MARKETING FOR MARKETING

An advertisement idea for a new marketing campaign about marketing.



© Copyright 2009 JDE LTD. All rights reserved.

LEGACY MARKETING

"Oh boy, what’s he doing now?"

Excellent question and I’m glad you asked. Let me answer with another question: how do you want to be remembered?

"You mean….?"

Yes, when you get to "the end".

Kidding aside it’s a serious question. Personally, I want people to look back and think "there was a good person, who delighted in helping others".

So, the second question is: are you practicing your legacy in marketing now?

"Uh-oh, sermon…"

Actually, it’s not.

If you think about it for a moment, if you want to be remembered, or look back one day and say "wow, look what I was able to do," consider what you’re doing today in order to be able to have that vision to look back upon.

Are you building pyramids using the strengths of others, or are you building pyramids with others?

If you truly want to be remembered as a good person who helped people realized their dreams, or someone who dedicated their lives to a cause, or a committed individual who just wanted to see people grow, then consider putting that philosophy into practice now.

You only get one pass at this life, and you’re the driver. You may not care what you think in 20, 30, 40 or more years from now. You may care even less about what others may think. But you know something? I’ll bet it shows…

A SEARCH FOR MEANING : PROFESSIONALISM

"He’s very professional."

"That’s a very ‘professional’ look."

"She’s a real professional."

"That was unprofessional."

These are all comments I’ve heard within the past month (not all directed at myself I hasten to add). On the heels of my last article on the subject of professionalism and being a professional (WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU "DON’T KNOW"…YOU’RE A "PROFESSIONAL"!), I decided to pursue the subject in a little more detail because I’m curious as to what really defines "a professional" or "professional behavior".

According to Merriam-Webster, there are two main definitions:

1. the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person
2. the following of a profession (as athletics) for gain or livelihood

The latter we’re pretty familiar with and I think it’s fair to say that we associated "professionalism" in sports with "sportsman-like" behavior. When a well-known sports pro gets into trouble, the word "unprofessional" usually appears in the descriptions or condemnations somewhere.

So, therein probably lies a possible part of the definition: we expect a certain level of generally-acceptable behavior from those we consider "professionals".

Where the bar is set may be a little vague. As Edward Toupin discusses in his post "Professionalism … How do I get one?", what is deemed "professional" in one industry may not be in another. The term is subject to interpretation and influenced by the environment in which on is expected to operate.

There is a neat little slide show I came across on the Texas Library and Archives Commission site quite by accident (which goes to show the web can take you places you never thought of) which includes in the definition of "professionalism" specific words such as "Education", "Competencies", "Characteristics" and "Intellectualism", suggesting that "brains" is part of the the "professional character".

In her blog Linda Lord, reviews the expected behaviors of a "professional": "They tend to be cool under pressure, able to move easily between social settings and handle public events with confidence. Someone demonstrating professionalism is able to omit emotional outbursts when handling stressful situations. They maintain their focus, accept the urgency of the situation, and act responsibly when resolving difficult matters. "

Certainly, this describes more of the expected behavior than the educational or intellectual requirements of a "professional".

My two cents is that we tend to use "professionalism" and derivatives thereof in a wide range of descriptions and actually run the risk of "desensitizing" ourselves to it by overuse. I think it’s open to interpretation. We all have our own views on what is professionally acceptable and what isn’t. I’m not sure I buy into the "intellectualism" part. I think that "professionalism" comes from within. There may be educational and ethical requirements to belong to a "profession" and to be expected to behave within a documented or expected set of behaviors. I believe there are socially acceptable non-professional "professional" behaviors that we expect from "business" people, no matter what industry. I think I’m safe in including:

• Sincerity
• Honesty
• Integrity

Add to these the list of what may be expected in a given industry and you have, in my very humble opinion, a "professional".

So, with the waters muddied even further, from one professional to another, have a great week!

Dave

Articles referenced: Edward B. Toupin (writer and coach) : "Professionalism … How do I get one?", Linda Lord (Human Agriculturalist) : "What is professionalism", Texas Library and Archives Commission : "What is Professionalism?"

f2p=f4m : A LITTLE PLANNING GOES A LONG WAY

f(2p)=f(4m)

where

f=failure
p=plan
m=motivation

A simple little formula, a variation on the better-known “failure to plan is planning to fail”. Yet many small business owners do just that. As a small business owner, whether you’re a single (self) employee or a small group, you have all the responsibilities of a Fortune 500 company, with a smaller headcount. You still have to consider:

• Human Resources
• Sales & Marketing
• Accounting, Payroll and other “Back Office” functions
• Development and Training
• Business Planning
• Support
• Infrastructure
• Etc

Larger companies have plans and forecasts. You barely have to watch TV to know that such-and-such company’s stock lost value because it didn’t “meet analysts expectations”. But the fact that a huge behemoth of an organization can predict (within a certain target area) how much it’s going to make per share is pretty amazing.

Look a little deeper and you’ll see it’s not magic, it’s just about planning.

I meet different business owners as I ply my trade. Sometimes the conversation goes something like this…

“Hi Joe”
“Hi Dave”
“How’s business?”
“It’s okay. I’m getting by.”
“You sound a little uncertain.”
“Yeah…we’re in a bit of a slump. Somehow this wasn’t quite what I’d planned.”
“Where did you deviate from the plan.”
“Well I didn’t mean an actual plan-”

If there is no actual plan, first of all, how the heck can you deviate from it? Many small business owners make this mistake. They’re intentions are pure and they know they want to build a business, but they set off with a vague notion and little more.

Many of these fail because they didn’t plan. Something doesn’t work out. Money doesn’t come in. Second-guessing begins and it goes down from there.

Your business plan doesn’t have to be elaborate. It doesn’t have to contain lots of words that you’d need a dictionary to look up. It should have a goal or two, a method for getting there and a way to measure success. (See A SIMPLE G-A-M-E PLAN)

It really is that easy.

When setting a goal, make it tangible. “This is where I want / need to be in 12 months.”

Okay, you have a goal. How do you quantify it? Do you have to do a certain amount in sales? Yes? How many? How much? You’ll probably need some clients…yes? Alright, how many prospects can you realistically turn into sales?

You get the idea. With a goal and some simple thoughts, put down in writing, you now have map. Of course, there is more you can do. Budgeting is always a good idea. Ditto marketing ideas. I work with people to help them flesh these things out.

Now, if you’re not happy because you’re not meeting your plan goals, we have something to work with. Where are you deviating from the plan?

You can change a plan. You can’t change “nothing”. You can get back on track.

Failure to plan is the first step towards losing your motivation.