July 2015

Disney Themes Make4A Fun Attention Getter

The back and forth of converting new business is part "The Circle of Life" and a hint of a "Tale as Old as Time".

The interrupting first line of this month's B2Seed is also a great description of what happens in most companies...

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Sales blames Marketing and Marketing blames Sales. Either the leads or prospects the sales people are getting from marketing aren't any good, or the leads are great, but those danged sellers can't seem to close any business.

One of my former bosses used to say, "never accept in good times what you wouldn't put up with in bad ones." That means when things are humming along, it's perhaps the best time to evaluate your processes, work flow, leads, and conversions. When times are tough, it's easier to get frustrated or lose your focus due to the pressures of needing to generate sales.

Cultured2Be 

Yes, I just used culture as a verb. It's okay - word creation is allowed in marketing and advertising.

Before you decide where the break down is between sales and marketing - recognize the leader sets the tone and actually determines the way an organization approaches those departments. If you've got departments fighting like that - you should start with a focus there. Fix that. 

Then begin that evaluation process. There are all kinds of modern tools - things like dedicated phone lines, customized URLs for your web traffic, UTM tags to track users and prospects. You can use codes, tracking software, client resource management software, and a bunch of other really cool things to help you find your organization's stress points.

Then you can reduce that stress and sing a new song - like "Hakuna Matata"...

June 2015

Time2Get That Idea

Sometimes I wonder when the idea will hit me.

In late 2009, I wrote my first B2Seed. Since then I've written over 60 columns and even in the months (like last month) when I wonder if I'll have anything to share, something strikes me. It's usually simple, occasionally profound, but whatever it is becomes practical, helpful, and thought provoking.

The goal is to help and to motivate.

The source is unpredictable and without boundaries or times. It could be an observation or a memory. It's been as simple as watching someone parallel park outside my office, or recalling a pearl of wisdom from a friend, business associate, or family member.

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Consistently though, the ideas come and each month I (attempt to) convert them into a short message.

Look 4The Big (and Little) Ideas

Paying attention is the first big step. Good ideas are all around you. You just have to see them and notice them. Noticing things is one of the best pieces of practical advice I can give leaders. Too often I am rushing to the next appointment, or the next task, without catching the body language of that co-worker or the glance of my client.

The cues and the details surround us. Many of the concepts that we need to use to simplify our lives and achieve the goals are in front of us. We just have to see them (and write them down) so that we can apply them at a later time.

Look for your next breakthrough. It almost always comes - just not in expected ways or at the usual times.

May 2015

Take Time2Enjoy the Days

"Don't wish away your summer."

That's what my Mom would tell me as a middle schooler when in early June I'd start talking about our annual family beach trip that wasn't until late August.

We'd pack the little wagon and head to North Carolina's Outer Banks for a two week (remember when two week vacations still existed?) family trip and it was generally the highlight of the summer.

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Although there was that one year...

They were great trips, but as Mom so rightly pointed out, they came at the very end of the summer. Before the trip there was wiffle ball to play, swimming to dive into, friends to ride bikes with, girls to meet, smaller family trips to take, and movies to watch. All enjoyable activities and the kind of things kids jam into their summers.

But if you weren't careful, you'd spend so much time looking forward to the beach trip, that you miss those good times and find yourself back in the classroom in September.

Look Up4The Motivation

I've found life to be like that. Often time business imitates life.

You pound the pavement looking for that next client. You relentlessly pursue the completion of the next project. You proudly cross the next item off of your to do list. You build that next building or hire that next employee.

All good things as a general rule.

Just be mindful that in the pursuit of that next big thing there is a pursuit. There is a need deep in us to pause and reflect and enjoy the process. It becomes part of the paycheck in life you can't cash. Building things, creating, leading, helping, producing - those are the big things of life. And they are the things of business. You're accomplishing so much - enjoy it.

Then hit the beach.

April 2015

Go Back2Go Forward

A few years ago, I realized I had started a company without having a full understanding of the best systems to put in place. As the firm grew, things were done in ways that seemed to make the most sense. The business expanded, new clients joined the portfolio, and employees were hired. With the success of the company, comes a concern of becoming stuck in our ways. Companies that live by an "it's the way we've always done it" mentality often find themselves way behind the times.

You hear "it's the way we've always done it" a lot with established companies, but even fledgling creative organizations can slip into that routine.

There I was, a relatively new business owner, with the sudden realization there may be better ways to do certain things. Not sure how to break that pattern, I decided to make a phone call.

To Mid-Michigan4The Answer

Almost 25 years ago, I did business with an ad man in Saginaw, Michigan who always seemed to have it together. (He'd bristle at me writing that.) He was cordial to me; kind really - and in many ways he took me under his wing and spoke some powerful things into my life - both personally and professionally. We stayed in touch through the past few decades though we hadn't seen each other in person. Sam Britton answered hard questions and let me bounce my situations and crazy ideas off of him. I continued learning.

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About eight months ago, we formalized an arrangement with Sam since he had retired from the advertising game. Basically, we've hired Sam to give us honest feedback. He ends up being sort of a quality control step in our creative process. He's also one of the most talented writers I know and has a fine attention to detail.

We had a missing step and an old friend, who's a trusted advisor and a gifted man, was there to fill a hole in our organization. Helpful resources are often in plain sight - sometimes they can come from days gone by.

February 2015

Close2You

Right next door.

That's where the downtown Roanoke headquarters for a major regional company is located.

For the past few years we've been doing work for Boxley Materials Company. This isn't a piece about one of our clients, rather an interesting study in how business development, building a network of referring partners, and the power of the internet has made our really big world incredibly small.

We share an office wall with Boxley, but more importantly we share a trusted advisor. Sarah Huddle from the Albright Group works with clients up and down the eastern seaboard. She has roots in Roanoke, but is located in Richmond. For years we've supported her company's efforts and she recently turned to us to partner on a series of projects for Boxley.

Partners4Development

Think about the path involved in finishing this major project...

Boxley, my work neighbor, hired the Albright Group in Richmond who brought B2C Enterprises (Roanoke) into help with a specific project. We then turned to our business partner WebArt (Toledo, Ohio) and jointly developed a web site marketing program for Boxley. Our businesses are linked together by experience, expertise, and need. But the foundation is the relationship. That relationship - interwoven with trust - has driven business for everyone.

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We're all less than six degrees from our next business opportunity... and Kevin Bacon.

We're all over the Eastern Time Zone - each doing our part - no longer bound by proximity. Think about where your next new business opportunity will come from. It could be next door or from a town far away.

It's a small world after all.

March 2015

Distractions4Good?

There are so few things that unite us anymore. Attention is spread pretty thin and most people seem to have their own interests, passions, and activities.

In the workplace that often means competing agendas and different directions.

However, March of every year brings one specific activity that breaks this pattern. They are called "Brackets". Those silly sheets of paper that have the NCAA College Basketball tournament pairings with the top 64 (okay 68 now) teams in the country competing for the championship show up at offices all around the nation.

Bosses don't like them. But even the bosses are typically writing in their predictions for who will win the various games that take place all over the country in March and early April. They are a huge distraction - and so are the first round games which are frequently televised during daytime work afternoons.

Partners4Development

While I am not promoting gambling at work, there may be some good that comes from these brackets after all.

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It's a commonly held opinion that productivity drops dramatically during the NCAA tournament because employees are distracted and focused on basketball and how their picks are going.

Believe it or not, there are articles out there about how productivity actually increases during March. In part it's because people have something in common and interesting to discuss. Joe from accounting can chat with Susie in I.T. about how their picks are doing. And everyone can commiserate about the choices they made that missed.

In a sense it's a community. Many people far smarter than I have looked at the impact a community atmosphere has on overall production. Generally it's a powerful driver. So - separated we accomplish what we do, yet when united we will typically get a lot more done. These brackets somehow unite us.

So this year try something counterintuitive. Have some fun with it, rally around your team, or at least look the other way. It's more than a distraction, it's a potential culture-builder and most of your employees are seeking community in their lives and in their work.