Rnordman

eCommerce is BIG business. The high street is still alive and kicking (but for how long?). eCommerce is becoming huge and no wonder. Selling from home with fewer overheads to pay is a win-win for the seller. Browsing your fave shops in the comfort of your own home, wearing your PJs is just perfect for consumers.

Some may say there is nothing quite like sauntering around your favorite high street shops and stopping for coffee and lunch makes the shopping experience. For the fundamentally bone idle (like me) the appeal of not having to wash your hair to go out, or traipse around for hours in crowded shops is just too irresistible!

So how do you get folks to visit your awesome shop? Just having a shiny new eCommerce site isn’t enough on its own. Using a full-package marketing automation service for your eCommerce biz could be the way to go…

Infusionsoft

Infusionsoft is a one-stop-shop for sales and marketing, designed specifically for small businesses. Get all your jobs done with one simple-to-use tool for better productivity and time-management.

These are some of the perks:

• A fabulous CRM to keep on top of your customer information.
• Marketing tools for email, social media and offline channels.
• ECommerce tools including storefronts and billing.
• Automation for lead nurturing, sales and marketing.

There is no need to use separate platforms for your sales, marketing and eCommerce any longer. Use Infusionsoft to combine all of these essentials. With fully integrated marketing and eCommerce tools you will never miss a lead or a sale again. Letting folks know about your great products just could not be easier. Have the best of both worlds with one software platform to generate leads, create your eCommerce site, make sales, manage your customers, marketing your business and using the great automation tools to do it all!

With the recent news that Magneto will be discontinuing two of its major eCommerce programs for SMBs in February 2015, it has been a stressful time for many eCommerce companies who now need to find new platforms. Finding the right one for your established business or a new one for your new eCommerce business is a tricky job indeed. Comparing two or more eCommerce apps side by side can clarify things. We hope to be able to help with your decisions by walking you through these great alternatives.

Shopify

Shopify is probably the best known eCommerce app, it gives you all the tools you will need to create your beautiful store. A great benefit of a big company like Shopify is that you get unlimited bandwidth in all the available packages. There is also a mobile commerce function allowing you to manage your shop with an iphone.

Some more great benefits are:

• Quick to set up
• More than 100 customizable templates
• More than 65 ways to pay (including Paypal)
• Promotion creation
• Analytics
• iPhone app

NetSuite SuiteCommerce

NetSuite SuiteCommerce is a cloud based system to help eCommerce businesses to manage their stores all in one easy platform. It has a huge capacity, so is perfect for any size business from small to large enterprises, manufacturers and distributors. Build your store and manage your inventory and accounting from this great app.

More reasons to use NetSuite SuiteCommerce are:

• Manage multiple stores on one app
• Multi currency and country options
• Real-time inventory
• Email and marketing automation
• Analytics
• iPhone, Android and web app.

LightSpeed

LightSpeed bills itself as a point-of-sale system but it is actually much more than that. It allows you to build multiple stores, each with their own inventories. You can process transactions, check inventory and sync all of your stores. There is also a pro version designed specifically for Mac and iOS. With great analytics, you won’t miss a trick!

More benefits of LightSpeed are:

• Integrated web store
• Advanced analytics
• Inventory synchronization
• Cross store transfers
• Custom label printing
• Native iPad app.

HandShake

Handshake is dedicated to wholesale businesses. It is used by huge corporations across the world with great success. Their specialty is bigger orders and speedy order writing. It has a real-time reporting function so you know exactly what you have sold minute-by-minute. With a built-in team collaboration tool you will never miss a sale or appointment again.

Here are more benefits of using Handshake

• Increase average order size
• Intuitive order writing
• Stable enough to support large teams
• Complex product and pricing
• Built for SMBs and global enterprises
• iOS and web app.

SureDone

SureDone is THE app to use for selling on Amazon, eBay, Google shopping and for creating your own eCommerce store. A genius way to manage your inventory, with tools to list, sync, manage and ship all in one handy place. Take your store to the next level and manage every aspect of selling online with this fab multi-channel software.

Even more reasons to choose SureDone:

• Bulk editor
• Amazon, eBay and Google shopping integrated
• Manage stock levels
• SEO friendly eCommerce stores
• Bulk order and shipping capability
• Mac and web based app

BrightPearl

BrightPearl is a commerce acceleration platform. You can manage your inventory, orders, customer information and sales all in one place. Keep a close eye on your sales and inventory with peace of mind from knowing BrightPearl has it under control. Manage your customers so that you don’t ever lose information or contact details again.

More reasons to give BrightPearl a go:

• Order, inventory and shipping management
• Lots of payment options (including Paypal)
• Automated real-time accounting
• eBay inventory management
• Point of sale software
• Android, iOS and web apps.

If you, as a business, already use an eCommerce host, which do you use? Is it working for you? Does it meet all your needs? There are plenty to choose from, check out our eCommerce app marketplace for a huge choice.

In the world of content marketing, curation plays an instrumental role for companies that want to become a single source destination for industry news and information related to their area of expertise. Interest in curation has grown significantly and to meet demand, a number of software companies have emerged.

Curata is one of the leaders in the content curation and content marketing software space, lead by Pawan Deshpande.

As the founder and CEO of Curata, Pawan is responsible for the company’s vision, management and advanced development initiatives. His work at Curata has been recognized through the 2010 Boston Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Award, and through the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council’s 2012 Sales & Marketing Technology of the Year Award. Before founding Curata, he held software engineering positions at Microsoft, Google.

In this pre Content Marketing World interview, Pawan talks about how to develop a content marketing strategy, gives tips on how to leverage insights about your target audience and provides some useful perspective on content marketing ROI.

How important is it for a company to have a content marketing strategy defined before asking internally for budget or engaging an outside consultant? Can experimentation lead to strategy or is a hybrid approach more practical?

Developing a content marketing strategy should be the first course of action prior to expending resources. For example, prior to identifying the type and format of content needed, it is important to understand:

1) Your overall content marketing objectives;

2) Who your target audience is (segments, personas);

3) What their greatest pain points are, including what will be of value to them. This insight can then be used to develop longer term content campaigns with “heavier” formats (e.g., ebooks) that can be atomized into smaller, more digestible deliverables.

In parallel, ~25% of your content marketing output should be produced in a more sporadic fashion with less strategic direction.  This creates room for more event-driven content as well as offering greater opportunity for experimentation.

What are some ways you can use audience insights to inform your content planning and promotion?

Develop useful content:  There’s no better way to understand the pain points and needs of your audience than to directly ask them. (e.g., interviews, surveys, casual conversations) Develop content based on these needs that will be of use to them, regardless of the fact that it may not have anything to do with your product offering.

Speak their language:  Don’t only understand what’s important to your audience, but learn what type of content is most relevant to their company, job and career. For example, Verne Global developed a curated microsite focused specifically on Automotive IT News to bring valuable content to an IT professionals in the automotive industry.

Learn from experience: Content marketing strategy should be an iterative process.  Put in place a comprehensive measurement strategy to understand what types of content, format and channels are most successful or even least successful.  A continuous feedback loop of content marketing analytics that informs your strategy will assure that you learn from past mistakes and successes.

Visuals in content marketing are increasingly popular but how important are they really? Is this the beginning of the end of text or just a phase?

As more and more companies employ content marketing, the costs of creating content that stands out continue to increase.  In the earlier days, a short form blog post with a great idea was often sufficient to get attention. These days it’s harder to differentiate from everyone without exerting more effort.  Because of this, the most successful content formats are currently long form blog posts, ebooks and infographics.  In the future, content marketers will have to differentiate even further by investing in more sophisticated formats such as interactive content, and other forms of visual media.

While the costs for marketers will increase, it will ultimately result in a better experience for content consumers.

Is Content Marketing ROI really that hard? What are you doing to measure content marketing performance?

Content marketing has come a long way in the past few years, and there are now definite content marketing metrics along with technologies that can help to quantify the return on content marketing investment. However, both organizational and technical silos will need to be broken down in order to tap into the varying sources of information to get to this elusive ROI.

At Curata we have begun to fully integrate our content management process with both marketing and sales automation platforms to determine the impact of our content on pipeline and revenue. We no longer measure the success of content solely based on “engagement”, social shares or pageviews.  While these are important parts of the equation, we also evaluate our efforts on their influence on leads and revenue.

In the spirit of the Content Marketing in Wonderland (Alice) theme of the #CMWorld eBook series, what was your favorite story from childhood? Any lessons in it for business or marketing today? 

Growing up, one of my favorite stories was The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Here are a few ways it applies to content marketing:

• Quality over Quantity: At first, the very hungry caterpillar consumes too much food, eating everything from a lollipop to a piece of pie. After some time, the caterpillar decides to eat higher quality food (a leaf) and he then transforms into a butterfly. Similarly, marketers should focus on producing high quality, relevant content, instead of a high quantity.
• Digestible Content: The caterpillar learned that the best food was very digestible and easy to break down. Marketers should create content with similar characteristics so that more readers are able to consume it.

Thank you Pawan. Also, thank you to Curata for sponsoring the Content Marketing World conference eBook series we’ve been publishing and promoting this month!

You can get even more of Pawan’s content marketing ROI wisdom from the #CMWorld eBook: Showing Real ROI for Your Content Marketing. In fact, here are all 4 eBooks in the Content Marketing World series:

• Building a Content Marketing Strategy
• Building an Audience Development Strategy for Content Marketing
• A Visual Content Marketing Strategy 
• Showing Real ROI for Your Content Marketing

To dig even further into the realm of content marketing, check out the Content Marketing World conference coming up Sept 8-11 in Cleveland. If you use the discount code, TopRank, you’ll save $100 off main event and all-access registrations.

Disclosure: Our agency TopRank Marketing has done some internet marketing consulting for Curata in the past and they are the sponsor of the Content Marketing World eBook series we’ve been publishing this month.

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© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2014. | Interview with Content Curation and Marketing Software Guru Pawan Deshpande of Curata | http://www.toprankblog.com

Salesforce.com officially rolled out a new and improved version of its enterprise chat product on Thursday, a tool it calls Community Cloud.

And it wants to take on, or at least mimic, LinkedIn with the new product.

Community Cloud is like a custom, private version of LinkedIn for businesses, it says. It lets companies connect with customers, employees, and partners to chat, share files, and so on. It also inks them to apps, news, and other things that people need to do their jobs and help customers.

In a press release, Salesforce explains:

LinkedIn is an example of a company, that, among other things, in the consumer world, has created a community for recruiters and job seekers. Members can personalize their job search, connect with colleagues and discover and share information about job openings—all from any device. Today, companies want to create their own communities with the same personalization and mobile access of LinkedIn, that are also completely connected to their business processes.

Community Cloud isn't a brand-new product, but an update of a product released about a year ago. Salesforce offered some stats on how well that product is doing: 2,000 active communities, including customers like Cornell University, GE Capital, Honeywell, Key Bank, Pearson, Pono Music, State of Colorado, and Tata Communications. It also said that Deloitte Digital has signed on as a partner to help sell Community Cloud. It says pricing for the service starts at $500 per month.

Salesforce certainly isn't the only one trying to nab a piece of $3.5 billion enterprise collaboration market. Companies from all enterprise sectors are doing the same, including Jive Software, Microsoft with Yammer, Huddle, Atlassian, Cisco, and Infor. All want their customers to use their products to chat and collaborate.

Here's what Salesforce's version of LinkedIn looks like, linking to graphics and a poll.

 Here's the full video:

Join the conversation about this story »

Word of mouth is still the best form of marketing for any business. When customers talk about you, recommend you, inspire others to try out your company’s products or services, you win. You don’t need to advertise as much, and the advertising you do will often be more effective.

But referrals don’t just come naturally. You work for them.

Here are six ways marketers can aim to get more referrals:

1. Better products. As marketers, it is our job to ensure that what we are selling is what the market wants and needs. By designing quality products that address the customers’ key pain points, we can ensure that we satisfy those needs. That way, they will be more likely to refer friends with similar needs to our brand.
2. Better customer service. Nothing can kill a customer’s experience more than poor customer service. It’s important for marketers to make sure customer service is a top priority. Customer service agents should be encouraged to go above and beyond protocol to make customers happy and exceed their expectations. A great customer service experience can make up for a less than great product. We have become so accustomed to poor service than when we receive extraordinary service, we talk about it.
3. Referral incentives. Nothing encourages referrals like an incentive. You can offer cash or discounts, more features on the product, or higher standing in a community, depending on what you’re offering. Companies like Dropbox and ING use growth hacking programs to get customers to market their services for them, and you can too. Think about how you can build referral incentives into your user experience.
4. Customer loyalty and membership programs. Happy customers don’t necessarily refer others. But when you engage those customers, they become more likely to act as brand advocates. Creating loyalty programs or memberships allows you to follow up with your customers regularly, getting their input, giving them special offers, and clueing them into where you’re going and what’s new. The more you talk to them, the more likely they’ll be talking about you.
5. Social media interaction. There is no surer way to keep social media chatter about your company quiet than not actively participating yourself. When your company has a presence on social media, and you interact with those people talking about your brand, you encourage even more activity.
6. Ratings and reviews. Consumers read online reviews when they are considering what brand or product to buy. You can encourage reviews on sites like Yelp and others that list your business. And you can feature reviews on your own site as well. This allows customers to hear it from other people like them, and not just take your marketing message at face value. Those reviews can act as referral sources if you get enough of them.

We all want to get ahead in our careers — and some people are willing to do whateverit takes, including brownnosing, to get there.

But no matter how badly you want to gain the attention of your superiors, you should always steer clear of sucking up. 

"Nobody really wants to be that person — slavishly hanging around the boss, making sure they're out front, the loudest voice in the room, and possibly even willing to subvert their coworkers' performance to make their own look better by comparison," say Lolly Daskal, executive coach and author of Trust Inc., in a recent LinkedIn post.

There are better ways to make yourself visible, she says, "but it takes authenticity, integrity, and honesty."

Here are four ways to get ahead without being a toady:

Make it a group effort. "Let others know you have merit, talk about your team or a group rather than yourself," Daskal suggests. "Find ways to share successes and promote the group's accomplishments."

Be a leader. Prove that you've got what it takes to be promoted to the next level at work. "Find ways to mentor others or to share a new skill, a new system, an interesting article, or an idea," she says. "Make yourself visible, but in a way that's tied to support, guidance, and mentorship."

Be helpful. You should always give 100% — but when things get extra busy around the office, it's even more important to work twice as hard and offer a hand to those who may need help. "Keep an eye out for new resources and invite people from other areas of the business who might have helpful expertise or experience," Daskal says.

Another way to prove your value and be helpful: Offer solutions. "When you've faced down an issue or crisis, share your processes and solutions. Become known as an excellent problem solver."

Listen to others. You can accomplish all of the above by listening as much as (or more) than you speak. "Take the time to ask questions and listen. You'll be well received — and you'll learn more," she says.

"Self-promotion with authenticity, integrity, and honesty allows you to build a reputation that matches your accomplishments that demonstrates that you are a credible high performer," Daskal concludes. 

Click here to read the full LinkedIn post.

Want your business advice featured in Instant MBA? Submit your tips to tipoftheday@businessinsider.com and be sure to include your name, your job title, and a photo of yourself in your email. 

SEE ALSO: The 15 Best-Paying Jobs For Professionals With Excellent 'People Skills'

Join the conversation about this story »

Flying robots will soon deliver the products we order over the Internet. And Google wants to be the company making that happen.

Google recently showed off its two-year-old secret "Project Wing" drone delivery project to the Atlantic's Alexis Madrigal.

Here's what a Google delivery drone looks like:

Project Wing is part of Google X, the research team trying to solve really hard "moonshot" engineering problems. It's the team that created Google Glass, is working on self-driving cars, using balloons to bring the Internet to far-flung corners of the globe among other crazy, cool things.

Google has been testing the drones this month in Australia, Madrigal reports, and things are going well. The company will be trying to make this a real thing.

Take a closer look:

Still that's a long way off. For now companies like Google and Amazon can't even test pilot programs in the the U.S. because the Federal Aviation Administration has safety rules that prohibit such tests. Amazon, which is also famously working on its own drone delivery vehicles, has been lobbying for a change in the rules, but that change is a good 16 months away.

Google's drone project was being led by Nick Roy, an MIT associate professor who took a two-year sabbatical to do this for Google. As his reign ends, he'll be replaced by Dave Vos who sold his drone software company, Athena Technologies, to Rockwell in 2008, Madrigal reports.

Here's a short video of the full drone flight:

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SEE ALSO: The Most Simple Explanation Of Cloud Computing Ever, From Google

Join the conversation about this story »

Brands are struggling to understand YouTube.

It's a mystery to most brands why some videos work and other don't. There are videos that breakthrough and achieve viral success (the kind of action that then gets picked up and amplified by traditional media) and then there's everyone else. For the most part, brands participate in YouTube by creating pre-roll and post-roll ads (essentially TV commercials that are played before or after a YouTube video is viewed). The introduction of this ad format was met with mixed emotions by YouTube viewers. Since then, YouTube has introduced TrueView (that little button that enables viewers to skip an ad after five seconds). This works, because it gives the viewers control and - more importantly - it's a signal back to advertisers that their message is either working... or not. The cumulative data that YouTube is gathering around TrueView will also enable them to teach advertisers how to create messages that YouTube viewers might actually care to watch. If done well (and, I'm betting that YouTube will do this exceedingly well), it could usher in a new era of commercials: one where the ads being created actually have the viewer in mind. Heaven forbid.

But, YouTube should mean much more to brands.

Have you seen the latest issue of Fast Company magazine? Bethany Mota is on the cover. I've been talking up Bethany Mota for a long while (more here: Is Bethany Mota The Future Of The NewFronts?). I was first introduced to her by my teenage niece, and it led me down a deep rabbit hole of YouTube viewing. It's nothing new that YouTube is creating celebrities who have millions of subscribers on their own YouTube channels, but it's becoming so big and important that if you want to know about how to connect with specific segments, you may be better off finding out who the YouTubers are, instead of splashing your spend at specialty TV channels. The pulse of YouTube beats in a very different way.

That very different way.

This is the true struggle with brands and YouTube today. Sadly, most brands are simply trying to sell their wares to people who are watching YouTube. The real opportunity (and the one that most brands aren't focused nearly enough on) is trying to become a part of the YouTube culture. It's a slight, but important, nuance. If you were looking at getting your brand more involved on YouTube, I would be asking this one, very important question: are we trying to sell to the people on YouTube, or are we trying to become a part of the YouTube culture?

How does a brand become a part of a culture?

This can be answered in two words: not easily. This is why the vast majority of brands give up the dream of creating content and opt into a buying media mindset. It's almost easier to burn through the cash than to try and be relevant to an audience. Scary? Yes. True? Probably. Becoming a part of the culture is partnering into it. It means doing things that add value to the community - not to your bottom line. I wrote about this concept in my second business book, CTRL ALT Delete. All too often, brands focus on creating a message that shouts loudest, when they could have spent the same amount of time and effort doing something that the audience might actually like, care about, share with others and have a desire to connect back to. Brands shun this, because they feel like they are limiting the message to a much smaller audience (it is, after all, easier to just pay for as many eyeballs as possible). But, there's a new nuance to this: YouTube has become so massive - and these YouTubers have built up such strong followings - that brands can now connect and add value to these niche audiences that still have a mass following.

Don't believe me? 

Go and pull up the viewership on a TV show that you feel could reach your target audience. Now, go and look at how many subscribers Tyler Oakley has on his YouTube channel. It may not be the same kind of viewers, but the point is that his numbers (and there are many others like him) typically trump the kind of mass media numbers that traditional brands look at. And, that's the point: it's not just that YouTube has its own culture anymore (it kinda always did). It's that now - right now - it has scale. Mass... mass scale and, sadly, most brands think that the best opportunity to capitalize on YouTube comes from posting a commercial and crossing their fingers that the viewers don't simply skip it.

YouTube's culture. It's real. It's growing. What's your play? 

Tags: ad format advertising advertising format bethany mota brand business book content content publishing ctrl alt delete fast company mass media newfronts online video post roll pre roll specialty television specialty tv traditional media trueview tv commercial tyler oakley video video analytics viral success viral video youtube youtube celebrity youtube channel youtube culture youtuber

There have been numerous articles written on the topic of millennials, with emerging focus given on how millennial adults are disrupting the corporate workforce. The New York Times recently published an article ‘Marketers Are Sizing Up the Millennials’, and the unanimous concern by marketers was the apparent lack of brand loyalty. A generation that has more choices open to them than any generation before them, it has made it more difficult for marketers to predict their consumer behaviour patterns. McDonald’s Global Chief Brand Officer Steve Easterbrook described Millennials as:

“Promiscuous in their brand loyalty…it makes it harder work for all of us to earn the loyalty of the millennial generation.”

So why are millennials so fickle with their brand loyalty?

This growing concern for marketers is tied to the unique characteristics of this generation. In a nutshell: millennials are overwhelmingly digital natives, increasingly concerned with corporate social responsibility, and as the generation that came of age during the GFC, more frugal than their predecessors. As more millennials begin to enter the market and have cash to burn, the question raised is- how can my company appeal to this tech-savvy generation?

To no one’s surprise, much of the focus spent on engaging with millennials is via online avenues. A generation that has been raised to be interconnected in a global marketplace, millennials do their homework before committing to any brand or product. More than any other generation, mobile technology and social media have transformed the spending habits of young people. Social media in particular, has shaped how this generation ‘shares its thoughts and extends its influence over others.’ This has seen a rise of ‘social influencers’ unique to this generation, with the phenomenon of bloggers who have cultivated an authentic relationship with their readers, resonating with young people and influencing their purchasing decisions.

In contrast with the baby boomers, millennials are more ‘aware of a product’s and issues and therefore consumers are much less brand loyal.’ Thus a smart company will be active on social media, demonstrating engagement with their consumers and show that they are ‘keeping their consumers well informed and up to date, not just on what’s in the market now, but what coming next’. It is also no coincidence that fast-food chains that have rebranded themselves as socially responsible have fared better with young people. McDonalds’s key competitors Chipotle and Panera, largely responsible for McDonald’s ‘millennial problem’, have crafted an image of social responsibility through offering organic ingredients and pork from ‘naturally raised’ pigs.

When marketing to a generation that is notoriously fickle with aligning itself with one brand, millennials places high value on companies that value corporate social responsibility and makes the effort to make the world a better place. While key characteristics can be made about this generation, Ad Age reports “size estimates for this demographic group range anywhere from 59 million to 80 million.” Indeed the lack of agreement on the precise age group of this generation has made it more confusing when attempting to market to a demographic with such a large age gap. Yet with millennials already representing $1.3 trillion in consumer spending, it is worthwhile for companies to approach marketing to this demographic with a renewed focus on appealing to their values, identifying their influencers, and strategic social media engagement.

For companies without the time or staff capacity, we recommend outsourcing your social media needs to skilled contractors.

Perhaps it’s the name that confuses us—Executive Summary. We hone in on the word summary, when the real focus should be on the word executive. Personally, I prefer the term Executive Overview.

Executive summaries are written for the benefit of—executives; a customer’s high-level decision makers. Like anything we write, we need to construct our message for the intended audience; hence, we need to understand a little bit about these decision makers before we run off and try to summarize all the details of our sales proposals.

Four Important Points About Executive Buyers

1. They want to know that you understand their business, their concerns and their goals
2. They want a high-level picture of how you can help them improve their business
3. They don’t want—and frequently don’t understand—the technical details
4. They want it concise—typically no more than two to three pages

With this in mind, it’s important to focus the scope of your executive summaries on the interests of executive buyers. Below are suggestions to create a compelling executive summary. Also, consider that executive buyers often do not read the rest of your proposal; including the cover letter. This is your best chance—and oftentimes your only chance—to capture the attention of your customer’s business leaders.

Anatomy of an Effective Executive Summary

• Begin the executive overview with a high-level description of your understanding of, and experience with, the customer’s industry or marketplace. Demonstrate that you are aware of, and empathize with, their general business environment. List 2-3 of the customer’s specific challenges that you know they are experiencing. Present each “pain point” as a separate item, with a descriptive subheading and a one-paragraph summary of the challenge. This is a great way to build rapport with the executive. It says you understand their concerns.
• Similarly, describe the 2-3 highest-priority business objectives that the executive hopes to achieve. Again, describe each business outcome with a descriptive subheading and a one-paragraph summary of the goal. These goals are not merely the “flip side” of the customer’s challenges; they are the high-level business improvements that executives must deliver to their organization.
• In several short paragraphs, provide a high-level description of your recommended solutions—and the business benefits of your offering.
• Summarize the unique value proposition or return-on-investment that you will deliver to the customer. This is not just a pricing or fee summary, but rather a description of the positive business impact you offer.
• Provide 3-4 of your key differentiators or business strengths that you know will be most relevant to the customer’s executives. Every customer is different, so be sure to tailor the list of differentiators to your understanding of what will be most important to the executives.

Creating the Perfect Executive Summary Using Qvidian

I worked with a Qvidian Proposal Automation customer recently on implementing an Executive Summary architecture and here’s how they approached it:

They determined what content needed to be drafted up front. Introductory paragraphs were written with topical marketplace analysis, specific to multiple client types. Concluding language, highlighting the firm’s strengths, was also created. Input was gathered from their primary users, the RFP Team. It was important to know firsthand what they felt was critical to the success of the initiative.

Each section was completed with selection-driven content – all product specific – to make it as easy as possible for the writer to quickly select the appropriate language and move on. Graphics were also embedded to add an eye-catching and informative variation to the document.

The remainder of the document would work to complement the discussion and call out why their organization is the best fit. It was also important to make sure their branding carried throughout the document, including the Executive Summary.

This approach to building an executive summary will positively influence the executive’s initial impression of your company and show that you have their best interests at heart. Make the executive overview primarily about the customer—not about you.

Google’s use of “rel=author” markup to stop but Google+ posts to continue featuring in search results

Importance: ★★★★

Recommended link: Google announcement of end of Authorship

Summary of the change

John Mueller of Google Webmaster Tools announced in a personal Google+ post on 28th August that Google will now stop showing authorship results in Google Search, and will no longer be tracking data from content using rel=author markup.

From a Google user point of view this means you will no longer see author images in pictures like this one from a briefing written by Chris Soames in 2012:

In fact, you may have noticed from around a month ago that Google removed the author images. In this new announcement they are taking the next step and removing the author information too.

We’re also alerting you to this since more significantly from an SEO point of view Google has said that they are no longer using the data associated with markup.

The Reasons for the Removal of Authorship?

Google gives these reasons:

1. 1. Low adoption rates by authors and webmasters. While many marketing sites like our have enthusiastically adopted Authorship, this was not the case in other sectors.Searchengineland reports on this test that showed that even amongst major publishers journalists were not integrating their Google+ profiles:

   

2. 2. Low value to searchers. Google has said there is limited difference in click behaviour, i.e. clickthrough rate from results with these rich author snippets. This goes against what we have found and others have reported, but the decision has been made anyway. John Mueller has said:
   

   “If you’re curious – in our tests, removing authorship generally does not seem to reduce traffic to sites. Nor does it increase clicks on ads. We make these kinds of changes to improve our users’ experience”.

Implications for Marketers?

Well, if you were planning to implement authorship, you can discard that task! If you already have you can disable the feature to slightly reduce page bloat, although most will keep the markup even if it’s redundant I imagine.

Is this the end of Google+?

Many have taken this change as a yet another sign of the impending end of Google+. While it certainly removes a key feature integrating Google+ into the search results Jon Mueller reminds us that Google will still feature personalised Google+ link recommendations in the search results page, so this is not a reason to stop activity on Google+:

“It’s also worth mentioning that Search users will still see Google+ posts from friends and pages when they’re relevant to the query — both in the main results, and on the right-hand side. Today’s authorship change doesn’t impact these social features”.

Google has also stated that it is committed to other forms of Schema.org markup – so we still encourage these for SEO purposes.

Facebook is testing a tool that will allow its users to search for posts using keywords. Bloomberg reports that some Facebook users on the mobile app have been given the option to search for old posts from their Facebook friends. 

In a statement emailed to Bloomberg, Facebook called the experiment an "improvement to search on mobile." There's currently no indication whether the keyword search will roll out to all users, or if Facebook plans to bring it to the desktop site.

Facebook Search has long been considered an important area for the site, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg commenting in Facebook's July earnings call that "search for Facebook is going to be a multiyear voyage."

Zuckerberg considers an expanded version of Facebook Search a powerful tool, one that could even rival search engine giant Google. In the site's Q4 2013 earnings call, Zuckerberg hinted at the value of allowing users to search through Facebook's vast amount of content, remarking "There are more than a trillion status updates and unstructured text posts and photos and pieces of content that people have shared over the past 10 years, and indexing that was a really big deal, because as the number of people on the team who have worked on web search engines in the past have told me, a trillion pieces of content is more than the index in any web search engine."

The context, of course, is that although Facebook is already years into its search voyage Google is still the king of search and has a headstart of more than a decade. There is a huge gap between Zuckerberg's ambition for search and the reality on Facebook today: Most searches on Facebook's Graph Search tool are somewhat disappointing.

The roll-out of a proper search system on Facebook may also see opposition from privacy campaigners. A $16 million class action lawsuit filed in a European court is seeking damages from Facebook for, amongst other allegations, the "unlawful" introduction of Graph Search. The limited Graph Search function was released in March 2013, and allowed users to perform basic searches to see, for example, which of their friends work at certain companies, or like specific pages.

SEE ALSO: Facebook Faces European Class Action Seeking Up To $16 Million

Join the conversation about this story »

This article is part of SWOT Team, a new series on Mashable that features insights from leaders in marketing, brand-building and public relations.

Remember when social media was a new, unchartered territory for brands? Consumers flocked to platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn overnight and marketers knew that, in order to stay relevant, they had to follow suit. Fast forward to today: 97% of marketers use social media to connect with buyers. The problem is, most still haven't figured out how to leverage social to create a personalized, relevant and enjoyable experience for their audience. Read more...

In our quest to answer the top, most frequently asked questions in sales development, we set out by sharing best practices for hiring and on-boarding SDRs in this post.

With a foundation of best in class performers established, the specialization of roles and measurements of success are critical to the success of your team. How about the best tools on the market? We’ve got you covered!

Listed below are the top five questions that round out our top 10 list:

1. Are There Best Practices Around Phone And Email Outreach? (Which Carries The Most Weight?)

The best practices should shift and align according to your ideal customer profile, the number of leads you typically generate, and the type of sales cycle.

For example; If you are selling to a construction manager, cold calling might entail 90% of the mix, whereas social media executives would only be about 20% over the phone.

The buyer persona will ultimately determine your approach – whether email, phone, or a combination of both.

Rehearse your script and practice overcoming objections on the phone so that your outreach is positive and confident. If email is your primary outreach strategy, focus on connecting with the prospect by personalizing your emails.

2. What Tools Assist The Sales Development Rep The Most? How Can I Find Accurate Lists Of Prospects In A Certain Vertical?

With multiple tools on the market that serve to assist the SDR to achieve success, SalesLoft Prospector is the easiest and fastest way to build a list of leads on the Internet. In addition to prospecting tools, here’s a list of the top tools that we recommend for an SDR team:

• List-building tools- SalesLoft Prospector, data.com, InsideView, Hoovers.




• Email tool- None are perfect but here are the 10 Ingredients to the Perfect Sales Development Tool.
• CRM - Salesforce.com, ZenDesk, NetSuite, Close.io, Pipedrive, Base.
• Phone System- insidesales.com, Connect & Sell, Velocify.
• Reporting, coaching, and leaderboards- Rivalry, Vorsight, The Bridge Group, Inc.

3. What Is The Best Ratio Of SDRs To AEs?

There’s no right or wrong answer to this question. However our personal funnel metrics for July 2014 give a good indicator as to what is working for us;

We have a team of five SDRs and three Account Executives. In 21 selling days, the SDR team scheduled 237 demos which averages 47 demos scheduled per SDR (2.23/day). The AEs completed 225 demos, equating to 75 demos completed per AE (3.5/day).

The most successful ratio is one where the number of AEs directly correlates to the number of opportunities that the SDR team can create.

The SDR : Closer ratio is a function of the number of opportunities your SDRs can produce.

4. What Is The Best Way To Measure The Success Of Individuals On My Team?

An SDR is successful when they are consistently hitting their numbers, asking good questions and providing solid answers to objections from prospects.

Establish measures of success at the onset.

Team goals are set knowing what can be accomplished based on historical success. It takes time for reps to learn the best way to connect with prospects and feel comfortable talking about a new product. You want them to become as confident as possible as early as possible. Give SDRs one month to gain experience and confidence before carrying a quota.

Outlining these goals at the onset will manage expectations from a leadership and team perspective, get results as fast as possible and eliminate micro-managing.

5. Should I Specialize Roles For Inbound And Outbound Prospects?

Specialization is key to closing more deals. SDRs find prospects and engage them efficiently, before setting demos for Account Executives who aim to close deals.

Trish Bertuzzi mentions that when polled, 40% of technology companies said they were adopting role specialization. It is a great way to coach your team to become proficient at specific roles.

–

Do you have other questions about SDR teams that we didn’t cover? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you in comments below…

A world-class content strategy typically goes far beyond the digital space. People talk about it, remember it, and most importantly, act on it.

Jason Miller, Senior Manager, Content Marketing, Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn, and his team created and launched the “Sophisticated Marketers Guide to LinkedIn” in January. He spoke to ScribbleLive about how to create a world-class content strategy, the type of content that resonates with audiences and promotion strategies.

This is the second of a multi-part series on content engagement. ScribbleLive is talking to some top thought leaders in content marketing to get their perspective. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be featuring stories that cover several topics around content marketing. Be sure to check Engage Magazine for the latest in this series.

How do you put together a world-class content strategy that works?

Jason Miller: Moving into 2015, if you are serious about content marketing and social media then you are going to need to dedicate budget and head count. The next step is to align those folks with your demand gen and PR functions. The idea here is that content fuels social, demand gen and even PR to some extent, and unless you have those teams aligned and working together cross-functionally, you will likely not see the success you are looking for.

I’m in the camp of we don’t need more content out there, we need more relevant content. Search engines have killed content farms for a good reason; they were pumping out bad content that was created specifically to rank on specific keywords that their business was interested in. That strategy is no longer effective and does not make sense anymore. While SEO is still important, it is not the No. 1 thing your content should be based upon. Instead, you should be creating content that answers existing and prospective customer questions and solves their pain points. The best answer optimized for multiple channels will be the winner of this game. It’s no longer a game of numbers, but instead [it's a matter] of relevance.

Breaking Down Silos Within Marketing, PR Departments

Miller recalled a conversation with Copyblogger’s Brian Clark on how he has his team set up. Clark told him about breaking down silos and having demand gen, social, content, and PR all sitting together, talking to each other and working together seamlessly.

Miller said this is critical because the content person is creating content that is used in demand gen programs. In return, demand gen discovers which content is working based on how sophisticated their marketing automation system and reporting metrics are, and where it is in the funnel. This enables the demand gen group to ask the content people for more of the type of content that is performing well.

As a result, it’s more relevant content based on hard metrics, what’s working, what’s driving revenue and what’s shortening the cycle.Miller said social media has become part of this process as well. Don’t think of just running social campaigns, but think more along the lines of, ‘How can I make every campaign social? What campaigns are the demand gen team running that you can plug into social?’ Social is also a great place to test content and refine your messaging, which again can help align folks in the demand gen, social, content and PR departments and keep the communication flowing seamlessly.

How do you figure out what content to create and what subjects to cover?

JM: Two of the biggest questions content marketers face are: What type of content do I create and who should I target? The data is out there, and it’s up to marketers to distill that information into insights to create content that resonates. At the core of your content strategy, you should be creating content to tell your brand’s story, answer a customer’s question and alert them to solutions of problems they may not even know they have.

Do a little bit of keyword research, survey your customers, set up some social listening and you should be able to find a number of topics to create content around. On LinkedIn, you can use Trending Content to find out the topics that your audience is talking about and the top articles they are sharing. This is a fantastic way to guide your content strategy on LinkedIn.

What makes good, relevant content that gets results?

JM: I think you have to adopt the concept of literally thinking like a publisher. Companies should be thinking about writing the definitive ebook/guide on whatever conversation they want to own. That conversation should be all about helping customers and prospects instead of directly selling to them.

As Jay Baer famously said: “Sell something, get a customer for a day, help someone, get a customer for life.” That’s where the biggest opportunity in content marketing comes into play, in my opinion. When I first started at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, there was an opportunity to tell the story of the marketer on LinkedIn, specifically the content marketer.

There was this perception, and there still is a little bit, that LinkedIn is an online resume, when in fact there’s an entire portfolio of solutions and tools for marketers to be more successful. I wanted to create the definitive guide to marketing on LinkedIn.

So we created our “stake in the ground” ebook in the form of a 55-page guide called the “Sophisticated Marketers’ Guide to LinkedIn”. The all-encompassing guide to everything a marketer needs to know about marketing on LinkedIn all in one place. And we gave it away for free. We then repurposed that ebook into blog posts, infographics, webinars, etc. We created enough assets to fuel our social and demand gen for up to a quarter or more. We launched it in January, it’s still our No. 1 best performing piece of content, and I’m getting ready to release a second in the series in a couple of months.

I hate the cliché of brands acting like publishers, but if it works, and if you are going to do it, go big. ‘Act like a publisher’ doesn’t mean creating a bunch of irrelevant content, it means being strategic and creating content with a purpose. In this case it means actually writing a book and becoming the authority on your service or your product and telling the story of the how and the why.

Examining Quality Content

When asked what makes good content, Miller referred specifically to a formula by Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs and author of a new book that’s out in September entitled, “Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content”, and co-author of “Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business”.

Miller said he refers to the formula each time he created a piece of content at Marketo and does the same at LinkedIn. Miller pointed out that Handley’s formula uses multiplication signs because each one of these parts is relying on the one before it.

Ann Handley’s formula: Useful x enjoyable x inspired = innovative content

Is the process of content strategy evolving?

JM: I think there is an opportunity for it to evolve, but I also think that we have a lot of catching up to do at the same time. In order for it to evolve, we need to get closer to the model I mentioned previously. We need better alignment between social, content, demand gen, PR and even sales.

How does content marketing and fostering engagement with B2Bs differ from B2Cs?

JM: I love this question. It’s funny, the conversation stems from Craig Rosenberg and me … so he was on a podcast that I was doing. He said B2C marketers have always been better at marketing because they’ve had more freedom and they know how to connect with people on a personal level. But on the flip side, B2B marketers have always been better at building long-term relationships and managing this process.

But now it’s kind of turning on its head because B2C folks can no longer do that one-and-done sales approach. They need to build these relationships so they need the technology B2B has. Then on the other hand, B2B marketers need to learn how to connect better and humanize their brand and connect better with people very early on at the top of the funnel and build these relationships. So B2C needs the technology for the building and maintaining and cross-selling and up-selling. B2B needs to learn how to humanize and connect better.

That’s my next question, is content scalable?

JM: Of course it’s scalable and here’s why. Answering the question of how marketers can best use LinkedIn for marketing was the most urgent topic that we needed to create content around. The next content piece will be focused on the topic that we feel is important to address for our audience. There are so many places we could go with our next Sophisticated Guide, it could be around content marketing on LinkedIn, thought leadership, lead gen, etc.

When it comes to measurement of content marketing? How do you know if it’s working? What measurements should you have in place?

JM: It comes down to three things for me. No. 1 is referral traffic. You can measure this with Google Analytics. Better yet, non-brand keyword referral traffic, which refers to people who are you coming to your site … without typing your brand name into the search engine. So where else would they be coming from? Well, they’d very likely be coming from your own, good content. It’s a super easy, non-complicated metric. No. 2 is engagement. I personally think it’s only a matter of time before engagement plays a role in rankings. But the idea with engagement is if your content is getting engagement — people sharing it, liking it, plus-one-ing it — that is a sign of relevance. So the more engagement you get, the more relevant your content is. It’s a good indicator of what is working and what I need to be creating more of.

There are people who will say, ‘I only have five tweets on this’. You know what, was it the right five people? Because we don’t necessarily need hundreds of thousands of shares, we need the right people engaging and sharing. It begs the question of, is your ego hijacking your content strategy? No. 3 is higher quality leads. If your leads are coming in by way of your content and they are much closer to purchasing your product, that’s a clear sign of success. How quickly is your content accelerating the funnel or shortening the buying cycle? That’s a metric that can be little bit tricky, but it depends on how sophisticated your marketing automation system is. If you’re not source-tracking each piece of content out there, then you’re really not going to be able to track success in this manner. Where did this piece of content get engagement from? Was it the blog, was it an email drop, was it Facebook, was it LinkedIn, was it Twitter? Every piece of content you have out there you have to be able to track on engagement and on the leads that it’s bringing in.

Can you talk about real-time marketing and engagement?

JM:  I think of real-time marketing in three ways: waiting for the moment, in the moment and anticipating the moment. Content that’s put into a resource section on your website as sort of a library,that’s organized by topic and searchable is what I call content waiting for its moment. This can easily be repurposed or used in campaigns when the time is right, its content-in-waiting that has been created for a purpose while also living to see another day. I call that content waiting for the moment; sort of anever growing content repository.

Content that is in-the-moment is similar to newsjacking. A really great example of real-time marketing is, of course, the dunk in the dark thing, but we all can’t have a creative agency working on Sundays at a moment’s notice. One of my favorite examples of content in the moment comes from Smart Car. They saw a tweet about this guy who was walking in Boston or NY and [tweeted], I just saw a bird crap on a Smart Car. Totaled it. ….  Then [Smart Car] created this infographic based on how much bird crap it would take to actually demolish a Smart Car, and they tweeted it back to him. That’s a pretty expensive reply, but after Mashable picked it up, Huffington Post, everybody, and everybody else started talking about this thing. It got some amazing brand awareness. It humanized the company.

The third type is what I call anticipating the moment, which is where we’re moving with predictive analytics. The ability to produce relevant content based on data from previous interactions. I think Amazon does a great job with that. It reminds me of the movie “Minority Report”, where the pre-cogs see the future and the cops act on it. I think content that anticipates the moment is really the most exciting type, and it’s going to be interesting to see how technology continues to evolve in order to enable marketers to take advantage.

How can marketers make their content stand out?

JM: Hire a comedian with a marketing background to join your team (or a marketer with a comedy background). If that’s not an option, the try giving your B2B campaign to a B2C agency. When I started three or four years ago at Marketo, [I thought,] I have to tell a story with marketing automation software? That’s not fun. That’s not sexy. But I found a way to get very creative with it. So I called my buddy Chris Buehler, who’s the CEO of Scorch. Scorch was working on some very cool B2C campaigns with the likes of Anheuser-Busch. Chris was my college roommate back in the day, and we’ve known each other for half our lives so I knew I could trust him. … I said, ‘I need to put together a B2B campaign for this launch’. And he said, ‘We’ve never done a B2B campaign”. I said, ‘Perfect’. Giving a B2B campaign to a B2C agency was a whole new perspective on what a B2B campaign was supposed to look like. That’s when we really started to see success because I had somebody with a fresh look on marketing at the top of the funnel to ingest a little fun, a little entertainment, and a little personality while still being serious marketers.

We created a coloring book for B2B marketers. It was one of the biggest pieces of content I did at Marketo. Here at LinkedIn, I did something very similar. We created a holiday ebook where we pulled together influencer posts and then turned all the influencers into snow figurines. That’s something you’re not likely going to get a B2B agency to come up with, and it worked wonderfully.

Recently, I was tasked with creating a campaign to launch LinkedIn’s Trending Content and Content Marketing Score — we had to figure out how to tie these two things together. The first thing I thought of was how these two work together, like a dynamic duo. [I immediately thought of super heroes such as the Wonder Twins]. We also wanted to make a video that was fun and engaging with a story line that would resonate with other marketers but also stand out. The video we created with Scorch wasn’t like anything LinkedIn Marketing Solutions had put out before. But it worked and it was a tremendously successful campaign that turned heads and drove business. I think if we had created something really basic that just announced the new product, it might have missed the mark, but we injected personality and made it into an epical adventure.

Do some of our elected representatives spend too much time in office? Do they eventually lose touch with the wider world? Does this loss of touch occur somewhere around the 12-year mark?

Jim Prentice doesn’t like “career politicians” and so he would like to limit the amount of time an individual can serve as MLA or premier in Alberta: specifically by imposing term limits. This is possibly a bad idea, but it’s at least an interesting one to play with.

It’s important, at the outset, to define Prentice’s terms.

The term limit has a richer history in the United States (various nations also subject their presidents to such limits), where the time between elections is fixed and predictable. In the parliamentary system, while elections are bound to occur eventually, a vote can be called at just about any moment—governments can fall on votes of confidence and prime ministers and premiers can seek to have the legislature dissolved.

Sowhen Prentice invokes term limits—three terms for an MLA, two terms for a premier—he doesn’t really mean terms. As he explained to me in an interview on Tuesday, he’s really looking at years—12 years for an MLA, eight years for a premier. After being in office for that amount of time, an individual would, under Prentice’s plan, be ineligible to run in the next election. (Prentice isn’t the first to propose term limits in Canada. Belinda Stronach suggested term limits at the federal level three years ago—though she would have limited federal MPs to two consecutive terms.)

There is at least one caveat.

If I understand correctly, an individual’s years as premier do not count against his or her years as an MLA. So you could, presumably, be an MLA for eight years and then premier for another eight years.

Now, this might not be constitutional. (Prentice says he’s open to pursuing the limits through provincial legislation or the internal rules of the Progressive Conservative party in Alberta.) But even if it is allowable under the Charter, is this the sort of thing we should want to see imposed on our political system? Would term limits improve matters? Would this address any of what ails our politics? Is there some great principle that the term limit makes real?

“Take it firstly as a bit of an operative philosophy about the need for renewal and new people and new ideas and new energy—both in the Progressive Conservative party, but also in government generally,” Prentice says.

For that matter, Prentice says he has always approached his own political career with this understanding. ”I’ve always felt very strongly about this,” he says. “The very first speech I gave when I ran federally was that I was stepping forward as a politician, not as a career politician, but as a citizen, who believed that it was important to make a contribution in the federal political stage and that I would stay there no longer than 10 years. People were surprised when I left, but I left because it was like nine-and-a-half years. And I said, go back to the very first speech I gave. I just don’t believe in career politicians.”

Woe is the career politician, he or she whose ability to repeatedly win the support of his or her constituents is to their eternal shame.

Don Braid, Dave Cournoyer, Dale Smith and now Independent MP and former Alberta MLA Brent Rathgeber have had their kicks at Prentice’s proposal and their analyses are worth reading. I’ll try not to repeat their concerns, but I don’t like the idea of term limits either. In fact, I dare say there is much to commend the career politician. At its worst, the term limit strikes me as a kind of anti-politics gesture—a concession that politicians and the other parts of the system cannot be trusted to best manage our public affairs without this restriction.  At the least, I think it is a crude and problematic mechanism for engineering change.

But, if nothing else, Alberta (or the Alberta PC Party) might be about to embark on a fascinating experiment in parliamentary democracy. At the very least Jim Prentice has given us something against which we can test our sense of the political system.

From where I sit, that some MPs are still here after 12 years seems like the least of our problems. Perhaps the situation is somehow different in Alberta.

Wikipedia tallies 36 states that impose term limits on governors and 15 states that impose term limits on legislators, but of course it’s difficult to make straight comparisons between the congressional and parliamentary systems. In our case, the prime minister or premier is drawn from the legislature and derives his or her cabinet from that same group. Imposing term limits on that parliamentary system creates unique complications. It would, for instance, limit a prime minister’s cabinet options. (Going back to Stephen Harper’s first cabinet, he wouldn’t have had former Reform MPs Jason Kenney, Chuck Strahl or Monte Solberg.) A second-term prime minister who had served eight years as an MP beforehand would become the most experienced member of the legislature.

The details will need to be worked out and the ramifications considered. Would one’s clock start again if they were defeated or otherwise stepped away before reaching the 12-year mark? Could a deposed eight-year premier go back to being an MLA? How would this impact opposition parties and how they select leaders (budgeting a prospective leader’s remaining allowable time in the legislature would seem to be necessary)? Would opposition parties have to be careful not to select anyone who would reach the 12-year mark before the next election or could a 12-year MLA run in an election if he or she had some chance of becoming premier? How would the so-called “lame duck” status of second-term prime ministers impact the work of the government and the legislature?

Imagine a prime minister at the six or seven-year mark, but with a minority government. How would the looming eight-year mark impact the opposition’s willingness to defeat the government or the government’s willingness to trigger an election? (Keeping in mind that an unscrupulous or popular prime minister could extend his tenure by a few years if he won a new mandate shortly before reaching the eight-year mark.)

If term limits were suddenly imposed tomorrow at the federal level, Stephen Harper would be ineligible to lead the Conservatives in the 2015 election, but so would possible successors like Jason Kenney and James Moore. In all, 50 of 307 current MPs would be ineligible for the 2015 election. You can judge the quality of those MPs for yourself—go here and scroll down. (Some of those MPs aren’t running in 2015 of their own volition.) About the same share of current Alberta MLAs would similarly be ineligible.

(Some enterprising researcher might figure out what percentage of MPs and MLAs ever end up going beyond the 12-year mark. You have to scroll a fair way down this tally of our 4,214 federal MPs before you reach those above the 13-year mark.)

The majority of MPs and MLAs might not be impacted by such a change and the prospective office holders would no doubt adjust to the new rules, but some subset of potential office holders would be eliminated.

Beyond the practical issues, the concept of term limits comes down to very fundamental questions about how we imagine our elected representatives should be.

Prentice says his idea is about renewal and opening politics up to new voices and new ideas. But he also has a certain understanding of how elected public office should be viewed.

We don’t, of course, impose term limits on doctors, lawyers, teachers, judges, civil servants or police officers—public jobs that are integral to the functioning of civil society. So why would the job of elected representative be any different?

“I believe in the duty of citizens to step forward for public service,” he says. “I don’t believe that politics should ever become a job.”

As he has said elsewhere: holding elected office should be viewed as a public service, not as a career.

There’s a certain element of practicality to this. An MP might wish to make a career of it, but the voters might feel differently. You might be able to draw loose parallels to any chosen career, but it is likely harder to maintain work as a career politician than it is to maintain work as a career teacher.

There is also a certain appeal to the idea of the teacher or lawyer or businessman or factory worker stepping forward for public office and thus being brought together with other noble citizens for the purposes of representing us and, together, managing the affairs of the country.

But is that ideal particularly useful?

Term limits idealize the new, but I suspect that ideal underestimates both the learning curve for the newly elected and the value of experience. We can overestimate those things too, but let’s give some due to the knowledge and skills that can be gained from representing constituents, working in parliament, studying public policy and seeking re-election. Probably the 12-year MP is going to possess some things that a new MP lacks—things that would benefit a legislature.

Maybe we don’t want a legislature composed entirely of career politicians, but the career politician is not an inherently ruined character. Jack Layton and Jim Flaherty were career politicians. John A. Macdonald and Wilfrid Laurier were career politicians. Peter Lougheed and Bill Davis were career politicians.

At the risk of descending into semantics, we might accept that public office is a job or at least that there is nothing inherently wrong with deciding you want to do it for 20 or 30 or 40 years and equally managing to win the necessary public consent to do so.

In the abstract, that the public would repeatedly renew someone’s term in office seems an odd thing to object to—indeed, that we would effectively limit the democratic will of the public is probably the strongest argument against term limits. Do we imagine that some voters do so against their will?

Surely there might be ensconced incumbents who we might be somehow better off without. But for the sake of getting rid of such individuals, how many valuable and valued contributors would be barred?

Perhaps that’s a necessary sacrifice if you view elected office as a corrupting influence. And that, I think, is at least one of the implicit messages of a term limit.

Prentice quibbles with me slightly on this point, but only slightly: “I don’t suggest that it’s corrupting. I do suggest that you lose your grounding. And you cease to be a citizen legislator and become a person who has a job.”

As he said to me at another point, “I think if people stay too long they get out of touch.”

That strikes me as a rather sad conclusion. If it is the case that our elected representatives become deluded by significant time in office, we might ask why that is. To presume that losing touch is an inevitable result of elected office would seem to be rather defeatist.

Of course, the job itself, by its definition and the means for retention, is about not losing touch. At least with a segment of the popular numerous enough to get you re-elected.

But then the idea of the term limit would seem to be predicated on the notion that regular elections aren’t sufficient. That, given enough time, some significant number of elected representatives will lose their way. That without strict limits on the service of office holders, the political system—the politicians, the parties, the media and the voters—is not capable of being sufficiently vibrant or healthy.

Or, if you prefer a nicer spin, that a system with term limits would be so superior that we should force a major restriction on democratic expression.

You might, of course, try other things first—empowering backbenchers and the legislature, opening up the policy process and candidate selection, making it more viable for independent candidates to seek office and so on. A government interested in new voices and new ideas could simply invite those into the public debate and generally entertain them.

“In terms of reactions to this idea, there’s quite a difference between what the general public feels and what people who are part of the system feel and I’ve been quite struck by that,” Prentice says. “The public is overwhelmingly supportive of what I’ve been saying. The people who are opposed to are people who are part of the system. It’s very interesting.”

I suppose that split doesn’t entirely surprise me. I dare say one might suggest that while members of the general public are well-positioned to comment on their satisfaction with things, they are not always in the best position to know what precisely should be done to change things.

Here, as with the rest of it, there’s a question about whether those who are experienced within the system possess valuable insight that should not be too cavalierly dismissed.

The post Is too much time in office bad for a politician? appeared first on Macleans.ca.

Sage has been quietly improving its content and SEO for a while now and its website gives a good indication of how the industry of accounting software has changed online.

Here's a roundup of what Sage's website does right when it comes to content. If you're a B2B company, it's all the inspiration you need to get on your own content marketing trip.

The days are long gone when companies can shy away from educating the market. It's all about search, transparency and added value.

Sage won a Digital in 2013. If you've been doing great stuff like this, why not enter this year's awards?

How far have we come? Comparing 2010 with 2014.

Below is a screenshot of the Sage homepage as of 27th August 2014. In purple I've boxed off anything arguably classifiable as content marketing. There's a couple of red boxes, too, which relate to content that's aimed at existing customers, but content marketing nonetheless.

The purple boxes easily dominate more than half of this homepage. Granted I have manipulated the carousel so it currently displays some content but hey, I'm making a point here.

Below is the equivalent analysis from 2010. To be honest the comparison is not that unfavourable to the 2010 version. There's certainly a smaller amount of the homepage (which is itself smaller) dedicated to content marketing, but if I change the carousel of 2014 it may be a closer run thing.

One of the main points to note, however is that 'business advice' is here a small text link in 2010. In 2014 the emphasis is much stronger, with the lady using her laptop and tablet, a nice chock of green colour and 'FREE' unmissable. The business resources box is also missing in 2010 (though free trials are mentioned).

Overall I think this comparison is a nice way of showing what's required now from a homepage.

Rich, topical landing pages that do well in search

Sage really goes for topical issues in accounting and business. Check out the pages on Automatic Enrolment and Real Time Information.

I've reproduced the Automatic Enrolment page below. Look at how video is included, a great way to capture attention and get a message across quickly. There's also emphasis on getting in touch, getting support or downloading a free guide.

What sticks out the most though are the number of links to other informative subpages and the amount of informative but optimised copy on the page. It's obvious this is done for SEO benefit, but of course the content still has to be relevant.

Below are a few shots of the SERPs for related terms. You can see Sage is intent on buying space here if it's not already well-ranked for the phrase in question (or indeed even if it is). Ad copy cleverly highlights free resources and this shows just how embedded content is into Sage's search heavy acquisition strategy.

Here's Sage doing well in natural search for a three word term around Automatic Enrolment. With only regulators ranking above them, it's clear Sage is doing well with these tactics.

Look at the links here, they're content heavy and the company is bidding on its brand, to stop others getting a jump on them.

More paid ads, this time where Sage isn't necessarily ranking (off brand and a more competitive term).

Making proper content

These resources that are central to Sage's content marketing are not measly by any stretch. Below you can check out the Sage startup guide. It's a whopping 100 pages long.

This isn't a trick for potential customers, every party wins (of course, you have to give your details for access).

Social media has provided impetus for content marketing

The Sage Twitter account broadcasts advice for businesses and accountants pretty much exclusively. Of course, that's necessary with social media - traffic and awareness can only be driven with links and resources that are open to all. The account even tweets out the weekly newsletter, reminding existing customers to take a look and giving prospects a hint as to the ongoing support they can expect.

This sort of activity is traditionally difficult for some B2B subscription services that haven't begun looking at content marketing in earnest.

Do you think that #AutoEnrolment is a 'quiet revolution'? Here are some hints and tips: http://t.co/vGtbAXWPDk pic.twitter.com/CTkRd1HIlc

— Sage (UK) Limited (@sageuk) August 27, 2014

LinkedIn and Facebook are used to similar effect, though the post rate is a little low on Facebook (doesn't stray North of one post a day).

However, the resources are still spread here and the tone seems to be well adapted for each network. Too often the same posts are scheduled for each platform (140 characters being the tell tale).

The Sage blog

Ok, some of the Sage blog posts don't see incredible interaction or sharing, but there's certainly a demand for the information shared.

What the blog affords is the ability to tackle a wide range of topics and not be afraid of hitting a relatively niche area. Look at the post below for an example of just how far ranging the remit for accountancy and business software companies can be. Responding to topical events and hitting different points of pain or interest for your audience is key.

Developing deeper site architecture, internal linking and simply many more routes into your website via search is a worthy goal for any blog. Widening the funnel shouldn't be forgotten, it's as important as closing the net in this competitive market.

Communities - the logical next step

Once you know where you're going with content marketing, why not have some of that content created by the community. FAQs and customer service issues, discussion of new products etc. might not sound like content. However, it still works well in long tail search, still backs up complex and well linked site architecture and is an area separate from the blog where customers can have a voice on a range of issues.

Hints and Tips is a perfect example.

We’re all inundated with meeting requests these days. It’s easy to say no to the egregious ones, like the stranger who recently emailed me to suggest that I meet with him on a specific date so I could provide him with free career coaching. But — though I know better than to ask for pro bono resume critiques — I’ve certainly been on the other side of the equation at various times, having my meeting requests turned down or ignored altogether. In fact, most of us probably have; in an increasingly time-pressed world, almost no one has the leisure to connect “just because.” Here are the strategies I’ve learned over time to ensure the people I want to meet are more likely to say yes.

Recognize where you’re starting. A good friend can easily drop you a line letting you know they’ll be in your city and suggesting a meetup. “You can write with a presumptive tone at certain levels of intimacy,” Keith Ferrazzi, the author of the networking classic Never Eat Alone, told me during a recent interview. “But you have to lead with certain degrees of currency when you don’t have that level of intimacy.” In other words, strangers should never presume that the other person wants to connect with them — that fact needs to be established first. So in your initial message, you need to give them a good reason (the “currency” that Ferrazzi mentions), which could be anything from a PR opportunity (such as interviewing them for your blog) to something you can teach them  (how to improve their search engine optimization) to the opportunity to connect with another guest they want to meet at your dinner party. Make clear the value proposition of getting to know you; otherwise, it’s far too easy for them to underestimate you and assume you don’t have anything to offer.

Start with a modest ask. An hour or a half-hour doesn’t seem like a lot of time. But if you’re one of 20 or 50 requests that week — which isn’t an uncommon number for busy professionals to receive — it can quickly become overwhelming. So don’t ask to meet for lunch; aim smaller, so it’s easy to say yes (a strategy I describe in “How to Land an Interview with a Cold Call”). I recently agreed to a phone conversation with one aspiring author who vowed in his email, “You must have a full schedule, so I will get to the point quickly and can keep the call to less than 10 minutes.” In the end, I didn’t speak with the author for 10 minutes; our call, which proved to be engaging, lasted 30 — despite the fact that I likely would have rejected a request for that amount of time. That’s the same strategy that well-known psychologist Robert Cialdini discovered in his early research on door-to-door fundraising campaigns for the United Way. Adding five words to the standard pitch — “even a penny would help” — doubled contributions. “Because how can you say no if even a penny is acceptable?” Cialdini told me in an interview for my forthcoming book. “We doubled the number of people who gave and no one [actually] gave a penny. You don’t give a penny to United Way; you give a donation that’s appropriate.”

Always find a warm lead. No matter how successful you are professionally, there are always going to be some people you’d like to meet that haven’t yet heard of you. The challenge is to break through and ensure they view you as a colleague — someone “like them” — rather than a stranger impinging on their time. Finding mutual contacts is one of the best ways to do it. Even Ferrazzi, known for his networking prowess, still has “aspirational contacts” he’d like to meet. In those cases, he says, “I leverage others to help with outreach.” Facebook, with its “mutual friends” function, makes this simple; LinkedIn — which charts connections out to the second and third degree — makes it even easier. Having shared contacts introduce you puts you on peer footing and gets your relationship off to the right start.

Just as sitting is apparently the new smoking, time is the new money. No one can afford to give it away carelessly these days. If you’re asking someone you don’t know for a half-hour, or even 10 minutes, you have to think of your request like you’re making a VC pitch. Why should they speak to you? How can you establish your credibility upfront? How will it benefit them? How can you pack the greatest ROI into the shortest time? If you can answer those questions well, you should be able to get a meeting with just about anyone.

After the dot-com bubble, investment in software and information processing equipment in the U.S. tumbled, and stayed down. As a percentage of GDP, it’s now back to mid-1990s levels:

There’s a version of the chart above in the much-discussed paper that MIT economist David Autor presented last week at the Federal Reserve’s annual Jackson Hole meeting. As part of a thoughtful and generally sanguine look at whether machines are going to take all of our jobs, Autor wrote that whatever might happen in the future, computers and their robot friends didn’t seem to be taking our jobs now:

As documented in [the chart] the onset of the weak U.S. labor market of the 2000s coincided with a sharp deceleration in computer investment — a fact that appears first-order inconsistent with the onset of a new era of capital-labor substitution.

Autor suggested that financial-market troubles (first the dot-com bust, then the global financial crisis) coupled with “China’s rapid rise to a premier manufacturing exporter” probably played much bigger roles in U.S. job market troubles of the past decade than new technology had. That seems reasonable enough.

But I couldn’t help but fixate on that information-technology chart, which seemed to show corporate America giving up on IT. Maybe it was Nick Carr’s famous May 2003 HBR article “IT Doesn’t Matter” that did it. Or maybe corporate executives found that all that money they were pouring into computers wasn’t really paying off, or that even if it did, stock buybacks were an easier and safer path to keeping their paychecks big.

Or maybe modern information technology just keeps getting cheaper.

The software and devices of today can do vastly more than those of a decade ago, usually for the same or lower prices. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis try to adjust for such quality changes in calculating inflation and real GDP. They catch some flak for this from those who think they are understating inflation, but it seems like a necessary exercise, especially in IT. So I set about redoing the above chart using the “chained-dollar” inflation-and-deflation-adjusted versions of both GDP and investment in information technology equipment and software. I could only easily access data back to 1999, and I should note that the BEA explicitly cautions users of its data against doing what I did, “because the prices used as weights in the chained-dollar calculations usually differ from the prices in the reference period, and the resulting chained-dollar values for detailed GDP components usually do not sum to the chained-dollar estimate of GDP or to any intermediate aggregate.”

Got that? Anyway, here’s the chart:

So despite small drops amid the dot-com bust and the financial crisis, real investment in information technology has continued to rise. Well, sort of. The amount of money corporations have been putting into IT, relative to the size of the overall economy, dropped sharply in the early 2000s and has stayed down (that’s what the first chart shows). But the estimated value that they’ve been getting out of those investments has continued to rise.

I don’t think this chart helps a lot in answering whether the machines will take our jobs. The two charts together, though, do illuminate much about the strange economy of the past decade-plus.

Corporations have been spending relatively less on IT and getting dramatically more for the money. Their biggest area of capital investment, thus, has been something of a free lunch. The result: big profits, low capital spending, and big piles of cash that executives and boards don’t quite know what to do with.

You might think that the ever-bigger bang for the buck in IT would lead corporate managers to double down and invest even more, but as Clayton Christensen and Derek van Bever argued in the recent HBR article “The Capitalist’s Dilemma,” a variety of financial pressures are pushing them to focus on efficiency and performance improvement rather than investing in innovations that might create new markets.

The pace of improvement in IT is a giant gift that, since the early 2000s, only a few have been rushing to open.

Assertiveness is an important skill that can make your life much more enjoyable. But, unfortunately, it is also vastly misconstrued. Sometimes it can difficult to be assertive, or make your beliefs known, while still maintaining peace and understanding. Assertive people often come off as being rude, controlling or condescending. This is because generally people do not like to be told what to do or how to do it. The trick is in learning how to stand up for yourself without making others feel imposed upon. This is a skill you can develop with a little practice.

Here are a few strategies to help you properly assert yourself:

1. Choose your words carefully. This is especially important if you are going to assert yourself in situations where you have previously been passive. Think about the different ways that your words can be interpreted. Try writing them down and read them back to yourself if that helps. Remember that there is a fine line between being assertive and being aggressive.

2. Develop good listening skills. Being assertive takes some great communication skills. Remember that communication is a two-way street. It involves speaking and listening. Truly listening will help you clearly understand the situation at hand. When you follow up with thoughtful and assertive speech, others are more likely to value your opinion.

3. Avoid taking things personally. Being assertive can be touchy. Sometimes while you are trying to do everything right, you will still end up rubbing someone the wrong way. Learn how to brush off comments that do not matter.

4. Be humble. You can combat resistance to your assertiveness by being humble. Avoid bragging about yourself, even if it is in a joking manner.

5. Show confidence. People enjoy being led by people who ooze confidence. If you are going to be assertive and take charge, show that you have the confidence to back it up. People will sense your lack of confidence if it is not truly there. So give yourself permission to feel good about yourself and your accomplishments.

6. Handle negative issues quickly. If problems arise, jump on them immediately. This is an important part of being assertive. Handle issues with kindness and respect and people will remember you for it. If you let problems linger or treat them in a negative manner, people will remember that too.

7. Check your hubris at the door. Deal with feelings you have of superiority. You only human, so perhaps you do feel superior in a particular situation where you are being assertive. If so, be careful to avoid acting rudely.

8. Apologize for your mistakes. When you are being assertive, you will no doubt in the spotlight. When you make a mistake in the spotlight, everyone knows about it. Act appropriately and apologize, and people will respect you for owning up to it.

Remember that the skill of assertiveness is something that develops over time. It may be overwhelming to try to make drastic changes overnight. Ease yourself into it and test the waters. It is always best to think with clarity and make your changes slowly.

With a gradual change, others will be more likely to accept your new assertiveness. Before you know it, you will have their respect for the new, improved you!

To your continued success!!!

I’ll be the first to tell you that blogging regularly can be a challenge – especially when it comes to finding fresh content that inspires both the writer and the reader. Having blogged with some regularity since 2010, there are times my blogging brain goes on strike.

Although skipping a blog or two is always an option until the brain returns to its creative state, the statistics tell us it’s not the ideal strategy. Some of the most important reasons for a small business NOT to miss an opportunity to blog are captured by Social Marketing Writing in their article on 13 Blogging Statistics You Probably Don’t Know, But Should.

• Blogs that post daily get 5 X more traffic than those that post weekly or less.
• Blog traffic increases by 53% once you accumulate 51 posts. After 200 posts, the traffic increases 4.5 times.
• 70% of people learn about a company from articles rather than ads.
• Blogs that post daily generate 4X more leads than those that post weekly or less.

We witnessed the value of consistently blogging when we accepted Hubspot’s 30-day blog challenge. The results were startling. You can read about them in A Funny Thing Happened During the 30-Day Blogging Challenge…And Other Delightful Results.

Think Outside the Blog

The usual suspects of content ideas for your small business blog are news and information sources, such as Huffington Post, Inc, or Entrepreneur. Many bloggers turn to industry sites and put their own spin on the latest trend or information. The most intriguing blog content, however, comes from the most unlikely sources.

1. Hobby. What do you enjoy doing with your non-working hours? There are business lessons to be found in all we do. For instance, some of my favorite hobbies are hiking, biking, and gardening. In fact, I make sure my voice memo is kept close at hand to capture thoughts and ideas that can be used for a later post – like Small Business Lessons From the Switchbacks of Los Angeles.

2. Kids. Remember Art Linkletter and House Party? He had a segment called “Kids Say the Darndest Things”. Who can resist a story of a young child providing their perspective on a subject important to your business?

3. People watching. While waiting for a friend for lunch, have you noticed how groups of people interact around a table? If you’re a blogger on leadership or teamwork, you’ll find an abundance of ideas to blog about.

And let’s not forget the airport. People watching at an airport can fill your editorial calendar with topics for an idea year.

4. Publications unrelated to your industry. If you look, you can find similarities between almost any industry and yours. For instance, if you’re an HR blogger, what can you glean from a medical journal that your clients can relate to? Several ideas pop immediately to mind!

5. Family. Whether it’s what your mom or dad taught you, there are pearls of wisdom for blog topics within your own family tree – including the branches that are a little bent.

6. Friends. If you have friends like mine, there is never a loss for blogging ideas. From what they do to what they say, the possibilities for content are endless. And, if your friends aren’t that interesting, it’s an opportunity to make new friends. :-D

7. Animals. In fact, I’m currently working on developing trust with two stray cats I affectionately call my “office kitties”. Lots of blogging content there with how to attract and win over clients!

8. Clients. Without divulging names or violating confidences, your clients are a generous source of topics for your blog. You can share their challenges, insights, lessons learned, and successes with your readers.

P.S. Although I never use a client’s name, I ask permission to blog about their situation. It’s the right thing to do.

9. Colleagues. Oh, lordy! This category is almost too easy. What they say, what they do, what they don’t say or do, how they do things…Tune in. You’ll love what you’ll learn and how you can turn it into a blog post of intrigue and interest to your readers – like in Don’t Do “This” When Building Small Business Referral Relationships.

10. Nature. Whether its flash floods, fires raging out of control, drought, fog that burns off by noon, strong winds, or sunshine day after day, the similarities between your content and nature are endless.

When it comes to creating content for your blog, don’t look within your industry to uncover ideas of interest for your blog; look around you for unique stories that inspire and capture the interest of your reader.

Have you found an unusual source of content for your blog that you would add to the list?

Unless it’s art, an experience isn’t generally considered “content.” Experience is something that happens, something with which we’re involved. And while it can be involving, content is something you consume (view, listen, read, watch, etc.). But in the world of marketing, customer experience can quickly become content, and modern marketers are increasingly factoring customer experience into their marketing plans. As a professional with feet in both customer success and marketing, I can’t help but think about the connection between customer experience and demand marketing.

Many of us have seen depictions of the “hourglass” funnel or the marketing-customer experience infinity loop. These are smart representations that help funnel-centric marketers think holistically about the customer life cycle, and the discipline of customer life cycle marketing. But as is often the case, real life is messier than the pretty pictures we see on slides at marketing conferences. Customer experience is comprised by many small touches, many beyond the traditional reach of marketing (beyond perhaps even the logo police). By this, I mean the seemingly minor touch points that nevertheless contribute to customer experience, such as contracts and billing. Additionally, deep organizational structures, such as sales and contact center performance management and compensation policies could be subtly at odds with brand values. This dynamic was put on full display in the recent Comcast customer experience snafu captured by Ryan Block (my colleague Omer Minkara has a great write up about that case from a customer experience / call center perspective).

We all know service failures that, at one time, might have resulted in a lost customer, can today be magnified hundreds or thousands of times over through the reach of the hidden sales cycle of social media. I often talk about the imperative for marketers to influence buyers in the hidden sales cycle with high-value content. In Aberdeen’s May 2014 Content Marketing and the Road to Revenue: Answering the Questions report we outline the way content must answer the buyer’s critical questions at each stage of their decision journey.

As a marketer, your responsibility to is to use such opportune moments to answer buyers’ questions through content, or through interactions and experiences as well to deliver an unfair advantage to sales by providing prospects who have been swayed in favor of the differentiators you compete on. While critical in its own right from a revenue retention perspective, thinking about customer experience as content can provide fresh insight on its potential for new customer acquisition as well.

Have you incorporated customer experience into your content marketing efforts? Please feel free to add your own insights and experiences in the comments below.

Is it finally time for NFC mobile payments to explode? Maybe if you trust the latest report from Wired, which claims the next version of the iPhone will come with a mobile payment platform based on near field communication.

The report is scarce on the details, besides claiming the payment platform will be one of the new iPhone's most important features

Is it possible? Definitely — rumors about Apple building a mobile payment platform have been around seemingly forever. And Apple already has 800 million iTunes accounts on file, most with registered credit cards, and it offers features like Passbook, which allows users to store coupons and event tickets on their phone. Read more...

Well, actually, even if you are building value, someone else still is. We win by creating superior, differentiated value–relevant to the customer. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any period of time, you know that in order to win–we must go far beyond our value propositions. We must build and create value in every interaction with prospects and customers.

This starts from the very first time they may become aware of us–whether through searching and finding our websites, word of mouth from another customer, social engagement on any of the social platforms, meeting at a conference, a brief phone call or meeting. We must continue through the entire life cycle of engaging with them as a prospect, customer, even former customer.

The moment we lose focus, or have a lapse, we are exposed. We may not be severely exposed, unless we stop creating value. If there is no value in their interactions with us, we are actually creating cost–to the customer. We are putting our relationship at risk.

Customers have many alternatives. If we can’t create the mot compelling value for the customer, they’ll find it somewhere else.

Sometimes we forget about that. We take a good current customer for granted, we fail to deliver on the customer experience we committed, the customer expectations have changed and we haven’t adjusted to meet those expectations.

When we compete for a deal, we often focus on the wrong things–not the value we create, but how we compare with the competitors or the alternatives the customer is considering. We tend to focus on our strengths and weaknesses against the competitive alternatives–constantly trying to convince the customer of the superiority of our solutions.

We forget our solution is just table stakes–it’s not about the product or solution, but it’s really the value we create through the buying experience.

Our greatest exposure through the customer buying cycle is not whether our competitors have more features and functions than we do, or that their price is cheaper than ours. Our greatest exposure is their sales people may be creating more, more relevant value than we are.

Customers are starved and struggling. They want to learn, they want to improve. They don’t know what they don’t know. So the organization that engages them in these issues creates the greatest value. The organization that provides the customer leadership, that collaborates to help them grow and improve becomes most trusted and important to the customer.

Make sure you are the one leading the customer, building the greatest value if you want to win–both over the short and long term.

If you aren’t the one d

Customers don’t buy products (even though that’s what’s on the PO). They buy value. They buy the greatest value that’s created for the investment they are making. They are buying both what they’ve experienced in value creation and what they expect over the relationship.

Startup CEOs are faced with the challenge of developing a business from the ground up, growing as they compete with established brands.

About three out of four startups fail, and 90% of those in the tech industry don't survive. To become highly successful, lots of luck is required, but so is exceptional leadership.

We took a look at the Quora thread "What is the best advice for a young, first-time startup CEO" and highlighted some of the best tips from startup founders:

1. You need to want to succeed more than anything else.

The home-rental service Airbnb didn't see any real growth for over two and a half years, but its founders kept adapting their business model and seeking customers and investors until everything clicked. Today the company is estimated to be valued at $10 billion.

"You can succeed, but often it is a matter of how badly you want to," says Cathy Han, cofounder and CEO of data analysis startup 42.

2. Define your growth priorities.

"You will grow what you measure," Han says. Set specific growth goals and track your progress every step of the way. And make sure you don't confuse activity with growth.

"Adding features to your product is not growth," Han writes. "Neither is getting a fancy office or going to a lot of events. Adding customers and building product counts as growth  —  that's about it."

3. Focus on your strengths.

In the same way that you don't want your company's services to be unfocused, you don't want to try to do everything as the CEO, Han says. Find ways to implement what you're best at and hire people to make up for your weaknesses.

4. Learn to make decisions as soon as you know enough to make them.

"There are 24 hours in a day, and only about 10% of the information needed to make most decisions," Han writes. That means that you'll need to learn to quickly weigh your options and make a choice without mulling anything over too much. You'll need to take risks if you want to get anything done.

5. Don't get distracted by the competition.

"If I decided to become a basketball player tomorrow, do you think it would affect LeBron James' career?" Han asks. It's important that you pay attention to your industry's leaders and your direct competitors, but don't get caught up in responding to every new initiative they undertake.

6. Have a clear vision and purpose.

It's essential that you give your team something to fight for, says Laurence McCahill, founder of digital design services company Spook Studios and author of "4 Steps to a Happy Startup." A vision not only gives you goals to shoot for but fosters a culture your employees and customers can embrace.

7. Make design as important as everything else.

Having an attractive, easy-to-use website that provides access to a similarly aesthetically pleasing and intuitive service will make your customers happy. Never overlook design, McCahill says.

8. Create value for your audience.

A great user experience doesn't mean anything if the service isn't useful.

"First, make sure that you're building the right product for your audience before perfecting the experience," McCahill writes. "Also before you build your product, have a discovery phase where you explore the market, test your riskiest assumptions about your audience and discover any new and potentially more lucrative opportunities."

9. Prioritize customers over investors.

Focus on giving your customers the best product possible, and you'll attract the attention of investors, McCahill says. You'll need to find a way to obtain money, but never spend time and energy on chasing venture capitalists when you could be clarifying your vision and services.

10. Don't launch too late or too early.

"Too many startups spend months (or years in some cases) in 'stealth mode,' hidden away from prying eyes, and end up never releasing at all as uncertainty and competition spoil the show. Equally there are others that launch a poor early version of their product in true lean startup style," McCahill says.

Finding the sweet spot is easier said than done, of course, but make sure that you launch once you have something of quality to give your customers, realizing you will be spending the rest of your time running the company improving that service or product.

11. Ask for help if you need it.

If you're an entrepreneur, you're most likely self-confident and probably at least a bit stubborn, McCahill says. But don't let an inflated ego keep you from learning from others. Talk to other entrepreneurs who have already gone through the experience of growing a company, and ask questions about decisions you're unsure about.

12. Hire people smarter than you.

Don't make the mistake of micromanaging your company, says Navid Solfaghari, founder of mobile website developer Pinpoint Mobile. Spend time finding highly talented people who connect with your company's culture and can make decisions on their own after enough training.

13. If things aren't going smoothly after a year, change it up.

There's a good chance your initial vision for your company will change as the company grows. Solfaghari recommends evaluating your business' progress after a year, and if it's not meeting your expectations, you should determine a way to establish a stronger connection with customers.

14. Start your days with the hardest tasks.

Your days will be long and exhausting, Solfaghari says, so begin with the tasks that require the most energy and concentration.

15. Take care of yourself.

"Workout at least four times a week. Body and mind are one. Oh yeah, and get your sleep, too," Solfaghari says.

You will need to dedicate yourself to your startup if you want it to succeed, but you should not neglect your health or your most important personal relationships. To deal with the stress of being a startup CEO, you should have your body in optimum shape and your loved ones around to support you.

SEE ALSO: 7 Ways Successful Entrepreneurs Think Differently From Everyone Else

Join the conversation about this story »

Trust—it's the key ingredient that keeps clients returning to you and referring you. There's no exact formula for gaining it. Sometimes it happens quickly, and sometimes it takes a while to get through a buyer's protective shell.

When you've gained it, it's like a whole new world opens up:

* Buyers feel comfortable talking with you, sharing details about their challenges, and working with you on solutions

* You better understand buyers' needs and develop better solutions for them

* You become better attuned to the prospect's buying signals

* Buyers return to you even when offered less-expensive options

No matter if the buyer is fast or slow to trust you, you can increase your trustworthiness by doing certain things in your marketing, your sales conversations, and in delivering your service. It all starts with understanding your buyer, says Ivan Misner in his article Are You Correctly Reading Prospects' Buying Signals? The goal is to try and see things from the buyer's perspective and improve communication with them.

If you don’t know how potentially powerful the effects of user-generated content are, you’re about to find out. Over the past few years, brands have been buoyed by a welcome tidal wave of UGC, created by hoards of engaged and excited fans.

In the marketing world, there’s nothing more authentic and enthralling than a real live person putting time and effort into promoting a favorite brand. It’s that kind of earned media that is especially effective in reaching new people – not to mention staying below budget while your audience does the work.

More and more brands are starting to think outside the box when it comes to incentivizing their followers to transform into creators. Let’s see what some of the best are up to.

Coca Cola Gets Creative

Last year Coke launched “The Ahh Effect,” its first all-digital campaign, with 61 unique URLs of interactive experiences, now compiled at www.ahh.com. Aimed at mobile-savvy teens, the push offered quick games and quizzes with fun animations and a high silly factor – as well as a prompt for fans to create and share their own software-based ideas.

The project was a hit; within six months, the first 40 sites got four million visits and an average time onsite of two minutes. Not a bad start for a campaign that Coke hoped would last and last. And it has – the latest iteration has moved beyond digital and back to TV. April’s “This is AHH” clip – Coke’s first-ever UGC-only spot – featured a choppy and energetic mash-up of various entries in response to the question, “What does it feel like to take a sip of Coke?”

The reel was shown on popular networks among teens like MTV and Adult Swim and is up to over 606,000 YouTube views since mid-May. Getting kids to hunker down and make good use of their skills and time, while offering a creative outlet and the chance to shine on TV? Now that just sounds like some good, clean fun. A+, Coke.

Warby Parker’s Take-Home Test

Not every brand has the pocket power to go all out like Coca Cola, but with some creativity and awesome UGC, they don’t have to. A couple of years ago, Warby Parker came up with their Home Try-On service, which is still very much in full swing today.

The idea is simple, and brilliant: Complimentary shipping (plus return) of five select styles that potential buyers ponder for five days while taking selfies galore for shopping advice. It’s perfect for social, whether users prefer Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and wonderfully practical for those who live too far from one of the brand’s retail locations – or who’d simply prefer to try out the fun service!

Either way, it’s a great strategy for building positive buzz around the brand (just imagine the reach of bloggers alone!) while helping buyers find their perfect pair of specs. And find them they do; company co-founder and co-CEO David Gilboa reports, “Customers who post photos of themselves in frames are buying at twice the rate as those who don’t.”

Rent the Runway, Up Close & Personal

If doubling sales seems like like a lot, how do you like the sound of quadrupling? That’s exactly what happened for fellow New York City startup Rent the Runway, a site that lets users borrow high-end dresses for a fraction of their retail prices. Following up on user feedback, three years into the venture the team introduced Our Runway, a microsite that encourages users to “get inspired by customer photos.”

Shoppers can sort by height, bust, size and even age, scrolling through an ever-increasing array of images featuring countless women in various gowns, angles and poses. It’s that unique ability to see other, real people with similar body types wearing a piece of interest that’s evidentially had such an impact on the startup’s numbers, and good for them. It cost $0 to get delighted fans to post pretty pictures of themselves on the site, all while purchases went up a whopping 200%. That’s the power of authenticity.

Benefit Tries Reddit

It’s rare to come in quite so below budget with marketing efforts, but with UGC very little can go a long way. Remember, user-generated content isn’t limited to selfies and home movies that feature or promote brands. It can take many forms and mediums, like customer reviews or tutorials for instance.

Earlier this summer, cosmetics purveyor Benefit set up a very simple ad on Reddit, signaling a competition: post a picture of your “best winged liner looks” and win make-up from the brand’s “They’re Real!” line. The Benefit team smartly posted the ad to subreddits where people already upload tons of make-up-related content, meaning the cue went right along with regular user behavior.

The result? Over 100 responses from makeover-happy users who were only too obliged to discuss their best looks and tips all while cheering each other on and creating some positive hype around Benefit’s new line. Notice that participants weren’t even asked to use Benefit products in their posts, just any liner for any kind of wing. That kind of flexibility invites all the more responses, spreading awareness further and further.

So you see, there’s no one way to get people excited and thinking creatively. The possibilities are endless, and the more imaginative you get, the better. Why stop at selfies when there’s so much more to explore? Share your favorite UGC moments with us @newscred.

Social media software is vital for engaging with customers and busting internal silos. So you’d think that we’d all be keen on punching through our social media software plans asap – but there’s one major obstacle standing in the way. Yep, that’s right – us.

Marketing used to be about creativity – but the times they are a-changing. Data is increasingly ruling the roost, leading to CMOs having to brush up on their data skills and hiring employees with data-focused skill sets. But:

46%
of marketers say they are being held back by disconnected systems and technologies.

Only companies that get software right – automating tasks, performing lead management, monitoring ROI – will be the ones that succeed. And it’s clear that social media tools are essential to this plan:

42%
of marketers will increase their investment in social platforms; while 45% will maintain existing levels of spend. [SOURCE: The Socially Enabled Enterprise research]

While…
24%
of organizations report that they currently are or will be a socially enabled enterprise within the next 12 months. [SOURCE: The Socially Enabled Enterprise research]

And it is increasingly coming down to the CMO to convince company departments about the value of social media tools:

X2
Social media spending – as a percentage of marketing budgets – will more than double over the next five years.

So how do CMOs convince their peers about the benefits of social media software – and why it is vi tal that every department works together to become a social enabled enterprise? 

CIO
“The Buyer – and the Toughest Sell”
The huge change in the marketing process is leaving CIOs wondering what their role is exactly. Marketing is getting all techie and ‘data this, data that’. Then you throw social media software into this mix and the CIO could be forgiven for feeling as if they’re being left out of the decision tree.

But winning their backing is imperative for CMOs because the CIO will buy and implement any social media tools.

The CIO’s top four anxieties…

1. “Tell me again how we’re going to integrate these spangly social media tools with all our other company systems?”
2. “How do you expect me to ensure different business departments are using the same tools so they don’t disappear into their own silos, not to be seen again until the Christmas party?”
3. “Social media tools sound great – but let’s talk figures; how much is it going to cost in time and money to maintain it?”
4. “I’ve already got a headache from coordinating all the different SLAs, contracts and data across the software we currently use… good grief, has anyone got a Nurofen?”

Top four-winning arguments for the CMO to use
How social media tools will benefit the CIO… 

1. “It creates a ‘single customer view’ database between departments…
… instead of different bunches of tools all clamouring for your time – social media software offers an integrated system featuring social listening, engagement, publishing, content and apps, and analytics. A one-stop shop, in other words.”
2. “Social Relationship Management systems are automated… 
… so you can focus on those core IT issues that bring me out in hives such as ‘robust APIs’.
3. “Take a load off… 
… because reputable Social Relationship Management providers are creating platforms that require less time and work to implement, offering a unified Cloud-based service. Which all means…”
4. “… it’ll free up time for us to create innovative stuff together… 
… because fully integrated social media software won’t take chunks of time to run or maintain. Instead, we can work on new ideas and processes – without me ever using phrases like ‘blue-sky thinking’ or ‘out of the box’, I promise.”

The value of social data white paper goes into the specifics of how an organization can make best use of social data. But the buck doesn’t just stop with the CIO – everyone in your business needs to be won over, from board level to department heads. So engage these arguments to make your case:

Which department runs or owns the Social Relationship Management system?
In this video case study, Pernod Ricard Social Media Manager Jeremie Moritz explains how having a single platform which can be used by all teams – in-house, agencies and consultants – has helped “to make it more efficient and save a lot of time and a lot of money”.

According to Antonia McCahon, Global Head of Digital Marketing, the “actionability of social media” is a key concern for the organisation across departments.

SVP, Digital Marketing
“The Collaboration Champion” 

What they currently do:
“Use social media management tools and processes to deploy social media strategies – but they’re all separated and costly at the moment, making it a pain to deploy efficiently.”

How to sell social media tools to them:
“You’ll have access to a fully integrated platform where all social media outlets are pulled together into one place, giving you the ability to easily analyze customer insight data, monitor success rates and more.”

Social Media Manager
“The Engagement Evangelist” 

What they currently do:
“Coordinate the organization’s social media messaging across multiple platforms, ensuring that customers are engaging with our brand.”

How to sell social media tools to them:
“Use a one-stop solution for not only monitoring how successful your messaging has been – but enjoy the ability to quickly deploy time-dependent and brand consistent messaging across your social footprint.”

Business Analyst
“The Meaning Maker” 

What they currently do:
“Ensure that essential data is available so sales issues, potential hotspots and more can be identified – and dealt with.”

How to sell social media tools to them:
“Spot distribution and supply issues in a heartbeat – by ‘listening’ to data provided by a Social Relationship Management system, benefit from a meaningful view of sales intelligence and easily share findings with key stakeholders, plus connect data sources across an organization with ease.”

Creative Technologist
“The Front-End Fanatic” 

What they currently do:
“Set up content and apps, contests, embedded video, and more – all while monitoring client satisfaction and billable efficiency.”

How to sell social media tools to them:
“Enjoy streamlined content management, a simpler developer interface plus full customization options – all meaning a boost in your efficiency and creativity.”

Senior Media Manager
“The Promotion Powerhouse” 

What they currently do:
“Publish, analyze and measure analytics so ‘Return On Objective’ (ROO), click-throughs, views/impressions and conversions can be acted upon.”

How to sell social media tools to them:
“It offers a joined-up view of all social media outlets to aid you in making key decisions about campaign strategies more efficiently – from search and network buys to paid social.”

Solution Architect
“The Integration Implementer” 

What they currently do:
“Develop tools for internal customers and communicate with my clients at each stage of the development process.”

How to sell social media tools to them:
“Social media tools will aid in scheduling/delivery and boost internal customer satisfaction, all while offering a stable platform that acts as an effective company-wide communications portal.”

Remember:

• The CMO must act as the evangelist for Social Media Management platforms.
• It is imperative to win over the CIO first and foremost.
• Clearly state what benefits social media tools offer to each and every stakeholder – how will they make their working life better?
• Don’t bury your potential “buyers” in hyperbole; stick to the facts.

Click here to take part in the Social Influencer Live Debate on Wednesday September 24th to see just how social media savvy your organization really is.

This article was originally published on the Oracle Website

I’ve never hiked Everest, but the many who have never go it alone. They bring along a guide – a native to the area to help them navigate the terrain, choose their direction and make sense of the weather. On Everest, this is a matter of life and death. The same can be said for sales.

Successful sales people know that they are up against a challenge in nearly every deal. Many organizations have moved to team selling environments for this reason – preferring an army of many to a single soldier. Sometimes the sales person leads, other times they follow. This is why good sales people need at least three kinds of Sherpas – or guides – throughout their career.

Deal Sherpa

Often referred to as a champion or sponsor, it’s important that you identify someone in your prospective customer organization who can help you get a lay of the land. You need an insider. As you map out your path to success, include the key players and their political weight, as well as what’s important to each of them. Collaborate with your Deal Sherpa. Ask them to validate your information, and don’t be afraid to invite color commentary. Sometimes it’s as easy as asking a question, but take the time to be thoughtful about the questions you ask.

Company Sherpa

Find someone in your own sales organization who has been around for a while or who is more successful than you. Put a standing invitation on the calendar to pick their brain. Be specific – ask them to walk you through select deals. Find out their strategy for winning, which company assets they leveraged, any objections they encountered and how they overcame them. Pick their brain about all of the things you think you have figured out, like prospecting and negotiating… these “ancient arts” sometimes age with the sales person. Asking others how they are finding success will help keep your skills fresh.

Career Sherpa

Possibly one of the most important guides you will ever have. You need someone outside of your organization with whom you can talk regularly. Maybe even outside the sales profession. This person should know your career hopes, dreams, frustrations and most importantly, they should know how much you value their time and input. Often, there is nothing in it for them, so choose wisely and make sure that the person or people you select to help you grow in your career path can give you guidance that you’ll actually use. There’s nothing worse than being asked for advice that’s never taken.

Finally – be humble and pay it forward. Remember that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.

One foundational aspect of Revenue Marketing™ is the Revenue Marketing Journey™. This four stage-model acts as a GPS as the marketing leader is transforming marketing from a cost center to a revenue center. It defines where marketing is and provides a direction for the journey.

Stages Defined

Marketers in the Traditional stage of the Journey are concerned with activities focused on branding and marketing communication. They act as a cost center and are measured on activities and costs.

In the Lead Generation stage, marketers are using e-mail and are creating leads for sales. The problem is that about 70% of these leads are never followed up on by sales. Marketing is still a cost center and the new metrics is number of leads sent to sales.

With marketing automation and CRM, things get interesting in the Demand Generation stage. Marketing is transforming into a revenue center and are measured based on contribution to pipeline and closed business.

The big difference between the Demand Generation stage and the Revenue Marketing stage is optimization and RPS – Repeatable, Predictable, and Scalable. Revenue Marketers are revenue centers and have the ability to forecast marketing’s impact on revenue.

Where are you on this Journey? Take this quick 4-minute assessment.

The Areas Requiring Damage Control

One area of particular concern for today’s marketing executive is how to do damage control on the current sales and marketing relationship once marketing begins the move from Lead Generation to Demand Generation. In the Lead Generation stage, marketing has been using an email system to launch emails and provide leads to sales. This stage is often characterized by a “batch and blast” approach to email that produces leads that sales does not value. At this stage, sales and marketing each have a wildly different definition of a “lead”. In this scenario, numerous studies show that up to 75% of all leads passed to sales never receive any kind of follow up. While the idea of giving leads to sales sounds good, this scenario provides a snapshot of the issues in execution, understanding and alignment.

Fast forward. Marketing catches the Revenue Marketing fever and begins investing in technology (marketing automation integrated with CRM), training, processes, etc. to move into the next stage of the Revenue Marketing Journey – Demand Generation. In this stage, marketing can finally provide the kind of leads that sales has been asking for – after all, they are now qualified! There is one big problem. You had a meeting with sales to explain what you were doing and they really didn’t believe you. Their comments to you were:

• You have been promising “qualified leads” for years and we continue to receive junk.
• You don’t understand sales.
• You have no accountability for a number like we do so you are not really vested in our success.

For many marketing leaders, this requires serious damage control. You have to “un-do” and “re-do” the perceptions of marketing in the revenue equation. This happens through your ability to build sales advocacy for Revenue Marketing, beginning with the Chief Sales Officer (CSO). One of the best ways I’ve seen this advocacy get started is by marketing applying Revenue Marketing to a micro-segment (a specific territory or sales team) of a key sales initiative as a proof point. This approach educates the CSO and the sales team while producing financials that sales relates to. Your baseline metrics should include short-term metrics (how many appointments got set), medium-term metrics (how many opportunities and pipeline value), and long-term metrics (how much business was closed from the program). This approach also allows marketing to work closely with a segment of sales to ensure success.

Conclusion

Your job as the marketing executive leading your company on the Revenue Marketing Journey is to build strong advocacy with sales leadership. In order to build that advocacy, you must understand the damage already done in the relationship and build accordingly. Not addressing this issue head-on ensures a continuation of the cold war between sales and marketing and will seriously undermine your Revenue Marketing success.

What have you seen as key action to damage control? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

In today’s cluttered world of advertising and social media message bombardment, buyers are seeking personal connection.  As the leader of your company’s growth vision, hopefully you have a marketing plan along with a sales strategy.  Most companies have some sort of marketing effort.  They want the brand to stand for something.  However, it can’t stop there.

Your salespeople need to take ownership of their own personal marketing plan as well.  While we want them supporting the company brand, each individual on your team will be more successful if they take some ownership in their own personal brand as well.   It is easy to get wrapped up in the belief that a robust marketing effort on behalf of the company will enhance the salesperson’s individual success.  Now, granted, marketing to increase brand awareness and marketing campaigns to increase interest regarding a particular product or service should increase leads, it is a mistake to let that be the end of the marketing plan.

Encourage your salespeople to have a personal marketing plan to go along with their selling efforts.  For instance, salespeople need to be thoughtful about how they use LinkedIn.  Encourage them to have a well thought-out plan for their page and the image they want to portray.  Also help them to understand the power of using the network they create on LinkedIn and the ability to be at a virtual networking event 24/7.

It doesn’t just stop with LinkedIn, though.  They need to be thoughtful about the personal brand they are creating.  Do they send personal notes to people they read about in publications?  Do they reach out with genuine inquisitiveness, with a goal to connect personally?  The superstar salespeople not only are precise and measured in their execution of the appropriate behaviors but they also do not completely rely on the company for marketing support.  They market their own personal brand to make more intimate connections with prospects and referral sources.

Rather than just relying on mass emails or on emails created through marketing software automation, the best salespeople personalize how they connect with potential buyers.  Nobody wants to feel like they are receiving an automated marketing message, especially in the B2B world, so the smart salespeople spend extra time personalizing everything.  The way to create value and differentiate your brand is really through the individuals that personalize the experience.

As part of an accountability plan that you establish with each of your salespeople, it might be a good idea to have them establish goals associated with their personal marketing plans.  How much time will they spend on LinkedIn per week or how many connections will they add per week?  Additionally, how many blog articles and white papers will they publish in a month or quarter?  Just like every other goal, their personal marketing goals need to be measurable.  Help your salespeople understand the value of contributing to the marketing efforts and they will feel empowered to own the growth plan more.

Download our eBook on “5 Essentials of Effective Sales Management” here.