Planning for 2012

November 1. Every year I intend to spend time at the beginning of third quarter planning for the next year. And every year when I flip the calendar from October to November, I recognize that, yet again, I am behind in giving serious thought to what must be done the following year to ensure success. Now, I do push my clients to plan early, but somehow I always end up behind!

When you own a business, it’s really hard to take a full day (or more) away from operations, so here is my plan:

• I am setting aside one afternoon without interruption to brainstorm about next year. Some of the questions I’ll ask:

a.       How successful were we at meeting last year’s goals?

b.      Where do we want the firm to go in 2012 (and 2-3 years beyond)?

c.       Have we integrated our message across all platforms well?

d.      Have we taken advantage of new marketing means and the tried and true?

e.      Do we have the right resources to get there?

f.        What can we do differently to help us succeed?

g.       Are we meeting the needs of our clients?

h.      Have things changed within the firm where we need a brand review (or do you have a brand image and message)?

i.         Without consideration to budget, what would I do?

• After mulling the answers to the above questions over, I’ll dedicate a second session to laying out a high level plan.
• Session three will have to include the budget. Love brainstorming, but not so much the budget process…
• The fourth and final session will be a more detailed planning session based on those pesky budget numbers and key benchmark goals.

Last but not least will be the old company meeting where we talk through next year’s plan and how the team can meet our goals. It’s a big task, but breaking it into manageable chunks works every time. Do you have a process you follow to do your annual plan? I’d love to hear what works for you and what doesn’t!

Our Partners are HOT!

Or maybe warm. At least, that’s the goal of the second annual vitalink® coats & blankets drive, where we and our partners will be collecting coats, blankets and cold weather gear to keep the Triangle homeless and poor warm this winter. The drive benefits Raleigh Rescue Mission.

We’d like thank our partners for their involvement and commitment to this great cause. They are:

• Leone Noble & Seate
• David Allen Company
• Embassy Suites
• Davis Plastic Surgery
• Catalyst Group, Inc.
• Greenscape Inc.
• News & Observer

Items we need include: winter coats, blankets, hats, gloves, grocery or discount gift cards (Sam’s, BJ’s, Wal-mart) and financial donations. If you would like to donate, we are accepting items at our office at 4900 Falls of Neuse Rd, Suite 115 in Raleigh from 8:30-5pm business days from November 1 through November 18. If you can’t get to our offices, our partners are also accepting donations at their locations. Click on the partner name to access their website and location information.

Questions? Please give us a call to learn more at 919.850.0605 or e-mail Mary Ann Grooms at maryann@vitalinkweb.com. Have a safe and warm winter!

Coats + Blankets 2011

As a small business owner, I have learned over the years how important it is to occasionally step away from my own concerns and remember that there are millions in need in the U.S. and across the world. As part of the vitalink® 15-year anniversary, we committed to doing 15 “points of service” – pro bono and volunteer activities – throughout the year.

One of these activities is the second annual vitalink coats + blankets drive! Last year, with seven of our business partners, we collected hundreds of coats and cold weather items and quite a bit of cash to benefit the Raleigh Rescue Mission (www.raleighrescue.org). The economy is still struggling and there are many individuals and families here in Raleigh (as elsewhere) that are homeless or very close to losing their homes. Many are unable to afford to heat their houses or apartments and cannot buy warm coats for their children. Every time I think about my problems, I recognize how lucky I truly am compared to some others who struggle every day with the basics.

I encourage you to find a charity or a cause and donate your money, your time, or both. It can put things in perspective and you’ll feel better about yourself. If you are in the Raleigh area and would like to give to the vitalink coats + blankets drive, send us an e-mail or give us a call at 919.850.0605. If you’re not in the area, search locally for a shelter or other good cause and give them a call. You’ll be glad you did.

Lessons from Tebow

I know not all of you are football fans, but we can all learn lessons everywhere when we look for them. I am a fan of Tim Tebow, the rookie quarterback for the Denver Broncos and Florida Gator (like me). Tebow was a two-time college championship winner and was awarded the prestigious Heisman Trophy in only his sophomore year. In Gainesville and the greater “Gator Nation,” folks thought of him as a kind of football super hero. Great intensity, leadership, and a warrior on the field. He’s also a down to earth person who loves God and his family.


While he has amassed great accolades and went in the first round of the draft, Tebow is far from perfect. Many thought he would go in a much lower round of the draft due to his throwing style. Many questioned if he could play in the NFL at all as a quarterback. Hmmm, I seem to remember some of the same nay-sayers with former Gator and Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith (the NFL’s all time leading rusher). They thought he was too small, too slow. He was just determined and set records that still stand today.

Bottom line, Tim Tebow inspires me to accomplish things. One of his high profile team mates commented that his style and delivery may not be pretty, this guy is “magical.” I agree. He inspires his team mates. He inspires followers. The game this past weekend was in Miami and the Dolphins fans were cheering for Tebow (the other team)! His jersey, #15, is the #1 selling jersey in the NFL.

Here are a couple of lessons I’ve learned from Tebow:

1. You don’t have to fit the mold or have the best “mechanics;” be passionate and work hard— don’t let anyone say you can’t do something. You might just succeed and inspire others along the way.

2. In a “bad boy” athlete era, Tim Tebow is respectful talking with the media, respectful of opportunities and of his team. Kudos. Be respectful and you’ll get that back a hundred fold.

3. Being the best (as defined by others) or having the best grades doesn’t mean you’ll be the best leader. It also doesn’t make you the best producer. So what if you are a little different. Play your game. Work at it and play hard and with heart.

4. This guy would literally pick the team up on his back if he could. His most memorable speech came after a loss at Florida when he said he’d let the team down, but nobody would ever work harder than him. He took responsibility and then worked his butt off.

5. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Share your passion and you will find like minded people and earn respect. Tebow went on mission trips as a youth and still thanks God. Like it or not, you gotta respect him.

6. He is passionate about this game. Find something you love and commit to being your best. It won’t always be easy and you won’t always win, but there is joy in it.

Football fanatic (like me) or someone who doesn’t know what pigskin is, these are some great lessons. What have you learned from someone that you didn’t expect to learn from? I’d love to hear some other words of wisdom from unexpected sources!

BUILD YOUR TEAM

In today’s hectic business environment, managers and employees can lose focus on strategy and long-term goals while fighting daily fires. It doesn’t matter if your business has five employees or 50, a retreat or annual meeting can be a positive, team building experience that can refresh attitudes and renew a common sense of purpose.

Your retreat should always take place away from the office and technology. Depending on the type of retreat you choose and your budget, this can range from meeting in the backyard of a senior manager who lives on the lake to renting space at a local hotel to a full-service weekend “adventure” retreat that includes outdoor team building exercises. The point is that you are away from distractions. Have everyone dress comfortably and intersperse some physical activity with your sit-down sessions to keep people from tuning out. Add a creative session or two to get the juices flowing; this doesn’t have to be anything fancy—you can use something as simple as an opposites word game or simple drawing exercise. And don’t forget healthy, nutritious food to keep everyone alert (okay, and some chocolate for good measure).

There are several types of sessions that may be of value during a retreat:

Social Presence: Get input from your staff on your social media presence and policies, and get them involved in representing the company. In the “Facebook world,” all employees can and should help by watching for comments about the company and sharing the good things you do.

Branding: Do your employees understand the company brand? Engage them on ways to ensure brand consistency and ask them for new ideas that will promote the brand.

Strategic Planning: What is the firm’s strategy? Its goals? Are employees aware of the goals? If the strategy and goals have been defined, involve employees so they understand and can help focus on meeting these goals. If the goals haven’t been set yet, get employee input. Many times people at lower levels have insight into the customers and market that senior managers lack.

Team Building/Motivation: Wrapping up your day with a motivational session sends everyone away energized and ready to tackle the world when they return to work!

Tell clients that the office will be closed that day and provide an emergency-only number for them to call if necessary. The goal is to get your team back on track and focused on the long-term health of the business. Need more information about sessions for your retreat? Give us a call at (919) 850-0605 or e-mail us at info@theexpertspeakers.com.

Post Seminar Engagement

We’ve all been there. You attend a great session with a great speaker and walk away feeling like you’ve been empowered—eager to get back to the office and put your newfound learning to work. Then reality crashes in and when you get back to thinking about the seminar it’s three weeks later and you’ve forgotten much of what you learned.

As a speaker, there are some things you can do to help your audience avoid that post-seminar letdown and remember you favorably. Consider the following:

CRM&M Series, Part 3: Using New Technology

In part 1 of our CRM series, we talked about approaches to relationship building. Part 2 provided tips for making your CRM & Marketing efforts more effective. In part 3 of the series, we follow with ways to incorporate some new technologies into the mix and further engage customers.

Seems like every time you turn around there is some new technology that changes how we market to or communicate with our customers. There is always that first big push of excitement and then reality sets in as we marketers try to figure out how to make the new doo-dad work for us! It is important to remember that while the shiny new penny may be fun to play with, it isn’t always the best tool to reach every customer out there.

CRM & Marketing Article Series - Part 3 provides tips on how you can integrate newer technologies into your marketing mix.