well as call them out (cueing or coaching). Sometimes, the instructor pre-demonstrates certain exercises beforehand and gives kinesthetic learners a chance to perform them slowly before the group routine begins. 

To get the best possible group exercise experience, let your instructor know before hand which learning style you adapt most, and party on. 

Photo Credit: Outklassfitness.com

Bringing Social Back Into the Physical Realm through Co-Working

Online social networking has become all the rage in recent years as a way to build brands and communities and to engage on pretty much any topic you can imagine, from dating to radio, enthusiast groups, religion, politics, customer forums, etc.

The corporate office setup has become more virtual as well, with more progressive companies recognizing that they can eliminate geographic barriers and hire wherever the talent resides simply by adding “strong ability to work effectively on remote teams” to their list of desired skill sets. 

The remote workforce is a win-win endeavor. It saves the company in operational expense and ease recruiting challenges through access to a broader applicant pool, and it adds convenience, balance, and flexibility for the employee. Both enjoy the added productivity that comes with having upwards of 2 hours or more in commuting time each day re-allocated to work, networking, etc. 

But what about the employees who thrive on in-person office structures? Are they out of luck? Not at all. Co-Working facilities, such as Cambridge Co-Working Center earn their profits by facilitating the collaboration and camaraderie that many relish from sharing ideas in-person. This concept is not new, but it has traditionally been limited to people working for the same employer. Co-working in 2012 brings together entrepreneurs, engineers, artists, etc from different industries and companies to inspire and motivate one another. Many employees choose to split their time between co-working  locations and their home offices.

And of course, it didn’t take long for clever people to merge online social networks with in-person co-working. Meetup  groups have been emerging in various cities, including New York, Boston, LA, and Chicago, which gather people together for co-working opportunities that they create themselves. So now, freelancers and other self-employed professionals are taking advantage of co-working. 

The bottom line is that people are most productive, happy, and creative when they can work in the manner and style to which they can achieve the greatest success. Carry on.

Photo Credit: http://bit.ly/ORAwyR

Social Networking Lessons From Grade School Children and Their Teachers

No more pencils, no more books....OK, that little sing-song is revealing just how long it’s been since I was in school. And another academic year comes to a close. Over the past year, I’ve spent the majority of my free time in the company of grammar school teachers, and have drawn some key lessons about social media from them and from their students that I apply to my dual professions- integrated marketing and fitness/lifestyle. 

Social Media Lessons For Corporate and Fitness/Lifestyle Marketers From Schoolchildren and Teachers:

• It’s not about having the most toys or even the most expensive toys; it’s about having the best toys and convincing everyone else to want them.
• It’s not about having the most friends (or customers or fans or followers); it’s about devoting your energy to those who are most relevant to you.
• There are many ways to share what you’ve learned. The best way is to tell people with a few clear words and a loud voice.
• If you boast about something great you can do (i.e. on the playground, bench press, or in a data security algorithm), be prepared to deliver or you will be like the boy who cried wolf.
• Digital media is great but it doesn’t replace the ability to see, touch, hear, taste, and smell simultaneously. Play to all the senses.
• You never know what a child (or customer, or training client) is dealing with outside the classroom. Be gentle. 
• You may be good at baseball but fall short in gymnastics. Ask someone who is talented in gymnastics to help you. And then you help him in baseball. You both improve. That’s how it works.
• If your parents do your homework for you, how will you ever learn? 
• Your idea of “good” or “better” may be different from someone else’s. Understand what your students, teachers, clients, managers, etc. think is “great.” Perception is reality.
• If you offend someone, say you’re sorry. If someone offends you, accept her apology. We’re all human.
• Social forums are not just for complaints. If you like something, tell everyone you know. You may even wish to draw a picture. 
• We can measure a lot of things: grades, revenue, member retention, etc. But some things--such as true causality for a purchase decision or enjoyment of phys ed and music classes--do not have established metrics. Yet, their benefits are substantial and lasting.
• Misunderstandings and miscommunications happen despite our best efforts to avoid them. We’re human. It’s never just one person’s fault. Hug it out and move on. 
• Share your snacks. You may be hungry yourself someday. 
• You can succeed without someone else having to fail. We’re all better off if we just help each other. 
• If you focus on the task at hand, you can complete all the major work before 2:00PM. 
• If you hear it as a song, you’re more likely to remember it.
• Along with titles such as Classroom Monitor, Prefect, Vice President of Marketing, and Personal Trainer come great responsibility across the entire matrix. Don’t just manage up. 
• A group of like-minded people uniting for a common goal is extremely powerful. Want to know just how powerful? Ask any teacher who has tried to keep 32 second graders calm on a field trip. 
• We are always learning, always growing, always improving. Enjoy the process.

And to all my teacher friends--any chance you could use your social media influence to convince corporations around the world of the value in having summers off? My thanks in advance. Oh, and one more thing--I really need a new sing-song. 

Photo credit: http://frontier3.wordpress.com/

Etiquette Snafus- From the Office to the Gym

As over 1/3 of US adults are obese*, more and more companies are allocating funds to wellness programs and health education to prevent illness that can result in high costs associated with absences and reduced productivity, not to mention increasing health insurance costs. These companies encourage--and some even fund--employees’ efforts to work fitness into their daily routines.

We’ve seen articles about office etiquette don’ts and a whole slew of pet peeves at the gym. And naturally, as more office dwellers are permeating the fitness clubs, there will be some commonalities. Just a few consistent sore spots:

-Cell phone use - People answering and actually taking calls during meetings, in the locker room, and on the treadmill. I actually witnessed someone have an entire conversation on a mobile phone in the middle of a group yoga teacher training workshop. Even my loudest “Ommmm” didn’t drown out the sound.

-Failing to clean up your messes- There’s nothing like climbing onto a step machine and placing your hand into a pool of sweat. Wipe down the machines. And when you inadvertently leave someone off a meeting invitation or throw someone under the bus in a widespread email distribution (I’m sure you’d never do it intentionally), correct the error and offer a genuine apology.

-Loud or strong-smelling food- Chomping on gum, crunching on chips, and exposing people to the smell of tuna fish or egg salad in any close-quarters environment is in poor taste. And yes, people have been spotted doing this at the gym as well.

-Unruly children- While it may seem to you to be a child’s dream come true to sit quietly in the guest chair at your office for 8 hours or on a bench in the locker room while you shower, change, and chat with your friends, it’s not. Ask your kids. And when kids are bored, they find ways to entertain themselves, which are often disruptive to others. Can’t blame the kids.

-Temper tantrums- No, this one is not about the kids. Stressful situations occur all the time- sales and revenue take a downturn, the club makes an error in billing your dues, office politics become problematic, you have to wait to get onto a cardio machine. How you behave in these moments can be very telling of your character.

There’s nothing wrong with holding people to basic rules of common courtesy. And you will get the best results if you do so with compassion and understanding--we all have bad days. Try a simple “excuse me, could you take that call outside please?” or even a comical (but not sarcastic) quip that pokes fun of the situation, not the person (i.e. “Carol Brady made it look so easy but she had a full time nanny”). And keep pumping iron. A fit and healthy lifestyle has been known to improve mood and ability to manage stress.


Photo Credit: Pure Mobile
*Source: http://www.downtoearth.org/health/nutrition/obesity-america

You Wanna Do WHAT in 2012???

Oh no, not another how-to-keep-your-new-year’s-resolution article. No (phew). This article will not dispense advice about how to keep your resolutions.

Because before you can figure out how to keep your resolutions, it’s even more important to determine how to make them in the first place.

According to a Marist poll (Time Magazine, 2010), only 65% of people who make a resolution keep it for at least part of the year and 35% never even get off the ground. This is not due solely to laziness or lack of motivation. It could also be the case because most people do not create the right resolutions for them in the first place, which herein will be referred to as “goals.”

We have learned the importance of setting ourselves up for success with SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-Oriented, Time-Bound) goals, and that’s important but even more important is the sentiment behind them.

Before committing to a goal, ask yourself the following, and remember these are about you so there is no right answer.

Is this goal authentic to who I am? Are you pursuing the goal because you really desire the outcome or because you feel outside pressure? Maybe you want to get along better with your co-workers, always a noble cause. Ask yourself how this matches up to your core values. Are you seeking to create more harmony in the workplace, or to complete work faster through teaming? Or are you looking to advance your own career to earn a promotion or to avoid negative consequence after receiving feedback from others that you need to improve your interpersonal skills? How does this goal resonate with who you are? What does “getting along better” mean to you? Is this really what you need to accomplish or would you be better served to work on seeing others’ perspectives both inside and outside the office? Again, none of these are wrong as long as they resonate with your true self. Or maybe you want to spend more time with your children. Is the reason that you have been spending too much time doing something of lesser priority or that it isn’t about time at all but more about becoming more engaged in their lives?

What do I actually want? For example, suppose you’re debating with your significant other about what to do for the weekend. You want to got to the beach and relax with a good book and a margarita or two. S/he wants to go sightseeing. When you you look at the desired result instead of the activity, you see that you seek relaxation while s/he wants to experience a new adventure. Understanding this, you could select activities that accomplish both of your desires.

The Marist poll revealed that the #1 New Year’s goal is weight loss. And yet so many people fail at this goal year after year, or they go gangbusters at the gym, lose the weight, only to regain thereafter. Perhaps the weight loss itself shouldn't be their primary focus, but rather what they think achieving it will do--make them healthier; increase energy levels; improve mood, concentration, sexual performance, effectiveness at work, etc; make their jeans fit better, etc. If you start with the desired result, you can set your goal and a number of measurable objectives to accomplish that goal. 3x weekly cardio workouts, for example, is just one tactic. If you want your jeans to fit better, you may choose to track your progress by photographing yourself in those jeans monthly and adjusting your tactics as needed. But know what you really want to happen as a result of meeting your goal. You may decide you need to re-state the goal to align to your true desire.

What’s in it for me? As is the case when you contemplate any big purchase, new job, etc, you need to understand how you will benefit from achieving the goal. If your goal is to fit into a dress for your sister’s wedding, what will be your net gain? The feeling of confidence at the wedding? Conformity with others who will be in the photos? The start to a healthier you? Would your net benefit be greater if you maintain that size permanently? Could you get an even bigger bang-for-the-buck by combining this goal with another one? For example, if you also seek more social interaction, you could enroll in group fitness classes to accomplish both fitting into the dress size and meeting new people. Again, there are no wrong answers. Just be very clear on how you want to benefit and then ask yourself if the goal you’ve outlined will help you achieve this.

And never be afraid to iterate. Your goals and resolutions are for you so if your desires and feelings change, go with it. And be sure to write everything down, track your progress, and celebrate your success. Now that’s SMART.

Got Value?

Any marketer worth her salt is familiar with the concept of value-based selling. But where is value derived? Can customers be sub-segmented based on their core value drivers?

It depends on the customer and on the buying decision at hand. It is a pretty safe bet that some element of the experience is at play in just about every buying decision--whether that experiential element is the level of convenience in making a low touch purchase--i.e. pack of gum that is prominently placed at the grocery store checkout counter--or the amount of attention a customer receives from a service department after making a large-volume, high dollar IT purchase.

In general, the more risk that’s involved and the higher the touch in a buying decision, the larger a role an individual’s value system will play, relegating him or her to a segment of one.

And if you think about it, experiential elements stem from consumer values in all aspects of life. Recall the last time you bought a house or car, decided whether to commit to a personal relationship, or chose to take a new job. What was involved in that decision? If you’re like many people, you made a list of desirable attributes that became decision criteria.

Many of the value-driven attributes on our lists reflect our desire not only to benefit from the positive, but to avoid negative experiences we’ve had in the past. For example, a person who felt lonely in a past relationship may seek affection in the next one; the car buyer whose last vehicle broke down unexpectedly on the highway may prioritize reliability in his auto purchase; and the legal assistant who felt unappreciated in her last job may seek a new role with a firm that has a formal recognition program.

I admit to using such lists to organize my thoughts for all of those big decisions, and that they all stem from my values and desired experiences. I value safety in a vehicle over comfort; attentiveness and fidelity in a relationship over financial abundance; creative freedom in a job over title and bonus incentives. For these, I could be listed among sub-segments of people who share similar values. However, other elements I seek separate me from these segments. For example, growing up in small spaces amidst a large family, I developed an affinity for storage space. For me, sharing a closet is a stronger indicator of commitment in a relationship than a ring. When evaluating vendors and contractors for work, past experiences with a few who required extensive amounts of management time lead me to look for people who are resourceful problem-solvers.

So the next time you are considering your segmentation models for your marketing efforts, look through the wider lens of desired experiences stemming from individual values.

Oh, and stay out of my closet!


Photo Credit: Magicofteams.com

What Your Facebook Behavior Says About You

With over 500 million active users and the average user having 130 friends*, we’ve pretty much seen it all when it comes to online behavior and personas. The premise of the site makes it easy to create new impressions by showing other sides of yourself. Shy people may find confidence behind the keyboard to share aspects of their lives that they wouldn’t in a face-to-face setting, and others love having the ability to share elements of their daily lives with many people at once.

Whatever your reasons for engaging with Facebook, your online behavior can reveal certain elements of your personality, perhaps ones you didn’t intend. Here are just a few.

If You: Update several times per day with every little detail of your life
Then You: May have a circle of Facebook friends who are truly interested in what you had for breakfast or your child’s potty-training progress. There is likely a larger group who doesn’t care. Professional contacts may question your judgment.

If You: Judge people who update several times per day with every little detail of their lives
Then You: Share an opinion with many others. However, keep in mind that people have different reasons for interacting with online social communities. If it isn’t hurting anyone, why worry about it?

If You: Friend your personal and professional contacts on the same page (not a fan page) and proceed to broadcast and sell all the livelong day
Then You: Need to look up the definition of “online community,” and pay particular attention to the word “community.”

If You: Unfriend. Then refriend. Then unfriend. Then refriend.
Then You: Really need to grow up. Sadly, this doesn’t apply solely to teens. It has been the case where grown adults become irritated with others and unfriend them to make a point, only to refriend them after patching things up - a passive-aggressive move since many have several Facebook friends and don’t usually realize they’ve been unfriended (oh, the horror).

If You: Frequently stop in your tracks to update your Facebook status, i.e. while marching in a parade, while standing at the altar during your nephew’s baptism, during a first date, or right in the middle of a fitness instructor training (just sayin’)....
Then You: May have a serious problem and could be missing out on the fullness of each experience.

If You: Enjoy posting to your status cryptic updates or inside jokes that only one or two people will understand
Then You: Risk alienating everyone else. Then again, annoying as it may be, if you aren’t hurting anyone, who really cares?

*Source: Facebook.com statistics
Photo Credit: Tipdeck.com

A Not-So-Unlikely Marketer

When Liana Veda was growing up, she knew she was destined for a career that involved music. Inspired by her parents, music and dance were a given in Liana’s life, including multiple cultures and genres. To say that Liana’s professional career has variety would be an understatement. She is a dancer, choreographer, make-up artist, ZIN (Zumba Instructor Network) Jammer, international recording artist, instructor, ......and marketer.

Yes, that’s right, marketer.

And I am pretty sure that when she was a child bouncing around the house with a microphone and belting out bilingual song lyrics, Liana did not tell her parents that she aspired to become an event and product marketer, but that is exactly what happened.

Liana is a living example of the true value marketing brings to a fitness event. After all, we can create the world’s best products and services, but if nobody knows about them and, more importantly, if nobody demands them, they never see the light of day.

Liana has the shrewd business sense that makes her an artist who is also a pragmatist. She focuses on the creative elements, and pays close attention to the people who will enjoy and appreciate them, addressing their main drivers and product requirements. That’s marketing.

When she set out to spread the word about the 3rd Annual New England Master Zumba Class (which became better known as “Zumbafest”) on March 20, 2011 to benefit the Autism Speaks Organization, Liana identified her target market. starting with a group of loyal enthusiasts- on whom she could rely to make the message viral. Yours truly was in this group. That’s marketing.

She made these early adopters part of her promotional team and identified additional market requirements (in this case, requests for certain Zumba Education Specialists (ZESs) and Jammers to be included) from others in their classes and networks. That’s marketing.

Liana created informational brochures (marketing collateral) and made ample use of her own broad social networks, which included people from all professions--current and former clients, friends, colleagues, students, etc-- and kept the excitement alive through frequent interactions on fan pages. Her constituents fueled this energy by conversing among themselves through the same forums and inviting their friends, clients, etc. to participate. That’s marketing.

As producer for the event, Liana created content and an outreach plan that highlighted the ZESs and Jammers for their unique qualities (in other words, product features and benefits) and communicated with contagious enthusiasm. Liana understands that her product is not a ticket, but that she is instead selling an experience that would be tested and evaluated subjectively in the market. Her personal brand is so powerful that she is able to sell out charity events and create an affinity of followers. That’s marketing.

And finally, once the sold-out event had concluded, she sent a special note of thanks to her supporters, keeping them engaged and continuing the conversation through additional touch points after the event ended. That’s marketing.

In closing, it is also considered marketing when an independent blogger plugs your product in an opinion piece. So if you like latin rhythms, be sure to check out Liana Veda’s premiere self-titled album, Liana, on iTunes. Oh, and Zumbafest was a blast. Spread the word.



Photo credit: Liana Veda

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner - or My Client in a Box

Patrick Swayze made the line, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” famous when he stood up for his girlfriend as her parents tried to suppress her individuality in the famous coming of age film, Dirty Dancing.

And now, in a much smaller venue, I take the same stand for personal training clients everywhere. While most trainers today tend to agree about the “personal” element of personal training and that we need to customize programs to each client individually, many still subscribe to the school of thought that clients with common goals can follow the same diet and exercise regimen and that their bodies will respond the same way.

If it were that simple, I would look like a supermodel by now.

It’s not uncommon to find personal trainers becoming frustrated with their clients when their bodies don’t tighten, slim down, or achieve the desired muscle tone as a result of a trainer-prescribed diet and workout routine, especially when that diet and routine proved successful for others who had similar goals. Some even become frustrated, thinking their clients aren’t committed to the result. After all, one of our common pet peeves is realized when we are committed to clients who are not committed to themselves.

However, it can also be the case that a client is simply constructed differently from others. Differences can be seen in many places-- from metabolism to hormones to heredity. This doesn’t mean the client is precluded from achieving the desired result, however it could take more time and different programming to make it happen.

As trainers, it is part of our responsibility to check in frequently with our clients to determine level of motivation, which can fluctuate. Even clients with the best of intentions and the highest level dedication can be temporarily thwarted by that pesky thing we call life. Anything can cause a temporary negative impact on the training effect-- from a job change to difficulties in the home, the marriage, or with children, to caring for an elderly relative, a death in the family, or even pressures from unsupportive families and friends. Our personal training certification courses teach that although transactionally our relationships with clients are professional, part of our roles as trainers is to have our fingers on the pulse of what is going on in their lives so that we can tailor their diets and workouts accordingly(1).

And how do we come to find out what is going on? Simply put, we earn their trust by proving ourselves trustworthy. We check in frequently with our clients and always always always treat them with empathy and respect, realizing that like us, they are not perfect, and working to understand the root causes of anything that could be impacting their success. Since most of us are not psychologists or medical doctors, we can operate within our locus of control by treating our clients with understanding and by proactively changing their routines to help motivate around whatever is throwing them off-course.

As a new trainer, I continue to grow my own skills in this field, and am learning a great deal from each client. While they all have separate goals and objectives and distinct training plans, they share the common thread of being first and foremost human, thereby dealing with many similar human struggles. By acknowledging and working with their circumstances, and by remaining consistently--albeit realistically--positive, respectful, and understanding as well as dedicated, honest, and direct, we can reap the benefits of clients who look forward to their workouts and who stick to their workouts and diets and who enjoy the process itself. Achieving the desired result is just icing on the cake.

Thanks to Patrick Swayze and Dirty Dancing for reinforcing an important lesson about the human condition. Oh, and in reference to another line made famous by the mass media, I’m not only a personal trainer. I’m also a client.

(1) Note that a Nutrition Specialist or similar certification is recommended before providing nutrition advice to a healthy client while a medical degree or dietician registration is required in most states to prescribe nutrition for medical problems.

Photo credit: Hephaestus Audio
Research Credits: Thanks to my many personal training colleagues and clients who contributed their candid thoughts and insights to this article.

Yoga for the Digital Age

I recently had the pleasure of participating in yoga instructor training through Yogafit Training Systems. In addition to two days of intensive training and making new connections with fellow yogi, new instructors must complete a volunteer teaching experience. In my case, this requirement is hardly such, as it was the main draw for me to become a yoga instructor.

In my own experience, fitness has been a key contributor to personal strength, professional creativity, and clear thinking. Yoga has been front-and-center in my own development of a centered life, and as a result I include it in my aim to bring fitness, a healthy mindset, and grounded realization of limitless potential to everyone who is receptive, regardless of where they are on their own journeys.

I sought a new and different way to share yoga with people who either have not accessed it through formal classes at yoga studios and gyms or have felt apprehensive about trying yoga for the first time in front of their peers. From here, the idea of an all-online class was born. Completely new and experimental, the idea is to encourage trial among people in all locations.

With the support of the wonderful people at Cisco Systems, I will be teaching 8 yoga classes over the course of a week completely online via Cisco WebEx. Participants need only a yoga mat and a computer with an internet connection. Classes are completely free, accessible worldwide, and a couple of them will incorporate a 1980s musical theme.

While no yoga experience is necessary, participants are encouraged to become familiar with the basic poses before taking the class in order to ensure proper form and to plan for any props and modifications that may be needed.

Welcome to the digital age of fitness!

Life, Marketing, and the Power of Context

“Never believe a rumor at face value, even when the person telling you is familiar and credible and the “evidence” they present appears factual.”
-My Mother to me at age 13

We’ve all seen the power of context at play in our lives as high school students, or perhaps earlier. We’ve also seen how errors in judgment arise from misinterpretation of context, which can often result in missed opportunities, damaged reputations, and inaccurate conclusions. And it isn’t limited to teenagers or to the popular movie, Mean Girls. It’s brought to bear in many facets of adult life and runs rampant in offices and cubicles.

Would you think differently, for example, of the woman who cut you off in traffic if you came to know that her daughter had been hit by a car and she was racing to the ER to find out if she was OK? Most likely, you would. But rarely do we get a glimpse into the impetus for this type of action.

Character Plays a Role in Perception

A few years ago, I read The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell, which explains how epidemics and wide-scale beliefs can result from the actions and influence of very few. Since then, I have observed the power of context and the law of the few at play in many situations, both personally and professionally.

“Character is..a bundle of habits and tendencies and interests, loosely bound together and dependent, at certain times, on circumstances and context1.” How many times have you believed a story--or dismissed one--based on your historically predicated beliefs of the storyteller or the subject? While it is important to build a reputation of honest, credible, reliable character, we must be careful not to assume that past history alone will always yield consistent behavior.

Consider the high profile corporate scandals of the last 10 years. Those who were caught embezzling and committing fraud weren’t considered to be of ill character before these acts. In fact, many of their colleagues, family, and friends were shocked by their actions because they had known these people for years as honest professionals and never considered them capable of criminal activity. As a friend or relative, your loyalty may prohibit you from even considering such things about your loved ones, but as a business leader, you are called upon by your constituents to put assumptions aside and remain vigilant about the actions of your employees.

Life and the Power of Context
Consider the following scenarios:

Formed Perception:
“I’m going to beat the kids one more time and then we’ll meet you at the arena.”

Jane sends this text message to her husband, Mike, which accidentally landed in the inbox of her neighbor who bears the same first name. Neighbor Mike promptly called Child Protective Services, the action we’re all compelled to take when child abuse is suspect.

The Reality: Jane, her husband Mike, and their two children were planning to compete as a family in a video game competition at their local sports arena that evening. She was referring to a pre-game practice she was going to have with the children. Husband Mike would have had the proper context, however human error caused the message to be delivered to the wrong recipient. In this case, Mike the neighbor acted in accordance with his civic duty and would not be required to consider context before acting.

Formed Perception:
“Hey Tony- remember how I told you that I think of you like a brother? Well I was wrong. It’s much more than that. When you’re ready, I’ll fill you in.” -Steve

This was an email sent between two people with a business relationship who had become close friends, both having full contextual understanding. At a later date, Steve accidentally discovered a secret that Tony had been trying to keep hidden. Although Steve remained a loyal friend, Tony lashed out at him, using this email and portions of others as “evidence” to support the story he created that Steve was needy and had become obsessed with Tony. This was a fabrication (in fact, while Steve was visibly having a difficult time, it was really Tony who was dealing with a lot of issues which Steve had helped with behind the scenes, and the two rarely discussed Steve's struggles), however their mutual friends and colleagues believed this tale, taking the communications out of context as presented, causing damage to Steve’s reputation and career. Phone logs and other records easily cleared Steve of the accusation, proving Tony to have been slanderous, but the perception had already been formed in people’s minds.

The Reality: Steve had been studying metaphysics and came to believe that he and Tony had been brothers in a previous lifetime, which Tony found intriguing. Later, Steve stumbled upon information that caused him to believe he and Tony had known each other in many previous lives (“It’s much more than that.”). Regardless of whether or not you share their spiritual beliefs, Tony had deliberately manipulated context to further his malicious--and arguably narcissistic--intent.

In both of these rather extreme examples, context was misapplied. By sending a text to an unintended recipient, Jane made a common error that many of us have experienced and could not have prepared for misinterpretation of context. Steve forwent the need to frame context because he was communicating in response to an ongoing conversation he’d been having with his friend Tony, whom he’d trusted. We don’t know why Tony behaved inconsistently with the values his friends and colleagues had come to know as his character but there is certainly more going on with him that likely has nothing to do with Steve. When context isn’t applied, backstories are unclear, which can create further assumptive responses.

Using Context and Influence in Marketing
Unlike in life, where you often have prior personal experience with the people involved, in marketing, we rely on brand image and clever messaging to create initial impressions, designed to induce some sort of action--try, buy, tell your friends, etc. And unlike in life, we expect our customers and prospects to respond to our messages with a perception-is-reality mindset.

In acquisition marketing, we have just a few seconds to capture attention and elicit response to our messages. This is why brand building and customer community engagement through means such as social networking are such important aspects to any marketing effort. Much like our life examples, historical knowledge and multiple touch points with a brand create a foundational impression and enable us to proactively frame context.

Then, it is up to us to deliver on our promises and to keep delivering, both in terms of product quality and authentic interactions. Unlike our overly-trusting friend Steve in the example above, consumers will seek consistently positive experiences with our brand in every interaction, and although past performance may induce purchase in the present, the easy access of substitutes--particularly for low-touch purchases--can lure non-captives away following even one negative experience. A misinterpreted message counts as a negative experience.

As marketers, many of us are what Gladwell calls “connectors.” We have large, powerful networks that we leverage to bring people together and to coalesce ideas. We should feel free to use the power of context to our advantage, applying techniques such as whisper campaigns and teasers in our communications. Market testing (i.e. culture and other segmentation cuts) is an important step in ensuring that context will be understood. This is especially necessary in series communications in which campaign stories are built across multiple communications vehicles and media. Examples of successful application of series context are the California Milk Processor Board’s “Got Milk”, Mastercard’s “Priceless”, and Intel’s “Intel Inside” campaigns, to name a few.

Life and marketing come together when the power of context is applied at a human level. In both, you are dealing first and foremost with people, most of whom apply logic and rationalization to their decisions. Supportive context and frame of reference are imperative, as is the expectation that assumptions will guide some conclusions while individual experiences will guide others.

Oh, and in life as in marketing, authenticity rules. If you veer from it, you will be exposed. If you don’t believe me, just ask Tony.

Did I get that right, Mom?



1Malcolm Gladwell ,The Tipping Point, 2002.
Photo Credit misterirrelevant.com

Marketing and the Law of Attraction: Walk the Talk and Customers Will Flock

What if your company had infinite potential? According to Jack Canfield, it can.
In his book, Key to Living the Law of Attraction, Canfield asserts that you can use the Law of Attraction to attract people, resources, money, ideas, strategies, and circumstances - literally everything you need to create the future of your dreams.

Although Canfield is addressing individuals, the belief in limitless possibilities can apply to corporations as well. Companies that engage the Law of Attraction reap what they sow by attracting and retaining top talent, harvesting new ideas for R&D, and selling products and services. They also incorporate community impact into their business mantras.


The Law of Attraction Goes to Market
As a marketer, you may be wondering how to take the Law of Attraction to market. The key critical success factor is authenticity -- in your messaging, through your social networks, in your product designs, and in all areas of your business. Like charity, authenticity begins at home. This sounds simple enough, but many companies fall short of fully living their corporate visions and values as they carry from the CEO down the ranks. In today’s highly-networked, social media-driven marketing climate, any inconsistencies in applying these values in all areas of the business become quickly exposed. The great news is that the environment also supports quickly exposing any company that walks its talk.

Living Proof
If you’ve read my 2 most recent Word Up articles, you’ve undoubtedly observed my penchant for fitness. So it will come as no surprise that I’m highlighting a company in that industry as living proof of the law of attraction playing out across an entire organization and permeating into the customer base.

lululemon athletica communicates its vision to the world by way of a manifesto, which includes simple yet powerful statements such as, “Do one thing a day that scares you; Friends are more important than money; Creativity is maximized when you’re living in the moment.”

And these aren’t just words.

Over the past year, as I’ve progressed along my own personal health and fitness journey, I’ve had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with several members of the lululemon athletica Boston-area staff, from educators (those on the front lines) to store managers and the regional manager. Each of these wonderful people ingrains the manifesto into his/her own lifestyle, seeks continuous improvement, and thereby becomes a powerful brand ambassador for the company. lululemon employees are walking examples of the Law of Attraction, emulating their corporate values from simple acts of kindness to extensive community outreach and volunteerism as well as constant creation and innovation fostered by a corporate climate that embraces these behaviors. In return, they attract people who share similar values and who are also engaged in the very activities that lululemon promotes. These customers become extensions of the team, and many even spread the manifesto as lululemon ambassadors. To us, this is a new form of marketing that is proving very effective. To lululemon, it is a way of life.

With 2010 sales growth just exceeding 28%*, they must be doing something right.

Using the Law of Attraction for Crowdsourcing
lululemon athletica is a prime example of a company whose existence centers around relationships rather than transactions. The level of commitment they achieve from customers who align their personal brands to the company’s extends far beyond product sales to something of greater worth. lululemon is establishing a network of loyal and altruistic brand representatives who will, in kind, locate others in their own circles who live the manifesto and collaboratively turn out new product ideas, thus creating not merely a customer base but rather an entire culture of community-minded individuals who also happen to enhance shareholder value.

I know for sure about their existence because I have become one of them. The encouragement the lululemon staff exhibited toward me as I progressed toward my own goals far exceeds the expectations I hold of any business, and it will not be forgotten, as I intend to pay it forward. The people behind the brand have inspired me to pursue a number of industry certifications aimed at my personal extracurricular goal of bringing opportunities for formal fitness programs to those who would not otherwise be able to access them and helping people unleash their own unlimited potential.

And of course, I will continue to recommend lululemon products throughout my network.
**



*Source: Dailyfinance.com on Sept 23, 2010
Photo Credit: Reallifespirituality.com

Marketing to the Midlife Crisis

For those who were not convinced of my commitment to get a little more personal by my December 2008 article, Keeping it Personal at Work, this one’s for you. I don't blame you. In hindsight, that post was still pretty general. Having been told by several people that I am a private person and by many exes that I tend to take on the role of the man in those relationships (which I'm sure was not meant as a compliment), I’m going to follow my go-big-or-go-home approach and warm things up on public domain. Ready? Here goes: My name is Sarah and I’m having a midlife crisis. Personal enough for you? No? Read on.

Once I did the fast math and realized that I was closer to 40 than 30 and closer to 50 than 20, Bam! It came on like a Mack truck. Or perhaps, if you agree with Cornell sociologist, Elaine Wethington, along with more than 25% of Americans over the age of 35, I may just think I am having a midlife crisis. Regardless, we are all prime candidates for marketing.

The points that follow summarize my own experiences along with the qualitative information I’ve gathered from friends and colleagues when researching this article, however it does not purport to represent the population at large. The discussions I had with these folks were enlightening, and at times, heart-wrenching.

I’ll preface this with the acknowledgment that everyone’s situation is different. Some are depressed while others see tremendous opportunity. For most of us, it's a combination of the two. Responses to this could be as subtle as flirting with the bartender at the local watering hole or getting a piercing or new hair color, or as intense as moving to another country or offering one's friend a night with his/her spouse (true story). Translation to marketing- we’re not all looking to be bombarded with ads for dating websites and body part enlargements. 20-something marketers beware- the midlife crisis customer is not as predictable as you may think.

During this time, we’re not just seeking fast cars, younger arm candy, and a return to our glory days. We’re identifying who our real friends are (and aren’t), contemplating how we can make a difference in the world, relinquishing our fear of making changes for ourselves, watching our children become adolescents, and thinking about the legacy we want to leave on the planet. We’re seeking to act on all those things we said we’d try “someday.” Many of us are getting married, remarried, or divorced. We’re experiencing challenges we’ve never seen before and healing hurts caused by people we thought we could trust. We’re questioning our own intuition and judgment. We may be changing careers or zip codes. And if a fast car or young rocker stud accompany those changes, well so be it.

In my case, the most profound of these include: recognition of my own strength and potential; a new definition of friendship that entails fewer, closer relationships and the knowledge that I can choose my family -- that close friends can act in as familial a capacity as blood relatives, sometimes more so; personal discovery through prayer and meditation; an understanding of what I want out of life and a commitment to show up for it; a newfound ability to clearly express to others how I feel and what I need; confirmation that asking for help and support on occasion is far more mature and evolved than my wildly unsuccessful former method of facing everything alone; a focused dedication to physical fitness; and my first tattoo, among others. Thanks to all who gave me consistent feedback that I needed to open up more and for your patience as I baby-stepped into it.

When marketing to the midlife crisis customer, consider a few things:

“Midlife Crisis” is not equivalent to “mental holiday.” It doesn’t relegate us to devil-may-care spendaholics. We’re thinking differently about our lives, which extends to the products and services we buy. While this deeper thought requires a higher-touch marketing model, you will reap the benefits of our loyalty once we do buy. We may associate value to different things than we did in our 20s and you’ll have to work harder to convert us. We are difficult to profile, even with the most sophisticated neural networks. Create compelling and authentic messaging to which we can relate during this time. Focus on engaging us directly, and less on our peer influencers, as this group has become more dynamic. Deploy tactics that support this messaging and forego the gimmicks. We see right through that. Remember, we’ve been marketing targets for decades now.

The older we get, the less we care what other people think. For evidence of this, check out the picture at the top of this article to see what I recently wore to a group fitness class. I didn't worry about what anyone thought about my channeling Madonna, and I got a better workout as a result. The midlife crisis prompts us to surface memories of happier times. My friends and I are children of the 1980s and we’re damn proud of that. We remember analog phones, pink gloves, fishnets, big hair, and rocking out to Poison and Def Leppard. We will pay attention to products and services that can reignite those feelings and emotions without recreating the experiences themselves or keeping us stuck in the past. And I’ll keep my cell phone.


I know someone who swears by a very specific and expensive skin care regimen that can only be done to her satisfaction in a doctor’s office, along with associated self-care products. She has nearly perfect skin that makes her look 25, but try telling her that. She will only commit to products that prove themselves worthy. She signed up for this particular set after a detailed small-group marketing pitch and a WOM referral from another customer. I, on the other hand, am very loyal to a couple fashion brands which I wouldn’t have even considered 5 years ago. Why? Because wearing them makes me feel young. And when I feel young, I feel more confident.

So do proceed with marketing to the midlife crisis customer. We’re a big, bold group of people seeking new opportunities and open to offer marketing. But understand that we’ll see you coming. Keep that in mind in 10-20 years when you enter our demographic. Oh, and I can speak for myself along with several of my friends- we’re open to test driving whatever speedster you’re selling.



Acknowledgements:

Research credits- Jamie Barnett, Christine Perkett, Kelly Ferguson, Andrew Nielsen, Tobi Baillie, Marie Luppold, Scott Gleason, Tina Surpitski, Erin Presseau, Mike Presseau, Andrew Ferguson, Raleen Gagnon, George Gagnon, Mike Lewis, Donna Farrell, Margaret DeGraff, Brian Carvalho, Michelle Parker Dowdy, Lauren Krawczyk, Lynne Crimmins, Rich Baillie, Christine Major, Kerry Gorgone

Photo Credit: supercars.dk

Add Muscle to Your Marketing

The next time you find yourself contemplating ways to strengthen and tone your marketing strategy, you might want to consider learning from a personal fitness trainer.

Yes, you read that correctly.

I decided last year to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Although I am still a workaholic and have yet to reclaim my late nights and weekends, I am steadily inching my way to success-story status when it comes to weight loss and fitness. And I owe much of that achievement to my personal trainer.

Throughout this process, I have gained significant learnings from my trainer and from my peers (other clients) about best practices in fitness training that we can apply to our daily lives as IT marketers. Many marketing experts and modern career theorists, including my former employer, The Intelligent Career Card Sort, contend that the line separating personal from professional interests continues to blur. Social networks have burgeoned on the marketplace, creating new ways to engage communities and to share word-of-mouth experiences. One-to-one marketing is more achievable than ever.

Therein lies opportunity for marketers in all industries to engage a more informed and widely-networked customer base. NBC's edgy trainer on The Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels, has taken the mainstream media by storm, marketing her own franchise and having been touted as the next Oprah and as a life coach in Women's Health Magazine.

But even before social media and The Biggest Loser, the most tuned-in personal trainers, herein referred to as the greats, served at the forefront of this highly individualized arena. We marketers can hone in on many of their practices for our own go-to-market strategies.

While any trainer will customize a fitness routine for you, the greats will also:

Know their products- Great personal trainers understand that the personal part of the title is the real value-add. They apply the mind/body connection and make adjustments to a client’s routine that support overall fitness goals and also day-to-day fluctuations to the client's whole being (which could entail periods of added stress, personal distractions and other issues that impact motivation, sleep, diet, and health). Many also hold college degrees in related fields, such as psychology, nutritional science, sports medicine, etc. In the case of greats, customer loyalty resides with the trainer rather than with the organization. Therefore, fitness centers and gyms that employ great personal trainers must pay particular attention to their needs and job satisfaction in order to ensure client retention.

Similarly, a great marketer also understands the need to focus on customer challenges instead of on the product itself. Customers and prospects should be segmented not just by demographics or firmographics, but also by personas. Marketing strategies must align to their dynamic, often-changing requirements. As my trainer says, “One size does NOT fit all.” How universally true.

Involve the client - The greats understand that goals and motivators vary between clients, and they solicit client input and feedback frequently. For example, my goal is backed by my unrelenting drive to meet objectives - which I channel into the gym as well as the office. While my trainer has plenty of clients who prefer to work out alone, she creates a unique program for me with the understanding that I respond best to a regimen that includes group fitness classes for peer motivation in addition to a weight lifting routine that changes often. She cheerfully accommodates my Type A personality and relentlessly high standards (lucky her), adjusting my program so that I have a different workout, tuned just for me each time we meet. This level of customization can only be achieved by checking in with the client on a frequent basis - during and between workouts.

Great marketers look at the goals and motivators of each customer persona and align offers and messaging accordingly. They solicit feedback from customers and prospects on their products, messaging, and marketing vehicles. In addition to taking pulse of prospects, we must also commit to partnering with our existing customers, recalling the Marketing 101 lesson about the cost of retention being significantly lower than that for acquisition. These interactions extend to a higher touch model with more extensive word-of-mouth impressions that engages individuals and communities through feedback and idea forums, online social networks, and customer interviews, among others.

Great marketing strategies extend beyond end users toward all influencers, who may not be in the market for a particular product or service - yet. The personal training industry does this too. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) identifies its audience as fitness instructors and trainers, and also “...broadening our reach to fitness enthusiasts everywhere.”


Cut through the noise - Personal training clients are exposed to a myriad of articles, advertisements, dietary supplements, products, and friendly advice, all promising results. This slew of information has great potential for confusing and possibly demotivating the client. As the a trusted partner, a great personal trainer puts all of these things into perspective and advises the client accordingly. This requires a level of trust that cannot be achieved if the relationship is approached as a simple business transaction. Consider the people you trust today. Most likely, in their interactions with you, they do not merely go through the motions, but rather display genuine concern for your best interests and team with you to overcome your challenges and pain points. Despite my tendency to be very analytical, intrinsic trust is my driver for deferring to my trainer's advice at face value, a clear catalyst to success.

There is a similar need for trust in a marketer, and no shortage of noise. This is particularly applicable with high-impact purchase decisions such as B2B IT, medical equipment, and high risk financial services offers. Consider your main personas. What keeps them up at night? What would be the cost to them of making the wrong decision? Where are they most vulnerable?

Be Innovative - Great personal trainers stay at the forefront of advances in routines, equipment, and fitness studies, and serve as the client's first point of contact for related questions. The greatest of the great will consult with the client’s orthopedist, physical/occupational therapist, nutritionist, etc, resulting in an integrated wellness program, stemming from new as well as traditional treatments with fitness tactics modified accordingly. The Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), an organization that certifies personal trainers, includes in its mission statement, “...using traditional and innovative modalities.” At this point, it should be no surprise that my trainer takes this innovative approach, and iterates constantly.

A truly great marketer remains an expert and thought leader, consulting often with other experts, such as product managers, industry analysts, and sales leaders to generate new ideas. Innovation around products is part of this, but so is new functional innovation, such as sophisticated segmentation models, new metrics, targeted field marketing campaigns, fresh guerilla marketing tactics, new ideas for leveraging multimedia, precision sales strategies, etc.

Like great personal trainers, great marketers are rare. To prevail in either field, you must generate and inspire new ideas, partner with your customers, and prove to be supportive and trustworthy.

Oh, and the next time you find yourself struggling with creativity-block, sign up for a training session. It just may induce the flow of new ideas.


Acknowledgments:

Research Credits - Pragmatic Marketing, Inc; Teri Halio, Balanced Motion Physical Therapy; David Meerman Scott; Megan Reynolds, Bodies by Megan; Jean Barowski; Casey Walsh; Michael Arthur; Ben Perry


Photo credit: fitness360

Going Social...For Hope

On Sunday, March 7, I will participate in the American Cancer Society Spin for Hope. Through the fundraising process, I've had the opportunity to see how far nonprofits have come in utilizing social networks to enhance development around events.

The ACS appears to have a firm grasp on the concept of working through others for fundraising, more so than many commercial businesses. Here are just a couple of the ways the ACS has helped me become an effective fundraiser:

Email Outreach - The ACS provides form letters (which I chose to customize to my voice), and a vehicle through which to email, remind, and thank friends and relatives. They also make email management easy by sending notices of any letters which bounced back.

Social Networks - Through my participant center on the event website, I was able to install a widget onto Facebook and enable the ACS to post progress updates to my wall. I could also follow the conversations on Twitter and LinkedIn.

While it is clear that the ACS has embraced new media for fundraising efforts, I would make the following suggestions as they (and other charities) continue to expand their social footprints:

Email Outreach - Offer guidance to event participants on how to structure, write, and customize effective appeal, reminder, and thank-you letters. Apply different versions of the form letter to donor profiles - or personas- to enhance their effectiveness. Allow participants to provide this information about their target audiences following the registration process.

Social Networks - Allow participants to place links within letters on personal fundraising pages, such as an honoree website, participant's blog (just sayin'),etc. Provide guidance to those who are not accustomed to using social networks for fundraising, such as how to leverage social communities vs straight request for funds.

And to put this all into practice, I will close this post with a plug for donations via my own fundraising page. Please consider donating to help make a difference in the battle against cancer.

And...kudos to the ACS on their event marketing.

IMS 2009 Day 2: New Lingo and General Awesomeness

Day #2 of the Inbound Marketing Summit 2009 (IMS 09), Boston, brought another fully-loaded agenda of presentations, panels, and networking.

Some notables follow.

By the Numbers

Since a significant portion of today's sessions focused on metrics, I'll start this post with some data points from IMS 09:

- If Facebook was a country, it would be the world's 5th largest (thanks to Paul Gillin for this stat)
- Ranking algorithm for search according to Hubspot: F(n) = context + authority
- Number of Presentations with Susan Boyle References: 2
- Number of Presentations with Seinfeld References: 2
- Number of Presentations with World of Warcraft References: 2
- Number of Books Recommended: I lost count

Talk the Talk

Favorite New Social Media Buzzword: Twestimonial - a positive comment about your brand on Twitter.

Most overused, albeit accurate catch phrase: Content is King

Walk the Walk

With so many excellent speakers--representing companies such as Southwest Airlines, Weber Shandwick, CodeBaby, dna 13, Paul Gillen Communications, IDC, Awareness, Razorfish, and Edvisors, to name a few--learnings cannot be summarized in a single blog post alone. I encourage you to join the #IMS09 discussion on http://twitter.com/ to engage with presenters and participants.

- The two elements of successful search: recency and inbound links
- Listen first. Follow the discussion about your brand and about your competitors
- Loyalty is an emotional response. It is not made from satisfaction alone, but rather stems from willingness to recommend
- Advice from Greg Matthews, Humana, for getting started on Social Media: Be a vacuum, be a padawan, try stuff, and be 2.0
- Employees who love your brand can make excellent public representatives. An example of this is Jim Long, NBC News cameraman who became the unlikely brand ambassador
- Vary your content objects (such as video, documents, podcasts, etc). Mix it up
- Customer service is marketing
- Own the process

The most resonating theme of the day was passion for community. And the vendor sponsors and exhibitors didn't disappoint. Most memorable was the PerkettPR booth at which visitors took a quick quiz that identified the Social Media Gurus they most resemble (social media behavior, not necessarily appearance). As it turns out, I'm a CC.

Key Takeaways from Inbound Marketing Summit 2009 - Day 1

Today was the first of the Inbound Marketing Summit in Boston. Delivered by New Marketing Labs, the two day event focuses mainly on Web 2.0 and social media strategies, tools, and technologies.

I like this event because it is jam-packed with sessions throughout both days, delivered consecutively as the main event, with the expo occurring in the same general area during designated networking time slots during breaks between sessions. Of course, looking down on an empty Gillette Stadium wasn't bad either.

Day 1 brought a number of key takeaways. I’ll share these in summary. To follow the more detailed discussion, enter #IMS09 in the search field on Twitter.


- “Content is king but marketing is queen, and she rules the household.” - Gary Vaynerchuk, "The Wine Guy"

- When embarking upon a social media strategy, consider your customers' goals and objectives, not just those of your own company.

- Social media is not about a set of tools. It is about your objectives for engaging the community. The tools follow these objectives.

- Follow the discussion about your brand, every day.

- Content analysis and web analytics are important, however they are part of your ROI measurement. You also need to involve people who understand your business.

- When measuring ROI of blogs and other social media, consider more than #posts or # mentions alone. Include in your analysis your share of negative and positive comments. - Katie Paine, CEO KDPaine & Partners

- Media relations is a subset of PR 2.0. On the whole, PR 2.0 is about helping companies build and communicate a brand, and engaging that brand with the community it serves

- PR today is about "earning attention, not begging for it." Go where the audience is and bring them value. -David Meerman Scott


- Avoid the temptation to put people into buckets. Go beyond the bucket to see real people and real problems. -CC Chapman

- Twitter is calling for companies to engage in real-time across organizational functions, including R&D. Eastman Kodak has done this successfully, according to its Chief Blogger.

- What is the formula for success in making your video go viral? Tim Street, CEO, APE Digital, Inc. advises that it is Spectacle + Story + Emotion, with a dash of conflict.

The Great Email Challenge

During discussions with friends and colleagues about time management, many talk about email as the main culprit to running one’s day efficiently. And it’s not the volume of emails that is the main challenge. Actually, the issue is more around the incessant interruption caused by our need to be real-time responsive. This results in frequent switching of gears across many items at once. Our brain’s ramp time between tasks adds up the more we redirect our trains of thought.

Since it is unrealistic for us to expect ourselves to work on one task at a time in a serial fashion, we seek to reduce the number and frequency of these interruptions in order to multi-task effectively.

As a result, what would happen if we weren’t always “on” for minute-by-minute response times? Do the companies that implement no-email-Fridays and mailbox size limitations have a productivity advantage over those that don’t?

Therein lies the great email challenge. Has anyone out there—only those whose jobs do not require ongoing monitoring, such as customer service, for example-- tried checking email just once a day, or at designated times? What was the result? Were you able to manage expectations accordingly? Were you more efficient during the day?

Apply the Golden Rule to Meeting Management

You open your inbox and there it is, staring you smugly in the face. Yes, it’s the invitation to the meeting which will occupy the last free hour in your day.

You had plans for that hour, carefully carved into 10-minute segments, including activities like noting the action items from your last 4 meetings, lunch at your desk, catching up on email, and taking big breaths in and out before your series of afternoon meetings.

Those plans are halted by the last-minute invitation to a meeting that you know you must attend though you’re not exactly sure why. The topic, “planning recap” gives you no indication of the actual meeting objective, nor do the names of the meeting organizer and attendees. Sound familiar? We’ve all received the ambiguous meeting invitation, and most of us have even sent one or two during the course of our careers.

Anyone in the consulting industry can attest to the time-is-money concept and can quickly quantify the billing cost of 10 people attending a meeting.

While we cannot control other people’s meeting etiquette, we can lead by example. To follow are some tips for effective meeting management – both for the organizer and for the participant.

Purpose

Organizer - Think carefully about the purpose of the meeting and what you intend to achieve. Is a meeting really needed? Status updates, for example, can more easily be achieved via a shared wiki or spreadsheet, with meetings called only when urgent issues arise.

Participant - Consider the purpose and expected outcome of the meeting. Decide whether or not you really need to attend. If your organizational culture is meeting-happy, be judicious with your acceptances.

Scheduling

Organizer - Always include pertinent information about the meeting, including date/time/location, agenda, and intended outcome. The objective and agenda serve as a contract of sorts among the attendees, who are committing their time and energy to the meeting based on this information. With few exceptions, meetings should be scheduled at least a few days in advance.

Check schedules in advance and plan the meeting at a time when your critical attendees are available. Also, be aware of your invitees' time zones and do your best to schedule the meeting during office hours. The probability of acceptance will be much higher for meetings that do not occur in the middle of the night.
If you have to ask a few people to shuffle their scheudles in order to accommodate your meeitng, be prepared for them to decline. With the exception of only the most urgent meetings, "no" is an acceptable answer when someone has made a previous commitment to another meeting.

Select only participants who truly need to be in the meeting. Others can read the recap in the minutes. Proceed with caution when inviting “optional” attendees. This can be confusing to people.

Participant - If this information is missing from the meeting invitation, request it before deciding whether or not to attend the meeting. Once you commit to attending the meeting, do everything possible to ensure your attendance.

If you must back out of the meeting, notify the organizer as soon as possible and be prepared to make concessions in your calendar should the meeting need to be rescheduled to accommodate you. Do not reneg or ask for the meeting to be rescheduled simply because you’re busy. It is challenging for the organizer to schedule time that works for several parties at once, and impolite to ask others to reschedule due to one person's time management challenges.

Check with the meeting organizer before haphazardly forwarding the invitation to others. S/he may have been very deliberate in selecting participants.

Roles

Organizer - Communicate expected roles and responsibilities to attendees in advance of the meeting. These will vary with the scope of each meeting, but in general, aim to have a facilitator, time-keeper, scribe, and devil’s advocate. If you expect someone to present and/or to have completed certain actions before the meeting, engage them in advance with enough lead time to prepare properly.

Participant - Be sure of your role before the meeting. When uncertain, discuss this with the meeting organizer

Before the Meeting

Organizer - Test all logistics, including projectors and online meeting applications. Select a meeting room large enough to accommodate all participants. If your meeting is cancelled or postponed and you use a reservation system, be sure to cancel the meeting room and other resources.

Participant - Review the details of the meeting and prepare for your arrival. Will you participate live or remotely? Schedule enough time for travel. Locate the conference room in advance if needed.

During the Meeting

Organizer – Give everyone an opportunity to speak their minds, but stick to the agenda. Don’t put anyone on the spot in large meetings by asking them to commit to substantial projects.

Participant - Share your thoughts and ideas, but do not monopolize the meeting. Avoid sidetracking the conversation. Use the parking lot method to capture these ideas for follow-up discussion. Also, be sure to listen to others. When in brainstorming mode, do not rush to dispel another’s suggestion.


After the Meeting

Organizer - Send all participants (and cc others as needed) minutes from the meeting, which should include a recap of the discussion, major decisions reached, next steps and action items with dates and owners, and any unfinished business.

Participant - Read the minutes carefully and notify the organizer of any edits/updates. Be sure to follow through on any actions to which you committed in the meeting. Communicate relevant input to all attendees that you did not have an opportunity to share in the meeting.


You may be thinking that this is all well and good in theory but that it takes a great deal of time and effort to apply all of these tips, especially when your day is filled with meetings. You're right! And that confirms the need to be selective in the number of meetings you host. Refer to the first tip above, Is a meeting really needed?

In summary, think of the many things that you dislike about meetings. Your peers likely have the same pet peeves. When it comes to meeting etiquette and running effective meetings, the golden rule applies – do unto colleagues as you would have them do unto you.