Getting ready for the Fall Semester

I'm getting the syllabus and lectures finalized for my Fall 2012 course in

CRM at Rutgers Business School, Newark Campus.  I'll be using my textbook, Healthcare Relationship Marketing, by Gower Press, plus additional readings and other case studies.  The course will be cross-industry, and I expect to show many good examples from retail, financial services airlines, and hospitality.   WIll cover both consumer and professional

The emphasis will be on learning the practical aspects of designing a CRM program based on strategy, deploying with technology, and measuring.   Check out the syllabus.  Would love to hear ideas of best practices that you have on CRM.

Long term consistency: harder than it looks

There has been lots of attention in the USA this past week spent on Derek Jeter of the Yankees getting his 3,000th hit. This is a measure of an expert artisan performing well at his draft for over 15 years, a model of consistency. Even as the game has evolved around him, and some competitors changed.

What does consistency mean in analytics? It means continually providing valuable consulting and insights, even as the promotional channels and the hardware platforms evolve. Even as the clients become more cost conscious than ever, and even as the marketplace for analytic services becomes more competitive. Consistency also means staying ahead of the curve on the prevailing technology trends,and the newest data sources and software tools.

Yet, just like a base hit to the opposite field, some principles of analytics endure: synthesize the right data, reduce the dimensionality, show the insights that are directly linked to business decisions and actions.

Methodically removing balls from the air

Ever feel like you are working on so many responsibilities and immediate deliverables at once? It can be just like you are simultaneously juggling many balls in the air. This can happen in the "functional service areas" like analytics.

The key is to focus on getting items completed, one by one. Not on getting overwhelmed with the total set. Each completed and transitioned result will provide satisfaction for oneself and one's "clients."

But how to choose which one to complete first? You need some kind of "greedy algorithm:"
- first in, first out?
- nearest to the deadlines?
- easiest to get over with?
- task with the most pressure and stress attached?

The "greedy heuristic" you choose for getting the first one off your plate may be up to you, or handed to you.

As you plow through your list of tasks, some might be thorny, and need a new perspective, even a chance to put aside and "sleep on it" before solving.

I remember fondly my days on the high school mathematics team when there was a book called: How to Solve it, by George Polya It gave great problem solving techniques for seeing mathematical puzzles and theorems from a new perspective.
Examples of these techniques are:

* break into sub-problems, relate these to each other, and solve the core sub-problem.
* draw diagrams to represent the core issue
* apply a rotation, or a transformation, so the relevant dimension is more obvious
* find an analogous problem and solve that.

For the technically and mathematically inclined, this is a paperback investment well worth it.

Consulting workshops and passing the ownership baton

In the consulting business there comes a moment of both risk and reward, and that is the delivery and handoff to the client. Especially true when the consultant is preparing a workshop that the client wishes to lead.

Seems odd to say, but nowadays manufacturer marketers are so busy that they may require consultants, or agencies, to prepare workshops and slides for even their most critical business functions.

When this happens, we on the agency side go through heroic efforts to make the slides, materials, and flow as captivating and engaging for the audience as possible. There may be a couple of check ins with the well-intentioned client, but uncertainty remains.

Finally, the workshop day arrives, and the group that has prepared the messages, visuals, and slides has to transition control. Like a relay race team, the final pass of the baton is to the client running the show, in front of dozens (or even hundreds) of attendees. No talented, speedy relay race team wants to drop the baton, and so consultant have to put the time in and work hard right up until the end of the final pass off of materials.

The moment of euphoria, the proof of the pudding, is when the client moderator takes our presenations and makes it his or her own, adding special corporate and department flavor that only he or she can. The finish line is crossed, and the client company makes strides.

Wisdom 2.0 - sure wish I had gone here

Reading through my Twitter for news items, I stumbled across tweets from a range of delighted and peaceful attendees of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference. Check out the speakers, and the agenda. You can watch live if you are in synch; but I think I missed it.

Anyway, seems to be a Silicon Valley SF Bay Area assembly of high powered software executives, yoga instructors, and people in between. For 3 days, talking about work-life balance, being at peace with rampant technology, and what is real connection in the age of social media.

As our communication and connections become more rapid, global, and superficial, we struggle continually. The pendulum has swung to reactivity, rather than the proactive days of deliberate appointments and letter writing. The ancient ritual of Sabbath days can be a pause to past times, but those traditions are harder than ever to keep. Would have been nice to sit outside with a cup of Java and a biscotti with other nerds stretching to yoga and pondering the implications.

Already thinking about booking for next year...

Startup companies: reason for failure - meta analysis

Fortunately at The CementBloc I am at a successful startup that is now heading for 11 years. Now, in my line of work at analytics and technology for healthcare communications, I am continually working with young startup companies: software companies, advertising agencies, analytic consultants. Also, with downsizing, many of my talented former colleagues in the corporate world are starting their own small firms.

With this in mind I was very intrigued to read the post-hoc meta-analysis of 32 failed startups done by Chubby Brain. This is summarized as "Top 20 reasons why startups fail."

The top reasons include customer focus, responding to a dynamic marketplace, and team chemistry. But there are others as well. I encourage anyone in small business to take a look. I might also encourage those who employ small companies to look as well, for the right signs in who they are giving their contracts to.

Managing expectations on RM

In her blog "My life as a focus group," Elizabeth Elfenbein commented on managing expectations so that your clients are not disappointed. This is especially true in a consulting role, and with relationship marketing programs. Individuals want some kind of comfort if they are getting a positive ROI. Yet the systems being deployed are sometimes innovative and have uncertain response rates. Furthermore, crowded markets and channels create clutter and reduce response.

So, what to do to make sure expectations are met as you field innovative marketing programs liek CRM and PRM?

A few questions to ask to manage expectations:

- What is the current status quo of Rx, conversion, and adherence. Can you exceed it?

- Can you use low and high estimates of response rates, and conversion and adherence rates to put a range on the expected return

- Rather than stay fixated on a single number like ROI, what are leading indicators that also show progress?

Also, encourage a mindset of a phased approach and continual improvement, not just a one shot measurement. For some thoughts on implementing continual marketing optimization in the digital world, see this issue of the "Business 2 Community" blog.

Quality Time: when to be there in person

Working for a marketing and sales consulting agency, where some of my clients are hours away by plane, I think keenly about when to travel for an expensive face to face meeting, and when to conduct a phone call, perhaps with a Webex or Netmeeting presentation.

Here are some guidelines I've determined:

Need to be in person when:

* Creating relationships
* Major milestones
* Significant decisions made
* Building of trust
* Showing new creative concepts
* Discovery gathering, or knowledge engineering
* Creating consensus as a group

Over the phone or webex is sufficient for:

* Updates to presentations or analyses similar to those seen before
* Direct transfer of orders among people who have already met.

I have seen poor decisions made on both sides: consultants giving up a major trip and taking a phone call when in fact consensus was needed, or when their client relationship was shaky. I've also seen clients insist on face to face meetings continually even for matters where a phone call is sufficient.

The best account directors will think through the scenarios and consequences of each fly vs no-fly decision.