Canvas Magazine | Community Building in the Information Age

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Community building in the information age

January 2011

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When you successfully build a community, your members are not only your customers, but they are also some of your biggest supporters.

Publisher mark potter Marketing Manager caroline farley MANAGING EDITOR lorrie bryan ART DIRECTOR brent cashman

Editorial board keith bax Research Data mike kyle Pace Litho chris petro GlobalSoft tom moe Daily Printing dean petrulakis Rider Dickerson david bennett Bennett Graphics tony narducci O’Neill Printing

January 2011

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Publisher’s Thoughts Feed the Soul

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Traditional Media vs. Digital P6

CMO Council Marketing Facts P8

Best of Reflections P10

Community Building in the Information Age P18

Customer Relationships Asset or Obstacle?

CANVAS, Volume 3, Issue 1. Published bi-monthly, copyright 2011 CANVAS, All rights reserved, 2180 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400, Duluth, Georgia 30097. Please note: The acceptance of advertising or products mentioned by contributing authors does not constitute endorsement by the publisher. Publisher cannot accept responsibility for the correctness of an opinion expressed by contributing authors.

CANVAS P1

H

Feed the Soul Happy New Year. It is always a great time of year, because there is a sense of renewal and optimism. It is also a time to take a moment to think about what is truly important to us and what makes us tick. With the recent economic troubles, we all are a bit more grounded and

Publisher’s thoughts

focused on values.

One of the things that I have been thinking a lot about is connecting more to our work. The

printing and graphic arts industry is a dynamic and evolving industry. With all this change circulating around us, our opportunity to grow, learn and nurture our relationships has never been more critical.

Most of us put a great deal of time into sales; not only because

we have to work hard to make a living, but because sales is central to our soul. In a sense, we are building our masterpiece, and what

we do speaks to who we are. The trouble is, if what we do or how we sell does not connect with us intrinsically then many different people will suffer.

With everything you have to sell today, the sky is the limit for your financial success. However, success goes way beyond money. At the end of a trip, you want to be able to feel like there was a real connection to what you did and the people you touched. We all hope that our family, friends, associates and clients respect and admire our masterpiece. Most importantly, we each need to be able to look in the mirror and respect what we’ve done.

We have written about the need to build community in order to succeed. When you stand for others, you will enjoy tremendous reward. In addition to more sales, you will find that there is a greater purpose in what you do. When you stand for others, it can be downright soulful.

This edition of CANVAS digital embraces the idea of community and how to build it. Our cover article, Building Community in the Information Age gives an introspective on how to connect in a world that is over-connected. Our second article, Customer Relationships, Asset or Obstacle, reminds us to never stop investing in our sales process. In other words, just because you think you have a good relationship, doesn’t mean you can’t stop honing your game.

As Thomas Moore noted in his book A Life at Work, “Work becomes narcissistic when we cannot love ourselves through objects in the world. This is one of the deeper implications of the Narcissus myth: the flowering of life depends on finding a reflection of oneself in the world, and one’s work is an important place for that kind of reflection.”

I hope you have a wonderful 2011. Work hard, build, make mistakes and go for it. Most importantly, find your reflection in your work.

Warmest regards,

Mark Potter Publisher

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CANVAS january 2011

Traditional Media vs. Digital

a

ccording to google’s report “2011 b2b Marketing Outlook,” traditional marketing makes up the majority, 66 percent, of b2b marketing budgets this year, despite the growth of digital advertising. the survey, conducted for google in fall 2010 by ipsos OtX, in fact finds that traditional media accounts for the top three items in a b2b marketer’s average budget:

TRADITIONAL

• trade shows and events (28 %) • magazines/trade publications (13%) With this said, more than 80 • direct mail (9%) percent of marketers are employing digital marketing methods. the top digital expenditures of the typical b2b budget: DIGITAL

• e-mail marketing (8%) • search engine marketing (5%) • search engine optimization (5%)

According to American business Media, “A majority of b2b marketers said that combining digital with traditional and using multiple media in a campaign improves effectiveness. Six in 10 marketers said offline efforts affect online activity. ‘When efforts across the marketing continuum are well coordinated … we see all boats rise,’ a general electric Company marketing executive said in the survey.” the report also finds that 77 percent of b2b marketers state they expect their budgets to stay the same or increase in 2011.

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CANVAS january 2011

CMO Council Marketing Facts • The Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), a nonprofit professional association working to increase awareness and promote the value of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) worldwide, today published a research paper, “the State of Search engine Marketing 2004,” which concludes that in the u.S. and Canadian market, advertisers will spend $4.087 billion dollars this year on search marketing programs.

• According to industry expert Neil

40 percent of their

as much as

are expecting a

annual sales during the holidays, so it’s

2.3 percent

rise in sales, up to a total value of

$447.1 billion (£277 billion).

(Source: neil berman’s Media Post | Publication: equi=Media)

• More than two thirds of companies,

68 percent recognize a strong

link between long-term business performance and customer experience,

24 percent say there is a weak link. Only 8 percent say

while

there is no recognition of a link.

(Source: econsultancy | Publication: econsultancy)

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• Berman noted that some retailers make

berman’s Media Post blog, uS retailers

CANVAS january 2011

a key time of year for marketers to get their offerings right.

(Source: neil berman’s Media Post | Publication: equi=Media)

• Almost half of company respondents,

49 percent say that a joined-

up multichannel customer experience is very important to their organization, and a further 41percent say it is quite important.

(Source: econsultancy | Publication: econsultancy)

Don’t Make This Mistake When Solution Selling linda bishop Salespeople around the world have wasted ink and time writing proposals that don’t lead to sales. One reason for this is obvious: the customer didn’t request the proposal in the first place! that’s right—the client didn’t ask for a proposal. the salesperson volunteered to do one. now if you were the client, and an eager-beaver salesperson offered to do a bunch of work that came with no strings attached, and their work helps you bet-

If the customer doesn’t flat-out ask for a proposal, don’t volunteer to give them one.

ter understand the offering—or maybe even figure out how to get a competitive quote from eager beaver’s competition—why would you say no thanks?

Clients don’t say no because as smart buyers know, information helps you assess value and negotiate pricing.

So the client says, “Sure, why not?” then eager beaver spends two to 10 hours researching, pricing and writing up the proposal in a pretty presentation format. the client receives it, gives it a quick glance and then sticks it on

the corner of their desk saying, “i’ll have to read that later.” but if they really weren’t ready to buy, they aren’t going to be reading it—or buying from eager beaver—anytime soon.

So here’s one solution selling rule from thought transformation. if the customer doesn’t flat-out ask for a proposal, don’t volunteer to give them one. either they’re not ready to buy what you want to sell, or they’re not ready to buy from you.

Figure that out before you sit down and start typing.

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CANVAS january 2011

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Community Building in the Information Age

by Lorrie Bryan

I

n the 1700s when the landscape of the United States was predominantly a wilderness, there were community builders afoot. Organizations uniting people with common goals and beliefs, secret handshakes and initiation rituals have been a part of the history of

this country since the Freemasons, a union of stonemasons, crossed the Atlantic in 1730. Members donning brightly colored fezzes, elk antlers and colorful patches unapologetically formed private clubs that nurtured relationships and enabled them to socialize, share information and solve problems (and in some cases, drink alcohol on Sunday).

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Community Building in the Information Age

While membership in traditional com-

of Sauers Consulting Strategies, points out that human’s have not

munity groups like Freemasons, rotarians

changed. “We have a fundamental need to connect and belong.

and Optimists has declined steadily in re-

We look for people with similar values, disciplines and challenges

cent years, the number of groups forming

and build relationships as we share information—that’s what we’ve

on the internet frontier is rising rapidly.

always done. We’re just doing it in different ways now, and with

every second, linkedin, the largest profes-

the internet we are able to have real conversations and dialogues

sional network in the world with more than

with people all over the world that share our similar interests. We

85 million members, gets a new member.

socialize, we share information and we solve problems—just like in

And most of the members belong to at

a more traditional networking group. One of the benefits i’ve found

least one of the 650,000 specialty groups

is that people initially are much more willing to share information

accessible through linkedin.

with competitors in forums than in face-to-face meetings.”

Although the way people are now con-

in addition to the networking advantages colleagues experi-

necting has changed, ryan Sauers, president

ence, community building also facilitates relationships between

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CANVAS january 2011

marketers and their customers. Patrick Whelan, president of great reach Communications, says that community building is quickly becoming a customer expectation for marketers. “it’s important because this is the vendor-customer experience that customers are getting used to. As we become more used to it, we therefore expect it.” Whelan cites the change in the internet shopping experience as an example of how something once considered a bonus is now a minimal expectation. “look at internet shopping, particularly the recent Cyber Monday.

Free shipping has now become the norm, whereas initially, only a small percentage of companies offered it. As consumers, we now expect it and increasingly are less willing to devote our attention to companies that don’t conform to our expectations. Customers increasingly expect vendors to cultivate relationships through meaningful communications and interactions, like networking.”

As Whelan points out, successful community building is also about fostering

CANVAS

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Community Building in the Information Age

communication back from your audience. “The dialogue needs to be a two-way conversation. In addition to engaging your audience with meaningful communications via print, e-mail and face-o-face meetings, the strategic use of quality Web sites, social media and blogging are also particularly effective at this.”

What does successful community building look like? When you successfully build a community, your members are not only your customers, but they are also some of your biggest supporters. “On some

“We have a fundamental need to connect and belong. We look for people with similar values, disciplines and challenges and build relationships as we share information—that’s what we’ve always done.”

– Ryan Sauers, president, Sauers Consulting Strategies

level, they feel an emotional attachment to your company. They want you to succeed because they are part of your community,” Whelan says.

“A sale, at its core, is about the relationship. And the relationship is the cornerstone of community building—the more personal the relationship you create, the stronger it will be. Your community members not only want to do business with you, but they also start to encourage other people to do business with you.”

Dscoop (Digital Solutions Cooperative) is an example of a

successful

community

within the print industry.

Started less than six years ago by a combination of

P14 CANVAS january 2011

HP Graphic Arts press owners, and their sales, marketing and production teams, Dscoop now has more than 6,000 active members in 43 countries. Members of Dscoop are focused on supporting each other to collectively improve their print businesses and the backbone technology of HP Graphic Arts digital solutions. The executive director of Dscoop, Eric Hawkinson, says that the foundation of the Dscoop community is their virtual and in-person networking and educational opportunities. Their dynamic Web site (www.dscoop.org), offers a frontline peer-to-peer resource for learning and sharing. Here members have access to a quarterly newsletter featuring relevant thought-leading content and news, monthly real-time and on-demand webinars, and an online community forum with unfettered access to HP expertise. “We are fortunate to have the best and brightest in our industry involved.”

One of the offerings that cements the online relationships is their annual conferences (www.dscoop6.org)—one in the U.S. and one in Asia. “This is our sixth year, and it keeps getting bigger. Many of our members come every year to see friends and colleagues that they have built online relationships with, and to network and integrate with people who face similar business challenges. In this day and age a lot of printers are taking a step back and trying to decide what to do. We are a community of print pioneers who are constantly looking for new ways to evolve successfully and help our membership grow their businesses,” Hawkinson says.

Often in the past, relationships forged at annual conferences were not given much attention the rest of the year. But with easy

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Community Building in the Information Age

“It takes knowledge, time and resources along with some discipline. But we are doing it, and other printers can do it too.”

– Paul edwards, president of formStore incorporated

Collective Intelligence Among Groups? access to online networks, linkedin, twitter, Facebook, e-newsletters and blogs, relationships can be nurtured year round. Another media outlet that is coming into play more frequently is You tube, a video sharing Web site on which users can upload and share videos.

Paul edwards, president of FormStore incorporated, a 30-yearold print company in Missouri, recently created a You tube channel accessible from a link on his Web

Information exchange and a sense of belonging are two reasons people cite for joining networking groups. But apparently there is another advantage.

When it comes to intelligence, the whole can indeed be greater than the sum of its parts. A new study co-authored

by MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and Union College researchers documents the existence of collective intelligence among groups of people who cooperate well, showing that such intelligence extends beyond the cognitive abilities of the groups’ individual members. From ScienceDaily (Oct. 2, 2010)

site. in the six months since its in-

relevant information and content to help you and others succeed. it takes knowledge, time and resources along with some discipline. but we are doing it, and other printers can do it too.” “not only can they do it, but they have an advantage over most companies trying to do it,” Whelan adds. “they have the technology to

generate

printed

communications,

mail

e-mail

is

simple and the technology

ception, the channel has had nearly 3,000 view-

easily accessible, and most printers have experience working

ers. edwards is in front of the camera on most of

with databases. if not, they frequently have established rela-

the posted videos. “You have to be prepared to

tionships with vendors who do. Printers with variable data ca-

participate if you want results,” edwards explains.

pabilities generally have almost everything they need to build

“it’s all about accelerating the two-way sharing of

a community right in their place of operation.”

be sure to visit hP’s graphic Arts about the future of digital print and variable data.

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CANVAS january 2011

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Asset or

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obstACle?

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Customer Relationship — Asset or Obstacle?

but in today’s hyper-competitive economy, relying on your relationships is like trying to paddle through the storm in a leaky row boat—your effort will keep you afloat for a short time, but eventually you’ll find that you just don’t have enough resources to challenge the storm. relying on your relationships is a prescription for eventual failure. here’s why. the world is full of, literally overrun with, business-to-business sales people who have built a solid business

A salesperson develops a set of relationships, and then settles into a routine of seeing those people on a regular basis. As long as they order in a sufficient quantity, life is good.

relationship with a segment of their customer base. they then rely on those relationships to support them.

since they never spent the time and effort to improve themselves, they find themselves woefully unequipped to gain new customers, to create demand for their new products, or to persuasively gain bigger chunks of their customer’s business. their boat is sinking, and they never gained the skills necessary to keep it afloat. the vast majority of b2b sales people have never been trained in the principles, practices and processes that are the best way to do their jobs. not only are they paying the price of never developing their sales competencies, they now find themselves restricted by those very relationships that were,

just a few years ago, their meal tickets. here’s how this works. A salesperson develops a set of relation-

in so doing, they have missed the oppor-

ships, and then settles into a routine of seeing those people on

tunity to develop their sales skills. “i have

a regular basis. those customers come to rely on him, and their

great relationships with my customers,” they

purchasing patterns revolve around those regular visits. As long

think. “i don’t need to learn to sell well.”

as they order in a sufficient quantity, life is good.

And, for years, that was somewhat true. now, however, they are paying the price

but now, those same customers aren’t filling the coffers like they used to. And the salespeople find themselves boxed in. they

of that position. Many of their customers

have created expectations in their customers, and those expecta-

are seeing their businesses decline. the

tions now prevent them from investing time in developing more

relationships that so many sales people

lucrative relationships. how can they call on someone else, when

counted on to support them are no lon-

doing so would mean that they can’t see their buddies as often?

ger as profitable as they once were. And,

That would jeopardize their current relationships. And, besides,

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CANVAS january 2011

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Customer Relationship — Asset or Obstacle?

they just aren’t comfortable cold calling on prospects because they haven’t done that in years.

So, their reliance on relationships has caused them to neglect the development of their own competency, and built the walls around their comfort zones so high as to be almost insurmountable. Faced with the demands of the new economy, they find themselves woefully under equipped as sales people, and fearful of striking out of their comfort zones. Unsure what to do as their boat steadily sinks, they default to bailing even faster and hope the storm goes away.

What do you do if you’re a salesperson in this position?

take on the mindset that you will need to forever improve in these basic sales competencies, and start the never-ending process of improving your sales proficiency right now.

Recognize that your relationships are just as likely to be an obstacle as they are an asset. the solution is for you to change. get some education in how to excel at B2B sales. (Check my Web site, www.davekahle.com for lots of resources.) Start working, right now, to improve your sales competencies. there are better ways to make an appointment, manage a first call, create a customer, expand the business, sell a new product, etc. take on the mindset that you will need to forever improve in these basic sales competencies, and start the never-ending process of improving your sales proficiency right now. look at it as a never ending process, not an event, and start the process as soon as possible.

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CANVAS january 2011

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Customer Relationship — Asset or Obstacle?

then, do a cold-blooded analysis of the profitability and potential of your current relationships, and identify those who are dragging down your productivity. You’ll have to say “no” to some low-potential accounts before you have the time to invest more strategically in higher-potential accounts.

Create two lists: One list of high-potential accounts in

Help your salespeople get an education in the best practices of their profession.

Remember, it is not an event; it is the beginning of a neverending process.

which you want to invest more selling

What do you do if you are a sales manager and recognize the plight of some of your salespeople? the formula is very similar for you. however, instead of just expecting your salespeople to change their behavior on their own, you need to be actively involved in the process. identify those sales people who are at risk of allowing their relationships to lead to their ruin. have a heart-to-heart talk with them, and lay out a plan for their metamorpho-

sis. Don’t be afraid to describe specific benchmarks and deadlines.

time, and the other list of low-potential

then, help your salespeople get an education in the best practices

relationships that are currently slowing

of their profession. remember, it is not an event; it is the beginning of

down your progress.

a never-ending process. (Check our Kahle Way® b2b Selling System.)

now, methodically work at those two lists,

At the same time, work with each salesperson to help him rate

gradually finding a way to excuse yourself

the potential of each account, regardless of the existing relation-

from those low-volume accounts that drain

ship, and to prioritize his time to focus more time on the high po-

your energy and time, and invest more heav-

tential accounts, and less on those that drain his time and energy.

ily in those higher-potential accounts.

Realize that you are embarking on a journey to help that salesperson

it won’t be easy, and it won’t be quick.

change his/her behavior, and that change doesn’t happen overnight.

but, it will help you keep your boat afloat

You should, however, see steady progress. if you don’t see progress,

while you gain the potential to take more

then you may want to consider the long-term future of this salesperson,

control of your destiny.

and how it impacts the company’s ability to survive and prosper.

David Kahle has trained tens of thousands of B2B salespeople and sales managers to be more effective in the 21st Century economy. He’s authored seven books, and presented in 47 states and seven countries. Sign up for his weekly Ezine or visit his blog at www.davekahle.com.

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CANVAS january 2011