Marketing is EVERYONE'S Job

Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.

-David Packard

 

Several years ago, I started my first day at a new temp job as a receptionist for a Japanese automotive company in Metro Detroit.  The learning curve was huge - my work experience at that point was limited to child care, restaurants, a flower shop, and another two week temp job.  This was my first "big girl" job, and I wanted to be great - even though I knew it was "temporary."  I had to learn who worked in what department and what paperwork and phone calls went where.  

 

But one thing was noticeably missing: a Marketing Department.

 

I brought this to my superior's attention, wondering out loud if the marketing was handled from the corporate office in Japan, when he said something that stuck with me: "There is no marketing department.  Marketing is everyone's job."

Marketing is everyone's job.

After nearly a year working there, that is what stuck with me.  It stuck with me when I left that job to take a job in a marketing department for an architecture firm.  It stuck with me when I changed my college major to marketing.  It stuck with me when I decided to start my own company and focused my business on marketing.  It sticks with me today as I coach start-up businesses or help businesses in crisis - marketing isn't just the job of a single department - it is everyone's job.

There has been a lot of coverage across the internet (including this blog) about the importance of having the right business values and mission statements.  One thing that seems to astound me is the lack of marketing goals company-wide in these statements.  When a company builds this idea into the basis of their company, everyone owns it.  When it's shown more than it is said, the company is successful.

In today's world, where buyers have made 60% of their decision prior to talking to a sales representative, businesses need to be more aware of how their company is perceived.  If a potential client finds out about your company from a file clerk, you want their experience to be positive enough that they consider your company.  When they Google you and come across the VP's LinkedIn page, you want them to feel the company.  Your Twitter postings should fit the values, mission, and marketing plan.  This idea is less about marketing to your customers, and more about building brand recognition through every employee.

How do we move forward?

Marketing departments are still necessary for developing and implementing the marketing plans for the success of the company.  Web, print, social media, trade shows, networking - all of these are still vital for a company to succeed, but the voice of the company, the culture, the persona recognition - these should be owned by everyone.

How do you incorporate marketing in your company?  Would you consider taking a holistic approach to marketing?

Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comment.

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

Why aren't you holding yourself accountable for your success?

“A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.”
― Thomas Paine

Accountability.  No one wants to hold themselves accountable, but everyone else should be.  And you are the only one who can pave your way to success...or failure.

So why aren't you holding yourself accountable for your own success?

There are 4 fears that cause a lack of accountability:

Fear of failure -
Are you so afraid of failure that you cannot hold yourself responsible or liable for your own actions?  Do you lack trust or faith in yourself?  Fear of failure is a deep imbedded, nagging thought that can stop us before we even start a task.

Fear of success - 
Some of us are afraid of what would happen if we are successful.  Will we be able to keep up with family obligations?  How about a social life?  Will you be more scrutinized if you find success?  Fear of success is just as debilitating as fear of failure.

Fear of being thought of as a fraud -
Imposter's Syndrome impedes success.  The fear of being seen as not qualified enough by others, or not feeling like you know enough yourself can cause stagnancy.  Even when you have an MBA and 12 years experience, you can feel like you aren't enough of an 'expert.'

Fear of not being taken seriously -
Ideas and products die before they are even launched due to the fear that others won't understand or see value.  People are afraid to talk about their business plans or ideas, thinking that they'll be laughed at or ridiculed.

And all of these fears can be cured by one important resource: your business coach.

A business coach listens.  A business coach leads.  A business coach gets you from the current level, to the next, by teaching you to hold yourself accountable.

Clearing the 4 fears: failure, success, Imposter's Syndrome, or not being taken seriously, all happen with the right coach.  There will be a future post about finding a business coach and what other added benefits they add, but for now understand that before you start that next business, launch your next product, or decide to jump ship from a corporate life to an entrepreneurial one, check in with your coach.

Success is waiting - and it's not terrifying.  It's attainable.  Build your support network, and include a coach!

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

P.S. Be sure to sign up for "Become a LinkedIn All-Star!"  The Google Hangout will be held on Wednesday, July 23rd at 1pm EST - and a lucky attendee will receive 1 hour of FREE entrepreneurial coaching!

Team Wil Wheaton

“If you like nerds, raise your hand. If you don't, raise your standards.”
― Violet Haberdasher

In case you've missed it, Wil Wheaton has pretty much become the King of the Nerds (he has his own new show!), and that is a level of awesome most of us will never reach.  Ten years ago, heck, 3 years ago, that would have been a hide under your bed, anxiety-inducing title.  No one wanted to be labelled a "nerd."

Flash forward to 2014, and nerd is the new cool.  Or something.  My point is, we, all nerds collectively, have found our place on the internet and in the world.  Our fear of being who we are, thrown out the window.

http://www.webpronews.com/wil-wheaton-has-advice-for-kids-being-bullied-2014-03

So, since I ask this in every post:

What does this have to do with business?  

Well, for me, it allows me to include a ton more self-deprecating humor in my presentations and writing.  It also made it acceptable for me to talk about my strange hobbies, including entomology, brain dissection, and welding large metal dinosaurs without feeling like I'm going to be harshly judged or branded a weirdo.  My interests, which have been all mine for over 30 years, can now be shared with a wider audience.  And the reception has been amazing.

What does this mean for the rest of us?  

I believe that more innovation can and is happening.  Science fiction has created so many useful products.  Jules Verne's Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea lead to Simon Lake creating the submarine.  Igor Sikorsky took another Verne book, Clipper of the Clouds, and made a helicopter.  H.G. Wells' books lead to many more inventions, and Star Wars was the inspiration for cell phones and others.  Nerds created these.  And nerds, with their new-found platform, will create even more.

What will I do with my nerd platform?  

So far, it has allowed me to take my love of brain dissection and neuroscience, combined with a deep understanding of psychology and mental illness, combined even further for my passion for politics, to help spread news about the NIH's NeuroBioBank to a broader audience.  It helped me realize that my passions were in Public Health so that I could pursue those, as well as my fascination with infectious diseases, into a career path.  I can combine that with my entrepreneurial attitude, and become a consultant on Public Health.  My nerd platform allows me to do what I love, what I'm passionate about, and now instead of bizarre or obscure, it's interesting.

Nerd culture is giving everyone a chance for new conversations.  Bullying, and in turn, anti-bullying campaigns, are driving forward due to nerds like Wil Wheaton.  Carryovers from past cult classics can co-mingle with modern day pop culture, getting people interested in things like role playing games and steampunk.  Shows like The Big Bang Theory show how adults can be almost child-like with excitement about things, causing them to geek-out.  Dragons and comic books are mainstream, and even my least nerdy friend has seen every Marvel movie to date.

Take this opportunity to innovate.  Take this moment in time to delve into your deepest, darkest nerdisms and pull something creative and inspired out.  Collaborate with your people on the next big thing.  There are few wrongs that can come from this time of freedom.  

Thank you, Wil Wheaton.

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

Editing your content to death

“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”
― Stephen King

How many steps does it take from pen to paper to publication?  

One?  A few?  Too many?

I have a confession.  

I edit my content...to death.  I pre-write, then I write, then I edit, then I edit again, and again, then I pass it off to someone else, then I edit again and then, maybe, it's done.  This whole process happens in normally a day, two tops.  Or, at least I used to.  Then I got smart.

http://janefriedman.com/2013/05/31/find-freelance-book-editor/

I heard some great advice in a podcast (The Solopreneur Hour #117) that if you want to be a better public speaker, you should study comedians.  While I use this methodology for speaking, it also transfers well to writing.  One lesson has really stuck lately - your first draft sucks. Tweak it over time. Then, when you've dispersed it enough, throw it out and develop new content. It's helped me to stop my edit-to-death step that comes after creation - instead, I'm letting it develop and editing it a little at a time as it goes.  

While I'm not altogether giving up on editing, I'm taking it more as a long process instead of a hack job.  I pre-write a few bullet points.  Then, I write, whether it be an article, a blog post, content for a marketing piece, or a presentation, and then I let it sit.  I'll browse over it and tweak obvious errors.  I'll pass it along for feedback, then respond to the feedback.  I'll let it sit a bit longer.  I'll look for ways to enhance the piece, and if I can't, I stop trying.  I'll throw it out to the public and let them comment.  And then, if I feel that the message is good, I leave it along.  I write my blog posts a couple weeks ahead so that I have time enough to fix what needs to be fixed, but I no longer fixate on fixing everything...to death.

I realized that writing is not a sprint to the finish, it's a marathon.  

You have to pace yourself.  You have to prepare for the long haul.  If you're spitting out perfect content in the first go, well, you're amazing.  But realistically, your first piece needs work.  Sometimes a lot of it.  Most of the time, though, it doesn't need to be red-penned to death.  Most of the time, it just needs time.

Do you pick your pieces down to the bare bones, or do you fluff it up? 

 I try to land somewhere in the middle.  Content matters, but how it is delivered is obviously important.  No one is going to be interested in a story or presentation that is just bullet point information with no depth; but on the same token, readers and listeners don't want to be walked through every single thought, emotion, or action that you, the writer or presenter, has.  Get to the point in a meaningful way.

How do you determine when your piece is finished?

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

The Zombie Apocalypse and lessons in failure

“Sometimes you have to do something ugly so that something beautiful can grow.”
― Cedric Nye

Bear with me today, I'm taking a huge leap to make a few big points.

First of all, I'm not big into the whole idea of this zombie apocalypse phase.  I'm not a doomsday prepper,  I'm not a soothsayer.  I'm not Will Smith or Woody Harrelson.  I'm a business owner who understands preparing for when things go south.  The truth is, my business anti-fail plan is more thorough than my SHTF plan.  But I have a feeling that we can learn a thing or two from the other side.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31GHBl2wVfqKmXywVBHYWp82Nvw57zK_gcKbdnYnsrv-iHTziGoQP1iWMuR8VdR8uN5GOAVr-_uYdEgMtzJEr-6CQ0wGWjSVVDChtNAUX5lMjMgg_ZW4Kl0uqBTEPyjN27W_B8utQVZL2/s1600/tumblr_m4rs9asC2Q1rux18io1_r2_500.jpg

Let's start with some established rules of zombie survival (according to Zombieland) and swing them into business.  

Rule #1 : Cardio.  

Why is good cardiovascular health important in business?  Well that's obvious.  We've all read dozens of articles about the hazards of sitting too long at work.  So let's take this a little further - how does this impact your anti-failure plan?  Did you know that one of the contributing factors to burn-out is poor health?  Including a fitness plan and good diet are key to your survival in business so that you can keep on keepin' on.

Rule #2: The Double Tap.  

This idea can incorporate into business on so many levels.  First, the double tap may relate to editing your documents.  You write; then you edit.  Double tap.  Second, it may mean closing a deal.  You make the initial contact; then you ask for the sell.  Double tap.  And in our anti-failure plan, third, learn everything,  Get a mentor; then go to a seminar.  Double tap.

Rule #10: Don't Swing Low.  

When you're working on building a business, the last thing you want to do is swing low.  I'm not talking about taking things low and slow, I'm talking about your expectations.  One reason entrepreneurs succeed is because we just don't give up.  We swing high and swing for the fences every single at bat.  Yes, some ideas take time to develop, and some ideas just don't pan out, but our success isn't because our first business worked; it's because or third or fifth or twentieth idea stuck.  Tenacity is the key.

The last rule of the zombie apocalypse that we need to remember in business is:

Rule #22: When In Doubt, Know Your Way Out.  

This is highly contradictory; some entrepreneurs believe that if you have an out plan, that you're not 100% invested in your business.  I disagree; knowing where that line of failure is can be key.  If you know when your idea is failing and you pull the plug, you can save reputation, especially with investors.  Driving a train on an incomplete track will lead to failure.  Have an out plan; know what failure means; push that line if you have to, but stop if it's broken.  Failure doesn't mean failure; it means that you need to rework your thinking and planning for the next big idea.

Obviously, I cannot cover enough advice about failure plans in a blog post; especially because I was amazed at how many other of Zombieland's rules fit in business: #8 Get a Kick-Ass Partner, #16 Opportunity Knocks, #19 Break It Up, #20 It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint, Unless it's a Sprint, Then Sprint, #21 Avoid Strip Clubs, #29 The Buddy System, #32 Enjoy the Little Things, and lastly #33 Swiss Army Knife.  Maybe someday I'll cover more rules of the zombie apocalypse in business, or you can leave your Zombieland survival rule in the comments!  Take time to develop your own zombie apocalypse plan anti-fail plan for business, and let me know if you find some creative rules to follow.

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

I refuse to do what I love most

“I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and say to myself "well, that's not going to happen”
― Rita Rudner

I'm huge on telling people to do what they love as their career.  I'm constantly coaching and trying to find opportunities for people to follow their dreams.  I advise jaded workers to find a passion project that they can put time toward, because it will bring them a balanced happiness and can transfer positivity and opportunity into their every-day career.  

But here's a secret: I do not do what I love most as a career.

Am I a hypocrite?  

Or am I on to something?

My second year living away from home while attending college, I received a phone call from my mom.  She told me that I should just move home and she'd help me start a catering company.  There you have it: I LOVE to cook.  I quickly shot that idea down and kept working toward my degree, which at that point was probably pre-law, or entomology, or communications.  The truth was, I wasn't interested in giving up my future as a lawyer who wrote press releases about her newest insect discovery, or whatever I was working to be.  I didn't know what I wanted to be, but I knew what I didn't want to be.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1751577/redesigning-food-trucks

Catering might have been a good fit for me as a career.  I've "catered" many a dinner party, large event, and even wedding for family and friends.  But to cook for strangers, to have to take classes on the proper use of the proper utensil and how to properly julienne and chop and dice... that didn't interest me.  I don't follow recipes, so most things I make aren't able to be reproduced.  My understanding of cooking comes from an innate understanding of portions and proportions.  I know what ratios to make whatever bread or pasta or soup or anything.  But as a career?  It didn't work in my mind, unless I could operate a food truck.  And then only maybe.

I enjoy cooking.  I make, mostly from scratch, about 10 meals a week.  I don't buy pre-packaged foods; I buy produce and meat and staple items and combine them to make whatever I want.  I get inspiration from cookbooks, but use the recipe as a guideline, barely.  I recreate foods I have in restaurants.  I make most of my creations by looking at a picture of pleasant-looking food and guessing. 

That is not how you operate a business.

I have a feeling that being a chef or caterer or anything relating to food would make me hate cooking.  I spent time as a teen working in fast food, and helped open a restaurant early in my career, but to actually devote my life's work to cooking just feels wrong.  It feels suffocating.  It feels uninspired.  I flirt with the line between cooking being a passion and work with one of my developing companies, but it's less cooking and more recipe development.  That's not cooking to me.

I do what I love every day.  I help businesses succeed.  I teach people how to operate their business and turn their dreams into profit.  And in doing that, I achieve my dreams and have success.  

I save my top passion for me. 

 I keep cooking as what I do for my family, or for my creativity, or for my relaxation.  And everyone should have something that they do, aside from work, that is just for that purpose.

So no, I'm not a hypocrite.  I truly believe that each of us need something that we love more than our job.  Something different from our families and relationships.  Something that is just ours.  And sure, we can share it with others, but they don't have to like it.  They won't always.   And that's okay, because it's just for you.

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

Looking forward, looking back

“Study the past if you would define the future.”
― Confucius

June is a fun time for my business: a time of reflection and planning.  I run my fiscal year the same as a calendar year, but June kicks off the planning process for the next year.  I start off the month by looking at progress markers so far in the year, compare year-to-date from the prior year, adjust the remaining goals of the year, and start to lay down my plans for the next year.  This isn't a quick process, and my next-year planning normally takes most of the summer.

With my hands in so many projects, reflection and planning are absolutely necessary for my success and sanity.  I just wrapped up a long-term contract and am feeling out a few opportunities for another.  I have a handful for short-term projects and need to keep feeding that pipeline.  

Sound familiar?

I don't feel that any of this is unique.  On top of the typical day-to-day, I maintain sufficient time for my passion projects - my nonprofits and in-development business projects.  I'm at a point, here in June 2014, to make big leaps and moves in 2015.  I have a business that is in the market sample/research stage, and could likely reach production and distribution early in 2015.  I have a nonprofit that will officially come to fruition after four years of work.  I have another nonprofit that may or may not move forward in this calendar year, and may or may not need a change of venue.  If I didn't revisit my plans, I couldn't stay on top of all of these projects.

Starting in September, I bring an intern into the mix.  This is exciting and both wonderful and horrible timing.  They get dropped into one of the biggest campaign seasons for the first nonprofit, right when I kick off no fewer than 4 major regional events in a week.  Right now, I'm trying to fit the intern into the workflow for the following 30 weeks.  If I didn't take time now to revisit my plans, I would shortchange their learning experience.

http://pixelenemy.com/ask-the-community-what-games-are-you-most-looking-forward-to/

Looking forward, I see opportunity. 

For my consulting business, I'm rebooting a series of classes, workshops, and seminars, as well as integrating webinars and podcasting.  I see new ways to reach new markets, and ways to integrate what I do for the benefit of my region.  I have opportunities to influence more young entrepreneurial minds with a large keynote speaking opportunity, as well as speaking opportunities at more colleges and universities.  I have more opportunities to reach and inspire more start-ups and new innovative industry in the area.  Realistically, I'm planning for failure and seeing success.

Looking back, I see where I've come from.  

For my consulting business, I am failure-proofing my client relations after some tough lessons from the first half of this year.  I see where I took some big risks and saw too-little return.  I took every opportunity that I could, but didn't seek out as many opportunities as I should have.  I reached out to more people and tried to be more influential, and now I can say that I am a major influencer in my region.  That all happened so far in 2014.

I'm not one to spend a lot of time looking back, especially not with negativity.  I did enough of that in my 20s and learned several major lessons.  The biggest lesson I have learned and can teach others is: Do not ask what went wrong; ask what you can do differently.  This has changed the way I think about the past and the future.  Instead of focusing on negative experiences, I focus on learning experiences.  I work to failure-proof my business.  I share my victories with others through what I've learned by missing goals.  Oftentimes, I meet and exceed those goals instead.

Change your way of thinking; change your life.  Spend more time looking forward than backward; but know where you came from and learn from the past.  Share your experiences and learn from the experiences of others.   And most of all - take risks.

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

Not work...just life

“Persistence. Perfection. Patience. Power. Prioritize your passion. It keeps you sane.”
― Criss Jami

It's almost June.  Schools are getting out for the summer.  Office-bound adults are trying to figure out how many times they can swing getting out of work at 3 instead of 5.  Freelancers are waking up early and squeezing as much work out of their morning so that they can order a noon margarita from their local wi-fi engaged restaurant while they work from the patio just an hour or two longer.  Sound like you?  No?  Well why not?

In the summer months (mid-May through mid-October here in Michigan!), I prefer to wake up early (5 - 5:30), get in as much work as I can before 7:30, have a leisurely family breakfast, do some yoga or a HIIT workout, then get back to work around 9:30/10am.  I'll do meetings or correspondence until 11:30/12, then have another leisurely meal.  Between 1 and 3, I turn off email alerts, phones, and any distractions and get a couple more hours of work done.

What does this have to do with life?

What does this have to do with balance?

Well, the way I see it, knowing your own energy and how it flows throughout the day can set you up for success...or failure.  Getting enough work done at peak time allows us to work fewer hours in the day in the most efficient way, allowing us plenty of playtime.  Does this happen every day?  No, but it does happen more often than not.

http://www.key-dynamics.com/blog/bid/271857/10-questions-for-you-and-your-life-balance-coach

Here's a concept that I've noticed most businesses miss: scheduling meetings first thing in the morning, especially on Mondays, is a waste of time.  Sure, once in a while it's nice to come into work and grab a coffee and bagel, then idly sit in a meeting for 2 hours before actually starting your work day, but it's highly unproductive.  How about planning your first 10 minutes around the water cooler, then getting to work?  No, not answering emails and checking your voicemail.  The other things.  Those productive ones.  The things that you get paid to do.

Most days, I don't respond to or answer emails or voicemails until mid-morning.  By then, I've had a few actually productive hours of my day, so I can sit in meetings or make phone calls or play back-and-forth on the email.  And then I can shut it down and get back to actual work.  Our corporate society makes it impossible to actually work.  According to this Forbes article, more than 50% of employees waste  up to 2 hours of their work day on just social media.  That doesn't count how often Susie over the cubicle wall distracts you, or how long it takes to get back on task after babysitting your outgoing fax for 10 minutes.  I would wager a bet that the average office worker has 4 or fewer hours of productive time a day.

So back to life and balance -

Imagine a world where you had a 4-6 hour work day, spread throughout the day to benefit your energy schedule.  Imagine that you weren't tied to your desk, and you could work from that restaurant at lunchtime with a drink and no one would mind.  Imagine that you could end your work day at 3pm every day, not just Fridays, and not just in the summer.  

What would you do with that time?  

How would you live?

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

Like a phoenix rises from the ashes...

“Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn't work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new approach.”
― Roger Von Oech

Some of my favorite lessons over the past over 10 years in business for myself have been learned through failures.  Failure can be a blessing in disguise.  A dying business can bring new ideas, innovation, that wouldn't have happened otherwise.  Failure forces you to reassess your skills, knowledge, and goals, which most don't revisit often enough.  By failing, you learn better how not to fail in the future.

Once upon a time

 I was wading through a vast pool of government bids and start-up businesses.  This time was about 2007.  Connections were easy to make in the military contractor business, and I found myself in a position to sell some of the most innovative, useful, and life-saving products to the government.  It was nice work if you could get it.  2007 was a good time for start-ups, and I worked to build businesses all over the United States and Europe, taking ideas and pushing them through the grueling process on business planning and investor meetings, grant proposals and lead generating.  Then something happened.  The bottom fell out.  The stock market crashed.  The government contracts froze immediately.  The start-up businesses dried right up.  And I was not prepared. 

The biggest failure I had in my business was not preparing for the uncertain future.  Being successful so quickly in business clouded my better judgement and left me in a tough spot when I woke up one day and didn't have a back up plan to save my business.  So what was one to do in the face of a failed business?  Innovate, of course.

http://www.chcp.edu/blog/sharing-your-failures

I didn't immediately seek out more work.  I took time to reassess.  I thought about the needs in the region.  I thought about my strengths, weaknesses, and knowledge.  I thought about applying to every job available in a quick moment of panic, but then I relaxed and decided that was the worst idea of the bunch.  I came to a conclusion:  I needed to find a line of income that would cover me until I came up with a better plan.  That was it - I needed a bandaid.

2 days later I had ordered a home-study kit from the top fitness training company, chock full of books on becoming a personal trainer.  I also ordered a home-study kit from a yoga teacher training company.  And lastly, I started taking classes to become a nutrition coach.  Within a week, I had my bandaid - I was going to become a personal trainer, yoga teacher, and nutrition coach.  I was not going to build a business for someone else.  I was not going to take a low-level office job to tide me over.  I was going to learn new skills that matched my interests to "re-brand" myself so that I could control my income.

The band-aid lasted me a few years.  In the time where I was learning and testing, I put 100% effort into my new materials.  As soon as I had passed my tests, I got to work.  I took on clients and started making money.  And in my free time, I read everything that I could about starting a business.  Wait...why would a start-up business professional read about how to start a business?  I decided to literally start from scratch.  I decided to reforge my business in the heart of the dying economy.  I decided to try to get ahead of the next unseen entities that would interrupt my plans.  I met with mentors.  I read books and blogs and magazine articles.  I listened to podcasts and radio shows.

How did this help me?

It taught me that failure wasn't an option.  It taught me that while failure can be scary, it's the perfect time for learning, reassessing, and building new skills.  It taught me that failure doesn't mean failure - failure now affords us the chance to do it better next time.  And more than anything, failure taught me to be innovative.  Six years after running my own business into the ground because I wasn't prepared, I am better than ever. 

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur