The EMBA Marketeer Newsletter Issue 34, July 2002

Blooming and Booming

This is the time of the year that nature is in full bloom and your business (and golf) should be booming. While our green thumb is not our strength, nor is our golf game, helping your business to boom is what we do best. Give us the opportunity and you will not be disappointed.

Our "High Impact Marketing on a Shoestring Budget" and "Business Success Stories Direct From the Zoo" presentations/workshops are scheduled to be held in Aurora and Northbrook in the next month. If your organization might benefit from either of these programs, please contact us for further information.

We have a new presentation entitled "Getting More Out of Your Biggest Resource: Your Customers". Please contact us if you would like more information on this program.

Enjoy the Summer!

Almost all companies have brainstorming meetings, but few get as much out of these sessions as they could. Here are a few ground rules for better brainstorming:

1. No idea is a dumb idea.

2. All participants must be viewed as equally talented, regardless of rank or department, even if they have nothing in common.

3. A skilled facilitator is necessary. This person should exhibit strong interpersonal skills and an ability to keep the group focused and positive.

4. Leave your assumptions and negativism at the door. Once you are inside, maintain an unbiased view.

5. All dialogue must be to exchange ideas without trying to change another person's opinion.

6. No criticism or judgment is allowed until the idea-generating process is complete. In other words, participants should not say, "But…" or, "That won't work because…", only "Yes, and…" to build on what has already been said.

7. Be honest and say what you think.

8. Don't embrace any idea on the spot. Instead, acknowledge each until all ideas have been voiced.

9. All ideas, regardless of merit, should be recorded for reference.

10. Don't be afraid of ideas that seem crazy or weird. Sometimes they work.

Did You Know?

PENCILS - Although graphite pencils have been in use since the mid 1500s, it wasn't until 1770 that someone came up with a way to erase. That year, English chemist Joseph Priestly found that a cube of latex, or rubber, could remove pencil marks. It wasn't until 1858 that Hyman Lipman of Philadelphia patented the pencil with an eraser tip. Most wooden pencils sold in the US have erasers - but most European pencils do not.

PAPER CLIPS - Johann Waaler, a Norwegian inventor, patented the first paper clip in Germany in 1900. These days, the number of paper clips manufactured is so large it can't be determined

POST-IT NOTES - The Post-It was an accident. A research chemist at 3M Corporation, Spencer Silver, was trying to produce the strongest glue on the market. Instead, in 1970 he came up with a glue that didn't stick to anything for long. He tried to find a use for it for 10 years, but no one was interested. A colleague of Silver's, Arthur Fry, realized that the slips he used to mark his place in books had a habit of falling out. He remembered Silver's "useless" Glue and the Post-It was born in 1981.

Prepare that Key Presentation by Starting at the End

A critical presentation is coming up. It has career-building possibilities. It could be addressed to a corporate management group to obtain a major client. It could be within your company to a review or budget committee. It could be to a government body to gain approval or facilitate a change in a law. In any case, you want to prepare in such a way that your content is logical, convincing and interesting to your audience.

A common way of preparing a presentation is to state your points in sequence and then conclude by summarizing what you have said, almost as an after-thought. The conclusion is like a lawyer's summation in court. It can be your most powerful argument. Why not start designing your presentation with this crucial stage?

To begin, imagine yourself at the end of your talk. Say, "In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, …." Stay in that mode. Don't worry yet about proving or substantiating your points. Then follow this two-step approach:

First, write a one-sentence thesis which summarizes your major point and its benefit to your audience. Answer the following questions:

What am I talking about?

What do I want them to do?

What overall benefit will they receive from this information?
(Why should they listen-and act?)

Here are some examples:

"A-l computer systems significantly improves inventory accuracy."

"Rezoning tract B greatly increases county revenues."

"A 10% budget increase will create direct productivity improvements."

The thesis expresses the major benefit of your proposal to the audience, not to you! It contains a noun, a verb and an object, without adjectives or adverbs inserted for emphasis. Spend time on this initial step. The thesis becomes the essence of your presentation for construction and delivery.

Second, list the specific benefits which your audience will receive from accepting your thesis, and acting upon it if that is what you recommend. These will become the major points you will be proving in your presentation. In the case of the first example above, the overall benefit of your computer system is "inventory accuracy". The specific benefits might be "instant recording of sales", "automatic reorder generation", and "built-in planning for peaks and valleys".

When these two steps have been completed, you not only have structured your conclusion, you have essentially outlined your entire presentation. Write out this conclusion on a visual. Put it in a prominent place and work toward it, explaining what you are proposing and proving each of the benefits. With practice in writing theses and listing benefits, you'll find that your design time for presentations will be significantly reduced and the clarity and persuasiveness of your talks will be significantly increased.

Using this method of preparation, the delivery of your presentation involves the simple statement of your thesis up front, followed by explanation and proofs of your benefits, followed by your conclusion, in which you restate your thesis. It's the old, tried and true method by which you 1) Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em, 2) Tell 'em and 3) Tell 'em what you've told 'em.

The final word: The proof of the value of this method comes when you're pressed for time, when the agenda of the meeting gets squeezed and you have only five minutes instead of the 20 you had planned for your presentation. Cutting your talk to fit a shorter time frame should be a snap. Your conclusion, with all of your key points, is intact. Even if it becomes the only survivor, you know that your message will be received.

Carter Johnson, Buying Time
630-910-1927

Use customer-focused language
Try to make every word spell out something customers need. Example: On a heating oil site, what would you call a category of home energy tips? JamesDevaney.com calls it "Consumer Information," but that doesn't spell things out.

Instead, think of how customers would view information such as "Tips on Saving Energy". Ask customers what words they look for and use those.

Avoid redundant content
Try not to repeat identical items, such as categories or links, on the home page in order to emphasize their importance. Repeating identical items actually reduces their importance. Redundant items also clutter the page. Everything loses impact when so many things compete for attention.

Avoid clever marketing lingo
Avoid clever phrases that make people work to figure out what the information offers. Example: "Dream, Plan, & Go" on Travelocity.com would have been better off with a straightforward phrase such as "Vacation Planning".

Use consistent style standards
Try to keep a consistent style. Otherwise, readers might assume, for example, that a category in caps is more important than one that isn't.

Adapted from:
"Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed,"
by: Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir

We are always looking for ways to get our name in front of our customers and prospects. This does not have to be an overly expensive task. Here are a few techniques that might be worth trying.

1. Sell ancillary products: Determine what products your customers use (other than those you make) and arrange to become a reseller of them. This increases your value to your customers.

2. Barter with businesses that might not otherwise buy your products or services: This can be an effective way to get in the door. Barter has become a big business - both direct and through barter associations (e.g. Illinois Trade Association has more than 4,000 member companies).

3. Publish a fact-filled "how-to" booklet: The booklet should offer basic information about your industry and/or field. It should be offered as a "freebie". If done right, it tends to have a long life with the recipient and keeps your name in front of them as an expert.

4. Develop your presentation skills: Prepare a short (20-30 minute) speech about your industry or field for delivery to various groups and organizations. Groups to be targeted include: local special interest organizations, civic groups, trade associations, service clubs, etc. Even though most of this will be pro bono, the exposure will prove invaluable.

5. Get to know the sales reps who call on your prospects: Many of the sales reps who call on you also call on your prospects. Find out who some of the more significant ones are and prepare a clever flyer or brochure for them to leave behind when they make sales calls. Help them look good and you will benefit from the exposure.

6. Prod the referral process: Send a letter to each of your customers along with two copies of your brochure. Let them know how much you appreciate their business and would appreciate their passing the second flyer along to a friend.

7. Consider an offbeat promotion: Become promotional partners with an existing business that services your target customers. Offer to pay for part or, if necessary, all of the prizes of a special promotion. For example, offer a $100 gift certificate at the local industrial distributor to the 100th customer in (month).

8. Remind existing customers of the full breadth of your capabilities: It has been shown repeatedly that the easiest source for increased business is with your present customers. Let everyone know of your full range of products/services.

9. Reposition your products/services as value-based and raise prices: Don't be afraid to not be the cheapest. As a quality supplier, you are projecting the image of being the best...and having the best doesn't mean "cheap". "Price is not the final cost."

10. Sell your time-saving benefits: Time is a big issue today. People want to be taken care of without hassles. In your presentation make this message clearly understood.

11. Offer explicit guarantees: If timely shipping is a concern with the prospect, promise on-time delivery or you will give them 20% off. This puts your money where your mouth is and will get the prospect's attention.

12. Sell packages: Instead of selling one or two, create a package of several at a special discount.