Sales is more than just a numbers game...

Kids 4 the Planet - a new Indiegogo project from PeopleTowels

Mary Wallace, the Co-Founder of PeopleTowels, thinks one of the best ways to plant the seeds of sustainability and a lasting good habit with a younger generation is their new Indiegogo project: Kids 4 the Planet.

PeopleTowels is introducing kids to the idea of using personal hand towels rather than paper towels. They plan to give away thousands of FREE PeopleTowels along with an interactive lesson plan on the critical role that trees play in our eco-system. Children will also learn what other countries and their cultures are doing to help develop sustainable habits and practices.

What can you do to help them with their Kids 4 the Planet project? The simple answer is to support their project on Indiegogo. Then, put your foot down on the social media throttle and get the word out on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter with some good old-fashioned GTWO communication to friends, family, and business associates. 

p.s. If you have some media contacts at the ready, encourage them to put some coverage toward the emerging “Kids 4 the Planet national art contest ” (fall of 2012 for kids ages 8-18).

Too many cooks spoil the broth -- And so it is with volunteers

Volunteers are an integral part for the success of most nonprofits. These well-intended resources can help span the numerous staffing gaps that might otherwise exist without their help. If it were not for their willingness to work, the average nonprofit may not be able to serve their constituents on a larger scale.

Our recent economic conditions have brought forth a new wave of talent in today’s volunteer. From seasoned professional to newly-minted college graduate, these volunteers can offer a new set of skills and experience rarely seen in the past. College grads serving as unpaid interns, or professionals that may be between employment engagements, are eager to add their ‘special sauce’ to the organization’s recipe.

Therein lies the rub. Too many cooks (can) spoil the broth. Whereas the nonprofit is eager to accept additional help, asking for repetitive volunteer skills can cause conflict and collision in the outcome. Without careful planning on the part of the nonprofit, you will soon find volunteers overlapping each other in their recommendations and actions.

One common example is in the area of Corporate Communications, a.k.a., Corporate Comm. Often under the responsibility of the Membership Director, Director of Development or Fundraising Director, communications is an area of great need, but equally spread thin for many nonprofits. Excited to get the word out nonprofits will enthusiastically accept assistance in this area. But, for the volunteer, frustration will quickly set in if they find that someone else is working on the same project, in a slightly different way. They will be left wondering why they were asked to do it in the first place, if someone else was already working on it. There is also the potential for professional jealousy; “Why did you choose his/her work over mine?”

How can you avoid this conflict? Consider volunteer requirements much like a job description for paid staff. Have a clearly defined role and responsibilities outlined for the volunteer, and make it known for the staff to better understand the volunteer’s contribution. Also, if the requirement is greater than a single volunteer can handle, break out the job proportionally and offer segments of the work to the individual that is best suited to complete the task. Set time aside to have regular meetings with each volunteer as well as bringing them together as a group; encourage collaboration and team spirit across those individuals serving in similar roles.

Creating a balance in service and skills can be much like adding just the right herb or spice to a popular recipe. These careful additions can add zest and exhilaration to a favorite dish; a delicacy your constituents will crave for more.

Café or Catering business – it’s hard to be both

As I watched someone building a series of lists within a spreadsheet, I kept thinking, “That should be in a database, not a spreadsheet.” They continued the process by using a multiple tab strategy to individualize the related lists. Now you have a series of lists in one spreadsheet, keeping them separated by tabs of multiple worksheets, all in the same file. But, you also have a cornucopia of data stored in less than optimal places from which to retrieve it.

I believe this to be a common activity as a result of perceived simplicity of data entry, user familiarity with the software application, and the ability to sort on columns of rows. I’m confident little regard is given to reporting (printouts), as I often witness the scaling of printing in an (often failed) attempt to fit things on a single page, or scale across larger paper.

It was a recent conversation with someone in the restaurant and hospitality industry that offered me some insight in this case. I found myself drawing a comparison here to the running of a café vs. that of a catering business. In one instance, you are dealing with a menu of individual items prepared as smaller quantity, made to order selections. As a caterer, you want to limit the choices and produce tasty selections efficiently, for high volume output. Although the techniques of preparation are similar, they are rarely carried out in the same way.

In business I look for a discipline or process that is repeatable and efficient, i.e., it scales well; most actions during the day can fit that condition. From answering the phones to taking orders from customers, you would likely adopt the catering model. However, if you were in a lower volume, built to order business, you may look more like the café model. Just as you might not use a café model for serving hundreds of the same meals in minutes, you likely should not use a spreadsheet to do the work of a more vigorous database requirement.

Since I go back to the early days of Lotus 1-2-3 (1A), and VisiCalc before that, I may be a little oversensitive when it comes to using a spreadsheet as a database. That’s due in part to the amount of time I have spent over the years working with database software and applications. I also did a stint with database middleware tools that helped synchronize disparate database software; we were like a Swiss Army knife for data exchanges and transfers – we were also way ahead of our time and ultimately lost the market to this functionality being built-in to the database software.

Going back to the spreadsheet vs. a database, if I use the café vs. catering analogy, it comes down to repetitive volume of similar information. Let’s same I am in the Public Relations and Promotion business. Since our sister company N2tech does limited PR work for clients, it’s fresh in my mind. If we were going to plan a single conference, an individual speaking tour, or one major event for the client, a spreadsheet might work. But, if we did the same activity for multiple clients, or multiple events for the same client, then a database makes more sense.

Although the time to set it up will likely be longer with a database, the analytics, tracking, and reporting are much better. Also, if you find that you are going to use the data on more than one occasion, retrieval and use will be better. Keeping with the PR company theme, let’s consider a list of industry journalists and reporters. In a database, you would not only have a list of the reporters and contact information, but you could build links and additional tables for tracking press coverage. You would be able to analyze which reporters responded to individual clients, as well as how many clients were getting coverage with the same reporter. The same holds true with coverage of your client’s competitors.

In my mind, it’s this simple. Using spreadsheets for list management doesn’t scale well; it’s not unlike the restaurant or café that tries to do catering. Although you could try to be both, you are normally better at one than the other.

What’s the missing link in all this? Training! I can’t count the number of pleas I have made with clients, business associates, friends, students, interns, etc. to please take online courses for common software like Microsoft Office – I have taken a number of courses from HP’s Learning Center and experienced a high degree of satisfaction.

Although training may seem time-consuming at first, it will pay handsome dividends down the road. Knowing which application serves the requirement best may be one way that you can become more productive in the markets you serve.

NvestNtech eNewsletter - September, 2010 – Dave Baldwin, Non-profits, blogging, and more

In addition to the Sales Barriers blog, NvestNtech also publishes an eNewsletter. Although some content is shared with the Sales Barriers blog, we incorporate additional information in the form of ideas, business practices, and articles from other contributors, who often provide material to us not featured elsewhere.

From the Editor about the September, 2010 edition:

We are pleased to introduce Dave Baldwin - the Introverted Entrepreneur. For those of you who have always wanted to write a book, Dave brings us advice on how to overcome writer's block and finally get that first chapter from mind to paper.
 
What's it like to keep blogging after four years of banging away at the keyboard? In this month's "Is blogging a dying endeavor?", Peter Kusterer reflects on the merits to keep going while the more active blogosphere appears to be dwindling.
 
Our sister company N2tech has introduced a new Public Relations and Promotion service dedicated to the Non-profit sector. What they discovered in working with non-profits was, "Although an important component to the operation, it's difficult for some non-profits to hire someone in this communication capacity on a full-time basis." They will be working with small to medium size non-profits to increase awareness and improve communication to members and supporters.
 
From the Sales Barriers blog, we feature the AIA Triangle Homes Tour post. Visitors will be able to visit with architects and designers at ten award homes in and around the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, NC area. The complete post offers insight into how homeowners can employ the services of an architect for a "...better utilization of (existing) space in their home; it's less about adding on to the home, and more about making the home work better for its occupants."
 
You can access this month's newsletter by clicking here.
 
The Editor

 NvestNtech's One Goal - Revenue Generation ® monthly newsletter

 p.s. Past issues of our eNewsletter can be found here.

You can also become a subscriber by following this link to the sign-up page. You will receive an email similar to the Editor comments above, with a link to a .PDF newsletter.

Crisis Management – An essential in Public Relations and crisis communication

One of the best books I have read for business - and applied to my personal life as well - is the book “Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable” by Steven Fink. Having served on the Three Mile Island crisis management team, Fink takes you through a number of crises in a case study manner that serves as an excellent coaching tool for business owners, managers, and individuals.

Part of the book outlines the need for a clear plan of crisis communications. Where we think in terms of reacting in a time of need, Fink draws out the necessity to be proactive. Many could make the case that the recent event of volcanic eruption in Iceland, and the impact not only to Europe but also around the globe, would qualify for similar proactive planning, especially in the form of crisis communications.

In attempting to monitor the situation, I found the US Media coverage paled by comparison to the coverage overseas. By routinely visiting the BBC Web site, and specific airport sites, I was able to develop a clearer picture of what was going on. Also, staying in touch with business associates and friends overseas via email allowed me a peek into a smaller window of events and activity. I could now get a feel for the impact on both people (stranded travelers) and business – the losses will be staggering when the totals come in.

Having lived in California for seventeen years, I witnessed firsthand the effect of earthquakes, floods, fires, and mudslides. What I felt locally was completely different than what people outside the state thought was happening, or the degree of impact it was having on me.

It was this reflection on California that made me realize I wasn’t taking into consideration the impact to Iceland from the volcano’s eruption. Yes, I saw coverage of the devastation in Iceland, but I had little perspective on what that could mean for businesses and companies that operate from Iceland on a global scale. I was too focused on Europe to even take notice.

In her blog Post “Going with the Volcanic Flow”, Joyce Wady of Connect2 Communications tells the story of one of their clients who utilizes the “natural geo-thermal resources of Iceland to build a green wholesale data center in the country”, and the need for Connect2 Communications to be proactive in order “to help the client message to their customers about the impact of the volcano as well as prepare for any broader stories in the press that may begin to emerge.”

Wady lays out a series of steps and events that other companies could use as a model for crisis communications. Her advice could easily be summed up in her closing remarks, “The key to managing these types of stories is to be prepared and be proactive. Use the current event or industry announcement or regulatory ruling as a means to think about the impact to your company, create messaging that puts the event into the appropriate context for your customers and know when to begin talking to the press. Missing one of these steps could take an opportunity and turn it into a disaster of your own.”

My comment was not intended to be an open door (for you)

It’s happening more of late. I sense that someone is about to pounce on a comment that I just made and they seem to want to seize the opportunity to take a potshot at someone or something. Often it becomes nothing short of piling-on like a scrum – it’s contagious, as others will soon join in.

My solution has been to offer a closing comment (with a genuine smile) of “Not a door!”, to the other person. It’s my way of cutting them off before they can get some traction. I have an aversion to people looking for a chance to launch into some diatribe against others.

Sure, it can seem like a way for me to get in the last word. But, I try and be careful to use it only when I sense the other person is ready to pounce. What I have found is that it can be a pleasant way to help others adopt a more courteous response that would have otherwise eluded them.

But, I need to be equally careful to avoid the same situation myself. It’s easy to grab a sound bite and turn it to your advantage. There’s an unusual satisfaction in getting the last word. Watch most any TV show with opposing views, and you can get a feel for what I am talking about. Pity the poor anchor that has to serve as moderator and referee.

Could it be that the advent of text messaging, tweets, instant messages, and email have led to this trend? I can’t be sure, but I do see that people are talking more and listening less. There seems to be a compelling drive to get something out with your name on it. Is it really that important? Without listening more and speaking less, how will you develop the important quality of personal relationships known as empathetic listening?

The next time you feel compelled to speak after someone else makes a comment, pause for just a second (or two). Was that a door opening (for you)? Or, was the door closed and you are just trying to barge-in unannounced?

Some straightforward advice on how to get a speaking slot

Although it’s commonly felt that speaking in front of large groups can make most anyone nervous, in business many of us look for speaking opportunities, especially at a conference or trade show event. Whether serving as a keynote speaker, or a breakout session or workshop, a speaking engagement can be good for you, and your company.

In my own limited speaking experience, I have been fortunate to have been actively sought out to speak, i.e., I didn’t have to solicit a speaking slot. But, what about those opportunities that you would like to pursue, but didn’t know how to go about getting the chance to speak?

One place to start is with an abstract (of your topic) to be submitted to the conference organizers, or organization leaders where you wish to participate in their event or activity. In her blog Post titled “Why Didn’t I get that Speaking Slot?”, Lacey Caldwell of Connect2 Communications lays out 5  tips that can help you avoid the rejection of not being considered in the first place.

What stood out for me in her Post was Tip #3, “Don’t mention your products!” What? You have to tell people that? Nothing like the obvious! But, as Caldwell points out so well, it’s the obvious that needs the most attention, e.g., in Tip #5 she points out, “If you can’t bring the CEO, don’t submit the CEO.”

If you are looking for some straightforward advice on soliciting speaking slots, these 5 tips from Caldwell might be just what you need to secure a slot at the next event.

Tech in Review: Trackle Pro – Information bird dog for the business Professional

Today, Trackle announced their new premium service of their popular information tracking and alert service. The newly released Trackle Pro, a fee-based subscription, is intended for business professionals, especially those in Sales, Marketing, or Public Relations roles.

The original Trackle service (which is free) allows subscribers to use “tracklets” – think category or type of news and information – to follow their interests in shopping deals, jobs, travel, stocks, sports, and more. Trackle claims, “An average user tracks about ten items which generate about twenty alerts per day.”

Soon Trackle discovered that it wasn’t just everyday consumers and individuals using their service for personal interests. They found that professionals in Sales and Marketing, as well as Public Relations and HR, were using the service to track companies, stocks, brand recognition and ranking, personnel changes, and more.

Many of us attempt the same thing with the use of an information tracking service in one form or another. Most fall into two primary categories, the entry level (often free) that makes a broad sweep across the Web, and the higher-end paid services that are specific and highly targeted in their information gathering and delivery.

I use Google Alerts as a simple and easy way to keep up with a small number of companies and people. I also get daily alerts from Business Wire that keeps me abreast of my interests in specific companies, headline news, market segments, or special interests (e.g., Blogging, Accounting, Social Media, Rail, Consulting, Environment, University, etc.). I subscribe to a number of other sources for alerts and information, too.

When it comes to the idea of Trackle Pro, I was a little skeptical at first; I wondered why people would be willing to pay for this level of information unless it was directly related to their business, or role in the company, e.g., Public Relations firms, Corporate Communications, or Marketing departments with a need for competitive intelligence gathering.

To answer that question, Pavan Nigam, CEO and Founder of Trackle, took me through a guided tour of Trackle Pro last week. The original Trackle was born out of Nigam’s personal experience; as he describes it in his CEO Blog, “One day, it dawned upon me that my web-usage had a fairly simple pattern.  I found myself repeatedly going to the same websites for discovering changes.“

It didn’t take long for me to appreciate the value in Trackle Pro. Instead of the many feeds of information I get today, I could create my own customized dashboard of information retrieval. Trackle has partnered with a number of recognized information sources as well as their own ability to scour the Web to provide timely and relevant information. Subscribers will be able to build their own ‘favorites’ (of sources) along the way and share them with others.

During the demo, Nigam commented, "Right now a lot of people are trying to use Google Alerts to find all kinds of information when they really need a more robust research tool that spans their personal and professional interests. Trackle saves them a lot of time looking for all kinds of information online, but the real savings is in tracking the information they're not aware of - like a new lead in their LinkedIn network."

As a Trackle Pro subscriber, I can select tracking from the following categories: Company; Person; Brand; SEC filings; Website Changes and LinkedIn updates. Within those categories I can establish business rules – driven mainly by check boxes and free-form text fields – to retrieve only that information meaningful to me. There is even a chart feature to measure the “buzz”.

Trackle uses advanced algorithms to ensure a higher quality of information hits. Delivery of the information can be sent in a variety of ways. Much like my current methods, I can specify email, Web, or SMS. Incorporated in the email list of alerts – one email contains all my alert categories – are hyperlinks that work like a bookmark to my subscriber page on  the Trackle site.

They are offering a 14-day free trial to get you started, then three levels of paid subscription, based on use/demand, starting at $9.99/month. Encouraged by the capabilities, I have some reservation in the price structure as it stands today.

Since the competition at the entry level is either free, or burden-only (i.e., the time and effort to find it on your own), unless you are tracking a small and well-defined landscape of information, I see people quickly needing to go to the higher levels of the Trackle Pro price structure. Also, where I see competition for them on the original Trackle in the form of sites like Everyblock.com, I see services like HubSpot, or deeper integration like Hoovers with Salesforce.com, pushing at them from the Trackle Pro side.

When it comes to Trackle Pro’s interaction with LinkedIn and Facebook, unless I am missing something, I think I could be patient for that information and use the existing notifications in each. I find that LinkedIn is enabling more ways to alert me to the activities in my network of contacts, social media, and groups. In some ways, all of this reminds me a little of the URL shortening market; one day it’s TinyURL, then shortly thereafter bit.ly takes the lead.

On the Sales and Marketing front, I can see the value for Marketing; but if this were intended as a tool for Sales to use for sales leads or demand generation, then it might be more difficult to justify (depending on your territory or sales assignment) the expense. Where I could see it in Sales would be for National Account reps (or those assigned to key accounts, or specific market segments), or those responsible for key channels of distribution.

If I were a Public Relations firm, I wouldn’t hesitate to try it out, and likely become a subscriber. The same applies to Corporate Communications and HR; professional recruiters could probably make use of it, too. If you were a Brand Manager, especially in a smaller firm, or a small business owner, Trackle Pro would probably be worth your time and investment. Also, if you are an emerging company or start-up, it could be a very useful tool on a wide range of information needs and market forces.

Outsource: To “d” or not to “d“ - that is the question

If you were to outsource your accounting, how would you refer to it? Would you say that you outsource (your) accounting, or that you use outsourced accounting (services) for your business. One reference is with a “d”, and one is without.

We often see the reference to someone (a company) that may outsource their development, e.g., software and information technology. At the same time, we read about companies that have outsourced their development (in the larger sense of a business practice).

Going back to the original question at the beginning of this Post, how would you make the reference if you were to outsource your accounting requirements to a third-party (e.g., CPA) provider? If you currently perform your accounting in-house, and wanted to outsource it, would you put the “d” on the end in a search engine request (e.g., outsourced accounting)?

Also,  under our current economic conditions and the desire to maximize productivity, what parts of your business do you think offer the most potential to outsource the requirement to others?  Are they more services-oriented, or production-driven in nature?

Innovation: Forget about a Homer Hanky, ask for a PeopleTowels this Holiday Season

You have probably seen it; a fan in the baseball stands waving their Homer Hanky. The Homer Hanky enjoyed a comeback this year, as the Minnesota Twins began the playoffs against the New York Yankees.

When the Business Wire News summary came across my desk the other day, I was curious about the Press Release titled, “Great Green Stocking Stuffer Under $10: PeopleTowels.com Offers a Free Gift With Purchase for Holiday Shoppers”. What the heck is a “PeopleTowels” and how does it claim to be “Green”? More so, what’s up with the “Free Gift”?

First, the answer to the Free Gift promotion. “PeopleTowels (www.peopletowels.com) is offering a free gift of one (1) reusable personal hand towel with purchase of two (2) or more PeopleTowels; limit of one (1) gift per order. Customers receive one (1) PeopleTowels’ Beach Breeze free, an $8 value. Offer good while supplies last and expires at midnight on December 31, 2009.”

Next, what is a PeopleTowels? “PeopleTowels is the next small lifestyle change everyone can make to have a big impact on the environment. PeopleTowels are meant to be used at work, or when you are out and about instead of the paper towels found in public restrooms. “

Then, the “Green” angle to the product. “Each person who switches from using paper towels to PeopleTowels will save a 1/4 of a tree, reduce landfill waste by 23 pounds and conserve 250 gallons of water in just one year.”

Lastly, what are they? “PeopleTowels have hang-tags for easy attachment to a purse, backpack or briefcase. They are small (9 x 9 inches) and specially made of light-weight, fast-drying 100% Certified Organic, Fair Trade Cotton printed with eco-friendly dyes.”

Got the picture? Sounds a little like a golf towel and Homer Hanky all-in-one. Okay, they are more than that, but I needed something to make the comparison. For those of you struggling with some simple and meaningful gifts, they are reasonably priced ,“At $8.00 for 1, $21 for 3, and $35 for 5, PeopleTowels are priced under $10 each and below the $20-60 range that Americans will spend on gifts for friends, coworkers, babysitters, teachers and clergy this year, according to the National Retail Federation.”

And my favorite part is what I call the ‘give-back factor’  “Plus, one percent of PeopleTowels’ sales go toward preserving the Earth through the 1% for the Planet program.“

My hat is off to them on this one. Good marketing campaign, a clever Holiday promotion, practical product, helps the “Go Green” movement, and puts some money back into saving the planet.

p.s. I can’t resist adding the infomercial (music, please) pitch, “But, wait, there’s more!”; they even have a contest with cash prizes, “Get ready for the PeopleTowels’ Design Contest”.