Do you work for any luxury brands? Frequently these (or aspiring luxury brands) suffer in an economic turn-down.
Here is a fabulous idea that you may want to suggest to your clients as a way of encouraging new revenue streams during a recession…start a business to rent or hire out your luxury goods. PSFK write about it.
Thanks to Jeremiah's post on OpenSocial
Important Concept: Distributed
Web Marketing no longer is limited to your corporate site. Let go of
the concept of ‘driving traffic to your website’ as a sole measurement
of success. The web, it’s message, and your battles are now fought on
the open and distributed web. Trusted decisions between prospects and
customers are made on these social communities and networks, savvy
executives need to go there.
Until I'd visited a few places where the webby types hang out and talk, I didn't really believe that it was possible that we might be moving into a new era where this becomes the dominant force behind marketing communications. But, I really think that this is a possible probable future. For us all.
Here are a wide list of places where you should check out your brand - where it is probably being represented, either by you, your competitors, your customers and your prospects. They will talk without your intermediation, without your 'campaigns', and without your having any influence over it at all.
Some PR firms are now offering online 'evaluation' services. This may be a very nice sideline for you to monitor online opinions about your brand, and you may consider it worthwhile buying. My friend Erwin Cardol at LogicaCMG is getting it set up now.
But my view is that the bottom line on your online PR profile, is the underlying honesty of your organisation and the quality of your product set. Get those two things right and you shouldn't have many problems with bad publicity.
PS Check out GetSatisfaction - customer service provided by the customers for the customers. Neat!
Just going through the multitude of postcards, gifts and flyers in the nice Adobe canvas bag they give all registrants [it'll be useful for shopping when I get home!].
Made to Stick - book by Chip Heath and Dan Heath - going back to Dickens - a book available to buy chapter by chapter :-)
Batchbook - a slimplified online database, communications and task management tool. It suggests that small businesses will like it… nice pricing structure with free use for <200 contacts.. and I liked the names of each price levelfrom baby blue through to deep blue and indigo for top functionality! The card offers a three month free promotion…. code is supersxsw and this is good until 1 May 2008. Tell me if you decide to use it!
But only in the USA….
I’ve long regretted that some cafes that I frequent don’t offer wifi….I’d go there a whole load more often and stay longer if this were more freely available. Starbucks make you pay £5 for an hour’s surfing with T-Mobile. I once paid it because we needed the connection for a meeting. But boy did I resent it.
Rachel Clarke and iI were talking the other day about the need for a London mashup map of venues with free wifi. Anyone know if there’s one out there?
If you are selling enterprise software, here’s a book that you have to read. My book review is here on Amazon UK
I have been speaking to Mike Barlow, the author and helping him promote the book over here in Europe. Here’s part of an interview he gave to the SAS Institute blogs page
Information technology already surrounds us. It has achieved ubiquity. Like indoor plumbing and central heating, IT is now universally accepted and expected. It’s not going away. Over the next three decades, IT will become so thoroughly woven into our lives that the boundaries between biology and IT will become essentially meaningless. Barring some worldwide cataclysm, the demand for IT will continue rising for the rest of the 21st century.
So why aren’t IT suppliers jumping for joy? Because their lives are harder than ever! Despite rising demand, it’s more difficult to sell IT products and services than ever before. Here are two primary reasons for the sense of discomfort felt by IT suppliers:
1. Unyielding downward pressure on pricing.
2. Steadily increasing expectations.Put those two reasons together and you get an environment that makes selling downright difficult. Even as demand skyrockets, IT has become a buyer’s market. There’s a third reason for the pain experienced by IT suppliers. This third reason is far more complex than the first two, and that’s why we devoted most of our book to examining it.
Here it is:3. A fundamental disconnect has occurred between the IT supplier community and the IT consumer community.
We’re not exactly sure when the gap became visible, but it’s been widening steadily for about the past 15 years. Far from “crossing the chasm,” many IT suppliers have actually been digging themselves into a deeper hole.
I have been helped with contacts from Scot and Val - thanks guys!
Reading last week’s Marketing magazine…. p 17. Preview of a Haymarket conference “B2B Marketing Success” ends with the quote from Joe Thomas
“Marketers must ensure that their product offering is relevant to the target audience, but would also do well to remember the power of creativity - B2B marketing doesn’t have to be boring.”
FFS. Those of us in B2B work very hard to remain creative and relevant to our audiences.
Who does he think he is…..
Naff off, ignoramus.
We all have the odd client who could loosely be described as ‘difficult’. In fact sometimes you find your life gets dominated by a client whose behaviours are inappropriate, demanding and just make it a bad time to work with them.
I call people like this ‘energy-takers’. In any relationship you should find that there is a free exchange of energy between the parties. In a normal situation this is a balanced give and take. This works for both friendships, colleagues, romantic partners and business partnerships. James Redfield describes this very clearly in his book “The Celestine Prophecy“.
Here is what he says in the Fourth Insight
THE FOURTH INSIGHT . . . THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER
Too often humans cut themselves off from the greater source of this energy and so feel weak and insecure. To gain energy we tend to manipulate or force others to give us attention and thus energy. When we successfully dominate others in this way, we feel more powerful, but they are left weakened and often fight back. Competition for scarce, human energy is the cause of all conflict between people.
I know people who sap energy from me when we meet. They just take, take, take and you feel drained after an encounter. Frequently they have problems which they tell you about - ad infinitum. And when you offer solutions, they don’t take your advice. This is because they don’t want their problem solved, they just want your energy to say ‘poor you’. and ‘how awful’ and it does neither of you any good to stay in the relationship. You support them but they don’t value your support.
Sometimes clients do this as well - and particularly those where you have a long term relationship when they are a dominant client for your agency - sometimes they take advantage of the fact that you depend on them for a lot of your revenues.
Now we’ve all worked with demanding clients - they can often be the most satisfying people to collaborate with - if you have a good, balanced working relationship. Or they can drive you crazy with inappropriate requests for no money over the weekend…..
A question I sometimes ask agencies I work with is
“Have you ever fired a client?”
I find the answers given to this question give me great insights into the agency, its self-perception and strengths and weaknesses. This acts almost like a golden question and tells me the degree to which the business has confidence in itself and its offering to clients.
If you have fired a client, it’s a bit like getting rid of a boy/girlfriend. You realise your life-path is not running in parallel - your paths diverge and so you instigate a change. Any relationship can change over time but those that become bullying, abusive and not respectful, deserve to end - for the good of both parties.
Remember when you first set up a contract with your clients, reserve the right to renegotiate on a regular basis - so that if you get scope creep or the assignment varies, you have come-back for more / less money. Also, add in clauses about respectful relationships and dealings with your team. They are important and a client that messes them around, should not be working with your organisation. [if you people matter to you, that is!]
And to end, on a lighter note, take this 20 question test to see if your client is, REALLY IS an ASSH**E!
Enjoy.
It isn’t often that my hobby (rowing) and my work coincide and intercept…. but tonight on Radio 4 8.30 pm this is on… should be good listening
Team Spirit is a programme on BBC Radio 4 tonight 8.30 - 9 pm (repeated Sunday 9.30 -= 10 pm)
At a time when business is conducted globally and virtually Peter Day asks what it takes to build and manage effective teams.
Contributors:Lynda Gratton,
Professor of management practise, London Business SchoolMark Squires,
Director of Social Communications, NokiaMark de Rond,
Reader in strategy & organisation, Judge Business School, Cambridge & Author “The Last Amateurs”Duncan Holland,
Chief coach, Cambridge University Boat ClubColin Scott,
RowerDan O’Shaughnessy,
President CUBCStephen Hollis,
Head of markets, KPMG Europe
I have been privileged to read an early Draft of Mark de Rond’s books about Cambridge University Boat Club’s training for last year’s Boat Race…. hopefully they’ll spend some time talking about what it takes to make a great team in the context of rowing.
Forums seem to be working OK. 52, 82 and 85 views on three discussion boards….. one order so far.
On the tube at Kings Cross this morning, circle line platform towards the City and I saw a pile of 6 books stacked neatly against the wall.
Alan Greenspan’s autobiography, a book about Citroen, a novel…. Some with bookmarks and pages marked.
I looked through the lot and then stood back waiting for my train. And noticed another lady do the same thing.
Were we being secretly watched? Or had the owner been arrested and left his books behind?
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