Recently, Joe Pulizzi, founder of Content Marketing Institute and author of many books on the topic of content marketing, asked if I would read and provide an early review of his new book, Content, Inc. The book, which is expected to be available on Amazon early next week, is the second edition and does not disappoint. In fact, just the opposite - it motivates and inspires.
News Release Wiring on a Startup Budget: PR Underground vs. PRWeb
Authors in Quarantine Podcast Interview with Rebecca Geier
If you are a marketing or sales leader, or just want to learn from the knowledgeable authors writing the latest books on the topic, you should subscribe and tune in to The Marketing Book Podcast, hosted by Douglas Burdett. I had the honor of being an invited guest back in 2017 to discuss my book, Smart Marketing for Engineers: An Inbound Marketing Guide to Reaching Technical Audiences.
Douglas has likely contributed thousands of hours producing TMB podcast, where he brings authors together to offer insights from their work, helps them promote their books, and in the process, builds a marketing and sales community centered on sharing, learning and supporting each other.
It was yet another honor to be invited back to talk with Douglas on his new (and we all hope, temporary) podcast, Authors in Quarantine Getting Cocktails, where he invites authors from TMB podcast back to talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their work and personal lives. I spoke to Douglas in June - you can listen to the episode here and read below for a few key takeaways from the current times we’re in.
Q&A Highlights
What have you been up to so far this year? Personally, it’s been a busy 2020. I am co-authoring a university textbook that will be the first research-based text on content marketing to teach the next generation. Several past podcast guests including Joe Pulizzi, Robert Rose & Adele Revela have helped me with valuable material & insights, and we’re hoping to finish it up later this year.
Most recently I joined a three founders of a software startup in the chemical industry, ChemVM Technologies, as the CMO to build the brand & marketing function from the ground up. The website was just published at chemvm.com.
2. How has the pandemic affected you? With fewer meetings and social obligations, and because of my new executive role in a startup environment where we’re making strategic decisions on a daily basis and I’m wearing many hats, it’s been a great opportunity to use my downtime to learn and grow as a marketer and business leader through listening & reading content from valued people and sources. For example, I’ve been listening to specific episodes of TMB podcast most relevant to my current marketing challenges, reading books about the software industry and disruptive innovation, and spending more time on LinkedIn for interesting news and articles my network is sharing. Even though I’ve been doing B2B marketing for coming up on 30 years, I still frequently face challenges and can always learn and become better in my craft. So podcasts like TMB and books by authors featured on the show are one of my primary sources for learning and improving, and even more so right now.
3. Change and challenge bring opportunity. We’ve experienced more change in the last several months than in generations. While we may feel change fatigue, in reality, as the pandemic continues, it remains a great time embrace change & challenge to create new opportunities. In March of this year, as the pandemic was taking hold, our executive team met and we asked each other, “What do you guys think about moving forward? Things are going on lock down, the economy is going into a level of uncertainty we haven’t seen in generations. How are we feeling about things?” We were 100% in - more than 100%. We are coming into a market that has been slow to change and benefit from the digital transformation we’ve seen in travel markets with companies like AirBnB or home services like Angie’s List. What better time could there be than now to introduce digital efficiency to the the currently analog and manual sales process of connecting chemical customers & service providers?
So, for ChemVM, we actually see this as the start of creating an even bigger opportunity. And I firmly believe opportunity is all around for every team & company and for that matter, even friends & families.
Personally, because of the pandemic and my gym closing, I’m now doing Zoom workouts in my backyard in Austin led by my dear college friend Kelly Sullivan, owner of Scorch, who’s in Boston. And my childhood best friend joins me from Oklahoma City. I am in better shape than ever thanks to her, and it’s a blessing to share this time getting healthy with two dear friends while we workout and stay healthy together.
My husband has embraced this time of change to grow as a musician. He and his bandmate did a house concert from our front porch and our neighbors and friends brought chairs & coolers and listened to great music on the lawn. It was a wonderful sense of community that brought everyone together and for an evening, we forgot about the pandemic. Here’s a video of the concert (watch til the end to see how boys will be boys).
Stay safe and well readers, and keep learning!
Recognize a Colleague or Thank A Friend While Inspiring Kids in Engineering and Science
Did you know you can swim through the ocean or manipulate the giant fingers of a 30-foot-tall robotic hand right in the Texas Hill Country? These are just few of over fifty hands-on science and engineering exhibits and displays you and your kids can experience at the Hill Country Science Mill, a family destination offering a fun, interactive learning environment for all ages located about an hour’s drive west of Austin in Johnson City, Texas.
Hands-On STEM
As a result of this pandemic, some of our most cherished destinations have temporarily closed. That includes one of our gems here in Central Texas, the Hill Country Science Mill, a family destination that offers a fun, interactive learning environment for kids through cutting-edge technology-based exhibits, games, and programs.
The Science Mill has transformed their exhibits to virtual showcases with live broadcasts via Facebook Live, bringing science and engineering to our temporary home classrooms. In support of their efforts, and on behalf of the board of directors of the Science Mill, we are encouraging our friends, family members and colleagues to consider a Science Mill donation in recognition or thanks for others.
You can also consider becoming a member or donating a membership as a way to recognize or thank others, such as:
Looking for a way to recognize your employees who are going above and beyond during this difficult time?
Want to do something kind for a neighbor or friend?
Ready to show a partner how much you appreciate them?
Know a family in need who could use something to look forward to when things get back to normal?
Membership Levels and Benefits
Individual - $50
Family of 2 - $75
Family of 4 - $100
Family of 6 - $125
Unlimited admission and 3D Movie for one year
10% off educational programs- Homeschool Day, summer camp, holiday camps, and more
10% off purchases at the Science Store
VIP access to events (members skip the line)
What a great opportunity to support STEM education while recognizing others who are doing great work and deeds in this time AND supporting a STEM gem in the Texas Hill Country.
Be Courageous Marketers
These are scary times in life and business, driven by a great deal of uncertainty in these unchartered waters of the COVID-19 pandemic. In uncertain times like these, many of us in marketing are inclined to pull back and go dark. I encourage all marketers and business leaders out there to fight this fear and instead be courageous in these times.
Here are seven ideas I have on how we can get creative with our content right now. Many of you may have other or better ideas. Often, it is when our backs are against the wall that some of the greatest ideas are born. Let all of us marketers come together to help each other by sharing innovative ideas that are working.
1. Now is a great time for webinars - they’re not only low-cost but inherently virtual. RIVE client Silex Technology just held one this week that had record attendance. There are tons of free resources out there to help you execute, such as these resources from GoToMeeting.
2. In episode 230 of their podcast, This Old Marketing, Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose share a very smart and timely reminder that now is an opportunity to focus on customer loyalty (discussed starting at minute 21:25). What percent of your content investment is focused on customers?
3. Rework your near-term content plan, taking into consideration “one circle out” topics. While most of your blog posts, ebooks and webinars are rightly focused on the unique value your products and services bring to your customers, think beyond this first ring of content and consider what added value you can share in this timeframe. At my previous agency, while our main content focus was related to our services, such as marketing planning or brand positioning best practices, we also would share expertise around HR topics such as organizational planning or even interviewing techniques to select the best marketing candidates.
4. Consider temporarily making your content, and even your team members, available for free. In terms of making content free, the New York Times used this opportunity to remind the public that they make many of their topical newsletters, such as one they’re currently producing on the Coronavirus, free to all. For service companies whose staff likely have extra time on their hands, consider creative ways to make them available to prospects, or even clients, at no charge. For example, I told my highest value clients to call me anytime, off the clock. I care about them, I want them to be successful through this tough time, and I don’t want near-term budget constraints to keep them from asking me for help. I trust the gesture will pay dividends to all, including the good feeling I get from helping others as well as their continued loyalty for the long-term when things turn around.
5. Related to #4, consider a valuable offer you can provide with a time element to inspire action from your prospects. For instance, Kevin Tuerff, an expert in public health consulting, is offering a “30-minute consultation to review your crisis plan, answer questions and explore simple and affordable ways to respond in a trust-building way.”
6. Consider how marketing can support sales and drive acceleration of opportunities through video. This could be through product demo videos, video interviews with current customers describing challenges and benefits of choosing your platform, or even interviews with your SMEs in R&D explaining common challenges customers face and how features in the product were designed to overcome them. This not only humanizes your brand but personalizes the experience in this time of virtual-only dialog, and you can post snippets of video to social media to draw prospects to your website and build your audience through engagement once they arrive.
7. What a great time to start a podcast! The technology requirements are low-cost, the distribution is free, and the potential to build value and trust with existing and expanded audiences is high with high quality, thoughtful execution and a narrow listener persona defined. In her upcoming book, Content Marketing Engineered, Wendy Covey has an entire section devoted to teaching marketers how to establish and execute a podcast (and modeling top-notch marketing behavior, she has a new one herself!).
A Final Thought
For business and marketing team leaders, this is also a time for courage and compassion as well as honesty and consistency. Business and marketing teams have an opportunity right now to set their brands apart with creative, high value content that can be delivered and amplified virtually. As my neighbor reminded me last night, President Lincoln commissioned the building the Transcontinental Railroad at the height of the Civil War, when the country was facing immense strain.
Stay well, marketers!
#marketersunite
My Three Things…and A Final Thought: Does Your Content B.O.R.E. or C.A.R.E.?
In a recent interview with Robert Rose, Chief Strategy Officer for Content Marketing Institute, for his Weekly Wrap podcast, I had the opportunity to share my reflection on the three things I believe have helped me achieve success in my career thus far, and what I try to employ with each new day and challenge:
Learn by doing
Grow through risk-taking
To Effectively Communicate Requires Tedious Work, Enormous Effort and Constant Humility
Read on to learn more about how these three things have been key to the success I’ve been fortunate to have thus far in my career, and life.
1. Learn By Just Doing
As I explained in the podcast interview, in my experience, the times when I learned the most were not in studying a topic in a classroom, reading an article, or discussing it with others in meetings. Rather, it’s been when I just rolled up my sleeves and did it. I remember doing my first video and having to learn how to write a video script and create a storyboard. I had no idea, until that time, how difficult creating a video was. It requires tedious, detailed work and a great deal of thought and iteration to do it well. I had a similar experience when I had to write my first quarterly conference call script for the investor and analyst audience, and manage investor communications. I had worked with media, customers, and community partners up to that point, but it was not until I expanded my role and took on the critical nature of investor communications, where the risks are higher with much at stake, that I came to truly appreciate how important, and how much work it is, to tailor your message to your audience and pay attention to the nuances of communicating to different stakeholder groups.
By “just doing”, you also learn what you love to do and where your passion really lies. For instance, a couple years after I published my book, Smart Marketing for Engineers, I found that my job had completely changed. I went from mostly working with clients to mostly speaking at events and doing business development. After a couple of years, I found I really missed working with clients. It made me realize and appreciate what I loved doing most – rolling up my sleeves and working with individuals and small teams to define strategies, set goals, execute and measure success. That could be coaching an individual to grow their leadership and effectiveness, building a marketing launch plan for a product or startup, or co-authoring a textbook, which is one of my current projects that is really, really hard but also thoroughly enjoyable and quite rewarding.
2. Grow By Taking Risks
As I consider the times when I took the biggest risks in life and career, I believe those are the times when I grew the most, learned the most, and look back on as most transformational. Growing up in Texas, it was scary to leave home and go to Boston College, halfway across the country in New England with its unique history, culture and…very cold weather! However, in my junior year, at the ripe age of just 20, I went even farther away, pursuing my childhood dream to study abroad in France (where I could not only achieve my goal to become fluent in French, but also enjoy the breathtaking Alps and ski my heart out near the college town of Grenoble). Moving to France was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, moving a long distance away from my home, living with a family I had never met, and having to speak and read French 24/7. There were days I felt isolated, depressed, and extremely homesick. All I had was me – I had to survive. After I moved back, finished college and began my career, in those early days as I faced challenges and times of insecurity, I drew on my successful, and very happy, experience of living in France as a source of confidence to push forward, face my fears and achieve success.
It was a similar feeling when I left the comforts of my job in corporate America to start my own business. Reputationally, it was like starting over - no client cared what I had done before or what my corporate title was. They cared about their business and how I, and our team, was going to help them succeed. Moreover, I had to learn how to run a business – what prices to charge, how to manage expense to ensure we created profit, how to build a culture people wanted to join and help grow. I had to start over, reprove myself, and, with my partner, build a company from the ground up, which made me both sharp and humble.
3. To Effectively Communicate Requires Tedious Work, Enormous Effort and Constant Humility
In my experience – both work and personal – I have found that communication is mostly disappointing. I think that’s because it’s tedious, it takes an enormous amount of effort and requires constant humility, all of which are uncomfortable for most people. As Robert Rose said to me in a recent conversation, the way we communicate is really the only thing that can truly differentiate us today.
How often have you seen service companies you’ve worked with state on their websites something along the lines of “We believe communication is the key to reliable service”. In a recent situation with a vendor I hired, the company said just this and yet, their team had to ask me to resend emails they’d lost or deleted that had information they needed to reference, didn’t take notes in meetings and forgot details I later had to remind them about, and rarely proactively provided status updates on the project…I continually had to ask. None of these is hard or requires unique skills or advanced degrees. It simply requires attention to detail, being prepare and organize, and caring for the client. This has not only led to my great dissatisfaction with this particular vendor, but has also eroded my trust in their quality of work. If other clients of theirs are receiving the same level and style of communication (which is likely), we can deduce that their poor communication may ultimately be the cause for the demise of their company. I hope that doesn’t happen…they seem to be good people.
Effectively communicating requires hard work, research and organization to determine who, what, where and how you should communicate. As I shared in my conversation with Robert, I recently listened to a podcast by Wondry called Over My Dead Body about a New York City high society wedding that ended in divorce, death and murder. It was the worst possible story of a marriage gone bad that I’d ever heard. The sponsor for the podcast was a big box bedding and bath store, and their commercial during the episode, promoted their wedding registry. Wow…really? The podcast is about a marriage of great expectation that ended in divorce and murder, and yet the sponsor somehow thought it was a good idea to associate their wedding registry with this story? Hmm…if I were in charge, I believe I’d rethink that.
A Final Thought
As my conversation with Robert came to a close, he asked me to share a new acronym I was inspired to create after hearing valuable insights from him during one of our recent conversations. In that conversation, Robert talked about how important he believed it was for companies to create content that people care about vs. being a company whose content was just a bucket of resources with me-too content that doesn’t inspire, change behavior, add value or differentiate.
After that conversation with Robert, I woke up in the middle of the night and immediately this acronym came to me.
Does Your Content B.O.R.E. Your Audience?
Is it just a…
It’s now a guidepost for me, and I hope it can be for others, that as we’re creating content, we ask ourselves “Does this piece of content BORE or will it make my audience CARE?”
Does Your Content Make Your Audience C.A.R.E.?
Is it…
I wish my new acronym rhymed, but alas, I wasn’t that creative at 3am. Maybe readers here can make it better.
Kickoff 2020: Ask 10 People These 4 Questions
As the new year begins, it provides an opportunity for reflection and planning ahead. What is the greatest area of impact you had in 2019 in your family and for your company and career? What did you most improve? What was your greatest personal and professional achievements and disappointments? And how do the answers to these questions align to your family’s needs and goals personally, and how do they align professionally to your company’s goals and gaps and your career?
As the saying from Henry Ford implies, setting goals and putting your mind to achieving them can make all the difference in 2020 being a great year of meaningful impact in your life and work.
There are many ways to structure your goal-setting effort. I’ve used many over the years, from a simple SWOT analysis where results illuminate focus areas for the coming year in personal or professional aspects of your life to a more comprehensive Entrepreneurial Operating System that includes space for long-term thinking with a system to execute at a weekly, monthly and quarterly cadence. I recently learned of Warren Buffet’s 3-step 5/25 goal-setting process in which you write down 25 potential goals, circle the top 5, and focus on ONLY those five and ignore the rest.
As a leadership coach, I like to use a simple approach of asking 10 of my client’s colleagues four simple questions to facilitate reflection and goal-setting. By asking your manager and company leaders, peers and even customers these questions, you’d be amazed what learning and growing can be achieved:
What were <YOUR NAME HERE> 3 greatest areas of impact in 2019?
What are <YOUR NAME HERE> top 3-5 strengths?
What are the top 3-5 areas you'd recommend <YOUR NAME HERE> focus on for improvement?
What are the 3 greatest ways <YOUR NAME HERE> can impact <YOUR COMPANY> growth and success in 2020?
Based on the responses, as well as their own personal assessment of these same questions, within half a day’s time of reviewing and discussing the results, we’re able to kick off the year with a solid plan for where to focus our work each week and month.
Will you be the person who just dives into the year a victim to the email, meetings, and deadlines that await? Or will you take time to reflect and set goals for greater impact, and happiness? Only you know the answer. It’s not rocket science - it’s discipline.
Contact RIVE today at info@rivevisor.com to learn more about career planning and coaching services.
Results Through Accountability
Recently, I completed an interim role leading a new marketing team at Silex Technology, a network technology provider and Qualcomm exclusive design partner primarily serving medical and factory applications. My two key focus areas were to:
Introduce structure, define roles, and develop team processes that drive transparency and accountability of both individuals and the team
Train and advise on implementation of a product tiering and launch process to streamline and grow the impact of each launch investment/opportunity
Up to this point, the marketing team had fallen short of achieving stated goals and executing activities, and individuals on the team struggled with project and task ownership as a result of unclearly defined roles. Working with the Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Zac and I rolled up our sleeves to organize the team, set goals, establish a regular meeting cadence and agenda, and develop report card-like reporting that facilitated efficient and clear accountability.
In one quarter, the team accomplished some big objectives, including:
Developing product tiering and launch processes, and executed multiple launches in the quarter
Defined roles and quarterly goals for the marcom manager, product manager, and marketing coordinator
Through use of EOS, established the weekly team meeting agenda, and created tools to report out project status and results using SharePoint, Trello and HubSpot
Completed and published nearly all backlogged content and developed a content plan for the upcoming quarters
Developed a marketing activity plan for the 2nd half of the year
Built relationships with technology partners and executed multi-continent activities, including a release with the Japanese parent company and the technology partner announcing use of their technology in IoT applications with Amazon Web Services
The team improved execution in short order due, fundamentally, to improved accountability. As the image below shows, they blamed others and offered excuses less and instead owned projects, tasks and deadlines and worked more collaboratively to resolve issues, big and small, with “forever” solutions.
Here is what Zac had to say about the engagement:
How do we become better individuals and organizations? How do I distill my vision of what is possible into actions? How do I align those actions to achieve the sense of accountability that drives results? As a trusted advisor, Rebecca helped me find the clarity to find the answers to these questions.
Recently I engaged Rebecca’s services to help implement a reorganization of our marketing team. The goal was to build a top-notch marketing team in-house. This included hiring and training the new team, clarifying roles and responsibilities and developing a structure for sustained accountability. Rebecca was proactive and involved every step of the way. She helped me build the right team. Defining exactly what we needed, then finding and hiring the right technical and cultural fit for the organization.
Rebecca refined our focus by introducing and facilitating the development of the product tiers structure and product launch plan by tiers. Through the introduction of the EOS (including Quarterly Rocks, Weekly Scorecards, Action Item tracking, and Issues processing) she improved transparency, accountability, and measurement of the marketing team's efforts. Rebecca led the weekly marketing team meeting to ensure effective execution. She was an excellent mentor to our new marcomm manager. She modeled the meeting leadership to transition to the marcomm manager and provided ongoing coaching. She helped clarify when ownership of tasks was not clear, priorities were not aligned or deadlines were not met. Rebecca’s involvement had a tremendous impact and helped create an organized, effective, and accountable marketing team that will contribute to increased ROI and future success.
How would you rate the level of accountability and execution on your team? Is it time to take a time-out and assess and strengthen the transparency and accountability of your team?
To learn more about interim team management or individual coaching services, email info@rivevisor.com or complete the Contact Us form and Rebecca will be in touch.
Trust is Earned
I’ve been fortunate in my career to have had the opportunity to work with gifted leaders and marketers who care about their work, and more importantly, each other. Two of the people in my life who fit this bill are Jen Dawkins and John Pasquarette. Jen and John have been lifelong companions on my professional journey, and in the process became confidants and friends. Just as the Brene Brown quote below implies, the trust and respect I have with each of them was earned over many years through hundreds of projects, deliverables, failures and successes.
That’s why I was so honored to recently receive LinkedIn recommendations from them both.
Rebecca is a real pro whom I trust and go to for almost any business or marketing conundrum to get her perspective. We worked together for many years at National Instruments, where she built a strong team and proved her chops as a leader, manager, and communications guru even in the most technical markets. She did more than just help frame the message but added business value in many more dimensions. She has a knack for pushing, challenging, and rethinking concepts with you to get to a better result in a way that is collaborative, supportive, and fun. — John Pasquarette, Vice President, eBusiness and Global Platforms, National Instruments
I have had the privilege of working with Rebecca for most of my career. Early in my career, I joined National Instruments as part of the corporate communications department she led. Her passion, drive for excellence, and deep expertise made her an influential and credible leader. In this role, Rebecca was knowledgeable and innovative – constantly evolving the team’s role in the organization as we shifted to digital marketing, created the company’s first crisis communications strategy, and took our corporate responsibility efforts to the next level.
Later in my career, I chose to join her company, TREW Marketing, and had the opportunity to see her leadership and drive for innovation at a whole new level. Here, she created a collaborative, inspiring, and highly efficient work environment she coined, “laid-back excellence” – the most motivating environment I’ve ever worked in. As the face of the company, she brought credibility through original research, expertise, and phenomenal speaking opportunities. As a leader of the company, she was the source of endless new ideas, support and motivation to all of the staff, and a trusted advisor to our clients. — Account Director, TREW Marketing; previously Senior Group Manager, Corporate Communications, National Instruments
Are you earning the trust of your colleagues in each interaction you have? How would you rate the level of trust on your team? Is it time to take a time-out and assess and strengthen the shared trust, health and performance of the team?
To learn more about the goals and approach to RIVE’s leadership workshop, email info@rivevisor.com or complete the Contact Us form and Rebecca will be in touch.
Customer Testimonial: RIVE Leadership Workshop
Recently, I had the opportunity to lead a 2-day leadership team workshop for a medical device manufacturer, Biomerics ATL (BATL). The purpose of the workshop was to strengthen the health and performance of the leadership team, which leading researchers and authors, including Patrick Lencioni, author of Five Dysfunctions of a Team, call “the ultimate competitive advantage because it’s so powerful and so rare”.
The purpose of RIVE’s leadership workshop is to strengthen team health and performance.
The BATL team did a superb job of courageously engaging in an honest and collaborative way, building trust with each other and setting the company up for a productive next step - strategic planning. Below is a review BATL leader, Ben Ovenden, General Manager, shared following the workshop.
Rebecca recently moderated a leadership workshop for our management team. It was evident from the start that she had done her homework, as her program was tailored specifically for our team. The level of detail that she put into her planning made our team feel that we could trust her from the beginning. I found Rebecca's delivery to be engaging, and she was very attuned to her audience. Her style made it safe for our team to challenge each other, and her program gave us a solid foundation for growth. Having been through a number of workshops over my professional career, it's without question that Rebecca, and her RIVE program is the best. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to any organization.
To learn more about the goals and approach to RIVE’s leadership workshop, email info@rivevisor.com or complete the Contact Us form and Rebecca will be in touch.
3 Big Wisdoms of Business Leadership
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Matt Johnson on his show, YouX, a podcast dedicated to helping creative business leaders turn their rock star business into a machine that multiplies the impact of its leader. Matt has produced some fantastic episodes over the years, from business models to fractional services to moving from a transactional to relationship business.
In my conversation with Matt, I narrowed down my advice for YouX listeners into what I called my 3 big wisdoms, briefly summarized below, that I believe play a critical role in business and leadership success based on my experience.
Define your niche and be all in. I first heard this when working at National Instruments – it was key among a few driving forces that led them to their very first product. In my book I talk about Southwest Airlines and their niche flying one type of aircraft. Even to this day, they are one of the most profitable, respected, and loved airlines in the industry. At the agency I cofounded, TREW Marketing, defining our niche became a point of survival coming out of the 2009 recession. In the first chapter of my book, I refer to this as Say No to Grow - that is, saying NO to distracting, less profitable business so you’re available to say YES to exactly what you want to do and can do most profitably. To define your niche, you have to ask yourself “What am I expert in and what do I love to do that can be profitable?” That’s a loaded question, and I explain in the podcast how determining your “three uniques” helps you figure out the answer to this question.
Have clearly defined objectives with a process to reliably measure progress. When I was at National Instruments, I distinctly remember the time, years ago now, when the leadership team introduced a new process for defining and measuring business goals. There were 5. They were short and succinct. And they were measurable. Everyone in the company knew them, there were sub-teams built around them, and they brought focus to 100’s of people from engineering to marketing to sales. It’s not rocket science, but it’s incredible how many companies don’t do the simple task of defining business goals and measuring progress toward them regularly. For smaller businesses, I highly recommend reading Get a Grip and implementing the EOS model. Today, I help engineering executives dissect where they’re lacking measurable objectives and help them define and measure them over time.
Work and live accountably. This final piece is where it all happens. This, at the end of the day, is about people meeting deadlines, achieving objectives, and building trust among their team members. This is more than integrity, which is you doing what you say you’ll do. Integrity is part of accountability, but accountability is more because it’s two-way. You should be held accountable for your responsibilities, but you should also be able to hold others accountable for their responsibilities. And you should hold your manager accountable for supporting you with the resources and decisions you need to be successful in your role. And you should hold the leaders and owners of your company accountable to define what success looks like, and lead the company in a transparent way, both financially and ethically.
To listen to the full podcast, visit this blog post or listen on iTunes.
Engineers are Skeptical People Who Loathe Marketers
This was the opening line of a review of my book a couple of years ago by my good friend, and well-known and respected engineering editor, Martin Rowe. Martin’s words are worth re-visiting as business leaders of technical companies - from owners to sales and marketing leaders - are reminded of this tough audience.
One example, and tip, Martin shares in the comments section of this article is about what he calls “poof articles”. Here’s how he explains them:
I've been in this technical editor business for 23 years, 11 months and one thing hasn't changed: PR/marketing people still send "poof" articles.
Poof articles?
That's when a "technical" article describes an engineering problem and then poof, buy my company's product, problem solved. I rejected one such article just today.
So to you PR/marketing people, if you want someone to write a "poof" article, put it on your own web site.
You can read more about Martin’s thoughts on the book, and tips on building trust with your engineering audience in the article here. As I like to say, it’s a marathon not a sprint - authenticity, starting with education, and persistence pay off in due time.
Keysight Technologies Partner Event
Book signing on the patio at Keysight Technologies HQ in Santa Rosa, CA.
Recently I had the honor of speaking at Keysight Technologies’ Solution Partner Executive Summit in Santa Rosa. Throughout 2 days, I met with engineers leading companies across deeply technical industries from wireless communications to military and aerospace test.
Many of their challenges go beyond the basics of marketing and expand to include organizational issues, tradeoffs regarding ROI, and maximizing partnerships with technology leaders such as Keysight, Rockwell, National Instruments and others.
As a business leader of a deeply technical company, if you struggle with similar issues, have you considered setting up an advisory board? Or bringing in an interim manager to partner with you to solve the organizational and leadership communications challenges you face and accelerate your path to realizing your vision?
To learn more about how RIVE can help, email info@rivevisor.com or complete the form on our Contact Us page.
A Compilation of Advisement Posts
The RIVE blog is still in the works. In the meantime, check out Rebecca's posts on the TREW Marketing site on the following topics. And while you're there - subscribe to the TREW blog - it's the best marketing-to-engineers blog around!
Brand Positioning and Messaging:
Part 1: 10 Steps to Develop Your Brand Position and Message
Part 2: 4 Steps to Develop Your Brand Message
Culture, Mission and Vision:
Align and Inspire Stakeholders with Your Mission and Vision Statements
Leadership & Communication
The Leadership Chemicals: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Some Don't
