Category Archives: Marketing

April 7, 2012

Dear CEO, Hire Me

By Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare

Two years ago I attended the Annual Carolinas Payroll Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC. As a vendor my role was to raise awareness for my organization and discussion potential career opportunities we had for a client implementation. The next morning at 9:45 AM, I was approached by the conference coordinator and asked if I could step in and do a 45 minute presentation given that one of the presenters was running short. I didn’t know payroll but I was very affluent in career planning and personal brand strategy. I asked how long I had? I was informed I had about one minute to prepare.

Yes, I had one minute to prepare for a 45 minute presentation. No slides, no real topic, no agenda and no time. It went incredibly well. Almost inspirational. During the discussion, I told the audience of 170 payroll professionals that it was ok to reach out to an executive or even a CEO if you presented yourself in a unique way that showed how your skills were ideal for the organization.

The next day, an attendee approached me to thank me for the advice. I wasn’t sure which advice but how can I say no to a nice compliment. She informed me that her husband’s former employer that develops large commercial planes lost their largest client to a local competitor. He was an operations line manager with twelve years under his belt and had applied over three weeks earlier to move over to the new company without receiving a single acknowledgment. They went online, found a contact email for the CEO and sent over a cover letter explaining his background and resume. One hour later, the Director of Recruitment called him up to schedule a phone interview.

The bottom line lesson from that tidbit I presented was that if a recruiter receives a referral from an executive, there is almost a 100% chance you will get an interview or an informational call. Many organizations have an executive team that is focused purely on executive referrals.

The key is not necessarily to know the executive or even be the best candidate; the key is to have the best presentation. If you can sell yourself to an executive in paragraph, you can impress anyone. They just need to see one thing only to draw their attention and they will forward it on. It can be the same college, similar hobbies, a specific skill set or a unique fact about the organization that you are trying to get your foot in the door.

Social networking has allowed all of us to become amateur background checkers. We have the capability through Jigsaw, Facebook, LinkedIn, MyLife and Pinterest to learn about our target. Once you learn what you need to know, you are set. It is like finding a person in a bar you are interested in and having an instant profile on your IPhone prior to even approaching that person.

Recently, a close friend had an interview with Random House, her dream company given her career focus in the publishing/media industry. She had a second interview for a Junior Executive Marketing/Sales role. She felt she was too junior but really wanted this role. We did a little background checking and found out her interviewer was a huge fan of the Marx Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald and the New York Mets. We found a first edition of a book from the early 70′s called The Groucho Marx Letters to present to her during the interview along with a business plan for the next year at Random House. That was the edge I felt she needed to make the connection, show her passion for the publishing industry, demonstrate her research skills and show her business strategy capability.

Stand Tall
Stand Out
Let our your true Wow Factor

Here is how to impress an executive in 60 seconds

1. Do your research. Learn as much as you can about the executive you are reaching out to and make a personal connection immediately in your initial letter or email.

2. Be confident. Everything is about personal branding and marketing yourself. An executive is one of the highest levels in any organization. You need to be at the top of your game to sell yourself to a top leader.

3. Use the power of your network and friends to sharper the outreach. Before you send any communication, make sure it is proofed and re-proofed. You may get 30 seconds to 1 minute on a desk of an executive before it is either read or dismissed. Make it bold, make it confident and make it memorable.

4. Think outside the box. Don’t make it a traditional outreach. Be unique. Find an approach that is completely you and make it your own.

5. Move forward with a yes attitude. If you have a defeated attitude prior to engaging in this exercise, that will show in your writing and your ability to follow through if you get the chance to prove yourself.

If you follow these simple instructions, know this is the right organization and culture for you, have the ideal skill sets and can develop a personal brand that has a “wow” factor then you are ready to go.

Take that bold step and get your dream job.

Watch out CEO’s, you may want to check your inbox. The next great leader maybe waiting.

Leave a comment | posted in Career planning, CEO, Executive, Interview, Job Search, Jobs, Marketing, Personal Branding, Recruiterpoet

March 5, 2012

Why we are all in love with ourselves?

By Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare

“It is silly of you, for there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” – Picture of Dorian Gray

Recently I have tried to tackle the question of social media narcissism and determine if our desire to be noticed and followed is more marketing/branding focused or pure self absorbed selfishness. Perhaps the root cause may even go deeper to some rooted self-esteem issues. I understand the importance of “likes” and “+one” as they help shape SEO and effectively lead brand marketing your way. I even understand the significance of comments as they have become an integral part of our communication patterns.

Though, without a deeper and more significant study of a broader audience can I make any clear deductions. For some, a virtual presence has created a significant and even lucrative brand which has grown and flourished well. For others, mobile social networking has made instant gratification almost an obsession. I can certainly think of worse obsessions than an instant upload of your life.

I have witnessed extremes when it comes to active participation in the social space. Some are passionately against the public exposure of their lives and some embrace it as an extension of themselves. Each has their own medium/platform of choice. Foursquare has given individuals a sense of social celebrity status allowing them to check in to each and every spot and often rewarding them with mayor status and a digital star but no financial reward. Facebook allows users to upload pictures, video, status updates and location status within a few clicks while still allowing the opportunity to monitor each and every like and comment. Does this take away from the “actual” experience of the event? Who am I to answer. I rarely have a phone with me when I am out and I do not even own a smartphone.

So what is the fascination with ourselves? How many Facebook and Myspace pictures can you find of people standing in front of their own mirror taking pictures of themselves with their IPhone? Probably more than most of us care to want to know. We have become a society so self-absorbed in ourselves that we may be forgetting the importance of sharing, volunteering, helping and given back to those that had been there for us in the past.

If we resort to selfish tendencies, we will never recover from the economic and social woes we are so deeply entrenched in.

By no means can any one single person reverse a societal shift, but we cannot ignore the fact that there is one. Mobile technology, social media and cloud technology have given all of us a global audience to promote the one person we know so well, ourselves. In exchange for selling our soul for the opportunity at instant cyber fame, we are becoming numb to the moral standards that once made this world a better place to live.

Maybe a Mayan apocalypse isn’t such a bad thing.

There is nothing wrong with self promotion. We all want a little attention every now and again to give us the confidence we all need to get through this thing called life, but we also need to lean on our support network that has and continues to be there for us. We cannot become a “me” community. We have to look around and hold hands in unity if we are ever going to recover and prosper again.

Leave a comment | posted in Branding, greedy, Marketing, narcissism, promotion, Self-absorbed, selfish

August 25, 2011

The Throw it and See What Sticks Approach will not work in your job search!

By Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” – Buckminster Fuller

“Hey Mark-

Thank you for accepting my invitation to connect on LinkedIn.

Please let me know how I can help you.

I am a Purchasing Professional in transition. Any suggestions?”

Shortly after sending a LinkedIn request from this gentleman, I received this email. I am certain I am one of many recruiters this individual reached out to. Naturally, this person had no idea what my industry, role support or leverage/networking capability was. He was hoping that someone could link up with him and provide him with the next career opportunity. Without further information about what specific area of purchasing he was involved in (vendor relations, supply chain, operations, inventory, etc.) it was impossible to provide an educated response so I did reach out for further information and at the the time of publication have yet to hear back (Four days later).

It got me thinking that with all the emphasis on the high unemployment rate and the slowing job creation growth rate, maybe the slowing growth rate is not the only concern. My experiences have indicated that for many, we don’t know how to be “unemployed”. The art of the career search is a delicate process of focus, research, marketing, communications and sales. It is a precise and patient process that in the end, if done correctly, could yield you a career move that is far better than your previous role. So why are so many cheating or being just lazy with their approach?

Because they believe they can solve their unemployment dilemma with volume and numbers.

I am here to tell you that the “Throw it and see what sticks approach” rarely works.

Before I committed to my theory, I decided to try a little experiment. Thank you to my physics and chemistry teachers in high school for providing me with the precise know how to effectively conduct the experience, examine my findings and draw efficient conclusions. I took marshmallows, gummi bears and Swedish fish and began. I will say the sample sizes were equal before I began, but the Swedish fish are so yummy. One by one I threw them against the white wall of the house to see if in fact they would stick. My results were conclusive. One hundred percent of the test samples did not stick. Thus, the practice of “throw it and see what sticks” does in fact not work.

Then I decided to extend my social experiment to Facebook. I have a number of Facebook “friends” in the Charleston area. Predominately, they are businesses and the reason behind my many local business connections is for the social calendar it presents. It is an opportunity for me to see what music, theater, and dining options are available to me on any given day or week. Since I have a high number of “mutual friends” I have gotten a number of requests for connecting with people I have never spoken a word to nor do I expect to. I am trying to figure out why. I am not a local business, I am not offering a service. I am just ME! So why? Maybe they just feel like they need to since we have many mutual friends or because of the large numbers of connections they feel they should know more for some reason unknown to themselves. I even see this as a sub-set to the “throw it and see what sticks” approach.

Now what is wrong with this approach? Beyond the obvious that it lacks focus, innovation and research, it is a flawed approach. Given the increasing population and the limited job growth concerns that we will be dealing with for several years to come, organizations are becoming leaner and relying on specialized talent to fill the limited needs. Having industry knowledge, cultural experience, soft skills and technical skills are going to be the key to success in this job market.

Companies are becoming more in tune with the “complete candidate” The complete candidate is a package deal. That is the resume, the career flow, the soft skills, the specific technical capabilities and the social interaction. Social Interaction: What does that mean?

That means:

1. The behaviors and actions on social networking channels?
2. How aggressive and focused is your behavior in your job search process (How many roles do you apply to, how often do you call recruiters, how much effort are you putting into your search.)
3. How well do you know yourself (What are your strengths, what are your areas of improvement? Are you leveraging your strengths?)
4. Are you showing personal and professional growth?
5. What other areas of your life are completing your personality (Volunteer work, community service, communities)

We are no longer summed up by a resume/CV. We are now part of the growing cloud of life; the sum of all our actions. Each choice we make in our careers, training, community and social life is a permanent tattoo on our image or personal brand.

The key to a successful career transition is a clear focus on what has made you who you are and then take that mirror image of yourself to the next level and think different. In a market that is more competitive now than it has ever been before, the critical need to stand out from the crowd and re-invent may be the most important aspect of your search. Your skills will provide your with the tool kit to succeed once you have the job, but your unique approach will get your foot in the door.

When you wake up and sit down in front of your IPad, PC or laptop, think about how you will approach your career search, determine if your current marketing plan is working and then re-invent yourself.

Leave a comment | posted in Apple, Careers, Facebook, Job Search, Jobs, Linkedin, Marketing, Resume, Think Different

April 19, 2010

Improving Marketing Performance (Provided by Will Peters – Anstad Group)

By Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare

Provided by Will Peters – Anstad Group

Understanding what type of company you are will help you select the right level of marketing performance for your company. It will also help you pave the way for identifying your next level of marketing performance. Market-driven companies are the most common. They focus on the current customer, customer needs, and how they can meet those needs. They usually make small but necessary improvements to products and services, but they do not perform radical improvements or significantly change market perception. In general, market-driven companies identify needs, problems, and desires, gather data, test products and make small product improvements. One such example is the recent emerging of the educational community reaching out to those students with busy lives and offering them Internet based classes to complete their college degrees.
Market-driving companies are created from a different breed. They focus on shaping and changing the current market and the beliefs or buying habits of the consumer. A market-driving company looks ahead, anticipates trends, and shapes the wants and needs of the purchasing market. This type of company is often associated with anticipative and need-shaping marketing. Companies that succeed in driving the market have a strong vision and a distinctive position in the market. They create this position by creating new markets, breaking the rules or inventing new rules, creating significantly better products and services, shaping consumer needs and desires and developing new marketing channels. A recent example of this marketing form is the creation of the Twitter program (a popular instant messaging tool). With the instant messaging dynamic at an all time high, this group developed a messaging system that linked thousands of people in real time regardless of where they are by taking simple instant messaging and creating a platform for mobile devices. This created a push that unless you were connected to Twitter, you were left behind in communication. Today they are millions of users tweeting everyday!

Once a company knows whether it is market driven or market driving, it can select its level of marketing performance. Successful marketing relies on recognizing, anticipating, and shaping the needs of the consumer. There are three levels of marketing performance that relate to these needs. Responsive marketing is primarily concerned with filling needs. It is relatively easy to recognize what consumers want, and it is a fairly safe bet that you will be on target with your offerings when you respond directly to consumer demands. Anticipative marketing involves spotting something that is an emerging trend or a neglected need. It is riskier than simply responding to demand, but not as risky as attempting need-shaping marketing. Need-shaping marketing is the most daring level. It involves creating a product or service that the consumer never asked for or perhaps never thought of. Invention, experimentation, and forward thinking are necessary in this level of marketing.

Each level of marketing performance is meant to support your company. However, it could very well be that it’s no longer possible to simply sell products or to only ask consumers what they need and then respond by meeting those needs. To stay competitive in a changing marketplace, companies will most likely need to anticipate and shape the needs of the buyer by providing goods and services that consumers may never have dreamed of.

1 comment | posted in Anstad Group, Charlotte, Marketing, Sales, Will Peters

October 26, 2009

Charlie Bit My Finger

By Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare

When FDR told us to buy war bonds, we listened and took out our wallets.
When Ashton and Ted Turner/CNN fought for one million followers on Twitter, we joined.
When Oprah gave us a book title, we read.
When Barney told us it was “Legend” wait for it “ary”, we waited.
When Michael Jordan ate Wheaties, we ate every spoonful right along with him.

What lesson has Marketing 101 taught each of us? Fame and popularity are very effective tools for persuasion and have tremendous selling power. This would not be an educational blog without a twist, a few theories and a drawn conclusion to take away with you for further thought.

How did the “Charlie Bit My Finger” video starring two young British lads to date draw 129,365,073 individual views, 245,955 comments, and 329,588 ratings since its release on May 22, 2007. Spurring off a number of imitation videos, national press coverage and unprecedented advertising banners, this 56 second phenomenon has created a global awareness of grass roots advertising. Not to take credit away from “David after Dentist” who has an amazing 33,071,519 views to his credit, but Charlie and his giggle and appetite for fingers has taken the world by storm.

Kids are cute. Bill Cosby capitalized on that many years ago and Little Miss Sunshine reminded us of the advantages of child exploitation but is that enough to make it the greatest YouTube Video ever? To be the greatest video on the fourth largest website on the planet is quite an achievement. One Simon Cowell would even be humbled by. Is it the British accent? Even I am a sucker for a British accent. Maybe it’s the playful giggle of a newborn. Maybe it is the closeness we all feel for family. Theory, speculation, rumor and many many minutes of analysis are needed as we continue to ponder these questions. The truth is, someone liked it. That is how it all starts. It begins with one and continues until it either fades away or an epidemic ensues. This video has and continues to be a mass global epidemic.

For all the marketing executives out there trying to capitalize on the popularity of this video, isn’t the correct approach to understand this video and how it became the King of Youtube?

The key to successful marketing and advertising is to understand who your customers are, how they think, the supply and demand of the economy, the marketability of the product and/or service and how to maximize the profit margins. You will have to enroll at Phoenix University to get the full course load (We know there is one being built in your neighborhood very soon) but I think we get the gist.

This is a monumental time for the marketing community. Money is tight, unemployment is high, discretionary spending as at historical lows and families are finding ways to make more with less. In our lifetimes, this may be the biggest global recession we ever experience.

Talk about a challenge. The answer is simple, ask Charlie. I guess we have to wait a few years.

Leave a comment | posted in Advertising, Charlie Bit Me, Marketing, Recession, Simon Cowell, Uncategorized, YouTube

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