Wanted Marketing Linchpins

Linchpin Rich Meyer

“Today I had the choice of doing something important that no one would ever Linchpin realize…or doing something that would seem like an accomplishment. So I a>ended mee?ngs un?l I could no longer appreciate the diﬀerence” Dilbert

Welcome to the new world of work •  We are surrounded by bureaucrats, note takers, literalists, TGIF employees, map followers, and people afraid to speak up. Linchpin •  We are oGen led by managers who do what is best for themselves, not what is best for your customers or your brand. •  Processes are too oGen aligned around what is best for the company, not your customers. •  We spend way too much ?me in mee?ngs, and doing and re-‐doing Power Point presenta?ons. •  We try too hard to be liked by business colleagues because we are oGen graded on how well we “get along” with others.

How did we get here ? •  The economy and high unemployment rate have led to fearful employees who will do Linchpin anything to keep their jobs. •  Matrix organiza?ons spread decision making. Agreeing with the crowd, even if they are wrong, is oGen the only course of ac?on. •  Too many employees are evaluated on how they “get along” with others within their organiza?on. This includes Resistance Leaders and Lizard Brains.

On top of all this, consumer behavior also is changing •  Consumers have changed their behavior as a result of the Linchpin recession. •  They are not loyal or cheap commodi?es any more. •  They have become more skep?cal of tradi?onal marke?ng and have more power than marketers realize or give them credit for.

And all this is happening when more employees are saying… “It’s not my job” Linchpin •  Employees who want to clear projects from their desks and get them done even if it means not doing them right. •  The Resistance loves processes and following rules. •  Consumers know which brands value them as people and which ones see them as “proﬁt centers”.

The irony of all this is •  What companies desperately need now are indispensable employees who are Linchpin original thinkers, provocateurs, and people who care about what they do and how it impacts customers. •  We need marketers who can lead, salespeople who are willing to make a human connec?on, passionate change makers willing to be shunned to make a point. Down with the Resistance !!!!!

Working in corporate America can be challenging today The working middle class is suﬀering right now: Linchpin •  Wages are stagnant •  Job security is gone •  More work with less people equals more stress •  It’s easier for companies to turn employees into replaceable cogs in a vast machine. •  The easier people are to replace, the less they need to be paid.

The only way to stand out is to become indispensible •  The only way to get what you are worth is to stand out, to exert emo?onal labor, to be seen as indispensible, and to produce interac?ons that organiza?ons and people care about. Linchpin If you want a job where it’s okay to follow the rules, don’t be surprised if you get a job where following the rules is all you get to do. Seth Godin, Linchpin

But by becoming indispensable, you may not be loved Linchpin It’s enGrely possible that once you chose to become indispensible, you will no longer be loved.

So the ques?on becomes, Do you really want to be a Linchpin ? Linchpin

Linchpin What is a Linchpin ?

Law of Linchpin Leverage The more value you create in your job, the fewer clock minutes of labor you actually spend creaGng that value. Linchpin hours of eﬀort/day follow instructions “most of the Gme, you’re not being brilliant” insights pay

Fearless, reckless, and feckless Organiza?ons go out of their way to seek out people who are fearless, but they also go out of their way to weed out the reckless. •  Fearless means “unafraid of things that one shouldn’t be afraid of,” like: Linchpin –  Giving a presenta?on to an important customer without losing a night’s sleep. –  Taking intellectual risks and forging new paths. •  Reckless means rushing into places that only a fool would go. –  It leads to big problems and can cost your company a lot of money. –  Reckless is what led to the mortgage and liquidity crisis. •  Feckless is ineﬀec?ve, indiﬀerent and lazy. –  “I’ll do just what my job requires me to do even though I could do be>er” –  “I don’t care, it will never work anyway”

Do you have the ?me to be perfect ? Linchpin Quan?ty Quality Do you spend all day trying to be perfect (avoiding mistakes)? If so, you’ll never catch up and have ?me to really think about what you’re doing.

Because you shouldn’t be afraid of failure Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. Henry Ford Linchpin You can't have any successes unless you can accept failure. George Cukor Nothing fails like success because we don't learn from it. We learn only from failure. Kenneth Boudling

But beware the Resistance, they want to assimilate you Linchpin

The Resistance: Your Lizard Brain •  The Lizard Brain is hungry, scared, angry, and wants to eat to be safe. Linchpin •  The Lizard Brain will ﬁght you at every turn and would rather run away or remain with the status quo. •  The Lizard Brain is more concerned with what everyone else thinks, because status within the tribe is essen?al to survival and promo?ons.

The Resistance is not to be taken lightly •  The Resistance (lizard brain) can wreck people, teams, and brands. Linchpin •  The Resistance is nefarious, clever and is always in mo?on. •  It creates procras?na?on & ra?onaliza?on. •  “You can’t beat it, so you must seduce it.” Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Don Corleone, The Godfather

The Resistance is strong “See, I told you it would never work.” •  The Resistance loves school Linchpin because school is obedience and they can be soothed by thinking more obedience is be>er work. •  At work, the Resistance plays devil’s advocate in mee?ngs, they follow the rule book and processes even if they are not applicable.

The reason the Resistance can win at work is because “you might fail” Sure, you might fail, but successful people think of failure diﬀerently. Linchpin •  Successful people: –  learn from failure –  learn that the tac?cs they used didn’t work or that the person they used them on didn’t respond. •  You become a winner because you are good at losing. In their quest for for job safety, the Resistance is laying the groundwork for their own eventual demise.

Sure you can fail but Linchpins turn failure into success and build on it Linchpin By using….

Linchpin The 7 abili?es of a Linchpin

Provide a unique interface between members of the organiza?on •  Help lead and establish human connec?ons. Linchpin •  Provide a link between your customers and key inﬂuencers within the organiza?on so they can hear what consumers think and feel when it comes to your brand and products.

Deliver unique crea?vity •  Be passionate enough to Linchpin risk rejec?on by bringing new thinking to problems. •  Stay away from spreadsheet “analysis paralysis” because your compe?tors are using the same spreadsheets.

Manage a situa?on or organiza?on of great complexity •  Linchpins make their Linchpin own maps and blaze new trails because there is no manual for rapidly changing business environments. •  By developing new processes and trails, you become more valuable to the organiza?on.

Lead customers •  Consumers are seeking to connect more and Linchpin more. •  The new model is interac?ve and decentralized with people who can solve customer problems without requiring tons of mee?ngs.

Inspire Staﬀ •  Understand your job is to make things happen. Linchpin •  Destroy the “it’s not my job” agtude. •  Make people feel they are part of the greater good that makes things happen.

Provide deep domain knowledge •  Understand the issues from “what” to “why” and you’ll Linchpin be able to provide be>er solu?ons that meet your customer needs. •  Don’t rely on data alone, always ask “what is this telling us ?”

Possess a unique talent •  The more unique your talent, the more Linchpin indispensable you are. •  Always keep learning and acquire new skills and talents. •  Be thought of as an “expert” in certain capabili?es.

Remember, not every ar?st creates “a work of art” “Most arGsts can’t draw, but they can see” •  An ar?st is someone who uses bravery, insight, crea?vity, and boldness to challenge the status quo. •  Art is a personal act of courage, something that one human does that creates Linchpin change in another.

Are you willing to follow your passion ? Following your passion is much more desirable than watching the clock Linchpin •  Passion is the desire, insistence, and willingness to give of yourself to make others around you be>er. •  Passion isn’t making money...it’s making a difference. •  Passion isn’t project specific, it’s people specific . •  People with passion look for ways to make things happen.

Today could be a turning point “Today is a turning point, a once-‐in-‐a-‐ life?me moment in ?me when you get to Linchpin make a choice. Instead of focusing on complying with management as a long-‐ term strategy for gegng more stuﬀ and being more secure, we have a chance to describe a powerful vision for our future and to actually make it happen. The new dream isn’t about obedience, it’s about vision and engagement” Seth Godin Linchpin

Sooner or later, we all have to make a tough choice Linchpin “Sooner or later, marketers have to make a choice between following the crowd and being loved, or making yourself indispensible by doing what is best for your customers and your brand.” Richard Meyer Passionate Marketer

Linchpin Don’t let it go… because when you do, you slowly lose your passion and work becomes a job where you are more interested in watching the clock and waiGng for the weekend.

About me •  Richard Meyer •  My resume h>p://www.richardameyer.com •  My marke?ng BLOG h>p://www.richsblog.com •  MY DTC BLOG h>p://www.worldofdtcmarke?ng.com Linchpin h>p://www.twi>er.com/richmeyer h>p://www.facebook.com/richardameyer h>p://www.linkedin.com/in/richardameyer

Linchpin This presenta?on is dedicated to Seth Godin. Linchpin You have led me to rethink all that I learned and I use your books as a reference tool to apply what you teach. Thank you If there is one book that you need to read, this is the book. Purchase it here at Amazon

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Wanted Marketing Linchpins

by Rich Meyer on Apr 03, 2010

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Wanted Marketing Linchpins — Presentation Transcript