David V. Lorenzo's Blog is now: www.careerintensity.com/blog

Career Intensity

We Have Moved

Please visit Dave’s new blog:

http://www.careerintensity.com/blog

Career Intensity – Most Popular Articles

Below are links to the most popular posts from The Career Intensity Blog during the past ten days.

Love the Word No- Many times, the word “No” is the beginning of the path to success.

 

Stimulating Creativity-Four tips for getting the creative juices flowing.

 

Career Development and the People You Know-How to use your personal network to advance your career.

 

How to Handle Uncertainty at Work-Change takes its tool on everyone. Here’s four ways to deal with it.

 

Sex and Your Career-It happens everywhere and it’s almost always bad news.

 

The Google Dance-How to do research before you go on an interview or any meeting.

Somthing Cool is Happening at The Career Intensity Blog

We are really gaining some great momentum over at The Career Intensity Blog. 

The traffic has been going through the roof and I’ve picked up my blogging pace to give people more of what they want.  Please check it out if you have a chance. 

Win it Before You Can Buy It

Lisa Haneberg is hosting a contest over at Management Craft and the winners will each receive an advance review copy of Career Intensity. 

Click Here for all the details.

Customer Service and Perception

I just ran out to the local doughnut shop – a national chain – to grab a cup of coffee.  Here is the exchange between myself and the counter staff:

Me: A large coffee light with skim please.

Counter Person: No large, only extra large or medium.

Me: I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Have you eliminated that size?

Counter Person:  No Large.

Me: Just today? Forever?

Counter Person: Do you want medium or extra large?

Me:  Ok. So I can’t get a large.  I’ll take an extra large.  I’m just curious; what happened to the large?

Counter Person (now screaming in broken English): Why you give me a hard time?  I said no large!

Obviously this counter person is in the wrong job.  Obviously the management at this particular location has failed to properly educate this individual on the importance of the customer to the business.  What is less obvious is how interactions like this erode the value of the brand.

Every interaction with a business either adds or detracts from the value of that brand.  Every person a business puts in front of a customer effects the perception of the customer.

This particular store just opened last week. How long do you think this facility will stay in business?

Get Your Daily Dose of Dave - The Career Intensity Blog

I’ve been on the road for a couple of weeks so I have not really been diligent in keeping up with The Power of Perception.  If you ever find yourself in need of a dose of Dave Lorenzo's opinion (tongue firmly planted in cheek) you can find multiple posts each day over at The Career Intensity Blog.   The focus of our conversation in that forum is individual success – for people in large companies as well as folks who are running their own businesses.

Paying a Fee Increases Commitment

People perceive things as valuable if they pay for them.  This is a fact we have discussed on this blog previously. 

Amazon is reporting that people will purchase more from a web site if they pay a fee to shop on it.  You read that correctly.  They pay to shop there and that increases the likelihood that they will return.

There is an implied perception of value in things that are expensive.  Paying a fee to buy goods or services is more evidence that this tactic can influence perception.

How the Pros will Influence Perception

Big business will be spending big bucks on-line in 2006.  Here’s some interesting information from mediapost.com:

“The BtoB online survey "2006 Marketing Priorities and Plans" of 366 senior marketing executives, conducted during the last week of November and the first week of December, found that 60.7% will be working with bigger budgets in 2006, reported Kate Maddox of BtoBOnline. 31.6% said their budgets would be flat. And only 7.7% said their budgets would decrease. The optimism is eleven points over last year.

In 2006, 72.0% of marketers plan to increase online budgets. Within Internet spending, the specific media that will receive the greatest share of marketers' online budgets in 2006 will be

·        Web sites (30.3%)

·        e-mail (22.0%)

·        search (20.3%)

·        sponsorships (10.3%)”

As more people head to the Internet to do research, more companies will look to influence people who are using the internet.

Makes sense, right?

Why I Blog

I am a blogger. 

This means I host a website that I update regularly with whatever I want to say (actually I host three sites – but that’s not important right now).  People often ask me why I blog.  I blog for three reasons.  They Are:

1)      To help people.  I like helping people.  If one person reads one of my posts and it makes a slight difference in their business, I’m happy.

2)      It helps me think.  Blogging helps me crystallize my thoughts.  When I write something, I really need to focus on the topic to make sure my thoughts are “on point”. Focused thinking generates a lot of good ideas.  I like good ideas.

3)      It’s fun.  I enjoy putting my thoughts in a place that keeps them organized.  I also get great satisfaction out of seeing other people respond to something I have written.

Many people think that blogging is part of my grand integrated marketing communications strategy to sell lots of books. That’s not entirely true.

Don’t get me wrong, I want to sell books but that’s not why I blog.

In fact, I wrote a book for three reasons.  They are:

1)      To help people.  I like helping people.  If one person reads…………

Semantics and Perception

I came across a situation today that had me thinking about sales and the small business.  I blogged about it on SoHo Savvy.

The situation is all about how people perceive you and your products and services when you give them away. 

I tell everyone that they should never give away their own products or services.

Here’s why:

When you give away your own products or services you are saying “this has no value”.  You may not be overtly devaluing your goods but you are sending this signal to everyone who knows that you are doing something for free.

You are also setting a horrible precedent.  If you give it away once, you can give it away in the future.  Someone will be smart enough to ask why you can’t give it away “like you did last time” or “like you did for Johnnie”.

Here is how you provide a “sample” with out giving something away:

There are times when you may need to do some work for free (or provide a product sample).  Here are some ways to do it without sending the wrong signal:

Trade – Get something, anything, in return.  Getting something back for your efforts at least signals that your product or service has value.

Get “someone else” to pay – Let the prospect know that a friend has “sponsored” your services today. You can approach the friend and ask if they will pay (or trade).  Worst case, offer the friend a “two for one” deal as long as the second item goes to the person who wants the Freebie.

Have someone else give your stuff away.  If a complementary business gives away your goods or services they are offering something of value.  No one knows what they paid you (and no one should ever know).  The other business can offer your services as a package deal with theirs and you can help them win the client over while selling yourself.

Raffle off your services – If someone wins your services in a contest, your services must have some value. Hold a contest or raffle and pick a winner.  Always make sure you include the value of the prize in all advertising or communications.

I know these tips sound like a matter of semantics.  That’s because they are.  The way you phrase things makes all the difference in the world when you are trying to establish a long-term relationship with a customer.

About Dave

Dave Lorenzo is an author, strategist and trusted advisor to some of the most successful companies and executives in the world. 

He regularly shares his expertise through his weblogs:

The Power of Perception is a discussion on Integrated Marketing Communications

SoHo Savvy is dedicated to the needs of the Small Office | Home Office Businessperson

The Career Intensity Blog is an ongoing discussion about business strategy for workplace warriors and entrepreneurs

Dave’s first book:  Career Intensity:  Business Strategy for Workplace Warriors and Entrepreneurs will be released in May 2006.

Polish is Important

I’m not a first draft writer.  I have been known to agonize over a long blog post for hours. 

I like to think of myself as a “big idea guy”.  I have no interest in details.  Plus I think at least twice as fast as I speak and at least five times as fast as I write.

This is why I find typos so frustrating. In my head, the thought is fully formed and it makes sense.  On paper (or the computer screen) it sometimes comes out looking like a first grader wrote it.

As I blog more in 2006 (I have three blogs – SoHo Savvy, The Career Intensity Blog and this one) I vow to try to make each post free of mistakes that a youngster should catch.

Each post is an opportunity for people to get to know me.  I would like everyone to think that I am a smart and seasoned professional. I want my work to reflect the thought I put into it.

I hope this post is as helpful for you (the reader) as it is for me.  I have set a personal reminder to refer back to this post every few weeks.  I need to slow down and double check things.

Perception is important and polish influences perception.

Change the World

You have the power to change the world.  If you need proof, today is the day you’ll receive it.

Today is a holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. In his 39 years, Dr. King had enormous influence on our country.  He had a sense of purpose and he was able to communicate directly and effectively with large amounts of people in a deeply emotional way.

Dr. King’s words still ring true and he was a remarkable man. Think of the speed at which Dr. King could influence society if he were alive today.  The development of communications media technology would have allowed him to spread his message of hope world-wide in a matter of seconds.  Television, websites, blogs and e-mail would have helped carry his words and passion to almost every corner of the world.

We all have access to these powerful resources.  We can all use them to improve the world we influence.  Please take a moment today and reflect upon the impact Dr. King had with limited resources.  Then think about the impact you can have with the resources available to you.

We can all change the world, even if it’s one person at a time.

Passion and Perception

Passionate People are often viewed as being sincere.  Most people believe that you can’t fake passion.

Presentation Zen has an interesting post today about this topic.  Here is the money quote:

“The best presenters I have ever seen were not trained actors or professional presenters (though they may indeed present a lot). The best presentations I have seen were from everyday business people, designers, or researchers who (1) had a clear interest in their topic and about sharing it with the audience, (2) had their material down clearly and accurately in their minds and in their visuals, and (3) they displayed a clear passion for the material and made warm connections with their audience, connections that were undoubtedly sincere.”

Feeling passionately about something is a huge advantage.  Your audience will be more inclined to believe you if they feel what you feel.

Buzzkillers

Word of Mouth expert Buzzoodle Ron gives us a lesson in his post Buzz Barriers.  Here’s my favorite:

“Don't like your organization. - If you do not like the place you work, start working on getting out. One way to do that is to create positive buzz about yourself and where you work, despite how you feel. Remember, few people hire a complainer. The positive attitude and great buzz you create for yourself will help you achieve your goal and your employer will still benefit.”

Read his entire post by clicking here.

If you don’t like where you work you probably need a healthy dose of Career Intensity.

For that - click here.

Good Conversations Start with a Good Product

Word of mouth is dominating the conversation in marketing land these days.  Positive word of mouth is critical to the success of any business.  First and foremost, you need to have a product or service worth talking about and you have to differentiate it in some way.

George Silverman discusses this exact thought on his blog. Here is the money quote from his latest post:

“Content rules. You still have to have a big idea, differentiate it in a meaningful and beneficial way and have a product that is extraordinary in a way that people will talk about. Then you analyze the decision process, find the blocks and encourage people to talk about the things that are holding people back.”

You need to give people something powerful to talk about.  If you don’t your word of mouth marketing is, at best, just noise.

The Big Gamble - Superbowl Ads

Here's the rundown on this year's Superbowl Ads.  Thanks to Ad Age and Jaffee Juice.

Marketer	Buy	Creative	Agency
American Home Health	One 30-second spot in the second pod of the second half	The creative is humorous, using people in biosuits to illustrate the strength of its PS line of home antibacterial soaps and disinfectants.	Ronin Advertising Group, Coconut Grove, Fla.
Ameriquest Mortgage Co.	Two 30-second spots	No details at this time	DDB, Los Angeles
Anheuser-Busch	10 spots throughout the game	No details at this time	Various agencies
Bayer	One 30-second spot in the first quarter	Spot will focus on Aleve brand	Energy BBDO, Chicago
Buena Vista Pictures	One spot, length unknown	Will promote "Shaggy Dog" remake starring Tim Allen	In-house
Burger King	One 60-second spot after kick-off	One of a new series of ads with the King going head to helmet with NFL players	Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Miami, Fla.
Career Builder.com	Two 30-second spots	Expect another humorous spot as the monkeys are back for another year	Cramer Krasselt, Chicago
Emerald of California	One 30-second spot in fourth quarter	The humorous spot builds on the word-game approach Emerald took last year using the letters E and N. It focuses on a druid and a machete enthusiast	Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco
ESPN	One 60-second spot	The spot will launch Mobile ESPN, the network's mobile-phone service that delivers ESPN-branded sports content	Arnold, Boston
FedEx	Details unknown	No details at this time	BBDO, New York
Ford Motor Co.	One 30-second spot	Ford is keeping mum but is very likely to push its crucial new Fusion sedan	JWT, Detroit
General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac	One 60-second spot in the second quarter	The company declined to provide details but is expected by many to advertise its redone Escalade Sport Utility, which the marketer said would be awarded to the game's Most Valuable Player as part of Cadillac's official game sponsorship	Agency
Nationside Insurance	One 30-second spot in second break of the third quarter	Celebrity spot is part of its "Life Comes at You Fast" branding campaign	TM Advertising, Irving, Texas
New Line Cinema	One Spot, length unknown	Spot will promote "Running Scared," an action thriller with Paul Walker	In-house
Procter & Gamble Co.	Details not known	IT will push the five-blade Gillette Fusion razor. It's not known whether the ad will feature Gillette's top pitchman, soccer star David Beckham	BBDO, New York
Pepsi-Cola Co.	Four 30-second spots	Marketer will use at least one ad to push Diet Pepsi brand, which is the official beverage of the NFL. No details available on the theme of the creative at this time	DDB, New York
Sony Pictures	Details Unknown	Likely to promote upcoming titles such as "Pink Panther" and "The Da Vinci Code."	In-house
Sprint	Two 30-second spots, one in second quarter and one in the third, plus sponsor of half-time show featuring the Rolling Stones	Agency is testing four humorous spots; one was created by a special effects master that work on "The Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe."	TBWA/Chiat Day, New York
Subway	Details unknown	Details unknown at this time	MMB, Boston
Unilever	Details unknown	Details unknown at this time	Agency unknown
Warner Bros.	Three 30-second spots	Will promote three films -- "Poseidon," the remake of "Poseidon Adventure"; "V for Vendetta," with Natalie Portman; and "16 Blocks," a copy movie starring Bruce Willis and Mos Def	In-house

The Top Ten

Gapingvoid brings us the top ten lies of a blogger. It is hysterical.  Here they are:

1. I don't consider myself an A-Lister. No, but I turn up for speaking gigs at all the big conferences anyway. Uh-huh.

2. I don't care about traffic. Of course I don't. Even though I'm a freelance consultant, and my blog is my primary way of marketing myself. Rock on.

3. I've read your blog. Yeah, well I read the "Musings of an unemployed tech consultant" bit on the title bar, before clicking off. That counts.

4. I started blogging back in 1999. Of course, back in 1999 a Flash-animated, brochureware homepage was considered a blog. Kinda sorta.

5. My blog has no commercial agenda. I'm far too sexy to care about money. Exactly.

6. I only have advertising on my blog as an experiment. That explains why the adstrip is right under the "Musings of an unemployed tech consultant" bit. Indeed.

7. I've never liked the unegalitarian term, "A-Lister". Even though I am one. Oh, the irony.

8. I'm proud to be a D-Lister. Even though I spend 7 hours a day writing the thing. Right.

9. He's a big hero of mine. He's got more traffic than downtown

   Mexico City

   and I'm hoping to God he links to me one day.

10. I really admire what she's doing for the blogosphere. I've noticed that she's currently single.

Career Intensity on the Web

The new Career Intensity website is up and running.  Wander on over when you have time.

The site contains book information and some Frequently Asked Questions.

In the weeks to come we will be posting book excerpts (February) Podcasts (March) and Videos (April) based on content in the book. 

At times our conversation will be on a specific topic.  At other times the conversation may begin in one area and then expand to another.  This is the reason for three focused blogs that can (and eventually will) interact.

In case you are confused:

The Power of Perception is a discussion on Integrated Marketing Communications and how you can market yourself

SoHo Savvy is dedicated to the needs of the Small Office | Home Office Businessperson – an entrepreneur

The Career Intensity Blog is an ongoing discussion about business strategy for workplace warriors and entrepreneurs

Thanks for joining the conversation.  Please bookmark these sites and join us each day as we make the work environment better for everyone.