The Wealthy Business - by EnergizeGrowth

Customers, Kawasaki, and Crazy Weather

I am headed home from a dynamic series of Voice of the Customer sessions and book signing at the 2011 Allegiance Engage Summit in Deer Valley, Utah.

Amidst two days of dashing through snow flurries) and dodging slush puddles, I enjoyed learning about the rapid adoption of this new profit-producing technology space. In my upcoming posts, you will hear how companies such as ING Direct, JetBlue, and EMC Corporation are re-framing the definition of the customer experience, and its impact on the bottom line.

I was also excited to re connect with an old friend, Guy Kawasaki. Have you read his new book yet, Enchantment? If you have not bought your copy, get it now. It will shift your thinking about the ways in which you engage others in important causes--whether they be personal or professional.

Here is what Guy shared after our respective book signings yesterday (45 seconds):

 

I'm still blushing!

Here I am, enchanting a new friend at the conference:
 

copyright 2011, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.

 

Brand Building - When Traction Happens

Last week, I was waiting in the Whole Foods checkout line and glanced over at the magazine rack. (Actually, I am one of the few people who loves waiting in certain checkout lines. Stores with a healthy variety of reading options earn my patience.)

I couldn't help but fall in love with RealSimple's May 2011 cover.

Do you think they saw my book cover and found inspiration? Imitation is truly the greatest form of flattery.

Energizing your life and your business have become part of the zeitgeist. Let the brand traction continue.

 

copyright 2011, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.

Ram Charan and Talent Mastery: Buyers Beware

Would you hire an obese personal trainer? Would you consult with a relationship expert who has been married four times? I didn't think so.

Yet thousands of executives are hiring consultants who do not take their own medicine. Ram Charan is one celebrity author who needs to adjust his dosage.

 

Marketing Planning 101: Three Tips to Stay Open for Business

Yesterday, I was intrigued by the business headline story in my local Bend Bulletin. It said "Bend is Open for Business: City hopes to lure businesses with new campaign focusing on outdoor lifestyle." As a conscious capitalist with a passion for work/life balance, I was inspired to read further.

Visit Bend, our well-intended local tourism promotion agency, just launched a marketing strategy to promote more in-migration and job growth by showcasing the active outdoor lifestyle this region offers. This is a noble effort, given the reported 14% regional unemployment rate and heavy dependency on room tax revenues to keep our economy on life support.

It sounded like a good idea at the time. Then the campaign details began to border on the absurd.

Here's how: the Visit Bend PR team launched a Top Ten list of reasons why CEOs should relocate to Bend. One of the reasons was: "A good powder day is a perfectly acceptable excuse to miss work."

Clearly I was hallucinating.

The Visit Bend campaign highlights what mistakes to avoid with your marketing planning...like belittling the work ethic in the midst of 14+% unemployment.

It also sends a strong warning to business owners who excel in one area, and choose to replicate those skills in a completely different market, expecting the same results. Although Visit Bend's heart is in the right place, they clearly did not test their messaging with CEO's who actually want to grow their business and attract dedicated, passionate employees.

The campaign will backfire and will perpetuate the casual lifestyle that Bend is best known to promote. For many residents, work is merely a way to earn enough money to pay for your annual ski pass. Tell that message to your private investors, venture capitalists, and family members who expect and deserve to eventually enjoy the fruits of their labor. This Top Ten list is a surefire strategy for business shrinkage and fosters a culture of mediocrity.

Watch my latest YouTube video to hear three essential things you can do to avoid these mistakes and stay open for business (5 minutes, 51 seconds).

Here's my unsolicited advice to the Visit Bend marketing team. Get back to basics. Focus on your strengths: promoting tourism. And next time, ask a seasoned CEO how happy she will be about her relocation to Bend when half of their workforce does a "no show" on a good powder day.

This article originally appeared on FastCompany.com.

[Photos courtesy of Visit Bend]

Copyright 2010, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.

How to Leave Your Customers Alone - The Steve Jobs Way

From our "You Cannot Make this Stuff Up" department, Apple's Steve Jobs leads the i-pack.

You see, Steve likes to respond to random customer email inquiries. When college senior Chelsea Isaacs tried reaching his media relations department five times, they never responded. Isaacs proceeded to contact Jobs directly for help.

His method for handling the email inquiry? "Please leave us alone." This response bites.

 
photo courtesy of andrewchenblog.com

Perhaps it's time for Apple to hire someone to help Steve respond to emails in a different way. With 300 million customers, they can probably afford it. Listen to the 2 minute story here.

Where in your company are your client service strategies undermining your growth strategy and your brand? The answer may just surprise you.  "iPromise."