By Dorn Williams
Training is a critical component in any organization's strategy, but organizations don't always evaluate the business impact of a training program. Given the large expenditures for training in many organizations, it is important to develop business intelligence tools that will help companies improve the measurement of training effectiveness. These tools need to provide a methodology to measure, evaluate, and continuously improve training, as well as the organizational and technical infrastructure (systems) to implement the methodology. Cross-functional and reporting and learning analytics provide important connections between the measures of learning effectiveness offered by a learning management system (LMS) and the larger enterprise metrics that indicate whether learning is transferred and positively affects business results.
Business Performance Impact
Unless a training program exists simply for the sake of training, results should be measured and measurements should include business performance data, not just training data. Including selected metrics—such as sales, customer satisfaction, workplace safety, productivity and others—into a reporting strategy can help demonstrate where training has increased revenue or decreased costs. Measurements that consider performance improvements can provide a benchmark for training effectiveness. After implementing a training initiative or changing an existing program, an organization can observe and record a change in performance. To evaluate retention rates, there should be a lag between the training and these behavior measurements.
Many organizations are unable to evaluate their programs beyond the first two Kirkpatrick levels because they lack the tools to collect the data to make higher level evaluations. In part, LMSs, the most common repository for training data and mechanism to deliver training, make lower level evaluations easy but don't provide any tool for higher level evaluation. Most LMSs automatically will track and report information required for Level One and Level Two analyses.
Likewise, training programs can inexpensively and easily administer pre- and post-tests that evaluate learning results (Level Two). When evaluating changes in student behavior and training influence on business results, however, data collection requirements extend beyond course delivery.
Much of the data needed to bridge the gap between training and performance exists in many organizations. Individual performance data exists in performance management systems. Organizational data exists in marketing, sales, and financial systems. Bridging this gap requires a technical infrastructure and reporting strategy that minimizes the administrative effort needed to collect and analyze the training and performance data together.
But why are organizations still unlikely to evaluate training at Kirkpatrick's Level Three? System integration, one common point of failure, is critical. Many LMS vendors with a history as product companies have limited expertise in system integration that extends beyond learning systems and databases. Successfully managing performance-based training evaluation, however, requires expertise in data management and warehousing, a variety of corporate systems and databases, analytics, and Web-based application development.
Cross-Functional Reporting
A reporting and data management strategy that focuses on the LMS as the foundation only compounds the system integration challenges that make performance-based training evaluation unmanageable. Instead, the organization should adopt a cross-functional corporate reporting and data management strategy. The features of a cross-functional reporting system that also can provide learning and training analytics include:
•Independence from LMS
• Integration with business systems across the enterprise
• Alignment with individual and organizational performance
LMS Independence
A cross-functional reporting system for training should not be locked into a single LMS platform. By utilizing a generic framework, common LMS data should map to variables in the learning intelligence system. Typically, an organization will feed performance, job code, certification, and other corporate data into the LMS reporting system. By adding a cross-functional system between the LMS and other corporate systems, the organization only needs to update one data connection if the LMS changes.
Business System Integration
As a broker for business intelligence throughout the organization, the reporting system needs to aggregate the data from multiple corporate systems. If assembling information is too cumbersome and time consuming and the data is outdated or not even correct, the system cannot enhance evaluations by combining training with other business data.
If the organization has a corporate data warehouse, the LMS can push the learning management data into this consolidated data source. Any corporate reporting system then can access this learning data, combine it with other business data, and make advanced ROI calculations. Although integrating multiple data sources can require significant system integration effort, the organization gains greater control over its learning and business data. Different data owners maintain data integrity in the consolidated data source, which provides a unified data access point.
Business system integration allows the organization to leverage training and business data together in a context-sensitive manner. The cross-functional system can push data to an enterprise or departmental portal or a reporting tool used by a particular decision maker. Portal applications and other reporting tools allow training professionals to make more informed decisions when designing and implementing a training program. Some examples of how data can be combined for different decision-makers and purposes include:
• A training scorecard that evaluates training programs on ROI and other performance metrics. The training scorecard becomes a much more powerful tool to manage interdependent activities and performance if it provides an easy-to-use "drill-down" capability that provides supporting data, so training professionals can identify how cost and performance results contribute to a training program's score.
• Sales, manufacturing, distribution, customer service, and other scorecards that provide metrics specific to that domain, including training and other relevant operational and performance metrics.
• Predictive analytical tools that allow organizations to perform what-if scenarios to make resource allocation decisions that maximize desirable organizational performance.
Performance Alignment
What differentiates a cross-functional reporting strategy from most LMS-based reporting approaches is the ability to align training with performance objectives for the entire extended enterprise, including individuals, the organization, and its business partners. The cross-functional approach can combine the course completion, certification, and assessment scores of the LMS with the evaluation and competency data in a performance management system. Achieving this alignment depends on statistically validated learning analytics that help an organization understand how training, individual behavior, and organizational performance are linked.
A Training Model from Learning Analytics
When an organization measures without an understanding of interdependent cause and effect relationships, it does not accurately evaluate training effectiveness. A company may achieve better sales numbers following a sales training initiative, even if the training itself was deficient. Tracking results does not necessarily evaluate how training modified sales staff behavior or ability.
Learning analytics based on a statistical analysis provides the necessary—and often missing—basis to quantify how different training and non-training activities affect performance. For example, the National Association of Secondary School Principals used statistical methods to investigate the correlation between school cultures and student achievement as measured by SAT scores. A task force collected data from 81 schools during the 2002-'03 school year using survey methodology. As a result of the statistical analysis, the task force could not only identify how a factor affected SAT scores but to what degree the factor affected performance. It also captured the interdependencies among factors. (An increase in administrative performance of x increases teacher climate by y, which increases scores by z, at the same time that a dress code reduces teacher climate by a, which reduces scores by b—see figure at end of article.
For an organization that wants to apply these techniques, historical data provides a good starting point to identify what aspects of different training programs had the greatest impact on individual and organizational performance. After developing this initial model, the organization can invest in training to achieve desired performance results.
Conclusion
A robust cross-functional reporting strategy and statistical methodologies can support continuous improvement of learning, just as they do in other activities, such as manufacturing. By selecting those measurements that can support valid inferences about the effectiveness of programs, learning and training professionals can know where to improve and how to allocate resources and effort—essentially improving every training program’s influence on business results.
A statistical analysis developed from structured equation models and secondary school data. Note how the map reveals relationships, where a factor such as dress code negatively impacts student achievement that may seem counterintuitive or contrary.
managesmarter.com
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Unrealistic Expectations Doom CRM Initiatives.
By Shelley Hall
CRM implementations fail every day, often due to unrealistic expectations. You will not make your problems go away by installing a CRM system. In fact, in many instances, a CRM installation will cause more problems up front than you had initially hoped they would solve.
There are six misconceptions that lie at the root of many (if not most) failures:
• "CRM will force the sales team to follow our processes and to document its client work"
• "CRM will improve the production of our underperforming sales reps"
• "CRM is software and so the project should be managed by IT"
• "CRM will insure that our marketing programs are effective"
• "CRM will force Sales and Marketing to work together seamlessly"
• "CRM systems are relatively simple and intuitive. Our staffers can easily learn the system on their own."
The First Step: Fix Your Sales Process
Leading CRM vendors will try to convince you that their solutions will instantly improve your performance. After all, these solutions will organize your sales chaos and give your managers instant dashboard reports, right? Wrong.
Remember the old adage: "garbage in-garbage out?" Because this is true, you must carefully examine all aspects of your existing sales and marketing processes, throwing out the worst elements of the process, fixing the broken parts and improving the rest before you even start the CRM vendor evaluation process. Although CRM systems start out generic, customizing your vendor's systems to your processes is a must to insure that CRM efforts are successful. It's critical that your processes be effective from the start.
CRM considerations should begin with a strong commitment to business process improvement techniques and tools. Build flow charts of your processes within and across departments to understand where the breakdowns occur, and then fix them. Use your process maps to evaluate CRM vendors. Give them your sales process maps and ask them to demonstrate how their systems will mirror and support your processes.
And don't forget your customers. Your CRM system must be as simple or as complex as your customers themselves. This is in fact a unique opportunity to involve key customers. Ask them to help you define your new CRM system—don't pass this opportunity up!
Systems Don't Change Users—Users Work The System
Even the best CRM system will not solve your performance issues. Poor performing sales people will also be poor users of your CRM system. CRM may however make the job of identifying poor performers easier for management, and after time you will discover who has been manipulating the system. But relying on CRM to fix broken sales people is as bad as installing CRM to fix broken sales processes. It’s important to realize that, in many aspects, CRM systems measure past activities but are not so good at predicting future activities.
So don't count on a brand new CRM system to cure any conflict between Sales and Marketing. Department relationships are created, thwarted or sabotaged by people, and a CRM system can become a dangerous weapon in such a war. Building and sustaining cross functional support requires effective department managers, not CRM magic.
Sales and Marketing must OWN the CRM Initiative
You should look to IT for help in determining and evaluating systems against its technical standards but IT should not dictate your solution. This is a case where the "user buyer," i.e., Sales and Marketing Departments, must carry more weight then the "technical buyer." If your company culture gives IT complete authority over software purchases and installations, be prepared to battle for the right CRM system. This is not the time to be pennywise and pound foolish, opting for the least expensive system and/or one that will not complicate the lives of the IT Department. See yourself as IT’s customer, and its role is to ensure that you are happy and that your needs are met, not vice versa.
Doing your homework up front and improving your sales and marketing processes will give you the information you need to clearly define the right system. Thus clearly defined systems requirements will provide the leverage you need with IT. ROI calculations will also provide compelling leverage to secure the right solution. Sales and Marketing must own the systems from the beginning, continuing as time goes on to drive upgrades and additional customization that meet their needs and those of their customers.
Adoption and Execution are Change Management Issues
Ignore the human dynamics and dramatics in CRM initiatives at your peril. CRM is not "build it and they will come." People in general—but sales people in particular—will resist change, even when it is in their best interest. So start by demonstrating that this is in their best interest.
Involve the sales and marketing staff in setting the system specifications. Get the sales team to talk to customers in order to solicit their wants and needs. Resist the urge to focus on how it will generate revenue and activity reports for sales management. Instead, focus on how much easier it will be for the sales team to track a customer from needs identification to closure.
Discuss too how sales reps will be able to view at a glance who the true players are in complex sales. This will allow them to determine an appropriate strategy that will lead them to a sale. And train and train and train again! Training should be a journey not an event. Train on segments of the system in order to give people time to master that segment before moving on. Force feeding the new system in one sitting is a sure recipe for disaster. Never assume that any system is simple enough for the team to learn on its own.
Companies derive great benefit from carefully planned and executed CRM initiatives when their expectations are realistic and when they take the time to:
• Map and reengineer the sales process
• "Sell the benefits" of the system to critical users
• Assign ownership to Sales & Marketing
• Train, train, train
Follow these precepts and cautions and CRM will support your change initiatives…not doom them.
managesmarter.com
CRM implementations fail every day, often due to unrealistic expectations. You will not make your problems go away by installing a CRM system. In fact, in many instances, a CRM installation will cause more problems up front than you had initially hoped they would solve.
There are six misconceptions that lie at the root of many (if not most) failures:
• "CRM will force the sales team to follow our processes and to document its client work"
• "CRM will improve the production of our underperforming sales reps"
• "CRM is software and so the project should be managed by IT"
• "CRM will insure that our marketing programs are effective"
• "CRM will force Sales and Marketing to work together seamlessly"
• "CRM systems are relatively simple and intuitive. Our staffers can easily learn the system on their own."
The First Step: Fix Your Sales Process
Leading CRM vendors will try to convince you that their solutions will instantly improve your performance. After all, these solutions will organize your sales chaos and give your managers instant dashboard reports, right? Wrong.
Remember the old adage: "garbage in-garbage out?" Because this is true, you must carefully examine all aspects of your existing sales and marketing processes, throwing out the worst elements of the process, fixing the broken parts and improving the rest before you even start the CRM vendor evaluation process. Although CRM systems start out generic, customizing your vendor's systems to your processes is a must to insure that CRM efforts are successful. It's critical that your processes be effective from the start.
CRM considerations should begin with a strong commitment to business process improvement techniques and tools. Build flow charts of your processes within and across departments to understand where the breakdowns occur, and then fix them. Use your process maps to evaluate CRM vendors. Give them your sales process maps and ask them to demonstrate how their systems will mirror and support your processes.
And don't forget your customers. Your CRM system must be as simple or as complex as your customers themselves. This is in fact a unique opportunity to involve key customers. Ask them to help you define your new CRM system—don't pass this opportunity up!
Systems Don't Change Users—Users Work The System
Even the best CRM system will not solve your performance issues. Poor performing sales people will also be poor users of your CRM system. CRM may however make the job of identifying poor performers easier for management, and after time you will discover who has been manipulating the system. But relying on CRM to fix broken sales people is as bad as installing CRM to fix broken sales processes. It’s important to realize that, in many aspects, CRM systems measure past activities but are not so good at predicting future activities.
So don't count on a brand new CRM system to cure any conflict between Sales and Marketing. Department relationships are created, thwarted or sabotaged by people, and a CRM system can become a dangerous weapon in such a war. Building and sustaining cross functional support requires effective department managers, not CRM magic.
Sales and Marketing must OWN the CRM Initiative
You should look to IT for help in determining and evaluating systems against its technical standards but IT should not dictate your solution. This is a case where the "user buyer," i.e., Sales and Marketing Departments, must carry more weight then the "technical buyer." If your company culture gives IT complete authority over software purchases and installations, be prepared to battle for the right CRM system. This is not the time to be pennywise and pound foolish, opting for the least expensive system and/or one that will not complicate the lives of the IT Department. See yourself as IT’s customer, and its role is to ensure that you are happy and that your needs are met, not vice versa.
Doing your homework up front and improving your sales and marketing processes will give you the information you need to clearly define the right system. Thus clearly defined systems requirements will provide the leverage you need with IT. ROI calculations will also provide compelling leverage to secure the right solution. Sales and Marketing must own the systems from the beginning, continuing as time goes on to drive upgrades and additional customization that meet their needs and those of their customers.
Adoption and Execution are Change Management Issues
Ignore the human dynamics and dramatics in CRM initiatives at your peril. CRM is not "build it and they will come." People in general—but sales people in particular—will resist change, even when it is in their best interest. So start by demonstrating that this is in their best interest.
Involve the sales and marketing staff in setting the system specifications. Get the sales team to talk to customers in order to solicit their wants and needs. Resist the urge to focus on how it will generate revenue and activity reports for sales management. Instead, focus on how much easier it will be for the sales team to track a customer from needs identification to closure.
Discuss too how sales reps will be able to view at a glance who the true players are in complex sales. This will allow them to determine an appropriate strategy that will lead them to a sale. And train and train and train again! Training should be a journey not an event. Train on segments of the system in order to give people time to master that segment before moving on. Force feeding the new system in one sitting is a sure recipe for disaster. Never assume that any system is simple enough for the team to learn on its own.
Companies derive great benefit from carefully planned and executed CRM initiatives when their expectations are realistic and when they take the time to:
• Map and reengineer the sales process
• "Sell the benefits" of the system to critical users
• Assign ownership to Sales & Marketing
• Train, train, train
Follow these precepts and cautions and CRM will support your change initiatives…not doom them.
managesmarter.com
Challenging the Solution Selling stages
By Ed McLean
Double your chances - target senior management
If you attribute any kind of ratings to the probability of your opportunities closing successfully, depending on where they are in the sales cycle, for example, “Pain admitted by sponsor – 25%”, then you have probably wondered whether these ratings actually mean anything or whether they are there to allow your manager to do all sorts of fancy projections for board meetings (come on, you wouldn’t really be so cynical would you?).
I decided to look into this, specifically in relation to Solution Selling’s assertion that an opportunity where the primary contact is with a Power Sponsor (someone with the power to make the decision and sign-off on the purchase) is twice as likely to result in a successful conclusion than an opportunity where the primary contact is with a Sponsor (someone involved in the sales process but without significant influence and sign-off power). Solution Selling rates the former with a 50% chance of a successful close and the latter with a 25% chance of a successful close.
So, I started tinkering around in the CRM system. In the past year’s pipeline, opportunities where the main contact was with Sponsors resulted in a successful close rate of 29%, whereas with Power Sponsors the rate was 60%. After hearty self congratulation for beating the textbook probability rates, I realised that, in this case, Solution Selling was right – contact with Power Sponsors is worth twice that of contact with Sponsors.
In light of this I have been concentrating on finding ways to improve my success rates in getting a Power Sponsor from the start of an opportunity (this includes various sales tools, qualification methods, simply not calling anyone but the Power Sponsor and just plain old fashioned insistence that I only speak to decision-makers).
In cases where access to the Power Sponsor is refused, I now have a set of tools and processes that help me quickly and efficiently deal with these lower-likelihood opportunities, thereby freeing up time to focus on the high likelihood Power Sponsor deals.
And the results? It’s too early to put into reliable figures, but suffice to say it’s looking good. As soon as I have some thing good to tell you, I’ll let you know. In the meantime please comment with your views and experiences.
Double your chances - target senior management
If you attribute any kind of ratings to the probability of your opportunities closing successfully, depending on where they are in the sales cycle, for example, “Pain admitted by sponsor – 25%”, then you have probably wondered whether these ratings actually mean anything or whether they are there to allow your manager to do all sorts of fancy projections for board meetings (come on, you wouldn’t really be so cynical would you?).
I decided to look into this, specifically in relation to Solution Selling’s assertion that an opportunity where the primary contact is with a Power Sponsor (someone with the power to make the decision and sign-off on the purchase) is twice as likely to result in a successful conclusion than an opportunity where the primary contact is with a Sponsor (someone involved in the sales process but without significant influence and sign-off power). Solution Selling rates the former with a 50% chance of a successful close and the latter with a 25% chance of a successful close.
So, I started tinkering around in the CRM system. In the past year’s pipeline, opportunities where the main contact was with Sponsors resulted in a successful close rate of 29%, whereas with Power Sponsors the rate was 60%. After hearty self congratulation for beating the textbook probability rates, I realised that, in this case, Solution Selling was right – contact with Power Sponsors is worth twice that of contact with Sponsors.
In light of this I have been concentrating on finding ways to improve my success rates in getting a Power Sponsor from the start of an opportunity (this includes various sales tools, qualification methods, simply not calling anyone but the Power Sponsor and just plain old fashioned insistence that I only speak to decision-makers).
In cases where access to the Power Sponsor is refused, I now have a set of tools and processes that help me quickly and efficiently deal with these lower-likelihood opportunities, thereby freeing up time to focus on the high likelihood Power Sponsor deals.
And the results? It’s too early to put into reliable figures, but suffice to say it’s looking good. As soon as I have some thing good to tell you, I’ll let you know. In the meantime please comment with your views and experiences.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
How to Identify the Needs of International Audiences
By Rana Sinha
International audiences can be very intimidating. The less you have prior knowledge of them, the more nervous you might become about how to appear and present before them. But some preparation beforehand goes a long way towards acquiring necessary skills and gaining confidence to handle international audiences.
There are three basic steps to assuring that you get at least a part of your message across and affect your audience. The old advice of "know your listeners" works better if you split it into two parts, one about the listener's needs and the second one about the manner in which they process information. This method will help you get beyond cultural stereotypes with its many shortcomings.
1. Identify your listeners' needs
2. Identify the manner of information gathering your listeners are used to
3. Tailor your message to suit the needs and learning style of your audience
Identify your listeners' needs
This is very difficult, as your listeners are not going to tell you "this is my need." It is up to you to discover their needs in relation to your presentation. Unless they are in love or are consumed by morbid hatred, people usually act rationally. So there must be a rational reason for your audience to come to listen to you. What is the reason for their giving you their time and attention? You can start discovering that by enquiring before you meet them "What brings these people to listen to me?" Or "How are they connected to my topic?" The answer usually is somehow connected to the theme of the gathering or that it brings some added value to them.
It is a bit too simple to assume that an audience has a uniform kind of expectation. People in the audience can have as many kinds of expectations and motives for being there as the varieties of their food tastes. Someone is there with a burning desire to learn new ideas. Another person is there because he found this topic to be the least boring among other presentations in the seminar. Yet another person can be there because she wants to be noticed for asking an intelligent question in an international seminar.
You wouldn't speak to a board of directors in Barcelona in the same way as you would to young nurses back at home, would you? Different audiences have different needs. One audience might need to learn more details about a new product or service or specific details about a project. Another audience might be looking for reassurance from the head office that their branch is not being downgraded or eventually shut down, while the official topic of the presentation may be "Presentation of corporate annual report."
The time concepts of the people you are speaking with also play a vital role. A strict timetable may be realistic in a culture that's exact and oriented towards immediate action. It may be considered pushy in another culture that's more consensus-oriented and more relaxed, to stick to a timetable running strictly to the minute.
Identify the manner of information gathering your listeners are used to
People have different learning styles. There are three basic learning styles or different approaches to learning. They are:
1. Learning through seeing or visual learning
Visual learners may think in pictures and learn best from visual displays such as diagrams and pictures, illustrated textbooks, overhead transparencies, videos, flipcharts and handouts. These learners prefer sitting at the front of the room to avoid visual obstructions (e.g. other people's heads).
2.Learning through listening or auditory earning
Auditory learners learn best through verbal lectures, discussions, talking things through and listening to what others have to say. Auditory learners try to interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances. For them, written information achieves meaning only when it is heard.
3. Learning by doing, moving around, touching or tactile/kinaesthetic Learning
Tactile/Kinaesthetic persons learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the physical world around them by touching or trying things for themselves. They may find it hard to sit still for long periods and may become distracted by their need for activity and exploration.
Usually people feel comfortable doing things they are used to doing until the point is reached where they get bored and desire change. So if a person is used to gathering information by reading and underlining text with colour markers, she might not feel comfortable listening to a lecture with no handouts or possibilities for note taking. In some cultures like Finland or Japan interrupting a speaker is considered a breach of etiquette and all questions or comments usually are left till the end. In other cultures like Britain or USA presentations are usually interactive with lots of audience input in the form of short comments, jokes, questions or applause.
How interactive a presentation is, depends much on the culture. Typically English speaking cultures like presentations to be lively and interactive. Paradoxically there are similarities among Far Eastern, Slavic and protestant cultures like Germany and Finland. Presentations there are formal and with few interruptions. Questions are answered either when the presentation ends or quickly as they arise. In Japan it is common to show concentration and attentiveness in public by closing the eyes and nodding the head up and down slightly. You might feel you are putting your audience to sleep in Japan, but don't worry. Then again, don’t forget to check that you really are not boring them to sleep.
Many Europeans, particularly Scandinavians and Germans prefer to receive information in detail, with lots of supporting documentation. They want their presenters to be systematic and build to a clear point in their presentation. The Japanese business audiences, where senior managers are more likely to hold technical or management degrees are very similar. American and Canadian audiences, on the other hand, like a faster pace. The Latin and many Asian cultures prefer presentations with emotional appeal.
Tailor your message to suit audience needs and their method of information processing
This is where presentation skills matter the most. If your presentation, offering or message caters to the needs of the audience, they would feel energised, eager and responsive. In the best of cases they wouldn’t want to leave. If you know that your facts are shocking or revolutionary, you have to prepare your audience to digest these by guiding them to expect what you are about to give them. By giving examples and connecting your subject matter to their work or everyday life, you have to highlight the relevance for them.
Now how do you go about discovering the learning styles of your listeners? You just can't ask them or put them through tests. Well, who says you can't? Try asking your audienceýýýthey'll be flattered.
At the beginning of your presentation, take a few seconds to establish contact with your audience and watch them. See how they behave as you go on. Are they with you and paying attention? Are they taking notes? Are they gossiping with their neighbour? Are they looking at the diagram you are showing or listening to you first?
People who start taking notes right away can actually have three different learning styles and it's very difficult to know which is their strongest one. People who are gossiping with their neighbour can do for two reasons, either to discuss to topic or because they are not interested at all. So it's almost impossible that you'll have an audience with only one kind of learning style.
And we come to the conclusion that your presentation should cater to all three styles of information processing. Use graphics and diagrams along with oral presentations and if possible use methods like rhetorical questions or asking audience members guiding questions to place the topic in their midst. This way you try to appeal to different senses and different methods of gathering information and make the chances to getting the right message across and leaving a powerful impression higher. Good luck!
managesmarter.com
International audiences can be very intimidating. The less you have prior knowledge of them, the more nervous you might become about how to appear and present before them. But some preparation beforehand goes a long way towards acquiring necessary skills and gaining confidence to handle international audiences.
There are three basic steps to assuring that you get at least a part of your message across and affect your audience. The old advice of "know your listeners" works better if you split it into two parts, one about the listener's needs and the second one about the manner in which they process information. This method will help you get beyond cultural stereotypes with its many shortcomings.
1. Identify your listeners' needs
2. Identify the manner of information gathering your listeners are used to
3. Tailor your message to suit the needs and learning style of your audience
Identify your listeners' needs
This is very difficult, as your listeners are not going to tell you "this is my need." It is up to you to discover their needs in relation to your presentation. Unless they are in love or are consumed by morbid hatred, people usually act rationally. So there must be a rational reason for your audience to come to listen to you. What is the reason for their giving you their time and attention? You can start discovering that by enquiring before you meet them "What brings these people to listen to me?" Or "How are they connected to my topic?" The answer usually is somehow connected to the theme of the gathering or that it brings some added value to them.
It is a bit too simple to assume that an audience has a uniform kind of expectation. People in the audience can have as many kinds of expectations and motives for being there as the varieties of their food tastes. Someone is there with a burning desire to learn new ideas. Another person is there because he found this topic to be the least boring among other presentations in the seminar. Yet another person can be there because she wants to be noticed for asking an intelligent question in an international seminar.
You wouldn't speak to a board of directors in Barcelona in the same way as you would to young nurses back at home, would you? Different audiences have different needs. One audience might need to learn more details about a new product or service or specific details about a project. Another audience might be looking for reassurance from the head office that their branch is not being downgraded or eventually shut down, while the official topic of the presentation may be "Presentation of corporate annual report."
The time concepts of the people you are speaking with also play a vital role. A strict timetable may be realistic in a culture that's exact and oriented towards immediate action. It may be considered pushy in another culture that's more consensus-oriented and more relaxed, to stick to a timetable running strictly to the minute.
Identify the manner of information gathering your listeners are used to
People have different learning styles. There are three basic learning styles or different approaches to learning. They are:
1. Learning through seeing or visual learning
Visual learners may think in pictures and learn best from visual displays such as diagrams and pictures, illustrated textbooks, overhead transparencies, videos, flipcharts and handouts. These learners prefer sitting at the front of the room to avoid visual obstructions (e.g. other people's heads).
2.Learning through listening or auditory earning
Auditory learners learn best through verbal lectures, discussions, talking things through and listening to what others have to say. Auditory learners try to interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances. For them, written information achieves meaning only when it is heard.
3. Learning by doing, moving around, touching or tactile/kinaesthetic Learning
Tactile/Kinaesthetic persons learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the physical world around them by touching or trying things for themselves. They may find it hard to sit still for long periods and may become distracted by their need for activity and exploration.
Usually people feel comfortable doing things they are used to doing until the point is reached where they get bored and desire change. So if a person is used to gathering information by reading and underlining text with colour markers, she might not feel comfortable listening to a lecture with no handouts or possibilities for note taking. In some cultures like Finland or Japan interrupting a speaker is considered a breach of etiquette and all questions or comments usually are left till the end. In other cultures like Britain or USA presentations are usually interactive with lots of audience input in the form of short comments, jokes, questions or applause.
How interactive a presentation is, depends much on the culture. Typically English speaking cultures like presentations to be lively and interactive. Paradoxically there are similarities among Far Eastern, Slavic and protestant cultures like Germany and Finland. Presentations there are formal and with few interruptions. Questions are answered either when the presentation ends or quickly as they arise. In Japan it is common to show concentration and attentiveness in public by closing the eyes and nodding the head up and down slightly. You might feel you are putting your audience to sleep in Japan, but don't worry. Then again, don’t forget to check that you really are not boring them to sleep.
Many Europeans, particularly Scandinavians and Germans prefer to receive information in detail, with lots of supporting documentation. They want their presenters to be systematic and build to a clear point in their presentation. The Japanese business audiences, where senior managers are more likely to hold technical or management degrees are very similar. American and Canadian audiences, on the other hand, like a faster pace. The Latin and many Asian cultures prefer presentations with emotional appeal.
Tailor your message to suit audience needs and their method of information processing
This is where presentation skills matter the most. If your presentation, offering or message caters to the needs of the audience, they would feel energised, eager and responsive. In the best of cases they wouldn’t want to leave. If you know that your facts are shocking or revolutionary, you have to prepare your audience to digest these by guiding them to expect what you are about to give them. By giving examples and connecting your subject matter to their work or everyday life, you have to highlight the relevance for them.
Now how do you go about discovering the learning styles of your listeners? You just can't ask them or put them through tests. Well, who says you can't? Try asking your audienceýýýthey'll be flattered.
At the beginning of your presentation, take a few seconds to establish contact with your audience and watch them. See how they behave as you go on. Are they with you and paying attention? Are they taking notes? Are they gossiping with their neighbour? Are they looking at the diagram you are showing or listening to you first?
People who start taking notes right away can actually have three different learning styles and it's very difficult to know which is their strongest one. People who are gossiping with their neighbour can do for two reasons, either to discuss to topic or because they are not interested at all. So it's almost impossible that you'll have an audience with only one kind of learning style.
And we come to the conclusion that your presentation should cater to all three styles of information processing. Use graphics and diagrams along with oral presentations and if possible use methods like rhetorical questions or asking audience members guiding questions to place the topic in their midst. This way you try to appeal to different senses and different methods of gathering information and make the chances to getting the right message across and leaving a powerful impression higher. Good luck!
managesmarter.com
Is Your Marketing Smart?
Ad technology evolves with Yahoo!'s SmartAds platform that allows marketers to specifically target Web users by their searches and set preferences.
By Victor Van Valen
Advertisers not only need to cater to and directly pinpoint a precise targeted audience to be successful; they need to customize their advertisements as well. In print mediums, you have an idea of who will see your ad. For example, you know Cosmopolitan magazine would be great to target women in their 20s and 30s and promote your new beauty product line. But when it comes to online venues, how can you target the right audience when millions are browsing?
Earlier this month, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo! launched its SmartAds product, an innovative new advertising platform that allows marketers to deliver tailored ads to highly targeted audiences. SmartAds combines Yahoo!'s consumer insights and media capabilities with new ad serving technology that automatically converts campaign creative and targeted offerings into highly-customized, relevant ad displays.
Here's how it works: Let's say a user is browsing for hybrid cars in Yahoo! Autos and has selected New York as their default location in Yahoo! Weather. Yahoo!'s SmartAds platform will assemble and deliver an ad display in real time that showcases a hybrid vehicle from a major partnering auto brand, local dealer information and current lease rates. This provides a not only a relevant experience to the user but allows the partnering marketer to reach users who are more likely to become customers.
"Yahoo!'s SmartAds gives marketers what they want from online advertising: the ability to deliver customized marketing messages to consumers, and still engage very large audiences with their brand," says Todd Teresi, Yahoo!'s senior vice president of display marketplaces.
Yahoo!'s SmartAds technology automatically generates hundreds of unique ad combinations based on an advertisers creative set and offer database. Advertisers and agencies can thereby take full advantage of all of Yahoo!'s audience targeting capabilities and still maintain control over how their brand is presented.
managesmarter.com
By Victor Van Valen
Advertisers not only need to cater to and directly pinpoint a precise targeted audience to be successful; they need to customize their advertisements as well. In print mediums, you have an idea of who will see your ad. For example, you know Cosmopolitan magazine would be great to target women in their 20s and 30s and promote your new beauty product line. But when it comes to online venues, how can you target the right audience when millions are browsing?
Earlier this month, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo! launched its SmartAds product, an innovative new advertising platform that allows marketers to deliver tailored ads to highly targeted audiences. SmartAds combines Yahoo!'s consumer insights and media capabilities with new ad serving technology that automatically converts campaign creative and targeted offerings into highly-customized, relevant ad displays.
Here's how it works: Let's say a user is browsing for hybrid cars in Yahoo! Autos and has selected New York as their default location in Yahoo! Weather. Yahoo!'s SmartAds platform will assemble and deliver an ad display in real time that showcases a hybrid vehicle from a major partnering auto brand, local dealer information and current lease rates. This provides a not only a relevant experience to the user but allows the partnering marketer to reach users who are more likely to become customers.
"Yahoo!'s SmartAds gives marketers what they want from online advertising: the ability to deliver customized marketing messages to consumers, and still engage very large audiences with their brand," says Todd Teresi, Yahoo!'s senior vice president of display marketplaces.
Yahoo!'s SmartAds technology automatically generates hundreds of unique ad combinations based on an advertisers creative set and offer database. Advertisers and agencies can thereby take full advantage of all of Yahoo!'s audience targeting capabilities and still maintain control over how their brand is presented.
managesmarter.com
Fitness for Business Travelers
7 Secrets to Pump Up Your Workout While Traveling
By Jeanie Callen Barat
Do you let your constant business trips ruin your fitness progress? Traveling for business has its perks—such as earning points and miles for your vacation trip. But the stress that accompanies business travel and the extra hours in airline seats and rental cars can be hazardous to your health and fitness plan.
Just because you leave your hometown behind, doesn't mean you have to leave your exercise plan, too. Traveling can be the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the extra time to kick-start your workouts and enjoy the extra energy surge.
Keeping your exercise routine consistent while you're traveling can actually make your stressful time away more enjoyable. Here's how:
• Your body craves the good feeling exercise brings on. So instead of depriving it of those endorphins, keep them humming by walking, running or swimming. A strong workout can be just what you need to get your ready for your big meeting. And, it can help you de-stress after a long day.
• Sticking to your exercise plan keeps your energy levels high. Energy is definitely something we can all use more of when we're on the road, especially when traveling for business.
• You will feel great when you return home slimmer than when you left rather than having to lose a few pounds from the buffet breakfasts, cocktail hours and late night business dinners.
As you hit the road, follow these 7 winning ideas keeping your fitness plan on track while traveling for business.
1. Bring your gear.
Stop trying to save space. Pack your workout shoes, workout outfits and any equipment such as hand and ankle weights. Ask yourself what's worse: the extra pounds in your luggage or the extra pounds on you?
2. Test it out.
Test your travel workout before you go away on your business trip. This familiarity will encourage you to complete the workout on the road. If you aren't sure of the facilities at your destination, plan exercises that don't require equipment, such as push-ups and crunches.
3. Do your research.
Before you go, research the best place to do your favorite exercise. If you love running, seek out best running trails are. If aerobics classes turn you on, search for gyms in the areas and check out their class schedules.
4. Stick with your routine.
Sometimes you think getting away is the perfect time to try something new. Variety is great but if you are attempting an exercise you are not familiar with, chances are you will forget about it. Just pick what you love and enjoy the new setting. Although if you are personally inspired to try a new and exotic activity, such as snorkeling or waterskiing—go for it.
5. Commit to healthy eating.
Eating healthy while on the road can be a challenge—especially when traveling for business. But the good news is that restaurants do offer healthier choices. You just have to make them.
Make a commitment to enjoy the local fare or a favorite dish, while forgoing the extras you can live without. Don't be afraid to ask for sauces and dressings on the side. Order fruit for breakfast and double the vegetables during your late night business dinner.
6. Share the fun.
When you are on the road, invite others to join you. This will keep you accountable. Invite your co-worker or potential customer to join you for a run or trip to the local pool. Skip the happy hour and opt for a walk. Use this time to catch up or network with an important business contact.
7. Maximize your time.
If you are crunched for time, try the most efficient and effective workout for fat loss—interval training. By alternating bouts of high intensity with low intensity training, you will accelerate your metabolism. Plus you will trigger a surge of energy and adrenaline that will keep you going all day guaranteed.
managesmater.com
By Jeanie Callen Barat
Do you let your constant business trips ruin your fitness progress? Traveling for business has its perks—such as earning points and miles for your vacation trip. But the stress that accompanies business travel and the extra hours in airline seats and rental cars can be hazardous to your health and fitness plan.
Just because you leave your hometown behind, doesn't mean you have to leave your exercise plan, too. Traveling can be the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the extra time to kick-start your workouts and enjoy the extra energy surge.
Keeping your exercise routine consistent while you're traveling can actually make your stressful time away more enjoyable. Here's how:
• Your body craves the good feeling exercise brings on. So instead of depriving it of those endorphins, keep them humming by walking, running or swimming. A strong workout can be just what you need to get your ready for your big meeting. And, it can help you de-stress after a long day.
• Sticking to your exercise plan keeps your energy levels high. Energy is definitely something we can all use more of when we're on the road, especially when traveling for business.
• You will feel great when you return home slimmer than when you left rather than having to lose a few pounds from the buffet breakfasts, cocktail hours and late night business dinners.
As you hit the road, follow these 7 winning ideas keeping your fitness plan on track while traveling for business.
1. Bring your gear.
Stop trying to save space. Pack your workout shoes, workout outfits and any equipment such as hand and ankle weights. Ask yourself what's worse: the extra pounds in your luggage or the extra pounds on you?
2. Test it out.
Test your travel workout before you go away on your business trip. This familiarity will encourage you to complete the workout on the road. If you aren't sure of the facilities at your destination, plan exercises that don't require equipment, such as push-ups and crunches.
3. Do your research.
Before you go, research the best place to do your favorite exercise. If you love running, seek out best running trails are. If aerobics classes turn you on, search for gyms in the areas and check out their class schedules.
4. Stick with your routine.
Sometimes you think getting away is the perfect time to try something new. Variety is great but if you are attempting an exercise you are not familiar with, chances are you will forget about it. Just pick what you love and enjoy the new setting. Although if you are personally inspired to try a new and exotic activity, such as snorkeling or waterskiing—go for it.
5. Commit to healthy eating.
Eating healthy while on the road can be a challenge—especially when traveling for business. But the good news is that restaurants do offer healthier choices. You just have to make them.
Make a commitment to enjoy the local fare or a favorite dish, while forgoing the extras you can live without. Don't be afraid to ask for sauces and dressings on the side. Order fruit for breakfast and double the vegetables during your late night business dinner.
6. Share the fun.
When you are on the road, invite others to join you. This will keep you accountable. Invite your co-worker or potential customer to join you for a run or trip to the local pool. Skip the happy hour and opt for a walk. Use this time to catch up or network with an important business contact.
7. Maximize your time.
If you are crunched for time, try the most efficient and effective workout for fat loss—interval training. By alternating bouts of high intensity with low intensity training, you will accelerate your metabolism. Plus you will trigger a surge of energy and adrenaline that will keep you going all day guaranteed.
managesmater.com
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Coaching the Coach--From the Bottom Up............
By Hap Cooper
If you are involved in soft skills training of any kind, the odds are good that you've pondered the subject of coaching--probably more than once. I am no exception and the subject came up again this week.
An old colleague of mine, Andrew Barer, used to make a pretty good argument for NOT training managers to coach their people. It wasn't that he didn't think coaching was a good idea--in fact, he was an exceptional coach himself. His take was that the managers who have the ability and inclination to coach already are. And the sizable majority who don't won't coach anyway--so why bother putting them (and yourself) through the agony. It's like the old adage that there are two major drawbacks to trying to teach a pig to dance: 1) It's not possible and therefore extremely frustrating, and 2) It annoys the pig.
Andrew's conclusion was that the coaching itself should be outsourced to professional coaches who have a niche in your particular industry. It made sense, but nobody I ever encountered in the real world ever adopted that approach institutionally. So we went on paying the bills by teaching managers how to coach and watching as nothing ever came of it.
Sometimes the top management team tried to mandate coaching by causing managers to record their coaching sessions on a form and submit them up the chain of command. Nice thought, but there was virtually no value given that the manager was just going through the motions--checking the box.
So, this week I heard a new approach for making coaching happen in the real world that I thought was quite inspired. A brilliant training designer I know named Larry Ledgerwood said that he has been having surprising success by teaching coaching NOT to the managers, but to the employees. They taught the whole course--two days. By showing the employees what they are missing and how valuable it is to their careers, the employees began to demand to be coached on a regular basis. They could also give their managers very specific guidelines around how they wish to be coached.
On top of that, it sparked an interest in peer coaching. It's always a lot easier to give a colleague objective feedback than to give it to yourself.
Larry said the idea has been viral within a couple of clients. Fascinating. How does the idea strike you?.
If you are involved in soft skills training of any kind, the odds are good that you've pondered the subject of coaching--probably more than once. I am no exception and the subject came up again this week.
An old colleague of mine, Andrew Barer, used to make a pretty good argument for NOT training managers to coach their people. It wasn't that he didn't think coaching was a good idea--in fact, he was an exceptional coach himself. His take was that the managers who have the ability and inclination to coach already are. And the sizable majority who don't won't coach anyway--so why bother putting them (and yourself) through the agony. It's like the old adage that there are two major drawbacks to trying to teach a pig to dance: 1) It's not possible and therefore extremely frustrating, and 2) It annoys the pig.
Andrew's conclusion was that the coaching itself should be outsourced to professional coaches who have a niche in your particular industry. It made sense, but nobody I ever encountered in the real world ever adopted that approach institutionally. So we went on paying the bills by teaching managers how to coach and watching as nothing ever came of it.
Sometimes the top management team tried to mandate coaching by causing managers to record their coaching sessions on a form and submit them up the chain of command. Nice thought, but there was virtually no value given that the manager was just going through the motions--checking the box.
So, this week I heard a new approach for making coaching happen in the real world that I thought was quite inspired. A brilliant training designer I know named Larry Ledgerwood said that he has been having surprising success by teaching coaching NOT to the managers, but to the employees. They taught the whole course--two days. By showing the employees what they are missing and how valuable it is to their careers, the employees began to demand to be coached on a regular basis. They could also give their managers very specific guidelines around how they wish to be coached.
On top of that, it sparked an interest in peer coaching. It's always a lot easier to give a colleague objective feedback than to give it to yourself.
Larry said the idea has been viral within a couple of clients. Fascinating. How does the idea strike you?.
Inspiration from Real Life: Engaging Your Audience
If you happen to walk down the snack aisle of your local grocery store, you might notice a strange addition to Dorito's offerings--a black bag with big white letters: X-13D. A strange name for a snack chip, eh? As it turns out, it's not actually a name yet. It's the X-13D flavor experiment--"YouMarketing," the consumers' turn to name and market a product. As the Web site informs you, it works like this:
Get it. Taste it. Name it.
But that's just the beginning. Once on the site, you must first register, providing Doritos with important data about who they're engaging and opening the door for getting more "information" from them. But you don't mind the registration too much because you just know that your brilliant snack name is going to make you one of 100 chosen Flavor Masters. If you can adjust the controls of the Clue Generator properly, you'll get more information about the new flavor. And you can even record the dialogue for some pre-recorded video commercials. It's fun and engaging. As a co-creator, you're invested in the product.
I was inspired. I couldn't help but wondering how I might use this same idea to engage learners. Perhaps Doritos had provided me with an interesting and useful model for "YouLearning" or "Educational Co-Creation." Here's how I imagine it could work:
That's just one idea among many possibilities. How does this inspire you?
Gen Y Needs to Learn...?
By Margery Weinstein
Gen Y Needs to Learn...?
I've always been more of a pinball person. I'm a Generation Xer, so I should be a little more hip, but you'd be surprised. Gen Yers, whom I define as those born between 1982 and 1993, love video games and anything high-tech, "the experts" solemnly agree. So, for the purposes of training, you might suppose anything that's online, and involves becoming an avatar-robot, would be just the thing to hook them into training you otherwise expect them to daydream about lunch through.
I'm a little skeptical. People may tend to compartmentalize the pieces of their lives, and what's enjoyed in the leisure of one's home isn't necessarily what's expected in the office--or even wanted. To an X Box fanatic, a multimedia-laden simulation game designed to teach her the layout and operations of the manufacturing floor might not trigger thoughts of work in her brain, even if the content is work-oriented. What I mean is, since they've been playing video games since they were a child for fun, the act of playing an online game may reflexively link in their brains with good times, not good sheet-fed press operations.
It's also funny to think about your perception of Gen Yers if the best way to train them you feel is through a game. Are they so childish that their mind can only learn if they think they're playing a game? It's kind of insulting and condescending. I doubt whether the average Gen Yer--or any sane employee for that matter--would be sensitive enough to be offended by such a point, but it occurred to me, anyway, as revealing of our impression of young people today.
When all is said and done, I agree the odds are the younger generation will enjoy high-tech wizardry in place of school marm lectures about not letting the machinery get their fingers, and not putting the wrong kind of paper in the press so the company suffers multi-thousand dollar damages. But techno-flashiness isn't the only way to reach these up-and-comers.
It's shocking--it's slightly frightening--but some of them (there's a chance) have read books.
Gen Y Needs to Learn...?
I've always been more of a pinball person. I'm a Generation Xer, so I should be a little more hip, but you'd be surprised. Gen Yers, whom I define as those born between 1982 and 1993, love video games and anything high-tech, "the experts" solemnly agree. So, for the purposes of training, you might suppose anything that's online, and involves becoming an avatar-robot, would be just the thing to hook them into training you otherwise expect them to daydream about lunch through.
I'm a little skeptical. People may tend to compartmentalize the pieces of their lives, and what's enjoyed in the leisure of one's home isn't necessarily what's expected in the office--or even wanted. To an X Box fanatic, a multimedia-laden simulation game designed to teach her the layout and operations of the manufacturing floor might not trigger thoughts of work in her brain, even if the content is work-oriented. What I mean is, since they've been playing video games since they were a child for fun, the act of playing an online game may reflexively link in their brains with good times, not good sheet-fed press operations.
It's also funny to think about your perception of Gen Yers if the best way to train them you feel is through a game. Are they so childish that their mind can only learn if they think they're playing a game? It's kind of insulting and condescending. I doubt whether the average Gen Yer--or any sane employee for that matter--would be sensitive enough to be offended by such a point, but it occurred to me, anyway, as revealing of our impression of young people today.
When all is said and done, I agree the odds are the younger generation will enjoy high-tech wizardry in place of school marm lectures about not letting the machinery get their fingers, and not putting the wrong kind of paper in the press so the company suffers multi-thousand dollar damages. But techno-flashiness isn't the only way to reach these up-and-comers.
It's shocking--it's slightly frightening--but some of them (there's a chance) have read books.
Digital Divide in Web Use and Learning.......
By Karl Kapp
There was an interesting posting by Business Week called What are People Doing? that clearly shows a difference between what baby boomers are doing on the web and what younger "gamers" are doing on the web.
For example: only 12% of young boomers (41 to 50) and only 7% of older boomers (51 to 61) and only 5% of 62+ people are creating content on the web. Meanwhile, 34% of young teens (12 to 17) and 37% of youth (18 to 21) and 30% of Gen Y (22 to 26) are creating content (check out the chart). There is a trend showing a difference in how the web is used among different ages.
So while everyone dislikes a boring lecture no matter what their age, not everyone creates dynamic, original content on the web...the trend is toward younger people (digital natives) creating web-based content for their use and others.
It would seem natural that they would also be more comfortable learning via technology than Generation X or Boomers and that they would want the design of learning to be more closely associated with the type of technologies they have grown up with (yes this includes video games).
It is not that they can't learn from books (in fact the thickest books of all time aimed at kids are selling like crazy...Harry Potter)...it is that they also see VALUE in learning through games and video game-like interfaces...this is where some boomers do not see any value...why not learn something from a lecture instead of a video game? What is the difference they ask...its the same and...at least in a lecture their is no goofing off, its all serious because learning is serious.
The difference is that boomers tend to see games as Non-Learning...just fun...not serious...where the gamer generation seems to be more comfortable with games as a form of learning. In fact, children have always learned through games...playing "school" teaches proper behavior, playing certain card games teach about numbers. As Tom Crawford quoted Thiagi
Q: Have you encountered any companies or cultures that do not accept game playing?
A: While there are cultural differences, here is an interesting fact: All human beings play games. There is no culture in the world that doesn't play games, other than some middle managers in Chicago who think it's beneath their dignity
But the truth is that kids google information as much as they look it up in a book, the truth is they are creators of content as much as they are consumers, the truth is they network via technology as much as they do face-to-face, the truth is valuable lessons can be learned in a video-game format.
To ignore those tendencies or differences does a serious disservice to those we Generation Xers and Boomers are trying to train (so they can fit into the boomer dominated hierarchal structure...which, by the way, is crumbling under an information dominated world, that is non-hierarchal.)
As the world changes from when we have grown up...from the static one-way communication of television to the dynamic two-way content creation of the web, our training programs must also change. We cannot keep doing the same trainings and expect to get the same results...it will not work and our trainees will just sit in class and check their email during our dynamic lectures on safety.
Sales Management Mastery
Turn Your Sales Effort Into a Rocket Ship of Results
By Chet Holmes
There's a war in today's business world—it's called "sales." And, if you want to win the war and get more market share, you must get yourself some true warriors. You need top producers.
It's the top producers respond perfectly to rejection by becoming more effective. They become more aggressive when someone is brushing them off. They're more persuasive if someone isn't buying. Top Performers know that the sales process is a science. They understand that they must operate like scientists, constantly moving toward the sale.
If you want to achieve maximum productivity and double your sales in less than 12 to 15 months, you must think like a scientist. So start drilling down like a scientist each and every aspect of your sales process.
Here are some top ideas to help you create your step-by-step battle plan for sales success:
1. Prospecting Stage
• Do you have minimum standards for the types of accounts your salespeople should go after? Does every rep have some "dream clients" they chase constantly and relentlessly? What is the minimal size accounts should your reps be going after?
• What will be your sales reps first approach? The second? The third? What do you say if you get the prospect on the phone right away? What are your procedures for getting around gatekeepers and assistants?
• Did you establish the minimum number of accounts your team will go after (per rep)? How much time each day is going to be dedicated to this effort? Did you set a minimum amount of rejections your team will face per client?
Make sure you include in your battle plan what your sales reps should do after each rejection and how this process is going to be monitored. If you don't set standards here, 52 percent of all salespeople will give up after a single rejection. Yet studies show it takes 8.4 rejections today to get the client to at least meet you.
2. The sales call
• What are your sales reps going to present? What are the top five strategic objectives you want to achieve from every interaction with every buyer? What and how many questions are they going to ask? How will your reps own personal credibility?
The sales call is a terrific strategy but 99.9 percent of companies never address this on purpose. Have you seriously sat down and talked about the sales call and planned out each aspect? Did
you practice it, role-play it and polish it to a fine luster? Are you leaving nothing to chance?
Think of sales like a war: You need to plan every step. Marketing with direct mail, advertising, trade shows and Internet Marketing are like your long range bombing. They soften the market and make it more receptive.
Your salespeople are your foot soldiers. When they get into hand-do-hand combat, how well do you want them trained? By perfecting every aspect of the sales phone call, your clients will be able to win sales over your competitors.
3. The actual pitch for the product or service.
• What's your pre-emptive strategy to block competitors? What's going to motivate your prospects to buy right now?
Pretend you had to present to all your prospects all at once, what kind of experience would that be? Are you ready right now? If not, your sales process is sloppy.
Sorry, but it's true. You need to plan out the sales opportunities to the letter to the extent that your reps would know exactly what to say if you put them in a room with all their prospects at once. Figure it out, then role-play it.
4. The offer
• Can you offer something for free that gets you deep into your clients' world? Can you offer a free audit related to your type of product or service? Can you sweeten the inducement to buy with a bonus or free gift?
Creating a compelling offer is an art form. Role-play your offer again and again until the reps do it with ease and complete comfort.
5. The follow up
• How will you recognize and plan your objectives after a sales interaction? Do you want to get referrals? Do you want to keep the client coming back again and again?
• How are you going to build a bond? Did you get emails addresses? Can you open a relationship that is so worth having they can’t say no? What's follow up step one, step two, step three and so on?
By continuing the bonding process, your res wil find opportunities to network and win future sales.
That being said, it's the procedures, role-playing, constant training and working on the sales process—and not just in it—can help even regular salespeople perform like top producers. Remember—if you're not leading, you can't close.
By Chet Holmes
There's a war in today's business world—it's called "sales." And, if you want to win the war and get more market share, you must get yourself some true warriors. You need top producers.
It's the top producers respond perfectly to rejection by becoming more effective. They become more aggressive when someone is brushing them off. They're more persuasive if someone isn't buying. Top Performers know that the sales process is a science. They understand that they must operate like scientists, constantly moving toward the sale.
If you want to achieve maximum productivity and double your sales in less than 12 to 15 months, you must think like a scientist. So start drilling down like a scientist each and every aspect of your sales process.
Here are some top ideas to help you create your step-by-step battle plan for sales success:
1. Prospecting Stage
• Do you have minimum standards for the types of accounts your salespeople should go after? Does every rep have some "dream clients" they chase constantly and relentlessly? What is the minimal size accounts should your reps be going after?
• What will be your sales reps first approach? The second? The third? What do you say if you get the prospect on the phone right away? What are your procedures for getting around gatekeepers and assistants?
• Did you establish the minimum number of accounts your team will go after (per rep)? How much time each day is going to be dedicated to this effort? Did you set a minimum amount of rejections your team will face per client?
Make sure you include in your battle plan what your sales reps should do after each rejection and how this process is going to be monitored. If you don't set standards here, 52 percent of all salespeople will give up after a single rejection. Yet studies show it takes 8.4 rejections today to get the client to at least meet you.
2. The sales call
• What are your sales reps going to present? What are the top five strategic objectives you want to achieve from every interaction with every buyer? What and how many questions are they going to ask? How will your reps own personal credibility?
The sales call is a terrific strategy but 99.9 percent of companies never address this on purpose. Have you seriously sat down and talked about the sales call and planned out each aspect? Did
you practice it, role-play it and polish it to a fine luster? Are you leaving nothing to chance?
Think of sales like a war: You need to plan every step. Marketing with direct mail, advertising, trade shows and Internet Marketing are like your long range bombing. They soften the market and make it more receptive.
Your salespeople are your foot soldiers. When they get into hand-do-hand combat, how well do you want them trained? By perfecting every aspect of the sales phone call, your clients will be able to win sales over your competitors.
3. The actual pitch for the product or service.
• What's your pre-emptive strategy to block competitors? What's going to motivate your prospects to buy right now?
Pretend you had to present to all your prospects all at once, what kind of experience would that be? Are you ready right now? If not, your sales process is sloppy.
Sorry, but it's true. You need to plan out the sales opportunities to the letter to the extent that your reps would know exactly what to say if you put them in a room with all their prospects at once. Figure it out, then role-play it.
4. The offer
• Can you offer something for free that gets you deep into your clients' world? Can you offer a free audit related to your type of product or service? Can you sweeten the inducement to buy with a bonus or free gift?
Creating a compelling offer is an art form. Role-play your offer again and again until the reps do it with ease and complete comfort.
5. The follow up
• How will you recognize and plan your objectives after a sales interaction? Do you want to get referrals? Do you want to keep the client coming back again and again?
• How are you going to build a bond? Did you get emails addresses? Can you open a relationship that is so worth having they can’t say no? What's follow up step one, step two, step three and so on?
By continuing the bonding process, your res wil find opportunities to network and win future sales.
That being said, it's the procedures, role-playing, constant training and working on the sales process—and not just in it—can help even regular salespeople perform like top producers. Remember—if you're not leading, you can't close.
Case Study: Training for the End Goal.
How WaterColor Inn became a four-diamond hotel
By Rebecca Aronauer
Sometimes it helps to have a goal. The goal of the WaterColor Inn, a hotel in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., was to achieve a four-diamond AAA rating. Stephen Hilliard, the Watersound, Fla.–based vice president of resort and club operations for St. Joe, the hotel's parent company, believed the hotel itself was worthy of the distinction, but its customer service was letting it down. "We have a fantastic resort," he says. "But our team wasn't delivering on the promise of the product."
So St. Joe took action and hired Signature Worldwide, a customer service training company based in Dublin, Ohio. Most of WaterColor Inn's employees did not have any hospitality experience, so Signature helped them with the basics, such as making eye contact, using the guest's name on a regular basis and asking follow-up questions. Everyone on staff went through the same customer-service training, and in December of last year WaterColor Inn was awarded a four-diamond rating from AAA.
Having the goal in mind enhanced Signature's program. Even for a training consultant, "improving customer service" is a vague request. Knowing the hotel wanted AAA recognition "gave Signature a very clear path in terms of the skill sets [the hotel staff] needed to understand," Hilliard says. The hotel also had more employee buy-in, since everyone on staff knew the objective of the training and could understand its importance. Hilliard says, "Having a specific goal, instead of 'We want to provide great service'—whatever that means—made a big difference."
By Rebecca Aronauer
Sometimes it helps to have a goal. The goal of the WaterColor Inn, a hotel in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., was to achieve a four-diamond AAA rating. Stephen Hilliard, the Watersound, Fla.–based vice president of resort and club operations for St. Joe, the hotel's parent company, believed the hotel itself was worthy of the distinction, but its customer service was letting it down. "We have a fantastic resort," he says. "But our team wasn't delivering on the promise of the product."
So St. Joe took action and hired Signature Worldwide, a customer service training company based in Dublin, Ohio. Most of WaterColor Inn's employees did not have any hospitality experience, so Signature helped them with the basics, such as making eye contact, using the guest's name on a regular basis and asking follow-up questions. Everyone on staff went through the same customer-service training, and in December of last year WaterColor Inn was awarded a four-diamond rating from AAA.
Having the goal in mind enhanced Signature's program. Even for a training consultant, "improving customer service" is a vague request. Knowing the hotel wanted AAA recognition "gave Signature a very clear path in terms of the skill sets [the hotel staff] needed to understand," Hilliard says. The hotel also had more employee buy-in, since everyone on staff knew the objective of the training and could understand its importance. Hilliard says, "Having a specific goal, instead of 'We want to provide great service'—whatever that means—made a big difference."
Outsourcing Sorted Out
It's cheap, efficient, and, unfortunately, steep- ed in controversy. But whatever your personal feelings about it, outsourcing is a reality you'll probably soon be dealing with in your training department—if you aren't already. To make sure you handle it right, we picked the brain of Debbie Friedman, author of "De-mystifying Outsourcing: The Trainer's Guide to Working With Vendors and Consultants."
When to do it? "When you want to expand the capability of your department, or what you're trying to do," says Friedman of when to outsource training functions. "Also, when you need additional expertise, or sometimes you're outsourcing just when you need additional resources to meet your objectives."
Sometimes you outsource training functions when you have a politically sensitive job, for example, that's better to have somebody from outside the organization handle.
When you don't outsource? If you're launching a new product, and need training to support the accompanying marketing campaign, hiring an outsider is risky," says Friedman. To give them a greater chance of succeeding, fully brief them on your organizational dynamics, and the industry-specific language or jargon used by your learners. To make sure such confusion isn't an issue, it's a good idea to select an outsource partner with experience training inside your field.
And, of course, your potential outsource partners have to be able to do specifically what you need them to. If it's a change initiative, Friedman says to ask yourself, "Do they really understand the dynamics of change, and will they be able to partner with us to be successful?"
Better Business with Videocasting
By Greg Pulier
In a world of information overload, sales and marketing managers are up against a deluge of competing information when attempting to communicate effectively with their teams. So how can you communicate better and faster? And how can you ensure the messages you send will be heard and absorbed? The answer is video podcasting—or videocasts—right from your desktop.
Desktop-created videocasts are rapidly emerging as a powerful way for managers to consistently keep in touch with both internal and external audiences. Whether distributing critical training information or creating sales presentations, video is an efficient and effective communications method that can be used without stretching budgets with costly travel.
Traditionally, webcasting has been viewed as an expensive and complex process that is best left to media departments and technical professionals. But today new software tools are available to help business professionals easily create video presentations—complete with PowerPoint slides and screen captures—right from their own desktops. These tools allow managers to cut through the clutter and deliver key messages to peers, prospects and partners in impressive, motivating and influential ways.
Any business user can have the power of a media studio right at their desktop with a simple software download. And using self-service videocasting software doesn't require training or support. With just a smile into the webcam and a few point and clicks, a dynamic and interactive video presentation can be created. Videocasts can be watched on either the web, by clicking through a link or at the viewer's convenience on an iPod or other mobile device.
The best part about many of these new desktop communication applications is that they let managers statistically track exactly how the videocast is viewed, if it generates leads and helps aid in effective follow-through. For example, a sales person can meet with a prospect in the morning and by the afternoon follow up with a personal podcast which took only a few minutes to create; or a manager can record a quick demo that explains the benefits of new product features and then efficiently push the podcast to the team. In both cases, the creator can observe how many people are watching, who those people are and how long they paid attention—an almost immediate return on investment.
Videocasts can also improve channel communication as many sales staffs are lean and count on channel partners to develop business. When the channel is informed and excited about a product or service, they can better retain important selling points and more effectively sell the product. In addition, videocasts allow individuals to share pitches, tips and best practices with each other, whether on a team of ten or a team of thousands, spreading the word and educating the field with the click of a button on a global scale in literally minutes. The understanding of a product can greatly improve with visual and audio to go along with PowerPoint slides and it helps to differentiate it from the competition.
Surely there is still need for live high-end webcasting, but the growing demand for tools that can help in everyday business life has been answered. Adding video to your arsenal of communications tools offers a variety of benefits that translate into real cost savings and revenue generation. All you have to do is simply give it a try and see for yourself.
In a world of information overload, sales and marketing managers are up against a deluge of competing information when attempting to communicate effectively with their teams. So how can you communicate better and faster? And how can you ensure the messages you send will be heard and absorbed? The answer is video podcasting—or videocasts—right from your desktop.
Desktop-created videocasts are rapidly emerging as a powerful way for managers to consistently keep in touch with both internal and external audiences. Whether distributing critical training information or creating sales presentations, video is an efficient and effective communications method that can be used without stretching budgets with costly travel.
Traditionally, webcasting has been viewed as an expensive and complex process that is best left to media departments and technical professionals. But today new software tools are available to help business professionals easily create video presentations—complete with PowerPoint slides and screen captures—right from their own desktops. These tools allow managers to cut through the clutter and deliver key messages to peers, prospects and partners in impressive, motivating and influential ways.
Any business user can have the power of a media studio right at their desktop with a simple software download. And using self-service videocasting software doesn't require training or support. With just a smile into the webcam and a few point and clicks, a dynamic and interactive video presentation can be created. Videocasts can be watched on either the web, by clicking through a link or at the viewer's convenience on an iPod or other mobile device.
The best part about many of these new desktop communication applications is that they let managers statistically track exactly how the videocast is viewed, if it generates leads and helps aid in effective follow-through. For example, a sales person can meet with a prospect in the morning and by the afternoon follow up with a personal podcast which took only a few minutes to create; or a manager can record a quick demo that explains the benefits of new product features and then efficiently push the podcast to the team. In both cases, the creator can observe how many people are watching, who those people are and how long they paid attention—an almost immediate return on investment.
Videocasts can also improve channel communication as many sales staffs are lean and count on channel partners to develop business. When the channel is informed and excited about a product or service, they can better retain important selling points and more effectively sell the product. In addition, videocasts allow individuals to share pitches, tips and best practices with each other, whether on a team of ten or a team of thousands, spreading the word and educating the field with the click of a button on a global scale in literally minutes. The understanding of a product can greatly improve with visual and audio to go along with PowerPoint slides and it helps to differentiate it from the competition.
Surely there is still need for live high-end webcasting, but the growing demand for tools that can help in everyday business life has been answered. Adding video to your arsenal of communications tools offers a variety of benefits that translate into real cost savings and revenue generation. All you have to do is simply give it a try and see for yourself.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Learning Automation for Better CRM
Learning Automation + Customer Relationship Management = Customer Satisfaction
By Dudley Molina, Founder and CEO, ePath Learning, Inc.
What helps create loyal, productive employees? Most people would say it is the corporate culture you craft. Ask yourself this question, are your employees fulfilled, challenged and rewarded? Many companies focus on customer satisfaction over employee satisfaction. But that is a little like putting the cart before the horse.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system providers like Salesforce.com and NetSuite, Inc. have blazed the way for software companies delivering applications in an online environment as a monthly subscription service. In the not to distant past, CRM tools were only affordable to Fortune 500 companies. With today's web-based CRM offerings, sales force automation and customer relationship management tools are now affordable to small and mid-sized organizations too. In an era where "the customer is king," it is understandable that CRM solutions garner so much attention in business. However, since there is a direct correlation between employee training and customer satisfaction scores, should you be paying the same attention to your learning management tools that exist to train and retain your employees?
Creating extraordinary customer service begins with employees who are well trained on your products and services, ideal service behaviors, sales techniques and how to fix customer problems while simultaneously "wowing" them with the intent of gaining loyalty. This amounts to a complete curriculum of product knowledge and best practices that you want delivered with consistency. But in companies with decentralized operations, that can be a challenge.
Two comanies—Arise (formerly Willow CSN) and Alpine Access—have made their distributed workforces the core of their business model. They were recently featured on several segments of the TV show "Good Morning America," where they were recognized for bringing jobs to people that are house-bound—such as stay-at-home parents and the handicapped.
Unlike traditional call center operations where employees work in a single building, by using Internet based technology, these "virtual" call center companies enable their workers to take phone orders and customer service calls for many popular catalog and mail order businesses. This works well around the holiday season since they can handle the additional overflow of calls retailers expect around these times. As Good Morning America's Workplace Contributor segment expert Tory Johnson pointed out, these call center companies are bringing work to thousands of individuals in a movement being dubbed "homeshoring; a desirable alternative to offshoring."
By implementing on-demand CRM with learning management services to enhance and measure employee performance, any organization can benefit from centralizing and consolidating training, company reference materials, and just-in-time information. Your employees are the key driver in customer satisfaction. Excellent customer relationship management cannot exist without a superior training program and a corporate knowledge base in your organization.
By Dudley Molina, Founder and CEO, ePath Learning, Inc.
What helps create loyal, productive employees? Most people would say it is the corporate culture you craft. Ask yourself this question, are your employees fulfilled, challenged and rewarded? Many companies focus on customer satisfaction over employee satisfaction. But that is a little like putting the cart before the horse.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system providers like Salesforce.com and NetSuite, Inc. have blazed the way for software companies delivering applications in an online environment as a monthly subscription service. In the not to distant past, CRM tools were only affordable to Fortune 500 companies. With today's web-based CRM offerings, sales force automation and customer relationship management tools are now affordable to small and mid-sized organizations too. In an era where "the customer is king," it is understandable that CRM solutions garner so much attention in business. However, since there is a direct correlation between employee training and customer satisfaction scores, should you be paying the same attention to your learning management tools that exist to train and retain your employees?
Creating extraordinary customer service begins with employees who are well trained on your products and services, ideal service behaviors, sales techniques and how to fix customer problems while simultaneously "wowing" them with the intent of gaining loyalty. This amounts to a complete curriculum of product knowledge and best practices that you want delivered with consistency. But in companies with decentralized operations, that can be a challenge.
Two comanies—Arise (formerly Willow CSN) and Alpine Access—have made their distributed workforces the core of their business model. They were recently featured on several segments of the TV show "Good Morning America," where they were recognized for bringing jobs to people that are house-bound—such as stay-at-home parents and the handicapped.
Unlike traditional call center operations where employees work in a single building, by using Internet based technology, these "virtual" call center companies enable their workers to take phone orders and customer service calls for many popular catalog and mail order businesses. This works well around the holiday season since they can handle the additional overflow of calls retailers expect around these times. As Good Morning America's Workplace Contributor segment expert Tory Johnson pointed out, these call center companies are bringing work to thousands of individuals in a movement being dubbed "homeshoring; a desirable alternative to offshoring."
By implementing on-demand CRM with learning management services to enhance and measure employee performance, any organization can benefit from centralizing and consolidating training, company reference materials, and just-in-time information. Your employees are the key driver in customer satisfaction. Excellent customer relationship management cannot exist without a superior training program and a corporate knowledge base in your organization.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Philip Kotler
Philip Kotler: "Philip Kotler
portrait photo of Philip Kotler
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Core Field: Marketing
The Academic
Philip Kotler is the S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. Kellogg was voted the 'Best Business School' for six years in Business Week's survey of U.S. business schools. It is also rated as the 'Best Business School for the Teaching of Marketing'. Professor Kotler has significantly contributed to Kellogg's success through his many years of research and teaching there.
He received his Master's Degree at the University of Chicago and his PhD Degree at MIT, both in economics. He did post-doctoral work in mathematics at Harvard University and in behavioral science at the University of Chicago.
He has received honorary doctoral degrees from the Stockholm University, University of Zurich, Athens University of Economics and Business, DePaul University, the Cracow School of Business and Economics, Groupe H.E.C. in Paris, the University of Economics and Business Administration in Vienna, Budapest University of Economic Science and Public Administration, and the Catholic University of Santo Domingo.
The Author
Professor Kotler is the author of:
* Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control, the most widely"
The Three Pillars of Work From Home Business Success
By Jeannet Snow
You may dream of making good money while working from the comfort of your own home, being your own boss and going to work in your PJ’s, if you want to. And for many, this is a reality that is both lucrative and satisfying.
However, the majority of network marketing, direct sales, affiliate sales and other home business efforts do NOT succeed. Why not? After 10 years running my own business from home, “failing forward” a few times, and creating successful residual income streams, I understand the basics of how to succeed in a home business.
The three pillars of work from home success are:
1) Developing the right work habits
2) Cultivating the right mindset
3) Choosing the right program
DEVELOPING THE RIGHT WORK HABITS
Most employees are used to being told what to do and so have not developed the right discipline to keep a home business going long enough to succeed. Here are the key elements:
Treat it like a business. Treat this like a hobby and you’ll make what a hobby makes – nothing! Treat it like a business and you can make what a business can make – lots! Take this seriously if you want serious results.
Schedule Your Work. Even if it is only 1 hour a day, set aside time to work your business, and stick to a schedule. The more focused energy you can give it the faster it will grow.
Create a productive work space. Create a quiet space where you can focus for that hour or whatever time you can give. Shut the door, turn off the phone, and eliminate all distractions so you can be productive.
Stay focused. Take a look at your short and long range goals every day and make sure what you are doing is moving towards those goals. It’s no good to stay busy if you are not moving in the right direction. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by the thousand other things you might be doing.
Set aside an ad budget. Even with a 95% automated system, which I highly recommend, you still have to drive traffic to your website. You can do this with eZines, banner ads, coop advertising and many other sources. Make sure you are getting a positive return and track your results. As long as you are at least breaking even or making some money on the front end, you will be reaping the residual rewards later.
CULTIVATING THE RIGHT MINDSET
Without the right mindset, you can have the best product and all the best resources and still fail. Most folks have a self imposed income cap that limits what they feel they can make that is tied to self worth. Do you have a millionaire mind that really knows you are capable and worthy of riches? Cultivating the right mindset is key.
Stay positive. Do not let the naysayers and bozos drag you down, and there WILL be those around, perhaps even in your own family. Develop the tough skin needed to stay on course and you may even need to change friends or even separate from certain family members. Regardless of what anyone may say, know that many DO succeed and if you follow the right practices and cultivate the right skills, thoughts and attitude, you will also succeed.
Read something inspiring every day. I recommend you start with “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles. And use motivational and personal growth support systems such as Success University. See below for the links to these resources with free access to both.
Focus on the WHY. The HOW will manifest if you keep a clear focus on your WHY. Why do you want money? What will you do with it? What good would it do you? Write down your dreams and do not be afraid to dream BIG. Create a vision board with pictures of your dream house or car or relationship or whatever it is that you deeply want. Look it over daily to remind yourself where you are going and why.
Life Balance. This is one not many talk about but is critical. Success is not just about money, though that is a significant part. Nurture your relationships and friendships and health or the rest will soon not matter. A fit, healthy body will serve you with the energy levels to propel you forward in life. A health and energy tip that has worked wonders for me: drink lots of water, starting with first thing in the morning and do some form of exercise upon waking each day even if just 10 minutes of jumping or walking. This kick starts the day, giving you greater energy for all that you do.
Take Action. Reading all this without taking action will not do much for you but if you follow these principles and take action, I guarantee you WILL succeed where others fail. Many folks online are in a constant state of overwhelm and in endless state of preparing to do something. I have spent too long in that mode myself. Yes, continue to learn as there is a lot to learn, but do not hesitate to take action as you go along. You know enough already. Now, as Nike says, JUST DO IT.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT PROGRAM
Many dive into programs with emotionally stirred dreams of riches based on a presentation from a friend or something they found online. Not many take the time to rationally evaluate an opportunity to make a really sound decision. The following may help.
The right product. First, you need a product that is in demand and that would sell even if it were NOT through a business opportunity. Too many companies are in fact selling the dream of prosperity, which is not a bad dream, but the vehicle and the product MUST stand alone. I was once involved in a travel agency program, for example, that turned out to be a money tree scheme that was shut down by the FDA. The product was not a real product and nobody was actually using it. Find something that offers real value and that would sell on it’s own.
Go digital. In my experience selling products, I have found it is much easier to sell and promote an information product or membership site. There is no inventory, no shipping, no hard product to have to store in your garage and manage manually. My early days with Amway were a logistical nightmare for this reason. Also, while many do well with health and nutritional products, most do not stay on these products, as they tend to be overpriced and when folks are not making money but spending $100’s per month, then tend to drop out.
Automated sales. Many online programs now offer each member their own website that credits all sales through that site to them. Even better, find a program that will help you build you own email list so you might market other programs to them down the road. A good autoresponder service such as Aweber is essential for automating this process. If someone does not buy right away, they will automatically get a series of messages may sell them later.
Support and Training. Find a program that will teach you how to run the business and succeed. The membership site should include all the resources you need including ad copy, banner graphics, etc. There should be 1 or 2 training calls per week you can plug into. And ideally, these should be hands on nuts and bolts training from your core group, not just the rah-rah calls that may motivate you for a while but do not really help.
Positioning. Find a relatively young company that is poised for rapid growth. There is a balance here of risk vs rewards. A brand new company will offer much greater returns if it succeeds. But many do not make it. On the other hand, a company that is more than 2 years old will not have the same ground floor opportunity for rapid growth. I recommend finding a young company that is well funded and established at least 6 months and on a clear growth trajectory.
After many false starts, I have finally found a powerful duo of programs that satisfy all the conditions above. And a riskier but potentially more lucrative ground floor opportunity. Find out more on my blog
To your success!
Labels: The Three Pillars of Work From Home Business Success
You may dream of making good money while working from the comfort of your own home, being your own boss and going to work in your PJ’s, if you want to. And for many, this is a reality that is both lucrative and satisfying.
However, the majority of network marketing, direct sales, affiliate sales and other home business efforts do NOT succeed. Why not? After 10 years running my own business from home, “failing forward” a few times, and creating successful residual income streams, I understand the basics of how to succeed in a home business.
The three pillars of work from home success are:
1) Developing the right work habits
2) Cultivating the right mindset
3) Choosing the right program
DEVELOPING THE RIGHT WORK HABITS
Most employees are used to being told what to do and so have not developed the right discipline to keep a home business going long enough to succeed. Here are the key elements:
Treat it like a business. Treat this like a hobby and you’ll make what a hobby makes – nothing! Treat it like a business and you can make what a business can make – lots! Take this seriously if you want serious results.
Schedule Your Work. Even if it is only 1 hour a day, set aside time to work your business, and stick to a schedule. The more focused energy you can give it the faster it will grow.
Create a productive work space. Create a quiet space where you can focus for that hour or whatever time you can give. Shut the door, turn off the phone, and eliminate all distractions so you can be productive.
Stay focused. Take a look at your short and long range goals every day and make sure what you are doing is moving towards those goals. It’s no good to stay busy if you are not moving in the right direction. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by the thousand other things you might be doing.
Set aside an ad budget. Even with a 95% automated system, which I highly recommend, you still have to drive traffic to your website. You can do this with eZines, banner ads, coop advertising and many other sources. Make sure you are getting a positive return and track your results. As long as you are at least breaking even or making some money on the front end, you will be reaping the residual rewards later.
CULTIVATING THE RIGHT MINDSET
Without the right mindset, you can have the best product and all the best resources and still fail. Most folks have a self imposed income cap that limits what they feel they can make that is tied to self worth. Do you have a millionaire mind that really knows you are capable and worthy of riches? Cultivating the right mindset is key.
Stay positive. Do not let the naysayers and bozos drag you down, and there WILL be those around, perhaps even in your own family. Develop the tough skin needed to stay on course and you may even need to change friends or even separate from certain family members. Regardless of what anyone may say, know that many DO succeed and if you follow the right practices and cultivate the right skills, thoughts and attitude, you will also succeed.
Read something inspiring every day. I recommend you start with “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles. And use motivational and personal growth support systems such as Success University. See below for the links to these resources with free access to both.
Focus on the WHY. The HOW will manifest if you keep a clear focus on your WHY. Why do you want money? What will you do with it? What good would it do you? Write down your dreams and do not be afraid to dream BIG. Create a vision board with pictures of your dream house or car or relationship or whatever it is that you deeply want. Look it over daily to remind yourself where you are going and why.
Life Balance. This is one not many talk about but is critical. Success is not just about money, though that is a significant part. Nurture your relationships and friendships and health or the rest will soon not matter. A fit, healthy body will serve you with the energy levels to propel you forward in life. A health and energy tip that has worked wonders for me: drink lots of water, starting with first thing in the morning and do some form of exercise upon waking each day even if just 10 minutes of jumping or walking. This kick starts the day, giving you greater energy for all that you do.
Take Action. Reading all this without taking action will not do much for you but if you follow these principles and take action, I guarantee you WILL succeed where others fail. Many folks online are in a constant state of overwhelm and in endless state of preparing to do something. I have spent too long in that mode myself. Yes, continue to learn as there is a lot to learn, but do not hesitate to take action as you go along. You know enough already. Now, as Nike says, JUST DO IT.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT PROGRAM
Many dive into programs with emotionally stirred dreams of riches based on a presentation from a friend or something they found online. Not many take the time to rationally evaluate an opportunity to make a really sound decision. The following may help.
The right product. First, you need a product that is in demand and that would sell even if it were NOT through a business opportunity. Too many companies are in fact selling the dream of prosperity, which is not a bad dream, but the vehicle and the product MUST stand alone. I was once involved in a travel agency program, for example, that turned out to be a money tree scheme that was shut down by the FDA. The product was not a real product and nobody was actually using it. Find something that offers real value and that would sell on it’s own.
Go digital. In my experience selling products, I have found it is much easier to sell and promote an information product or membership site. There is no inventory, no shipping, no hard product to have to store in your garage and manage manually. My early days with Amway were a logistical nightmare for this reason. Also, while many do well with health and nutritional products, most do not stay on these products, as they tend to be overpriced and when folks are not making money but spending $100’s per month, then tend to drop out.
Automated sales. Many online programs now offer each member their own website that credits all sales through that site to them. Even better, find a program that will help you build you own email list so you might market other programs to them down the road. A good autoresponder service such as Aweber is essential for automating this process. If someone does not buy right away, they will automatically get a series of messages may sell them later.
Support and Training. Find a program that will teach you how to run the business and succeed. The membership site should include all the resources you need including ad copy, banner graphics, etc. There should be 1 or 2 training calls per week you can plug into. And ideally, these should be hands on nuts and bolts training from your core group, not just the rah-rah calls that may motivate you for a while but do not really help.
Positioning. Find a relatively young company that is poised for rapid growth. There is a balance here of risk vs rewards. A brand new company will offer much greater returns if it succeeds. But many do not make it. On the other hand, a company that is more than 2 years old will not have the same ground floor opportunity for rapid growth. I recommend finding a young company that is well funded and established at least 6 months and on a clear growth trajectory.
After many false starts, I have finally found a powerful duo of programs that satisfy all the conditions above. And a riskier but potentially more lucrative ground floor opportunity. Find out more on my blog
To your success!
Labels: The Three Pillars of Work From Home Business Success
Female Entrepreneurs, Business & Babies…
By Jeannet Snow
The modern successful business woman faces a dilemma when a baby arrives on the scene especially if it is unexpected. Can they manage to juggle work and business with babies?
The great thing about modern technology is that most business tasks can now be done online and on the phone. This means that business women can keep working from the office and nearer the time of giving birth, from home, until the last few days before giving birth!
Business women on average tend to take less time off when a baby arrives on the scene compared to women in employment. It can be easier dealing with the requirements of a child and juggling work for women who are their own boss as they do not have to deal with the prejudices of their employer.
It is critical that some home help is arranged quickly otherwise both mum and child could be affected. Busy mums will not just have to take care of business as usual but also recover from the child birth experience.
For business women finding good childcare is essential if they are to continue working productively after their child is born. This does not necessarily mean that the baby has to left at a day care during the day.
It could simply mean having someone reliable coming to the family home for five or six critical hours every day. This then means that mum can focus on business completely during that time & / or just catch up with some rest.
Power naps can be very useful for mothers trying to cope with lack of sleep. Some people believe that for this to be successful you actually need to be able to fall asleep. This is not really the case as long as you get a rest for a little time during the day where you can let your mind wander without being disturbed in a calming environment.
Some women do feel guilty that they are not around to take care of all the needs of the baby. They shouldn't really as babies are more concerned about quality time than the actual numbers of hours spent. Bear in mind that most newborns sleep sixteen to twenty hours a day and do not even realise that mum is missing.
What about if they have decided to breast feed? Modern breast pumps are very good and milk can be saved for later if mum has to attend a business meeting or is unavailable. This means that it is still possible to completely breast feed whilst running a business.
In some ways the arrival of a baby can serve to motivate the mother even further to achieve more in business now that they are not just working for themselves…
Some people will argue that it is not possible to juggle a business and still rear a newborn child successfully. I tend to disagree. Nothing could serve to make an ambitious female entrepreneur unhappy and suffer from post natal depression more than an enforced period of absence from the very business that drives them.
Have you had a child and had to work or run a business before & during the first year after birth? How did you cope? What issues did you face? Share your experience here.
Labels: 5 Ways to Avoid the Biggest Bottleneck In Your Business, Babies, Female Entrepreneurs.
The modern successful business woman faces a dilemma when a baby arrives on the scene especially if it is unexpected. Can they manage to juggle work and business with babies?
The great thing about modern technology is that most business tasks can now be done online and on the phone. This means that business women can keep working from the office and nearer the time of giving birth, from home, until the last few days before giving birth!
Business women on average tend to take less time off when a baby arrives on the scene compared to women in employment. It can be easier dealing with the requirements of a child and juggling work for women who are their own boss as they do not have to deal with the prejudices of their employer.
It is critical that some home help is arranged quickly otherwise both mum and child could be affected. Busy mums will not just have to take care of business as usual but also recover from the child birth experience.
For business women finding good childcare is essential if they are to continue working productively after their child is born. This does not necessarily mean that the baby has to left at a day care during the day.
It could simply mean having someone reliable coming to the family home for five or six critical hours every day. This then means that mum can focus on business completely during that time & / or just catch up with some rest.
Power naps can be very useful for mothers trying to cope with lack of sleep. Some people believe that for this to be successful you actually need to be able to fall asleep. This is not really the case as long as you get a rest for a little time during the day where you can let your mind wander without being disturbed in a calming environment.
Some women do feel guilty that they are not around to take care of all the needs of the baby. They shouldn't really as babies are more concerned about quality time than the actual numbers of hours spent. Bear in mind that most newborns sleep sixteen to twenty hours a day and do not even realise that mum is missing.
What about if they have decided to breast feed? Modern breast pumps are very good and milk can be saved for later if mum has to attend a business meeting or is unavailable. This means that it is still possible to completely breast feed whilst running a business.
In some ways the arrival of a baby can serve to motivate the mother even further to achieve more in business now that they are not just working for themselves…
Some people will argue that it is not possible to juggle a business and still rear a newborn child successfully. I tend to disagree. Nothing could serve to make an ambitious female entrepreneur unhappy and suffer from post natal depression more than an enforced period of absence from the very business that drives them.
Have you had a child and had to work or run a business before & during the first year after birth? How did you cope? What issues did you face? Share your experience here.
Labels: 5 Ways to Avoid the Biggest Bottleneck In Your Business, Babies, Female Entrepreneurs.
5 Preparation Tips For A Successful Home Business
By Jeannet Snow
Many people mistakenly believe that all home businesses will hit the ground running. Just like any other company or store, a home business requires the same things from an owner: capital investment, time, effort, diligence, interest, and so forth. More importantly, if you’re not willing to make the necessary adjustments and changes, it’s very unlikely that your home business will succeed.
5 Preparation Tips for a Successful Home Business
Are you truly committed to attaining success for your home business? If so, be prepared to make the following changes.
The main appeal of home businesses to most people is its personalized touch. Most products of home businesses are either handcrafted or homemade. These products are the result of a labor of love rather than machines. It’s what drives their prices up, and if you’re not ready to do the same for your home business – you’re going to find it very hard to market your products anywhere.
In relation to that, home businesses must be unique. You need to dedicate a good amount of your time prior to opening up your home business in thinking of any way that would distinguish your home business from all others.
Flexibility is one of the key advantages of home businesses over its bigger rivals, and your home business has to show their ability to become flexible as well. There are various ways that a home business could be flexible where a large company wouldn’t be able to. Your home business could focus on one or multiple ways, depending on your preferences and capabilities.
It could be flexible with its payment method. Since a home business is almost always small in size, you have the opportunity to build a solid relationship with your suppliers, partners, and clients.
The strong foundation of trust between both of you allows for uncommon payment methods. Whereas any company would never dream of sending the goods first before receiving payment – you could afford to do that because you personally know your clients.
Customizing options are also a must for almost all home businesses. With bigger rivals, designs of their products are rarely customizable since they are already pre-made. Home businesses, however, can’t afford to have large stocks in inventory. Most of their products are sold on a by-order basis, but they compensate with the waiting period by allowing clients to customize certain features like the color and design of their product. This may seem like a small thing, but it truly means a lot to clients!
Home businesses more often than not find success in the Internet. It’s through the Internet that they’re able to get much needed exposure and have the chance to stand on equal ground with older and bigger rivals. It’s there that they’re able to expand in size and number.
If you want your home business to succeed, you must be willing to invest in learning how things work in the Internet. You must understand how search engine optimization (SEO) works and use it when creating your own website.
Last but not the least, always remember that home businesses start with you: at its first stages of operation, it’s important that you personally oversee your home business. Hiring help is okay, but delegating everything to them is not. The time for delegating will soon come – you don’t have to worry about that – but for now, it’s your own blood and sweat that’s going to make your home business progress.
Labels: 5 Preparation Tips For A Successful Home Business
Many people mistakenly believe that all home businesses will hit the ground running. Just like any other company or store, a home business requires the same things from an owner: capital investment, time, effort, diligence, interest, and so forth. More importantly, if you’re not willing to make the necessary adjustments and changes, it’s very unlikely that your home business will succeed.
5 Preparation Tips for a Successful Home Business
Are you truly committed to attaining success for your home business? If so, be prepared to make the following changes.
The main appeal of home businesses to most people is its personalized touch. Most products of home businesses are either handcrafted or homemade. These products are the result of a labor of love rather than machines. It’s what drives their prices up, and if you’re not ready to do the same for your home business – you’re going to find it very hard to market your products anywhere.
In relation to that, home businesses must be unique. You need to dedicate a good amount of your time prior to opening up your home business in thinking of any way that would distinguish your home business from all others.
Flexibility is one of the key advantages of home businesses over its bigger rivals, and your home business has to show their ability to become flexible as well. There are various ways that a home business could be flexible where a large company wouldn’t be able to. Your home business could focus on one or multiple ways, depending on your preferences and capabilities.
It could be flexible with its payment method. Since a home business is almost always small in size, you have the opportunity to build a solid relationship with your suppliers, partners, and clients.
The strong foundation of trust between both of you allows for uncommon payment methods. Whereas any company would never dream of sending the goods first before receiving payment – you could afford to do that because you personally know your clients.
Customizing options are also a must for almost all home businesses. With bigger rivals, designs of their products are rarely customizable since they are already pre-made. Home businesses, however, can’t afford to have large stocks in inventory. Most of their products are sold on a by-order basis, but they compensate with the waiting period by allowing clients to customize certain features like the color and design of their product. This may seem like a small thing, but it truly means a lot to clients!
Home businesses more often than not find success in the Internet. It’s through the Internet that they’re able to get much needed exposure and have the chance to stand on equal ground with older and bigger rivals. It’s there that they’re able to expand in size and number.
If you want your home business to succeed, you must be willing to invest in learning how things work in the Internet. You must understand how search engine optimization (SEO) works and use it when creating your own website.
Last but not the least, always remember that home businesses start with you: at its first stages of operation, it’s important that you personally oversee your home business. Hiring help is okay, but delegating everything to them is not. The time for delegating will soon come – you don’t have to worry about that – but for now, it’s your own blood and sweat that’s going to make your home business progress.
Labels: 5 Preparation Tips For A Successful Home Business
Outstanding Managers Know How To Delight Their Staff – Do You?
By Jeannet Snow
The success of an organisation does not solely depend on management but on the work of its staff as well. An employee that enjoys his or her position and feels rewarded by their efforts will ultimately be the most successful in their careers and the most beneficial to the company.
There is nothing like being around happy, satisfied staff that bring their optimism and productivity to the organisation. These are the employees who are the most attentive to the needs of the customer and strive to go that extra mile to be the most helpful.
A positive attitude is contagious and can change the attitude of every staff member around. However, just as a positive mindset is easily spread, so is a negative one. If a member of the team is unhappy, watch out! His or her negative attitude can become infectious - contaminating fellow co-workers and customers alike.
Pessimistic employees can breed an atmosphere of low morale which equals decreased productivity, employee turnover, and unproductive time spent gossiping and complaining among co-workers.
In order to combat negativity in the workplace, it is essential that employees experience ongoing motivation from management to perform their work to the best of their abilities. Regular contact with employees is necessary to show that you care about their contributions.
Another way to beat low morale is to develop an employee satisfaction survey. This is an easy, anonymous way for employees to voice their concerns and problems without being identified. Issues that are brought up from the survey can be addressed during an organisational meeting.
Extra ways that an employer can construct an environment that motivates employees include:
~Staff lunches
~Holiday celebrations
~Employee of the month
~Continuing education programs
An organisation that recognises that its employees are valuable and deserve to receive a certain amount of praise and recognition will benefit from increased productivity and employee satisfaction and retention, which in turn, will positively affect customer satisfaction. Otherwise, the expense of training each new employee so that they may excel in some OTHER organisation is foolish, time-consuming and expensive.
Management with the "easy-come-easy-go" mentality creates conflict, confusion and quite a bit of turnover in the workplace. Nothing positive can be gained by treating employees in such a manner. It's no wonder that some employees treat their positions as a 9-to-5 job.
Any organisation can make changes for the better and help create an environment that is conducive to employee happiness. After all, the success of your business depends upon it.
The organisation with the right approach will be the one to reap the rewards of success.
Labels:Outstanding Managers Know How To Delight Their Staff.
The success of an organisation does not solely depend on management but on the work of its staff as well. An employee that enjoys his or her position and feels rewarded by their efforts will ultimately be the most successful in their careers and the most beneficial to the company.
There is nothing like being around happy, satisfied staff that bring their optimism and productivity to the organisation. These are the employees who are the most attentive to the needs of the customer and strive to go that extra mile to be the most helpful.
A positive attitude is contagious and can change the attitude of every staff member around. However, just as a positive mindset is easily spread, so is a negative one. If a member of the team is unhappy, watch out! His or her negative attitude can become infectious - contaminating fellow co-workers and customers alike.
Pessimistic employees can breed an atmosphere of low morale which equals decreased productivity, employee turnover, and unproductive time spent gossiping and complaining among co-workers.
In order to combat negativity in the workplace, it is essential that employees experience ongoing motivation from management to perform their work to the best of their abilities. Regular contact with employees is necessary to show that you care about their contributions.
Another way to beat low morale is to develop an employee satisfaction survey. This is an easy, anonymous way for employees to voice their concerns and problems without being identified. Issues that are brought up from the survey can be addressed during an organisational meeting.
Extra ways that an employer can construct an environment that motivates employees include:
~Staff lunches
~Holiday celebrations
~Employee of the month
~Continuing education programs
An organisation that recognises that its employees are valuable and deserve to receive a certain amount of praise and recognition will benefit from increased productivity and employee satisfaction and retention, which in turn, will positively affect customer satisfaction. Otherwise, the expense of training each new employee so that they may excel in some OTHER organisation is foolish, time-consuming and expensive.
Management with the "easy-come-easy-go" mentality creates conflict, confusion and quite a bit of turnover in the workplace. Nothing positive can be gained by treating employees in such a manner. It's no wonder that some employees treat their positions as a 9-to-5 job.
Any organisation can make changes for the better and help create an environment that is conducive to employee happiness. After all, the success of your business depends upon it.
The organisation with the right approach will be the one to reap the rewards of success.
Labels:Outstanding Managers Know How To Delight Their Staff.
Woman business loans: offers easy cash flow
By Jeannet Snow
To enhance the spirit of business women in the business, today business loans are offered to the woman so that they don’t get interrupted due to lack of cash. Woman business loans help the women to meet ever rising expenses in the business with easy cash flow.
Woman business loans are designed keeping in mind the basic necessities that business woman comes across in her business. No doubt, capital requirement of the business varies from the type of business i.e. higher if you are starting a new business compared to the seasoned business.
Therefore, woman business loans can be used for varied purposes like buying new machinery, furniture, patent, raw material etc. for the new business. Whereas, in seasoned business, business loan can be used for business upgradation, business expansion, recruitment or day-to day expenses etc.
While availing woman business loan, a woman must know that they can avail either secured or unsecured business loan for smooth cash flow i.e. depending upon the borrower’s financial and credit history.
The secured business loans are taken against the some collateral so that it is placed against the security. Collateral can be borrower’s land, office premises, machinery etc. Therefore, in secured business loans, borrower enjoys the larger amount at cheaper rates and for longer time frame.
On the other hand, unsecured business loans do not require any collateral though interest rate charged is relatively high compared to secured loans. The best part of unsecured business loan is that they are approved within shorter time period as no time is utilized in the collateral evaluation.
Women with adverse credit i.e. poor or bad credit like CCJ’s, IVA, defaults, bankrupts or arrear holders can also access woman business loan. However, proper and diligent repayment can even improve their credit rating.
Woman business loans are easily accessed through banks, financial companies and online lenders. So while opting for the woman business loan don’t rush in making a fast decision as you must compare and contrast the interest rates, repayment option etc for a suitable deal.
So, if you have an innovative idea in your mind for your business doesn’t worry as for you, woman business loans are designed.
Labels: Woman business loans: offers easy cash flow.
To enhance the spirit of business women in the business, today business loans are offered to the woman so that they don’t get interrupted due to lack of cash. Woman business loans help the women to meet ever rising expenses in the business with easy cash flow.
Woman business loans are designed keeping in mind the basic necessities that business woman comes across in her business. No doubt, capital requirement of the business varies from the type of business i.e. higher if you are starting a new business compared to the seasoned business.
Therefore, woman business loans can be used for varied purposes like buying new machinery, furniture, patent, raw material etc. for the new business. Whereas, in seasoned business, business loan can be used for business upgradation, business expansion, recruitment or day-to day expenses etc.
While availing woman business loan, a woman must know that they can avail either secured or unsecured business loan for smooth cash flow i.e. depending upon the borrower’s financial and credit history.
The secured business loans are taken against the some collateral so that it is placed against the security. Collateral can be borrower’s land, office premises, machinery etc. Therefore, in secured business loans, borrower enjoys the larger amount at cheaper rates and for longer time frame.
On the other hand, unsecured business loans do not require any collateral though interest rate charged is relatively high compared to secured loans. The best part of unsecured business loan is that they are approved within shorter time period as no time is utilized in the collateral evaluation.
Women with adverse credit i.e. poor or bad credit like CCJ’s, IVA, defaults, bankrupts or arrear holders can also access woman business loan. However, proper and diligent repayment can even improve their credit rating.
Woman business loans are easily accessed through banks, financial companies and online lenders. So while opting for the woman business loan don’t rush in making a fast decision as you must compare and contrast the interest rates, repayment option etc for a suitable deal.
So, if you have an innovative idea in your mind for your business doesn’t worry as for you, woman business loans are designed.
Labels: Woman business loans: offers easy cash flow.
You, Too, Can Use Video in Your PowerPoint Presentation
A step-by-step guide
By Carl Fink
when you're speaking to an audience, you want them to be thinking about your message. They should be focused on you and what you're saying. You want them swept along, totally locked-in and following your flow.
It doesn't help if you have to stop in the middle of a presentation and say, "Now just a minute while I switch to a different system and play this short video."
The easiest way to avoid this is to combine all the components of your presentation into a single package. If the video is actually included in your PowerPoint presentation and stored on your laptop, that's one whole source of delay and fumbling
eliminated. You simply press the Enter (or other) key on your keyboard and the video plays.
Tools
Of course, you'll need a computer equipped with Microsoft PowerPoint to follow these instructions. The details of this article will involve PowerPoint 2003 running on Windows XP Professional. Only slight changes should be needed with other versions of PowerPoint or other operating systems.
In order to use video well with PowerPoint, you will need a video editing program. I use DeskShare's Video Edit Magic. If you use a different editor, you will have to adapt these instructions.
If the video you will be using comes on a DVD, you may need a program to "rip" the DVD video to a computer file. Video Edit Magic can read DVD video directly, so I won't be using a ripping program in my example.
How
Let's do it. Let's say that I'm going to speak about HyperPackaging at a trade show. HyperPackaging has a great corporate video, about two minutes long. I want to open with two slides, then show the video. The steps in doing that are very simple:
1. Prepare the video.
2. Embed the video into the presentation.
3. Set a "trigger" to tell PowerPoint when to play the video.
4. Package the presentation and video.
Preparing the Video
The preparation procedure will vary depending on how you get the video. If the corporate video is on videotape, I would have to "capture" the video to turn it into a file. Video Edit Magic has a built-in ability to capture video from digital cameras and players (see Figure 1), so that’s easy. If the video is on DVD, you could just copy the video files off of it and edit them. (Some other video editors will not work with DVD files.)
Once the video exists as a computer file, you will often need to edit it. During a presentation, you will generally not want to show long video segments, so you may need to chop out pieces of a longer video. For instance, if you have an instructional video on a company product, you might want to cut out a 45-second long portion to use in a presentation on the product. Long video segments can be a problem in presenting—keep the pace snappy so your audience stays focused.
You can also change other video properties, but for this example I'll assume that everything else stays the same.
Most video editors will save the final movie in several different formats. For incorporation into a PowerPoint presentation, I favor WMV (Windows Media Video). You can create high quality WMV files at very reasonable sizes, and because it’s a standard file type, almost any computer (including many non-Windows systems) should be able to play the video. That's especially important if you don't know in advance what computer you will be using.
Once you have created your video segment, it's a good idea to store it in the same directory (folder) that your presentation is stored in. Putting all the components of your presentation in one place makes it easier to find them.
Now we can include the new video segment in the presentation. Figure 2 shows Slide 3 of the presentation. To add a video segment, I just open the Insert menu and choose Movies and Sounds, then select From File. Select the movie you just created and it appears in the PowerPoint file. You are prompted to have it run either Automatically, or When Clicked. If you select Automatically, as soon as you navigate to Slide 3 in your show, the video will play. If you want to introduce the slide, choose When Clicked.
It's that easy. Most of the work in using video in presentations is in the preparation of the video. Actually adding and using the video is simple.
Additional Options
There are some fancy things you can do. For instance, you can control whether the movie loops, or have it rewind back to the beginning after playing. These Movie Options can be set by right clicking on the movie and choosing Edit Movie Object (Figure 3). One especially useful thing you can do here is mute the video’s sound. If you're going to be narrating the video yourself, you don’t want to have to talk over the built-in sound track, and muting it in advance means one less thing to remember just before your talk—muting the computer volume.
The Movie Options window is also where you can tell PowerPoint to play the movie in full screen. The full screen option is especially good if you’re going to show a longer piece of video, where the PowerPoint framing it would be distracting. For shorter pieces of video, I recommend leaving the video in a window, to maintain continuity with the rest of the presentation.
One subtle point: If you distribute handouts printed from your presentation, they will show the first frame of the movie on that slide. If that isn't the best illustration for your handouts, you may want to put a different image there, maybe from later in the video, while printing handouts. Video Edit Magic has the ability to convert individual frames into JPEG snaps, which can easily be included in a presentation.
Distribution
After you put a lot of effort into a really good presentation, you probably don't like to just use it once and put it in a folder forever. If it goes over well at one trade show, it'll probably be used at others. And maybe versions will be sent to everyone in sales to use with customers. You'd hate to have each of them have to individually hunt for the video files.
The first time I used this technique (years and several versions of PowerPoint ago), I confidently put my presentation on a disk, carried it to the remote location, started the slide show, and discovered that I didn't have the video. Insert Movie does not actually copy the video information into the PowerPoint file. What's stored in your presentation is a pointer to the location of the video file. That's great if everything is on your laptop, not so good if you’re in another city with only some of the materials for your presentation.
PowerPoint has a built-in answer. The Package for CD feature lets you combine the PowerPoint presentation itself, along with all associated sounds and movies, into a single package. Just click File, then Package for CD. (See Figure 4.) You can name the presentation, and save all the files, either directly to a CD, or to a folder. (If you like to carry presentations on your USB drive, the folder can be there.)
Now click the Options button. (See Figure 5.) You can choose to include the PowerPoint Viewer. That's a small program that lets you display your presentation on Windows computers that don't have PowerPoint installed—very useful if you'll be presenting on a borrowed system. If the presentation contains trade secrets or time-sensitive information, you can password-protect your presentation, but be aware that the encryption in PowerPoint is not especially strong. Password protecting these files is more of a way to prevent accidental viewing than industrial espionage.
For CDs, the default setting has the presentation (or presentations) play automatically. If you prefer, you can turn that off here. (Auto-play is very annoying if you're just going to be copying the files onto the computer’s hard disk. There can be a delay of up to a minute or so while the presentation loads and starts to play before you can close it and start copying.)
Once you're selected the options, click either Copy to CD or Copy to Folder, and the presentation package is created. If you Copy to CD you'll be prompted to put a CD in the CD drive.
Finally
Every experienced presenter knows this, but you should run through your presentation at least once with the final setup before doing it for an audience. If you're using sound from your computer, be sure the computer is plugged into the room's sound system as well as the
Projector—you really don't want to depend on the built-in speakers in a laptop to fill an auditorium.
And don't obsess about the technical details. One reason for using this technique is to let you relax more when you're actually speaking, and not have to worry about flipping switches and changing software. Have fun!
Using the techniques in this article, you can simplify your job by including all your presentation materials, including video, in a single package that can be carried on a single disc. The key step is editing the video in advance. By doing that, and combining everything into one presentation, you free yourself from the need to change connections and software and load DVDs or tapes while you’re in front of the audience, and to give your full attention to the most important part of your job: communicating with the audience.
carl@deskshare.com.
http://www.presentations.com/msg/content_display/pre
By Carl Fink
when you're speaking to an audience, you want them to be thinking about your message. They should be focused on you and what you're saying. You want them swept along, totally locked-in and following your flow.
It doesn't help if you have to stop in the middle of a presentation and say, "Now just a minute while I switch to a different system and play this short video."
The easiest way to avoid this is to combine all the components of your presentation into a single package. If the video is actually included in your PowerPoint presentation and stored on your laptop, that's one whole source of delay and fumbling
eliminated. You simply press the Enter (or other) key on your keyboard and the video plays.
Tools
Of course, you'll need a computer equipped with Microsoft PowerPoint to follow these instructions. The details of this article will involve PowerPoint 2003 running on Windows XP Professional. Only slight changes should be needed with other versions of PowerPoint or other operating systems.
In order to use video well with PowerPoint, you will need a video editing program. I use DeskShare's Video Edit Magic. If you use a different editor, you will have to adapt these instructions.
If the video you will be using comes on a DVD, you may need a program to "rip" the DVD video to a computer file. Video Edit Magic can read DVD video directly, so I won't be using a ripping program in my example.
How
Let's do it. Let's say that I'm going to speak about HyperPackaging at a trade show. HyperPackaging has a great corporate video, about two minutes long. I want to open with two slides, then show the video. The steps in doing that are very simple:
1. Prepare the video.
2. Embed the video into the presentation.
3. Set a "trigger" to tell PowerPoint when to play the video.
4. Package the presentation and video.
Preparing the Video
The preparation procedure will vary depending on how you get the video. If the corporate video is on videotape, I would have to "capture" the video to turn it into a file. Video Edit Magic has a built-in ability to capture video from digital cameras and players (see Figure 1), so that’s easy. If the video is on DVD, you could just copy the video files off of it and edit them. (Some other video editors will not work with DVD files.)
Once the video exists as a computer file, you will often need to edit it. During a presentation, you will generally not want to show long video segments, so you may need to chop out pieces of a longer video. For instance, if you have an instructional video on a company product, you might want to cut out a 45-second long portion to use in a presentation on the product. Long video segments can be a problem in presenting—keep the pace snappy so your audience stays focused.
You can also change other video properties, but for this example I'll assume that everything else stays the same.
Most video editors will save the final movie in several different formats. For incorporation into a PowerPoint presentation, I favor WMV (Windows Media Video). You can create high quality WMV files at very reasonable sizes, and because it’s a standard file type, almost any computer (including many non-Windows systems) should be able to play the video. That's especially important if you don't know in advance what computer you will be using.
Once you have created your video segment, it's a good idea to store it in the same directory (folder) that your presentation is stored in. Putting all the components of your presentation in one place makes it easier to find them.
Now we can include the new video segment in the presentation. Figure 2 shows Slide 3 of the presentation. To add a video segment, I just open the Insert menu and choose Movies and Sounds, then select From File. Select the movie you just created and it appears in the PowerPoint file. You are prompted to have it run either Automatically, or When Clicked. If you select Automatically, as soon as you navigate to Slide 3 in your show, the video will play. If you want to introduce the slide, choose When Clicked.
It's that easy. Most of the work in using video in presentations is in the preparation of the video. Actually adding and using the video is simple.
Additional Options
There are some fancy things you can do. For instance, you can control whether the movie loops, or have it rewind back to the beginning after playing. These Movie Options can be set by right clicking on the movie and choosing Edit Movie Object (Figure 3). One especially useful thing you can do here is mute the video’s sound. If you're going to be narrating the video yourself, you don’t want to have to talk over the built-in sound track, and muting it in advance means one less thing to remember just before your talk—muting the computer volume.
The Movie Options window is also where you can tell PowerPoint to play the movie in full screen. The full screen option is especially good if you’re going to show a longer piece of video, where the PowerPoint framing it would be distracting. For shorter pieces of video, I recommend leaving the video in a window, to maintain continuity with the rest of the presentation.
One subtle point: If you distribute handouts printed from your presentation, they will show the first frame of the movie on that slide. If that isn't the best illustration for your handouts, you may want to put a different image there, maybe from later in the video, while printing handouts. Video Edit Magic has the ability to convert individual frames into JPEG snaps, which can easily be included in a presentation.
Distribution
After you put a lot of effort into a really good presentation, you probably don't like to just use it once and put it in a folder forever. If it goes over well at one trade show, it'll probably be used at others. And maybe versions will be sent to everyone in sales to use with customers. You'd hate to have each of them have to individually hunt for the video files.
The first time I used this technique (years and several versions of PowerPoint ago), I confidently put my presentation on a disk, carried it to the remote location, started the slide show, and discovered that I didn't have the video. Insert Movie does not actually copy the video information into the PowerPoint file. What's stored in your presentation is a pointer to the location of the video file. That's great if everything is on your laptop, not so good if you’re in another city with only some of the materials for your presentation.
PowerPoint has a built-in answer. The Package for CD feature lets you combine the PowerPoint presentation itself, along with all associated sounds and movies, into a single package. Just click File, then Package for CD. (See Figure 4.) You can name the presentation, and save all the files, either directly to a CD, or to a folder. (If you like to carry presentations on your USB drive, the folder can be there.)
Now click the Options button. (See Figure 5.) You can choose to include the PowerPoint Viewer. That's a small program that lets you display your presentation on Windows computers that don't have PowerPoint installed—very useful if you'll be presenting on a borrowed system. If the presentation contains trade secrets or time-sensitive information, you can password-protect your presentation, but be aware that the encryption in PowerPoint is not especially strong. Password protecting these files is more of a way to prevent accidental viewing than industrial espionage.
For CDs, the default setting has the presentation (or presentations) play automatically. If you prefer, you can turn that off here. (Auto-play is very annoying if you're just going to be copying the files onto the computer’s hard disk. There can be a delay of up to a minute or so while the presentation loads and starts to play before you can close it and start copying.)
Once you're selected the options, click either Copy to CD or Copy to Folder, and the presentation package is created. If you Copy to CD you'll be prompted to put a CD in the CD drive.
Finally
Every experienced presenter knows this, but you should run through your presentation at least once with the final setup before doing it for an audience. If you're using sound from your computer, be sure the computer is plugged into the room's sound system as well as the
Projector—you really don't want to depend on the built-in speakers in a laptop to fill an auditorium.
And don't obsess about the technical details. One reason for using this technique is to let you relax more when you're actually speaking, and not have to worry about flipping switches and changing software. Have fun!
Using the techniques in this article, you can simplify your job by including all your presentation materials, including video, in a single package that can be carried on a single disc. The key step is editing the video in advance. By doing that, and combining everything into one presentation, you free yourself from the need to change connections and software and load DVDs or tapes while you’re in front of the audience, and to give your full attention to the most important part of your job: communicating with the audience.
carl@deskshare.com.
http://www.presentations.com/msg/content_display/pre
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Contingency planning and preventive maintenance are essential, but there will still be situations when.......
By Robert Morris
This is one of the volumes in the Harvard Business Essentials Series. Each offers authoritative answers to the most important questions concerning its specific subject. The material in this book is drawn from a variety of sources which include the Harvard Business School Press and the Harvard Business Review as well as Harvard ManageMentor®, an online service. I strongly recommend the official Harvard Business Essentials Web site (www.elearning.hbsp.org/businesstools) that offers free interactive versions of tools, checklists, and worksheets cited in this book and other books in the Essentials series. Each volume is indeed "a highly practical resource for readers with all levels of experience." And each is by intent and in execution solution-oriented. Although I think those who have only recently embarked on a business career will derive the greatest benefit, the material is well worth a periodic review by senior-level executives.
Credit Richard Luecke with pulling together a wealth of information and counsel from various sources. He is also the author of several other books in the Essentials series. In this instance, he was assisted by a subject advisor, Larry Barton, who is president of the American College. Together, they have carefully organized the material as follows. First, they explain why power is necessary in organizations "even though our society distrusts power and those who seek it." Next, they examine the sources of power. Then they explain why power is realized only through some form of expression. In Chapter 4, they examine influence in sharper focus, illustrating three specific tactics that any manager can use. Then in the next two chapters, Luecke and Reardon shift their attention to the concept of persuasion. They identify the four elements of persuasion and discuss how various audiences and people with diverse decision-making styles are receptive ("susceptible") to different forms of persuasion. Then in Chapter 6, they explain how to appeal both to the mind (with logic and/or evidence) and the to heart (by anchoring the given proposition in a human context). Hence the importance of compelling details, vivid images, similes, metaphors, analogies, and especially stories achieve resonance with an audience.
In Chapter 7, Luecke and Reardon provide some excellent suggestions to increase and enhance the impact of a formal presentation. "It suggests a presentation structure and a number of rhetorical devices perfected by the ancient Greeks. It also explains the various learning styles used by people and explains the importance of adapting each formal presentation to the needs, interests, and temperament of the given audience.
I also appreciate the three appendices provided. "In Leading When You're Not the Boss," Luecke and Reardon offer useful tips on how to be productive and effective in situations in which (usually lower-level managers) are expected to lead but have no formal power or authority to do so. Appendix B includes two forms by which to assess an audience and to assess one's own ability to persuade others. (Please check out Figures B-1 and B-2 on pages 135-139.) In the third appendix, Luecke and Reardon offer seven "Rules" to follow when preparing visuals for presentations that will have maximum impact.
Obviously, it is in an organization's best interests to formulate comprehensive contingency plans and then sustain preventive maintenance. However, there are developments and their consequences that, when they occur, create unforeseen crises to which organizations must respond. These are the situations in which organizations and their leaders define themselves, for better or worse. Hence the importance of information sources which can guide and inform not only contingency planning and preventive maintenance but also crisis response. Their value is even greater when a serious crisis occurs.
Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out other volumes in the Essentials series (notably Managing Change and Transition) and Harvard Business Review on Crisis Management as well as Steven Fink's Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable and Eric Dezenhall and John Weber's Damage Control: Why Everything You Know About Crisis Management Is Wrong. Also, Jeffrey Pfeffer's What Were They Thinking?, Dean Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement, Ram Charan's Know-How, Mike Green's Change Management Masterclass, and Enterprise Architecture As Strategy co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.
This is one of the volumes in the Harvard Business Essentials Series. Each offers authoritative answers to the most important questions concerning its specific subject. The material in this book is drawn from a variety of sources which include the Harvard Business School Press and the Harvard Business Review as well as Harvard ManageMentor®, an online service. I strongly recommend the official Harvard Business Essentials Web site (www.elearning.hbsp.org/businesstools) that offers free interactive versions of tools, checklists, and worksheets cited in this book and other books in the Essentials series. Each volume is indeed "a highly practical resource for readers with all levels of experience." And each is by intent and in execution solution-oriented. Although I think those who have only recently embarked on a business career will derive the greatest benefit, the material is well worth a periodic review by senior-level executives.
Credit Richard Luecke with pulling together a wealth of information and counsel from various sources. He is also the author of several other books in the Essentials series. In this instance, he was assisted by a subject advisor, Larry Barton, who is president of the American College. Together, they have carefully organized the material as follows. First, they explain why power is necessary in organizations "even though our society distrusts power and those who seek it." Next, they examine the sources of power. Then they explain why power is realized only through some form of expression. In Chapter 4, they examine influence in sharper focus, illustrating three specific tactics that any manager can use. Then in the next two chapters, Luecke and Reardon shift their attention to the concept of persuasion. They identify the four elements of persuasion and discuss how various audiences and people with diverse decision-making styles are receptive ("susceptible") to different forms of persuasion. Then in Chapter 6, they explain how to appeal both to the mind (with logic and/or evidence) and the to heart (by anchoring the given proposition in a human context). Hence the importance of compelling details, vivid images, similes, metaphors, analogies, and especially stories achieve resonance with an audience.
In Chapter 7, Luecke and Reardon provide some excellent suggestions to increase and enhance the impact of a formal presentation. "It suggests a presentation structure and a number of rhetorical devices perfected by the ancient Greeks. It also explains the various learning styles used by people and explains the importance of adapting each formal presentation to the needs, interests, and temperament of the given audience.
I also appreciate the three appendices provided. "In Leading When You're Not the Boss," Luecke and Reardon offer useful tips on how to be productive and effective in situations in which (usually lower-level managers) are expected to lead but have no formal power or authority to do so. Appendix B includes two forms by which to assess an audience and to assess one's own ability to persuade others. (Please check out Figures B-1 and B-2 on pages 135-139.) In the third appendix, Luecke and Reardon offer seven "Rules" to follow when preparing visuals for presentations that will have maximum impact.
Obviously, it is in an organization's best interests to formulate comprehensive contingency plans and then sustain preventive maintenance. However, there are developments and their consequences that, when they occur, create unforeseen crises to which organizations must respond. These are the situations in which organizations and their leaders define themselves, for better or worse. Hence the importance of information sources which can guide and inform not only contingency planning and preventive maintenance but also crisis response. Their value is even greater when a serious crisis occurs.
Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out other volumes in the Essentials series (notably Managing Change and Transition) and Harvard Business Review on Crisis Management as well as Steven Fink's Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable and Eric Dezenhall and John Weber's Damage Control: Why Everything You Know About Crisis Management Is Wrong. Also, Jeffrey Pfeffer's What Were They Thinking?, Dean Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement, Ram Charan's Know-How, Mike Green's Change Management Masterclass, and Enterprise Architecture As Strategy co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.
How to get leadership in proper alignment with organizational development
By Robert Morris
I first read Organizational Culture and Leadership more than a decade ago and recently re-read it after reading Organizational Development, edited by Joan V. Gallos and to which Edgar H. Schein provided the Foreword ("Observations on the State of Organization Development") and to which he contributed two articles, "Facilitate Process Interventions: Task Processes in Groups" and "So How Can You Assess Your Corporate Culture?" As Schein notes in the Foreword, the core of organization development (OD) has a number of elements that include "a concern with process, a focus on change, and an implicit as well as explicit concern for organizational effectiveness." I know of no one who has made more and more valuable contributions to the field of OD than has Schein. He is OD's pre-eminent knowledge leader.
He organizes the material in Organizational Culture and Leadership within three Parts:
Organizational Culture and Leadership Defined
Excerpt: "When one brings culture to the level of an organization and even down to groups within the organization, one can see clearly how culture is created, embedded, evolved, and ultimately manipulated, and, at the same time, how culture constrains, stabilizes, and provides structure and meaning to the group members. These dynamic processes of culture creation and management are the essence of leadership and make one realize that leadership and culture are two sides of the same coin...Leadership [must possess the ability and willingness] to step outside the culture that created the leader and start evolutionary change processes that are more adaptive. This ability to perceive the limitations of one's own culture and to evolve the culture adaptively is the essence and ultimate challenge of leadership." (Page 2)
Comment: I am again reminded of James O'Toole's apt characterization of a common barrier to change, "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." This is precisely what Jack Welch encountered after he Reginald Jones selected him to be the next CEO of GE. Jones urged him to "blow up" the organization. Schein's point is that although a culture may define leadership, there are situations in which a CEO must re-define the terms and conditions of the leadership needed if the culture itself is to be transformed, as was GE's and as was IBM's after Lou Gerstner became its CEO.
The Dimensions of Culture
Excerpt: "If culture consists of shared basic assumptions, we still need to specify: assumptions about what? The concept of organizational or occupational cultures reflects the ultimate problems that every group faces: dealing with its external environment...Culture is pervasive and ultimately embraces everything that a group is concerned about and must deal with. Beyond these external and internal problems, cultural assumptions reflect deeper issues about the nature of truth, time, space, human nature, and human relationships." (Page 85)
Comment: Here again, Schein stresses the importance of determining with meticulous care what a given culture's shared assumptions are, and then subjecting each to rigorous scrutiny. One of several reasons why so many organizations struggle (with mixed results) to deal with their external environment is the fact that their perspective is limited, if not myopic. Whatever organizational development these organizations achieve is by nature internal only and therefore self-limiting. Henry Chesbrough has much of value to say about open business business models, those that "create value by leveraging many more ideas, due to their inclusion of a variety of external concepts. Open models can also enable greater value capture, by using a key asset, resource, or position not only in the company's own business model but also in other companies businesses."
The Leadership Role in Culture Building, Embedding, and Evolving
Excerpt: "To fully understand the relationship of leadership to culture, we also have to take a developmental view of organizational growth. [Schein covers] the role of leadership in beginning the formation of an organizational culture in Chapter Twelve...[He then describes in Chapter Fifteen] ten different mechanisms or processes that cause cultures to change, and [points out] the role that leaders can and should play in using these processes to skew cultural evolution to their purposes. All of these are natural processes that should be distinguished from what [he calls] managed change, the process by which leaders set out to solve specific organizational problems that may or may not involve cultural elements." (Pages 223-224)
Comment: In the aforementioned Foreword to Organizational Development, Schein suggests that process "is as important as content, and sometimes more important." When identifying and then discussing ten culture change mechanisms in Chapter Fifteen, the focus is indeed on process and Schein notes that the role of the leader in "managing" culture differs at different stages of organizational evolution. For example, during an organization's Founding and Early Growth stage, the main cultural thrust comes from the founders and their assumptions. Hence the appropriateness of incremental change through general and specific evolution, insight, and promotion of "hybrids" within the given culture. Midlife and Maturity/Decline require different culture change mechanisms. Obviously, each stage also has different leadership requirements.
I provide these brief excerpts as well as comments of my own to assist those who read this review to gain at least a sense of the nature and extent of Schein's coverage of an admittedly complicated, indeed formidable challenge: how to get leadership in proper alignment with organizational development to achieve and then sustain an appropriate environment by taking into full account elements that include "a concern with process, a focus on change, and an implicit as well as explicit concern for organizational effectiveness."
What Edgar H. Schein offers is a brilliant achievement.
I first read Organizational Culture and Leadership more than a decade ago and recently re-read it after reading Organizational Development, edited by Joan V. Gallos and to which Edgar H. Schein provided the Foreword ("Observations on the State of Organization Development") and to which he contributed two articles, "Facilitate Process Interventions: Task Processes in Groups" and "So How Can You Assess Your Corporate Culture?" As Schein notes in the Foreword, the core of organization development (OD) has a number of elements that include "a concern with process, a focus on change, and an implicit as well as explicit concern for organizational effectiveness." I know of no one who has made more and more valuable contributions to the field of OD than has Schein. He is OD's pre-eminent knowledge leader.
He organizes the material in Organizational Culture and Leadership within three Parts:
Organizational Culture and Leadership Defined
Excerpt: "When one brings culture to the level of an organization and even down to groups within the organization, one can see clearly how culture is created, embedded, evolved, and ultimately manipulated, and, at the same time, how culture constrains, stabilizes, and provides structure and meaning to the group members. These dynamic processes of culture creation and management are the essence of leadership and make one realize that leadership and culture are two sides of the same coin...Leadership [must possess the ability and willingness] to step outside the culture that created the leader and start evolutionary change processes that are more adaptive. This ability to perceive the limitations of one's own culture and to evolve the culture adaptively is the essence and ultimate challenge of leadership." (Page 2)
Comment: I am again reminded of James O'Toole's apt characterization of a common barrier to change, "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." This is precisely what Jack Welch encountered after he Reginald Jones selected him to be the next CEO of GE. Jones urged him to "blow up" the organization. Schein's point is that although a culture may define leadership, there are situations in which a CEO must re-define the terms and conditions of the leadership needed if the culture itself is to be transformed, as was GE's and as was IBM's after Lou Gerstner became its CEO.
The Dimensions of Culture
Excerpt: "If culture consists of shared basic assumptions, we still need to specify: assumptions about what? The concept of organizational or occupational cultures reflects the ultimate problems that every group faces: dealing with its external environment...Culture is pervasive and ultimately embraces everything that a group is concerned about and must deal with. Beyond these external and internal problems, cultural assumptions reflect deeper issues about the nature of truth, time, space, human nature, and human relationships." (Page 85)
Comment: Here again, Schein stresses the importance of determining with meticulous care what a given culture's shared assumptions are, and then subjecting each to rigorous scrutiny. One of several reasons why so many organizations struggle (with mixed results) to deal with their external environment is the fact that their perspective is limited, if not myopic. Whatever organizational development these organizations achieve is by nature internal only and therefore self-limiting. Henry Chesbrough has much of value to say about open business business models, those that "create value by leveraging many more ideas, due to their inclusion of a variety of external concepts. Open models can also enable greater value capture, by using a key asset, resource, or position not only in the company's own business model but also in other companies businesses."
The Leadership Role in Culture Building, Embedding, and Evolving
Excerpt: "To fully understand the relationship of leadership to culture, we also have to take a developmental view of organizational growth. [Schein covers] the role of leadership in beginning the formation of an organizational culture in Chapter Twelve...[He then describes in Chapter Fifteen] ten different mechanisms or processes that cause cultures to change, and [points out] the role that leaders can and should play in using these processes to skew cultural evolution to their purposes. All of these are natural processes that should be distinguished from what [he calls] managed change, the process by which leaders set out to solve specific organizational problems that may or may not involve cultural elements." (Pages 223-224)
Comment: In the aforementioned Foreword to Organizational Development, Schein suggests that process "is as important as content, and sometimes more important." When identifying and then discussing ten culture change mechanisms in Chapter Fifteen, the focus is indeed on process and Schein notes that the role of the leader in "managing" culture differs at different stages of organizational evolution. For example, during an organization's Founding and Early Growth stage, the main cultural thrust comes from the founders and their assumptions. Hence the appropriateness of incremental change through general and specific evolution, insight, and promotion of "hybrids" within the given culture. Midlife and Maturity/Decline require different culture change mechanisms. Obviously, each stage also has different leadership requirements.
I provide these brief excerpts as well as comments of my own to assist those who read this review to gain at least a sense of the nature and extent of Schein's coverage of an admittedly complicated, indeed formidable challenge: how to get leadership in proper alignment with organizational development to achieve and then sustain an appropriate environment by taking into full account elements that include "a concern with process, a focus on change, and an implicit as well as explicit concern for organizational effectiveness."
What Edgar H. Schein offers is a brilliant achievement.
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