Category: Sales & Marketing

Many years ago, while leading a workshop for effective presentations, I had a number of students who were actually there because they had been asked to conduct mandatory safety training. They talked about undesirable behaviors on the part of their learners: people falling asleep during the training sessions, arguing, or making inappropriate comments about the content. I asked what they would do in such cases, and their immediate response was to “kick them out of the class.” I thought this was a pretty radical reaction, so we talked about what else they could do to get through to their learners. I am not sure they bought into my suggestions to start with a more subtle intervention at that point, but I hope as they became more experienced in the classroom they tried some more subtle techniques.

Over time, as I heard and experienced similar audience behaviors, I developed and shared the Intervention Escalator, a reminder to start with subtle interventions, and move toward more extreme responses only as needed. The hope was that presenters could use subtle but active interventions to maintain harmony in meetings, presentations, or training sessions without relying on extreme or unilateral methods.

Take a look and let me know what you think of this approach. Where do you start on the scale? What is the most effective technique, in your experience? Have you had to eject participants from a classroom or meeting? Are there other steps you would suggest adding?

Intervention Escalator:

1. Ignore it. If you see or hear a behavior once, you may be able to ignore it. For example, a short side conversation, heavy eyes, or a comment you think is just a little “off” can probably be ignored for a while without fear of losing control of the classroom. Keep an eye out for continued behaviors around the room or from the same people but just take note.

2. Silence it. Instead of stopping your presentation or commenting directly to the offender, insert an extended pause into the conversation. Most times, when the room gets quiet, so do those who are indulging in side conversations. Wait until everyone is quiet, then continue without comment.

3. Eyeball them. Often you can head off a confrontation non-verbally by making extended eye contact with people who are distracting others. Your silent message is: “I have my eyes on you.” You still don’t have to be confrontational or put anyone on the spot. Just extend the eye contact beyond 5 seconds and they will get the point.

4. Stand by them. As you move around the room, standing close to those who are being disruptive can help quiet them down, again without a direct confrontation. If only one party to the side conversation is “into it” the other person may appreciate your non-verbal intervention.

5. Ask a question. As the behaviors continue unabated, you are moving toward direct action. But before you jump on someone, start with questions. Ask a question of the audience at large: for example, “I have shown you some of the facts about eye safety, now who can tell me which one you think is most compelling?” Questions sound different than questions, and this may be enough to grab the attention of those who are drifting. By the way, ask the question first, then call on someone. That way, everyone in the room must think, in case you call on them.

6. Ask for input. If lots of side discussions are breaking out, or if lots of eyes are fluttering, you are going to have to deal with it. Call it out: “I see some of you are drifting… Is it too warm in here? Do we need a break now? Did you have a question? Was there a comment you could share?” Note that it is really easy to sound sarcastic here, so try not to let that happen. You could try humor too, if it seems natural and appropriate. “Try this lecture tonight on your three year old to get her to sleep.” (And if you are lecturing, stop, and change the pace to discussion or action.)

7. Talk offline. If one or two people are causing the distraction, try connecting with them on a break. Let them know the impact of their behavior, on you and on others. Ask if there is anything you can do to keep them engaged. Let them know the consequences of continued behavior. At least this way you aren’t embarrassing them in front of others and you are giving them fair notice.

8. Divide and conquer. If certain people are developing distracting behaviors, it may help to get them apart. Break into “discussion groups” by counting off, thereby breaking up teams or whole tables who are too chatty. After lunch or a break, ask people to sit in a new spot so they can “meet new people.” In long meetings or training sessions, this is great practice anyway. Just note that people get attached to their territory and sometimes resist moving. If you use name tents, you can move them over lunch, or catch people at the door and ask them to move. If even a few people change seats it is often enough to change the dynamics.

9. Address them directly. You are getting toward the most direct approaches. If behaviors have continued to this point, you will have to address them directly. Be direct, calm, and factual. “Bill and Sam, I am going to ask for your cooperation. Let’s eliminate the side comments so we can finish our session on time.” (I love telling them this; everyone wants to finish on time.)

10. Eject them. In twenty years of leading training sessions, I have only had to ask someone to leave once or twice. But if you feel their presence is impacting or threatening the physical or psychological safety of the other participants, you will need to take action. Personally, I would ask them to step outside the room and then privately ask them to make a choice about leaving the class or changing their behavior. If you feel threatened, you will want to call security or ask for help. Hopefully, you never have to get this far on the Intervention Escalator.

It is a fine line to walk between being respectful to individuals while being a strong leader, but by starting at the bottom of the escalator, you may never have to get to the most direct actions. Don’t confuse subtlety with avoidance or evasion; take action early to maintain a healthy environment in your next meeting, training session or presentation.

Have you considered a career in Public Relations? These basics may help.

Significant Points

• Although employment is projected to grow much faster than average, keen competition is expected for entry-level jobs.
• Opportunities should be best for college graduates who combine a degree in public relations, journalism, or another communications-related field with a public relations internship or other related work experience.
• Strong communication skills are essential.

Public Relations Job Duties

Public relations specialists handle organizational functions, such as media, community, consumer, industry, and governmental relations; political campaigns; interest-group representation; conflict mediation; and employee and investor relations. Public relations specialists must understand the attitudes and concerns of community, consumer, employee, and public interest groups to establish and maintain cooperative relationships between them and representatives from print and broadcast journalism.

Public relations specialists draft press releases and contact people in the media who might print or broadcast their material. Many radio or television special reports, newspaper stories, and magazine articles start at the desks of public relations specialists. Sometimes, the subject of a press release is an organization and its policies toward employees or its role in the community. For example, a press release might describe a public issue, such as health, energy, or the environment, and what an organization does to advance that issue.

Public relations specialists also arrange and conduct programs to maintain contact between organization representatives and the public. For example, public relations specialists set up speaking engagements and prepare speeches for officials. These media specialists represent employers at community projects; make film, slide, and other visual presentations for meetings and school assemblies; and plan conventions.

Employment

Public relations specialists hold about 275,200 jobs in the U.S. They are concentrated in service-providing industries, such as advertising and related services; healthcare and social assistance; educational services; and government. Others work for communications firms, financial institutions, and government agencies.

Public relations specialists are concentrated in large cities, where press services and other communications facilities are readily available and where many businesses and trade associations have their headquarters. Many public relations consulting firms, for example, are in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. There is a trend, however, toward public relations jobs to be dispersed throughout the Nation, closer to clients.

Job Outlook

Employment is projected to grow much faster than average; however, keen competition is expected for entry-level jobs.

The recent emergence of social media in the public relations is expected to increase job growth as well. Many public relations firms are expanding their use of these tools, and specialists with skills in them will be needed.

Public Relations Wages

Median annual wages for salaried public relations specialists were $51,280 (in May 2008, the latest date for which information was vailable). The middle 50 percent earned between $38,400 and $71,670; the lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,140, and the top 10 percent earned more than $97,910. Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of public relations specialists were:

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Ms. Chapman’s new book has a name change! The Net-Powered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide will be available very soon. With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com

When you hear the word “Free”, do you think, “Oh really? What’s the catch?”

When sellers are indeed offering buyers a bonus, “free” is a powerful draw. But when companies use “free” as a deceptive come-on, they can find themselves in legal hot water.

Fast-talking Telemarketers – Not so Free

Law enforcement actions by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) highlight the importance of caution when using the word “free” in advertising. In a case brought with the Kentucky Attorney General, the FTC alleged that the defendants – claiming to be calling from major retailers or the consumer’s credit card company – offered what they said were “free” gift cards or resort vacations. The defendants then used a variety of shady tactics to trick people into saying the word “yes,” which the defendants then used as their purported billing authorization.

In some cases, the defendants told consumers they had to confirm their acceptance of the free products. In other instances, they asked people to listen to a “pretend” telemarketing pitch, answer “yes” when prompted, and then rate the caller’s sales skills. According to the FTC, fast-talking telemarketers raced through the pitch so rapidly that many consumers didn’t realize they’d agreed to buy products. To add legal insult to financial injury, the defendants charged consumers’ credit cards or debited their bank accounts without permission and never sent the “free” goods as promised. The upshot? Settlements with all but one defendant, tough injunctive terms, and a $5 million performance bond.

“Free Sample” Case Example

In two other FTC actions, dietary supplement marketers lured consumers to their websites by offering “free” samples of products for weight loss or to treat sexual dysfunction. According to the FTC, to get the samples, consumers had to give a credit card number to cover shipping and handling. Once the defendants had the account numbers, they enrolled unsuspecting consumers in continuity programs, charging them for additional unauthorized shipments. In addition to injunctive provisions, the settlements impose judgments totaling $10.3 million and require the companies to disgorge more than $600,000 in cash.

What tips can marketers take from these cases?

• “Free” means free. Don’t make an unqualified “free” claim when you really mean “free for now, but we’ll bill you later” or “free, plus additional fees.”
• Dial back on deception. The Telemarketing Sales Rule outlines specific requirements for “free” offers made by phone. Read Complying with the Telemarketing Sales Rule, available at business.ftc.gov, to keep your claims compliant.
• Negative (option) feedback. Whether you call it a continuity program, a free-to-pay conversion, or advanced consent marketing, take particular care to explain the terms of negative option plans before you seal the deal. Promoting a product as “free” and then burying the details in a fine-print footnote or through an obscure hyperlink is likely to draw customer ire and law enforcement attention. Check out Negative Options, an FTC staff report, to find out how to do the deal right.

Do you have examples to share?

(Thanks to Lesley Fair – an attorney in the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.)

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

.. _____ ..

ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Ms. Chapman’s new book has a name change! The Net-Powered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide will be available very soon. With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com

Recently I attended a speech given by a brilliant but soft-spoken philosopher and author. Even though he had a gentle, thoughtful way of speaking, and a serious topic, he managed to connect well with the audience, and got some great chuckles with his stories and his subtle humor. It started me thinking again about how important the first few minutes of every presentation is, and what you can do to make a good connection with your audience early on.

Check your next presentation to see how many of these you are doing.

Tell a short human-interest story. This speaker made a reference to boy scouts, comparing how they were years ago, to how they are today. It illustrated a point he was making in a highly visual, personal and memorable way. And it took less than one minute.

Refer to the audience and their worlds. More important than telling them all about you, let them know you understand who they are, what their concerns are, and how you plan to address them. The old adage is true: they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Engage them in some way. Get them to do something besides just sitting. Ask a question, ask for a show of hands, ask them to greet their neighbors, ask them to write down their questions, ask them to gather in the four corners of the room according to…well, you get the idea. Unless you are mesmerizing, you really should get them engaged and involved, and do it sooner rather than later.

Start without slides. It sends a whole different energy into the room than starting with your slides on and ready to go. In fact, this speaker used no more than 10 slides in two hours, and he turned them on when needed and off when not needed. And another thing; they were all images, not bullets! Maybe you need to use slides. If so, then make them as clean and simple as possible, and start (and end) without them.

Find the humor. It could be in your story, in the audience, in a misfire or mistake, in a cartoon you show, or in something you heard or read recently. Look for humor that is comfortable and natural for you; don’t try to be a comedian. It doesn’t have to bring the house down; even a chuckle can bring us all together.

Yes, this speaker did all five of these in the first few minutes. He showed humility, depth, and passion about his topic. I bet you can too, and I would love to hear what you do in the first five minutes.

Yesterday I volunteered to make some phone calls on behalf of my professional organization, ASTD-TCC, in order to support their annual Regional Conference. It started me thinking about how much of my professional life has been spent on the telephone. When I needed a second job early in my career, I worked a phone bank for a political party. When I was a technical recruiter, virtually all my work was done over the telephone. My boss called it “dialing for dollars.” And when I started out my business nearly twenty years ago, I had a goal of making 20 cold calls every day. Whew!

Nowadays I rarely ever make a cold call, and in fact, I sometimes think I spend more time on e-mails than I do on the phone. Still, the phone is one of the most important business tools we have. Today we don’t use the phone just for conversations or to set up meetings; we use it to have the meetings.

Has the art of the telephone been lost? Or do we just take it for granted? Here is a checklist of best practices and a few no-nos to keep in mind next time you are doing business over the phone.

TELEPHONE DO’S

Slow down. The listener can’t see you or read your lips, and maybe can’t hear you all that well, especially if they—or you—are on a cell phone or in a noisy place. So slow down and enunciate just a little more than normal.

Take a breath. Sit up straight. And smile. These are tips given to customer service reps and phone salespeople, and for good reason. You sound better if you smile, and you will speak with more power when you breathe and sit or stand tall.

Greet your listener. “Good morning, good afternoon,” or “hello” set a friendly tone. Keep your opening brief but cordial to make a personal connection. (Don’t overdo it; most of us can see a sales pitch coming a mile away.)

Provide your name and contact information. Somehow we forget this or assume the other person knows who we are. Name, organization, and phone number, all spoken clearly and slowly really help. If you want a call-back, repeat this information again at the end. Slowly.

Give the purpose for the call. Be direct. “I am seeking sponsorships for the conference, I am looking for a speaker, I am asking for a recommendation, I need some information,” etc. are direct ways of letting people know why you are calling. Don’t make them guess. Don’t beat around the bush, and please, don’t just give your name and number with a request for a call back. You will have much better response if you give the reason for your call.

Listen to your outgoing phone calls and messages. Periodically record your calls with a voice recorder or your smart phone (there’s an app for that.) Listen for your tone, rate of speech, enunciation, the number of fillers you use, and generally how clearly you articulate your message.

Take a break. Phone calling is hard work; it calls for fast thinking and concentration. If you are getting tired, bored, or have just had a negative experience, walk away for a few minutes. On the other hand, instead of stopping after a great call, keep going. When you experience success, you get a whole new tone in your voice. That’s the time to place one more call. That is when I would typically place my “most important” calls; when I was feeling I couldn’t miss. It very often worked!

A COUPLE OF DON’TS

Don’t distract yourself. Stay focused on the message and clear delivery. If there is noise or distraction, shut your door or wait for a better moment to place the call. If you are thinking about what to have for lunch, stop and focus on the reason for the call.

Don’t slam the phone down to hang up. This is my personal pet peeve. Come on! If you are trying to gain cooperation, make a sale or build a professional relationship, don’t slam the phone down at the end of the call or your message. What a poor “last impression.” Disconnect the phone quietly, then replace it on the receiver.

We may use them a bit differently, but great telephone skills will never go out of style. Over time you will be in countless conversations, meetings and webinars. You might even find yourself “dialing for dollars.” Take time today to check your telephone skills and see if they measure up.

The Pioneer of Social Sciences and Psychology in the PR Industry

Edward Louis Bernays (November 22, 1891 – March 9, 1995)

Bernays was the nephew of Dr. Sigmund Freud, who dramatically helped shape his psychoanalytic approach to PR. Bernays used manipulation to sway the public’s subconscious mind, and thus, public opinion. Also quite influential in his Public Relations practices were the crowd psychology ideas and beliefs of Gustave Le Bon and Wilfred Trotter.

One of the first to use manipulation in PR, Bernays felt that it was absolutely necessary in Society, which he believed was ruled by the ‘herd instinct‘ – irrational and dangerous.

Psychoanalyst to Troubled Corporations

According to Irwin Ross, a writer, “Bernays liked to think of himself as a kind of psychoanalyst to troubled corporations.” His famous corporate clients included Procter & Gamble, the American Tobacco Company, Cartier Inc., Best Foods, CBS, the United Fruit Company, General Electric, Dodge Motors, Knox Gelatin, and innumerable others.

Clearly, his campaigns worked.

Inventor of the Press Release

One of Bernays’ most famous campaigns attacked the 1920’s stronghold social taboo of women smoking in public. He shocked the public during the 1929 Easter Day Parade by staging debutantes holding cigarettes. He sent notices out to media and made it news – which legitimized his message in a way that paid advertising just couldn’t.

Today, more than HALF of what we think of as news is actually initiated by the PR industry.

Inventor of PR Testimonials

According to Bernays, “If you can influence the leaders, either with or without their conscious cooperation, you automatically influence the group which they sway.” At the time, this was a groundbreaking idea!

Faced with the challenge of promoting bacon for one of his PR clients, he surveyed physicians. Finding that they recommended people eat a heavy breakfast, he sent the survey results to 5,000 physicians – promoting, of course – bacon and eggs.

Bernays’ Public Relations Legacy

Bernays was named one of the 100 Most Influential Americans of the 20th Century by Life magazine. Although his celebration of propaganda helped define public relations, it didn’t win the PR industry many friends. In a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter described Bernays and his associate Ivy Lee as “professional poisoners of the public mind, exploiters of foolishness, fanaticism and self-interest.”

(Thanks to Wikipedia for info and references.)

In your opinion, could psychoanalytic manipulation possibly be extracted from PR today?

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

.. _____ ..

ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Ms. Chapman’s new book has a name change! The Net-Powered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide will be available very soon. With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com