Archive | September, 2013

The consultant’s bar … high energy, high empathy

4 Sep

Consultants barI work with a guy who enjoys a ‘big’ background in consulting. I often see him munching on a chocolate bar. We laugh about it. The Consultant’s Bar! High energy. High empathy.

Consultants often work on multiple projects. They need energy and focus as well as a knack of transposing themselves into different business environments and cultures.

Skilled consultants hit the ground running and understand what they need to do and who they need to consult with.

Like a researcher or investigative journalist, consultants go to the right people. These people are sometimes called Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) who are skilled in their particular fields. Those fields can be as different as engineering is to fashion design. As science is to fast food. As recruitment is to recreation.

  1. A consultant must first know who to go to.
  2. They must establish rapport as quickly as possible.
  3. Know what questions to ask.
  4. Keep the channels open

This takes preparation, empathy and listening skills.

Dr Samuel Johnson said “What doth please thee mightily, do strike out.” Forget pre-conceptions and gut feelings.

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Who is my customer

3 Sep

I met a young designer who created ‘mood boards’ for a global US fashion/apparel business. Mood boards are about colours and fabrics and accessories such as buttons etc. The fashion designers stock in trade and the fashion buyer’s guide to new season’s offerings. She told me that this company had an ‘ideal’ customer.

The ideal customer was a 30 something professional single male with a Golden Retriever dog. Sounds awfully simplistic doesn’t it?

If you think about it in target segmentation terms it says a lot in one small description.

Single = money to spend (lifestyle)

Professional = high earner/well educated (demographics)

Male = gender (demographics)

Golden Retriever dog = outdoorsy/sporty/casual

Whether you believe that your customers can be segmented as easily as this, try it.

Visualise your ideal customer/s.

And build on it from there.

The key to success in business in knowing who your customers are (and how they might change!)

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Newsletters that tell stories

3 Sep

310112 AAS A4 NL (Page 1)

Newsletters like this one from advanced anaesthesia specialists are a great way to differentiate, take ‘thought’ leadership within a category, build your brand, promote your business and sell, which after all, is the ultimate goal for any business … to make a profit!

Here’s the thing … newsletters must have some news not just a bunch of products. Newsletters tell stories.

Great … let’s do it.

Here’s the other thing … who cares?

Question: Do you understand who your customers are? Do you know what they think, hope for and need?

The rise of Social Media illustrates the fact that everyone wants to be loved, admired, supported and recognised.

Effective business communications 1st take customers seriously. They add content that tells stories customers want to read and that’s not always about product x or service y.

Newsletters like all marketing communications must have been through the so what test. Try some in house research. Involve your team. Ask your customers!

Create newsletters that hit the spot!

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It’s lonely at the top

2 Sep

CEO’s, business owners and managers have to do a lot of things ‘in’ their jobs.

Leading is just one of them.

To be a leader a person must be someone that inspires people on a daily basis whilst taking care of business everyday. A quick nod to Elvis here!

Add to that the skill of acquiring a ‘helicopter view’ of the relevance of the products and services offered to the marketplace in a fast paced global environment.

A leader must understand his/her people and what makes them tick and possibly hardest of all … understand themselves. Almost Zen-like, this is known as mindfulness. It takes skill to master it, but once mastered it is the difference between real leaders and line managers.

Leaders build teams that perform. They inspire creativity and innovation even when it’s dangerous. Leaders look for better ways of doing things, building resilience and optimism.

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Staring at a blank page

2 Sep

blank page

I found this piece of paper in a file and it got me wondering. Writers sometimes get writer’s block. They can’t get started. And often the harder they try the more blank they become.

In George Plimpton’s fascinating Paris Review series, a number of famous writers were interviewed about their techniques. This was about how do you write everyday with the kids screaming, your wife leaving, a revolucion going on, a 1st book best seller to better.

Amazingly enough some writers copy out tracts of the bible to get started, some sharpen pencils, others still drink a lot and smoke endless cigarettes (a different era I suppose.) The issue is how do you get started?

It can be a problem for people in business to get fresh ideas or even an accurate idea of what their business actually does for their customers. It’s also difficult to get noticed in the crowded cyber world where attention spans are short and customers can shop around and read reviews online.

It takes a fresh pair of eyes to do that. Daily regeneration and a childlike curiosity of life which when you think about it is quite amazing.

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Rodie – King of Content

2 Sep

King of content 230813

“When I have an idea, I turn down the flame, as if it were a little alcohol stove, as low as it will go. Then it explodes and that is my idea.” Hemingway.

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