Avoid Confrontation by Diffusing Arguments Before They Begin

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Want to avoid confrontation and create better customer feedback and work relations? Here is some good advice, don’t engage in an argument in the first place. Instead, diffuse the situation before it escalates by agreeing with your adversary’s point of view.


Recently, while dining at a local seafood restaurant a customer came up to the owner to complain about an employee. We happened to be sitting at the bar when the argument ensued. The owner got defensive after a women told him there had been a credit card mix up and suggested he needed to fire his employee and waived her angry finger toward a clerk at the cash register. The owners took the position that his employee had been with him a long time and was probably just having a bad night. This of course could be construed as a logical response, however, to the customer it appeared as if the owner didn’t care. This resulted in a series of threats including posting disparaging comments on Yelp and so forth. After the women left I couldn’t help but comment to the owner.


Clearly she was upset and nothing was going to change her position. What could he have done differently? Change his response to something like, “I understand, thank you for letting me know. I appreciate your comments and I will speak with John. We take this matter very seriously.” Why this approach would work better: You diffused the situation by validating the other person’s concerns. At that point, the customer would have felt heard and had a positive experience instead of remembering both the employee credit card mix up and the owners’ perceived lack of concern.


Another thing you can do is offer a resolution that satisfies everyone’s needs. Example: “We both have had a busy night, may we offer you a free dessert on the house? If you can’t wait, I understand, catch me next time and we will make sure you are taken care of properly.” Most likely, he would have gained a customer for life by turning the situation around using this small recovery strategy. At the worst, he would have opened up a dialogue resulting in a compromise and possibly avoided a negative review on social media.


Diffusing an argument before it starts is a powerful recovery tool that can be used in a multitude of situations in your personal and professional life. Remember to diffuse an argument you must listen, agree, sympathize, offer a resolution and nine times out of ten everyone will walk away satisfied.


Jodi Cross is a marketing strategist, speaker and writer and can be reached at jcross@crossnm.com.


Does Your Business Practice Smarketing?

 

Smarketing is the process of integrating the sales and marketing processes of a business. The objective is for the sales and marketing functions to have a common integrated approach.

 

In many organizations, Marketing and Sales have historically had a somewhat contentious relationship. But there is a new trend showing behaviors have changed. The need for increased alignment and closed-loop communication between marketing and sales teams is absolutely critical. I remember approaching the Director of Sales on my first day of a new job as Director of Marketing and asking if she would like to go to lunch. She curtly replied, “I don’t eat lunch”. So began my relationship with sales for the next three year. Statistics have shown organizations with tightly aligned marketing and sales teams achieve higher revenue growth up to 20% and faster profit growth when tracked over a three-year period.


Many companies use marketing automation platforms to align, strengthen and create transparency as well as better working relationships between teams. For me, I actually worked well with Sales after our initial meeting. Some of the best practices I deployed were centered on old-fashioned team work.


Here are some easy steps to build better Smarketing teams;

 Sales + Marketing =Alignment


I started my career in sales which helped me to understand the sales language and the pressures to produce. In order to get on the same page with your sales counterparts learn about their quotas, what’s expected and the lead cycle involved to convert business. Your job as a marketing person is to build the funnel.


Celebrate success and keep the lines of communication open. Once you establish goals, team work will follow as you support one another. Weekly meetings are crucial in understanding the process. After the sales team realized marketing was there to support their efforts they would come to my team with challenges and we would work together to solve them. 


Follow the data, there is nothing more rewarding for a marketing person than to see a campaign deliver results. Sales is typically about numbers whereas marketing is more creative. Try reversing the numbers in order to visualize the results. If a sales person needs to close $20,000 a quarter in sales, backtrack to how many customers they need, measured by the average revenue per deal. By working backwards you can use the data to create a manageable campaign that delivers results.



Meeting Madness


Is corporate America obsessed with meetings? Rushing to meetings every day can make you cranky and can also become a real energy vampire for corporate profits.



In a 2012, the Wall Street Journal cited a survey of CEOs calculating they spend 18+ hours a week in meetings. Turns out the higher you climb the corporate ladder the more time you will be spending in meetings. Upper managers calculated attending over 50 meetings a month. That doesn’t even account for the amount of time prepping for meetings. On average prep time was about 4-6 hours. So when does anyone get their actual job duties done? Turns out just because you are at work, doesn’t mean you are actually getting work done.



Source: 2012 WSJ Article


Use this meeting efficiency check list as a tool to streamline and rate your meetings in the future. Start by paying attention to any common themes. Do they start on time? Are the same people dominating the conversation? Is there any consensus met? After using the check list, you may determine the meeting was a time waster.  The good news is you can improve meeting performance by examining your own performance and making some minor changes that could impact the whole team.


Here is to improving meeting productivity on all levels.


Jodi Cross is a marketing strategist and brand consultant and can be reached at jcross@crossnm.com.



Turn your Management Talents into Leadership Abilities

“You Manage Things, You Lead People.” Grace Murray Hopper

Whether you are in business to make a difference, bring a product to market, service a community in need or inspire the world you still need managers and leaders to perform key roles in order to be successful. We all may start out as managers but when opportunity knocks, how do we step up our game and become innovative leaders? Are the two mutually exclusive? Are some people natural born leaders?


Turns out that people are split on the decision of if leaders are born or made. In a recent study of 350+ C Suite executives in 53 countries conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership, CLL, 52.4% indicated leaders were made while 19.1% indicated they believed leaders were born and 28.5% said leaders were equally born and made.  The survey also noted the top three qualifications for good leaders were traits, experience and training.


Source: Center for Creative Leadership, CLL


If you are transitioning into a new role in your career or are on a trajectory to become the next great leader here are some fundamental differences to keep in mind:


The Manager

The Leader

Is action oriented

Is mission oriented

Keeps control of the task

Empowers others to complete the task

Is oriented toward efficiency

Keys in to organizational effectiveness

Makes rules

Breaks rules

Avoids conflict

Uses conflict

Is a team player who picks up on vision

Has responsibility to focus vision

Enjoys the details of maximizing project success

Concentrates on “what” needs to be done not “how”

Uses influence to get the job done

Uses influence to gain acceptance of future potential

Concretes on output

Emphasizes input

Is control oriented and focuses on specifics

Inspires and motivates toward vision

Plans and organizes all aspects of job

Coaches, mentors and teaches others to nurture their skills

Provides direction to direct reports

Provides advice, support and inspires those outside their immediate reporting circle


You can be an effective manager and a leader, they are not mutually exclusive. As your roles change over the course of your career the best advice is to learn from your experiences and never stop learning and growing. Putting that knowledge into practice will strengthen your leadership abilities and inspire those around you.


Jodi Cross is a marketing consultant, speaker and writer and can be reached at jcross@crossnm.com


An Easy Way to Start Strategic Planning

 

 Strategic Planning can be a difficult but necessary process for companies to complete.  Developing a strategy takes time and resources. So why do you need a strategic plan?

  • To set your company up for success by aligning priorities
  • To establish a direction
  • To sharpen your companies focus
  • To create a pathway toward breakthrough success

What is Strategic Planning?

Strategic planning is an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations and ensure that employees and other stakeholders are working toward common goals in response to an ever changing environment. Strategic planning focuses on the future and helps to shape and guide what an organization is, who it serves, what it does and why it does it.   

What is a Strategic Plan?

A strategic plan is a document used to communicate the organizations goals, the actions needed to achieve those goals and all of the other critical elements developed during the planning process.

Perhaps one of the easiest ways to explain strategic planning is by using a simple analogy. The following table illustrates a comparison between strategic planning to planning a vacation to Paris. 



A Quick Reference Guide to Making Marketing Planning Simple

People often underestimate the power of marketing. Think of it this way, would you take a road trip without a map? You need a well thought-out plan for your business to succeed.   I have written hundreds of marketing plans. When I ask my clients what’s stopping them, the # 1 response is, they are intimated by the process or don’t know where to begin.  Here is a simple outline I hope will take the pain out of marketing planning.  

Here are some basic down and dirty elements of a marketing plan:

If you are interested in discussing or developing a marketing plan contact Jodi Cross at CNMI. Jodi may be reached at jcross@crossnm.com or visit www.www.crossnm.com for more great marketing ideas.  


Today’s Leader

Think about the mentors and leaders you have encountered through-out your career. Does anyone stand out as exceptional or unforgettable? By unforgettable I mean someone who challenged you but didn’t really model strong leadership. We learn about how to be a good leader from people we admire. Conversely, we can also learn some important lessons on leadership from bosses we don’t admire.


My Career Path

My first boss was a middle-aged retired nun. She had left the convent got married and adopted two children. To say she was intimidating would be an understatement. During my first month on the job as a hotel sales manager in Miami, Joanne regularly worked through the night.

We would come into the office the next day and find her at her desk, wearing the same outfit she was in the day before, wrinkled and rumpled with her hair all askew. I recall one conversation with parents as I described her and expressed alarm that I may have selected the wrong career path. Her leadership style was less than inspiring to the team, she showed a lack of empathy and no regard for our feelings which had many of us doubting our decision to work in hospitality sales. Today, bosses aren’t quite as intimidating and the workplace is more collaborative. Many of the team members ended up becoming good associates and later friends with her. She did excel in the characteristics of drive, humility and integrity which we all came to appreciate and value.  As a result, we all learned about certain traits we absolutely didn’t want to emulate in our career path.


What characteristics and qualities make for a good leader?

Visionaries

Leaders shape the future with a clear vision. They embrace change and make it their mission to develop and nurture the organizations soul.

Leadership by example

Today’s leaders make things happen, they have the discipline to get things done. They turn strategy into action and accountability. True leaders are committed to others.

Value Human Capital

Leaders understand the importance of having the right skills and talent on board. They see associates as the most important asset in the organization. Leaders create an environment that attracts quality people and put programs in place which help develop, learn and grow this asset along the way. A collaborative work environment draws talented employees who grow vested in the organizations success.

Establish a stable and enriching work environment

Great leaders understand the requirements for long-term success. They listen and work within the paradigm of making an investment in developing competencies for the greater good which later yield sustainable and scalable results.

What leadership style best describes you?

There are many models which help describe the various leadership styles prominent in the workplace today. If you peruse the internet you will see countless articles and definitions circulating on the web. It boils down to five or six true styles.

One book I stumbled upon explained the various leadership styles fairly succinctly. The book is titled The Leadership Wheel by Clinton Sidle.Sidle categorizes the various types into five styles; Warrior, Teacher, Nurturer, Visionary and Sage. I would add a sixth style, let’s call it the Expert. Sidle covers what he calls the positive traits of each style and the shadow side which can create negative ramifications.


To break it down;

  • The Warrior leads by inspiring and risk taking but the shadow side can be controlling. The warrior is perfect during a crisis and can lead a company out of chaos.
  • The Teacher, focuses on doing things correctly. Teachers believe in sharing information and gathering data to find the best processes and systems. Teachers can often get bogged down at the expense of effectiveness.
  • The Nurturer, works on teambuilding and collaboration. They bring unity to the workplace and create bonded and cohesive work environments. On the shadow side they tend to avoid confrontation and can take criticism personally.
  • The Visionary uses their intuitive senses to combine both intellect and emotion to inspire and lead others. They are charismatic leaders with big personalities that infuse energy into any organization. However they can lose focus and fall short when it comes to details.
  • The Sage is an optimistic leader who is addicted to continuous growth and learning. They are great conceptual thinkers who can see both the path and the end zone. Tragically Sage’s can lose hope, be marred by the blues and withdraw from the mission if they see things as unchanging.
  • The Expert, combines both a high level of knowledge and a great degree of skill. This is a leader who is in the trenches and produces alongside his/her team. People tend to respect and value them for what they have accomplished. Sometimes this style of leadership falls victim to comparisons and moral shifts when no one can figure out how to duplicate the exceptional results on their own.

When you reflect on these styles you should note people generally have a natural style but can adapt their style as the situation demands.

For more interesting topics on business and leaderships contact Jodi Cross at jcross@crossnm.com or visit www.www.crossnm.com to learn more.  


Footnote:

1 C. Clinton Sidle, The Leadership Wheel; Five Steps for Achieving Individual and Organizational Greatness,” (Palgrave Mcmillan, 2005)



Is Creativity Valued In Corporate America Today?

January is National Creativity Month

I can’t help but wonder if creativity is valued in corporate America today?
 


After 10 years in a corporate marketing position, the company I worked for was bought out by a REIT. When the new team took over there were many changes in senior level directors as well as cultural changes. During one of my first meetings with the new Executive Vice President, I asked him if he valued creativity. He responded, “As long as it drives ROI to the bottom line.” The message was clear, shortly thereafter every meeting and action plan was spreadsheet based and accounting focused. The marketing planning process, which used to include a big idea brainstorming session, was reduced to revenue statistics and measurable KPIs with little to no idea exchange. Don’t get me wrong, businesses should be about profits and driving revenue but I distinctly felt like a fish out of water when I so much as suggested a new idea or a different way to look at something.


Just as I was feeling a bit discouraged about the power of creativity and the value of idea generation in today’s workplace, I stumbled across a speech that the late Steve Job’s gave during his commencement address; “Stay Hungry & Stay Foolish.” As it turns out so many of today’s successful companies were built on the principals of innovation and creativity. 3M’s late president was famous for saying, “Listen to anyone with an original idea, no matter how absurd it may sound at first. If you put fences around people, you get sheep. Give people the room they need.” — William McKnight.


So how can you harness creativity and turn it into innovation? Creativity is the birth of an idea, innovation is the action it takes to put it in place. Both need to be valued and nurtured in order to grow. After all, aren’t we in business to solve problems and find new opportunities?


Here are some ideas to help cultivate creativity in your work place.

 


1. Reward creativity and creative accomplishments. When employees come up with suggestions cultivate the idea. The best motivation is to listen, take action and put ideas into practice.

2. Be willing to foster different points of view. Make it fun, create an idea challenge that goes across departmental lines.

3. Hire and mix employees with different backgrounds, cultures and experiences. Include all departments in brainstorming and idea creation.

4. Expect creativity, let all your employees know part of their job is to think and come up with ideas.

5. Make it a pleasure to share new ideas in your company, disallow the use of negative mental blocks such as; That’s not my area, I’m not creative, We tried that, That will never work.

6. Brainstorm the right way. Hold a session with mixed departments and managers with varying backgrounds. Collaborate on idea generation and allow for debate during the session because debate often fuels better and stronger ideas. Be careful not to let the debate turn to blame storming. Never accept the first idea, go for quantity, and always try to get one more idea. If we always remain curious and willing to take risks we will succeed.


Innovation and creativity is one of the greatest natural resources we have and continue to put America in the forefront of the world.


If you are interested in learning more about generating new, fresh ideas to drive your business forward or would like to conduct a Brainstorming Session please contact us today. 


Jodi Cross is a marketing consultant, speaker and freelance writer and may be reached at jcross@crossnm.com or www.www.crossnm.com

 

 

 


How Do You Make Lasting Change?


Here we are again starting off a new year together! What do you plan to do differently this year?  Usually I outline resolutions and goals and like most of you forget about them along the way. Let’s do something different this year! Begin with a commitment to make change. To change something about ourselves is difficult but not impossible as long as we are willing to make an effort. Start with something small and focus on the positive results. Avoid toxic feelings that make you feel like you are giving something up. Change is not easy; In fact most of the time people resist change, feel awkward and don’t want to try new ways of doing things. We are all at different levels of readiness throughout our lives and can only handle so much change. Some people are risk takers while others require more time to feel secure. Generally, if we lose focus or take the pressure off, we will revert back to the old ways and change won’t happen.


In order to make this year different we have to be proactive, positive and productive. Get off the fence, stop finger pointing and blaming or as the theme song from Frozen goes…Let It Go! Here is a bit of Irony, just as I was writing this article a long-term client called and has finally hired an in-house marketing VP, so I will be on my way to something new next year. Drat…change strikes again.


In order to be positive and proactive, we must first rid ourselves of toxic behaviors and patterns that sabotage us. These types of behaviors often hold us back from making lasting change in our lives. Think about any toxic behaviors that you exhibit and are willing to eliminate. Some examples may include; not being direct with people, using non-verbal put downs, being dogmatic, playing games with people, being negative or not respecting other opinions. Don’t worry, we all have our toxic habits, work on a short list and really be honest. Once you have identified some areas that need to be overhauled jot them down and replace them with positive and nourishing behaviors.


For me, I am working on being present and giving others my attention. Some other examples of replacing negative behaviors with positive ones may be; keeping your word, treating others with respect, keeping confidences, expressing a genuine interest, showing appreciation to others, smiling and honestly stating desires and needs.


Once you have outlined the behaviors you want to rid yourself of and the complimentary list of new behaviors to replace your old ways with, you will be on your way toward making permanent and lasting change.


The last step is to finish with a list that states what you will do more of in 2015 and what you will do less of or stop doing all together. Cheers, here is to making permanent change!           


Jodi Cross is a marketing consultant, speaker and freelance writer and may be reached at jcross@crossnm.com or www.www.crossnm.com

 



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