According to the March 23, 2009, CustomerThink Advisor eNewsletter, businesses are becoming more interested in adding social media to a menu of tools. Meanwhile, businesses, innovators, researchers and consultants are developing and testing ways to measure and eventually monetize social media.
One of the ways I see and hope this melding happens is within Inbound Marketing, which can be defined as any place within a business where customers talk to an employee about a product, service, want, need, concern or to offer a suggestion, and the ways we currently do Outbound Marketing. Furthermore, I believe the most likely places for these new ways of doing business to happen are the call center, the customer service department, sales (including stores) and marketing.
Within today’s business structure, those are the areas that experience most of the customer touches. By aligning those functional areas and sharing the incoming data delivered in the customer’s own voice, businesses can then understand how social media adds strategically and tactically to primary tools that heretofore were employed–the telephone, e-mail, advertising, web site forums and so on. And because the last thing a business needs is to add to its already complex and bloated bureaucracy, neither a new department or functional area headed by another executive is necessary, adding to efficiencies and cost effectiveness, as the CMO or the EVP of Sales and Marketing seems the obvious choice to lead this effort.
In Building the Social Customer Service Experience, Bob Thompson, CustomerThink Guru writes, “Over the next couple of years, more and more companies will take the plunge into delivering a more ’social’ customer service experience, to better engage with customers while also improving efficiency.”
That being said, Thompson warns that according to a Forrester study of 5,000 consumers, “45 percent of consumers still prefer to speak with a customer service agent on the phone” while 36 percent prefer going to a physical store.” That means that 81 percent of consumers would prefer traditional ways to interact, not via e-mail, web, chat or social media tools such as a blog. (To read an excerpt or to purchase the Forrester Study, click on the following title: The Gap In The Customer Service Experience,)
That tells me that the time to begin the departmental alignment process and to upgrade IT so that the software necessary to run an effective Inbound Marketing program is compatible with the infrastructure is today. Furthermore, the time is now to launch social media tools across the functional area channels mentioned above because it will take a year or two to get customers comfortable with e and social media technology, not to mention the work and time required to grow the audiences, to encourage their participation and to gather enough data to that we can improve the customer experience and we can turn the customer touchpoints into revenue centers, where both traditional metrics and the new metrics and tools being developed by technology start-ups serving social media efforts are in Beta.
The Bottom Line: Marketers, social media consultants, and technocrats need to add to their discussions about social media as a conversation tool and begin sharing the value around alignment of customer contact points to better serve customers with strategies and tactics that are both inbound (customer-activated contacts) and outbound (business-generated content). Within this context, social media has value for both businesses (creating better customer experiences and new revenue centers that are measurable) and the customers (adding another place where they can share their thoughts about a product, service, want, need, concern or to offer a suggestion and be offered a product or service that want or need).
By gathering and storing what customers say, businesses can group customers according to their wants and needs in ever smaller and smaller segments, and then respond by offering only those products and services that those groups want or need by using both Inbound and Outbound Marketing response mechanisms, employed by anyone, at any moment, when talking with any customer or group of customers. When each business implements its specific strategy and works out the details necessary for this alignment of functional areas and tactics (tools) to succeed, social media content will look very different from what we see today and both consumers and businesses will be better for it. When this happens, in whatever shape or form it eventually takes, Businesses Will Take Social Media to the Bank.

Valeria Maltoni, a smart marketer who gets it, recently penned a post called How Big Brands can Start Testing Social Media. The sentences that carry the most cache for me are these: “You probably read it in many of my posts – we’re tired of being sold to, but we do like to buy. It’s the push/pull tension. Social media, when executed well, is perfect for what marketers term inbound.”
I commented:
“I have been screaming to the hills with very few echoes returned: In today’s world, we marketers should be placing most of our efforts and our budgets on Inbound Marketing. But first we need to fix corporate cultures.
“According to just-released CMO Council data, “83 percent of marketers say they face change-resistant corporate cultures, conflicts and competition between internal constituencies, and a resistance to operational accountability, visibility and measurement.” And that is a problem.
“Until alignment of customer touchpoints and accountability plus measurement become top priorities, no strategies or tools will be effective or efficient. Keep up the great thinking Valeria.”
And that’s the bottom line. It doesn’t really matter how we approach marketing. Until we align the data, analyze it and use it to predict consumer behavior, Inbound Marketing can only deliver mediocre results. Apparently, those of us criticizing CMOs for not getting it owe 83 percent of them an apology. They do get it. Silos exists primarily because of the “change-resistant corporate cultures, conflicts and competition between internal constituencies, and a resistance to operational accountability, visibility and measurement.” Those were the reason 30 years ago when I first entered the corporate world, 11 years back when I left it, and today as I attempt to serve it as a consultant.
CMOs and their current marketing operational models face “significant challenges from entrenched corporate cultures, inter-departmental politics, and a lack of adequate data and information systems,”
The research, entitled Calibrate How You Operate, tells us that marketers face “a lack of corporate mandate for alignment and integration.” Forty-one percent of the 400-plus marketers audited “point to siloed data and limited cross-functional feedback loops as major internal challenges subverting the marketing operational process.” The CMO Council believes that “The study underscores the critical need for marketing to drive operational effectiveness and optimally structure, resource, and run today’s digitally driven, customer-centric, and globally distributed marketing organizations.”
Can cultures be changed? Not easily and not quickly. And the change can’t happen at all without the leadership of the President, CEO, COO, CFO and the Executive Leadership Committee. That’s too bad, because external marketing at it currently is practiced is going the way of the dinosaur; it is becoming extinct, although it is fighting to hang on. Inbound Marketing will eventually save the day because it is cost-effective and customer-driven. And when that day comes, social media will have a seat at the table alongside the CMO. Meanwhile, all this talk about social media’s value isn’t worth much when it is placed within a contextual vacuum. Instead, social media must be discussed within the context of Inbound Marketing, which as Valeria correctly says is about the simple fact that “we’re tired of being sold to, but we do like to buy.”

Businesses won’t hire us unless we appear credible and trustworthy. The questions come down to: 1) How do we project trust and credibility and 2) Why Do Businesses Choose One Consultant Over Another? The same questions apply to getting hired and being trusted as an employee.
Since 1983 I have either run a consulting business or served as a manager or executive within mid-sized or large business. Therefore, I have had to either prove the value of my consultancy or my own worth in the business world. Based on those experiences and having hired more than a few consultancies and employees and having had more than my fair share of both business successes and failures in terms of revenues and client relationships, here are the primary characteristics I think businesses look for in hiring consultants or employees.

1. Values–What are your personal values and your business values and how do you apply them in your work?
2. Personality–Are you someone who is easy to work with and a team player?
3. Point of Reference–Do you understand what the business needs, where it is going, what solutions will work, and that your primary role is to produce results?
4. Strategist or Tactician–Are you able to think and execute on strategies or are you a tactical thinker? Strategists make good consultants and leaders; tacticians make good employees and workers.
5. Experience–What experiences do you bring to the business? Are they in line with what the business needs?
6. Client List–Do you have a list of clients that make the potential client comfortable that you can meet its needs?
7. References and Testimonials–What do they look like? Are they from executives, managers, and/or co-workers? Do they reference results and successes?
8. Presentation–How do you present yourself? Are your shoes shined and your attire suitable to the business culture? Are you confident and look people in the eye? Do you think quickly and answer strategically? Are you goal and results oriented? Do you ask questions about the business’s needs or only about yours?

There’s much more and please share your thoughts, as well. The point I want to make here is that at the end of the day a business hires a consultant or an employee because it trusts you will deliver the results it needs.

To draw a picture to frame our marketing and/or communications strategies, verbal or written, we begin by asking and answering a series of questions around who, what, when, where and how.

• Who are we and what do we do best?
• Who wants and needs what we offer?
• What does our market look like?
• What does our ideal customer or client look like?
• When do they want and need what we offer?
• When is the best time to communicate with them?
• Where do they work and live?
• When do they want to receive communications from us?
• How will we reach our ideal customers and clients?
• How to they want to be reached?

Once we have the answers to create the story, we can then create a Marketing and Communications Plan around the answers. I create an annual plan for my business with one objective (e.g., To grow my business by 25 percent); three measurable goals (e.g., 1) To reach 500 ideal customers, 2) To meet 100 ideal customers, 3) To add 10 new customers); and strategies to achieve the goals, with a variety of tactics (tools) to achieve the strategies. I measure quarterly.
Success hinges on one important question, and as I repeat over and over again, it isn’t about us, it is about them. That said, I believe this is the most important question: What does our ideal customer or client look like? I create a story around that answer. It looks something like this.
Today, a business owner, President, CEO, CFO or CMO sits at their desk in an office somewhere in the United States or Canada wanting help growing their business. They don’t know exactly what they need doing, but they do know that their current strategies are doing no more than keeping their growth even. They reached a plateau and don’t seem to be able to move beyond it. Their product is needed within the B2B business world, but their message and their means to get the word out is just like everybody else’s. They are out of ideas to get noticed, and doing the same thing over and over again isn’t delivering the ROI they want or need.
However, they are reluctant to hire a marketing consultant because in the past consultants seemed to recommend the same things and relied heavily on advertising, direct mail and public relations and now something called social media. They talked about tools instead of goals and strategies. And although the consultants were able to create better ads and knew more about obtaining reach in the right publications and buying lists, the consultancy’s results were only slightly better than theirs. If only they could find a marketing consultant who guaranteed results that were measurable and stretched their current goals.
It shouldn’t be that hard. After all, they develop and sell software that their customers love. Why can’t they find a marketing firm that guarantees measurable results? They aren’t that small and their businesses are located in and around mid- to large-sized cities. Their revenues have been between $1 million and $10 million for several years but they need to get over that hump or they will have to layoff some of their 10 to 75 employees. They read all the trade journals in their industry and the local business journal; they open and look at their own mail; and they use Google and Yahoo to learn what’s going on in their industry and their customers’ industries. Where are the consultants who can help us meet our objective next year and will back us their talk with a guaranty?
And there you have it–a short version of the story. One story that answers one question. Every year we add details to that story and to each story that describes each of the answers to our questions above. When we do that annually, our business marketing and communications plan has teeth and we use only those tools that reach our ideal customers or clients.

On the downside, white socks are vanilla to the bosses and not always welcome in the Board Room. Furthermore, they represent discretionary spending and if ROI can’t be measured, why would I want them in my dresser drawers?
And there you have it–the classic argument. You can’t live with them, but you don’t want to live without them. Marketing is a lot like white socks. It shouldn’t be.
While marketing goes with everything a business creates and never wears out, have we convinced those who matter most–CEOs, CFOs and our clients that marketing is an excellent value for the price? In these times of economic downturn, we must do a better job of marketing marketing. But how?
Let’s begin by ending the argument regarding ROI. When we say we can’t measure it, we sound like whiners. Our bosses don’t want to hear it and we will never convince them that marketing efforts can’t be measured in terms of a return on investment as measured in dollars. Besides, we’re making the wrong argument. The issue isn’t about social media, social networking, direct marketing, public relations or advertising. Those are tools, and we don’t measure ROI against the success of a tool.
Instead, we present ROI based on the success of quarterly and annual results, using a variety of tools measured against the objective and the goals. In other words, if we are charged with launching a product, we will use a variety of tools. The objective might be something about getting the right people to notice the new product and to get that product in the right places. But one of the goals must measure sales. And by working with sales and customer service and retail in this example, the marketing effort can take credit for creating most of the initial sales of the product. The smart marketer, working closely with the other departments, will create a formula that represents each functional area’s cost as compared to revenues. Voila! ROI. Is it correct to the penny? No. But ROI almost never is and our bosses won’t care as long as we speak with one voice.
Furthermore, we should develop case studies for every campaign, project and objective in which marketing plays a role. Some of it will be anecdotal; much of it needs to be fact based. And that means putting realistic metrics in place. As we produce those case studies, we get them into the hands of everyone who matters. I bet that soon marketing will not be seen as discretionary spending.
Finally, when we are called upon to share marketing success, stop talking in acronyms, jargon and generalities. When we do so, the others around the table hear blah, blah, blah. Be specific. What did we do and how did it work? The what is a few sentences about the audiences we reached, not the tools we used, and the how is ROI in sales revenue or growth as a percentage of total customers.
One more thing: Since many of us are consultants and our first job is to grow our own business, when we reach out to potential clients the board room suggestion is relevant here as well: Share why clients hire us by using specific examples focused on the what we did and the how it worked.
Obviously, this is top line stuff here and not meant to detail a plan. But as advice, it works. I’ve seen it and I’ve personally experienced it. Forget discussing tools; those in charge don’t care how we do what we do. Discuss results. That’s what they care about. Oh, and as for the white socks–only wear them around the house or at sporting events and accept the fact that they don’t impress.

Serendipity happens. I threw out a number that seemed high. Without blinking they replied, “When can you start?”
Within two weeks I was writing, editing and recommending content as well as sitting in meetings discussing and developing the marketing and communications launch plans. Lewis Green Communications was born. Having lived and worked in Seattle for 15 years, word quickly spread. The phone rang. Soon I had both local and international clients. Growing a business is easy, I concluded. What’s all this talk about how hard it is to get clients? Lesson learned: Sell value, not price or products and services. And start a business of a foundation of being well-known.
In 2003, a Connecticut client offered me a job as their VP of Marketing. Their company was struggling and needed lots of help. Because I grew up in New England and wanted to return, I took the job. Lewis Green Communications went away and I had an office with a door.
But not for long. In six months, the company laid off its entire staff, including me, and merged with another business.
Okay. No big deal. I founded a spin off of my earlier communications firm and called it L&G Business Solutions. We offered both internal and external communications, web site design and content development, and added direct marketing. After I started, failed and restarted using social media tools, we added social media and social networking to the mix. Seemed like the perfect mix for potential clients. Oops! Here comes reality to slap me in the face. Lesson Learned: Only offer services that your firm uses successfully.
Launching and growing a business in a region where no one knows your name is tough. It took four years turn the corner onto profitability avenue and then the economy went south. So far south that like other consultants, we are struggling to pay the fare to reach our destination.
Although we get good results for our clients and always succeed in growing their customer base, we can’t afford to take our own advice. Cash flow is positive but can we risk spending it on marketing? And during the heavy discussions that followed, I re-read some of my blogs, thought papers and client marketing plans when it struck me: My clients hire us because we guaranty ROI. And we encourage all businesses to increase marketing during difficult times, but decrease spending on tools that don’t deliver immediate results. We talk and write about growing businesses in difficult times. Time to step up and do the same for my business. Lesson learned: Take your own advice.
In January, we will launch a direct marketing campaign, aimed narrowly at 1,000 businesses located in six counties in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Every person identified on the marketing list is the key decision maker and every business represents the profile of our ideal client. Why is that important? Because marketing works best when it is narrowly targeted and segmented based on a business’s ideal client or most valuable customer. Lesson Learned: Before doing any marketing, know specifically what your best client or customer looks like.
Why did we choose direct marketing to grow new business? We know based on research and experience that direct marketing delivers the highest return on investment relevant to other marketing tools, and that a well-planned campaign takes as little as three months to launch and complete. And when done correctly, ROI will be 10% or higher. (We have seen ROI as high as 25% during good economic times.) So for us, this is about quick growth and short-term results, melded within a long-term strategy that employs web site content, social media, social networking, published works and speaking appearances. Lesson learned: When things are tight, marketing is necessary. Grow or perish. The best strategy combines short-term and long-term tactics within an integrated marketing plan.
Building our own business is not as easy as building a client’s business because it requires our own money and taking our own risks. But by spending our reserves and taking calculated risks, we become better marketing consultants because we experience the reluctance to spend and the worry over ROI that our clients feel. There is nothing better than empathy to make us understand our client’s wants and needs as well as their concerns. Lesson Learned: Don’t recommend anything that we don’t do and whatever we recommend be sure that during these times costs and ROI are the key considerations.
Questions: What are you doing as a consultant or as a marketing person within a company to grow new customers? What works, what doesn’t? What would you recommend for your own business, if you hired yourself as a consultant?
Author’s Note: For those who may wonder what a successful marketing campaign looks like, at least in our eyes, it includes: two mailings, the first primarily offers content that explains why marketing is necessary during these times and tells stories about how L&G can make it happen; the second contains a reminder that waiting to pull the trigger on hiring a marketing firm is dangerous.
The mailings are combined with a carefully constructed public relations effort focused on our clients’ successes and increased exposure through more presentations and speaking engagements. It also includes more guest blogging, increased social networking and face-to-face networking and a new book on the horizon. When possible, it includes telemarketing, which will increase response rates by at least 10%. Telemarketing also increases the costs of the campaign by a minimum of 100%. ROI will cover the increase, but if one needs to borrow to afford the telemarketing, pros and cons must be weighed carefully.

The other day I changed it up and asked: Where do you work? I was sitting next to three business-casual dressed young men. They worked at The Hartford, part of Connecticut’s large insurance sector. Soon after they left, four young women sat alongside me. Besides being of Italian heritage, always an interesting point for me given my Sicilian roots, they, too, worked at The Hartford. And being a marketer, their workplace origins got me thinking that this was no coincidence. Being one mile away, The Hartford is a source of business that should not be ignored. After all, every retailer and food and beverage purveyor knows the three keys to success: Location, location, location.
My grandmother Rosa did. Last Thursday I wrote about her business successes in a post called Grandma’s Sausage and Peppers. Here’s a snippet:
“Location, location, location. Rosa had it. Not only was her store next to a factory employing thousands who cherished the convenience of picking up a quart of milk, a loaf of bread or a can of beans before heading home after a hard, sweaty day’s work–Rosa figured out a niche: Sausage and peppers.”
Frescos had the location covered but what about the niche? There are several excellent taverns and restaurants with popular bars nearby. At least some of the several thousand employees from The Hartford choose Frescos’ Friday evening Happy Hour as their place to celebrate the end of a long work week.
Location certainly plays a role. I wondered how Frescos could take better advantage of their location by creating a niche, thereby making the restaurant the first choice of The Hartford. I began brainstorming several ideas. Here’s what a few of them look like.
The weekly Happy Hour is Friday. If I ran Frescos, I would create a Happy Hour just for The Hartford; say Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (The Hartford lets out at 4 p.m.) Not only is Wednesday Hump Day, it is a typically slow day for restaurants. Creating a special Happy Hour for the Hartford solves at least one challenge: Frescos exceeds some employee’s needs by offering Happy Hour bar prices plus free munchies. This could turn around a slow night and create a niche by catering to a local business. All an employee need do is show their corporate ID, and they get special VIP treatment.
Another idea caters to individual employees at The Hartford by celebrating special events in their lives–a promotion, a birthday, or an anniversary, for instance. Let Frescos know in advance, and they set you up in the bar’s VIP section, which doesn’t currently exist but a corner near the fireplace features a sofa and over-stuffed chairs in a relatively private part of the bar. This is a perfect spot to host three to 30 people. Provide a celebratory pizza(s) for the guests and free drinks for the person being honored. Only requirement, the event needs to be scheduled in advance and held on a Thursday evening, another relatively slow night for restaurants.
The idea behind this effort is two-fold: Create a niche by catering to a local business; thereby, exceeding their expectations and developing loyal customers who will spread word of mouth. It works especially well for Frescos because The Hartford is by far the largest business in town. Other businesses aren’t likely to feel slighted, but if they do, we smart marketers can figure out a niche for them, as well.
Questions: Do you have businesses in mind that could build a niche market but haven’t done so? Or they have created a niche–how? Do you have ideas for Fresco’s? I will share them with the owner, giving you credit, of course.

As others hunker down, we have an opportunity to stand out, to get noticed. As they hide, the marketing clatter lessens, making space for our messages to get through. Look, doing business is always a risk. Unless you are in Securities or Financial Services, this is no time to become extra conservative. Our clients and customers continue to want and need what we have. See this as an opportunity to reach out to them and offer them greater value than normal, immediately exceeding their expectations.
To current and former clients offer discounts. To new clients, throw in a freebie. Extend your guarantee. Do whatever is smart to grow your business. Although I normally never offer discounts, in times of fear doing so rewards your best customers. And that really is the point I want to hammer home.
Customers don’t want to talk to your products and services. I argue they don’t buy your products and services: They buy you. Show your human side. Understand their economic concerns and relate to them. Demonstrate that not only can you provide solutions, you also can provide extra value because you empathize with their concerns.
Remember, it always is about them, not us. Show your clients and customers you get it. Here are a few suggestions how:
* Send thank you notes to current customers and ask them how (or suggest how) you can help.
* Reach out to potential customers with value-added solutions.
* When you network, listen, ask if you can help and offer free advice.
* Treat every customer as if they are your only customer.
* Check up on former customers and clients to ask how they and their business are doing. Ask how you can help.
* Be sincere, giving, appreciative and positive. It isn’t about short-term profits but long-term relationships.
* Be human. Customers don’t want to do business with your product; they want to do business with you
What do you think? Am I nuts? Just plain wrong? What are you doing during these difficult economic times?

Leaders show, they don’t tell. They lead by example. They clearly communicate their expectations, and their expectations are always at the highest levels. They represent the values of the company, and they hire for those values. They give their staffs all the tools necessary to be successful, including training and regular feedback, and then they get out of the way. Their door is always open, and they maintain the highest levels of integrity and expect their staffs to do so, as well. They demand respect and dignity throughout their areas of responsibility, and they are always respectful and dignified. They expect success and accept nothing less.
Research from The Forum Corporation tells us that leaders have some things in common.
Signs of Good Leadership
A strong intellect: Able to grasp new ideas quickly, engage in complex thinking, and be comfortable with ambiguity.
Technical capability: Possesses in-depth knowledge of the organization’s industry, business models, and operations.
Emotional intelligence: Strong, self-aware, self-controlled, and able to develop and maintain strong relationships.
Adaptive capacity: Learns from experience, listens and responds to feedback, and adjusts quickly to new situations.
A track record of success: Accomplished at combining all of these capabilities to get work done effectively with and through others in order to drive business results.
What have been your experiences working with leaders or as a leader yourself? What are the leadership assets, values and skills you most admire?
Writer’s Note: Excerpted from Lead With Your Heart.

1. If the company doesn’t have a communications or a marketing department, maybe you should.
2. If the company doesn’t have an executive spokesperson with the time, maybe you should.
3. If the company’s Legal and/or HR departments need to approve outgoing comments, maybe you should, but only if those departments get out of the way. Otherwise, don’t do a blog.
Or maybe not. And here are the arguments, as I understand them, against outsourcing the company blog. The point of blogging is:
1. Having an authentic voice.
2. Giving customers a personal connection to the company.
3. Ghostwriters do neither.
Well, pardon me, but who do you think writes executive speeches, letters from the CEO, and all those personal words to shareholders one finds in the Annual Report, and web site content, and most of the pithy executive quotes found in newspapers? Guys and gals such as me. I also write and manage several company blogs, who are my clients. As the period on the sentence, none of those things are done without interviewing executives and employees, studying the company and its customers, and, finally, getting approval from the company spokesperson for everything I write.
Would it be better if someone from the company wrote the blog? Maybe, maybe not. When work is outsourced, the consultants often have more influence over the executives and more freedom from message management. And if we’re fired, we haven’t lost our jobs, just a job. We don’t have the pressure of saying what we think the company wants to hear, at least many of us don’t. More important, key inhouse staff are focusing on their other jobs and responsibilities, while gaining the outsider points of view and expertise, which are then translated into blog posts.
So, there you have it. One consultant’s take on outsourcing blogging. Not right. Not wrong. It just depends.

The primary differences between Wikipedia and Knol are that “people who write entries on Google’s encyclopedia are identified and can earn a profit from their articles with ads.”
Here is a quote from the article:

“The key principle behind Knol is authorship. Every knol will have an author (or group of authors) who put their name behind their content,” the company wrote on its blog Wednesday. “It’s their knol, their voice, their opinion. We expect that there will be multiple knols on the same subject, and we think that is good.
“Our goal is to encourage people who know a particular subject to write an authoritative article about it,” the company wrote on its blog in December. “We believe that knowing who wrote what will significantly help users make better use of Web content.”

Frankly, I am not surprised that Google entered launched the site. It is apparent from anyone watching that Google, among others, wants to be all things Internet, including search and content. As we watch that battle emerge between Microsoft, Yahoo and Google, I am more interested in the answer to my question: Do We Want or Need Another Wikipedia?
In fact, let me take this one step further. Did we want or need Wikipedia? And how does paying writers using views at the criteria affect the writing? Does doing so tempt some to use hyperbole and unnecessary or unfounded provocation and controversy to up their numbers?
Now, this is where I earn my reputation as a contrarian and expect to learn a great deal from you. I don’t use Wikipedia. And on the few occasions when I have, my research in terms of time was doubled, even tripled, because I don’t see Wikipedia as a reliable source. I prefer my research to include not only writers (who come with agendas and biases, and I include myself here), but to also be backed up by professional editors and fact checkers. Furthermore, I want to know what makes the writer qualified to submit what I consider research-level content. Who is this person? What are their specific topical qualifications? And where can I learn more about him or her (a link or two)?
Okay, so where am I wrong (or right) here? Wikipedia and Knol claim to provide information we can quote. Would you (have you) done so without fact checking the info yourself? How do you, or would you, use these sites? Do such sites help or hurt the reputation and perception of online media, including social media?

Eating lunch out is a great luxury for us, as time out of the office and the expense of eating out cut into our incomes. However, we didn’t become our own bosses to get rich, although that would be nice. Anyway, next door to Best Buy is a Red Robin restaurant. We seldom eat burgers and fries and hadn’t visited a Red Robin since 1983 when we lived in Seattle. However, unlike Kay, I love gourmet burgers but my cholesterol count spikes just thinking about them. So, eating lunch at a Red Robin was a real treat for me plus they have beer, another of my weaknesses. It was also a great surprise.
I often write about values-driven businesses, because I believe those companies that use their values to filter all business decisions through are both better at what they do and are more likely to put people first, before profits.
We entered the busy restaurant and were seated and waited on in less than five minutes by two wait persons (one in training). They were welcoming and energetic. We ordered beers and water, and then prepared to look at a menu. We never did. Because in the middle sat a marketing box: each side told a story. We began reading and learned that Red Robin is inviting kids between the ages of 6 and 12 to create Red Robin’s next Gourmet Burger by entering their own unique recipe. The Grand Prize Winner receives a family vacation for four to Universal Orlando® Resort and the winning burger will be featured at all participating U.S. Red Robin® restaurants in 2009. The contest runs between July 1 and August 10.
Featured on the box was the most recent selection. An Au Brie burger A La Francais created by Joey, age 11. It features a ground sirloin burger sitting atop 2 ozs of au gratin potatoes, with 1 oz of brie cheese, fresh chopped rosemary, tomatoes marinated in vinegar and fresh lettuce. Oh, man! My cholesterol is rising just thinking about it. When our drinks arrived, we ordered Joey’s creation (yes, even Kay, who seldom orders anything other than salad for lunch).
While sipping beer I like to people-watch. When doing so, my eyes landed on a large board behind the preparation area. It featured not advertising but Red Robin’s four core values: “Honor, Integrity, Continually Seeking Knowledge and Having Fun.” As one who believes core value are integral to creating great businesses and happy, loyal customers, this was a present surprise. However, core values are useless if not posted in every work area and not practiced. After reading the sign, I started looking around, observing whether or not these values were being practiced. What I saw were customers laughing, talking and thoroughly enjoying their food and their surroundings. Score a big 1 for Red Robin’s values.
When I returned home, I checked out Red Robin’s website. Let me share what they say about their values:
“These core values are the foundation for every Red Robin decision from creating its mouthwatering gourmet burgers to hiring energetic Team Members and even to deciding new restaurant locations. They also are the foundation for how the company treats its Team Members, Guests and communities. Red Robin’s core values can be found embroidered on the sleeve of every Team Member’s uniform, which serves as a constant reminder of what makes the company unique and special.”
Here’s the point of my story, which isn’t really about Red Robin. Values, when carefully written, when focused on positive human behaviors (not making money), when trained on, when used as decision-making filters and when practiced lead to good hiring practices, lower employee turnover rates, happy and loyal customers, and excellent profits and revenues.
Do they solve all business challenges? No! Do they always guarantee the results I mention above? No. But without them, the foundation of a business has cracks. To create a solid foundation, we should create values, which center our business by forming a core business focus. When in trouble or difficult economic times, that foundation allows a business provides an anchor to steady us. Here’s one example of what I mean:
Today, Starbucks is working to return to its core values in order to take a step back and begin working again toward greatness. Will they succeed? Who knows? But without a foundation that focuses their strategies and plans, Starbucks chances of solving their current problems would be much more difficult, if not impossible.

Do our marketing efforts:

• Create great customer experiences as measured by the happiness levels of our customers?
• Result in loyal clients?
• Result in revenues and/or profits?
• Result in leads and referrals?
• Result in getting us noticed?

If marketing results in one or more of the above and is greater than our investment as measured in time and costs, we should keep the strategy and the tactics to achieve that strategy and work to do it better and more profitably. The purpose of this post is to focus on blogging ROI, and to do so please permit me to share my firm’s personal story.
In the first two quarters this year, our blog has delivered ROI in each of the five metrics, specifically in the following ways:

• Two new clients found us through our blog.
• A referral from a fellow blogger led to a new client.
• Four speaking engagements directly linked to either bizsolutionsplus (our blog) or MarketingProfts Daily Fix.
• Loyal and happy readers as measured by their feedback and their frequency of visits.

One additional ROI from blogging that just happened an hour ago and led me to write this post: Today, I received a telephone call from the Publisher/Editor of Gardner Publishing, who was referred to me by her CEO. He read my last post here at the Fix, liked it so much that he shared it with his CMO, who shared it with his staff. With my permission, the article, How to Add 10 New Clients in the Next 12 Months, will be republished in one of Garner’s four-color magazines, which are distributed to B2B manufacturers and suppliers within the auto industry.
Don’t know about you, but my firm can’t afford that kind of advertising. This is the fifth time a publication or another blog has asked for permission to republish one of my posts. (Thanks Ann. I owe you.)
None of the above is about me or my firm. Other blogs are experiencing similar results. I use my efforts to share my first-hand experiences. But this story offers little value if I also don’t share with you how we deliver ROI from bizsolutionsplus and from guest blogging here at the Daily Fix.
Here are the marketing strategies behind our blog:

1. We didn’t launch the blog until we identified the readers with whom we wanted to share and reach. In our case, we write for three types of readers–consultants, our clients and our potential ideal clients.
2. We remain consistent with our content, focusing on brand development, marketing, communications, public relations, advertising, social media and social networking. On some Fridays, we deviate by publishing something fun.
3. We write for our readers, not for ourselves.

We respond to every comment by e-mail and usually also with a comment.

4. We are always on the search for new directories the blog can be listed in.
5. We carefully choose our tags.

We comment on other blogs, forums and chats as often as we can,

6. We are faithful to some 50 blogs that we read regularly and, in addition to placing them in our blog roll, we give credit when they inspire us to write something and recognize them when they do good works.
7. We review our stats often to identify the most popular posts so we can better meet our reader’s wants and needs.
8. We use Twitter to share our post links and to recommend other’s posts.
9. And we guest post here because MarketingProfs does everything well and always with its readers and followers first in mind.

As I hope is obvious from the above, the real ROI of blogging comes in different forms and the “R” in ROI doesn’t always have to mean revenue. Happy blogging.

Let’s get real! Most B2B decision makers are not present to blogs, podcasts or vlogs, nor are they spending much, if any, time social networking online.
While some believe integrated marketing is a new strategy and are now jumping on the bandwagon as if they discovered the idea that an integrated marketing mix to achieve business goals is the best way to grow a business by getting it and its products and services noticed, savvy marketers have used integrated marketing plans for decades. For them, integrating tools and measuring the results of each tool in achieving company-wide goals are not new nor are these marketers surprised by their effectiveness.
To create, launch and execute on an integrated marketing plan, I recommend the following.
1. Identify your ideal customers and clients. What do they look like (name, title, address, age, gender, industry, networking habits, media they use, wants, needs and desires)?
2. Why will they be interested in your products and services?
3. Why will they buy from you instead of a competitor?
Once you answer those questions with as much detail as possible, you are ready to create measurable goals, strategies and tactics. Here in a very brief form is what that integrated marketing plan might look like:
Goal: To add 10 new clients during the next 12 months.
Strategy: To identify those who represent ideal clients and begin building relationships.
Strategy: To communicate at least monthly with each identified client.
Tactics:
* Attend events where these clients are present, meet them, get their business cards, and ask if they would like to be on your distribution list so that they can receive useful information about solutions for growing their businesses.
* Send every person whose business card you gather a thank you note for talking with you, and then follow-up with an e-mail invite for coffee.
* Create and distribute a monthly newsletter that addresses potential client’s wants, needs and desires and offers solutions to those wants, needs and desires. (I prefer e-newsletters, which offer the recipient the choice to open or delete or unsubscribe. What they do represents good information for us to use as we go forward with this plan.)
* Distribute quarterly thought papers (white papers) to your list that go into depth about a particular challenge your potential clients face. (Again, I prefer e-mail for the same reasons noted above.)
* Create a speaking flier and send it to event program/seminar chairs where your ideal clients might be found (those specifically identified and all who fit the profile). Follow-up with phone calls to the program chair. Accept as many speaking engagements as possible and be sure to notify your potential clients where and when you will be speaking and on what topic. Invite them to attend. If they cannot attend, offer them your notes.
* If you have a blog, be sure to send your URL to all potential clients who fit your profile. I like to attach a sample post so they can see what my blog offers.
* Use social networking (LinkedIn, Plaxo Pulse, etc.) to find contacts who may know the ideal clients you identified, and ask them for information about that client and their business as well as a referral.
The above represents what an integrated plan might look like in its briefest of formats. Questions? Insights?

We can recognize the pain, and come up with an alternate solution that will ease the client’s mind and make them feel good in the short term. Or we can do the right but difficult thing by sticking with our convictions, knowing that the solution we recommend is the right one, even if standing by our beliefs means we lose the job.
Not an easy choice, but one all of us will come to reckon with on occasion, regardless of whether we run a firm or an agency, work for a firm or an agency, or work for a small, mid-sized or large business. It is best to be prepared for what we will do and how we will respond before the situation arises.
When I took my first corporate job, I was 28 years old and had served two tours in the military. I was used to saying “yes sir” and “no sir.” But there are practical reasons for obliging higher ranks in the armed forces: It can save a person’s life. Not so in the business world. In fact, I believe that those who go along to get along are doing their company or their client a disservice. On the other hand, they seem to be liked and have a certain level of job security that those of us who speak out risk.
The description given to those who speak out is often said in this way: “Well, you have to cut Jane/John some slack. SHe’s a creative person,” as if being creative was a bad thing.
People who speak out, in addition to being creative and innovative, often can be described as honest, passionate, caring, smart and unafraid. They want to make a difference. They don’t come to work every day for the pay check. They come for the challenge, for the adventure of achieving goals and objectives and to travel the road less traveled. They are always searching for better and more productive ways to do things. They rock the boat. They are change agents and they make terrific consultants. They don’t necessarily make up the wealthiest consultants.
In my experience, most executives and managers lean toward conservatism. They got where they are by being smart, by working long hours and by going along to get along. So when they hire a consultant, they often seek someone who will tell them what they want to hear and then just go do it. It is unlikely they would hire my firm or most of the consultants I know. And that’s okay. However, as I said at the top of this post: “It is best to be prepared for what we will do and how we will respond before the situation arises.”
I did that preparation while making waves in the corporate world. So that when I left, I knew that I wanted to run a firm that always gave its best ideas, no matter the risks; always guaranteed its work; always strove to exceed expectations; and never took a job if it meant we would compromise any of those values. Before I came to that conclusion, I asked myself some important questions:
1. What does a consultancy that stands for a set of beliefs look like? What are its best practices? In what areas are we most likely to innovate successfully?
2. What does turning down work or not getting work that isn’t a good fit mean for my family and for me? Is it a risk worth taking? Are we willing to refer those jobs to a competitor?
3. How do we prevent arrogance within the firm while maintaining a belief that no one can do the things we do better? (Although many do it just as well.)
4. When we feel a client’s pain, how do we sympathize but not give in to it? How do we ensure the client that we have their best interests at heart?
5. What does our guaranty look like and is it sturdy enough to be worth a client’s risk?
Those were some of the questions we asked, and we built our consultancy on a set of values and strategies that respond to those questions. Using a synthesis of my consultancy and several others who fall into this category of being change agents, of always looking for a better way, here, in general, is what the resulting consultancy looks like. (By the way, without mentioning names, the synthesis includes more than a few of the contributors here at the Fix.)
The consultancy understands who and what it is and is usually not a full-service marketing firm. Instead it specializes in a few areas of marketing and often is an adopter of new tools and solutions (e.g., social media and social networking). The owners have strong family relationships and supportive significant others willing to ride the roller coaster. Work is regularly referred to other firms, including those they most are in competition with for the same work. Employees are smart, polite, passionate and firm in their beliefs; but in every instance they are a perfect fit within the firm’s culture and are let go when that fit forms a crack in it, as sometimes happens. Account executives listen more than they talk, work diligently to understand the client’s pain, and don’t offer solutions on the spot. Proposals are created in a team environment and often include tactics that are new and different to the client. The guaranty is solid and represents most if not all the firm’s profits. Creating great client experiences and ensuring the client’s customers share in those experiences is always a goal.
So there you go. Is this a business model that scares the hell out of you, seems silly to you, or attracts you to want to be a part of that model? In the marketing and communications consultancy world, a firm that looks like the one above would be one that always puts people first, ahead of profits, and works to make people happy. It isn’t easy and failure happens–so do quick recoveries.

Here’s the bottom line: Putting people first is a different and a better way to think and to measure success. When we filter everything we say and do through the “putting people first” principle, we end up with a company that features the following:
1. The best products and services we can produce, because that is what people want and need.
2 Employees who are enthusiastic about their jobs and are given the responsibility and the ability to always say “yes” to customers by providing a solution, because that is what people want and need.
3. Products and services that offer great value at a fair price, because that is what people want and need.
4. A growing number of loyal and new customers, because you provide what people want and need.
5. Strong revenues and increased margins, because you provide what people want and need.
6. A company that never violates its values or acts unethically, because your focus is on people, not profits.
7. A company that communities vie for, because you provide what people want and need.
Of course, for any model to work, you must believe, you must be passionate in that belief and you must work hard to make the business achieve its goals and objectives.

We share those values with potential clients and on our website. Much bigger and stronger businesses such as Starbucks, IBM, HP and Merck built their ethical and moral foundation on stated values through which they filter business decisions. I’ve begun to wonder if anyone cares.
The 2004 “Cone Corporate Citizenship Study” revealed that 80% of Americans trust companies that work for good causes, a 21% increase since 1997. Social outreach is only one factor in a values-based business but I believe it is the most apparent one to those outside the company.
“Our report is the nation’s longest study of American attitudes toward corporate support of social issues,” says Carol Cone, CEO of Cone, a Boston-based strategic marketing firm. “This study, in a series of research spanning over a decade, shows that in today’s climate, more than ever before, companies must get involved with social issues in order to protect and enhance their reputations.”
On the flip side, the research found that Americans will react negatively to companies that behave illegally or unethically. Those surveyed said they would likely respond in a variety of ways:
? Consider switching to another company’s products or services (90%).
? Speak out against that company among my family and friends (81%).
? Consider selling my investment in that company’s stock (80%).
? Refuse to invest in that company’s stock (80%).
? Refuse to work at that company (75%).
? Boycott that company’s products or services (73%).
? Be less loyal to my job at that company (67%).
Based on the research, values seem to matter. But another study by Cone raises serious questions to what extent they matter.
Business leaders need to understand what customers are thinking if they are to meet their wants and needs. Cone’s research showed what Americans most value:
? Quality of products and services (98%).
? Fair-priced products and services (97%).
? Employee benefits (93%).
? Laws and regulations (93%).
? Human rights and manufacturing (93%).
? Support of a social issue (80%).
Note that quality of products and services ranks first, just one percentage point above pricing. One can argue that values are intrinsic to quality and fairness. One can also argue they aren’t.
So I ask you: Are business values important to most Americans or are they just words on a piece of paper that make us feel better about ourselves? Many of you know where I stand based on my book and my other writings. But where do you stand?

It was presented by the well-known experts Tom Kennedy, former Boston on-air celebrity and current Executive and Communications Coach and Suzanne Bates, former Boston on-air celebrity, author of Speak Like A CEO and current President & CEO of Bates Communications. During an exercise, Suzanne presented a worksheet with “My Agenda” atop the right column and “Their Agenda” atop the left column. Of course, the lesson learned is that as consultants it is never about our agenda; it is always about their agenda.
After lunch, I presented on Traditional vs. Social Media: Which Work Best for Promoting Your Ideas? About 10 minutes into my presentation, someone raised their hand to ask a question (I thought). But to my surprise, she had no question. Instead, she said: Your presentation is really good. But we already know we have to embrace Social Media. What we need to know is how.
So, without any hesitation, I tossed away the presentation that had been advertised and the one I had been asked to make (and had rehearsed for weeks), and transitioned into the one my audience wanted to hear. At the end of the session, attendees came up to thank me, to praise the presentation and to ask for assistance in launching their social media efforts.
Thank you, Suzanne, for reminding me that my agenda matters not at all. It is always about their agenda. And thanks to the attendee who had the wisdom and courage to tell me what their wants and needs were. Without her, I would have given the presentation I prepared for; instead, I gave the one they wanted. And isn’t that what we should do?
P.S. Here is what the presentation’s promotion materials said: What are the pros and cons of promoting your ideas and business via traditional media vs. social media?
They didn’t care about the pros and cons; they wanted to hear about the what and how. I suspect more that a few of us have became frustrated with speakers who don’t want to be interrupted with questions and comments and won’t change their prepared remarks no matter the audience and its comments or body language. Those speakers are intent on delivering the presentation they prepared. And they do.
Interesting… but what would have happened if instead they turned their power over to the audience?

In today’s world, we divide politics into red states and blue states, primarily based on the perceived values held by the people living in those places. Car bumpers proudly display stickers proclaiming the values of their drivers. Tee shirts proclaim values, as do colored wrist bands, and ribbons tied to trees. Businesses that fail to recognize the importance consumers place on what people believe and what they care about will not prosper. Their growth charts will look more like the Alps and less like the flight path of a plane taking off. We want others to know our values, and when they don’t we cannot understand why.
When you align your brand with a cause, you create an emotional bond with those consumers who also are aligned with that cause. And by effectively applying cause marketing to your outreach efforts, you increase sales and enhance brand loyalty, while building brand equity.
Here’s what I mean: Yoplait raised more than $1.2 million for breast cancer awareness several years ago by having customers send in their Yoplait yogurt lids. For every lid mailed in, Yoplait donated 10 cents for breast cancer awareness. During that promotion, Yoplait reaped 12 million in sales. That ain’t just yogurt; that’s real revenue.
Those numbers represent Yoplait’s external efforts, but there usually is an internal return on investment as well. As mentioned earlier, today’s recent graduates are looking for more than money in a job, and are willing to trade income to work for a company that is socially responsible and ethically minded. Employees of those companies are 25 percent more loyal than those working at companies who are not. This results in real cost savings: Loyalty reduces turnover and it raises earnings, as loyal employees as a rule are more productive.
Small businesses benefit as well as large companies. The owner a small marketing firm in Connecticut supports professional women’s organizations by giving of her time and offering small college scholarships. The positive public relations and word of mouth those cause-related efforts generate bring new clients. But this is not the primary reasons she gives back. She does it because it is the right thing to do. I know from experience that she would do these things whether or not she benefited financially, which makes her business authentically based in values. And many business people share that philosophy of genuinely wanting to give back.
Research and anecdotal evidence tells us time and time again that cause-related marketing, social responsibility and ethics-driven business practices bring a good return on investment. And the more you share your commitment to the community and the planet using marketing, the greater your return on your good deeds.
Customers often are drawn to brands and companies with a track record of social responsibility A company considered socially responsible has an enhanced reputation with the public, as well as its reputation within the business community, which increases its ability to attract capital and trading partners.
One study showed that 61% of people who own stock said they had bought or sold shares on the basis of a company’s social performance.
The 2007 Cone Consumer Environmental Survey reports that 32% of Americans are more interested in the environment than they were a year ago. Most important, 93% believe companies have a responsibility to help preserve the environment.
The study also revealed that 47% of Americans have purchased environmentally friendly products, 21% have donated to an environmental organization, and 18% have advocated for environmental issues. In their own lives, 93 % are conserving energy, 89% are recycling, 86% are conserving water, and 70% are telling family/friends about environmental issues.
With this information in hand, businesses better understand how to meet the wants, needs, and desires of their customers, while doing good works.
Author’s Note: This is excerpted from my newest book, Lead With Your Heart.

Were personal and vicious attacks by bloggers responsible for Tilley’s death? I don’t know. However, although they might be a contributing factor to someone’s suicide, I doubt that personal, mean-spirited attacks would be the only factor in a person leaping to their death.
That said, I have been at the knife point of personal attacks, and they hurt, deeply, and sent me into a mild depression. Following those attacks, I established comment guidelines that call for civility and forbid anonymous comments.
At our personal blogs we have the right and the responsibility to establish and monitor rules of engagement. But what about the bigger picture? What, if anything, can or should be done to create civility and decorum in the blogosphere?
When tragedy strikes and bloggers are blamed, as fellow bloggers, what responsibility do we have to respond to the incident? Should we name names? What roles do long-time and well-known bloggers have in creating an environment where all voices can be respected and heard?
Look, disagreement is important for critical thinking. In my mind, personal attacks do nothing to further a discussion.

Although we live on opposite coasts, we believe that marketing and business must be built on a foundation of ethics and values and driven by authenticity. In other words, our ethics and values aren’t discussion points, they are the way we live our lives and run our businesses. I call it leading with your heart, which means we always put people first in every decision we make, and everything we do is based on making the world a better place to live and work. What might that look like?
* When we lead with the heart, we act green. In other words, we do such things as recycling, telecommuting and installing energy-efficient lighting in our homes and workplaces.
* We act ethically. We never tell a version of the truth; we never spin; and we ever-better produce products and services designed to meet people’s wants and needs, not ours.
* We hold our values close to our heart. Not only do we create a value statement in our business, we live those values by filtering every business and personal decision through them.
* We do no harm. We do the vetting and research to ensure products are safe before we put them into the marketplace.
* We measure the size of our environmental footprint. We begin with our present state and work toward a future state that reduces our footprint.
* We become a business that not only cares about people but people care about our business. Business is people-centered. People come before profit in every instance.
* Our business understands the wants, needs, and desires of it employees and its customers.
* It creates products, services, value, prices, and most important, an experience that meets or exceeds people’s wants, needs, and desires.
In conclusion, leading with your heart puts people first, ahead of profits and margins and revenues. It always is about the “who,” not the “what.” No business that strategizes around making people happy by giving them a voice will experience less wealth, if leaders lead by walking the talk and eliminate manager and management from their vocabulary. Instead of managing, invest all employees with the responsibility to be held accountable for success around putting customers and communities ahead of all else, and watch employee innovation and creativity grow like Topsy.
Recent research indicates the power of business to do good and inversely to do harm. Although the research results published by Gretchen Spreitzer in the November 2007 issue of the “Journal of Organizational Behavior” are preliminary, they suggest a link between workplace changes and societal changes. A professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, Spreitzer reports that “satisfied employees tend to live in open, peaceful societies–and that improvements in workplace empowerment often precede social changes.”
Why? Because employees transfer lessons learned in the workplace to their social and political lives.
In the simplest sense, we are talking about building relationships and communities around our employees and the products and services they produce. When business works on this model, it becomes the best hope to save the world.

Being competitive is not synonymous with being the best, if you define “best” based on results as perceived by the customers, clients and employees you serve. Welch suggests that being the best means being No. 1 or No. 2 in every market (which in this case relates directly to revenues).
If you work for a company with this mission, I suspect at least some would do anything possible to achieve the goal, perhaps things that are unethical or beyond the boundaries. Welch specifically calls for playing by the rules and expresses his belief in integrity, but every business person and every athlete knows about stretching the rules, and I believe the GE Mission Statement might encourage that.
I believe in another kind of “winning,” which is inclusive rather than exclusive and that does not shun competitiveness but does not embrace it as the central theme of a mission statement. I want businesses to instead strive to be the best they can be, the most innovative they can be, the greatest business in their industrial arena, the most honest, and the most trustworthy. And so I encourage you to align your missions and values in order to achieve those goals, but always with an eye to making the world better, instead of just to make individuals wealthier.
I am a fan of Jim Collins and his book Good to Great. Collins tells us how “geniuses” seldom build great management teams and great companies because they don’t see a need to. Instead they focus on the “what”–”where to drive the bus and a road map for driving the bus” and then they enlist “a crew of highly capable ‘helpers’ to make the vision.” Great companies, instead, focus first on the “who” by getting “the right people on the bus–” and then the “what”–once you have the right people in place, figure out the best path to greatness.”
The “who” must ensure that everyone has a seat on the bus to achieve greatness. Creating a culture that is people-centered falls more into the Collins definition of rigorous instead of ruthless, which often is the driver behind bottom-line business models.
“To be ruthless means hacking and cutting, especially in difficult times, or wantonly firing people without any thoughtful consideration,” Collins says. Instead, he recommends that companies create rigorous cultures.
“To be rigorous means consistently applying exacting standards at all times and at all levels, especially in upper management. To be rigorous, not ruthless, means that the best people need not worry about their positions and can concentrate fully on their work.”
What he’s saying falls within the goals of leading with your heart.
P.S. Excerpted from Lead With Your Heart.

I have not found it to be a problem. At the end of the day, we should say and write only what we believe to be true, even if it offends those with whom we disagree. Otherwise, we offend the truth.
On the other hand, we should write and speak carefully, choosing positive words when possible, and using a tone showing respect and dignity to all people. But going without disagreement is a bit liking never taking a risk: Not much–good or bad–will ever result.

I first wrote the above last week, in discussing Joseph Jaffe’s new book, Join the Conversation. I was responding to a point Joe makes early on in the book:
“In social media, everyone is a critic–This is a critical point and one which you’re just going to have to come to terms with. You’re just never going to please everyone all the time and your real test will be in how you deal with the critics and dissidents. In fact, I would go so far as to say that how you deal with this element of conversation might very well define you (your career) and your brand.”
My conclusion is that social media may not be for everyone. Although I believe firmly in its power to do much more good than harm for both your business and your personal life and that it is a strong platform for doing good, non-risk-takers and the very sensitive may want to choose other ways to reach others. It may be a tool used best by those who can engage in disagreement without taking it personally. Most of the bad that I have seen in the blogosphere arises when writers believe criticism or disagreement on an issue or an idea they share on their blog somehow is about them. It isn’t. Once we publish in public, the words and ideas belong to the readers, not to the writers. Therefore, criticism is seldom about the writer, it is about the idea.
Nevertheless, I have observed destroyed relationships, harsh language, defensiveness, and subtle shunning by bloggers who reacted personally to a differing opinion. Not very adult behavior. Writers may write well and think well, but if we allow our egos to respond negatively or harshly to criticism, we probably should put the keyboard back in its box. Inner strength and self-confidence are necessary attributes for writers. If we publish only for love (links, ratings and compliments), I believe we demean our readers. We, instead, should encourage passion with our words. And passion inspires differences, the great equalizer between writers and readers. And it is strength of thought and respect for readers that the very strong possess.
When our writing inspires criticism, we likely have written something important or at the very least thought-provoking. We should wear that criticism as a badge of honor. On the other hand, when we write and receive mostly praise, it likely signifies that we are reinforcing ideas held by many, which frankly does little to add to the discussion. But it will generate love from readers, and there is room for that emotion in the blogosphere, too. I just don’t think writing about that which other’s already agree breaks new ground. And it is the writer who cracks the ice whose writing leads to new discoveries, not those who drive a Zamboni to keep the ice smooth.
In my post on Joe’s book last week, CK comments: “I think everyone has a passionate opinion (that can easily be construed as a “critic” but there’s the passion behind it). Why else would we go to all this time, thought and trouble? It’s in exchanging these opinions that we grow. The way that we most grow our biz’s and ourselves? By listening to and interacting with all these opinionistas. Becuz, geez, you folks sure have gotten me to look at things from new views and entirely new perspectives. Thankful, indeed.”
I agree with her: If we are not passionate about our truth, why do we share it? Why would we make ourselves vulnerable to others if we did not believe passionately about that which we write? And why do some become so loud or harsh or do something childish by refusing to try to gain an understanding of another’s point of view by never again engaging the other in conversation? Is that a good first step to growing in understanding? Is that a smart way to build relationships or to grow in our learning? And who wins or loses when we retreat inside ourselves or play it safe or hold a grudge or fear engagement?

Not bad for Dell, and an example of how much interest exists when businesses do good.
If you read my work, you likely know that I believe every person and every business and institution should make an effort to put people ahead of all else and contribute to making the planet a better place to live and work. DELL’s new interactive blog is dedicated to The Regeneration, which is a global movement made up of “people committed to sustaining the world’s natural environment.”
Sean Donahue, DELL’s resident green guru, offered these insights into what visitors to the site can expect:
The most innovative and inspiring ideas our customers, suppliers and partners are putting into practice every day. Trends, interviews, thoughts and ideas, from Dell employees and outside partners and customers around the world. And the latest tips, tools, screensavers and links in a portable (and downloadable) “green” backpack. Donahue encourages companies and individuals alike to think about changing things for the better.
Another example of doing good is a story from Yoplait, which raised more than $1.2 million for breast cancer awareness several years ago by having customers send in their Yoplait yogurt lids. For every lid mailed in, Yoplait donated 10 cents for breast cancer awareness. During that promotion, Yoplait reaped 12 million in sales. That ain’t just yogurt; that’s real revenue.
Those numbers represent Yoplait’s external efforts, but there usually is an internal return on investment as well. Today’s graduates are looking for more than money in a job, and are willing to trade income to work for a company that is socially responsible and ethically minded. Employees of those companies are 25 percent more loyal than those working at companies who are not. This results in real cost savings: Loyalty reduces turnover and it raises earnings, as loyal employees as a rule are more productive.
Small businesses benefit as well as large companies. The owner a small marketing firm in Connecticut supports professional women’s organizations by giving of her time and offering small college scholarships. The positive public relations and word of mouth those cause-related efforts generate bring new clients. But this is not the primary reasons she gives back. She does it because it is the right thing to do. I know from experience that she would do these things whether or not she benefited financially, which makes her business authentically based in values. And many business people share that philosophy of genuinely wanting to give back.
Research and anecdotal evidence tells us time and time again that cause-related marketing, social responsibility and ethics-driven business practices bring a good return on investment. And the more you share your commitment to the community and the planet using marketing, the greater your return on your good deeds.
Author’s Note: The DELL example was first posted at bizsolutionsplus. The Yoplait story is excerpted from Lead With Your Heart.

Although listening has always been important in personal and business relationships, with the advent of Social Media we have the tools to do it more easily. It is particularly important for those business people who lead the heart, which always puts people ahead of products, services and profits, as listening is a primary factor in business success when that model is the foundation of a business.
When we lead from the heart, listening leads to innovation, creativity, quality products and services designed for people’s wants and needs, and profits unattainable through any other business leadership model. When we don’t lead from the heart, we likely don’t care much about listening, because we care more about ourselves, profits and products and services. I have experienced the results of leading with your heart and listening both through my most successful clients and as a manager at such businesses as Starbucks.
Terry Wildemann tells us that, “Listening is an art that when done well delivers tremendous benefits. The goal of listening well is to achieve win-win communication. Win-win communication not only fosters understanding, affirmation, validation and appreciation, but it also creates an atmosphere of trust, honor and respect.”
At the end of the day, making others feel special is one of the keys to building relationships. In life and in business, building relationships results in loyalty, and in business, loyalty results in increased sales, reduced marketing and sales costs, and brand evangelists building your business for you.
A few traits of good listeners are, according to Wildemann:

Good listeners are always being prepared to take notes.
They often repeat the information he or she heard by saying, I hear you saying … Is that correct?
They are curious and ask questions to ensure they are correctly hearing what is being said.
They want to listen.
They are physically and mentally present in the moment.
They use the ears to hear, the eyes to read body language, the mind to visualize the person speaking (when on the telephone), and intuition to determine what the speaker is actually saying.
They establish rapport by following the leader.

When we listen, creative juices flow within us as those we are listening to plant the seeds of new ideas. Imagine if we created opportunities through social media to hear what our customers, our employees and our communities thought about our business, our leadership, our business styles (ways of doing business), and our products and services.
With that information, we could make changes that would benefit our internal processes, cutting costs and waste and inspiring our employees to be passionate about what they do, enhancing productivity. We could improve the ways we serve our customers, encouraging their return because they want to experience us again and again. We could make products and offer services that we know customers want and need, putting us in a place where demand for what we do and what we sell rises to a place that maximizes our potential. We would be selling happiness instead of products and services, because we put people first.
Can you think of anyone who doesn’t want happiness in their lives and in their possession?
“When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand. Ideas actually begin to grow within us and come to life. You know how if a person laughs at your jokes you become funnier and funnier, and if he does not, every tiny little joke in you weakens up and dies. Well, that is the principle of it. It makes people happy and free when they are listened to. And if you are a listener, it is the secret of having a good time in society (because everybody around you becomes lively and interesting), of comforting people, of doing them good,” to quote Brenda Ueland. ( From a collection of her essays, “Strength To Your Sword Arm: Selected Writings by Brenda Ueland.” Copyright 1992 by The Estate of Brenda Ueland.)
Swami Chinmayananda tells us that “We can learn a lot from every event in life. Just as the honeybee has the special instrument (proboscis) to extract the very essence in the flowers, human beings have a special faculty (power of discrimination) to maintain the quality of life by learning the art of true listening. Listening is the channel most often used for “learning.” It is a vital communication function; it improves our ability of understanding, self-awareness and self-application.” (Excerpted from his article called The Art of Listening.
Social Media is new to us. To date, I think we have made great progress in its use. The fact that companies such as Dell are experimenting with it to create a listening and business-improvement communications tool and that the Blog Council recently met to discuss its use, tells me we are making progress.
However, most of us continue to use it as a talking tool (one-way communications), evidenced by our blog posts, podcasts and vlogs. We need to do better. But two-way and 360-degree communication only happens if our readers and listeners choose to participate. That is our challenge, not theirs.
So, how do we create a communications environment, where listening takes place? I think that is the key question surrounding the use of Social Media and that dreaded acronym, ROI.

• Is this attention due to our interest in social media and the ways we believe it should exist?
• Is it because Facebook is offering advertising opportunities to business?
• Are we upset that other members want to communicate with us by sending us messages?
• Do we believe the freedom for members to share is without structure and, therefore, we want to create rules?
• Could it be that we love Facebook so much that we have its best interests at heart?

This is why I ask: I don’t see the problem. Help me understand why so many bloggers recently have been critical of Facebook. If problems do exist, what are they and how can Facebook fix them?

Even our Declaration of Independence calls for the pursuit of happiness. And yet a 2006 study by the Pew Research Center found that only 34 percent of Americans consider themselves “very happy,” 50 percent “pretty happy,” and fifteen percent report that they are “not too happy.”
One of the most popular courses at Harvard University teaches happiness and creating “a fulfilling and flourishing life.” In fact, the course on “Positive Psychology” outdraws “Introductory Economics.” That scares me. Have we have gone so far down the road of work, power, and greed that we need to be taught about happiness?
This information points to an untapped market your business can penetrate. At least 65 percent of all Americans want great business experiences that will help make them happy. Even the “very happy” folks can be moved to a higher happiness level, creating even greater customer-conversion opportunities for business.The savvy business person will do everything possible to ensure that his or her business is people-centered and not primarily focused on the bottom line. My belief is that if you do good, your business will do well.
Happiness as defined in my fifth book, Lead With Your Heart, looks like this:

1. Business is people-centered. People come before profit in every instance.
2. Its values talk to making the world a better place to live and work.
3. Business understands the wants, needs, and desires of it employees and its customers.
4. It creates products, services, value, prices, and most important, experiences that meet or exceed people’s wants, needs, and desires.

Ultimately, your fate as a business person be it entrepreneur, executive, owner, middle manager or lower-level employee comes down to the “who” not the “what.” So it only makes sense to spend most of your time thinking about what makes people happy and what doesn’t.
NOTE: Excerpted from Lead With Your Heart.

Now, here’s what’s bugging me. Monday my post Unaffected by Bad Marketing ran here and it resulted in a wonderful conversation and analysis, much of it happening when I was offline. And that’s the great thing. The conversation didn’t need me.
The ideas from everyone who commented and their thoughts and analysis of my simple thesis bordered on brilliant, making my little story seem almost profound. And there you have it: What I wrote didn’t break any new ground or topple any marketing pillars but the comments left by readers really got the juices flowing and broadened the understanding of what makes advertising work. The conversation became the focal point, not my little post. And that is what social media, especially blogging, is supposed to do.
Unfortunately, I have noticed a great decline in commenting, here at the Fix, at my blog bizsolutionsplus, and at the 40 or so blogs I read. Oh, sure, there are exceptions, but overall we are lucky if two or three comments are left at any one post. So what gives? Are we tired? Are we bored? Are we running out of things to say?
Many of us like to differentiate social media by its conversational aspect. But if I write and you don’t write back, a blog post is no different than a newsletter article. It just lies flat on your screen. When conversation (comments) is missing, often so is the pizzazz, that something special that readers bring to the table that the original writer missed or didn’t know about or didn’t care to discuss. And that comment brings in a whole new audience. And the discussion takes off. Without comments, the discussion’s engines never start, leaving no chance for it to get off the ground.
Where are we with social media? Is it getting old already? Have the one percenters said all they have to say? Has the conversation died before it could even walk? And if there is no conversation, can we still call it social media?

Don’t blame the creatives. They are just as innovative as before. Blame the executives who are out of touch with their customers.
What brings me to write about this? Yesterday, I spent six hours on America’s highways and byways. So bored that I began paying attention to the cars around me. First, I am not a car guy. I drive a 10-year-old Ford because I got a good deal on it. But yesterday, my emotions responded every time I saw a Cadillac. To the point that I announced to my wife that “I want one of those,” and she responded, “I know. You have been saying that for a year.”
Wow! She’s right. Without being conscious of it, Cadillac has gotten under my skin and in my heart. But why? I believe it is because of the auto-maker’s most recent advertising campaign. Here is an example:

But what makes that ad or any of Cadillac’s recent ads grab my attention? Could it be these old but proven techniques?
1. Storytelling.
2. Futuristic show and tell.
3. The use of analogies that everyone can relate to.
4. The selling of different and special.
5. Great views that put me in the car.
6. Charged my imagination to create the potential for a great experience if I buy a Cadillac.
Can’t say for sure because I can’t read my heart. But I suspect I am grabbed because of those things and more. Cadillac has turned on my senses and awakened my emotions. Most marketing doesn’t do that.
What ads touch you and why? Can you see what I see in the Cadillac ads? If you were the advertising/marketing god, what would you change about today’s campaigns, if anything? What would you keep the same?

* * * * *
I’m not an advertising expert by any means but I know a little about marketing, and marketing is at its best when it features storytelling and anticipation that equals surprise. Television used to be a place where those traits were applied in advertising, especially when it came to cars.
Fifty years ago, Chevy ads were the best. I know that because I still remember them, and I am not one to remember what I ate for lunch, let alone 50-year-old ads. Although we were a Ford family in the ’50s, we became a Chevy family because of Dinah Shore and these great ads.
The first is story-telling Broadway style. The seond recalls the days when Americans anticipated the new cars and Detroit kept the styling locked up like nuclear secrets. Note that Dinah and Pat Boone comment in song on the subtleties in the ad and how careful Detroit is about sharing only the briefest of glimpses.
See the USA in Your Chevrolet – Dinah Shore 1952

1959 Chevrolet Impala

I think these ads are effective. Today, with all the wonderful technology and creative applications available, we should be telling and showing even greater stories. But mostly advertising seems to have gotten away from telling stories. Why is that?