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Getting to the Group Hug: The 5 Ways to Align Sales & Marketing to Build Revenue

May 19th, 2013
by Michelle Heath.
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courtesy of Laura Foley Design

If you know anything about Sales and Marketing organizations, you know that they are often at odds. When business is booming, the scotch is flowing, the bell is ringing and it’s group hugs and high-fives all around. When business is in the crapper, the finger-pointing and blame games are more popular that Wii Bowling and lead to animosity and all sorts of unproductive behavior that gets in the way of success.

I recently taught a class for the Boston Start-up Institute to help new entrepreneurs figure out how to build Sales, Product & Marketing teams that work well together. (You can view the SlideShare here.) As I thought about how to frame the conversation for these bright-eyed newbies, I kept coming back to one word that is critical for success: ALIGNMENT.

In start-ups, alignment seems like it should be pretty easy, everyone marching toward the same goal, right? Not so much. Alignment is freaking hard. Big companies put zillions of KPIs in place to try to get everyone aligned. Small companies do the same thing and it doesn’t always work. Why? Because alignment requires maniacal focus on just a few high-priority things. Focus, people! You’ll always have 17 priorities and stuff that had to ship yesterday and new stuff that reshuffles the deck, but in order to gain alignment, you have to be ridiculously picky about your KPIs and, ideally, pick one thing. I believe that for all businesses that one thing is: REVENUE. The tactics are the tactics but, at the end of the day, without revenue, you have no profit margin, you have no ability to pay employees, you have no company. Customer Service, IT, Product, Sales, Marketing…they all deliver revenue. Some of it is about closing customers now. Some of it is selling the customer of the future. Some of it is keeping the customers you have now engaged and happy so they stay and keep generating…revenue.

Historically Sales & Marketing have not been aligned around revenue. Think about how these two teams are paid. Sales people know that if they don’t meet their sales goals, they can’t pay their mortgage or buy that new 7 Series or send their kids to summer camp. Marketing knows that if they don’t meet their marketing goals, they will still get paid, but will have to deal with a load of questions and crap from sales, C-level execs and board members. Both scary, but not so aligned.

What if your organization aligned itself around revenue? It’s the key to success and here’s how to make it happen.

1. Marketing as a profit center

In most organizations, marketing is set up as a cost-center. Spend, spend, spend. If there is a choice between cutting sales or marketing, the choice is clear. Marketing is the first budget and staff to get cut when the going gets tough because it’s discretionary and, most of the time, not tied directly to revenue. While marketing needs a budget in order to run the programs that generate awareness, leads, conversion, and all that great stuff, marketing needs to be organized as a revenue center. This shift is an important trend in sales and marketing organization and it makes a huge difference as to how sales and marketing align and build successful programs. Start each quarter with a cross-sales & marketing meeting to agree on the revenue goals for the quarter and then give each team the ability to define how they are going to achieve those goals. Create your revenue model based on what marketing will generate and what sales will generate. Skin in the game makes a big difference.

2. Hard-core data

I often hear marketers say: “I think we should run a campaign because ____. Typically, that fill in the blank is made up and has nothing to do with data. That’s just not good enough. Every budget dollar counts and needs to be tied back to revenue. Marketers need to be analytical maniacs. Instead of just proposing a new program, look at the success of the last program, build a model to forecast an A/B test of the new one, think like an analyst. Know your numbers. Having the right tools is key here and there are lots of them out there. Salesforce, SugarCRM, KissMetrics, Marketo, HubSpot, Wordstream and the many other data-driven solutions out there give marketers the ability to put finer points on conversion at all stages of the funnel and to build KPIs that tie to ROI and revenue. Marketing is becoming a data hub and driving business analytics through detailed metrics that affect the entire organization. As a marketer, you should be building teams of demand gen, quant and measurement linchpins who will help you drive better business decisions using data.

3. Comp models

Let’s face it. Sales compensation is the leading driver of getting to revenue. Sure, everyone in your company wants the company to be successful and has tons of passion and stays late for that big release, but when you’re talking about the teams that are filling the funnel and knocking them down, the right comp plans for the right groups will drive the behavior you want. Typically, marketing is not on commission. Marketers are usually not closing the deals at the end of the funnel. But, I am a big fan of variable comp plans for marketing teams. Why not incent your marketing team to drive toward the sales goal by building a variable comp plan they can earn as they generate revenue? Sales will act differently when they know marketing has a stake in the revenue plan. Also, consider how your sales people are compensated. Crappy comp plans = crappy sales people = crappy sales. Reward great sales behavior, both in closing the deal and retaining the deal.

4. Pipeline engagement

For sales, it’s all about building a strong pipeline and knocking them down. Marketing is often seen as the driver of the front of the pipeline – top of the funnel. But, what then? Once marketing and sales can start looking at the pipeline as a full funnel – top to bottom – both teams can work together to define the drivers of engagement and new ideas for campaigns, automation and other programs to keep leads hot and get them to close. I’ve often seen sales expect a marketing miracle to keep leads warm and get them to magically convert on their own. Don’t be so naive. Sales needs to share feedback with marketing about why customers aren’t buying, what messaging is working/not, when leads need to be touched or requalified and open communication is the key driver. All too often the pipeline grows cold because sales is spread too thin, or not properly incented, or too many leads are coming in the top, or sales is left to cherry pick what they want to focus on. Creating a sales method for pipeline engagement aligns sales and marketing around learning and refining programs to get ‘em to close. Always. Be. Closing.

5. Collaboration

It seems to go without saying that collaboration between sales and marketing is nirvana but often feels like a slow burn in hell. Sales can bark orders and blame marketing and point fingers. Marketing can play the victim and make sales the enemy and slow roll programs into the sunset. Productive? Not so much. Laura Foley recently discussed the topic as it relates to sales presentations and PowerPoint decks and the tug of war she sees in her business between sales and marketing (and is credited for her awesome graphic above (thank you!)  Sales people often just want sexy marketing programs to appear out of thin air, but without sales feedback from the front-lines, it’s all guessing and making assumptions on marketing’s part and, you know what happens when you assume anything. Sometimes marketing needs to take a backseat and listen when sales says a campaign didn’t work or when they identify what they see as a problem or issue with marketing. It’s hard, but necessary. Giving sales the space to talk openly can be constructive and ultimately help get to a better solution.

So, here’s to alignment and building a killer marketing and sales united front that rings the bell on success for the business. What have you found works to align your marketing and sales teams?

Happy hugging!

Posted in: Business models, Culture, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Rants, Sales, Start-ups.
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Clever marketing campaign goes psycho on student debt

May 6th, 2013
by Michelle Heath.
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I was lucky enough to graduate college without student debt. I didn’t really think about it much then, but now, as I plan for my two kids to go to college, I am grateful my parents made it possible for me and want to do the same for my kids. The harsh reality is that the national student debt is a whopping $1Trillion and climbing and affects almost 15 million people under the age of 30. Sending two kids to a private college 4-year college will cost me about $500,000, give or take and require lots of trade-offs, including retiring and having a life. For most kids today, the consistent rise in tuition costs is forcing them into the ongoing pain and horror of student loans and ongoing debt. Not a pretty picture.

So, what’s a kid to do? American Student Assistance (ASA), a Boston nonprofit, has created SALT, a free, student debt management resource that helps students take control of their loans and their debt. Think of it as a path to relief for student burdened with college loans. Tho, getting students to pay attention to the topic of paying off their loans is no easy feat. What kid has the extra money laying around to do it? It can feel easier to just ignore it and maybe it will go away. ASA knows that these are the realities for people dealing with student loans and decided to change up how they were going to grab the attention of this growing audience.

Screen Shot 2013-05-05 at 7.31.40 PMInstead of creating just a Facebook page or a new social media campaign, ASA decided to go psycho. Psycho thriller, to be exact. Sue Burton, Managing Director of SALT Consumer Marketing and Product Development and long-time friend and colleague, connected with her audience through the medium kids love: film. Not just another YouTube or College Humor video, but a real short film directed by Sundance-award winners, Borderline Films. Titled The Red, this 8-minute film acknowledges the anxiety many young people feel when faced with the massive burden of student loans, and shows how SALT.org, the free student debt resource created by ASA, can provide a path to relief. There was a creative teaser campaign leading up to last week’s premiere, which was revealed and sold out in Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Tampa and Washington, DC. SS+K, the NY agency that created the film and the broader awareness campaign, was smart enough to bundle The Red viewing with a free viewing of Iron Man 3…on opening night. Up until the premiere, The Red was promoted as just a film, and the big student debt connection was made for the first time at the premier at the Lowes Boston Common. I was lucky enough to be Sue’s distinguished red carpet guest and here’s what she told me:

“There’s no lack of financial information in the world. It doesn’t motivate students because it’s dry and fact-based. Money — and debt in particular — is emotional. We interviewed students all over the country and saw that they were emotionally paralyzed by their debt and craving relief.

We made a movie to connect with that emotional journey and to inspire positive action on a personal basis. We wanted to be remarkable — to stand out and provoke a conversation. The media reports on the student loan problem as one big number ($1Trillion) . It’s really millions of individual stories. Yes, we need to change college financing at a policy level, but today we can create meaningful change by facing our own red – one student at at time. SALT provides students with the relief they need by helping them borrow less, borrow smart, and repay well.”

The film is directed by Borderline Films trio, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin and Josh Mond, who recently won the Dramatic Feature Directing Award at Sundance for their thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene. The film is surrounded by an integrated media plan along with a $10,000 cash sweepstake and other great prizes. The stage is now set for the brand to spread awareness and the real proof will be converting the awareness to sign-ups. For smaller brands and budgets, hiring a Sundance film crew and fancy NY agency is most likely out of the realm of possibility. But, thinking differently about how to cut through the noise and connect with your audience is how all marketers need to deliver on building brand awareness.

Remember, it’s only a brand once people start talking about it. Get clever and get ‘em talking.

 

Posted in: Brand engagement, Marketing, Social Media.
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Seed to A Round: The 5 mistakes that can crush your company

Apr 9th, 2013
by Michelle Heath.
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Screen Shot 2013-04-09 at 5.11.47 PMSome are calling it a start-up bubble. It’s filled with 23 yr old bright shiny faces with big ideas to change the world. They are getting funding and they are building companies, of epic proportions. They know nothing about building and running companies, of epic fail.

I remember being pregnant with my daughter. I read every book about motherhood and preparing for the first week, six weeks, three months. The long road ahead of no sleep and colic and spit up and all the horribleness that is the first year of life. I read these books in the beautiful chair in the beautiful room that I designed for my soon-to-be-beautiful daughter. I read the horribleness of the first year of life but with a bright shiny face of a pregnant mother who cannot possibly know better. People told me about all the things that would make me not want to procreate but all I could hear was “la la la and a patch of daisies.” Yeah, then she came screaming into the world and screamed for 3 months. This was not the bliss I had expected at all. I was not prepared for the hell of the first three months because I had never lived through it.

When you’ve never been through something it’s almost impossible to see the pitfalls along the way. As I sit in the Tech Stars office and look around at all the seedling companies working tirelessly toward their big moment in the sun, all I can think about is “I need to help these companies from making the mistakes others have made, including me.” So, here it is…Don’t worry, there are way more than 5, but I didn’t want to scare you too much. :)

The 5 mistakes that can crush your company

1. Hiring too fast. A CEO once told me: “Only hire when you absolutely cannot take the pain anymore.” Hiring ahead of pain is catastrophic. When you hire on pain, you know exactly what you need, you’ll find the right person and you’ll have a line-up of about a zillion things for them to do on Day 1 to add value. When you hire because you think you might have pain in a few weeks, you hire people who are probably very smart and capable but who have no clue what you need them to do now because they are waiting for the pain to start. Staying lean hurts. It means everyone is doing too many jobs and there’s not enough Amp to go around during all-nighters. But conserving your precious cash is what it’s all about. Stretching your funding as long as you can is one of the differences between greatness and failure. Remember getting your A round will take 2-3x longer than you think it will. Budget accordingly. Be smart. Don’t overhire.

2. Delivering too slow. So you have your funding. You have your core team. You have something built. You have your list of projects. Now what? It can be overwhelming to get the delivery machine going but your entire focus needs to be on one thing: results. The only way to secure the next round is to show one thing: Momentum. Momentum is the name of the game. It can mean different things depending on your company. Maybe for a SAAS business it’s a significant number of closed, meaningful deals and a full(ish) pipeline behind them. For an ecommerce company it’s transactions, average order value and low CPA. Each start-up needs it’s own KPIs and metrics that are laser focused on building and sustaining momentum. There is a misconception that VCs only give funding to companies that generate gobs of revenue during their Seed round. I have seen deals where VCs fund companies with little to no revenue because they see the proof that the model works because there is…Momentum.

3. Being too attached to your idea. As a founder, it’s tough to let go of your original idea. Now, when I say “let go” I don’t mean let go completely. What I mean is that, as a founder, it is of critical importance that you hold your idea at arms-length so that others can help you make it better. The market influence, your staff’s influence, your customers’ influence, your investors’ influence, they are all realities and it can be much easier to sit (or stand) at your desk and pretend that they don’t exist or that customer is an idiot for not buying or think that when you launch the next feature it’s going to work. But the typical reality is that you have a great idea, but it needs to be injected with truth serum. It needs to be tested in the wild and you need to be open to the twists, turns and pivots that come with an early idea and finding out how to refine it so that it’s a great idea that deserves more funding. Think of seed money as money to test and learn. Take full advantage of other smart people who can help you make your idea into a better product.

4. Failing to plan, forecast & budget. I am ruthless with planning and budgeting. I have heard start-ups say: “What is there to budget and plan for? We might not be around in 6 months and who has the time to sit around working on a model?” Wrong. Typically, seed round investors are willing to put money on ideas and people. They know you don’t know the intricacies of the entire pricing model yet or how the market will buy or not buy and they don’t expect you to. But, the A round is a different ball game. It’s all about getting your existing investors to pony up more money, getting new investors to pony up new money and making it all happen without much disruption to the business. You will be in fundraising hell. New investors will do crazy due diligence and ask for numbers that you didn’t even think you could find. The more planning, forecasting and budgeting you do in your seed round, the more buttoned-up you’ll be when it comes to sailing through your A round. Oh, and a budget is of the utmost importance in ensuring…you don’t run out of money. We can’t have that happen now, can we? Figuring out all your operating costs is key and keeping them as low as you can go is the trick. So manage your budget tight and have your model and plan solid.

5. Thinking you have all the answers. Face it, you don’t. I’ve seen enough arrogant founders who refuse to ask for help or think they know exactly what the customer needs or think an advisory board is a waste of time. To them I ask, what makes you think you know it all? You don’t. Be humble. Surround yourself with as many smart people as you can persuade to help you. I met with a new founder last week and she said she will take a meeting with anyone she can get connected to that might be able to help her. Now, that’s smart. You never know where your next board member, advisor, employee, investor, co-founder, staff member, customer or drinking buddy could come from. It’s of critical importance to be honest with yourself about where you are strong and where you suck wind. Not a marketing person? Find someone to help you get it done fast and cheap. Not a finance person? Get a part-time finance guy to keep the books in order and keep you on track. It comes back to budget too. You might have to pay to fill the gaps but that’s going to make your company stronger. If you are afraid to ask for help because you think it’s a sign of weakness, just watch Amanda Palmer do it. It’s your company. Don’t go down in flames because you thought you were so smart you didn’t need to listen to anyone else. That’s a big bowl of founder fail.

Seed to A Round is probably one of the most difficult steps to take. A recent study by boutique law firm Silicon Legal Strategy found that 46 percent of startups that got their seed funds in 2010 went on to a Series A round by the end of 2011, but only 24 percent that got their seed round in 2011 had done the same by the end of 2012. VCs are looking for more real proof that your idea is not just an idea. They want proof that it is a business and that it’s positioned to disrupt a market and deliver a 100x return on investment. That’s the way it works.

How is your company positioned to avoid the pitfalls and rise to greatness? What other mistakes have you watched early-stage companies make? I’d love to hear your comments.

 

 

 

 

 

Being an entrepreneur requires great emotional strength, endurance, vision and balls. It

Posted in: Business models, Marketing, Start-ups.
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The fearless art of learning to ask

Mar 22nd, 2013
by Michelle Heath.
1 comment

Screen Shot 2013-03-22 at 9.15.06 AMIf you haven’t seen the Amanda Palmer TED video, stop what you are doing and spend 13 minutes listening and watching. I’ve loved the Dresden Dolls for a long time along with Amanda Palmer‘s bold-faced attitude but I never really grasped what she was about, how it was relevant to the change in music or, on a bigger scale, how companies need to change in order to create fans.

Asking for help can really stink. My six year old will not wear shoes with laces most days because it requires him asking me to tie them (that is another story.) Why do we hate to ask for help? I’ll tell you why. It makes us feel weak, vulnerable, dumb, insecure, not worthy, pick your adjective. But what happens when we put all that self-inflicted crap aside and ask for help? The floodgates open. People we never dreamed of helping us, come to our aid. I saw this as I went through my divorce. I have never felt more vulnerable in my life – I didn’t need help. I had all the answers. I had my shit together. I couldn’t ask for help. Once I let myself go and let myself be open to the amazing people in my life who were ready to catch me, my life changed. I changed. I realized the power of knowing I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know how to do it all. But, I know when to call on my network, my friends, my family, my people, to make it happen.

Businesses need to learn how to ask for help. I watch so many brands trying to “engage” or “interact” or “listen” or “create a movement.” It’s all lip-service until you start to ask your fans, your customers, your clients to help you. Imagine the humbleness it requires to say to your audience: “Hey guys, what’s the thing we could do RIGHT NOW to make you love us even more?” And then, to actually do it. Brands have gotten great at being provocative and reeling people in but, in most cases, they never deliver. Imagine Amanda Palmer asking for a couch to crash on in Boston, me tweeting her back and her showing up at my place in the North End 30 minutes later. Now that’s asking for help and delivering (man, that would be freaking awesome!) Maybe your brand doesn’t need a couch to crash on, but the analogy is the same. If you ask, you must follow-thru. How is your brand making a connection with the people who want to help? Think about what you need to ask for to learn who your audience is…What motivates them? What gets them psyched about your brand? How do they want to help? How will you deliver on it when they help you?

Stop listening. Listening is passive. Start asking and take a bold step toward as Amanda says, becoming the hat. Let your crowd catch you. Build a connection with the people who want to help. They are there. They are ready. They are waiting to be asked to the dance. Go on and…ask.

The video:

Posted in: Experience, Kickass brand, Marketing, Rants.
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My 9yr old’s 10 criteria for deciding where to work

Feb 12th, 2013
by Michelle Heath.
2 comments

You get to a point in your life where what you do is more than a job. More than a slog. More than just a paycheck. For most of us, it’s where we spend 80% of our time. Away from important people like kids and significant others and makes it all the more important that you love where you work. As I consider the next chapter of my career, I have come to realize how important the “fluffy” stuff is. Things like company culture, mission, challenging and interesting work, high energy, team spirit and fun people are way higher on my list than ever before. Last night, I was doing some work and my 9yr old daughter was over my shoulder. I told her what I was doing and she asked how I decide where I want to work. I turned the question around and asked her to tell me how she would decide where she would want to work. Here’s what she said. In her words. Totally awesome.

1. Good people: You should only work with good people who are good in the world and they should be nice to you.

2. People who value your ideas: You know, people who listen to you and respect what you say and don’t interrupt you all the time. Oh and people who know you are smart and think that you can help them.

3. A good idea: The company should want to do good things for the world so there should be kind of like a big idea or something!

4. Challenging work: Maybe you come home and feel like your brain is tired, but as long as you learned new things then it’s okay.

5. A step up: I think it’s important for the new job to be a step-up, like you don’t know it all but you are going to try and do your best and ask lots of questions. Maybe you feel nervous but that’s okay because they like you and know you are going to do a good job.

6. Candy in the kitchen: Duh.

7. Kid-friendly: It should be a place where kids can come and run around and write on the whiteboards and remind people to have fun.

8. Throw great parties: The company should have awesome parties for the kids where we can all get dressed up and have candy (see #6.) and maybe a few times have cocktails for the adults and maybe some fashion models or something (smart kid.)

9. Gives you money to travel: You should make enough money so that you can travel the world and maybe go live in Paris or maybe New York City. Or maybe go to the Grammys and have a maid.

10. Makes you feel happy: I think the best part is that the company makes you smile a lot. You work all the time so you should laugh a lot and smile because you really like your job and the people make you happy and you love what you do.

Well, there you have it. I am lucky to have a great coach. Excited for what’s next. :)

 

 

 

Posted in: Culture, Experience, Life, Rants, Start-ups, Unemployment.
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Will you ‘Facebook it?’

Jan 16th, 2013
by Michelle Heath.
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Facebook’s beta launch of Graph Search this week raises the question of whether will people start turning to Facebook as their search engine rather than using Google. Besides being excited that Facebook has finally realized that their search feature sucks wind, it’s interesting to see how they are going to take on the search space and The Google. Search has been up Facebook’s sleeve for a while. If you’re going to launch a search product in the year 2013, it better be damn good and be a damn good reason for someone to stop Googling it and start Facebooking it.

Given the amount of time people spend on Facebook, it almost makes sense that, if search is done right, Facebook can become a search hub. The launch of Graph Search uses the power of the Facebook graph to power robust searches based on everything from photos, personal info, friends, interests, likes and all of the other gobs of data Facebook has on all of us. For example, today, the Facebook search query “TV shows my friends watch” resulted in 2 friends I can connect to (no thanks) and a list of TV shows and personalities that I follow (okay, I am a Keeping with the Kardashian’s fan.) Helpful? Not so much.

The future of search with Facebook Graph Search promises that the same inquiry will result in a list of all the shows my friends watch. Now, that’s kind of cool…and helpful. (The Techcrunch post does a great job of showing the new feature and how it will work.)There’s a deeper connection that results in Facebook Graph Search than the results you get on Google. With the new search feature when I search on Facebook, there is a connection to my friends. To knowing more about who they are en masse – how can my friends begin to help me discover new content. It take search to a new level of discovery – beyond what Google can do, even with their powerful algorithms. Today on Google, the search for “TV shows my friends like” results in the TV show Friends, along with a bunch of YouTube crap. Not so much in the way of discovery there.

If Facebook gets their nifty new search right, it could change the way we search, the way we discover, the way we understand our friends, the way we choose to get answers to our questions. Facebook and Google…the race for which graph and what data is going to win. Who are you betting on in the search race?

Posted in: Experience, Search, Social Media.
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Why your company should hire curious people

Dec 10th, 2012
by Michelle Heath.
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You know the saying: Curiosity killed the cat. It’s an interesting phrase because if you apply it to the business world, it basically says that if you are curious, you’re dead. As a naturally inquisitive person, I find this borderline insane. But, because I don’t have all the answers (see related post), I decided it needed to be talked out. So the conversation came up the other day over coffee with a CEO friend and we were discussing whether curiosity is a trait you hire for. We realized there are two schools of thought – some leaders and managers see curiosity as a big bonus and others see it as career-limiting.

Let’s explore.

The definition of curiosity is a strong desire to know or learn something. Hm, so how can that be a bad thing? As the CEO of a business or a manager or leader of a team, wouldn’t you want a team of curious people? I found that the answer is often no. And here’s why. First off, curious people create more work. When you challenge something or what to know or learn more about something, chances are, being the smart person you are, you are going to suggest some way to change it. AKA: More work. But isn’t the spirit of continual improvement what makes for a great business? Challenging the way you always do it to do it better? My CEO friend says that not all leaders drink that koolaid.

Second, curious people can ‘get in the shorts’ of other people who like their shorts a certain, non-bunched way. Curious people ask questions. They often don’t stop and think: “Hm, should I ask Jerry about why the system was down yesterday?” they act. They ask Jerry why the system is down and you know what happens? One of two things. Thing #1: Jerry says to himself – wow, she’s paying attention that the system is down and here’s my chance to tell her that we have a problem. OR Jerry says Thing #2:  WTF is her issue with my department and why is she questioning our process?! You see the difference? Yep, the shorts get all bunched up. In the spirit of continual improvement, most people would assume Jerry would think #1, but I am going to bet that, in most companies, Jerry thinks #2. Which is fascinating to me, in a not so good way.

We all go to work for a variety of reasons. For me personally, in addition to helping me pay the bills, my work is a tremendous passion for me. I am always thinking about new ideas, how to do what we’re doing better, how to push the envelope and do things differently. I am always asking questions. I am always thinking about change. Change not to put my stamp on it. But change it to make it better. Change it to make the company better. Change to make our customers happier. I have also found that I tend to hire people who are curious about everything. Not just marketing. They want to understand all facets of the business. They bring new ideas to me everyday because they ask questions. Their curiosity makes them outstanding employees and I value their willingness to learn and grow.

So, I ask you this. If you are someone who thinks curiosity is a negative trait in an employee…why? If you remember that everyone is in the boat together, rowing in the same direction, striving to achieve the same big-ass goals, then why, for the love of Pete, can’t you get over yourself and embrace someone’s willingness to learn and think differently? Maybe it’s an insecurity. Maybe it’s having to think you have all the answers. Maybe it’s because you hate cats. I guess I just don’t understand it but fill me in.

I challenge you to embrace curiosity. Engage that employee who is asking you “why” we do things a certain way. I think of my kids when they were 2-3 yr olds and it was constantly why, why, why. Instead of saying “because I said so,” I took the time to tell them why. Even if I didn’t have all the answers, I embraced their curiosity. It makes them the amazing and fantastic little people they are today. And I do the same thing for the people who work for me.

Challenge me, challenge us, make us better together. It’s a gift, people. Don’t let your own insecurities get in the way of what could be an amazing thing for your business.

 

 

Posted in: Uncategorized.

Why LinkedIn Endorsements are full of crap

Nov 20th, 2012
by Michelle Heath.
4 comments

If you’re like me, you have a zillion people you’re connected to on LinkedIn. Okay, maybe it’s 500+ but it’s a lot of people. My policy on LinkedIn connection requests is that I need to know you – like at least have met you at a TweetUp or cocktail party or through a friend or something. To me, it’s a quality vs. quantity thing. In any case, there are people who I’ve connected with because I met them through a vendor pitch process or at a networking event, but the reality is…do they really know me enough to endorse me?

Don’t get me wrong, who doesn’t love a ringing endorsement? Someone telling you you’re great at something. That is totally awesome. But, my question with the new LinkedIn “Endorsement” feature is – does an endorsement really matter when it’s from someone that you either don’t know or, more importantly, doesn’t know you? My theory is not so much. In my opinion, there’s a big difference between someone spending the time to write you a recommendation and someone endorsing you using this new feature. A recommendation is typically from someone I know and, more importantly, someone who knows me and my work WELL. Not just someone I met for 15 minutes who now says I am an expert in digital marketing. Um, really? LinkedIn has made it super-easy to endorse someone with the click of a button but, seriously, the guy who just endorsed me for partnerships and analytics was someone I met through a friend at a bar. So, I guess that’s a partnership, right? :)

I read a post on Community Organizer 2.0 that described it perfectly,

It leaves both the person being endorsed, and the person reading a Linkedin profile, in this awkward predicament of asking: are your endorsements real? To what extent does the person endorsing your skills have knowledge of your skill base and expertise? Conversely, how ethical is it for you to accept an endorsement from someone you haven’t worked with professionally, but who knows of your work?

So, what’s your opinion on the new LinkedIn endorsements feature? I am actually surprised that LinkedIn would build in such a superficial and non-legit feature. For a hard-core networking site – the social network for professionals – building in random features to get people to click around feels like a complete stretch. And, puts into question who these random people are who are endorsing you. PS: Who says “digital marketing” anyhow? Lamesauce.

My $.02. Tell me yours.

Posted in: Marketing, Networking, Rants, Social Media.
Tagged: ·

Being present

Nov 8th, 2012
by Michelle Heath.
1 comment

“Just a sec.” This seems to be my ‘famous phrase,’ according to my 9 year old. I am always in the middle of doing 10 things at once. Texting, taking a work call, cooking dinner, cleaning the bathroom, picking up the trail of dirty laundry on the floor, checking  or sending emails, and the list goes on and on. The problem is that I am often doing at least 3 of these things while also: talking to my kids, playing with my kids and spending time with my kids.

I get home after work and am confronted by a cruel reality: 2 hours till bedtime and during this time the following things must get done:

- dinner

- homework

- showers/bath

- reading

- pick-up house/do dishes

- review kids’ folders and parent papers

- spend quality time with the kids

The reality is that spending quality time is just not going to happen when you are having an anxiety attack before you open the door to come home at night. People talk about being a working mom as “juggling.” Juggling implies one thing at a time at a fast pace. Being a working mom means multi-tasking at a ridiculous pace. I think about the things that I have to get done and it’s enough to make me want to stay in bed in the morning. But, alas, who’s going to get everyone up and out of the house? Yep, you know the answer.

But, while M.O.M. has begun to stand for Master of Multitasking, I have realized that I need less multi in my life, especially when it comes to my time with my kids. I have implemented a “no electronics” rule when I walk in the house until they go to bed. That means no iphone, ipad, i anything. The same goes for them. We play Uno or draw pictures or have dance parties – it’s way more fun than reading an email from my boss at 8pm (sorry Dave). Another rule is “no electronics at the table.” Sounds crazy because my kids are 6 and 9, but they are already addicted to their itouch and the ipad and the i everything. So, we leave all of that behind when we are eating together or doing homework together.

The outcome? Well, I will tell you honestly that the detox period was really rough. Sweating, chills, nausea, you know the usual stuff. But now, it is so natural. We have WAY more quality time together and…mom is actually listening. Come to find out, all that multi-tasking? Yeah, your brain really sucks at paying attention to stuff like: “Mom, can you pick me up at 6:30 from Sarah’s house?” Or, “Mom, we are having a party at school on Friday and I need you to bring…” You see where that is heading. Now, I am present. Not just a warm mommy body sitting in the chair at the table. I am trying to stop saying “One sec” because my 9yr old does it to me now and it is BEYOND annoying. I sit and talk to my son as he draws elaborate treasure maps and tells me stories about his adventures in Africa. It is way cooler than scrubbing the tub or checking Facebook. And the reality is that it is going by really fast. One sec is like a year in kid time.

Be present. It is a gift you give yourself and the people around you.

Posted in: Experience, Life, Rants.
Tagged: · ·

Gangnam Style Makes Stock Go Viral

Oct 18th, 2012
by Michelle Heath.
No comments yet

Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

I recently presented at a conference and used the “Gangnam Style” video as a prop. When I asked how many people had seen the video, I got only a few show of hands. Shocking, given that over 400 MILLION people have viewed the video and endured the hypnotic riff that gets stuck in your head for days. Never mind the dance moves (which I also debuted in front of a room full of financial services guys…gotta keep ‘em awake somehow :) .)

Today, I read an article on Bloomberg News that pointed to an awesome picture (to the left) of Korean rapper, Psy the star of the video, teaching Red Bull Racing drivers, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, the Gangnam Style dance in the paddock before the Korean Formula One Grand Prix in South Korea. Beyond the awesomeness of how this video has gone wildly viral in a matter of weeks, is the fact that the success of the video is now being attributed to the almost 500 percent rally in shares of DI Corp. since mid-July.

Why? Apparently, there is a father-son connection to the “Gangnam Style” music video. The star of the video, also known as Psy, is offspring to Park Won Ho, the chairman of DI, which makes semiconductor-testing equipment for big time clients including Samsung Electronics. This chart says it all and links the success of the video to the success of the stock. It seems almost ridiculous that a

Korean rap video could influence the stock of a company in such a significant way but this seems to be a perfect case of perception being made into reality.

c/o Bloomberg Finance

The article also mentions how the stock of a popular Korean liquor jumped by more than 50% since the song was released because Psy sipped the drink during the video. Thanks to appearances on the Ellen Show, Today Show and catching on like wildfire, one crazy Korean video has created a pretty darn lucrative business position for a variety of brands, including a musician we had never heard over. Fascinating. Oh, I forgot to mention, that in my presentation to the room of financial services people, the reason I used this video as a prop was to make the point that less than 1% of videos actually go viral. Having an overnight success is kind of like a free lunch. It’s awesome when it happens, but most of the time you have to pay your own way.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts about how a video gone viral can affect a stock price, a brand’s recognition, a pop-star’s rise to fame. What do you think?

Go forth Gangnam style…

 

 

 

Posted in: Financial Services, Marketing, Rants.
Tagged: · · ·

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