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Edelman Digital: When Is Your Website A Community?

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One of the pet projects I've taken on since joining Edelman has been taking over the responsibilities of the "website", a project that as many professional services firms can relate to began to head down the path of the "cobblers children". One of the first things I was empowered to do was to hire a resource dedicated to this property—this was probably one of the more innovative moves on the initiatives since the property isn't a content destination nor a product platform. It does however allows us to be content publishers, facilitators and provides us with the flexibility to integrate 3rd party platforms (Foursquare will tell you who has checked into a local office for example).

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Having found the perfect community manager (Suzanne Marlatt), who acts as part curator, editor, blogger, and developer, we began to streamline efforts on the property to move it forward along our vision. Suzanne (below) and I both half jokingly describe this vision as a "Mashable for marketing", but that underscores our determination to not only create but maintain a valuable experience to the users who will subscribe and participate here.

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The site is ... read more >>
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You Can't Save Your Way Into More Sales

In response to the tough economic challenges of 2009, most sales organizations ruthlessly slashed all unnecessary expenses from their budgets. Annual sales meetings were cancelled, training was delayed, travel curtailed and hiring postponed.

But what happens after you've squeezed every bit of fat out of the budget?

It's time to focus on growth again. That's the only viable option for companies who want to be around for the long haul.

Instead, I see the opposite happening. Companies are refusing to spend money to upgrade the knowledge and skills of their salespeople - when, in fact, that might be their only salvation.

Recently I spoke with Larry, the senior VP of sales for a technology-driven company. Last year was a brutal year for his dealers-orders were... read more >>

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Trust Quotes #3: Dr. Eric Uslaner on the Nature of Trust

My guess is not many TrustMatters blog readers recognize the name Eric Uslaner. Nevertheless, it would be hard to overstate his importance in the field of trust. Dr. Deborah Nixon, a trust academic herself, says, “Uslaner is arguably the leading academic in the field.”

A professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, Eric is the author of The Moral Foundations of Trust: in my opinion, a superb work. There’s more, much more, but you can get it at his website.

Now, let’s talk trust.

CHG: Dr. Uslaner, thanks so much for taking the time to be with us. I’m delighted to be able to share a taste of your work with TrustMatters readers.

Let’s start with something deceptively simple: what is trust?

EMU: There isn’t one concept of trust. Most of the time we talk about trusting someone to do something specific—do I trust my doctor to take care of my health? I don’t ask if he can be trusted to paint my house.

But there is also a form of trust that doesn’t depend upon evidence or experience—what I call “moralistic trust.” This is the belief that we can trust people whom we don’t know and who may be different from ourselves. This is the sort of trust that ... read more >>

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5 Tips to Successfully Managing Gen Y

I put this video together on the fly for Sydney Owen and the rest of theSX Gen Y team who will be presenting their panel discussion on “Why Gen Y Wants to Work ‘With’ You, Not ‘For’ You,” at South by Southwest on Monday, March 15th.

Since I did the video in one take during my lunch break last Friday afternoon I didn’t really think much about what I was going to say. I really just let it spill off the tongue, and the result when I re-watched the video was that I don’t think Gen Y is all that different from other generations. I genuinely believe most employees would appreciate their managers taking these 5 things into consideration:

If you’re a member of Generation Y do you find that these things apply to you? If you’re an older employee how do these tips stack up in terms of importance for you? Finally, are Gen Y employees really all that different from their elders?

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'Sales Process' Is In The Air

There is a lot written about the sales process these days:
  • Dave Brock has written several pieces on the sales process recently. He now has launched an initiative to get some new thinking on the subject by asking “What's the Future of Buying”.
  • I have seen several contributions by Sharon Drew Morgen, besides her new book 'Dirty little Secrets...', reminding us that we should stop talking about selling and trying to understand to the extent possible how people and organizations buy.
  • Ardath Albee in her book “eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sales” proposes a marketing flavored look on the buyer's journey. A particularity of her model is that it does not imply a linear process as most others do.
  • Axel Schultze wrote in a recent blog post that our sales processes are old and suck.
  • There is a Discussion going on on LinkedIn for several weeks now about what the right steps of a sales process are.
  • Sales 2.0 Network now offers Dealmaker Genius helping to design your sales process in 15 minutes for free.
  • Landslide has a similar ...
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Doubling Sales Productivity — Be Prepared!

Improving sales productivity is the Holy Grail of all sales professionals, executives, Sale 2.0 solution providers and every sales consultant.  We look for all sorts of tools and mechanisms to improve productivity.    Sometimes, it becomes very gimmicky.  Maybe we are making it too complicated.

I was apalled in reading IDC’s Sales Enablement Service’s recent survey of IT Buyers.  In this survey, 54% of IT Buyers said sales people were unprepared for their initial customer meetings.  For those seeking a silver lining, the 2010 survey indicated 54% were unprepared versus 57% for the 2009 survey.  Nothing to be proud of. 

While I don’t have the data, my experience indicates this probably extends far beyond IT Buyers to buyers in all disciplines.  Our own research, not just limited to the initial meeting, indicates that sales people tend to make 2-5 times more calls than necessary to close a deal.  A key finding in this research is they did not prepare or plan adequately for the call.

Why prepare?  Most sales people I meet are very bright, they are nimble and fast, why not continue to shoot from their lips?

I ...

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Twitter and Politics: Friends or Foes?

If you can believe it, we are rapidly approaching the 1 ½ year “anniversary” of the election of Barack Obama as the President of the United States. This event was historic and monumental on many different levels and not the least of which is how candidate Obama utilized social media to get into office.

Now, before I get started here please relax and understand that this is not a political post. It is more about a lesson about how social media can be a real double-edged sword. Why? Well, I have heard more than one social media “expert” express disappointment in the President’s relative abandonment of the medium after he was elected. I have postulated elsewhere that he may have actually set back the usage of social media for political advantage. Why? It’s a matter of trust and many feel it was violated to some degree. If you feel the urge to argue this please leave me out. I am just parroting what I have heard more than once. So you know where I stand personally, I am not a trusting sort of any politician at any time of any party.

Fox News reports on the uptick in social media usage by the White House

Blending behind-the-scenes nuggets with a defense of ...

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Five Powers of Coaching

Spiderman, Wonder Woman and Superman all had super powers; they had special skills that allowed them to be super heroes.

Bulls EyeThey had great powers given to them at birth that made them special. Generally speaking, they didn’t have to develop those powers, they just had them. We too were born with tremendous skills, but unlike like our comic book and big screen heroes, we have to work to understand and develop those powers.

Because they are fictional characters, it might seem easier for them. We on the other hand can’t become “Super”, “Outstanding” or even “Remarkable” in any phase of our lives, as speakers, teachers, parents, singers, ballplayers, < insert="" anything="" you="" want="">, or leaders without help or coaching.

Our “Super Powers” can only develop with help; to reach our potential we can’t do it ourselves. Here are five powers coaching gives you to help you unleash your own potential and become the best you can be. You might even say they could be your super powers.

The Power of Focus. Having a coach can help you stay focused. Great coaches will help you determine your goals (or understand them if they already exist), and then help you stay focused on ... read more >>

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Creating Resonation Points in Your Customer: Six Sales Tips to Sell More

 I have a stunning admission to make: I sing in the shower.

There. I said it. I'm a shower singer: Billie Jean; Fly Me to the Moon; The second movement of Brahms' German Requiem; Single Ladies; Birthday Sex; Macarena...they're all in my shower repertoire. Our dog LuLu loves it. My wife? Not so much.

One thing I enjoy about singing in my shower is the standing waves you hit on certain pitches that double or triple the volume of that pitch. If you start with a low pitch and gradually sing to a higher pitch (like a siren going from low to high), you'll discover one note that seems to boom forth within the room. This pitch resonates because of the acoustic properties of the room relative to the wavelength of the actual tone you are singing. We'll call this a resonance point.

But enough about acoustics. How does this apply to selling?

As salespeople, we love to talk. Some would say salespeople talk too much. Much of what we have to say, though, passes in one ear of our customers and out the other ear.

Customers are like diners at a buffet restaurant: they can't eat everything, so they ignore the dishes that don't inspire them and seek out those that do. There's just ...

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Do You Trust the Taxi-Driver? Or Not?

I spent last week in Denmark, 40 miles outside of Copenhagen. While nearly every Dane speaks near-perfect English, I of course stand out as an American.

I took a taxi from a resort hotel venue to the local train station. The fare was 70 kroner (about 15 dollars). I gave the driver a 200-kroner note. He gave me back 30 kroner change.

So here’s the question: If it were you in that situation, what would you instantly assume about what is going on?

Trusting vs. Being Trustworthy

Much of what we usually talk about on Trust Matters is trustworthiness, as opposed to trusting. They are not the same thing; in fact they are quite distinct. 

 The ability to trust strangers (as will be described in this week’s Trust Quotes interview ... read more >>

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Millennials Fuel a Social Media Future

In the workplace, every generation swears to their superiority over the current crop.

For instance, twenty somethings have gotten an unkind professional rap about their work ethic, motivation and sense of entitlement. It may be a well deserved stereotype, yet I simply don’t have enough experience managing the “Millennial Generation” to cast such a sweeping conclusion.

What I do know is that when it comes to social media this current incarnation of young professionals thinks differently from those who have a bit more mileage on the resume. I’ve had to learn social media through rapid-fire engagement, and then retrofit it to a set of practices and processes ingrained over two decades.

In comparison, my more youthful colleagues spent their formative educational years online, in social networks, and battling it out in Xbox and Playstation virtual realities. This social media comfort has translated well into the current marketing landscape defined by the ongoing shift of influence from traditional sources of credibility to online communities.

I’ve included below an anecdote shared with me this past week by one of Strategic Communications Group’s (Strategic) hotshot Gen ... read more >>
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Random Thoughts... We Still Live in Glass Houses

We all live in glass houses
So when you throw that stone—and you will, don't be surprised when you are picking up the pieces of your own house as it shatters around you.

Build something
You'll be happier, healthier and wiser if at the end of the day, month or year if you've built something of value. If it helps others to be better—bonus.

Don't give up
Even when you really, really want to throw in the towel. Fight as if you're fighting for your life. Maybe in some ways, you really are.

Hit it hard
If you're going to do something, go at it with everything you've got.

Fail
Words such as these won't stop you from failing and falling short on a daily basis. If you aren't, then you're not really living.

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