Dodo Loves Marketing

Here are two, of the infinite number of possible answers:

“I think it is very important to be persistent, particularly if you really believe in your ideas. We really encourage that kind of candor here. With my team, if I have a suggestion that others disagree with, I know they will expect me to keep supporting my idea until somebody comes up with a better one. In fact, it happens all the time.” ..more

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1. MAKE SURE THE TALENT INTERVIEW STANDS ALONE

Recruiting can be a complicated process. The candidate has to learn about you, the company, the role, and the details of his compensation. You have to check his résumé, make him an offer; he may counter, you then resubmit your offer; and so the negotiating continues until finally you both feel comfortable enough to commit. This process is important, but all of it should be handled separately from the talent interview. ..more

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Shyness affects just about everyone under certain situations. While most people cope reasonably well with occasional shyness, there are some who live in a personal prison, unable to reach out and make friends or relate positively to others. Being shy at work can severely limit work effectiveness, unless of course, you work generally on your own with little or no contact with others.

Shy people present themselves at work in many varied ways. There is the quiet wallflower who fades into the background and is not often noticed. At the opposite extreme, there is the raging extrovert who can be loud, aggressive and abrasive, but who finds it difficult to relate on an intimate level to others. In between, there are many other people, such as the knocker, the person who knocks or degrades others. ..more

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Practical confrontation skills

Being able to stand up to people and speak firmly and constructively to them, is a valuable skill in handling problem people. If you tend to fume and walk away from a confrontation muttering to yourself, ‘I wish I had said . . . !! to that*O#!’, then you need confrontation skills.

Constructively confronting people is a communication strategy which allows you to speak your mind and represent your feelings in a direct way. It is not a strategy of name calling or aggressive outbursts. ..more

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With reference to a particular person X at work, do you frequently

• Wake up in the morning and immediately think ‘Oh no, I’ve got to face X again today’?
• Store anger throughout the day about X?
• Find yourself frequently in conflict with X?
• Experience jealousy about others‘ ability to get on with X?
• Back away from confrontations with X and then get angry at
  yourself because of your inability to act appropriately?

• Disagree or have arguments with your boss, who unfortunately is X? ..more
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Problem people frequently create turmoil and dissension in the work group. Being able to stand aside from strong emotions and think logically and creatively is a most critical skill, but one which will require preparation and practice. Let’s look at a series of steps which you might try to sort out a problem with a person at your workplace.

1 Treat the person with respect

Just as it often takes two people to make a problem, frequently requires participation of the same two to reach mutually agreeable solution. Threat and intimidation can hinder problem solving, so be certain to approach the person with sort out a very sticky and difficult work problem by approaching the other party firmly and positively. Jennifer’s opening words were particularly impressive: ‘There seems to be a spot of bother in this matter and I’m calling to ask for your assistance in sorting out the problem.’ By asking for the other person’s help and assistance, there was little or no threat and a mutually agreeable solution was readily negotiated. ..more

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At risk of dwelling upon the negativities of relationships, it is important to consider two very strong and most upsetting emotional states—hate and jealousy.

Most of us have experienced hate (many loving relationships have a subtle or not-so-subtle hate component). As for jealousy, you will most probably know someone, if not yourself, who is predisposed to this strong emotional state.

Let me briefly mention the case of Michael, an architectural draughtsman who is married to Lisa. Michael comes from a close-knit Southern European family and married Lisa, an attractive Australian lass, when they were both in their early twenties and when both were socially and sexually inexperienced. Even though Michael is bright, well-qualified and successful in his job, he nevertheless is pathologically jealous of his wife and any association she might have with other men. ..more

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Dress

Wear what you’d wear on the job if you were hired. If you’re unsure, it’s better to overdress than underdress. But make sure you feel comfortable—if you feel strange,you look strange.

Grooming

It’s not just for dogs and cats and horses anymore. It’s important for humans too:

• Fix your hair so it stays out of your eyes. Compulsive adults will be thinking of how to shove it out of the way for you.
• Don’t wear a lot of cologne, perfume, or aftershave. (Hint: If they smell you before they see you, it’s too much.)
• Try not to smell like tobacco, gasoline, or a wet dog.
• Get the cat hair off your sweater.
• Remove the Milk Duds debris from your teeth.
• Avoid makeup that looks like it was applied while you were riding on a motorcycle. This is especially important for girls.
• Use a breath mint. ..more
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3. Be Real

There are two voices in your brain. The first says, “If I admit my mistakes, I’ll look weak and lose people’s respect.” The second says, “When a person I respect admits her mistakes, I end up respecting her more.” Isn’t it amazing how you can know a fact but think you’re the only one on the planet that it doesn’t apply to?

When you’re wrong, say it. It may temporarily streak your self-image, but it polishes the image others see.

Let’s say you lose your cool and ridicule a worker in front of everyone. A moment later you regret your action and decide to admit you were wrong. You can say you’re sorry in two ways. No matter what words you use, the first kind of sorry means, “I’m sorry because what I did made me look foolish.” The only thing you regret is the damage you did to yourself. Let’s call that a selfish sorry. ..more

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Making The Deal

When you finally find a car that looks good, runs well, and seems like a fair deal, go back with a parent or friend—someone who’s more objective than you are. It’s easy to get infatuated with a car and miss some of the troubling details. Be sure to ask the owner about the car’s history of accidents and repairs. You may not get a straight answer, but it’s always wise to ask. Also, ask for records of maintenance and repairs. A person who keeps a file of receipts is generally someone who takes care of cars.

If it still looks like a good deal, take it to a mechanic. He can run simple tests on the car, inspect the brakes and fluids, and tell you if there’s anything scary lurking out of view. If the car has big problems, look for another—you don’t want to be buying someone else’sproblems. If the car passes your mechanic’s inspection, make an offer. ..more

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A promotion is a victory, an accomplishment to be proud of. As excited and enthusiastic as you are to make your mark in the new job, there are unseen stumbling blocks on that higher rung that can trip you up if you’re not very careful.

Here are some common problems that recently promoted managers encounter and suggestions for handling them:

• Letting go. This is one of the biggest difficulties for newly promoted managers. They are more familiar with the problems of the old job and know how to fix them. And they usually feel more comfortable operating in the realm where they excelled.

Suggestion: Withdraw by delegating to people you have confidence in. The more you feel your staff is up to the job, the easier it will be. Reassess each person’s skills from your new perspective. ..more

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Decision making by consensus has become a standard administrative procedure in many companies—especially the very competitive high- tech ones where bad decisions can spell quick catastrophe. Nurtured by the case studies and group approaches of the M.B.A. schools, many young managers hesitate to accept any idea that is not presented by a given team.

How does a creative individual operate in a group-dominated environment that is subject only to the force of persuasion? While that person need not become a master of argumentation and debate, he or she should be familiar with some of the techniques passed down by those who have successfully sold their ideas to groups: ..more

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An important slot has been created to meet the demands of an increased workload. You have two subordinates who are contenders for the position. How do you choose the right one? It’s a tricky situation. A wrong move could create tension or even animosity between candidates. You must be discreet and tactful in approaching the choice.

Most important in making the decision is objectivity. It’s quite natural to have personal preferences based on capability. The difficult part is putting your feelings aside so you can pick the right person for the job based on the candidates’ specific qualifications.

As you appraise each candidate, look at the organization as a whole and determine which person can meet its new needs. ..more

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Sometimes you elevate a staff member only to discover that the person is not up to snuff. In over his or her head, the newly promoted employee can slow the output of your department, unsettle customer relations, or call your judgment into question.

Letting the employee go may be a quick way of handling the problem and saving face, but it can hurt your standing with the rest of your staff, particularly if the person was a good performer in the past. Here are some alternate strategies:

• Be on the lookout for potential trouble. “During the initial honeymoon period, managers often overlook the person’s shortcomings, but doing so means mistakes can reach even greater proportions before they’re caught,” says Dr. Chester Schriesheim, distinguished professor of management and the Rosa R. and Carlos M. de la Cruz scholar in leadership at the University of Miami School of Business Administration. ..more
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‘Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.’

Have you ever tried to eat at a restaurant the day after it’s been well reviewed in the local newspaper? The lines can reach around the block; such is the power of free publicity.

In addition to increasing visibility in your community, press coverage can be copied and used as part of your mailing package to prospective clients. When your company appears in a magazine that is printed in four colours, have the front cover reprinted as well as the piece inside that is about you. The promotional effect of using a colour copy of the article is enormous compared to a dull black and white reprint. In this way the article about you becomes a permanent part of your promotional material and can be seen by people who missed it when it appeared in the media.

You can generate good publicity by taking the following steps:

1 Read through your local newspaper. Look at the length (number of words) of its articles and what subjects are seen to be of interest to its readers. If you live in a major metropolitan area, don’t limit yourself to the largest newspaper or the major radio or television stations. Study local suburban papers and smaller radio stations to determine if they are the right mediums for your news release. ..more

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Use this technique every time you have to write, be it a thank- you card, letter, brochure, flyer or a company’s ‘address to the nation’. By having a clear picture of that one person you most want to hear the message, you come across as a genuine person — which you are, as you are not trying to communicate with the whole world, just with that one important person.

Your style is your own; your message is for them and they feel it, hear it and see it as a real communication.

I was fortunate to attend a Saatchi & Saatchi ‘creative week’ where we asked one of the stars how he created a global campaign. Andy replied that he certainly did not try to put in a black cow, a white sheep or a brown dog. Or a redhead, a blonde and a brunette. Or even a man, a woman and a child. ..more

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The left-hand side of the brain is the analytical side of the brain that deals with detail, facts and figures. The right-hand side is the creative, sensitive, feeling side of the brain. It follows that where you place an item is important so that the viewers will react in the way you want them to. For instance, a contract should be placed on the right-hand side in order to transfer the logic, facts and detail to the left-hand side of the brain, thereby preparing the person to read and understand.

Creative work, such as a new advertising campaign or colour schemes for decorating an office or home should be placed to the left-hand side, so that the information goes through to the right- hand side of the brain, thus getting the viewer in a state of readiness for the creative decisions to be made. ..more

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The new market leaders know that the greatest constraint on today’s customers is time—more critical even than money. The broader choices, the constant stream of innovations, and the pace of contemporary life conspire to crowd people’s schedules. Whether you’re in the market for a CD player for home or a new supplier of components for your company, you don’t have time to evaluate every option, consider every shred of information, and explore every contingency—even though it would probably be useful to do so.

Time is a flexible commodity: We willingly spend more of it on some activities than on others. A busy manager for whom every minute counts will happily spend hours on thegolf course, but an easygoing person with time to chat will hang up angrily on a telemarketer who calls at dinnertime. ..more

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