Newsletter

Build your Brand via "Word of Mouth"
From the Effectiveness Institute

So... what do you do? That question is asked in a variety of business and personal scenarios. How it is answered will determine whether A.) The conversation will continue and a relationship will progress... or B.) The conversation comes to a screeching halt due to boredom, disinterest or even confusion on the part of the person who asked the question. In this age of "branding," one of the most powerful representations of a corporation or organization's "brand" is it's employees and what they say. When the question of "So... what do you do?" is asked of 10 different employees within an organization, the result is typically 10 different answers, none of which are very compelling. Plus, many of the answers will not reflect how the organization would like to be represented.

For most people, understanding what we represent or do professionally is not a challenge. The challenge is how to explain what we do or represent to a prospect, a friend, a family member or a customer in an engaging, clear and concise way that initiates conversation. Developing a compelling, concise and clear "elevator speech" or brief description of what your organization does will enable you to help strategically position your brand with multiple audiences. When you and your associates and employees are all telling a consistent, compelling story, "word of mouth" becomes a powerful branding strategy. By developing an "elevator speech" and integrating it throughout the entire organization, you gain more control over the brand association built through the words and stories used by employees when talking about their jobs and the organization. Plus, through the process, you help employees become crystal clear on the organization's mission and their role within it. What your employees say about your organization becomes what people remember and associate with your brand. If there is a pause or stammering in the "answer" the brand association will not be as favorable as if there is a confident, consistent, concise and compelling response every time. Concise is a key. We have only three seconds to hook the listener and get "permission" to keep talking. So that first three seconds must be engaging, intriguing and informative. Once we have permission, we should enter into a game of "verbal ping-pong" to continue the conversation rather than "dumping" the rest of the information onto the listener. Think about how you describe what you do to friends, associates, family members. Do they want you to continue talking or do they politely change the subject or leave the room?

For more information about developing a compelling "elevator speech" for your organization, discover the principles and process developed by Brian Walter, Corporate Humorist and Communications Consultant. Brian@effectivenessinstitute.com, 425-641-7620, ext 35

What comes first - profits or people?
From the Effectiveness Institute

Here is a prediction worth considering: 80% to 90% of your competitors will continue doing business just as they do today. Worse still, it is likely that your organization will follow suit, until and unless you are able to discard the old paradigm in favor of a new set of beliefs. What is the old paradigm? That profits drive performance, performance drives people.

It is time for business leaders to recognize one simple fact: whatever happens in an organization occurs because people make it happen. An organization's success, measured by performance productivity and profits all hinge on people, not solely on business strategies or technology. Our experience demonstrates that managers and supervisors spend as much as 87% of their time dealing with people issues and people problems. Despite this investment of time, energy and effort, people problems still divert energy from the bottom line results. An estimated 90% of organizational failures are directly related to people problems.

So what does this mean. If you are focusing only on new products, increased market share, controlling costs, increasing productivity, churning sales in higher pursuit of profitability, you need to shift your paradigm. To achieve the highest levels of success with any organization, large or small, begin with people. Make your employees, vendors and customers the highest priority by developing relationships that are built on trust, respect and dignity. Invest in developing your people. Gain their commitment to your organization by focusing on their skill, willingness, alignment and ability to be part of a team.

People drive performance and performance drives profit. Look to the people and relationships in your business to drive results and get to the next level.