The Rock

KIS MY SMS - This week Bob offers a few notable ideas for text message marketing as part of a mobile solution

2012-03-01T15:40:00.000-05:00

Anyone who's worked in sales or marketing has heard about the KIS theory (Keep It Simple). And if you've been around a mobile phone lately you're familiar with SMS (Short Message Service), which, in non-marketing language, is texting. Combine KIS and SMS and you have a good strategy to pop into your marketing toolbox. I would suggest you do a little research first, and think about how text messaging fits into the larger picture of your overall marketing strategy. This way you can be sure your SMS promotion is a real success instead of a flat afterthought. (Of course, we'd be happy to chat with you, since Shamrock has developed a comprehensive mobile solution that can be customized to your needs.) Here are a few text marketing tips to think about:

Real Men Opt-In -

In all age groups from 17 to 55+, men outnumber women when it comes to opting into an SMS promotion. Probably because it's delivered right to our phone, and all we have to do is say "OK" (opt-in) to receive future promotions. The only age group where it's a close race between the sexes is in the age category 25-34 (here, both men and women opt-in at an average of 57 to 58%). But if you want an SMS campaign targeted to women, do your homework, and chances are good they'll respond too.

Make It Worth My Time -

Make the message short and the promo easy to get (KIS!), so the person receiving the message wants to opt-in. Oh, don't forget that people pay for texts so your text should offer immediate gratification and good value. And don't over-message! Too much of a good thing will easily turn off your audience.

Use KIS for SMS -

Keep it quick and simple. One of the most successful text messaging campaigns I've heard about involves a pizza shop. The owner asks customers to opt-in to his text message with a great discount coupon. When business is slow he sends a message to his existing opt-in customers, offering a 2-for-1 deal during lunch. He reports an increase in profits by 20% and he's cut advertising by 50%. Not bad!

Spread the Message -

Like any good marketing strategy, it's important to reach people through all media. Let your audience know that there's a really special SMS promotion going on through e-mail, social media, traditional advertising and whatever else you generally use to get the word out.

ONE LAST THING...

Marketing, even a new opportunity like SMS, is not brain surgery. But, to be successful, it should be well planned and well executed. And asking for professional help may help you get started. If you're interested, give us a call.

TALK TO ME! This week Bob discusses which marketers do their best to reach Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y.

2012-02-23T14:42:00.000-05:00

The amount of online research and blogs about marketing to Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y is overwhelming. Yet, some marketers seem to understand how to talk the generational talk, and others just don't. While I'm not an expert on generational marketing, my business is marketing, so I've thought about, and read a lot about generational marketing. Here's my take on who does it well.

Boomers want to be "Forever Young"

If you're talking to Boomers your message should be ageless. I think Viagra and Cialis get the message. Their ads always use youthful-looking, energetic people who seem to be enjoying life. Another good example is Apple. They do a good job with their advertising. It's ageless. It's about a lifestyle and a state of mind. Apple’s advertising speaks to Boomers --not down to them, or up to them, but directly to them.

Gen X wants it straight - no hype

My observation of the Gen X crowd, and from what I know of my family who are Gen X’ers, is they tend to research a lot while they're shopping online. They read reviews and visit more opinion sites than Boomers. From what I see, Gen X’ers are turned off by ad hype, overstatement and they keep a constant lookout for hypocrisy and self-importance. That's why advertisers who use self-mockery appeal to them. In my opinion, web sites like Amazon and Zappos lead the pack for online marketing to Gen X. Both sites meet their needs for thoughtfulness about spending money and ease of access to what they're searching for.

If you're talking to Gen X, I suggest using social media as part of your marketing strategy. Marketing people I've talked with suggest a couple of tactics: Ramp up your presence on Yelp and other opinion web sites, and also use keyword search engine advertising.

Gen Y loves blogging and bloggers

The new mommy bloggers are Gen Y. (One of my Gen Y colleagues told me The Parents Network mentioned that 68 percent of all births are to Gen Y moms!) I'm sure that every PR and interactive agency wants to reach the mommy bloggers. Gen Y is all about listening to "influencers", and the most influential people for this generation are bloggers. (Marketers can find Gen Y bloggers on two networks: Brazen Careerist and 20 Something Bloggers.)

If you're talking to Gen Y, I'd also suggest spending a good portion of your ad budget on mobile. Gen Y never leaves home without a cell phone. According to Ad Age, “One-quarter of Facebook’s 400 million users access the site through mobile devices and this set is twice as active than non-mobile users.” As geo-gaming apps like Foursquare and Gowalla take off, I expect we'll see more opportunities to advertise to Gen Y on-the-go. As for who markets well to Gen Y? That's what I'd like you to tell me! Given the fact that Gen Y is strongly attached to mobile apps and bloggers, are marketers doing a good job reaching them now?

ONE LAST THING...

As marketers, it's up to us to try to stay on track with the lightening speed of advancement. Read blogs. Download apps. Keep on talking to people of different generations and find out what advertising they respond to. Hire young people and know what makes them tick. If not, you're risking oblivion for your products and services.

Of Icons and Idols - This week Bob shows some love for a couple of people who helped guide his business career.

2012-02-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

After a nice Valentine dinner with my wife, my mind wandered back to business. Occupational hazard, I guess. I began thinking about earlier Valentine’s days, when I was just beginning my career and dinner out on this holiday was a special treat we saved for.

That led me to think about how I started in business, certain people who helped shape my career, and those in business I admire today.

One of my present idols is Phil Knight who, with Bill Bowerman, founded Nike in 1978. By 1980 -- a mere two years -- Nike attained a 50% market share in the U.S. athletic shoe market. According to Phil Knight, the company's growth was due largely to "word-of-foot." Knight always had a way with words.

In 1988, Knight had the common sense to approve the iconic slogan "Just Do It", which was chosen by Advertising Age as one of the top five ad slogans of the 20th century and enshrined in the Smithsonian Institution. Pretty impressive for a company that's less than half a century old. And that Swoosh! Recognized the world over.

Knight knew how to empower people to think outside the box (i.e., "Just Do It") and I admire him for that. I like to use the tool of empowerment with my people. Instead of "Just Do It", I tell them to "Just Figure It Out." Perhaps not as lyrical, but the meaning is the same: The power is within you.

However, the most lasting idol in my life will always be my dad. I admired his work ethic then, and I still do now. He worked for Lincoln Electric, a company driven to excel by providing incentives to people who were paid by the number of items they produced. Back in the day, it was called piecework. Everyone worked under the assumption that the more you produced, the more you were paid. Today we call it incentive. In their 118-year history, Lincoln Electric never had a layoff. Not many companies can say that today. Under Lincoln's incentive-to-work model, Dad was able to provide nicely for our large family.

Part of Shamrock has been built by the lessons I learned from Dad and part continues to be motivated by my admiration for corporate leaders like Phil Knight. Give employees a challenge and they will live up to it -- and more. Empower employees to think outside the box and they will do more than ever imagined.

ONE LAST THING...

I think people are motivated by challenges and incentives; it's in the human spirit. Others may not agree. Beginning this month, we'll see, because we're introducing a new incentive program for employees. It challenges them to achieve their personal best. They're not competing with one another. Their only competition is themselves. My guess is that they'll all be winners.

WE CAN WORK IT OUT - Bob asks the question, "Are Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y really that different?"

2012-02-08T17:03:00.000-05:00

As an entrepreneur and part of the Boomer generation, the One Big Thing that drives me is fear of failure. I'd like to think that's what drives any successful business person. But I've learned that's not necessarily true for Generation X (30 to 40-something years old) and Generation Y (20s and 30s).

Today's workplace is made up of people from different generations with different ideologies and concepts about workplace success. Sometimes we don't realize the differences between Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y until faced with this core issue: in order for our business to survive, we need to hire younger employees to replace those preparing to retire. We must learn that we all can work together and benefit from the impact of other generations in the workplace. The Boomer generation can learn a lot about new technology from our younger counterparts and Generations X and Y coworkers can embrace the experience and commitment of the preceding generation.

In our competitive economy, it's important for us to understand how others are motivated at work, so that we can work well together. Here's a synopsis I'd like to share with you about generational differences/similarities. It's from a company called Cesson (www.CESSON.com), and it provides information about the unique needs of generations in the workplace:

What Boomers Want -- "Live to Work"

-- Acknowledgement of their value; respect for their skills and knowledge

-- Flexible goals and guidelines

-- Accommodating scheduling, benefits and technology training

What Generation X Wants -- "Work to Live"

-- Freedom to complete tasks at own discretion while following guidelines

-- Praise for jobs well done (an honest appraisal)

-- Growth opportunities

-- Reward with training and increased responsibility

-- Fun at work and a healthy work/life balance

What Generation Y Wants -- "Live, and Then Work"

-- Access to technology, a teamwork environment, jobs that allow multi-tasking;

-- Tasks that are challenging and rewarding

-- Desire to be respected for their level of education

-- Eager to learn and be consulted in decision-making

-- Structure, supervision and immediate gratification and feedback

ONE LAST THING...

Perhaps we're not so different after all. To maintain our competitive spirit, we all have to adapt to a youthful way of thinking and the new advances in technology, so that we may better understand our customer. We need to learn from and depend on one another's differences -- and similarities -- to gain advantages that lead to our mutual success.

AGE BEFORE TEXTING - Does Bob text? You bet, but only when it serves his "boomer" purpose.

2012-02-01T16:36:00.004-05:00

Look, I get it. I understand the value of new technology in our lives, but, like my peers, I want proof that it lends value to my life. I'm not out there IM'ing or texting friends for the heck of it. I don't connect with friends on Facebook or Twitter. But I will send a text message or email message from my phone when my laptop's squirreled away under twenty shirts in my suitcase. In fact, I couldn't survive in today's world if I didn't have a laptop or my iPhone. So, when new technology helps me get my business done more quickly, I'll use it like a pro. But, I won't spend hours with my phone, playing games or texting BFF's.

Generally, I am a product of my generation.

Like many baby boomers, I fall right into the category, as outlined by a recent study conducted by the Pew Research (http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Generations-and-gadgets.aspx). In February, 2011, the study, about generations and their gadgets, concluded that the younger the generation the more they use technology. I knew that. I can walk around our office and see how just a few years can make a difference in the way people use new technology.

Like my baby boom friends, I generally use my cell phone to make calls. I'll also text or email if it will get the job done efficiently. But, Generation Y (born between 1977 and 1993) is more likely than I to use the phone for a variety of purposes – taking photos, texting, accessing the internet, playing music etc.

Other interesting facts from the research? Younger people are much more likely to own laptops and other portable devices like iPads, than their older counterparts. Same for mp3 players and game consoles. Not so surprising. However, I found this statistic interesting: there's little difference between generations regarding ownership of an e-Book reader. It's good to know that reading's not yet dead.

As a business man, my take away from this survey is, regardless of your age, if you come in contact with people from various generations (and who doesn't), it's important to know their preference for communicating so that you can correspond with them comfortably. Thus, the bottom line: it's time for all business people to know everything they can about new technology... and learn how to use it to its best advantage.

ONE LAST THING...

This cartoon nicely sums up the concluding remarks in the Pew Research survey: "Baby Boomers want to master technology, Generation X enjoys using technology and Generation Y employs it."

SERIOUSLY? Bob discusses work/life balance, throws a question out to readers and offers a free lunch...

2012-01-25T16:55:00.000-05:00

I'm a big proponent of a positive work/life balance. When I got married I was also carving out the future of my career. One of the things my wife and I agreed upon was that we would always take time to enhance our personal life together and balance it with our work life. We agreed to have dinner together every evening, and when kids came along, they became part of the nightly ritual of the family dinner and, as the kids grew older, we shared in their sports and other extra-curricular activities. We still maintain a balance to ensure our personal life is equal to the time spent with work, even if it means working after hours at my home office so that the family can spend some dinner and after dinner time together. I learned, early on, that our personal lives can be a great way to relieve the stressors in our work life.

That's not to say I don't think work can -- and should -- be fun. The culture at Shamrock is to try not to take the stressors of the work day too seriously. After all, we're not in the business of curing cancer. We're trying to help people market and sell their products more successfully. It's work that's enjoyable, enriching and, at times, very rewarding. Doing a good job at work is serious, but we can certainly approach our day with a sense of enjoyment, and at times, even wonderment.

As I've often said, I think of employees as family, and we care about them as family. That's why, over the years, we've developed a culture at Shamrock that helps make coming to work pleasurable. Among the things we do to stay in touch are monthly meetings that include all Shamrock employees. Our culture club includes employee volunteers from every department, who help us to define the culture we want to instill in the workplace family. And, like a family, everyone has the freedom to express his or her opinion and make suggestions.

The last few years have been difficult for anyone in business. Some days work wasn't as much fun as I'd like it to be. But we've managed to overcome the worst days and I see far brighter days ahead.

ONE LAST THING...

Part of staying close with my work family (which includes employees, customers and vendors) has always been to ask questions for an open dialogue. It's part of staying in touch with one another and finding out what issues are important. This week, I have a question for you: "How do you manage your work and life in order to keep a sense of balance that's comfortable for you?"

I look forward to your answers. We'll choose the best answer, post it, and the winner will be invited to talk with me about his or her personal and professional plans over a private lunch. I look forward to hearing from you!

THE BIG THREE

2012-01-20T08:32:00.001-05:00

Winning in business today is the game of three:

1. Using social media as part of your communication tool box

2. Incorporating new technology into the equation

3. Making sure your business is up to speed and that you understand how to best use 1 and 2

In some ways, it's a tougher game. Just learning all the right social media moves and what tech tools will help keep your business floating above the near drowning overflow seems like a job in and of itself. But the good news is that now there is so much more access to information, which helps make the job easier.

I'd like to share an article I found online the other day. It discusses how emerging technologies can help businesses gain greater insight and new customers (Emerging Tech Trends). The article cites several trends that will quickly impact how we do business, including social, next-gen mobile, cloud, consumerization, and big data. I'd like to focus on smart mobility and HTML 5, discussed in this worthwhile post, since we're presently considering these two for customers.

Mobile phone apps as an enterprise tool are quite common today. But you may be surprised to hear that up to 96% of enterprise tablet activations in 2011 were iPads. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. According to this Emerging Tech Trends post, "Social business efforts must make platform an equal citizen, and in many, if not most, cases go mobile first. Oncoming rapidly however are technologies such as near-field communications or NFC, which will make location-context, payments, and gamification much easier. In terms of social media, NFC is going to make check-ins on location-based social networks like FourSquare even simpler, enable single-gesture product comparisons in stores, and even make friending each other less of a hassle by simply tapping smart devices together." Right now, we have customers getting ready to take mobile apps to the next level. Are you ready?

The second big thing everyone's talking about is HTML 5. It almost makes the web competitive with the current crop of proprietary mobile platforms such as iOS, Android, and Blackberry OS. It does this by adding much of what is missing from a common browser, such as location, local storage, video and audio streaming. In the near future, those of us building or acquiring social apps will likely have to deliver them in HTML 5 to reach the widest number of users with the richest form of functionality. Ready yet?

WE ARE AMAZING

2012-01-12T07:56:00.002-05:00

We're always seeking ways to do outstanding work and stay connected with our Customers. In fact, we've decided our second resolution for 2012 is Taking Communication to the Next Level to Amaze Our Customers. And by the way, our employees are considered Customers too, since they are the first line of communication to the community, our vendors, and of course, our business-to-business associates.

I believe the best way to amaze Customers through excellent communication includes three important steps:

1. Stay connected / Stay involved. The only way to find out how we're doing and if we can do it better is to ask. And that requires honest, straightforward, face-to-face communication with all of our Customers. It also includes using new forms of communication to know what our Customers are thinking.

2. Ask Questions. "What's new? What are some of the business problems you're facing right now? What areas of spending in your business do you foresee increasing or decreasing?”

3. Always be ready to help Customers find solutions. "Here's how we/I can help."

Last week I spoke about our first resolution: How we will use social media as a communication tool. Social media is a great way to communicate with Customers and share ideas. I'm not saying we should ignore picking up the phone and talking with Customers, or sharing a good idea with your Shamrock peers. Actually, I think a phone call to a business associate or a walk down the hall to talk with a co-worker is a great method of connecting and communicating. But social media gives us a chance to connect and share ideas, trends, and new concepts with so many more people at one time. Without connecting there is no amazing. In the 20th Century "old days", we called this information gathering. It still is, and it still works.

Information gathering is a great way to reveal new ideas and share them with Customers. In the upcoming months we'll be asking you questions, gathering your thoughts, and sharing them, using social media, email, and face-to-face communication, as well.

FINAL THOUGHT...

Taking Our Communication to the Next Level to Amaze Our Customers takes many forms and fills many gaps. One form is recognizing a job well done. In the next week or so we'll be announcing an exciting new employee recognition program, intended to reward employees who go the extra step to find ways to connect, communicate and amaze our Customers, whether they're our co-workers, our vendors, or our business-to-business associates. So, here's a question for you: How does your company recognize employees? Please let us know by responding to this post or on our Facebook page, and we'll pick the most interesting response and reward the winner with a gift.

6 STEPS TO A STICKY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

2012-01-05T09:10:00.003-05:00

Making business resolutions is no different than making personal resolutions. For any resolution to stick it should be:

1. Specific

2. Measurable

3. Actionable

4. Realistic

5. Time bound

6. Written down

Let me give you an example. In 2012, Shamrock has specifically resolved to expand the ways in which we communicate with our customers. Our plan to achieve this and measure its success in 2012 will be accomplished by integrating our messages through all forms of social media. Why? Because social media gives Shamrock the opportunity to reach customers in ways that are meaningful to them. whether it's Facebook, Twitter, a blog post or email, we know that everyone has their favorite way to receive information. So, we're relying on all the communication touch points in 2012 to provide useful information and receive feedback from our customers.

We resolve to make our social media more actionable. We'll do this in two ways. In 2012 you'll find that our Facebook and blog posts will be more conversational. We'll be asking questions, taking polls and offering informative statistics. And we'll rely on getting your answers by using the oldest tactic in marketing: incentives. (Yes, you'll have to read our blog posts and friend us on Facebook to check out how we'll be using incentives that will reward respondents with prizes.)

Is this resolution (by the way, it is a written plan)realistic? I believe so, because we specifically designed our new communication and feedback strategy to define our service offerings so that we can find new ways to help our customers approach challenges using inventive tools and, hopefully, turn those very challenges into new and exciting opportunities.

FINAL THOUGHT...

The new year has become synonymous with making resolutions. What's your top resolution? Does it include the six steps? Nine times out of 10, resolutions don't stick because they're not realistic or they're not specific. Losing weight means nothing. Writing down that you plan to lose five pounds in five months by cutting down on sweets and dairy products and upping your workouts from three to five times a week is specific, achievable, measurable, realistic and time bound. It has a chance to stick around beyond January 31, 2012.

BEYOND THE PAYCHECK. WHAT BRINGS YOU TO WORK EACH DAY?

2011-12-29T08:22:00.002-05:00

When I started my career, I worked for a very successful entrepreneur who always enjoyed the social side of the business. He would throw an office party to share success with the group and show his feelings of appreciation for his employees. One thing he said to me, though, struck me as a little off through my entire career. "Don't ever get too close to your employees," he warned me. "If you do, it becomes harder to pull away if you have to." I presume he meant, it becomes harder to fire someone. Whatever his reason, that was one thing he and I didn't agree on. I believe, that in order to retain good people, you have to go beyond the paycheck.

A fairly recent survey on The Plain Dealer cleveland.com website asked respondents, What's the most important factor in your job satisfaction? Naturally, most (23.97%) said, "Pay that's fair for the work I do". Well, sure... or as my kids will say, "well, duh"... the paycheck is what we all work for.

But, a close runner-up among respondents (20.79%)was "Knowing that I am appreciated by the people I work for."

So, my gut instinct was right, all along. Recognizing a good job and rewarding an employee with a that's the spirit congratulatory phone call, a stop by an employee's office for a personal chat, a one-on-one lunch, or, maybe, a surprise gift of a weekend getaway... goes a long way in retaining good people. On a more personal level, if one among us is celebrating a special family anniversary, birthday, or a graduation, I like the idea of stopping by or calling to offer my personal congratulations.

We've all been through difficult times during the past few years. I've had to make some tough decisions that forced Shamrock to run hard and lean. But it helped us to remain healthy as an organization. These decisions affected my people; some more than others. But, these decisions also made us stronger as the Shamrock family, so that we're positioned to enjoy the days ahead.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT

Everyone of us, from clients to vendors to employees may, at some time, have problems at work or outside the workplace. Those who know me, know that my door is always open for a confidential discussion. I may not always have the right answer or solution for the problem, but I'll do everything I can to offer each of you honest advice and counsel.

WHY THAT FIRST CHRISTMAS LASTS FOREVER

2011-12-22T09:36:00.001-05:00

Last night I watched a TV show with a Christmas theme. (Not unusual for this time of year.) One of the people on the show said something that was memorable. (Usually unusual for TV.) He said, as adults, we're always trying to capture the childhood feeling of our first Christmas, which is why we work so hard to make Christmas special.

Good memories are like that. Over the years they take on a special glow and we remember specific events with nostalgia. For me, it's Christmas time. I remember so many wonderful childhood Christmas events.

I remember going into the forest each year with my parents to cut down and bring home the perfect tree. It had to appear perfect to every one of us!

I remember sneaking downstairs to see the tree, heavy with ornaments collected over the years. And the presents. It seemed like there were mountains of presents under a tree that sparkled with mounds of tinsel. Those special memories of Christmas excitement have never left me.

We still have a live tree at home, and it still overflows with Christmas gifts for the family, kids and grandkids. And every strand of good old-fashioned tinsel must be perfectly placed on the tree.

What's changed since my childhood is that my family has grown much larger. It now includes everyone at Shamrock. We make a big deal about the holidays at Shamrock's Westlake headquarters. The lobby is decorated with a huge tree and there are loads of ornaments in every corner. Each office door is decorated with a holiday wreath. And we celebrate with traditions that include the formal Shamrock Christmas dinner party with spouses and significant others, when our Westlake site turns into the country club Christmas party scene from a 1950s movie.

More important, we have a tradition of giving back to the community during the holidays. The entire Shamrock family has a Giving Tree designated to help several needy families in the community. Each person picks a name and buys a specific request for that person. We donate goods to the Cleveland Foodbank. We also help out other local charities by donating time or money.

FINAL THOUGHT...

The holidays continue to be special as we get older, as the glow of past Christmases becomes burnished in our minds. We begin to nurture those feelings as we realize how precious time is, how important it is to be there for family, how necessary it is to help lonely individuals feel wanted, and why it's comforting to be part of a family that faces everyday challenges together. I wish you a holiday as happy as your first memories of a joyous Christmas, a festive Chanukah, or a happy Kwanza -- and above all, a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

GOING POSTAL WILL NOT BE RELEVANT IN 2012.

2011-12-15T10:06:00.000-05:00

I'm going to go out a limb here and state, without hesitation, that 2012 will be the Year of Being Relevant in business. Not being relevant will mean failure.

Example: The Post Office. It's really good at what it does, we just don’t need it. No more than we need a good horse shoe, or a small offset printing press. The Post Office is going headlong into irrelevancy, through no fault of its own.

Why? Because its mandate (approved by Congress) did not include services such as record retention (medical, income, taxation), automated bill payment, social security check administration, and expansion into new markets, which would require a change in charter. Since the charter for these services was not approved by Congress, the Post Office remains in the 20th Century. Not good.

Lucky for us, most private enterprises in the U.S. are not mandated by Congress. That's not to say some businesses aren't headed into irrelevancy because they're just unable or unwilling to keep up with the forces of change that have been the hallmark of the 21st Century.

In 2012, businesses unwilling to change will be just as, or even more, irrelevant than our present postal system.

If Shamrock had continued to run its course as a forms management and print distribution company we'd probably be where the old-school print industry is today. According to an InfoTrends report printed less than a year ago in American Printer, "...the internet, a proliferation of mobile communication technologies as well as social networking, were cited as effective causes for the decline of commercial printers." We saw the trend years ago, and knew we had to be more than what we started as, in order to be relevant to our customers.

The article in American Printer also said, "These technology applications and new media alternatives pose a threat to print, particularly regarding marketing communications, statements, bills, invoices, and other transactional documents." We saw the trend, and responded by providing our customers with new technologies such as online bill pay, digitized and on-demand printing, data and inventory management, and e-commerce solutions to help our customers, so they could help their customers.

FINAL THOUGHT...

Missing a market shift is what causes most business failures. Businesses don’t fail because they're inattentive to customers or because of poor execution. They fail because they either don’t recognize market shifts, or fail to take advantage of them. They fail because they don't provide what customers need or value, and often spend too much time and money trying to optimize something their customers increasingly don’t care about. Survival is all about being relevant.

THE CEO AS ARTIST-IN-CHARGE

2011-12-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

I started at Shamrock as one of the team. (And while I still like to think of myself as a team member, the reality is I am here to lead) As a leader, part of my job is to create. A vision. A portrait of the future.

As the leader / artist, my job is to paint a picture that is simple for everyone to grasp. That means I must have a consistent message, so that when other people in the company repeat the message I've crafted, it conjures up the same picture, the same vision for everyone else. (This is not as easy as it sounds!)

For example, we started out as a forms management company and print distributor. As the world became more digital, our traditional business model also needed to be transformed, or we would become dinosaurs stuck in the murky swamp of the past. So I and my senior management team made a digital transformation that includes providing customers with 21st century marketing concepts like web, mobile phone, and print on demand marketing.

Was this new direction a walk in the park? Heck no! It was scary to transform what was comfortable. But then there's that unequivocal tipping point, when you clearly know it's now or never (and "never" was never an option). And at that point a leader becomes creative and paints a picture that everyone can buy into. Even if I was a bit scared, I knew I had to appear confident and clear in my goals for a new Shamrock. I knew it was time to unveil a new vision that was clear and easy for everyone to see, regardless of where they stood to view the picture.

How does a leader do this? First, she or he needs to be absolutely genuine. The artist has to have a clear picture of his beliefs and values. In other words, I knew I would have to lead with well-planned actions and words to gain the confidence of my troops.

Second, the leader / artist has to stick with the most important themes that shape the vision. I picked the three most important themes that helped Shamrock grow in the first place: the best quality, a great product and excellent customer service. These themes would never change, regardless of how important advanced technology becomes for our business model. They were cast in bronze and polished until they were smooth and free of the slightest blemish.

FINAL THOUGHT...

I believe the one true hallmark of good leaders is that they can paint a picture quickly. They know what's important. They communicate their vision really well. And they're not arrogant, because they've seen the rough spots and they've been diligent about polishing them until they were gone.

EVERYBODY'S AN ENTREPRENUER (REALLY?)

2011-12-01T08:29:00.001-05:00

Yes, really. I honestly believe that each of us has the ability to be an entrepreneur. After all, an entrepreneur makes the decisions that drive a business. And who doesn't enjoy being in the driver's seat?

Actually, many of Shamrock's best and brightest thrive on being entrepreneurs. It's our corporate culture; it's in our DNA. Our way of life is based on the entrepreneurial drive to succeed for the growth of the company, but even more so, for the growth of every one of us who works at Shamrock.

Entrepreneurial individualism makes our work experience that much better, but it makes the experience for our customers outstanding. Because there's no one like an entrepreneur to provide the best possible experience for his or her customer, giving more than 100 percent -- which, in turn, actively enhances the bottom line.

I learned all about being an entrepreneur as a child, from my parents and grandparents. If I wasn't happy with the task my elders handed out, they encouraged me to come up with a job better suited to my skills. To prove my worth, I showed them how well I could perform the task I thought was best for me. And I was given praise and an allowance for my effort!

Lynn Blodgett, the president and CEO of ACS, an IT services subsidiary of Xerox is also a firm believer in making everyone at his company an entrepreneur. According to Blodgett, "...a really important management principle is that if you get the incentives aligned, people will motivate themselves far better than you'll ever motivate them.

"It's not only financial. It's being able to feel like they have a level of control over their destiny, that they are valued in what they do, that they're being successful, that they're contributing... (and) I think the more direct the accountability, the greater the performance."

Like Blodgett, I believe that we drive our company's success down to the people who are actually doing the work, and if a company gives its people the tools and the power to succeed, they will be accountable -- for themselves, for company profits, revenue and customer satisfaction.

FINAL THOUGHT...

One of my goals at Shamrock is to have everyone who wants to work like a sole proprietor do so, because it's this power each of us have over our own destiny that will guarantee success for the company -- and for ourselves. Really.

OWNING THE SEASON OF GIVING THANKS

2011-11-23T09:45:00.001-05:00

Since I was a kid, Thanksgiving has always meant the congregation of family. More than any other holiday, the values and traditions of Thanksgiving have had a tremendous impact on my life.

I remember how the entire family would always gather around my grandparents' table. My grandparents owned a dairy farm with plenty of work to be done. But, when Thanksgiving came around, the chores were briefly forgotten and grandma began the loving task of preparing the holiday table. Of course, grandpa chipped in and helped as much as gram would allow. The most important thing, was that my grandparents took ownership of Thanksgiving.

My grandparents lived a long fulfilling life, and when they could no longer prepare the Thanksgiving table, my wife and I took ownership of that loving task. We always enjoy doing it; after all, traditions need a leader to survive.

Part of our family tradition is to remember the "giving" part of Thanksgiving -- or any generous act -- is a gesture from the heart, with no thoughts of "how will our guests give back what we've put forth, or will I be remembered for my generosity to the local Foodbank?" Actually, everyone in our family has a role to play in the Thanksgiving celebration; each person brings their traditional dish to the holiday table.

The people of Shamrock are also my family. Here, too, everyone has a role. And here, too, I take the initiative, but I choose to ask everyone to share in the preparation of making Shamrock among the best places to work. And I'm blessed to have this wonderful, extended family in my life. They are a significant part of my success.

Like my personal family, my Shamrock family shares the traditions we've established through the years. For example, we have a saying here: "If you're not proud of it, don't ship it." We often ship boxes based on an equal number of items per box. A wise woman in shipping discovered one box among many was short several printed pieces, and one box was over the same number. I told her it was okay to ship, since we weren't shortchanging the customer. "No," she said. "I can't ship it, because shipping is my responsibility, and we promise to ship the same exact number per box. I can't say I would be proud to ship this job, since the numbers per box are wrong.

I guess I "raised" her with the right set of values and traditions. And I was proud of her... and a bit proud of myself, too.

FINAL THOUGHT...

Traditions and values need a leader to make sure they thrive from one generation to the next. This is true for personal and business families. I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy the gift of sharing in leadership before the next generation takes the reins during this season of Giving Thanks!

HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR ZIPPER?

2011-11-17T08:02:00.000-05:00

If you're inadvertently revealing too much of yourself because your zipper's open, you may be in for some severe embarrassment. Now, I'm not asking you to check the zippers on your clothing (although, it's not a bad idea!). In this case, the zipper I'm talking about is the mouth. When I was a kid, my parents told me to "zip it", when they wanted me to be quiet. Even as an adult, I found early on that keeping my mouth zipped and paying attention was a good way to learn more than I knew.

When I started working, I repeatedly heard the phrase, "Loose lips sink ships", which was, obviously, taken from the Navy and used by business people to help us remember to be careful about revealing proprietary information when we spoke with others -- because we'd never know who was listening on the elevator, in a restaurant, or wherever.

Today, in the Facebook era, where we often "friend" anyone who asks, we have to be even more vigilant about what we say online. Our indiscretion on Facebook, or other social media sites can destroy -- in one sentence -- to a vast audience -- what we've worked hard to build over months or years.

Here's a brief excerpt from an article about corporate espionage that caught my eye (you can read the whole thing here: (Forbes_the spy who liked me). It tells the cautionary tale of an open zipper better than I can:

"When a financial director at a privately held New York company received a friend request from an attractive blonde on Facebook, the recent divorcé eagerly accepted it. As they chatted over the course of a few days, his new friend mentioned the possibility of visiting him for New Year’s Eve and asked a few innocuous questions about his business, such as how much revenue his company had. He told her he couldn’t disclose that information, but a few days later, having grown more comfortable with her, he admitted that the figure was $6.5 million.

"The curious stranger wasn’t a single-looking-to-mingle. “She” was a (male) security consultant for a company called Cyberoam in Bangalore, India, that is finding out how easy it is to exploit social media for corporate espionage. The loose-lipped director’s New York firm was one of 20 companies that Cyberoam targeted over a six-month period, stalking employees on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to find leaks of sensitive information. The Cyberoam spies were able to predict a bankruptcy filing for a Singapore company, based on employees’ tweets about the company’s belt-tightening measures and its vice president of operations announcing on LinkedIn that he was job-searching."

FINAL THOUGHT...

Another thing I remember my mom and dad telling me was how important it was to choose friends wisely. Today, with "cyberfreaks" stalking social media, it's even more important than ever to do so. Not only for the safety of our business dealings, but also for our children and our family. Here's to good friends.

ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS YOUR FRIENDS?

2011-11-10T10:48:00.000-05:00

I've never paid much attention to the belief that it's a bad idea to develop friendships with co-workers and customers because a personal relationship might damage the professional relationship. Actually, I think a personal relationship only strengthens the professional bond between two people.

I also believe that the best way to reinforce relationships is face-to-face contact. When that's not possible, just get on the phone and say what has to be said, or, even better, just call to say hello.

Because I like face-to-face or "just pick up the phone" relationships, I've got to admit that I haven't been the best social media advocate, despite the growing trend. But, I'm beginning to get the big social media picture, especially after reading results from a recent Forrester Research Survey.

The survey, conducted online July 2011, included 60,000 participants. The results finally rattled my cage and I now have a greater appreciation for the force of social networks.

According to the survey, of all the social networks, Facebook is the only one that knows no generational limits (it includes users from preteen to 65+). Facebook is also the largest of the social networks. In fact, of U.S. adults who use social networking sites, 96% of them are on Facebook! Does that surprise you as much as it surprised me?

The second most-used social network is LinkedIn, used by 28% of the U.S. adult online population. LinkedIn, naturally, is used mostly by business professionals for networking and employment. But, this was most surprising to me: despite all the hoopla surrounding it, Twitter comes in at a weak third among U.S adults online.

What does all this mean to business people like us? First, there's a good chance that many of our customers are on Facebook. Second, those of us who think like entrepreneurs should be connecting with customers who are on Facebook and LinkedIn. We should use social networks as another way to stay in touch with our customers, so that we may gain a greater understanding of what issues motivate them, what their personal relationships mean to them, and how we can be of help. (NOTE: This doesn't mean that, as business people, we should all go off and friend anyone who asks us. We should make "friends" cautiously. Next week I'll tell you a short story about the dark side to the corporate use of social media.)

FINAL THOUGHT...

Does using Facebook and LinkedIn mean we ignore the more intimate forms of communication, like invites to lunch or dinner, face-to-face meetings, or a simple phone call to co-workers and customers? Absolutely -- no! But social media, a great tool in the business of marketing our products, should be used to reinforce our professional relationships, too.

DO YOU PLAY GAMES AT WORK?

2011-11-03T08:42:00.000-04:00

Hey, I'm not spying on what you do at work. That's your personal, professional and private decision.

What I'd like to do is share with you an article I recently read about game theory at work.

This particular Wall Street Journal article, "Latest Game Theory: Mixing Work and Play" (WSJ), says that businesses from IBM to consulting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd., are working to make everyday business tasks more appealing by introducing elements of videogames into the workplace.

For years, Shamrock has used the Fish philosophy of making work fun while providing the best customer experience, along with various events, to bring new and old members of the Shamrock team together. While this is not quite 21st century exploration into video games, I do agree with the tone of the WSJ article, which says outright that work should include fun and team building. After all, we spend one-third of our day at work.

The writer of the WSJ article also says that IBM and Deloitte include reward and competitive tactics commonly found in the gaming world to make tasks such as management training and brainstorming seem less like work. Employees also receive points or badges for completing jobs or meeting time limits for assignments. The article goes on to explain that some companies include competitive tactics so workplace gamers can view one another's scores, to encourage friendly competition and motivate performance.

The article even includes results of a study by Colorado Denver Business School which found that..." employees trained on video games learned more factual information, attained a higher skill level and retained information longer than workers who learned in less interactive environments."

I'm not knowledgeable enough in online gaming to say whether this is a good idea or not, but I understand that gaming is the new reality. And I believe that work should be fun. Nevertheless, I also have to admit I'm of an old-school "show me" attitude. However, if at-work gaming can add to fun and productivity at work, then I think it's something worth investigating.

So, I will consider workplace gaming with an open mind, and I'd really be interested to discuss ideas with anyone who will share their advice about this trend with me.

FINAL THOUGHT...

A big part of the work we do for our customers relies on new technology. Workplace game theory may provide us with an opportunity to walk the tech talk right where we work. It's certainly worth investigating.

HEY, WALL STREET, WAKE UP!

2011-10-27T09:52:00.001-04:00

I noticed a good response to my last post about the Occupy Wall Street phenomenon, so I thought I'd add a bit more fuel to the fire and tell you about my feelings towards Wall Street and how the Street overlooks the needs of middle market companies, such as Shamrock.

A few days ago I was listening to Talk of the Nation on National Public Radio (NPR), hosted by Neal Conan. I've got to tell you, I was shaking my head and shouting, "Yes!" to practically every sentence. Neal was discussing a recent study conducted by the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University. If you're interested, you can listen to or read the whole thing here: OSU mid-size business study

Neal's guests included Marilyn Geewax, senior business editor, NPR and Christine Poon, dean, Fisher College of Business. Essentially, the study concluded that middle-market companies added 2 million workers in recent years. Yet, despite their growth, they tend to lack the lobbyists, government supporters and associations that small and big businesses enjoy -- and that's my major beef.

Neal stated that mid-market businesses get overlooked by Wall Street and by Washington, when he said: "Small businesses are the politicians' darling. Lawmakers proclaim that small-scale entrepreneurs will be the engine of economic recovery. Others (in Washington) argue that it's big businesses that really drive the economy... they employ thousands of people all across the country or the globe. Yet, a recent study concludes that they're both wrong, it's the middle market that's doing the hiring. As small businesses treaded water and big employers shed millions of job, mid-sized companies added some two million workers in the last couple of years. And they do all that without the help of the Small Business Administration or the Chamber of Commerce."

Ms. Geewax went on to say that middle-market businesses make up only 200,000 companies -- a mere 3 percent of all companies in the US, and yet they end up contributing about 34 percent of all private employment -- which comes out to about 41 million jobs in this country!

She went on to paint a picture that seems to reflect Shamrock. Ms. Geewax called middle-market companies "...pillars of their community... who support the Little League team, and they go to the Rotary meetings, and they're very much a part of American life... and they have these very face-to-face relationships with their customers. So when hard times hit, they don't panic so much... they don't grow so quickly, but they're just steady (and) that's really where the job growth has been. They're more stable than small businesses, but they are of course much smaller than the large multinationals and so have less ability to shape or have a voice when it has to do with regulations or public policy or legislation." Amen to that!

FINAL THOUGHT...

Hey, Wall Street and Washington, wake up! It's the hard-working, mid-size businesses that will rebuild our economy. Perhaps you should start paying more attention to our needs.

OCCUPY MY STREET

2011-10-20T15:30:00.000-04:00

Until the Next Big Thing, the media is swamped with stories about "Occupy Wall Street". Even the big guns, such as the Wall Street Journal's reporter, Douglas Schoen, who states that OWT "... comprises an unrepresentative segment of the electorate that believes in radical redistribution of wealth, civil disobedience and, in some instances, violence. Half (52%) have participated in a political movement before, virtually all (98%) say they would support civil disobedience to achieve their goals, and nearly one-third (31%) would support violence to advance their agenda..." (See Wall Street Journal for complete text.), to those who would refute these findings as false and misleading (See Doug Schoen misrepresents poll result to smear OWS).

As the owner of a mid-size business, far from Wall Street, I've got a problem with both sides of this argument. This perception that corruption exists between big business, banking and the government disappoints me because I don't think the majority of businesses fall into this category. Most businesses in this country fall into the mid-size range. They provide the vast majority of jobs. But, our hands have been tied by special interest groups, and so, much of the hiring in this country has been stalled by the politics practiced today.

Our country was founded, and flourished under the flag of free enterprise, largely known as Capitalism. If you're not sure what Capitalism stands for, ask your grandfather. If he's not around, look it up, or "Google It!" Capitalism is floundering now, because many people don't take the time to fact check the opinions of others.

How many people today realize that mid-size businesses are driven by entrepreneurs who don't have the advantages and tax breaks of big business? But, nevertheless, it is the mid-size business that drives our economy, hires people within our community and on our streets, and who, in reality, can, with government help, make our country strong again.

FINAL THOUGHT...

My biggest complaint with government, and the media ,today, is that you ignore our country's biggest opportunity for growth, which is the middle market. Entrepreneurs create 60 percent of the jobs in this country, yet our government gives most of its funding to the small majority of big businesses. So, hey, all you reporters out there, Occupy My Street... a mid-size business in mid-America that supplies the majority of jobs to the neighborhoods where it does business!

Final, final thought... Like me, you have every right to agree/disagree and voice your opinion. I'd like to hear from you.

3 THINGS BUSINESS LEADERS CAN LEARN FROM THE ARMY

2011-10-13T14:33:00.001-04:00

Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, credited with the death of Iraq's Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was recently interviewed by Inc. Magazine. He discussed what business leaders can learn from the military. McChrystal is known for speaking his mind (which may have cost him his job). I admire the man for his honesty, despite the consequences. Here are 3 comments from the interview and my take on them:

1. Let your guard down strategically.

When asked why he was photographed not wearing body armor, McChrystal said he generally didn't wear armor on the streets in Afghanistan, because Afghans wouldn't think he's a brave man. McChrystal said, It was not only a subtle tactic to bridge a culture gap, it was also a way to send his troops a message. "I was asking people to go out and risk their lives," he said. "You can't say one thing and then keep yourself in a hermetically sealed armored bubble."

My take: When you run a business, be prepared to get out of your office and do any job you would ask your staff to do -- from sweeping floors to making cold calls. If not, you run the risk of being perceived as a pretender who's not really on the team at all.

2. Communication should be your top priority.

McChrystal spent his commander's discretionary fund, not on guns, but on purchasing bandwidth so that all in his network could communicate with each other. McChrystal said he did this because he believes information must run both ways to create a free-flow of honest communication. He agrees it's not easy, as noted by his comment: "You'll find that things like a cubicle wall or a walk across the street can be as wide as an ocean was 100 years ago."

My take: It's important to share information, to chat with the troops, to arrange an impromptu meeting and talk honestly about how business is going. You may leave yourself open to criticism from the team, but, on the other hand, you create honest dialog.

3. Use Commander's Intent—especially in times of crisis.

The idea of clearly expressing your vision of an end result is known as Commander's Intent. And in a time of strain or uncertainty, McChrystal says it's crucial. "This sounds simple, but if you really go into most organizations and ask what winning is going to look like, [managers each] have different ideas," McChrystal says.

My take: World-wide, business is in an economic crisis. To survive, management has to create and communicate a unified plan of how we plan to overcome it. The plan may not be popular with the troops; it may even backfire. But it takes away the uncertainty employees have of who's running the ship and how we plan to prevent it from going under.

FINAL THOUGHT...

Today the most successful businesses work on the basis of two often used military terms: Strategy and Tactic. Without a sound strategy and wise tactics the strongest businesses will fail.

A COMMUNAL CELEBRATION

2011-10-06T15:50:00.001-04:00

From the Ancient Egyptians who buried their Pharaohs with possessions they might need in the afterlife, to the Ancient Greeks who believed that there was one last journey in the afterlife that included being ferried across the river Styx by an eternal boatman, different cultures celebrate and mourn the passing of a friend or family member in almost as many unique ways as there are different cultures.

Just about a year ago, Shamrock remembered the passing of one of our own in a way that's unique to the Shamrock culture. It definitely was among the grandest wakes I've ever attended, and included the celebration of the spirit of a man whose passion for life exceeded that of any person I've ever met. Knowing Chris Hunter was like knowing how to live a life of joy.

I first met Chris several years ago, when he was a supplier to our company. I was so impressed with his larger-than-life personality and his ability to spread joy to everyone he met, that I asked him to join Shamrock.

Unfortunately, lovable Chris became fatally ill a few years after he joined Shamrock. When we found out about Chris's illness, we wanted to make a grand contribution to his life and the legacy of joy he would be remembered for.

The Shamrock family came together to help. Instead of our usually large Christmas Party to thank employees, family, friends, vendors and suppliers, we would have a Chris Hunter Party and establish a Chris Hunter Tribute for his wife and two children. Each of us had a different role. Some would contact vendors, invite them to join us, and ask that they make some donation for a Silent Auction. Some would, likewise, contact local businesses. Others contacted Chris's family and friends from around the country, and asked them to join us in this celebration.

Several hundred people who were touched by Chris's life joined us. We laughed, we cried, we told Chris Hunter stories. Our Silent Auction raised $80,000, which we offered as a life-affirming gift to the Hunter family. Chris was with us in full spirit. He passed away a week before the party.

FINAL THOUGHT...

Winston Churchill said, "I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter." Sounds just like something Chris would've said. We all miss you, Chris.

AND YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EASY

2011-09-29T10:42:00.000-04:00

Creating a business Facebook page is easy. Maintaining it - not so easy. Sort of like raising kids. Producing them - easy. Rearing them - not so easy.

If it were easy, there wouldn't be a new 5 BIG RULES FOR SUCCESSFULLY MARKETING A FACEBOOK PAGE every week or so. I've read dozens of Top 5, here's what I think are the best of the bunch:

Ask any social marketing consultant what the number-one no-no is on Facebook, and he’ll likely tell you it’s “broadcasting” your messages instead of providing fans with relevant content and engaging on a continual basis. (See #2, below.)
Think about your personal page and things you post that get the most attention. We generally share things we find funny, interesting or useful with our friends. According to social media experts, it's best to punch it up and not to automate everything on your page. It’s nice to ‘set and forget,’ but there's risk involved. The biggest risk is that Facebook places low-priority on auto-published content.
Unlike traditional advertising, such as a promotional TV ad, businesses can’t create a Facebook page and just let it run its course. Facebook is a hungry beast and requires feeding 3 or 4 times a day. It needs to be updated and monitored constantly.
Many businesses suffer from Ludditeness (Adverb: the act of not wanting to manage the latest technology). Simply stated, we don't know how to evaluate the effectiveness of our Facebook page. Facebook Insights (http://www.facebook.com/FacebookAds/posts/10150166025703417) is a powerful analytical tool that can help any business evaluate the effectiveness of its Facebook presence. Try it. You may like it.
Sometimes, in the rush to put up a Facebook page we forget Marketing 101: Be consistent with your message. Information on your Facebook page, your blog post, your email marketing campaign, direct mail, etc., should be geared to helping you build your brand; identifying what your company stands for, so that your friends, fans, business associates, and customers can pick you out from your competitors.

FINAL THOUGHT...

Since we're told, over and over again, what businesses are doing wrong on Facebook, I would guess we're all battling the same dragon. It's not an easy battle, but I think we'll all find the right way to correctly place Facebook among our essential tools in the marketing toolbox. Like raising our kids, it will take some time and patience, but we'll get there, and mostly, like our kids, it will turn out just fine.

BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL

2011-09-22T16:52:00.001-04:00

Remember when mission statements and corporate values were the big buzz words on the block? It all started in the late 1990s. Big shot management gurus adopted this theory that if chieftains of the organization came together and developed a mission that drives a company, the company would flourish, and its people would multiply, and they would be proud.

There are two misconceptions about this theory. One is that it was a new concept. I disagree. Let's go back to school. What made you proud of your school? The school motto. Its colors. Its song. Its history of remembering the motto, the colors and the song, passed down from generation to generation. I would say that schools -- the teachers, the PTA, the principal, and the students -- developed the first mission statement and values we've adapted to the business world. And it was these emblems that made you true to your school.

The second misconception is that a good mission statement will make an organization successful. What is that malarkey all about? One of the easiest things to do is bring a group together with the sole purpose of writing an organizational mission statement. One of the hardest things to do is get it right.

Do your mission statement and corporate values hang, yellowing and ragged, on the wall or cubicle of every employee? Never read, never said? If they're just a bunch of words with no action behind them, then, yes, those papers are yellowing like an unused ribbon in a box that's never opened. Doing no one any good. Certainly not making your company bigger, better or stronger, prouder.

Most schools last for many generations. And their colors, their motto, their song, never change. Because, after all, they stand for why the school exists and they create a sense of self in the history of the school. To tamper with them would be sacrilegious. The same should be true for a mission statement. So, a lot of thought should go into it. Your wishes, dreams, business and cultural goals for the organization should be part of your mission and core values. Otherwise, it's just useless wallpaper framing a disillusioned work force.

FINAL THOUGHT...

Several years ago, we, like most organizations, brought a team together to write a mission statement. But, before we cast it in type, we wanted to make sure it had the strength to outlive generations of Shamrock employees. We asked for input from everyone at Shamrock. We made sure it not only served the needs of our customers, but that it also served the needs of everyone who worked at Shamrock. We plan to have our mission statement and values around a long time. It will remain true to our school of thought. Don't believe me? Check out our mission, values and philosophy for yourself at http://www.shamrockcompanies.net/mission.asp.

ARE YOU GAME?

2011-09-15T08:21:00.000-04:00

I have a theory that, if you are stripped of everything: your home, your family, your job... your entire legacy... only then will you really know how you are regarded by others (to paraphrase the Beatles, Will you still love me...). This vision of how I, and Shamrock are perceived, is very important to me. When I walk around our office, I like to share the importance of this vision with my family of employees.

Often, how we see ourselves may be entirely different from how others see us. For example, we may think our jokes are humorous, but others see them as inappropriate. We may see ourselves as detail- oriented, while to others we seem to be a nitpicker. Or, what we think of as self-confidence, others may see as arrogance. You get the picture.

Recently, I read this blog post on biospace, and want to share the link with you (http://www.biospace.com/News-do-you-really-know-how-people-perceive-you/190566). As the post suggests, offer three of your most honest friends and co-workers a list of traits and say, “I need you to mark, in 1-2-3 order (1/most to 3/least), the top three ways I might rub people the wrong way.” Warning: you need to have a thick skin to take the traits test.

Here are a few of the traits you can list (for more traits, check out the above blog post link above, or develop your own list): Arrogant - Needy - Overly Opinionated - Rigid - Passive - Indecisive - Abrupt - Stuffy - Oversensitive. Are you game to try this?

I believe that if you ask typically honest friends and co-workers to do the evaluation you'll discover recurring themes. If two different people mark “abrupt,” for example, believe them—even if you’re sure you don’t act that way. After you discover how others see you, ask them how much they feel that one or more of these traits negatively impacts how others view you and your success.

FINAL THOUGHT...

If you take this traits test honestly, you'll likely find out how you're perceived by others. I'm curious to know what you learn. You can email me, respond anonymously, if you wish, on our Facebook page, or leave an anonymous note on this post. It may make for an interesting discussion. It may even be a life-changer.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

2011-09-08T07:51:00.000-04:00

Each of us remembers where we were on that fateful day, when the sky was so crystalline clear and blue that it almost hurt your eyes to look up. The morning seemed beautiful around the country -- from California, to Washington D.C, to Pennsylvania, to New York. But the gray pall that would capture the day remains with us, always.

I, and my senior management team were at Lakewood Country Club on September 11, 2001, with advisors helping us work through the intricacies of an employee program. We were locked away in a room without any of the electronic devices that tether us to the outside world. At 10:00am we took a break from the meeting and that's when we discovered just the beginning of what we did not yet know as fact. We called all Shamrock offices, and sent everyone home to grieve in their own private way.

Shamrock is a strong, family-oriented business. So on September 12, we resumed our lives, came together as a family, and grieved as a family. As a company, we all became more patriotic. We had prayer sessions once a month. We reached out to one another more often. For a time, business became secondary to our grief.

September 11 not only changed our profile as a family, it also changed how we conduct our business. Today, all documents and information for our customers are backed up electronically -- onsite and offsite -- so that we can protect their business and be even more mindful of customer confidentiality. As a nation, and as a company, we all grew closer together months after September 11.

A year later, I walked New York City and the hallowed ground of the destruction of the World Trade Center on 9/11 with a friend who worked in the Towers. He might have been at work at the World Trade Center, if not for a business meeting. He is among the few lucky ones.

Ten years later, we are a different nation. We still remain among the most giving and trusting countries in the entire world. My concern, however, is that we have lost the national camaraderie that inspired the first few months following the destruction of our nation's belief that we could never be harmed on our own soil.

FINAL THOUGHT...

As a final homage to September 11, 2001, I wish for more unity among us as a proud nation of unique human beings.

LET ME SEE, THAT WAS PRICE, QUALITY, VALUE, SERVICE, DELIVERY... DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT?

2011-09-01T15:54:00.000-04:00

I'm not egotistical enough to think that we do everything right at Shamrock. We always do our best, but chances are we're not going to be able to please every person, every time. I'll bet pleasing everyone 100 percent of the time is a track record no one can brag about. Even McDonald's, a company that prides itself on always serving perfectly shaped burgers on perfectly shaped buns , has missed a beat now and then.

But, unlike McDonald's, our customers are paying for a lot more than the 99-cent special, and they deserve the best possible service we can provide.

Since we've built our reputation on delivering quality and service to customers, I'm pretty sure we do well in that area.

If we ever lose business over the quality of our work, I take that loss personally, and will personally try to make sure it never happens again.

But, if a customer is looking for us to deliver on price alone, well quite honestly, I've got a beef with that! (I know that on more than one occasion we have turned down an opportunity that may have been wonderful -- but the customer was hell-bent on shaving the price to the bone.)

If we compete on price alone, something's got to give. We'll still deliver on service, but chances are the quality of the product will suffer. It may suffer because we're compelled to use a cheaper quality of paper, or not use the finest (and more costly) copywriter for a website project, or we may have to cut back on the technology that best serves the project. It's these things, which may appear to be of little difference to the overall delivery on a project, that can really make the difference between absolute perfection or just so-so, all in the name of saving a couple of bucks.

FINAL THOUGHT...

Fast food will always have a place in practically everyone's budget. It's fast, cheap, convenient, and fills you up -- even though you may wind up paying extra for those fries. But, when you want something that is specially prepared to your taste and done to perfection, chances are quite good that you're going to a nice restaurant that charges a fair price for excellent food, prepared with care, and delivered in style.

Our world hasn't changed that much over the years. We get what we pay for -- in business, as well as at the table.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

2011-08-25T16:38:00.001-04:00

No one needs me to tell them that it's tough getting a job today. We have the media to give us that bad bit of news. But there are jobs to be had. And smart people with certain traits and skills can get jobs. Sure, sometimes opportunity knocks, but in times like these, we all have to work hard to make our opportunities.

The saying "Opportunity knocks but once" has been around since it was coined by the early Romans. I prefer what the English scholar and politician, Sir Francis Bacon" said: "A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds."

I think of Shamrock as a source of opportunity for anyone interested in a great job at Shamrock, if they have the passion we seek. But, we really put our sales candidates through some challenging interviews.

Before a sales candidate is hired, she or he will have to pass The Test. During The Test, a potential candidate will have to go through three doors: mine (for a 1-to-1 interview), our executive team (a tough group, with a very detailed message that's all about expectations), and our sales team (where a candidate gets the real download about working in sales at Shamrock). Essentially, a sales candidate has three opportunities to, not only learn about us, but to prove his or her worth to the team.

Usually, even if I'm not fully sold on a candidate I will pass her along to our executive team, because, while I believe in my gut instinct, I want verification and feedback from the team.

What really will sell me on a candidate is easy. I want to see passion. I want to see a fire in the belly. Whether he's experienced or not, I'm looking for someone who shows a lot of self-confidence, a strong desire to learn the business; someone willing to stick her neck out and think like an entrepreneur willing to answer the question," How can I grow the business?"

If someone gets through these three doors of opportunity intact, and with an ongoing level of excitement and enthusiasm throughout the process, I'd say that he or she has nailed the opportunity.

FINAL THOUGHT...

If we see fire, we hire. And we support our sales team with the tools, technology and equipment they need to be successful. We even provide leads. But (and this is a Big But), it's up to each sales person to go out and do it. Remain motivated. Make the calls, follow up on leads, and get that first meeting with a potential customer. Live up to that initial opportunity seized through a sense of commitment. I can safely say to any news salesperson, if you do all this, great opportunities will be yours for the taking.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS

2011-08-18T08:23:00.000-04:00

I always wanted to be successful. I guess everyone does. Nobody gets up at 7:30am and says, "I want to be a failure." But being a success was something I felt compelled to do. I actually read the book How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. (More for amusement than instruction, of course.) The play, a funny satire based on the book, is about office politics (way before Dilbert) and it's now in revival on Broadway.

Here's a short excerpt from the book:

1. Start in a lower-level position at a company to get your foot in the door. The mail room is often a good place.

2. Get out of the mail room as soon as possible. Don't take a promotion here, or you could be stuck your entire career. Suggest someone else for the job; then go after a position in another department.

3. Get on the company president's good side. Making him think you went to the same college will work well. This can put you in line for a vice- presidency.

4. Get a brilliant idea. This is especially true if you became Vice President of Marketing. Otherwise, you're in big trouble.

5. Endear yourself to the chairman of the board. This is needed especially if your big idea proves a disaster. Not only could it save your hide, it can put you in line to replace him when he retires.

These tips from the book couldn't possibly help me when I purchased Shamrock in 1989. Then it was just me and seven employees. I literally was the company president, the VP of marketing and the chairman of the board -- all rolled into one hotshot! No one to suck up to! That's when I quickly realized I had to endear myself to these seven employees, because I'd never survive without their expertise and input.

Each year I learn, over and over again, that my success as a manager is measured by the success of the people who work with me. I also realize that, over and over again, I look to hire people who are happy to start at the bottom (in the proverbial "mail room") if that's what it takes to get a foot in the door. But I look for people with a fire in the belly who want to be challenged and move up to the next rung and then the next. Once these folks are motivated I stay out of their way and let them keep climbing.

FINAL THOUGHT...

A manager's success in business does not come from a My Way or the Highway Philosophy. That kind of thinking is just plain stupid. Success comes from listening to the ideas of the people on your team, and working together -- cheering one another on -- to achieve the goals you've planned for. Oh, and there's nothing wrong with remaining in the mail room, as long as that's where you want to be, and you're doing a damn good job there.

"HOW'M I DOING?"

2011-08-11T09:01:00.000-04:00

During his three terms as New York's mayor, Ed Koch was known for asking just about everyone, "How am I doing?" Koch tackled a problem head-on, asking that dreaded question, and expecting an honest answer. He was known to immediately address an issue before it became a major problem. Koch was one of the most popular mayors New York has ever had.

I always admired Koch for his fortitude at facing his "customers" in a very public way, and in my early years as a sales manager I learned, like Mayor Koch, if you ignore a problem, it escalates. No. It doesn't go away; it just grows bigger and bigger until it explodes in your face like a rogue firecracker.

Still young, and green, I was assigned to work with an important customer. We had printed a huge number of brochures for this customer. One problem -- it was on the wrong paper stock. There was very little difference between the paper stock we printed on and the paper stock the customer had requested. Chances are, the customer would never have known. But I told him. Why? If he discovered the difference without me telling him, I'd certainly lose his respect, and maybe even his business. Better to get it out in the open and face his disappointment than face dread for days and weeks, thinking that he will eventually discover the mistake. I made the right decision. Today, his company continues to be one of our best customers.

This honesty with customers has become the backbone of how Shamrock chooses to do business. I encourage everyone who meets with customers to ask , "Tell, me how are we doing?" and wait through the dreaded pause, until the customer answers. That pause, which may only be 60 seconds, can seem like an hour spent sitting in the rain on the topmost part of a roller coaster looking at the steepest decline you've ever seen.

The best outcome to your question is that your customer will actually tell you the truth. If something's wrong, you can clear the air. When I ask, I like to watch my customer's expression when he or she responds. Is it evasive? Warm? Hostile? Submissive? The worst is a customer who's submissive. That tells me he's not invested in the project and really doesn't value our relationship enough to care about the outcome. The best is a customer who tells me exactly what she thinks of how and where the project is headed -- even if it hurts my ego to its core. I can finally exhale and, if necessary, say, "We can fix that."

ONE FINAL THOUGHT...

Without asking "how am I doing?", I'd never know if the project's going well or not. And not knowing how I'm perceived by a customer is worse than not knowing where my next project will be coming from. And, if you don't ask, and you don't know, you may never again have the opportunity to breathe a sigh of relief to an answer from that particular customer.

HEADING TOWARDS A MANAGEMENT STYLE - Part Two: THE BENEVOLENT DICTATOR

2011-08-04T16:13:00.000-04:00

As I'm writing this, at long last, a deal on raising the US debt ceiling and cutting spending has been reached. Had we reached the cutoff point for averting a national crisis, I'm sure a Benevolent Dictator would have stepped in and said, "the buck stops here, and this is what we must do, now." If you're curious about management by Benevolent Dictator, I'm happy to fill you in:

When I first heard the term Benevolent Dictator, I thought I'd heard wrong. It sounds like a contradiction in terms. After all, benevolent means kind, caring, compassionate. Throughout history, dictators have been called tyrants and bring to mind dreaded names from cutthroat countries ruled by warlords and petty thieves. Put the two words together and it doesn't seem like a very good match.

What changed my mind about the term was a book written by Michael Feuer, founder of Office Max and his contributing editor, Dustin Klein, the publisher and executive Editor of the 17 regional Smart Business magazines read around the country.

I saw the cover of Michael's book, The Benevolent Dictator, which claimed to show readers how to empower people, build business, and outwit the competition. Who could resist such an offer? After I read Michael's book, I was so impressed, I invited him to speak at Shamrock's May 2011 sales meeting. (Michael was a roaring success.)

The reason I was attracted to Michael's take on Benevolent Dictator was a simple statement he made during the sales meeting. Michael said, "The benevolent aspect of a benevolent dictator means doing the greatest good for your constituents: your investors, your employees and your customers. The dictator comes in when the time for talking is done. Building consensus is terrific, but in business, when you have to move from mind to market quickly, sometimes it’s just not practical."

Well, I got the “benevolent” part. But, I also agree with the "dictator" part.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT...

In day-to-day management or in a business crisis (and sometimes in politics), a Benevolent Dictator has to be that someone who knows when to say, "enough is enough." Debate, conversation and analysis can only take an organization so far. The job of the entrepreneur, manager or CEO is to say, “We’re taking this fork in the road, for better or worse, and it’s on my head.” He or she is the one person who makes the important decisions when it counts – while others vacillate, the clock is ticking and resources are dwindling. Agree? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts on the subject.

WHY MAKING FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK MATTERS

2011-07-28T09:37:00.000-04:00

Last week our guest blogger, Kasey Crabtree, talked about several reasons why B2C businesses should have a Facebook page. While Shamrock is primarily a B2B company, we're also B2C. Actually, every B2B company is a little bit B2C. We're all trying to reach our target customers -- who are -- consumers! We woo them, and, hopefully, begin a long, meaningful relationship with them. Building relationships is the essential reason why Shamrock is on Facebook.

Actually, we're on Facebook for several reasons. First of all, we've got to walk the talk. After all, if we tell our customers to build a Facebook page and make it relevant to their customers, we better have a presence on Facebook, too. Unlike other marketing tactics (including e-mail marketing, direct mail, and other great tools), Facebook is the best instrument in the marketing tool box to provide immediacy and a personalized response to a question, a remark or a suggestion.

Secondly, Facebook is a place where you can show your stuff so people will "like" you. We've built our Facebook page so that people can get to know us better -- and hopefully, "like" us. How? Well, those who know us well know that we're a big supporter of our community. We enjoy creating, and participating in events that help make our Westlake, Ohio neighborhood a great place to live and work. We plan to use the immediacy of Facebook to invite friends to join us at these events. And quite soon we'll be starting a promotion Q&A community hosted by Tim Berry, the strategic genius behind our promotional team. Friends will be able to ask Tim a question about their upcoming event, tradeshow or incentive program, and he'll have a qualified answer within a day.

Finally, we're on Facebook because it's good business. It's a more personal way for you to get to know us. How we think, how we work, even how we play. It brings us closer to the people who work and do business with us; but, perhaps they don't know us as well as they might if we were next door neighbors. Facebook allows businesses to not only be more social, but to be "friends" who are there when you need a question answered, or a problem solved.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT...

If you've checked us out on Facebook lately, you've seen that we recently gave our website a complete overhaul (http://www.shamrockcompanies.net/). I'd love your feedback on our new design, and how we present ourselves. Leave your remarks on our Facebook page and I'll quickly respond.

WHAT'S ON YOUR SOCIAL CALENDAR?

2011-07-21T13:52:00.000-04:00

Blog Alert! -- Bob has handed this week's post over to a guest. Kasey Crabtree is our own social media expert, as well as one of our finest sales executives, with extra duties as Shamrock's social media specialist. This year Kasey has the honor of being the City Lead Organizer for Cleveland's Twestival 2011, a one-day Twitter Festival that uses social media for social good. As a social media maven, Kasey has volunteered some serious social time to The Cleveland Clinic, Malachi House, and Westlake Junior Women's Club. Her Twitter name is @KaseyCrabtree, and she has more than 2800 Twitter followers.

This guest post all started when I sent an email to co-workers at Shamrock about a recent Twitter event I attended. I kind of bragged that the event was picked up on WEWS - TV 5 (you can see the TV spot here: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/twitter-users-gather-for-cleveland-tweetup-event"). Hosted by cleveland.com in conjunction with the Cleveland Indians, this "tweetup event" is basically a big networking/drinking/ eating gathering where everyone shares their Twitter handle and talks about their participation in the world of social media. This is a great way to meet people in person after only interacting with them online.

So now, my default function here is to talk about what's on the horizon for social media marketing. First, the simple stuff. We should all know that each social media platform has a different audience and serves a different purpose. The three most common social media platforms are Facebook (very social but also a great resource for Business-to-Consumer businesses), LinkedIn (strictly business, rather than social), and Twitter (the cocktail party of social media -- a great way to meet people and decide if you want to get to know them better). It's also a good way for businesses to check and see what people are saying about them, and respond in real time.

So, what's new in the social universe? Right now, everyone's talking about Google+. Some are saying it will overtake Facebook. Since this is a post rather than a thesis, I won't over-explain the differences between Google+ and Facebook, except to say that "early adopters" are extolling the virtues of Google+, mainly because it's new, and there are some features, such as setting up circles (of friends, acquaintances, family, etc.), which can make it easier than Facebook to catch up with others. The downside to Google+? So many people have adopted Facebook (more than 750 million), I don't know how many of those people will feel compelled to essentially duplicate their Facebook experience on Google+, which currently has about 18 million users. I'm not among the folks predicting an early demise for Facebook because of Google+. If you'd like to know more about Google+, you can "google" Google+, or check this out:
https://plus.google.com/up/start/?sw=1&type=st.

Finally, if there's just one message I'd like this post to leave you with, it's this: If you are a B2C business, set up a Facebook page. Make it work for you. Post new products and trends. Be a resource for your audience. Become the go-to place for answers relevant to their needs. Drive people from Facebook to your website and your website's blog. Be the resource! Be social (in today's tough market, it's a good way to maintain contact, and build your brand). I have many more ideas. If you'd like to chat, give me a call at 440-250-2243.

WHAT DO STEVE JOBS, SHAMROCK, RAVING FANS AND TECHNOLOGY HAVE IN COMMON?

2011-07-14T15:13:00.000-04:00

I have an entrepreneur's admiration for Steve Jobs. Despite setbacks, despite illness, he is still among the most vivid and interesting entrepreneurs of our time.

While Shamrock's been around a lot longer than Job(s) (yeah, the pun's intended), I believe that, if he had taken a slightly different path, Jobs could've worked here as an intern, and been a major part of our cultural growth.

I'll even bet you that Steve, once upon a time, read Raving Fans by Blanchard and Bowles. The book, a brilliantly simple story, illustrates how to define a vision, learn what a customer really wants, institute effective systems, and make Raving Fan Service a constant feature in your everyday contact with customers, are the basis for how Shamrock does business.
When Jobs said, in a 1998 Fortune interview, "Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it," he seems to have swallowed Raving Fans, whole. (If you're interested, here are some more outstanding Jobs quotes: http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2006/03/70512)

Not unlike the above quote from Jobs, our teams live every day with the ideals of Raving Fans in mind. Shamrock utilizes an internal system that allows us to track how we exceed client expectations, identify areas for improvement and address and prevent problems before they impact our customers.

The foundation of Raving Fans is simple: (1) Decide what you want; (2) Discover what the Customer Wants; (3) Deliver, Plus One (i.e., exceed customer expectations). Jobs, too, would be proud of how we developed innovative technology and wedded it to the concept of Raving Fans.

For example, our company is driven by Baan, the third largest ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system in the world. It's a stable, all-in-one platform of information that replaces the silos of technology (including finance, manufacturing, etc.). Our flagship is a web-based marketing portal that attaches to Baan, which allows customers complete control over their brand, including the capability to initiate print, print on demand, variable printing, as well as order stationary, tweak a promotion or packaging, review warehousing distribution, review items sent out, down to discovering how much was spent on postage -- from one interface system. All this, based on each individual customer's needs, and developed, not by an IT programmer, but with marketing and design expertise.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT...
Shamrock does not use new technology for the sake of just using it. We apply it to help our customers monetize their brand with it – and to make their product or service even better than before.

HEADING TOWARDS A MANAGEMENT STYLE- Part One

2011-07-07T13:54:00.000-04:00

A person's management style is driven by time, learning from others and what just feels right.

When I became CEO at Shamrock I had already learned what I thought was my best management style. Then, it was based on books I'd read, people I'd learned from, and people I had talked with. Now, I'm not sure if my management style has a "type", but I thought I'd check Wikipedia (because, if something exists, it will be in Wikipedia).

I searched management styles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_styles) and found the four basics, including Autocratic ("My way, or the highway"), Paternalistic ("Watch how I drive, and learn how I do it"), Democratic ("Business is a two-way street, so we all agree on where the stop signs go"), Laissez-Faire ("You drive your car; I drive mine, and let's hope we arrive in one piece").

Today, I think my management style changes based upon the business situation. But, overall, as a manager, I want what's best for my company, our employees and our customers. For example, a customer once said to me, "I won't give my business to a company that has an automated receptionist." I know this is a trend that saves companies a lot of time and money, but I listened to this customer, and agreed with her. It just feels right to me that, when someone calls us at Shamrock, they will speak with our Director of First Impressions, a live person who takes an interest in each caller's needs.

I've actually lost count of the number of people who've told me how refreshing it is to get a real, live person on the other end of the telephone when they call Shamrock.

I'm not interested in changing management rules for the sake of change, unless there's a sound reason to do so. For years, when someone made a business call, they got a reassuring voice who helped them get answers to their questions. Why change something that's worked for years?

ONE FINAL THOUGHT...

The longer I manage, the more I believe in a Benevolent Dictator. Far from being feared by staff and customers, a benevolent dictator is driven by success and passion for what is best for all concerned. It's likely this type of manager is also a person who encourages others to move forward and find their personal success. Let me know what you think makes for a benevolent dictator, and I'll include it in my next post.

MENTOR ME - Part Two

2011-06-30T11:50:00.001-04:00

There's an old Mexican proverb that says, "One must learn how to lose before learning how to play." If I hadn't met Neil Bennett, the founder of Shamrock Companies, this proverb might have been nothing more to me than meaningless words. Neil taught me that losing was the first step in learning how to win in the game of my business life: sales.

You may not believe this, but I was a raw, shy kid when I started working at Shamrock. Neil helped me learn and develop a winning sales style. But not before I had racked up my share of losses.

Mainly, I was poor at sales because I was uncomfortable making face-to-face calls with potential customers. I was losing more sales than I was winning -- maybe, less than a .250 batting average in my early years. But, Neil showed me how to learn from my errors, and develop an inner confidence that got better with each success.

Neil said that first, I should learn everything about the products we sell. He taught me to know each product backwards and forwards -- what it does and what it's capable of doing, before selling it to a customer. Neil said, "Once you have personal confidence that you understand the product, you will have the confidence to go out and meet with customers. And once you meet with customers, you have to learn about each customer and his or her and problems and requirements."

Neil was like a benevolent dictator. He made me work hard, but encouraged me along the way. I learned to make sacrifices and promises that were sometimes hard for a shy kid to keep. But, his mentoring paid off. Once I knew everything there was to know about the product, and once I understood the needs of my customers, I was able to find my confidence, and gain the confidence of customers. I became a partner to each customer. Not just a salesman interested in making a sale, but a trusted business associate who would help solve my partner's problem.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT... I learned from Neil that a good salesperson, or a good leader / entrepreneur / business person /spouse (you name it, because in one way or another, we're all "in sales") is someone who understands that negotiation is all about win/win, and that a win/win strategy will create an unbreakable bond between a salesperson and a customer. Even today, I continue to apply Neil's instructions to help me understand and lead Shamrock, our employees, and our customers.

MENTOR ME - Part One

2011-06-23T13:58:00.000-04:00

Zig Ziglar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zig_Ziglar) is one of the best salesmen our world has ever known. He's quoted often, but one of his quotes sticks with me as I go about each business day. Ziglar often said, "Rules are important, but example is the great stimulus." I learned that observing by example is among the greatest teachers from my earliest mentors. My family.

My grandparents worked hard. My dad's father worked at two demanding jobs. During the day, he was an auto mechanic. In the evening he tended a working farm. My grandmother sold the fruits from the farm at a stand near their home. This grandfather taught me the discipline to work long and hard and enjoy the benefits of your labor. My dad's parents benefited from their hard work by becoming world travelers throughout their lives. My grandfather was a strict disciplinarian, but a kind teacher.

My mom's dad was a true character. He so believed that work was salvation and reward that, if there were no chores to be done, he would create one. One day he mixed a huge can of roofing nails into his cinder driveway, and promised me a penny for each nail I found. I was 5 or 6 years old at the time, and with hard work, I earned a whopping dollar and 5 cents that day. This grandfather taught me that for every chore there must be a reward, or why bother?

The elders of my family were the first, and in some ways, most important mentors in my life. This includes my dad. Dad was a very conservative, hard-working, blue collar factory man. He worked at Lincoln Electric. If you know anything about Lincoln Electric, you know the company was founded on hard work and was driven by profit as an incentive to perform. One summer, I worked with dad and got to see him in action on the company's production line. The line was solely dependent on teamwork. Your income was driven by the guy behind you and the guy in front of you. If they performed well, you were paid well. Needless to say, they all worked as a team to achieve a higher profit for the company, and for themselves. My dad taught me the importance of teamwork, productivity and managing with fewer, trusted employees for the long haul. And making sure they're treated with respect and reward for a job done well.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT... A good mentor is generally a good leader. Good leadership starts with being willing to work hard yourself. That's a philosophy I learned from my early mentors, and something I believe I carry with me to Shamrock. No one will be asked to do something I wouldn't do myself. Including washing the dishes after a meeting.

POSITIVE YOUR ATTITUDE: 7 EASY WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR DAY AT WORK

2011-06-21T16:20:00.000-04:00

There have been days when I've wanted to chuck everything, call in sick, and play a slow round of 18 holes with just a flock of fairway birds cheering me on. And I'll admit, sometimes I've given in to this wishful thinking, and it helped me recharge my workday batteries. But, if I did this too often, my work ethic and my personal goals would suffer. Here are a few simple alternatives that may help ease the pain of getting out of bed on a workday morning:

7. Have a ridiculously comfortable desk chair: The nicer your chair, the longer you can stand to sit in it before having to get up because you're antsy. And of course if you're antsy and walking around the office with a general aimlessness, you're not working.

6. Make a To-Do List: Lists are great because the simple act of making the list gives you something to do in those moments of lost energy when you don't actually want to be working, but, you'll find yourself doing something remotely work related, and you may simply motivate yourself to tackle on task on the list.

5. Set up Google Reader or Technorati: You can tell yourself that you're just taking a brief time out to keep up to date with the latest industry news, but what you're really doing is reading a few industry (non-industry?) blogs. You may actually learn something, and the industry stuff may stick, so you'll be able to rattle off interesting relevant factoids in meetings.

4. Use Supplies as a Self-Motivator: If you're running out of paper clips and staples, get some. If a certain program would increase your productivity, ask for it. It's much easier to do the job when you have everything necessary. Once you get into a position where there's not much else for you to ask for you'll be able to apply all these tools to hone your skills and do a better job.

3. Monetized Incentives: Money is still the primary objective of work. Don't be afraid to ask for a raise every year if you've seriously been rockin' at work. But first, make sure you've really been above par.

2. Respect for the Team: If you have a vested interest in the people around you, that comes with a vested interest in how work goes for them. This act of supporting the team is as contagious as a virus, so it's likely your coworkers will reciprocate by making something easier for you and it will become a productive cycle that makes work more productive and fun for everyone.

ONE LAST THOUGHT:

1. The 100/90 Rule: Give your job 100% effort 90% of the time. You'll do great. You'll feel good. About yourself, your job, and the people you work with. The other 10%? Take a break from the ordinary, and do something extraordinary; something that is really special to you.

IT'S GOOD FOR MY ID, BUT WHAT ABOUT MY EGO?

2011-06-14T10:14:00.000-04:00

When I took Psych 101 in college I was fascinated with the id, ego, and superego. Long story short: id doesn't care about reality and is there for our pleasure; the ego's job is to meet the needs of the id, while taking into consideration the reality of the situation.

So, why am I telling you this? When I see promotional products without a strategy to build brand, I always think, "That's just an id toy, it gives the user pleasure, but has no other purpose. It definitely doesn't position the company well." This short video is an example of an id premium http://www.theneocube.com/. It's fun. It's an old school promotional item that will sit around and collect desk dust, and the owner will quickly forget where he got it or why he keeps it.

Rather than just find a fun promotional item, our promotional and premium products team delivers a brand strategy. This strategy includes a unique promotional product solution, wrapped in a well-designed incentive program or campaign, packaged with a well-planned fulfillment service and our unique web development/ management program. In other words we integrate the fun with a solid strategy.

In fact, our integrated team of sales, marketing, promotional and premium strategists and IT delivers a Discovery Process for each customer, so we're right on the mark with your promotion. Our program can also store, stock and manage your promotional inventory, as well as document how much inventory you moved each month. And all the information's available for you, online. We've got this system down to a science, so we can actually show you how you are saving your company significant dollars. Which is actually great for your superego (that's the part of a developed personality that likes saving money!). Here's a short case study about how we develop a promotion and premium strategy for a client: http://www.shamrockcompanies.net/pdfs/CS_Premiums.pdf

ONE LAST WORD...

...regarding promotional products. Shamrock works with a group of suppliers who recently formed a Quality Assurance Alliance to maintain the rights of workers overseas and environmental stewardship, with the aim to police their group and adhere to a code of social compliance. If you're curious to know more, take your healthy ego to the phone and call Tim Berry at Shamrock, 440-250-4597. Tell him Troop sent you.

BEYOND THE PAYCHECK. WHAT BRINGS YOU TO WORK EACH DAY?

2011-06-07T08:15:00.000-04:00

But, a close runner-up among respondents (20.79%)was "Knowing that I am appreciated by the people I work for."

ONE FINAL THOUGHT

GOLF IS A SERIES OF OBSTACLES TO BE OVERCOME...

2011-06-02T10:41:00.000-04:00

Actually, we could substitute the word Business for Golf, and the same would hold true.

Others, more witty than I have been drawing comparisons between golf and business for years. That's because golf is a unique sport with an almost mystical ability to let us observe a person's integrity, decision making abilities, mental fortitude, honesty, and general personality. Grantland Rice, a 20th century American sportswriter who died in 1954, summed up the relationship between golf and business nicely when he said, "Eighteen holes of match play will teach you more about your foe than nineteen years of dealing with him across the desk."

As a fan of the sport, I learned early on that golf's a game that's as frustrating as all hell. Loaded with obstacles, challenges and hazards, it brings out the best and worst in friends, competitors and coworkers.

And, as a golfer, I've learned valuable lessons from playing the game. (One big lesson -- hard as it may be -- is to take the game seriously, but to also enjoy it, despite its obstacles.) I also use the lessons of golf and apply them to running a business.

For example, in golf you may play 17 holes that make you want to throw the clubs, bag and all, into the ravine. But, you don't. You keep on playing with the same championship spirit you had at the first hole -- and you make a double eagle* at the 18th hole! I use this lesson in business by putting the bad part of the week behind me. And that's what I try to instill in my people. Acknowledge what you did wrong and right it. Don't look back. Move on. And remember to enjoy the game.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT

I've heard that 80 percent of business owners would like every one of their hires to be athletes. I believe it. Athletes are taught at an early age to think like winners. They never walk on the field thinking they're going to lose. They learn everything about their competitors and use that information to plan their strategy. They think, eat and dream about winning.

I like to keep that spirit alive in the workplace, because running a business is like excelling at sports. We work as a team. We bolster one another up when we've had a tough day. We find our competitive edge. We develop a game plan. We are fair and equitable. We embrace the team's culture. And we're always in it to win it.

*You can enjoy viewing an historic double eagle here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZzZbdODTiY

ROCKS AND STONES - Part Two

2011-05-26T08:06:00.000-04:00

Do you trust your CEO?

I recently read an interesting article on the Fast Company website that ranks how people trust. In 2009, 47% of the people surveyed trusted people like themselves while 31% of the people surveyed trusted CEOs. In 2011, the survey states that 43% of respondents trusted people like themselves while 50% said they trusted CEOs. Why the change? You would think, with all the upheavals our country has been through over the last few years, that people would have less trust in their corporate leaders.

Other than CEOs who make news because of bad behavior, perhaps, as we leave the recession behind, CEOs are trying harder to make sure their employees, their customers, and their vendors do trust them. Because, where there's trust, there is loyalty. Where there are strong values and a moral code, there is a sense of belonging. And belonging builds a sense of family.

Trust and a sense of family is the foundation that Shamrock is built on. It's why we offer each person who comes to work with us a stone, which represents a piece of "the rock". We're passing along our values, with a positive message engraved in that stone. Each message represents a code that says we're committed to treating every person with respect and building trust through actions, not mere words.

Trust is an important concept for businesses and business leaders. How do you build trust?

1. Don’t lie -- ever. It breaks trust as quickly as a rusty chain breaks under pressure.

2. Admit when you are wrong. It reinforces your humanity.

3. Be consistent. Never waver on a decision.

4. Support your people. Always.

5. Communicate. Then, communicate again. Mistrust thrives on miscommunication.

I'll bet you could read these same "management tips" in a family parenting magazine. Because, after all, isn't a well-managed company a lot like a family?

ONE LAST THOUGHT

Think about this: There is no "i" in "us".

One thing that holds true for most families is how they support one another through life's ups and downs. They talk about the problem, share ideas, and focus on ways to find a solution. And they emerge stronger for their effort. Like little stones gathered together to form the strength of a rock, like a family, the people at Shamrock work together as a team -- and we can find a solution to any problem, for ourselves and for our customers.

ROCKS AND STONES - Part One

2011-05-19T10:10:00.000-04:00

We decided to call our blog "the rock" because it's easy to remember, and it's also a shortened version of our corporate name.

But, "the rock" symbolizes more than just a name. When I hold a rock in my hand, I see something that will last a long time, and I imagine where it's been -- its history -- and I wonder how it was formed through years of chaos, stress, and growth. That small rock reminds me of Shamrock; how we've survived storms and upheavals. And I have to believe that we've succeeded because of our core values, which help us remain solid, even through difficult times. And, let's face it, the last couple of years have been hard on even the most resilient companies in this country.

Much of our core values, based, in part on the Gung Ho! philosophy, are part of a management theory called Gong He, a Chinese way of thinking that means work together. Gung Ho! is about good practices that empower employees to work together, yet function as independent thinkers who are able to take initiatives that benefit them and the organization. Big words. Big thoughts. But, I'll explain how this helped forge Shamrock's strength, even during difficult economic times.

Another important part of Shamrock's work ethic is based on Fish, a philosophy that encourage fun at work and choosing to be present with a positive attitude. Gung Ho! and Fish are twin philosophies Shamrock lives by, and they helped us grow stronger as we, like many of you, muddled through the biggest challenges of the greatest economic recession this country experienced in decades. When you have some spare time, check out the award-winning, funny, and uplifting Fish video here: http://www.charthouse.com/productdetail.aspx?nodeid=24103

Here's a small sample of how these two philosophies helped us through the past couple of years: It hurt me, but in order to preserve jobs, we had to initiate furloughs a couple years ago. This put a dent in the budget of many families. We all made some sacrifices so that we could emerge stronger, with fewer layoffs. Now, we're back full time. If not for our inclusive philosophy that springs from Gung Ho! and Fish, we could easily have lost some of our best people. But, we survived intact -- and stronger than before.

ONE LAST THOUGHT

I believe if you make work about fun, family and community, and treat people with respect, your company will survive almost anything. As part of our family, when new members are hired, they receive a piece of "the rock". Walk through our offices and on each desk you may find a polished stone, engraved with a mindful message of our sense of community. The stone may have the phrase "Be Present, or "Make Someone's Day." Every stone is a simple reminder of a each person's unique differences and strengths, which make "the rock" a force of nature that can withstand almost anything.

HEARD ON THE STREET - Part Two

2011-05-05T15:54:00.000-04:00

In Part One, I shared some statistics about the ravenous appetite mobile has for gaining new followers. Here's just one more. ABI Research ( a marketing research firm in New York), estimates that mobile marketing will explode during the next five years. ABI suggests that display ad budgets will especially skyrocket, with mobile ad spend bursting from today's $313 Million to more than $1.2 Billion by 2015.

When I learned that mobile is a billion dollar growth industry, we knew this was a prime business sector for Shamrock. And last year we invested time and capital to develop a premier mobile marketing group.

Our first step was to hire an enterprising mobile marketing strategist. Ryan Workman became a steadfast mobile fan just before the birth of his son.

Using a mobile marketing strategy, a national baby retail chain targeted Ryan and sent a promotional text message. He read the message, signed up for special offers with his zip code, and he and his wife were on their way to baby shopping nirvana. They received incomparable deep discounts on furniture and accessories at a location close to their home. They were able to make a specific appointment to meet with a sales associate. They received additional discounts for inviting friends to visit the store. All from Ryan's mobile phone. No mail. No phone calls. One text message started a new relationship.

Ryan uses this technology, and other mobile strategies for several Shamrock customers today. With a customized dashboard, we can generate the appropriate age and zip code for a customer's promotion, and then duplicate that message to everyone within that same demographic in mere minutes. We also have the tools to tell you who among your target audience used the promotion and how many dollars they spent.

If you can think it, we can usually design an app that is location-based, contains new customer-driven content and functionality, and provide you with ready-to-use updates (such as, advising patrons that there are only four Saturday night reservations left at their favorite local, trendy bistro down the street). I believe that mobile is limited only by our imagination.

Looking to the future of mobile marketing, we're among a handful of companies developing a geo-targeted app that recognizes the location where the user is based and provides targeted offers. As an example, let's say a mobile user is walking down Main Street at noon. His phone will text a lunch suggestion from the restaurant 30-feet away. He walks into the restaurant, orders the item, saves $2.00 and enjoys a hearty lunch. The restaurateur is happy, and the mobile user saved two bucks.

One Last Word
If you're curious about mobile marketing, give Ryan a call at 440-250-2189. Tell him Troop sent you.

HEARD ON THE STREET - Part One

2011-04-28T12:43:00.000-04:00

Today, heard on the street means a lot more than talk about the stock market. Walk along any street in America today, and you see people gazing into a small, handheld device and using their thumbs in quick staccato, making a soft tapping sound. With their heads bent and their fingers waving to a beat only they can hear , they seem like maestros of the streets. The music these maestros are conducting is the growing beat of mobile marketing, a booming business sung to the tune of $6 Billion slated to be reached before the end of this decade. In 2010 mobile marketing generated $500 Million in sales. Certainly, music to the ears of early adopters to the mobile industry.

There's no doubt in my mind that mobile marketing is the future of enterprise growth. Mobile marketing has raised a whole new generation of business people learning a whole new crop of words, including blue tooth transceiver (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe3lxzMo6gU&feature=related), app, QR code, geo-targeting. Actually, I don't really care how the technology works -- I'm just excited to see what it does for business.

Recently, Ryan, a mobile marketing fan who works at Shamrock told me how easily mobile marketing captures consumer attention -- and dollars. A gadget nut, Ryan purchased a blue tooth transceiver last year, played around enough to feel comfortable with the technology, and scheduled an appointment with one of our customers to demonstrate how mobile marketing can be used to generate profit for her business. They walked into the mall and an instant coupon for $5.00 off at the local vitamin store popped up on his phone. They walked into the store. Showed the clerk our online coupon and walked out with a good deal - for her, and the store clerk. She got $5.00 off - the clerk got a sizable new sale.

Mobile marketing should be called fast and furious marketing. Industry research shows that 90 percent of text messages are read in 4-minutes. The reason it's so timely is that most people have their cell phone on and right within reach for more than 16 hours a day -- and they respond more quickly to mobile messages.

At Shamrock we're so intrigued with mobile marketing and how it will change the way we all practice business enterprise, that we've invested hours of planning, learning and purchasing to set up a new mobile marketing division.

One Last Word

Look for the second part of this post in a few days, and I'll share some new mobile marketing ideas with you.

One Last Thought
I'd like to know if you've used mobile marketing for your company. Was the program successful? Did it meet your marketing goals? If not, why do you think it missed the mark?

UNDER THE KALEIDOSCOPE

2011-04-21T11:46:00.000-04:00

Never thought I'd be writing a blog. Seems more like something my kids would consider. But there are some new ideas simmering at Shamrock, and I realize the best way to them, and what's new in the industry, is a blog. Hopefully, this will give us a chance to engage in some problem-solving dialog, answer questions and talk about trends heading our way faster than a high-performance sports car at Le Mans.

A true story

Recently, I was walking through our building with a customer. He saw several kaleidoscopes on display, and asked me why I collect them. I thought about it, and immediately realized why I'm so fond of kaleidoscopes. They're so simply designed that, with a slight turn of the wrist, they create a pattern that pleases everyone who looks through it. A kaleidoscope really is just a simple tube with a circle of mirrors containing loose, colored objects such as beads or pebbles and bits of glass. But when the viewer looks into one end, those pebbles and bits of glass come together to create a whole vision that is complex yet so simple in its balanced perfection. Essentially, a kaleidoscope simplifies chaos.

Aside from the complementary principles of complexity and simplicity inside a simple tube, what fascinates me about kaleidoscopes is how each particle inside this cylinder works as part of the whole to create symmetry and a uniquely perfect outcome. (Unlike my golf game, which, lately, seems to lack symmetry -- or anything close to perfection.)

Our problem-solving process is like a kaleidoscope. When a customer comes to us for help, we gather a group of smart people with individual talents. Think of this group like those small objects in a kaleidoscope, working in harmony. They may use the Raving Fans Theory, plus their combined talents and Shamrock's cutting-edge technology to create an individualized solution to a customer's problem. Not too different from the symmetry inside a kaleidoscope.

One Last Word

In this era of business enterprise where solutions are defined by new technology, we try to remember that it's the individuality and different talents of the team who solve the problems, to actually make the technology work.

And One Final Thought

I've heard that the first post is the hardest. I'd like this blog to be about you, your company and what you'd like to discuss. Anything, from innovative ways to use mobile marketing to the latest techniques in digital printing, to innovations in testing direct mail. We'll do everything we can to get answers and share them in future posts.

Welcome to The Shamrock Companies Blog

2011-04-12T11:54:00.001-04:00