Innovation from NextGen MR

The following was posted as an April Fool’s Day story about NGMR Innovation. Though we received several comments, they were hidden to protect the innocent. Though not real tools, apparently many liked the concepts. Happy April Fools Day from ActusMR:

Tom H.C. Anderson on Innovation

As you may know, the Daily Apple Blog is listed as a Next Gen Market Research Top Blog. Being a part of this elite groups means that I am updated on new innovations through the group. I wanted to share a couple of new tools available to NGMR members, since I thought they were really compelling. During a recent conversation with Tom H. C. Anderson, founder of NGMR, he revealed some big innovation changes coming our way. In a bold move, he’s trying to do his part to reduce the number of emails that members of the group receive. He mentioned several innovation ideas, but one really stood out as game changing. With the massive growth in mobile, he believes that SMS messaging holds the key to reducing the burden of more emails in our inboxes. During our talk, I kept hearing his phone buzzing. When I asked him what that noise was, he explained that it’s his new mobile application that sends an SMS alert anytime there’s a new post on Next Gen Market Research’s blog, LinkedIn Page or other sites. By eliminating email updates, he believes that he can increase the value his community provides by reducing the burden on our overflowing inboxes. In addition to the SMS innovation option, NGMR’s mobile application offers an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) option which can dial you with summary updates. You can set the alerts to be in real-time, daily, weekly or even monthly. When your phone rings, a recording will provide you the most current updates and information. Look for more information on how you can get your own copy of this powerful innovation tool, very soon.

NGMR Tablet Innovation

Another exciting innovation is the development of the Next Gen Market Research iPad Panel. By recruiting from the 11,000+ members of Next Gen MR, he believes he can build a panel of iPad or Android tablet users to create a new source of B2B sample. What makes this innovation unique is this panel will only be targeted for tablet based surveys. Though there are limitations with this audience and representation is going to pose an issue in the early stages, the long term probability for building a tablet panel of influencers is very exciting. Tom believes that in time, as he grows his membership and creates more followers, this panel can become extremely viable and competitive, especially as he expands recruitment beyond the NGMR membership.

Innovation with NGMR Focus tool

And probably the most exciting innovation being implemented by NGMR is the ability to filter out conversation from any person or persons on a particular topic stream. This applies mostly to the LinkedIn group, which has experienced some controversial conversations. With this new technology you can ignore individuals within the community or focus specifically on their dialogue. Imagine a switch to turn off the comments of someone who annoys you with their banter or who does not agree with your perspective. A great examples stems from the ISO debate which took place late last year. Many people complained that Tom Anderson’s opinion was not clear or was misunderstood, simply because of all of the other comments and opinions included by others who were less informed. With the NGMR-Focus tool, all of those other opinions could have been filtered so that Tom’s points could have stood out more, giving him more credibility. And if you didn’t like what he had to say, you could have filtered his voice and gained insights from the people whose opinions matched yours, despite their weak positions during this debate. Though in beta, this innovation tool looks to revolutionize how we gather information through forums and communities if it performs as promised.

I hope you’re as excited about these innovations as I am. I’d say they are long overdue. In an industry not known for innovation, it’s nice to be a part of the NextGen MR community, which is clearly working to push the industry forward. Please visit: http://www.tomhcanderson.com/ if you’d like to learn about more NGMR innovation.

We’ve all heard the term, “What you see is what you get.” Normally it’s used to describe the fact that something is no more or less than it appears to be. You can expect exactly what you think you should out of the product, service or even person. Today, however, I want you to shift your way of thinking and look at that phrase differently. Every business person I know, whether they’re in management, operations, sales or some area of technology or support, wants to achieve certain levels of business success. That may be a raise, a promotion, or, depending on your position, a growing company. How do you achieve such things? What steps does it really take to get there? Is there any luck involved or is it all just hard work?

I do believe hard work has a lot do to with achieving success or growth in business. However, it’s not just hard work. Some of the hardest working people I’ve ever known don’t ever reach a level most of us would label successful. Another phrase which might apply here is “work smarter, not harder.” That’s an interesting perspective, but what does it mean? Is it a license to avoid hard work, if you can just find ways to take short cuts or avoid steps? No, I don’t think that’s it. I think hard work is always part of the success formula. Granted, some people make it appear that it comes easy to them. Behind the scenes, though, most of those people have made sacrifices or put in the time to make success a reality.

What about luck? Ask almost anyone who has achieved some level of success and they’ll often attribute some of it to luck. We’ve all heard, “I was in the right place at the right time.”, or “I stumbled onto an opportunity.”, or, the more egotistical response of, “We all make our own luck.” Though that last statement may be more ego filled, it’s actually very close to reality. Looking back at the first sentence of this post, to achieve something, the key is to see what we want to attain. Yes, hard work, luck and timing all play a part, but to really influence our ability to reach goals, we must see it. Let me give you an example. Have you ever set a lofty goal for your company and at the end of the year, you not only achieved it, you beat it? Look at the first person to run the 100M race under 10 seconds? It was a huge accomplishment. However, once he broke that record, many people have run that same distance under 10 seconds. Once you can see it, you can achieve it. If someone else has done it, it makes it even easier to see as possible.

Often we don’t put the energy in to visualizing what we want. There have been various studies which prove the theory of visualization works. Visualize the life you want and you can achieve it. It’s truly the key to business success. Of course, you have to put the work in and shift your focus toward your goals and objectives, but that’s the purpose of goal setting anyway. Goals are just milestones that you must achieve to reach your end target. Set them and see yourself reaching them. Put a plan in place to create the steps and the rest is just implementation. If you have a team that works with you, help them set their own personal and professional goals and help them put the steps in place. The future is bright if you follow this strategy. Remember, what you see is what you get. Now start visualizing and go get it!

Today I attended a small networking function where I met some really interesting people. Among the attendees was a mix of business owners and budding entrepreneurs. One particular person stood out, as he was on an interesting journey. He had spent the last 30 years working in a government job and was now nearing retirement. Over the last several years, he knew he would be approaching this day and started to prepare for his next chapter. He’s retiring young, but he’s not ready to quit working. He’s training to be a professional motivational speaker and he just completed his first book which he’s selling through Amazon.com and other such channels. Though he’s sure of his direction, the one thing that stood out to me was that his passion and drive to succeed did not seem to match up with his skill level. In other words, he has some work ahead of him to be able to match his ability to his passion. He was clearly still figuring out a lot of things as he went along. Actually, I commend that, because being an entrepreneur requires constant learning and improving if you hope to unlock business success.

I haven’t seen this person speak or present. However, from my interaction, I didn’t feel the “wow” factor that might accompany a traditional motivational speaker. Is he over confident? Does he have what it takes? I’d be a hypocrite if I said that he couldn’t do it. Why? I’ve come to realize we can do anything we really set our minds to. I always wanted to own a business, but never took the right steps to get there. When I found the right motivation, I realized my dream. Ok, so it’s not always a dream, but it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done professionally.

We see people like Tony Robbins speak and it’s hard to embrace their “can do” attitude when we can’t see it fitting us. We think that it’s not going to work for everyone, or we believe you have to be lucky to achieve certain levels. Since putting up my shingle and embracing my entrepreneurial passion, I’ve been studying some of the legends in the business of self-improvement. I knew I couldn’t achieve success without help, so as part of the process, I included these studies. Jack Canfield, Tony Robbins, Bob Proctor, and Napoleon Hill are just a few of the people I’ve followed or studied. Why? They’ve helped millions of people achieve success and showed them how to believe they could do it, and I can assure you, it has changed the way I approach business and life in a very empowering way.

So I look back to the gentleman who is on his journey to become a motivational speaker. If he remains passionate and wants it enough, and if he finds the right support, I believe he can do it. Will he be the best ever? It’s not likely. However, will he make an impact and help others in his journey? I believe he will. We’ve all heard the adage, “It’s not what you know. It’s who you know.” I think it should be changed to “It’s not what you know. It’s what you believe you can do.” If you believe in yourself and focus on the result you want to achieve, you can get there. Just don’t let others get in the way with their skeptical views. As Bob Proctor once said during a speech, “It’s not what people say to you, it’s what you think after they say it.” Don’t let others get you off track. If they tell you that your idea won’t work, then work harder to prove them wrong. So to my new friend from the networking group, I say if you believe in yourself, “Go for it!”. Remember, it’s not always the best athlete that wins a competition, often, it’s the most determined. Determination is the key used to unlock business success. How determined are you to reaching your goals? I’d love to hear from you.

Today, I had a really enlightening conversation with an experienced sales professional who seemed to speak the same language as me. It was refreshing to connect with so many common ideas and experiences. During our conversation, she mentioned something that really stood out. I had asked her what she felt was the key sales success driver during her career. It wasn’t that she was driven, it wasn’t persistence, competitive nature, or consultative approach. She said she felt it was empathy.

For years, I’ve also believed one of my strongest attributes and a reason I’ve succeeded was because I possessed and conveyed empathy. Ask 10 sales people and very few will list it as a reason for success. In fact, some aggressive sales professionals might even claim empathy is a weakness. However, I want you to think about how to really connect with a customer. People often talk about uncovering pain points and providing solutions. Yes, those are great bits of advice. Imagine, however, you’re able to put yourself in your client’s shoes before you have all of the answers. If you have strong empathy, you can often relate from the buyer’s perspective. Does your message matter to them? When they describe an issue, do you understand what they’re really going through? Strong empathy has helped me connect with customers, and it has also helped me work well with people who supported the sales process. I can relate to the challenges of everyone involved, which in my opinion, gave me an edge.

I don’t think you can teach empathy, but if you view it as a weakness, instead try embracing it as an asset or strength that can help you connect with clients and prospects more deeply. By understanding challenges your potential buyers face, you can offer solutions and ideas to help them achieve success. You can connect by relating to issues they face in a way no one else can. There’s nothing false or artificial about it if you really are empathetic to their dilemma or their business issues. Remember your place and always think in terms of the company you represent; however, connect and you can win. If you connect with sincerity because you can see yourself in their shoes, it can lead to a long-trusted relationship that extends far beyond a single win.

I embrace and cherish my ability to see myself across the table when I’m talking to others. I see myself in their shoes because of strong empathy. It drives me to be a problem solver and to take a consultative approach. And just like the sales professional I spoke with, I believe that it is a key sales success driver. Actually, let me rephrase that and say it has been a business success driver, helping far beyond the sales process. Can you relate to this? Does empathy influence how you do business? What else helps you connect with prospects and customers?

The following interview can be viewed below by scrolling to view the text, or by visiting: http://www.bronsonma.com/etips38.php

Think about the last sales presentation you sat through. What did you remember at the end of the meeting? Did you leave with any lingering take-away ideas? If it were like most presentations, you heard a lot of “whats” and “hows” which were describing the features of the firm’s offering. Yes, often we’re all really proud of the product or service we’re selling and we want to tell everyone what it does or how it works. We’re so focused on that that we forget to discuss the “whys.” Why it benefits the customer is often the most critical piece and it’s almost always given the least amount of time devoted to discussing in a presentation.

We’ve all seen advertisements or collateral that show features and benefits. In fact, I just saw a brochure which portrayed both. A long list of features taking up nearly the entire page of the brochure was displayed first. At the very bottom, was a short list of product benefits. There were four, and, to be honest, the ones listed were not even that strong. In fact, I almost missed them because they were so insignificant on the page.

As much as we like to believe it’s the features that matter to buyers, it’s really the benefits that resonate. If you want to create engagement during a presentation, spend less time talking about the knobs and switches and more about how your service can make your clients’ lives better. Maybe you can make them more efficient, or you can save them money over your competitor. Get them thinking about how what you’re promoting is good for them and you have a chance to really gain their attention. When the meeting ends, not only will they retain more of your information, but they’ll walk away feeling like you are someone who can be an asset to them and/or their company. You quickly go from “selling” your services to serving as a consultant with powerful tools to help your clients. Jeffrey Gitomer, a professional sales coach and author, says, “people hate to be sold, but they love to buy.” It’s this very philosophy that represents how you should approach every client interaction. Always look for reasons to make them want to buy from you instead of your competitor.

Recently, I was in a restaurant where the waiter came over as I was looking at the menu. I didn’t know him, but he talked to me like we were long lost friends. He saw I was having a hard time deciding on what to order. He asked me, “Are you open-minded about what you eat?” I assured him that I was. He said, “Let me take care of you. Let me serve you something you’re going to love. Just sit back and relax and leave it all to me.” I did love the food. What I loved more, however, was the fact that I bought a great experience. I walked into the restaurant expecting to buy a quick meal. I walked away a relaxed, happy and loyal customer, eager to come back. What do you think he sold me?

Looking at Gitomer’s quote above, it tells you that the pushy, overly aggressive sales tactics no longer work. Getting repeat business or winning over an informed buyer requires you to earn their trust. Perhaps Gitomer’s statement would be more impactful if it were changed to, “people hate to be sold, but they love to feel good when they do buy.” The benefits in your sales message should be focused on leaving them with a positive feeling. Then when they ask “why” they should work with you, you can share the ways other clients benefited. Now you’re driving a message they’ll be happy to retain.

If there’s one thing I learned early on in my business development career, it’s that you don’t contradict yourself unless you want to lose credibility. Yes, you may get away with changing your approach, and perhaps the person you spoke with doesn’t really remember what was said. However, there’s no quicker way to confuse a customer than to tell them something that contradicts your previous conversation or other collateral. That confusion can directly impact their level of trust in you and your company.

While this is one more reason your marketing material must complement your business development and sales messaging, it goes beyond your printed collateral. What are your operations staff members telling clients? Is it consistent with your message? In a sea of competition, it’s critical to drive one voice through an organization from the top down. After all, have you ever cringed when you heard your boss was having a conversation with your client? Or maybe you are the boss and you didn’t have faith in what your team was saying. If you’re all aligned with your communication, then you have a much better chance of driving an impactful message through to the buyer or prospects.

I’ve recently witnessed what inconsistent messaging does to cause client confusion. In fact, the instance I’m referring to led the prospective client to question the ethics and honesty of the person with whom they were speaking. I don’t believe there were any intentional lies told, but there were multiple messages, each seeming different. The impression it gave was that the seller was simply trying to say what they needed to in order to win the business. When it’s not intentional, it’s clear that there’s room to work on streamlining the message.

The inclination of anyone who is proud of their offering is to share every detail. The more you share, however, the more you have the opportunity to lose the person you’re talking to. You may provide so much information that they stop paying attention, or, they may be listening, but they miss the crucial points you are trying to drive home. Think about your own experience. Have you ever sat through a business development presentation where someone went into great detail and shared a lot of information? Even if it was an interesting topic and you were really paying attention, how much information did you retain immediately after the presentation? How about 30 minutes later, or even the next day? When it’s a subject where we’re less familiar or not familiar at all, information overload leads to very little retention, and, often times, if we do retain something, it may not be what was intended.

Let’s take that same scenario above, only in this instance, the presenter asked you questions about your company and potential issues you face. You answered the questions talking about internal struggles. Now, the presenter talked about real solutions they can provide. You saw that they could really make a difference in solving some of these issues other suppliers failed to address. Do you think you might be able to retain more from this type of meeting?

The key to engaging clients is just that, to engage. If you want to make an impact, keep your message simple and find ways to get the other person to talk about their own issues. Business development success is about providing solutions, however you can’t uncover what those are if you’re doing all of the talking. It reminds me of my favorite quote (also the title of a book), “Shut up and sell.” Remember, the more you listen, the harder it is to contradict yourself. Follow that school of thought and your credibility will be intact as well. Talk about a win-win scenario.

Paul Kirch, CEO of ActusMR, Inc., takes a few moments out to talk with Phil Glowatz of Phil Glowatz and Associates. In this interview, Phil shares his experiences with online qualitative research tools. The NY MRA Hotseat is and ongoing series of short interviews with professionals who share ideas, tips and other value-added feedback that viewers can leverage or learn from. The NY MRA Hotseat is a service offering from the Greater New York Marketing Research Association (http://www.mra-ny.org/)

If you work in an area of business long enough, you probably gain a level of experience and knowledge that many others never gain. For example, I like to cook, but I have very little experience. When I’m around someone who is a professional chef, I can learn new tips that they take for granted. For example, years ago when I barbequed or cooked a hamburger patty, I used to press it down, often squeezing all of the juice right out. The result was sometimes a dry burger. A chef friend of mine showed me that you never press the patty and also taught me how to judge if the meat was done. I thought he had just cured cancer. He thought I was clueless. The reality is, he had been cooking professionally for years and handling a burger was beyond basic. When I think about my own business, I often forget some people don’t have the same knowledge I have gained, making what I know valuable. Their experiences are different, so their subject matter knowledge is too. Those differences are what allow someone like me to help others with their business. It’s what makes me uniquely qualified. How are you uniquely qualified to help others?

A friend and fellow mastermind group member, James Tention and I are in the process of developing a business podcast show. We recently filmed our first episode, which we’ll be editing and publishing soon. He and I connected because we have different backgrounds in business and felt we could benefit from each other’s experience. In fact, I hired James to help with my SEO (search engine optimization) needs. I met him at an educational event dedicated to information marketing. Instantly, I saw him as a subject matter expert, having spent a few years learning and applying online tools and processes which were foreign to me. He’s a fountain of knowledge and has an endless stream of valuable insight. However, James is like most people. He didn’t realize the impact he was making on me and others around him. He admits that he often forgets others don’t know the information which is second nature to him. In fact, at the event, I heard him state, “I just realized how much I really know and how much I can help people.” It’s that awareness that has started him down a path where he sees his value. This value is allowing him to make a difference to others who need the knowledge he possess to succeed in today’s challenging business space.

Our podcast is a show about different business perspectives. He brings a powerful internet business perspective, where as I bring sales and business strategy experience. Together, we’re helping aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners learn ways to be successful by sharing our experiences, perspectives and advice. I’m excited about the show, because I truly believe we can make a difference. However, it required both of us to understand that our experience matters.

When you think about your own experience and knowledge, what impact could you make if you shared it? Are there others who would benefit from what you know? I guarantee the answer is yes. However, I’ve heard people state things such as, “no one cares about that stuff” or “everyone knows that.” Both of those statements are probably false. Take my blog for example. A year ago, I had no idea the impact blogging could make on both my business and me, personally. Today, I preach the benefits and find it shocking when people resist or don’t see the value. “I don’t have the time” or “I don’t believe anyone cares about that stuff” are the responses I often hear. Looking back, I was one of those people, stating the same things. It took experience and time to get where I am. Now I want to share it with anyone who wants to listen and learn. I want to make sure you’re not squeezing the juice out of your hamburger patties. However, I do want to do what I can to help you squeeze the juice out of life. After all, I know how sweet it can taste.

I’ve spent my career trying to help others and, in return, I’ve often received help when I needed it. When I’m on the receiving end, I always try to show my appreciation. What I’ve noticed is that not everyone takes time out to do that. For example, over the years, I’ve helped several people find employment or have connected companies with potential employees. I’m happy to help when I can, especially when it’s people I truly respect, and while, I do not do so for the recognition, it’s always nice when someone takes the time show appreciation for my efforts. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve seen some forms of gratitude which stood out, since they were very thoughtful and showed real appreciation. It made me reflect on how I say thank you and it put into light the importance of expressing your appreciation. I’d like to share three examples.

First off, I recently helped someone who was job searching. I made an introduction to a potential employer I felt needed someone like this individual. It ended up being a good fit and worked out. I had very little to do with this person earning the job beyond a recommendation and an introduction. Despite that, I received a wonderful thank you gift that went to good use. Not only was I surprised, I was deeply impressed that this person felt I helped make such an impact.

The second example stems from helping a recent college graduate. I served as a mentor during her junior and senior year, helping her with some life decisions related to her career. She is someone who works hard and has a lot of drive. Though she didn’t always have confidence in herself, she was someone who I knew would find success. She recently found a job she’s very excited about and though I had nothing to do with that, she felt I was helpful throughout the time we’ve gotten to know each other. She recently thanked me by sharing a really thoughtful, unsolicited referral on a social networking site which expressed how much she appreciated my help.

The third example is much less personal, but it still stood out as significant. Last year, I subscribed to an audio interview series conducted by Tony Robins, called Money Masters. It was conducted among a group of marketing experts who shared their tips for success. Each month was a new interview and they were all exceptional. I learned a great deal and truly became inspired by each. A few days ago, I received a message from Tony Robins telling me that they were sending me a DVD with all of the interviews included on one disk. This was shipped as a thank you for being one of the first customers to purchase this series. There were no strings attached and no cost associated with it.

These are just three examples of how you can say thank you to clients, colleagues or others for their efforts and time. In each example, I’m clearly going to be vested in the success of each individual. It wasn’t about money spent. It wasn’t about what they gave. It was about the fact that they took out time to say “thank you” in a special way. How are you saying thank you? Have you thanked your clients in a way which stands out? If you sent holiday gifts, that’s a nice gesture. However, many companies or people expect it, so it’s less impactful. What are you doing to say thank you the rest of the year?