Make an Emotional Connection

For the past few weeks I have been working with a client on an e-commerce start-up. It has been an interesting assignment, helping install the back office systems and developing a social media strategy. The fledgling web site is up and functioning but seems a bit sterile to me. It lacks the necessary excitement and call to action to ensure its success. It needs to make an emotional connection with the customer. In discussing this issue with the owner I was reminded of The Banana Republic catalog in its early years.

When I first became acquainted with The Banana Republic it was via their catalog in 1982. The company had only been in business for about four years at that time. I was living in Toledo Ohio and they had yet to build a store in the area. Mel and Pat Ziegler had crafted a catalog that read like a travel diary. Having both worked in newspapers they knew the importance of telling a good story. As the Zieglers wrote in their book Wild Company, “we were looking for a third world adventure theme with vintage army surplus clothing which represented character, charisma, and class. “ They had a vision for the company that would convey adventure, heritage, and independence. At that time the theme was a about military surplus clothing suitable to politically unstable tropical countries, i.e. Banana Republics. I was hooked. I can remember how I would read and re-read their catalog like a novel by a favorite author. They had me. The emotional connection was made. Thirty years on, I can no longer relate to The Banana Republic, but there was a time when their clothing fit my style. I am sure that you can think of one or more similar stories about your favorite brand.

Successful brands are all about building connections with customers and clients that will ensure a long lasting relationship. In our careers we look for customers who share our values and philosophy, people who need our services and enjoy working with us. Clients who give us clear and honest feedback, especially when it is negative, are golden. We strive to build relationships with people who will spread the word about our value proposition. When a problem arises, as will happen, our clients should know that we will take responsibility to find a viable resolution. This confidence builds bonds of trust. So, there are fundamentally two things we must do to establish that emotional connection. The first is to communicate our vision, philosophy, and values. Second, we must deliver on our promise. Talk the talk and walk the walk, so to speak.

Each of us is on our own adventure in life. Starting a new business or changing jobs ranks right up there. Sharing your vision in a way that will make an emotional connection with customers and potential employers is still a wise strategy. Clue them into your journey and make them a part of your adventure. Share your passion for what you do. Make them believe that they can count on you when times are tough. Demonstrate by example how you have built trust on other assignments. Above all, when the deal is done, ensure that you follow through on the commitment you made. Deliver on the promise to ensure the bond is solid.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com

March 2, 2015

It’s Not Personal. It’s Just Business

It has been a very interesting week. Most are these days. It wasn’t because it has been snowing in Atlanta, although that has created its own issues. No, what made this week interesting was the extremes of networking results we encountered. My team was reminded that not everyone is a viable networking partner. That will never change.

While discussing our business development activities I told a colleague about my progress with a new partner. This contact, John is a referral from an associate who recently joined our team. John owns a Professional Services Firm whose model is very complimentary to ours. He is very personable and clearly understands the benefits to networking. After three visits to explore mutual interests and opportunities, with a handshake, we agreed to work together to exchange leads and referrals. In fact, both of us have already made connections on behalf of the other.

I then recapped a list of people I had contacted to set up meetings in the coming weeks. When I got to a specific name my colleague stopped me. “Don’t expect any help from him. He is funny about referrals.” In other words, this person will accept your help, but don’t expect him to reciprocate. I was a bit surprised, to say the least. I was fascinated by my colleagues’ recap of several encounters that made his point.

It is a sad part of life that not everyone is interested in the give-and-take of effective networking. Some people, albeit a small percentage from my experience, are about taking, not giving. It may be conscious or not, but not everyone is blessed with the networking gene. It just isn’t in their DNA. I have seen this phenomena all too often in my work. I cannot count the number of people who would not give me the time of day when I called on them, only to find that I am their long-lost friend when they need my help. Clearly, not the norm. Over time it has been a source of amusement. I have recognized this to be a fact of life. It is a cost of doing business. It’s not personal. I have long had the policy of helping these “long-lost friends” as best as I can without expecting anything in return. Punishing bad behavior with equally bad behavior is a poor business practice which likely leads to bad Karma. It’s not personal. I took my colleague’s admonition to heart but still plan to follow through on our meeting. Who knows, it might lead to some interesting intel.

In life, I have learned that I cannot expect everyone to behave to my expectations. Networking is no exception. So, when planning your networking activities follow the 80/20 rule. Focus on those people who are adept at networking and avoid the takers. Help everyone you can without expectation. If they do not reciprocate, recognize their behavior for what it is, a cost of doing business. It isn’t personal.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com

February 16, 2015

“We Will Sell No Wine Before Its Time”

The Paul Masson brand is best remembered for its 1970s marketing association with Orson Welles, who promised for Masson: "We will sell no wine before its time." An infamous outtake for one commercial from the Orson Welles campaign features Welles attempting to deliver his lines while very severely inebriated. From Wikipedia.

Recently, one of my best clients called to discuss an organization issue. The leadership was planning to terminate a key manager who was not meeting the expectations of the job. The partners, however, had different ideas as to how to fill the void to be created. Two of the partners were behind the promotion of a highly respected, but inexperienced employee. The CEO had another point of view, so he looked to me to provide an unbiased, third-party evaluation. His specific request was for a written report justifying our position.

The client company, a relatively new business, well-funded, it is headed by accomplished industry professionals. They have a proven concept and are moving into a period of rapid growth. In order to be successful it was our view that their key positions must be staffed with self-starters with proof of concept or rely on out-sourced solutions.

My first reaction was great pleasure to know that our firm was held in such high esteem to be chosen to complete this assignment. My next reaction was the realization that this request presented risk to our ongoing relationship. We would be touching on the political dynamics within my client’s culture. My goal was to give the client our very best advice packaged in a way that would be useful and accepted by all parties involved, a win-win-win. I was looking for a solution that would be a factual aid to the client’s decision; that would result in meaningful career counsel for their internal candidate; and which would demonstrate our integrity, protecting our long term relationship. After all, isn’t that the goal of any engagement? Especially since we focus on finding solutions that will ensure our clients long term viability.

The plan we developed consisted of six fundamental steps as follows:

Initial review of internal candidate’s experience vis a vis the client’s job description.
Personal interview with the candidate
Candidate’s completion of Career Insights Profile diagnostic to reveal personal strengths, orientation to work, and personal motivators.
Consultation with our associates to evaluate all relevant findings and craft the appropriate recommendation.
Recap findings and recommendations to the client.
Debrief key members of client’s team and internal candidate.

Our prep work revealed major gaps between the internal candidate’s background and the job requirements. Essentially she was too junior to have the skills and experience to perform the job.

My personal interview revealed that she is intelligent and articulate. She demonstrated her passion for the restaurant industry as a career choice, however she was uncertain about a specific path. She revealed stress related to less than clear communication and direction.

The results of her Career Insights Profile showed her to have a Supporter Style Profile. According to that profile, the candidate is “not outgoing by nature, they tend to rely on more assertive people to take the lead.”

Our team determined that putting this candidate in position at this time and without significant support and direction had a high probability of failure. We discussed the cost of failure to the client, both in financial terms and to their credibility as leaders. We spoke to the cost to the candidate’s ego and motivation to build her career. We believe that she will likely be a long term contributor given the proper positioning, training and development.

The debrief with the key players on the client team did not produce any significant challenges. Their decision now is to determine if they should initiate a search to fill the position in question, or to find an outside resource to manage that function. They must also give consideration to a development program for their internal candidate.

We were successful in this effort, accomplishing our goal for a win-win-win solution. We presented issues the partners had not considered. We were sympathetic to the needs of the internal candidate. We did not put on the hard sell to initiate a search or to provide the needed out-sourced solution. Our report was thoughtful and non-threatening. To successfully navigate any sensitive situation one must clearly understand the needs of all interested parties while maintaining one’s integrity.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com

September 19, 2014

ItB Partners Consulting Group formed by Service/Franchising Executives.

ItB Partners Press Release

ATLANTA, GA – September 2, 2014 – Restaurant, hospitality, and service industry veterans launch ItB Partners (www.ItBPartners.com), a Consulting Company focused on helping their clients 1) Achieve a Competitive Advantage, and 2) Improve Performance and Results.

The Principals behind ItB Partners (which stands for “In the Black”) are Jeannie Rasar, Stan Stout, Jim Weber, and other highly accomplished executives. Each of the Principals has over 25 years of strategic experience with major brands in Restaurants, Hospitality, and the Service Sectors. They bring together a portfolio of skills and experience that span public and private ownership; franchised and non-franchised business models; and a global reach.

“We are a diverse team of experienced leaders, project managers, thought leaders and discipline experts with an established history of accomplishment, business relationships and networks. We have direct experience successfully working with public companies, equity partnerships, start-ups acquisitions and turnarounds across a number of industries – specifically restaurant, hospitality, services and retail segments.”

ItB Partners share a common belief that the client's success is paramount. “This belief runs strong in everything we do. Everything we do is geared to enabling the success of our clients. Our client-focused approach is simple:”

Listen & Understand the Client's Needs
Analyze & Provide Insight
Foster Trust and Forge a True Business Partnership
Plan, Implement & Follow-through
Be Accountable

The Principals:

Jeannie Rasar has served in corporate franchise-based industries for over twenty-five years. Her career has spanned the hotel and restaurant service industries where she had the opportunity to work in the development and delivery of management and line level training curriculum for employees from the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa. This experience base led to the establishment of a consulting business in 2007 where she continues to work with domestic and international organizations with a special emphasis in assisting franchise-based companies in the development of strategies and tactics to support operational systems.

Stan Stout has twenty-six years of leadership positions within the restaurant, service and technology business segments in public, private and equity enterprises. His expertise in the areas of human resources, risk/safety, mergers & acquisitions as well as day-to-day coaching/guidance to his fellow leadership team has helped organizations achieve their desired goals. For the last three years Stan's expertise has been devoted to consulting a wide array of businesses with their organizational needs.

Prior to forming New Century Dynamics Executive Search in 1999, Jim Weber spent 25 years with Fortune 500 companies in the Food Retailing Industry where he developed a broad-based portfolio of "hands-on" line and staff experience in growth and turnaround situations. A proven executive with exceptional leadership skills, Jim has a strong financial background and heavy operations experience in specialty retail stores, quick service restaurants, manufacturing and distribution.

We invite you to learn what we can do to help your business!

For more information please contact Jim Weber at Jim.Weber@ItBPartners.com or by phone at 770-649-7051.

April 6, 2014

Breaking the Feast or Famine Cycle: Part 5

Strategic Partners

In my last post I briefly referenced Strategic Partnerships (SP) as another leveraging tactic to build your business. This is a lesson I learned early in my entrepreneurial incarnation, thankfully! It’s like networking on steroids, a true force multiplier. Strategic Partners are your “go-to” people for specific expertise. You may know a number of people who could provide a solution to a client’s need outside your area of expertise. However, your SP should be at the top of that list. They are super referrals and your most trusted service providers. They enhance the value of your brand and if managed properly, strengthen your bond with the client. After all, we are known by the quality of our work and with whom we are associated.

So what makes a good Strategic Partner? SPs are people who serve the same target market but are not competitors. Or, they could be competitors who serve a different target market, an indirect competitor. They work in a market that you do not plan to penetrate, but would welcome opportunistic income. In my case, an indirect competitor and a viable SP is another executive recruiter who might specialize in global manufacturing or maybe, healthcare. Or someone who works in the same industry segment but places lower than C-level talent. Yes, this is another executive recruiter, but it is unlikely that we would ever compete for the same search. We both come across candidates and prospective clients who we cannot help due to our lack of expertise in their market segment. Certainly, we would like to help those folks and earn a fee; however, the learning curve to compete in that market would be cost prohibitive. A SP is the perfect solution.

The SPs I have developed grew out of referrals from my network. My network pointed me to these folks, initially as a resource for searches. In my work, as with any consultant, I learn a lot about my client’s needs. It is only natural to want to help them solve problems and become more successful. Their success will guarantee a long term relationship and continued success for my brand. I look at this kind of support as value-added. So, having the ability to refer additional resources to help one’s client becomes a win-win. When including your SP, it is a win-win-win.

Working together over time, we developed trust, leading to a more formalized relationship. In one case I needed to help a client find a consultant to support program development under the direction of the new VP Training & Development that I had placed. I received an excellent referral that led to my SP connection, with Morreen Rukin Bayles of Creative Restaurant Solutions. Two of my Strategic Partnerships grew out of alumni connections.

Strategic Partnerships are more than just a value-added service you provide your clients. These relationships are revenue generators. When you enter into an SP you are formalizing your relationship into a line of business. In exchange for being the go-to person for their services you are entitled to referral fee. This makes sense as there is minimal, if any acquisition cost incurred by your SP. You become a marketing resource for your SP and should be compensated, just as your SP would be compensated if she brought you a business deal. As in any business relationship it is important to document your agreement. The type of agreement you choose will be driven by the potential gain and risk in the transaction. At the very least you will want to have a letter agreement on record. A more complicated arrangement may require a more formal contract so you should consult your attorney.

A final thought about quality control. It is still your brand at risk. You need to be careful when selecting your SPs as your brand will become tied to theirs. The wrong partner will introduce serious risk into your business. You must exercise oversight of their work. Check in with your client on a regular basis to secure feedback as to their performance. If there are issues, you must to be alerted early on so that you can help facilitate corrective action. Ultimately, you have a brand to protect so you must be engaged.

To break the feast or famine cycle, be sure to have Strategic Partners on your team!

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Also, I have a one question survey that will help me determine the best topics to cover. Please click on the link below provide your feedback.

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Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com

March 27, 2014

Breaking the Feast or Famine Cycle: Part 4 Leverage

Leverage: the action of a lever or the mechanical advantage gained by it.

Mechanical advantage is a measure of the force amplification achieved by using a tool, mechanical device or machine system. or wear. The performance of a real system relative to this ideal is expressed in terms of efficiency factors that take into account friction, deformation and wear. (from Wikipedia)

The first three installments in this series have been about becoming more productive in our approach to business so that we land more business. To stop the feast or famine cycle in its tracks. But for many freelancers I have talked with there is a dilemma. What does one do if still on assignment and lands an over-lapping assignment? In other words, I cannot take on more work because I am working. Or, how do I ensure that the work done by a Sub will meet my standards, the quality control issue. This concern, if not overcome, guarantees that the feast or famine cycle will continue to plague. Hiring subcontractors does require a change of thinking and the ability to demonstrate some managerial skills. I have always been a firm believer in the Pareto Principle, a/k/a the 80-20 rule. 20% of our efforts result in 80% of our revenue. The key is to know which activities lead to the 80% revenue generators so that one can focus more efforts in that direction. Those are the high value-added activities. The low-value added activities are ripe for offloading. You want to optimize your time so that your high-value added efforts lead to direct revenue production. The solution is a force multiplier, leverage.

Leverage can come in many forms, and even though we don’t have the technology to clone ourselves, the most obvious solution is more bodies. So, think subcontractors. Depending on the scope and duration of the new assignment a subcontractor (sub, or freelancer) could help you wrap up the existing assignment or scope out the new assignment under your direction. This is hardly a new or innovative thought. I know of a number of larger firms who operate almost exclusively with subs, assembling teams on an ad hoc basis. If business development is not your strong suit you can even find someone to take on that responsibility for you as well. Admittedly a bit of time will be required to vet your subcontractors but there are people who can help you with that task as well. In fact, I have placed Freelance Consultants into a number of situations where my client’s need did not warrant a full time employee. Virtual assistants and Strategic Partnerships can be another force multiplier. Strategic Partnerships are a source of referrals whereby fee-splitting arrangements can generate additional income for you. The key is to focus on that which you do best, and let someone else do the rest.

Other sources of income can be another way to beat the feast or famine cycle. If you have a body of work that can be packaged into a product(s) you might consider this option. The internet provides a viable vehicle for conducting webinars using tools like GotoWebinar to capture a sizable audience. The webinar I participated in last month had 100 attendees. If your work is worth $25 a head, and why wouldn’t it be, you could generate $2500.00 in less than an hour if you attracted 100 participants. If you happen to blog as a part of your marketing efforts, think in terms of turning your posts into a book. More leverage.

Do you have a business or a practice? There is a difference as my friend and marketing Guru Gregg Nettleton once told me. A business can continue to function if you are out of the picture for a period of time. A Practice depends on you, and cannot function without you. Use outsourced services to pick up the slack, and ensure that you are managing a business. Leverage is the key. Focus on the high value-added activities and offload the low value added activities. Think in terms of building a business to beat the feast or famine cycle.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Also, I have a one question survey that will help me determine the best topics to cover. Please click on the link below provide your feedback.

http://survey.constantcontact.com/poll/a07e93f58mxht4f5wqw/start.html

Jim Weber

March 20, 2014

Breaking the Feast or Famine Cycle, Part 3

The third installment of my most recent blog posting, Breaking the Feast or Famine Cycle, “You have got to eat” is available for your reading enjoyment. Please visit my blog at InnovativeEmploymentStrategies.blogspot.com Your comments, and referrals are most welcomed.

Thank you.

Jim Weber, President

NEW CENTURY DYNAMICS EXECUTIVE SEARCH

jimweber@newcenturydynamics.com