Alberta Business Marketing

For those of us back in the office from a long weekend - what could be more appropriate than a post related to email? It's not like our inboxes are full or anything.

A couple weeks ago I was at an alumni event for my alma mater and it brought back memories of being in the library until the wee hours and writing my Master's thesis on email. (Yes I've been an email fanboy for a while. Stop snickering.) Years later I was part of a group of CMA members that created a Guide to Email Marketing. Download a free copy of it here.

I'll admit I've always been a proponent of email and how it can do wonders for us. Would anyone disagree with the notion that email is an integral part of our daily lives both personally and professionally?

Having said that I’ve been thinking about innovation as it applies to business, technology and marketing. And although email was a very innovative creation it can be argued it now stifles innovation. Our inboxes are filling up more and more and we’re struggling to keep pace. We don't have time to do 'work' because we are incessantly checking our inboxes. Inbox owners are losing the war. Some people have resorted to declaring email bankruptcy.

Chris Anderson of Wired and TED fame is of the view that the very purpose of email to improve our time, energy and sanity at work is now actually having the opposite effect. The reason according to Mr. Anderson isn't email itself but that most people are extremely bad at using this tool. His position is that "The total time taken to respond to an email is often MORE than the time it took to create it." I never thought about it that way before.

So Mr. Anderson created an Email Charter with input from the online community. The 10 rules in the charter are simple but could make a universal impact if widely adopted by more users out there - including myself.

Candidly, I'm guilty of some of the transgressions outlined in the Email Charter so I'm now trying to abide by it. In addition to the 10 Rules to Reverse the Email Spiral, I'm remembering two other small tips I’ve recently come across by people I respect.

1. Guy Kawasaki - Keeping emails to 6 sentences or less.
2. Seth Godin – Ask "If I had to pay $0.42 to send this email, would I?"

[If you have any thoughts, opinions or tips regarding email please add them to the discussion in the comments section below.]

The creation of email is a major technological and communication innovation but if used improperly it can be an impediment to future innovation. It can stifle productivity and waste the valuable time and resources of others. Not to mention how email can be lousy in expressing sentiment and emotion that could be better addressed in a conversation.

The last thing I want to do is contribute to the problem. So it's time to start contributing to the solution. If that means by trying to respect an Email Charter then so be it.

Sulemaan Ahmed
Twitter @sulemaan

Tags: Get it off your chest, technology, This and That
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It’s summertime and the living is easy. It’s a period when most of us try to enjoy some down time, recharge the batteries and do the things we love to do. But fall is on its way and back to school also means back to work and a Q4 push for results.

I was recently reading (I always get more reading done in the summer) a report from McKinsey (April 2011) entitled: Sparking creativity in teams: An executive’s guide. It provides practical ideas about how to engage teams and help them to be more creative to stimulate growth and performance.

How many of us have actually gone through the purchase cycle of our own products – online and in-store? This would include conducting research online as any consumer might, calling in to your company and asking a question about a product or service and completing a sale (hopefully you can get a refund if not really required). McKinsey suggests doing this as well as going through the same exercise with a competitor. Record the experiences step by step and then dissect and discuss with your team.

Another suggested technique is to use analogies – forcing comparisons between companies that are nothing alike. Let’s consider we are a bank trying to take our credit card program to the next level. Draft some questions such as those noted below and use them as a starting point for discussion.
• How would Google manage our data?
• How would Apple design our customer experience?
• How would Shoppers design our loyalty program?

The final technique I will discuss is called “creating constraints”. While imposing constraints in a creative exercise might seem backward, what it does is force people to leave their comfort zones and perhaps be even more creative. McKinsey suggests asking participants to imagine a world where they must function within severe limits – here are a few idea starters:
• You can only interact with your customers online.
• You can only serve one customer segment.
• The price of your product is cut in half.
• You must charge a five-fold price premium for your product.
• Your largest channel disappears overnight.

Essentially what these exercises are trying to do is to put people in unexpected environments to generate creative output. Hopefully you will find one or two ideas to make your “back to school” team meeting more creative.

Dawn Marchand

Tags: This and That
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As a marketer, I am always interested in new and innovative techniques to reach a target market with relevant messaging. And as stated in previous blogs, I am a firm believer that marketing based on interests or passions will yield positive results. Through those blogs, a former colleague reconnected and told me about some proprietary research his company conducts called Passion Drivers®. Their research included studying over 60,000 avid fans of 30 sports in 11 countries on six continents.

Moving beyond standard demographics, this research provides an opportunity for marketers to target based on interests or “passion” instead of standard demographics like age and household income. Consider hockey as an example. A marketer could present the same offer to a 30 year-old female teacher and a 50 year-old male truck driver because they both have a strong affinity for teams, even though they have very different backgrounds. This tool sounds most appealing for companies looking to better leverage sponsorship investments – connecting their brand to target consumers. And, who isn’t concerned about achieving better brand leverage from sponsorships?

Passion drivers appears to be one option for sports marketing … I wonder if there are similar tools for electronics, financial services or other consumer segments.

Dawn Marchand

Tags: This and That
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There has been tons written about interviews and the 'art of interviews'. Competition for good positions is fierce these days just to get your foot in the door. And once you are in the door - you have to make an impression during the interview.

Naturally a lot of advice regarding interviews is common sense. For example, it amazes me how many people in actual interview scenarios are asked if they checked out a company website and the answer is often 'no'. It totally blows my mind in an era of Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks but I digress.

There are many others things one can do to be prepared for an interview besides doing your homework beforehand. Be on time. Be well dressed. Be honest about your credentials and experience. Be confident. Most importantly - be yourself.

The last point is the one that I feel is really important based on my experience. In today's business world there is indeed a lot of pressure to land that coveted role. However, it is critical you be yourself during the interview process. If you present yourself as anything different you will be miserable if you land the job under false pretences. A prospective employer should hire you because they are thrilled about you. Not some contrived persona.

I'd also take it a step further - within reason - to let your personality shine through in the interview if circumstances allow it. Let me give you a personal example.

Through the gracious introduction of a friend, I interviewed for a marketing position with a company I respected. They weren't quite a start-up but more of an 'up-start'. The company has a unique interview process where multiple employees at different levels of the organization interview prospective candidates and not just the senior leadership team.

I think it's brilliant as it allows them to get a real feel for potential candidates and the candidate to meet different employees. The employees would also have to feel empowered that they are part of the selection process and have a say if a candidate is the right fit for the company. This is critical when a company's culture has been carefully fostered and cultivated over many years.

During my 3rd interview, one of the interviewers said that he was asked before the interview if he had heard of me. He said the only "Sulemaan" he had heard of was this:

Now clearly I'm not the individual in this video. My moves on the dance floor vary from gusts of awful to winds of terrible. You will never see me on a dance floor. I smiled and told the interviewer the dancer definitely wasn't me.

A few days later I had a follow-up interview with the same gentleman and his team to tie-up loose ends and outstanding questions. This time I decided to add a little spice to things. I went to a local costume store and bought a replica Michael Jackson glove.

The next interview, I waited for the right moment. I said I needed to get a pen from my bag, reached down and put on the glove on and continued to take notes like nothing unusual had happened. The interviewers were surprised and chuckled.

I smiled and said something along the lines of "I can't dance like Michael Jackson but I can wear a glove like him." The interviewers got a real kick out of that. One of them actually put the glove on himself after I took it off and started doing Michael Jackson dance move hand gestures. But let me tell you they were still very serious and asked some tough questions.

Was wearing the glove a risky move? Perhaps but after the first couple of interviews I had a pretty good idea of the culture and people at that organization. I also figured it was a good litmus test to see how people reacted to different ideas, even ones appearing way out of the box.

Now I'm not suggesting you come to an interview in a clown suit. Nor be armed with resumes printed on pink paper doused in perfume. What I am suggesting is that you use the interview process as an opportunity to interview the company as well. Ask them tough questions (in a polite and respectful manner).

What I am also suggesting is you should infuse your own personality into the interview process if you have a sense the culture and environment allows that. Better to know how people respond to it during the interview process than after signing on the dotted line.

And how did those interviews go for me? Security promptly escorted me out of the building. Kidding. I was fortunate enough to receive a generous offer. So maybe the Michael Jackson glove really did make a difference. Because it sure wasn't due to my dancing skills.

Sulemaan Ahmed
Twitter @sulemaan

Tags: Get it off your chest, Human Resources, Marketing Talent, This and That
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Not to keep banging on about my trip to Italy but the food (and wine) was amazing. Wood-oven thin crust pizza with tomato sauce so fresh and flavourful topped with large leaves of basil and creamy buffalo mozzarella. Not to mention pairing it with a fine Chianti; who knew house wines could be so good! And the gelato – the limone and pistachio (that’s pronounced – pist – ack – eo). All of this while sitting in a cafe watching the Italians go by. Let’s face it, they know how to dress and ooze style. Women in stilettos driving on scooters, men wearing scarves stylishly knotted at the neck. What an experience!

Ahh back to reality... (and now that summer is here not too harsh of a reality). Yesterday I was at the Royal Botanical Garden -a beautiful venue - where I was practising what I preach; networking after a networking workshop I did for the Burlington Chamber. While sipping on wine we got to talking about wineries. Living a half hour drive from Niagara wine country we lamented how good the wine tastes when you are at a winery and the winemaker is passionately telling you about the grapes he selected, why he selected them and his entire process from vine to bottle. Top that off with tasting tips on how to best enjoy it in the glass (letting it breath, swirling before smelling and tasting – you get the idea). One of my fellow networkers Rick lamented “and then you buy three cases but it just doesn’t taste the same at home”.

We are sensory beings ruled by emotion vs. logic (although we like to think the contrary). We respond to stories, are stimulated by sight and sound. It’s how we’re wired or hard wired according to Evolutionary Psychology which tells us our brains haven’t changed all that much since we roamed the Savannah. It is indeed the emotion we feel from experiences that shape our lives.

As a business we have an opportunity to create a mediocre or spectacular experience. So what kind of an experience are you giving your customers? Is it happen-stance or have you carefully crafted it to meet their needs. Is it consistent and memorable or easily forgettable? Back in my advertising days, one of my key messages to clients was “I can get them in the door, what are you going to do keep them”. Before you discard the concept, thinking your business is different, you don’t sell wine or food, think again – a transformational experience is possible in any business, it simply needs to be gift wrapped uniquely for your customer. And the bonus – companies that provide exceptional experiences are rewarded with loyal customers that happily pay a premium. Perhaps it’s time for your company to move into brand prominence.

Shelley McQuade

Tags: Branding, Customer Experience, This and That
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