Bright and early yesterday morning (just three days before Christmas!), I had a new client meeting in which we were discussing the importance of starting out with a comprehensive strategic marketing plan. Investing the time now to build such a plan, I argued, lays the foundation for successful subsequent tactics that will achieve business results.
Two hours later, I was out doing errands on Bayview Avenue with my sons, and – despite it being the last weekend shopping day before Christmas – it was very difficult finding a parking spot. Why? Because Toronto's streets are now significantly narrowed by giant snowbanks created when folks dug out from last Sunday's giant snowfall. It's easy to see where cars were parked last weekend, because everywhere else there are three-foot-high mountains of snow!
So what's the connection between marketing plans and snowbanks?
It's a pet-peeve of mine that many homeowners shovel snow with a short-term mentality... only throwing it far enough to clear their immediate path. They don't consider what will happen next time, when they need to clear the same area – now surrounded by high snowbanks!
On the other hand, I take the longer-term view; once early December arrives, you should assume that the snowbanks you create today will be around until the end of the winter, and shovel accordingly. I prefer to throw (only clean!) snow back up onto our lawn, which helps avoid choking the street with snowbanks along the curb.
So, a good marketing plan analyzes the situation without 'creating snowbanks' that impede your ability to react to future circumstances. It presents a clear picture of the underlying roadway and surrounding landscape, and suggests ways that you can progress down that road to achieve the desired business results.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Tim's business-travel tips
Having just returned from another business trip out west to Calgary, it's becoming clearer to me that the 'travel' part of business travel isn't really all that glamourous. In fact, it's usually rather exhausting... you just want to ARRIVE!
Through my recent experiences, I'm learning some simple lessons that are helping me be productive and do my best work:
1. Pick a hotel that's close to the client's office. Okay, so maybe one that's actually connected indoors is a bit too close (this time, I always walked the 40 yards door-to-door outside), but not having to travel much back and forth saves time and energy.
2. Eat a hearty breakfast. Day after day, a couple of glasses of juice, a bowl of oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and toast with peanut butter mightn't very exciting, but it does give me energy for a full morning's work (especially when I'm working in Mountain Time but waking up on Eastern Time).
3. Pack good technical tools. Although you end up with a second rolling suitcase loaded with electronic gear, I found it so handy to have a portable printer with me (Canon iP90), together with my Rogers Portable High-Speed Internet modem, USB hub, mouse, digital camera-cum-tape-recorder and of course, cellphone. I've even labelled the different power cords for each device, and got separate little carrying pouches (orange-coloured kids' pencil cases) for all the accessories, which makes packing easier and reduces the likelihood you forget essential cables or chargers. I even sprang for a second battery for my MacBook Pro laptop, which has more than paid for itself in extra productivity on longer flights.
4. Bring some office essentials. I ended up buying a mini-stapler, file folders and a hole punch at Grand & Toy, so I could keep the documents from my various meetings neatly organized. Use a few hotel envelopes to organize receipts, so your wallet doesn't get overloaded.
5. Get a good little carrying bag. I just bought a wonderful black Hedgren shoulder bag with countless zippered pockets. It's perfect for carrying all my 'stuff': pens, cellphone, iPod, retractable Sony earbuds (since untangling headphone cable has got to be one of life's great time-wasters), memory sticks, digital camera with extra batteries, chewing gum, water bottles, books, etc. Tip: Keep your boarding pass in the same pocket every time to avoid rifling through the entire bag in line-ups.
6. Pack up as you go. Next time, I'll do a better job of keeping my stuff nearly 'ready to be packed' for departure, thereby minimizing the scambling when heading home.
7. Avoid arriving home in rush hour. Just when you're finally ready to collapse into the back-seat of the limousine to get home from the airport, you discover there are dozens people ahead of you -- and precious few limos or taxis to be found. Once it does arrive, the highway home is a veritable parking lot. Lesson: try to stick to flights arriving in the evening!
8. Most important of all: smile. I'm coming to appreciate the value of smiling at the many people you come into contact with when travelling -- from airport check-in staff to restaurant servers, flight attendants to taxi-drivers, hotel front-desk staff to office-tower security guards. A warm, genuine smile or greeting makes a connection -- from one human being to another -- that shows you appreciate their efforts, and can help you get that 'extra bit' of attention or service or flexibility you may need.
Through my recent experiences, I'm learning some simple lessons that are helping me be productive and do my best work:
1. Pick a hotel that's close to the client's office. Okay, so maybe one that's actually connected indoors is a bit too close (this time, I always walked the 40 yards door-to-door outside), but not having to travel much back and forth saves time and energy.
2. Eat a hearty breakfast. Day after day, a couple of glasses of juice, a bowl of oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and toast with peanut butter mightn't very exciting, but it does give me energy for a full morning's work (especially when I'm working in Mountain Time but waking up on Eastern Time).
3. Pack good technical tools. Although you end up with a second rolling suitcase loaded with electronic gear, I found it so handy to have a portable printer with me (Canon iP90), together with my Rogers Portable High-Speed Internet modem, USB hub, mouse, digital camera-cum-tape-recorder and of course, cellphone. I've even labelled the different power cords for each device, and got separate little carrying pouches (orange-coloured kids' pencil cases) for all the accessories, which makes packing easier and reduces the likelihood you forget essential cables or chargers. I even sprang for a second battery for my MacBook Pro laptop, which has more than paid for itself in extra productivity on longer flights.
4. Bring some office essentials. I ended up buying a mini-stapler, file folders and a hole punch at Grand & Toy, so I could keep the documents from my various meetings neatly organized. Use a few hotel envelopes to organize receipts, so your wallet doesn't get overloaded.
5. Get a good little carrying bag. I just bought a wonderful black Hedgren shoulder bag with countless zippered pockets. It's perfect for carrying all my 'stuff': pens, cellphone, iPod, retractable Sony earbuds (since untangling headphone cable has got to be one of life's great time-wasters), memory sticks, digital camera with extra batteries, chewing gum, water bottles, books, etc. Tip: Keep your boarding pass in the same pocket every time to avoid rifling through the entire bag in line-ups.
6. Pack up as you go. Next time, I'll do a better job of keeping my stuff nearly 'ready to be packed' for departure, thereby minimizing the scambling when heading home.
7. Avoid arriving home in rush hour. Just when you're finally ready to collapse into the back-seat of the limousine to get home from the airport, you discover there are dozens people ahead of you -- and precious few limos or taxis to be found. Once it does arrive, the highway home is a veritable parking lot. Lesson: try to stick to flights arriving in the evening!
8. Most important of all: smile. I'm coming to appreciate the value of smiling at the many people you come into contact with when travelling -- from airport check-in staff to restaurant servers, flight attendants to taxi-drivers, hotel front-desk staff to office-tower security guards. A warm, genuine smile or greeting makes a connection -- from one human being to another -- that shows you appreciate their efforts, and can help you get that 'extra bit' of attention or service or flexibility you may need.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Saying hello in winter
Today was the first major snowfall of the winter here in Toronto, and I walked my half-hour to the office early to catch up on work.
Over the years, I’ve observed that the first snowfall day allows normally reserved Torontonians to actually 'open up a little' and smile at strangers as they trudge past. I guess it’s an acknowledgment of our shared battle against the elements.
However, there seems to be some unwritten rules at play. If you encounter someone one-on-one, you normally say hello (or at least smile), but if you encounter a cluster of people, you are less likely to greet them.
The arrival of iPods has allowed people to further detach themselves from their social surroundings (but not yet their physical environment) and ignore such interpersonal contact.
For me, I try to still say hello, even with the earbuds in. But who knows, maybe I’m shouting when I do so...?
Over the years, I’ve observed that the first snowfall day allows normally reserved Torontonians to actually 'open up a little' and smile at strangers as they trudge past. I guess it’s an acknowledgment of our shared battle against the elements.
However, there seems to be some unwritten rules at play. If you encounter someone one-on-one, you normally say hello (or at least smile), but if you encounter a cluster of people, you are less likely to greet them.
The arrival of iPods has allowed people to further detach themselves from their social surroundings (but not yet their physical environment) and ignore such interpersonal contact.
For me, I try to still say hello, even with the earbuds in. But who knows, maybe I’m shouting when I do so...?
Friday, November 23, 2007
My Grey Cup runneth over on WestJet
I arrived home at 3 a.m. today from a business trip to Calgary (the flight home was delayed departing due to a storm at Pearson Airport in Toronto). As is my wont lately, I chose to fly WestJet (www.westjet.com) rather than Air Canada (www.aircanada.com), since as a marketer I’m always interested in watching how companies ‘live their brand.’
I was tired at the end of the busy day, and had initially hoped to sleep on the trip home. But as I boarded the flight after 8 p.m., I was surrounded in the jetway by the hoots and hollers of Western Canadian football fans heading to TO for the Grey Cup.
Although I didn’t catch a wink of sleep on the flight, I did have a brief chat with the boisterous fans beside, behind and across from me; did get some Marketing Hall of Legends (www.marketinghalloflegends.ca) volunteer work done; and most significantly, did observe the grace and mastery of the WestJet crew in their handling of my new Western Canadian pals.
Not only was I reminded of the importance of the Grey Cup in uniting Canadians, but I watched how the flight crew conducted themselves with humour, cheerfulness and humanity while never compromising the flight’s safety.
It reaffirmed my respect for the airline, and for its recruitment policies in attracting employees who aren’t afraid to ‘be real’ on the job.
I was tired at the end of the busy day, and had initially hoped to sleep on the trip home. But as I boarded the flight after 8 p.m., I was surrounded in the jetway by the hoots and hollers of Western Canadian football fans heading to TO for the Grey Cup.
Although I didn’t catch a wink of sleep on the flight, I did have a brief chat with the boisterous fans beside, behind and across from me; did get some Marketing Hall of Legends (www.marketinghalloflegends.ca) volunteer work done; and most significantly, did observe the grace and mastery of the WestJet crew in their handling of my new Western Canadian pals.
Not only was I reminded of the importance of the Grey Cup in uniting Canadians, but I watched how the flight crew conducted themselves with humour, cheerfulness and humanity while never compromising the flight’s safety.
It reaffirmed my respect for the airline, and for its recruitment policies in attracting employees who aren’t afraid to ‘be real’ on the job.
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