Converting insight into action
Cindy Godwin, of Cooper Lancaster Brewers, reports on the second annual PM Forum conference entitled Converting insight into action held in London in September.
Do you ever feel like Zsa Zsa Gabor's fifth husband on their wedding night?* Is it a continuous challenge to make familiar marketing material interesting? Or maybe you don't and it isn't. Maybe you have your finger on the pulse at your firm and are a whiz-kid at developing innovative programmes that motivate partners and staff alike. Earlier this year, the Marketing Council set out to discover if marketers have achieved what they think they have.
Delegates at the PM Forum Annual Conference 1997 were the first set of marketers in the country to hear the discouraging news. (John Stubbs, Chief Executive of the Marketing Council stopped in at the Langham Hilton on his way to present his statistics to senior marketers setting sail on the Oriana later in the day). Alas, the research study undertaken by the Marketing Council showed that perceptions of marketers by their colleagues did not support marketers' own esteem of the value they are contributing to their companies. While this research may have been largely influenced by those in the product sector, it supports a recognition by many professional service marketers that there are firms, partners and staff who do not share an enthusiasm for marketing. So what can marketers do to increase the competitiveness of UK firms and companies and achieve recognition for contributing to the process?
Management consultants, McKinsey & Co, addressed this question several years ago by implementing a practical coaching programme throughout its offices in the UK. As director of professional development in the London office of McKinsey, Max Landsberg played an instrumental role in leading the initiative. It would be unfair to cheat Max of the proceeds from his book, The Tao of Coaching, by detailing for you here the techniques involved in creating successful coaches. To occupy your thoughts while you are on your way to the book shop, think about what contributions you would appreciate from your own personal coach and try to envisage a situation where you put this into practice yourself. If you are having trouble thinking of anything, try some of these points raised by McKinsey coachees about what actions impressed them about their coaches:
-
took them to important meetings,
-
asked for feedback after presentations,
-
explained how to position controversial topics/ideas,
-
asked for advice,
-
celebrated successes with them.
As you might expect, Max found that the coaching programme strengthened the quality of working relationships within McKinsey. The programme also helped coaches to develop stronger interpersonal skills which, in turn, increased the value and effectiveness of their client relationships. Through the delegation skills acquired, coaches also had the opportunity to have more time for themselves - either to invest in their own job, career development or personal life.
At Motorola, where coaching is an integral part of the measurement and reward system, managers and teams are all accountable for their part in the process. Stig Lincoln-Ohrstrand, Motorola's director of shared networks - EMEA, warned conference delegates that only those professional service firms that implement strict accountability into their structure will survive. Motorola defines the three essential levels of its team structure as:
1 Coach : a functional expert who is the motivator and driver of the process - can be a Motorola employee or a customer.
2 Project manager: the controller of resources who takes advice but makes the decisions and is responsible for the outcome.
3 Project team: a multi-functional, multi-disciplined group that is created around each project - every member is fully empowered.
Note that the project manager must succeed for the coach to succeed. Self-promotion is frowned upon in this environment where team recognition has top importance.
The entire team reviews the project in stages to ensure that it is progressing well and that all elements of the project are under control and are meeting the time budget. Keeping a tight reign on the coaching process enables Motorola to tie remuneration to subtle performance measures that emphasise the softer skills involved in succeeding as a team. Regardless of whether the customer is internal or external, the team only succeeds if the customer is successful.
Supporting Stig's prediction of professional firms of the future, Andrew May, director of marketing MCS with Ernst & Young, explored the role of external coaching in taking service to the clients. By eliminating a supplier-buyer mindset, your firm can play an active role in aligning its initiatives with that of the client company. Andrew suggested using joint promotional activities or dining/masterclass events to help clients to build their network and strengthen the likelihood of a long-term relationship. Promote the service advantages clients gain from using your firm. If their brand name becomes entwined with yours, the client is more likely to see you as a contributor to, and necessary component of, its success.
Do your internal communications systems reinforce your firms values? Mike Pounsford, managing director of Banner McBride, stressed that in today's environment where most firms of a similar size offer the same services, these values may be the only differentiating factor.
Mike believes that you do not have to bother with brochures in order to impress existing and potential clients. If partner values are maintained by staff, exposing employees to potential clients will be the most effective method of convincing others to do business with your firm.
Following the panel's presentations, delegates broke into groups to discuss their own views on topics relating to the earlier presentations.
-
Targeting
-
New business generation
-
Sales success
-
Client service
-
Customer preference
In light of each designated topic, participants were asked to include in their discussions:
-
initiatives taken by their firms,
-
marketing's role,
-
the importance of coaching to the process.
You may find the resulting suggestions helpful in converting your insights into action within your firm.
-
Integrate marketing and human resources wherever possible.
-
Hold regular client review meetings. Choose a particular client to discuss at each meeting. Invite all employees to attend to discuss how to improve the firm's relationship with the client.
-
Increase your awareness of your client's business/industry by sending staff on secondment to the client or to another company in their market.
-
Hold workshops specifically for a client so that you can explore in depth how an issue affects their business. This will also serve to familiarise employees of both organisations with each other, both on a technical and a personal level.
-
Only accept new clients and employees who fit your firm's personality.
-
If all else fails, read Explaining the Inexplicable by the Rodent (who made a celebrity appearance at the conference).
The Rodent is living proof that you needn't get trapped in the rat race in order to achieve recognition as an achiever in your chosen profession!
* Comparison courtesy of Max Landsberg.
e under cont d x @|Continuous impr!