An Organization's Metabolism

Anyone who has engaged in any sort of diet knows that your body will slow its metabolism in response to a reduction in calories. And to be successful in losing weight, one has to make a concerted effort to keep the metabolism up.

STAY WITH ME HERE...THIS REALLY DOES HAVE TO DO WITH BUSINESS!

I believe that a company is much like the human body in that it will slow its metabolism in reaction to a reduction in "calories" (in this case "calories" being a metaphor for workload). And I believe that over the past 12 - 18 months, many companies have (without realizing it) slowed their operational metabolism in response reduced workloads...and in response to what was perceived as reduced opportunity. Today, many companies are moving slower, getting less real work done, and perhaps not realizing opportunities when they are presented.

The answer to this systemic low metabolism in organizations is the same as what is done to combat slowed metabolism resulting from a reduced calorie diet...you do things to "kick start" your metabolism. In the health area, you might engage in a vigorous exercise program or take up a hobby that emphasizes activity. An organization can do the same thing...a few examples:
Make a strong effort to reconnect with all of your current and former customers. There may be significant, hidden business there.

• Engage a new market. Most of us have had interest in certain new markets, that while only peripheral to their core markets, may offer great potential.
  
• Launch a new marketing program, integrate it with a complementary sales effort in order to realize maximum return, both short- and long-term.
  
• And perhaps most importantly, emphasize a sense of urgency for all types of activities within your organization. It has been my experience that companies, which encompass an "urgency to finish," are usually the most successful.

So, is Triad practicing what I am preaching here? For the most part, the answer is yes. We have engaged a broad-based organizational improvement program, Triad 3.0, that has resulted in positive change in our company. We're also being very aggressive relative to our new business effort. But perhaps most importantly, we are practicing the "urgency to finish," and for all projects, internal or for clients, I am, personally, pushing us to finish.

This organizational metabolism approach is certainly just a part of an overall improvement effort for any company, but I also believe that without it change is very slow and difficult.

I would really be interested in your thoughts on this subject.

Tom Prikryl

Tweet Tweet

Twitter. There’s no escaping it. From celebrities to teenagers to mentions in Sprint commercials – this strange word is everywhere. I suspect most have heard about it, and a good number have dismissed or made jokes about it, but only a handful really understand how it’s changing the form of communication.

To me, Twitter is exciting. I “follow” the people, companies, gurus, and musicians of my choosing. Since “tweets” (or updates) are limited to 140 characters, I am able to quickly review information from sources I value. I can receive a weather update from the local meteorologist, a quick note about this weekend’s plans from a friend, and the “inside scoop” about a giveaway at my favorite local bakery. I’m able to quickly find out about notable events in my area, and to spread news about a local restaurant who’s decided to call it quits. I truly perceive it as an exclusive information outlet. Links are posted, information is obtained, quick conversations are had, and plans are made.

That might all sound frivolous, but not too long ago, I used Twitter to rant about an email marketing service Triad uses. I wanted something more from their product, and was annoyed it wasn’t already offered. Unbeknownst to me, the company regularly searches Twitter for mentions of their name. Within half an hour, I was contacted by them via Twitter. “Hey Kristin, oddly, [that feature isn’t available]. It's a popular request though, and it'll be possible in a release very soon.”

Not only was I amazed they took the time to do the search and contact me (on my own turf, no less), but two months later, I noticed the update we discussed had been made. I aptly used Twitter to thank them, and even opted to “follow” them (meaning I now see their tweets as soon as they’re posted). Much like a newsletter, their updates are about new services/products they offer and updates to existing services. I can even see answers to questions other users have asked – similar to a FAQ page, if you will. By simply addressing a concern of mine, they’ve now opened a direct line of communication.

I’m not asking you to go and jump on the Twitter bandwagon, but I encourage you to think about how social media might be useful to your company, and more importantly, to your customers. Yes, teens love it. Yes, people use it for silly, narcissistic reasons. But it’s all just a matter of making it applicable to you and your business. Product updates. Quick polls. Contests and event reminders. Company news. Customer service. (And to think it can all be linked back to your website!)

Chances are the audience is there; don’t be afraid to open up the lines of communication and create a following.

For more information on how to get started, here’s a great tutorial: http://tinyurl.com/twittertut.

You can also follow Triad at www.twitter.com/triadb2b

So, What Did Triad Do During The Recession?

It has always been my contention that, to a great extent, the "times" are what you make of them. With that philosophy in mind, it was important to me that Triad Business Marketing move forward...even as the economy was standing still. So, in a nutshell, here were (and still are) the key elements of our recessionary plan:

1. Add new clients, even if billing for these new clients is limited at this point. Expand the range of our clientele. When things do pick up, so will these clients' requirements, and our business will grow significantly.
2. Tighten up our operation internally. Add processes and procedures that would ensure we work more efficiently. This action will ensure that we are ready as an organization to effectively handle a growing volume of work.
3. Work closely with existing clients in developing programs that will effectively integrate sales and marketing activies, ensuring a faster return from their investments in marketing programs.
4. Add to our range of "new media" services. We know that some of the new media (and new media outlets) are going to be important to our clients. What we want to know is what media is going to be most relevant to our clients' customers, and how to do the best possible job in employing that media. To that end, we have reduced the account service load of our Senior Account Executive, Casey Fleming, freeing him up to become even more of an expert in this rapidly changing area. I am confident that Casey's efforts are going to help us offer the best new media choices to our clients.

We're moving forward. Standing still in bad times is for wimps.

OTC or Bust

The 2009 Offshore Technology Conference is just days away and the office is a hive of activity. With several of our clients exhibiting, every corner of our office is showing signs of OTC madness. Our well organized resource room is overflowing with poster tube mailers mimicking aluminum drill pipe. A client’s booth, adorned with enormous images of fasteners, fills the Mojo Lounge. Video screens flicker in dark rooms as Multimedia Director Mike Tackett works his editing magic. And wave after wave of boxes stuffed with freshly printed materials flow in and out on push carts. It’s even rumored that somewhere close by, a brainstorming session is determining the proper name for a shark. Yes…a shark.

My first trip to the Offshore Technology Conference is just days away. And if the last few weeks are any indication, it’s going to be one heck of a show.

B2Beings.

No matter how important the title may sound, Global Executive Vice Presidents of Amalgamated World Products are just people.

They put their shirt on one arm at a time. They probably have a dog or cat. They receive way too many emails. They worry about the Swine Flu. They feel information-overloaded, time-deprived, and the limitations of not knowing everything about everything, like the rest of us.

They’re human beings.

In B2B, listing a product’s features and benefits is easy. Connecting to the decision-maker’s emotional reasons for making a purchase decision isn’t.

But nothing valuable ever is.

It’s good to remember that B2B marketing isn’t really so different from B2C marketing. Our target --- a person --- just has a larger budget to work with.

Now, More Than Ever, Marketing and Sales Should Work Together

I think that it would be a fair assumption to say that the biggest problem facing most businesses today is lower sales revenues. And while you can’t force people (and companies) to buy what they either can’t afford or don’t need, you can combine the forces of marketing and sales for better results. By effectively integrating the marketing and sales functions, a company is better able to uncover viable prospects, make the sales effort both more effective and more efficient, and jump-start sales in niche areas offering significant potential.

One of the fastest, most efficient, and most cost-effective methods for increasing sales volume is a program that combines targeted direct marketing (most often direct mail) with focused sales follow up. Using an example of a company selling a specialized welding tool as an example, here’s how it might work in a perfect world.

1. Sales and marketing jointly agree that a good target market for this tool would be shipbuilders. The defense department is on a ship-buying spree, and a number of new supply boats are going to be required to support a growing offshore drilling industry.
   
2. A program is designed to integrate targeted direct mail with sales follow up, and this program is communicated, even “sold,” to the company’s sales organization.
   
3. Databases are created and populated with the names of people, whose job title and/or job description would indicate that they could be in a position to influence the purchase of this kind of welding equipment.
   
4. Direct mailers are sent to the contacts. At the same time, all contact information is forwarded to the sales groups broken out by their territory (whether sales personnel are direct company employees, independent reps, or work for distributors).
   
5. The direct mailers will encourage the recipients to visit a special microsite on the Web, where they can find more information concerning the welding tool. Once on the microsite, the recipients will be encouraged to register (if only with their email address) in exchange for some sort of benefit (more technical information, a related white paper, a cap, etc.).
   
6. The contact information for those that register on the site is immediately forwarded to the appropriate sales person or sales organization. These contacts are the first priority for follow up. However, all sales personnel are provided with the names and contact information for all who received the mailer(s) in their territory. These contacts, too, should be considered as prospects…albeit lower priority prospects.
   
7. Sales personnel should be required to report back on prospects, particularly those “first priority” contacts who had registered on the site. This level of feedback can be very valuable going forward.
   
8. At any stage of the program until the very end, it can be evaluated based on the number of discrete visits to the microsite, people who registered, and sales calls made. Ultimately, a program of this nature is evaluated based on the amount of revenue generated.

It should also be noted that a program such as this should be regularly reviewed relative to its effectiveness, with in-depth discussions as to why or why not it is or is not generating the expected response. At that point, adjustments can be made, including the overall messaging, the offering, the amount of detail offered, and the payoff for the recipient.

There are a number of other ways sales and marketing can work together in a coordinated effort to boost sales, near-, mid-, and long-term. And perhaps the real point is that whatever type of program one engages, a real objective should be to merge the sales and marketing efforts for maximum effect and effectiveness.

THAT'S ONE OF THE KEY WAYS YOU WIN!

Social networking. The real kind.

Technology is wonderful.

Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have received the recent invitation to the Dallas Ad League’s Happy Hour where getting together is “Still a great social networking phenomenon.”
That’s really what it’s all about, isn’t it? Social networking with people. In person. The kind that involves chips and salsa. Margaritas. And face-to-face conversation.

I’m LinkedIn. I’ve attempted to Twitter. But I believe I’ll make more of an effort to network, socially, where the replies are instantaneous, and a greeting is a smile and a handshake.

The chips and salsa thing isn’t bad, either.