Marketing Me! Adapting to Overcome

A couple of things which came to my attention this week.

Story one -
Couple nearing retirement live in semi-rural Michigan on "ten acres near lake" in 100 year old farmhouse. Now in their 50's they have a predicament: they are having a problem affording their home. They cannot afford the $4+ a gallon heating oil to heat their home. They cannot get firewood to use in fireplace to offset increased heating cost of using oil. Their taxes have increased. They want something "done" or "help".

Story two -
A friend who works in broadcasting told me his story. The television news stations are financially suffering. They are cutting back on all expenses. They have cut out all overtime. On top of this, they are actively, but not officially, reducing 40+ year olds in favor of 20-somethings right out of college. Friend is concerned about what his field will look like in ten years.

Both stories, one ending.

Adapt or die.

Couple in Michigan. Only one solution. Sell that big white elephant and move somewhere warmer and more affordable. Census data released yesterday tells you where everyone else is moving and why. Get out from under that cold, old farmhouse and move south to a less expensive Sunbelt state. Housing is cheaper and getting more so everyday. I don't know anyone down here who uses heating oil. Well maybe in Florida. But why should you suffer from the cost anymore? Want to stay? Sentimentality? Friends? Family? Who cares. YOu cannot afford to stay where you are and it will only get worse.

Broadcaster. Guess what? The old media outlets are only get to get worse. Hey, if you are able to hang on to your job, good for you. But don't be surprised if your pay continues to get cut and the threat of a younger person taking over becomes more real every day. What is a solution? Get out of news and take your video work private. Go to work in corporate communications or health care. Hook up with a wedding coordinator and start shooting weddings on the weekend. The money is really good.

Questions -
If I move, who will take care of my aged mother/father/grandmother,etc?
Strap her to the roof (Granny Clampett - Beverly Hillbillies) and go.
What if I cannot sell my home?
Any home can and will be sold. Try harder, get another broker, reduce your price, etc.
What if I miss my friends and family?
Yes, but you will miss eating first.
What if my job comes back?
Jobs are not boomerangs.

Adapt now. Or your career will die.
Remember, the economy is always the same for the successful, different for the adapters and going south for the extinct.

What will you be?

Marketing Me! Would you pay for a new job?

During the 2002 "dot com" crash, I found myself looking for a new job while my then current company began to flounder. Thinking the boom was still on, I was in for a rude awakening.

First, there were very few open positions in the IT field in any capacity.
Second, positions which were open, were quickly filled by internal candidates (hence the reason we network and market ourselves!).

However, there were some openings in a few companies which I quickly applied for. Naturally, my applications ended up not with the employer, but with a recruiter retained by the company.

And then the recruiter song and dance began.

It occurred to me at that time, would it not have been easier to just have made an offer to the recruiter?

"You get me a job offer within my requirements and I will give you this percentage of my first year's commission or I will write you a check for the full amount my first day of work".

We know why this would not work in my particular scenario, but would it work in general? Would you do it?

Marketing Me! International Business Locally

I recently dropped off my dry cleaning at a local cleaners. When I returned a few days later to pick up my shirts, one was missing. Now the owner of the dry cleaner, who immigrated from Southwest Asia, was remiss to offer any explanation as to what happened to my shirt.

Her responses were:

"Someone else must have received your shirt".
"I don't clean the clothes here. Call this number for the service I use and ask for your shirt".

At no time did she offer an apology other than "I am sorry you feel that way." when I complained about the service.

When I said I would not be doing business with her again, she shrugged.

Bad customer service? In the U.S. yes. In this woman's native country? Probably not.

The culture of other countries often dictates that the business is an authority and as such, has the final say on what goes on when one is doing business with them. Residents of these countries are used to authority figures and institutions telling them "how things are going to be" and deal with it accordingly.

In the U.S., the culture is, "The Customer Is Always Right" and we have an infrastructure which generally benefits the consumer. At any time, I can go to the dry cleaner across the street and give them my business.

Further, in other countries, to issue an apology is unthinkable. An apology admits failure and embarrassment. The store owner would rather step in front of a moving car before she uttered an apology of any sort.

In previous generations, we were taught to prepare and acclimate ourselves for trips abroad to do business. We learned languages and cultural idioms (when to shake hands, bow and examine business cards, etc.) weeks before setting foot on an airplane.

However, in a rapidly globalised world and workforce, the cultures are now colliding in your backyard and home office. And as international heads butt in the boardroom, expect some changes to occur.

It is these types of changes which cause revolutions both at home and abroad. Be ready.

Marketing Me! Checking Email

Dear Marketing Me! At work, I feel left out. My company is about 3000 people and I work in marketing. I attend meetings regularly, have perfect attendance and try to stay in touch with my team, but because of my personal life (I am married and have three children), I don't have as much personal time to spend with my fellow employees. What can I do to feel more included?
Left out and lonely,

Dear left out,

There is no magic bullet to feeling "included". In the modern workplace, it seems those of us who are married and with children have the potential of getting shorted because we do not have the time to make the after work cocktail meetings or maybe simply cannot stay at the office until 7PM every night.

For your situation, consider a smaller company if possible. You will have a greater impact for your work and not for how many hours you toil as a cog in the big machine.

Analyze your impact at your current job. Not to pick on what you say, but your description of your commitment, (perfect attendance, attend meetings, etc.) sounds more like school and not like someone who is fanatical about their position. Perhaps you are in the wrong job? Or at the wrong employer?

Also, the effect you have at work is not completely determined by the amount of time you connect with your fellow workers. Rather it is based upon the results of that connection time with your fellow workers. Consider if you really get along with your coworkers and if they are the kind of people you want to be around.

Think about it. Thanks for reading Marketing Me!

Dear Marketing Me!

I found your column the other day and have a bone to pick with you. Its great if you can market yourself in the white shirt force, but what about those of us in the working man's world? I website is not going to get me a job in my field.
Living in Reality,

Dear Reality,

Thanks for your email. Nope, it applies to you as well (although I am not sure what you do for a living). A pool cleaner, tow truck owner or landscaper can benefit from the philosophy of Marketing Me! Marketing and building their brand name leads to more work and better revenues.
However, if your field of endeavor is to work in a large, faceless nameless assembly line represented by a disconnected third party, then you are correct. Marketing Me! is not for you.
By the way, I checked with my boss and customers - they consider me a "working man" as well.

Dear Marketing Me!

How can I increase my sales and get a raise at work?
Low revenue in Ohio.

Dear Low,
Check out any of the popular sales titles if you have not already. I really like Frank Rumbauskas and Jeffrey Gitomer and others. Check them out for the basics of increasing your sales in a new way. As for getting a raise, ask. Go to your employer after reading my blog and ask for a raise. Make a case why you deserve one. It can't hurt and most would never think to do this but it does work. If you do not deserve a raise, why?

By the way, if you want to increase your sales this quarter, you might be in trouble. There is less than 20 working days left.

Thank you for reading Marketing Me!