Management Today has some excellent tips this month using a boxing theme.  Some good advice here…

1. Be resilient and retain the the desire to succeed
The boxer is characterised by a drive to complete and win many rounds of punishment. The boxer also has to demonstrate huge commitment to training, which is driven by desire – this in turn is based on a personal ambition that is nurtured and encouraged over many years and pushes an individual to go beyond the normal boundaries of performance. (One of the reasons sport is probably a good vehicle for testing desire is that it engages the emotions in a way that business sometimes fails to do for many people.) 

2. Develop passion to inspire genius
To be a true genius, people must have heart; geniuses possess a passion that makes them do extraordinary things. How can we expect people to raise their games if they are not inspired by what is happening to them in the workplace? Therefore, senior managers and business owners need to understand what makes people tick – their core values and beliefs, for example. Emotional intelligence teaches us to be self-aware so that we can appreciate what drives our people.

3. Be positive and address situations
A positive mental attitude is built around a self-belief that makes you a winner whatever the circumstances. It always seeks a solution to problematic situations; it does not lay blame to others and rarely looks backwards, accepting what has happened and building on it. In business, management often spend too much time investigating why they find themselves in a predicament, and too little time addressing the situation.  

4. Bring out the charisma
One of the key elements of leaders operating in team-based environments is charisma. Charisma can be interpreted as the personal character that attracts and engages followers. This can take many different forms; even if leaders aren’t overtly charismatic, they can earn the respect of their followers by their undying commitment.

5. Be inspirational through good times and bad
In a team environment, inspiration is the leader’s ability to transfer all of their relevant personal characteristics to the rest of the team. The leader uses his charisma to inspire the other team players to push their own boundaries. If the team has the right people, the leader should be able to inspire people to push their personal performance limits when they probably least want to, when the pressure is on.

6. Banish your ego
Ego is one of the key reasons for an individual failing to succeed. Ego stops an individual from learning and developing the attributes to succeed in the long term; it makes them think they are better than they actually are. Boxing is ideal for removing the ego, as a lack of awareness of your personal weaknesses can have painful repercussions.

7. Take the knocks – and get back up
The boxer’s road is long and lonely. Coaches are a great help, but a huge percentage of drive is personal. When things are not going well, the easiest route is to pull out and give in. A special character is needed to get up seven times after being knocked down six times (as demonstrated by Rocky). In the ring, the pressure pushes the individual forward. But self motivation is key to personal development when there is no pressure to succeed. Drive is the ability to channel energy in the required direction; it ensures the individual focuses on the end result and does not lose sight of the objectives to be achieved.

8. Be confident that you can drive change
Self-confidence is different from ego, in that it encourages learning and does not think that the individual is ‘too good’ to improve. The boxer needs self-confidence to make the other elements work. The business leader needs to believe that he or she can make a difference and alter the path that the organisation is taking. One of the biggest obstacles to decision-making is the fear of making a mistake. In business, leaders are great at hiding their fear and disguising it in different ways. In boxing, fear leads to indecision which means you will lose. Something needs to be done.

9. Hone your inner strength to maintain your will to win
Many people feel the boxer’s strength is their physical attributes. However, the very best boxers’ key attribute is their inner strength. The physical body is likely to give in quite early on in proceedings, depending on the level of training. However, there are numerous instances when the biggest and most physical boxer has failed to win against a physically weaker opponent. Inner strength drives determination and a will to win.

10. Push yourself – mentally and physically
Boxing involves the greatest integration between the mind and body. Leaders need to explore how far they can push their physical being, and in doing so develop their mental strength. Physical training that pushes the individual beyond their boundaries tests their determination and mental will to progress.

Professor Rakesh Sondhi  is the author of Business Improvement for Learning and Transformation, and Total Strategy.

Submitted by Sarah Clark on January 8, 2010 – 2:15 pm 
More than half of Christmas shoppers looked for green credentials when choosing online retailers, according to research released by web host 1&1 Internet.

The survey of 1,500 consumers found that 59% are more likely to buy if a retailer uses eco-friendly practices such as recycling and using renewable energy. The data also reveals that one in four consumers now expect retailers to use eco-friendly services across their operation, as well as recycling and reducing physical waste.

The use of renewable electricity to power their website is viewed as being as important as is using less polluting vehicles, and the survey also revealed that 37% of Britons now expect online retailers to be reducing their environmental impact to the same degree as high-street stores.

1&1’s Greener Shopping Survey found that most Christmas shoppers consider the environment impact of their purchases. Over half of consumers (59%) now consider a retailer’s use of ‘green’ practices within their buying decision, and nearly three quarters (72%) believe that online retailers have a responsibility to act. Whilst 37% of shoppers expect online retailers to tackle the issue to the same degree as high street stores, one in five say they are more likely to buy from a retailer that explains its carbon usage on its website.

Consumers now expect online stores to adopt a wide range of environmentally responsible practices. As well as the more obvious efforts such as recycled packaging (44%) and reduced packaging (43%), and eco friendly vehicles (24%), one in four (24%) of online shoppers seek retailers who use green services such as renewable electricity across their operation. A quarter are more likely to buy from a retailer which powers its servers with renewable energy, the same proportion that look for the use of eco-friendly vehicles. The use of renewable energy by online retailers is seen by 20 percent of shoppers as equal in importance to the use of recycled packaging.

“As more of us think about our personal impact on the environment, there has been a surge in demand for greener practices in retail,” says Oliver Mauss, CEO of 1&1 Internet. “A significant proportion of British consumers now expect all types of retailer to power their operations with renewable energy, and for online stores that should start with their website”.

Some shoppers are struggling with ‘eco-guilt’, the survey found, with one in 10 Britons admitting to weighing-up the environmental cost of each online purchase they make. Levels of guilt on the issue were highest in London (13%) and lowest in Yorkshire (3%).

“Green IT is no longer just a concern for multinational retailers,” added Mauss. “By implementing more eco-friendly technologies such as green-hosting, smart retailers of any size can demonstrate their effort to lower environmental impact and can bolster customer loyalty and spend in doing so”.

Date: 20-Nov-09  

Great article on Management Today but they forgot a few key points – so I commented on their website – see below

When budgets are tight, lead generation needs be done even more carefully. Here are ten top tips.

We’re still in recession, so companies are naturally being cautious. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the business isn’t out there; it just means that finding it requires a highly targeted approach. MT asked Liz Jackson of Great Guns Marketing for her top tips:

1. Define your customer
I would never advocate limiting opportunities in any way, but before you start any kind of communication with sales prospects, it is essential to define the profile of your ideal customer. Do this by analysing your current customers, based on how much profit you make from them. Most companies discover that 80% of their profit comes from 20% of their customers. If you can replicate that 20% of your customers, then you can double your profit whilst only increasing your workload by 20%. Profile those 20% of profitable clients and then use that profile to search for new prospects. Once you have done that, then you can go ahead and start building a database of relevant contacts.
Talk to one of the many prospect list providers and find one that can provide you with a list to match your ideal prospect as closely as possible. There are around 3.5m companies in the UK, many more if you are selling internationally. You need a provider who can hone that list down to the few thousand prospects with whom you would have a meaningful discussion about what you can provide. These will be the companies that get close to your profile, and where the benefits of your product/service can address their business pressures.

3. Maintain your database
Once you have your prospect database set up, it is vital that you continually maintain and enhance your data. Executives in companies regularly change roles or go to other companies, companies sometimes move or go out of business – there are many reasons for your prospect list to go out of date relatively quickly. You need to keep your data up to date as much as you can.

4. Don’t forget your existing customers
When going through the whole building/ cleansing process, it is essential that you don’t forget your existing customers. Current clients are far more inclined to buy from you than new ones so every effort should be made to ensure they are included within your lead generation stream. All too often the emphasis is placed on the hot new leads and the existing contacts are forgotten, so don’t fall into that trap!

5. Carefully plan your approach
Once your database has been either set up or cleansed, it’s time to start planning those all-important approaches. To achieve the most targeted approach possible, it is essential to create a critical path. It’s no use just calling people here, there and everywhere; you need a considered timescale detailing who you’re going to contact, when and how. With the details plotted, there is no danger of over-contacting some people and never contacting others. It is essential that this is then used as a live record of your approaches that everyone can access.

6. Mix and match communication
With your plan in place, it’s time to start thinking about the tools of the trade. The most proactive approach to contact your prospects is by telephone. That’s the only real way to answer objections there and then. For maximum success though, you need to use a range of marketing techniques and approaches all nicely coordinated to take your prospect on a journey from ‘I haven’t spoken to you before’ to ‘Yes, I’d like to sign an order’.

7. Tell them a story
Before initiating contact, make sure you are 100% sure of what you want to say and how. Create a list of the five key points that you want to communicate and make sure you are clear on what you want the recipient to take away from it at the end of it. You need to clearly understand and clearly communicate the benefits of your service or product in a compelling way that clearly addresses the prospects’ business pressures. Recent research indicates that the most common business pressures these days are ‘I want to save money’, ‘I want to save time’ and ‘I want more revenue’. If your benefits address one or more of those, you’re probably on to a winner.

8. Define your goals
Be clear on exactly what you want to achieve before you set out. How will you define and measure your success – is it by the number of new leads, the value of the new business or perhaps the quality of the contacts? It is essential that you outline these requirements before any approaches are made to ensure there is no mismatch in expectation versus achievements. Reward yourself when you achieve those goals! Everyone is motivated by success so make the most of it.

9. Approach, approach, approach
With all the plans and objectives in place, it is time to start contacting prospects. When it comes to the actual contact itself, you need to ensure each time that you are building up the aforementioned story, adding new layers as you go. With every phone call or e-shot, you need a message that adds to what you said previously, increasing your company’s credibility, building confidence and therefore developing your relationship with the contact in question. Collect as much information as you can as you contact your prospects. Use this to develop your database and continually enhance your targeting.

10. Have a backup plan
If things don’t look like they’re going your way, it’s time to wheel out the backup plan. Lead generation is not an exact science; there are a number of tacks to try. You just have to pull out all the stops to make sure your bases are covered.

Liz Jackson is the founder and managing director of Great Guns Marketing. Any more to add? Please do so below. All Comments

 Gaye Spencer 23-Nov-09, 14:24

These are all great points. In today’s Googling economy , it is vital to ensure potential sales leads have actually heard of your company first. This could be through media coverage or even better customer endorsement in their trade and local media. Endorsement in the media is more believable than company “vision” on a website. What’s more it will be more credible to potential sales leads and a key aid to building trust.

I also think it’s important to make the marketing budget work harder and so advocate making cross-selling to existing customers a key priority. By informing existing customers of the full range of services offered \(and maybe offer special loyalty discounts/rewards) and making this a separate activity to happen at the start, it will be a quick win. Thus more orders and requests will quickly appear giving space for the longer lead generation approach to roll out.

Gaye Spencer, GSPR Marketing Communications

In these days when everyone googles the companies they want to do business with, what do people  read?  Is it the carefully prepared information written on the company website or the articles published in their trade press?  What would you rather believe what the media says about a company or what the company itself says?

TO HELP GAIN CREDIBILITY I RECOMMEND OUR TOP TIPS FOR MEDIA SUCCESS

WHO TO CONTACT?
Start by identifying and reviewing the press you want to target – trade press, local press, small business press etc,  and ensure your story is relevant to each.  Find the correct contact details of the news editor; phone them if you’re not sure. Understand what deadlines they work to.

LENGTH AND STYLE
Keep it short and sweet – 300 words or 1 page of A4 in 1.5 line spacing, with wide margins. Use short sentences and lots of paragraphs.  Think of a typical reader and picture them and only give information he would find interesting. Keep it factual and relevant. Remember it’s not a sales pitch. Avoid flannel. Use the language of the magazine and avoid jargon.

SANITY CHECK
Can it be quickly scanned to get the gist of the story? If you can say “So what” upon reading it, try again to make it more relevant and hard hitting.

Then try to stick by these guidelines for success:
1. EMAIL SUBJECT LINE – When sending your releases by email ensure the emails get  opened by using a shorter, pithy version of your headline
2. Write ‘NEWS RELEASE’ across the top of the page or at the top of the email. Print the release on letterhead paper if sending by post or faxing.  Remember to date it.
3. Always include clear contact details, phone numbers and email, at the bottom of the release – and be available should an editor call
4. Dream up an interesting headline – grab the eye and make the editor read on
5. Answer the who, where, what, how and why questions – all the key points – in a brief opening paragraph.  You may need to tailor this to make it relevant to different press ie local press or trade press will have different interests
6. Linking your story to topical news, trends, events or themes that your media is following can  increase your chances of getting into print. Try to find a topical angle to make the story  relevant
7. Always include a powerful quote from a customer to add credibility and build your brand. Endorsements like this help to build credibility. Ensure the name and job title of the person you are quoting is correct and clear ie
“We’re delighted with the quality of the work and project has gone without a hitch”, said Gaye Spencer of GSPR Marketing Communications.
Make additional paragraphs short and ensure the information is vital to the story
8. Double your chances of your story being used – attach an interesting and relevant picture, cartoon, drawing or logo  – normally as a jpeg with not less than 300 dpi resolution
9. Follow up by phone to check the right person has received it and whether they want any more information
10. FINALLY – Have another person check whether the piece is interesting, in the right style, and grammatically and factually correct with no spelling errors, before you send it off.

Too often in a recession it’s the marketing budget that’s first to go. It’s almost a knee jerk reaction for most companies, who view marketing as an expense and not an investment. Despite numerous research reports (like the latest McKinsey one) proving that companies that axe marketing budgets in a recession have either failed or significantly underperformed, most don’t have the nerve or vision to read ‘downturn’ as ‘opportunity’.

So now is NOT the time to disappear from view.  When you really need to stay visible to customers and prospects, re-focusing resources on a sensible PR and communication programme can help to get your business noticed and keep your services front of mind. It’s cost effective and above all an opportunity for smaller companies to raise their profile and punch above their weight.

The key is staying focussed and spending wisely. Here are some practical pointers to what you can do to get your business noticed while others are cutting back:

UNDERSTAND YOUR PROSPECTS

These might be sectors you are already selling to, or new sectors that you haven’t tried before. Determine what’s driving them, the areas where you can add value and shape your offering accordingly.
It’s obvious really but frequently overlooked. Successful companies really know their customers (Think Tesco’s or Amazon). Poor understanding, by contrast, equates to lost opportunities or messages that simply fail to resonate.  At the same time monitor what your competitors are up to – this too can provide ideas.

STAY VISIBLE

Getting your business noticed and keeping your products and services front of mind are crucial. Focus on the print and online media that reflect the audiences you are trying to reach – which websites do your customers/prospects visit and rate?  Which trade media do they read?  If you are marketing locally which business publications and business sections of local papers are there? Be clear about the decision maker you are targetting – the Financial Director, the Operations Director or perhaps the owner manager?  Who influences the decision to choose your products or services?  Understanding your customers and the media they read, can help you reach them.

ISSUE YOUR OWN RELEASES

Think about special offers you could extend to readers of your local paper or a sector of your prospects and issue a release to the local or trade press.  By regularly issuing news stories about your services and offerings to these websites and media you’ve got a greater chance of them being used and raising your profile.  As well as incentives and offfers you can publicise how you’ve helped your customers in contract wins and successes.

Use current events as an opportunity to write for the letters page or to offer opinion or comment on issues of the moment – GET YOURSELF HEARD – it’s not as hard or as costly as advertising and it will carry more credibility!

Use directories – get listed in print & online product & service directories – many are free or low cost.

MAXIMISE SUCCESS & BUILD CREDIBILITY

In a recession customers need assurance they’re doing the right thing.  So build your credibility and their confidence by putting out information that validates your offering.  Remember endorsement by your customers or media saying what a great job you’ve done or how whizzy your products are will be believed far more than what you say about yourselves.  So when adding material think about testimonials eg:

·       Short case studies on the customers you’ve benefited with      quotes

·       Reviews and awards

How?  By putting quotes in proposals, customer letters and in the press. Highlight them on your web site. Send case studies with a relevant topical twist to local and vertical media.

Then capture the coverage you receive – share it with prospects and display it prominently in your web and e-marketing.

WORK YOUR EXISTING CUSTOMERS / KEEP IN TOUCH
Getting new customers on board is important, but focusing on your existing customers, those with whom you have already done business, will pay dividends.  Keep your company visible and front of mind as they are far more likely to choose a company they know than one they don’t.

Keep them updated with what you are doing – personal email or letter works best. Offer special incentives for repeat business. Sharing your knowledge and expertise will help to increase your value to them.

WEBSITE
Get your web site up to scratch. Ensure it’s updated, current and dynamic with compelling propositions for the audiences you are targeting. Include customer endorsements and case studies. Make it crystal clear what you’re offering is, how you do business and how to contact you. Above all make your site easy to find and reference your website in all communications.

For more ideas please call us on 01635 569992.

And the laggards? There are two types. Companies in the first group have simply failed to pay much attention to CSR; they risk being attacked as “late adopters”. Those in the second group, more cynically, think they can afford to ignore CSR, at least for now. Perhaps they are in an industry with a low profile, or operate in countries where scrutiny is minimal. They do not mind being viewed as freeloaders by competitors who spend time and money on trying to be good corporate citizens. Over time, though, this could also be risky if they find themselves subject to greater scrutiny or miss out on opportunities.

Doing what comes naturally  One way of looking at CSR is that it is part of what businesses need to do to keep up with (or, if possible, stay slightly ahead of) society’s fast-changing expectations. It is an aspect of taking care of a company’s reputation, managing its risks and gaining a competitive edge. This is what good managers ought to do anyway. Doing it well may simply involve a clearer focus and greater effort than in the past, because information now spreads much more quickly and companies feel the heat.

So paying attention to CSR can amount to enlightened self-interest, something that over time will help to sustain profits for shareholders. The truly responsible business never loses sight of the commercial imperative. It is, after all, by staying in business and providing products and services people want that firms do most good. If ignoring CSR is risky, ignoring what makes business sense is a certain route to failure.

…

So  dont just have a policy, publisise it. GCS

“How entwined is your business with your offerings? Does your mission statement read more like a product catalogue? Mono-trick pony outfits in particular tend to focus on their offering rather than the customer experience.
I propose that in an on-demand, real-time, Darwinian, agile, Web 2.0 world, becoming too closely associated with your offering is a dangerous thing.
Smart companies are braced to have a refreshed set of offerings should conditions change. Those that insist on product orientation – or even service orientation – may as well issue their staff with market-sensitive self-destruct employment contracts.
As an investor warning, it may become law that such companies suffix their incorporation status to denote the associated risk. Acme plc (temporary) or Widgit Inc (transitory) will become the norm.
I suggest an experience-oriented approach. In other words your marketing message will focus on the nature of the customer’s encounter with your organisation, whether that be easy, quick or luxurious.
The assumption is that your core offering, whatever it might be, is as good if not better than your competitor’s. The reason for choosing your organisation is for the uniquely positive experience that you will provide in the course of delivery.
Most “front of house” staff realise this. Unfortunately, many back-office staff do not. There is an experience step-change for customers who, having been charmed by the sales team, are treated brusquely by the accounts department when querying an invoice.
At board level, CIOs are encouraged to be more experience-oriented in respect of customers, users and boardroom colleagues. The key question is how can CIOs improve the perception these stakeholders have of their department? This may seem far-fetched, but job number one for the CIO is brand management. Service levels, governance, security and other high profile matters will all be seen in the context of the IT function’s reputation.
But many of us need to woo and retain customers. In a time-starved, self-centred, affluenza-ridden world the customer wants it all and wants it now. Those that recognise that IT will increasingly underpin the customer experience are likely to attract shareholders who are similarly seeking a positive experience.” ¦Ade McCormack (ade@auridian.com) is founder of Auridian (www.auridian.com)

Like most experienced PRs, I’ve always relied on my judgement in choosing the right words to get clients’ messages across. What came out of the programme was that the language used to reach professional audiences is far from the best for communication with a wider public.

The programme talks about new research into the English used everyday by people throughout the UK.  Using the data collected as a benchmark, it’s now possible for PR companies to speak to people in the language they use themselves.  It seemed logical to me, but there’s more to PR than pure logic.  What do you think?

The programme is at:http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/routes_doyouknowwhat.shtml – don’t give up when Melvyn goes on about Anglo-Saxon, it gets better after that. The company that does the language analysis is at www.optimum-uk.com

You’re half way through your campaign to raise your profile and this story is the high point.

You’ve already described to your PR Consultant the Decision Makers you want to inform and the Influencers you want to sway.  She has made progress with the 10 most relevant target media (both on-line and off-line).

The script of compelling reasons why this story is better than the last has been practiced.  You’ve persuaded her that a pressured, time poor, cynical journalist will want to know more about your story.

So now she’s ready to go – it’s a Wednesday morning, 10.30 – the perfect time to sell in, when the journos should just be sipping their morning coffee.  Bingo – you think – what could possibly go wrong now?

Nothing, if you are confident your Reputation is as squeaky clean and polished as your story.  If you are a great employer, your business practices are transparent and your products and services patently trustworthy and offering value for money, you should be on the home straight.  Read no further.

But organisations that do not believe in ethical business practices - prefering poor staff retention, unusual HR policies, questionable green practices, no plans for carbon offsetting, late payment schedules, unhappy supplier relationships, “sharp” business practices and frequent recourse to lawyers should beware. Sustained, positive media relations can work wonders – but not miracles.  Journalists are not fools and people talk.  Perceptions are real and reputations powerful.  While the power of PR is strong, it is there to hold a amplify positive messages – not act as a front to unsound business practices.

Watch this space for more information