Words matter. If the goal is to connect and build bridges, you’ll choose them carefully. They set tone, dictate parameters and conjure experiences that shape interpretation. The right words can comfort, support, strengthen and inspire. They can tap into memories and stir new dreams. Yet, for all their power, they are imperfect and incomplete. Packaging … Continue Reading
Maybe — just maybe the single biggest issue with messaging that fails to generate the desired response is the degree to which it is closer to fiction than fact. Heretical to suggest such a thing, I know; few of us set out to deliberately mislead. But hang with me. What might some messages look or … Continue Reading
Dispute its reach if you like. Bemoan its shortcomings. Even refuse to participate (if you dare). But Social Media has exploded. And the reason should capture the imagination of anyone marketing a service or product. How so? Because for all the hype, falderal, misuse and criticism swirling about, Social Media is, simply, about the dynamics … Continue Reading
When marketing first inched its way into the legal industry, the mere announcement of capabilities seemed to serve a firm’s needs. As competition increased, the function evolved to include advertising, public relations, the new media, and the support and tools associated with a business development capability. As we deal with what seems to be constant, … Continue Reading
According to Brandon Gallie, someone in the world creates a new blog every half second. So, if you stay with me to the end of this post, there will be a couple hundred more entrants into the blogosphere. At the moment you’re reading one of more than 150 million blogs in existence. Most who, through … Continue Reading
Seth Godin’s post on December 23 hit a nerve. In an abundance of caution highlights a question: what might be the result if we were to act out of an abundance of joy? The difficulty? Seeing the downside is easy. Few things go exactly as we expect. Fewer still, the way we’d like them to go. … Continue Reading
Here’s the problem: we act like once we’ve delivered a message — transmitted it, produced it, hit “SEND” — that we have Communicated. Or, at least that we have done everything within our power to make communication possible. The rest is up to the audience. In practice we have come to equate communicating with the … Continue Reading
NOTE: This post on Intentional Listening originally appeared at MENGOnline. With thanks to the MENG folks for the Guest Shot, we now re-post here. Name the venue — sales and business development, marcomm, public relations — take your pick. Often the single greatest impediment to success is the failure to begin at the beginning. The foundational … Continue Reading
The perspective of the lawyer was clear; “My time is far too valuable to be spent writing advertising copy or blogging.” Notwithstanding the fact that his comment belies complete disdain for what he believes professional services marketing and business development to represent, his pronouncement points to a critical way the marketplace has shifted. The marketing … Continue Reading
On the other end of the call Rebecca Helterbrand from TEDx San Antonio was saying, “congratulations…you’ve been selected…” And before I had time to process the news, she had me taking notes on “several important dates.” Required dates. Meetings and rehearsals. Mark them down. Don’t miss them. That was my introduction to an unwavering commitment … Continue Reading
How do we (really) measure progress? What constitutes appropriate ROI on what is plowed into business development efforts? In a recent post on the similarities between business development and planting a tree, we recounted the story of French Marshal Lyautey. The story underscores the fact that growing something strong takes time. The practical challenge is that … Continue Reading
The axiom says perception is reality. Translation — as if to taunt marketers and communicators, something more than brilliant content (or evident tangibles) impacts the interpretation of messages we so painstakingly create. Consider how varied multiple descriptions of a single event can be. Or the predictable discrepancies in eye-witness testimony. Or the differences in what … Continue Reading
We have all witnessed how quickly the wheels can fly off even the best initiative when the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is up to. Progress, expansion of an organization’s reach and business development success are inhibited even more when each seems unaware of the other’s existence. If you operate in an … Continue Reading
A few might dispute the notion, but most will agree — relationship trumps everything. Whether in the business or personal arena, relationship provides the context in which almost everything is interpreted. It influences judgement and defines value. The Relationship That Wasn’t Nearly a decade ago a small technology start-up was out of money, and about to … Continue Reading
Some impressions are indelible. The golden sun, slowly dropping from view on a perfect horizon; the smell (and taste) of mom’s fresh-baked cherry cobbler; the eyes of a child in an early instance of wonder. For most of us, a few experiences are deeply etched into the memory banks. They conjure vivid memories that repeatedly … Continue Reading
Sunday’s talk shows prompted a ridiculous line of thinking. I wonder what might happen if mom’s advice were to take hold. You see, my mother — the only person I’ve known personally that might approach sainthood status –repeatedly advised, “if you don’t have something nice to say, better to say nothing at all.” I’ll wager … Continue Reading
Strategy, no matter how insightful and comprehensive, does not insure execution. Action plans, no matter how detailed or innovative, are no guarantee goals will be realized. And every leader that has managed through crisis knows benchmarks are not the be-all-end-all measure of resources. The market is shaped by teams that move boundaries and redefine arithmetic. … Continue Reading
It is the aspiration shared on countless seasonal greetings — peace on earth. Music and verse speak of it wistfully. When words fail, as in the midst of unthinkable loss in Newtown, Connecticut, it is our paramount hope for all touched by tragedy. But where are the peace makers? Not the heads of state, or … Continue Reading
There are a few things that are clearly either black or white. But very few. Much of daily life – from personal relationship to professional decision – is defined based on perspective. Thursday many of us will observe the holiday tradition that combines turkey and the National Football League. We’ll likely witness the blurry line … Continue Reading
Marshall McLuhan — a godfather of 20th-century communication theory — characterized one of the challenges inherent in connecting when he coined the phrase “the medium is the message.” Seth Godin hit on it from a different angle in his timely post today, Get Over Yourself. Given the timing — the 1960’s, in North America — … Continue Reading
We measure everything. With a keen eye on established benchmarks, we consider every implication of a new born’s length and weight, age of the first step, and rate of growth (raise your hand if you remember marks on the wall noting dates and height). Speed. Efficiency. Projected earnings. Wins and losses. We measure it all — … Continue Reading
The alarm – a digitized-siren-sound of some sort – was wailing. No one able to hear could have missed the intended warning. Yet no one in the 40-story high-rise was concerned. There was no panic. No rush to the nearest exit. It was mid-morning, mid-week; and the persistent alarm notwithstanding, it was business as usual … Continue Reading
Every student of communication theory is familiar with the concept of Shared Experiences. This is the coveted sweet-spot where barriers fall, gaps are bridged, and — thanks to commonalities — communication takes place. Theoretically. It is a beautifully simple theory. But in practice, it is far from simple. A recent Seth Godin post, The People … Continue Reading
A lifetime ago, in what seems like a galaxy far away, I spent some time in the broadcast industry. More specifically, in a radio studio. In that era, the fast paced “Top 40” genre topped most markets, and was designed to sound slightly anti-establishment with a shoot-from-the-hip tone. In reality, it was a highly structured, … Continue Reading
