His speech was great.

First, Mr. Isaac did an excellent job of using PowerPoint to enhance his speech by incorporating images and creative visuals to add his words as opposed to just reading off bullet points one after another.  Better yet, what he had to say was absolutely brilliant.  He spoke from the heart, and with real passion and human emotion.  He used a great mix of facts, figures, humor, and personal narratives to leave a lasting impression through his message.

He spoke of the need for all of us to make time to be more creative, and the importance of creativity in the modern era.  He provided suggestions as to how to revive your inner creativity, and to steal wasted time back into your life.    He also stressed the importance of setting priorities and goals, and of learning to find more flow in daily life.  The best part was that everything he recommended was simple.  The hard part is in the doing it.   Ask him if people can learn to be creative, and he would reply with a resounding yes.  After hearing him present, I would have to agree.

At the end of the hour long presentation, I found myself thinking more about ways that I could bring more creativity into my own life.  I also was thankful that I happened to randomly stumble across his presentation at a time when my television is normally not even turned on.  Chalk that one up for good luck.

Anyway, you should definitely take the time to watch his presentation, and if you enjoy it, visit his web site - Net Cotton Content.  On his site, Artie lists numerous books about creativity, thinking, life, mindfulness, marketing, and business as well as a copy of the syllabus for the class he teaches.  I downloaded a copy, and I am actually going to do some of the assignments myself so as to feed my “creative pet.”

Thanks Artie, for offering me inspiration and making at least one day of ironing 100 % Cotton pants enjoyable.

Net Cotton Content / On Life and Marketing, Creativity and Ethics

What Bernoulli observed was that moving water created lower pressure.  The faster the water moved, the lower the pressure dropped.   Airplanes can fly, due in part to the fact that the curved shape of the wings allows for the air to travel more quickly over the top than the bottom - thus creating lift by lowering the pressure on the top side of the wing.  A simple explanation is the idea that speed can reduce pressure.

How does this equate to marketing?

My mind gravitates to sales with this one.  Particularly the notion that the speed at which sales are generated reduces the pressure on the rest of the organization.  Thus a good sales strategy seeks to find ways to speed up sales cycles.  This could be accomplished by removing unnecessary steps in the sales process.  Taking time to educate sales personnel properly.  Focus on quality leads over quantity of leads - thus reducing time pressure.  Eliminating unnecessary meetings and paperwork - all of which require time and attention and increase pressure.

Yes pressure is necessary.  There are things that just must get done, and often organizations can only handle so much speed before the system breaks down.  Still, removing unnecessary pressure from sales is a great strategy for increasing the speed at which revenue flows.  Marketing plays a huge role in examining the sales processes and activities and seeking ways to make things more effective.

Often when sales begin to slow, the natural reaction is to “put more pressure on the sales force.”  While this seems like a good idea if they are truly lazy, most often the opposite happens.  Under the increased pressure to do more with less speed diminishes and the numbers fall.  The better approach is to examine how to reduce pressure in the system - better products, more training, better leads, better marketing materials, less paperwork, better service, shorter lead times, etc…

By actively working to support the sales team, Marketing can reduce unnecessary pressure and increase the speed at which a business operates.

What do you think?  How would you apply Bernoulli to Marketing?

Daniel Bernoulli - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I love the show Cheers.  It is the greatest sitcom of all time.  Season after season, character after character, it is simply outstanding television.  I don’t have cable, and have not seen the show in years.  I have wished and wished that it would come back somewhere on local television in reruns again.

Tonight I found it on Fox45 - 2  at 10:30.  Thank you digital broadcast television!

Yes, I recognize that watching a program you have already seen is a collosal waste of time.  However it is Cheers, and I will probably fall asleep to it anyway.  With that discovery, today ends on a happy note.

It’s the little things in life…

Cheers!

The event will be held on Monday September 29th, 2008 at Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro, Ohio.  Things get started at 11:30 and the fun lasts all day long.

Not a golfer, but still want to get involved?  The EFWO is also seeking volunteers to help run the event and there are still opportunities available for business sponsorships.  If you are interested, please contact the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio.

Here is a quick run-down of the day’s events:

Schedule of events
11:30 Registration and Practice
1:00 Shotgun Start to Scramble
6:00 Dinner & Speaker
6:30 Awards Ceremony
First, Second & Third Place

The Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio was founded in 1974 as a not-for-profit voluntary health organization that provides education, support, and advocacy for people with seizure disorders and their families. The Foundation also promotes understanding of epilepsy through educational programs offered in the community to schools, organizations, professional audiences, first responders, businesses, government, and the general public.

By supporting the Golf Scramble for Epilepsy, you will assist the Foundation in providing vital services and programs for residents from 11 western Ohio counties, which include Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, and Shelby. With your sponsorship and participation, the Foundations can continue to offer its services to persons with epilepsy free of charge.

For more information, email the Epilepsy Foundation or download the event flyer.

In a time and place where the business climate is difficult at best, Elizabeth’s business is enjoying continued growth, largely due to her hard work as a sales professional and her husband’s expertise in the sign business.

In this episode of Voices, I speak with Elizabeth about her secrets for running a successful small business, her involvement in the community, some of trends in her industry, and her outlook on the future of Dayton and the Miami Valley.

Elizabeth and Michael are a great example to two young people who are making things happen in the community.  They prove everyday that “hustle” is a valid and effective strategy for growth.   Thanks to Elizabeth for taking the time to do the podcast.   It was a pleasure.

Like me, many people have been closely following these Beijing Games.  I will certainly remember the opening ceremony, Michael Phelps and his domination, and I am sure the coming week of games will deliver more momorable moments.

Still one of my favorite Olympic moments was not an actual moment at all, but rather a spoof delivered courtesy of Saturday Night Live.  I remember when this aired.  It cracked me up then, and still does today.  Phil Hartman might just be the most underrated comedian of all time.  Check it out.

The story centers around a young boy named Michael, who suffered from 2 types of seizures that sound very similar to those that my son experiences.  The similarities between the descriptions their lives to our day to day reality was striking.  Michael’s parents spoke about how their child suffered through hundreds of seuzures a day, and how they “got used to living in crisis mode.”

I don’t want to paint this as a negative story, as it was actually quite informative and inspiring.  As parents of a child with epilepsy, we are often asked what our family life is like.  This article really sheds light into much of what life is like for us, and I imagine what life must be like for many other families who have a child suffering through epilepsy.

Their story has a happy ending, as their son Michael has now been seizure free for some time thanks to the right medications, early detection, and a lot of luck.  I am thrilled for Michael and his family.  I imagine that having Michael seizure free must be a wonderful feeling - one I hope we might experience someday.  Reading this article helped to further that hope.

One thing that we definately share with Michael’s family is this.  Our experience, like theirs, has taught us not to sweat the small stuff in life any more.

The article also features the following facts about Epilepsy: (Taken from the Parents article)

• The Brain is made up of 100 Billion nerve cells, which communicate with each other and the rest of the body.
• A seizure is triggered by abnormal electrical activity that causes a change in sensation, movement, behavior or consciousness.
• Doctors diagnose epilepsy after a child has two or more unprovoked seizures, which means that they aren’t caused by something external, such as a fever.
• Epilepsy is actually an umbrella term covering many diseases and syndromes.
• Epilepsy affects about 3 million people in the United States, and 45,000 children are diagnosed with epilepsy each year.
• There are 30 types of seizures, which can last from a few seconds to two minutes or longer.  In rare cases, they can be fatal.
• Drugs, surgery, or a special high fat / low-carb diet are effective in about 80% of cases.  Kids may be good candidates for surgery if their seuzures - unlike Michael’s - can’t be controlled with medication and are caused in a specific area of the brain.

If you would like to learn more about epilepsy or need help dealing with epilepsy, please visit the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio at www.ohioepilepsy.org

The Epilepsy Foundation is always looking for volunteers.   If you would like to join in the fight against epilepsy, please visit the volunteer page of the EFWO site.

For those who are not familiar with Aileron, it is the brain child of Clay Mathile - the entrepreneur who built the Iams Brand and later sold it to P&G.  He formed Aileron as a way to “help fuel private business and free enterprise, providing business owners with the tools and support they need to mature and succeed.” The company works with business owners to help them “lead and manage their companies, driving growth, innovation and jobs.” The company recently opened a new campus north of Dayton, where they conduct seminars and offer business leaders a quiet place to think, plan, and create.

So, getting back to the Breakfast Briefing, Fedders speech was very concise, yet was full of valuable information.  She walked through the elements of the basic model that Aileron uses to assess the health of a business.  I did my best to feverishly scratch out notes to capture her thoughts.   Here are some key take-aways from her presentation:

Professional Management - Aileron uses a term called “poof management” to describe the natural progression that often takes place as extremely talented technical performers suddenly find themselves in managerial roles.  Often that shift from doing to managing can be difficult, and it is important to realize that great performers on one level are not always natural managers.

Business Life Cycle - According to Fedders, most businesses fail because of poor management.  She stressed the importance of properly aligning the business with where it is in its life cycle.  Early on, businesses tend to be more entrepreneurial - bouncing from opportunity to opportunity to pay the bills.  As time passes, management should begin to focus on areas of expertise.  She emphasized the importance of establishing a board of advisers from outside of the firm to assist in this planning on a quarterly basis.  She suggested that these meetings should be at least 75% forward focused - with discussion around working on the business and not in the business.

Leadership - Joni discussed the idea that a key function of leadership should be to set the vision and then create an environment to move the business in that direction.  She also stressed the importance of leading by example.  “If the leaders are late and sloppy, how do you think the employees will behave?”  She went on to discuss the idea that leaders should engage in continuous learning, should be pivotal in determining strategy, and should ultimately serve as “Keeper of the Culture.”

Strategy - Fedders spoke about the importance of utilizing a decision making process that looked at the following: 1.) Reality - what are they paying us for today  / tomorrow,  2.) Focus - Where is the market headed,  3.) Competency - can we do it?     These elements come together to build a framework for producing a successful strategy.

Mission - She moved quickly through this point, but basically it revolves around “what are you trying to accomplish.”  It is important to create and internalize a formal mission so that everyone is clear as to what the ultimate goal should be.

People Development - This goes much deeper than training.  Fedders stated that this is really about engaging people, and empowering them to become better.  She asserted that this is key in creating long term growth.

Culture - “The way we do things around here.”  The idea of culture is so important.  Joni spoke about both the stated culture of policies and procedures as well as the actual culture of norms and customs.  Culture should be a visible trait, and can be a powerful way to differentiate a company from its competition.

Structure - When speaking about this, Fedders suggested that structure should very closely follow strategy.  It is the idea of creating an org chart to match where the company is planning to go.  Then finding the right people to fill the boxes on the chart.

Control - Lastly, Joni addressed the importance of control or measurement.  She stressed the need to examine the concepts of “are we doing waht we planned” and “is the market doing what we expected.”  Finally are the results in line with what we anticipated.

Joni then spent 20 minutes answering questions from the crowd.  Her responses were both candid and insightful.  This was one of the best Breakfast Briefings that I have been to, and I think that they are all excellent.  Joni Fedders did a great job of sharing information about her business and providing information to help those who came improve their own businesses.

The next Breakfast Briefing is on September 12th at the Kettering Tower in Downtown Dayton.  I hope to see you there.

Were you at the breakfast briefing?  What did you think?

Aileron – Meeting the life-long educational and developmental needs of entrepreneurs, business owners, and executives.

Chaos Theory is why the weather can only be predicted for a few days out.  There are so many variables that come into play, that long term predictions become virtually impossible.  Over time variance in inputs result in patterns which can change in unexpected and unpredictable ways.

Chaos Theory was developed by Edward Lorenz, who was an American mathematician and meteorologist.  He devised the theory as a result of rounding errors as he was trying to compute weather patterns.  He found that these small changes in rounding of numbers could result in dramatically different outcomes.    Thus he concluded that minuscule changes in inputs can have enormous consequences on the ultimate outcome.

So how does this pertain to marketing?

I think that the analogy to marketing is rooted in my belief that everything a firm does is in fact marketing.  If this is true, than seemingly little things like how clean you keep your lobby, how you show appreciation to your customers, or how you handle complaints can have a huge impact on your success.  While it is not possible to predict exactly how each interaction will play itself out, it is certain that in this age of interconnection and transparency patterns will emerge.

Thus, just as Chaos Theory states that little changes can have a big impact, the same holds true in marketing.  Thinking of outsourcing your customer complaint line?  Yes it might be cheaper, but it will make a difference in the ultimate outcome.  That minor change could have a major impact.  Ask Dell about that.

We live in a time where consumers have unlimited choices.  Thus as marketing professionals, we must take great pain to make sure the the inputs that can be controlled are controlled.  We must proactively seek to improve the customer experience.  We must seek to add value relative to the price that is being paid.  We must make sure to notice the little things that most would not notice.

Some might argue that Starbucks was a victim of Chaos Theory.  Is their recent trouble due to the fact that they opened too many stores too quickly?  Was the brand just a fad?  Do $4.00 gas prices and rising unemployment come into play?  Are they hurting because they focused on things like music and credit cards instead of coffee and customers?  Did the change from the manual to automated espresso machines dilute the brand?  I have no idea which of these things actually caused their current problems.  It might be all of them, it might be a butterfly in the jungles of South America.  I would argue however that these things led to a pattern with a predictable outcome.   Taken on their own they are small, but combined they create a difficult situation that would have been difficult to envision just a short time ago.

So for marketers, control that which you can control.  Focus on delivering quality to the consumer.  Pay attention to changes in outcome.  And, pray that butterflies help you more than they harm you.

How would you apply Chaos Theory to Marketing?  The world is waiting to find out.  Share your thougths, and change the world with your comments.  You never know what outcome they might produce…

When I worked in Dayton as an Account Executive, F&S was one of my favorite clients.  They were always fun to work with. They were not afraid to push the boundaries, and they sell an unbelievable product to a very loyal customer base.  Truly a dream account.  I still keep in touch with Jeff and the F&S crew, and they even hosted a fundraiser for the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio for free last March.  Great people, and a great place to visit if you have never done so.

With that said, this year is Harley Davidson’s 105th anniversary.  The company is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the anniversary, and Dayton will be included in the mix as several corporate executives from HD will be leading a cross country ride right through Dayton.  The group, which should be sizable, will be stopping at F&S in the afternoon on Monday, August 25th, and staying into the evening to answer questions, press the flesh, and greet the Harley faithful from the Miami Valley.  This should be a really cool event, and something that you Harley enthusiasts out there will not want to miss. When the ride leaves Dayton, the group will be headed to Wisconsin, where the company is based, to continue the celebration. Word on the street is that it is going to be legendary, with big name acts playing private shows over several days!

Part of the fun in Wisconsin will be the newly opened Harley- Davidson museum, featured in this month’s issue of Wired.  Harley fan or not, this is a great example of pulling people into the experience of the company and its devoted followers.  There are very few companies that could open a museum people would actually want to visit.  I stand in awe at the way in which Harley-Davidson has managed to cultivate such fierce loyalty amongst its customers.  If I ever find myself in that part of the county, I am going to make it a point to visit. Clearly there is a lot to learn about motorcycles and even more to learn about marketing.

New Harley-Davidson Museum Is Heaven for Hells Angels