August 2007, Volume: 10, Issue: e/5, ISBN 1527-5175

~~~ Learn The Game... Marketing is a game. Every game has a structure, rules, a language, strategies and tactics or moves. We tend to enjoy what we understand. The deeper we get into something, the more fun it is. And when we play the game well it's exciting, even exhilarating. The relatively small amount of time you take to learn the basic game of marketing, the sooner you'll understand what it takes to play it successfully and win. Source: Action Plan Marketing, Robert Middleton, http://www.actionplan.com/

~~~ "Past experience... is no guarantee for performance." I remember a great cartoon years ago which said, 1 year of experience 10 times is not the same as 10 years of experience. The core question: How are you refreshing and broadening your experience?

~~~ "The enemy... of great is good enough." Good to Great, Jim Collins

~~~ Business phone no-nos... A phone is an essential business tool; however, sloppy phone technique can hurt your image. Here are our top six bad habits that weaken a professional’s image. 1) Answering only to say you can’t talk; 2) Voicemail greetings days or weeks old; 3) Voicemail referrals without a name, phone number and/or an extension or one that requires hanging up and dialing a different number; 4) Answering with "hello" instead of your name; 5) Over use of a speaker phone; and, 6) Having someone else set your daily greeting. Take your pick, laziness, incompetence, arrogance or some combination. Any or all of these add up to an image most professionals strive to avoid.

~~~ Responding to Detachment(ED Marketing Letter 0707)..."I partly agree with your comment regarding the need to stay detached from situations and be an "outsider". At the same time, however, our success in economic development also depends on being an insider. A large part of our job is to organize the key people and institutions in our communities to be resources that help grow business within the area. By definition, an outsider cannot build these important bridges and relationships. As a result it is extremely important to be an insider for success in economic development. I do agree that removing yourself from these relationships and trappings is important for objectivity, but I would promote more balance between the insider and outsider perspectives. For success in economic development, our professional needs healthy doses of both the insider and outsider perspectives. The key to success is knowing when you need to take an insiders' or outsiders’ perspective or being able to maintain a proper balance between these two perspectives." David McFadden, WA

~~~ "I will be retiring... on July 31st. It has been a pleasure knowing you and I wish NH had continued with the Business Visitation Program as you and I know it. I have also enjoyed your newsletters and I want to thank you for taking the time to put them together and for sharing them with us." John Duclos, NH

~~~ No Money, No Love... only 46 percent of the 233 executives surveyed by the Strativity Group said they are "truly committed to the customer," a statistically insignificant change from last year. Even more telling, 59 percent admitted that the role of the customer is not well defined. And less than half of those surveyed -- 46 percent -- say they deserve their customers' loyalty. This response is strong evidence of a product-focused model, not a customer-centric model. Hence, the majority of firms chase market share at the expense of profitability. Sound familiar? It should. Our guess is the numbers would be very similar if the survey was conducted among economic development organizations. Most organizations’ behavior reflects a bias toward product-focused strategy favoring market share at the expense of growth. In other words, what existing business strategy? Entrepreneurship, you say? Yea, but what are you doing for the entrepreneurs who are already running and growing businesses in your community?

~~~ "We're really reaping the rewards... of the Synchronist System - that portfolio scatter grid has really got our minds rolling! - info now, and starting to look beyond current issues. Gillian Sheldon, ON, CANADA

~~~ Imagine... a combination of Business Week, the Harvard Review, and every how-to management topic imaginable. That would be http://www.bnet.com, a really good source for business information.

~~~ Synchronist Users... Synchronist Users' Forum, October 3 - 5, Chicago, IL. Share experiences and best practices with some of the best professionals in business retention. Preliminary agenda and registration http://www.blanecanada.com/usersforum.html

~~~ Foreman does it again… Not content to leave well enough alone, Maury Forman – the most prolific editor/author in the US of economic development books and the director of Education and Training for Washington’s Department of Community Trade and Economic Development – has just published with co-author Michelle Harvey, of the Association of Washington Cities, "The Ten Commandments of Community Leadership". In an easy to read, non threatening style, the commandments are on target for every board of directors. Purchase copies for your board training. ^^^ Info, contact Linda Alongi at LindaA@cted.wa.gov or 360-725-4031. Cost is $10.

~~~ "Selling is... about a transference of emotion, not a presentation of facts. If it were just a presentation of facts, then a PDF or a Web site would be sufficient to make the phone ring." The Dip, Seth Godin, author, Penguin Group Publishing, 2007 ^^^^ Source: Ron Kitchens, SWMichigan First.

What are you reading that we should know about?
Send your reading list to:ecanada@blanecanada.com

~~~ Is the marketing-only organization DOA... in economic development? Not yet, but it is headed that direction when you consider the global trends. Selling harder or selling smarter does not address thoday’s trends. A new "brand" will do nothing. Is your strategy forward thinking or forward sinking? Think about it. (DOA = dead on arrival)

~~~ What do the best in the business worry about... Differentiation in a world where there is no attention to detail; Lack of federal policy on tech-led ED; Term-limited legislature that does not know how to react quickly to change or plan more than 3 years out; Maintaining momentum; Finding proper balance between personal and professional; Are my kids going to live the American Dream; Fast changing world - slow changing leadership; Waking up with cleat marks on my face left by the competition; Depth of the ED bench (future professional leaders). Source: Engage 2006 (a meeting of leaders in Economic Development)

~~~ Rule #16... If you are planning a Power Point presentation, use 3 minutes per slide to estimate presentation time. Too often a speaker will arrive with 20 slides for a 20 minute presentation. It just doesn't work. If you have 20 minutes, plan on 6-7 substantive slides. If your slides are really dense - lots of copy - cut back even more. You will be more relaxed and the audience will be less frustrated.

~~~ Next big thing... You don't have to know what the next big thing will be. Build a receptive environment and you will be ready for whatever appears on the horizon. Ignore the fundamentals, chase rainbows, and you will likely be out of position to take advantage of the next big thing. Blane, Canada Ltd.'s Physics of Marketing (course).

Blane, Canada Ltd.
1506 Cadet, Suite 100
Wheaton, IL 60187-7380
ph 630.462.9222
fax 630.462.9210

info@blanecanada.com