I read two postings online that fly in the face of conventional wisdom.
The first gives lie to the notion that everyone is glued to their iPhone or computer in order to watch videos. Television is dead. Or is it?
Susan Whiting, Vice Chair and Executive Vice President of the Nielsen Company says that Americans are devoting 153 hours a month to watching television--or better than 5 hours a day. To be sure we are increasingly turning to alternative media for our viewing. --130 million Americans watch video online, up 13% year-over-year. Meanwhile, 13 million of us see videos on our cell phones.
The point Whiting makes is important: true, people are increasingly watching videos on their computers and on hand held devices but not at the expense of old media TV.
The lesson here is that there is an insatiable appetite for media, no matter where we watch it. If any medium suffers as a result of this trend, it is print. There are just so many hours in the day.
And then there is the story of Time-Warner dumping AOL. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Finally: Twitter. A new survey has it that 60% of new Twitter users stop tweeting after just a month.
Perhaps we should be cautious about judging which media are dead and which are alive and what the future is.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Listening Between the Lines
If you're trying to sell something--an idea, a product or a service--you need to gauge the explicit and implicit needs of the person you are pitching.
For example, we all have the experience of buying clothes. That is a product that is a necessity in our society. Clothes protect us from the elements and preserve our modesty. That's the explicit need. But clothes can also make a statement about us. They may suggest power, sexiness, informality, tradition, grunge vs. preppy, etc. Those are implicit values.
Recently, I worked with a client who is trying to sell high end financial instruments to prospects. In a role playing situation between my client and someone portraing the customer, it became obvioius that, yes the prospect was indeed looking for a sound company to manage her families fortune(explict). But after asking several well thought out questions, it became equally clear that the prospect was also looking for some one who would come up with solutions that would unite a sharply divided family. Under additional questioning, the prospective customer allowed that she felt insecure about handling money and needed to work with some one who could give her extra attention and explain the various complexities of the financial world (implicit).
The key was asking her the right questions, paying attention to the answers and making her feel that she was heard and understood. It means listening between the lines.
When a prospect senses that feeling of empathy, trust can begin and a relationship and ensue.
For example, we all have the experience of buying clothes. That is a product that is a necessity in our society. Clothes protect us from the elements and preserve our modesty. That's the explicit need. But clothes can also make a statement about us. They may suggest power, sexiness, informality, tradition, grunge vs. preppy, etc. Those are implicit values.
Recently, I worked with a client who is trying to sell high end financial instruments to prospects. In a role playing situation between my client and someone portraing the customer, it became obvioius that, yes the prospect was indeed looking for a sound company to manage her families fortune(explict). But after asking several well thought out questions, it became equally clear that the prospect was also looking for some one who would come up with solutions that would unite a sharply divided family. Under additional questioning, the prospective customer allowed that she felt insecure about handling money and needed to work with some one who could give her extra attention and explain the various complexities of the financial world (implicit).
The key was asking her the right questions, paying attention to the answers and making her feel that she was heard and understood. It means listening between the lines.
When a prospect senses that feeling of empathy, trust can begin and a relationship and ensue.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Importance of telling stories
The Power of Stories
Stories build an emotional connection between you and your listener. Facts are important, but stories are necessary because they capture the imagination of the listener. The story helps create a word picture in the mind of the receiver. Facts can be forgotten, stories stay with us.
Mike George is the CEO of QVC. Every Monday, he writes to his employees something to inspire them. He often tells stories from his personal life. He wrote about his 11 year old son’s miscommunication with a hair stylist. The woman shaved his head instead of giving him a trim has he requested. The kid was traumatized and wore a baseball cap until his hair grew back.
He uses this anecdote to illustrate the importance of communicating clearly with QVC customers.
George believes that these kinds of stories “create a high level of engagement and connection between the one giving the illustration and those who are hearing it.
Stories build an emotional connection between you and your listener. Facts are important, but stories are necessary because they capture the imagination of the listener. The story helps create a word picture in the mind of the receiver. Facts can be forgotten, stories stay with us.
Mike George is the CEO of QVC. Every Monday, he writes to his employees something to inspire them. He often tells stories from his personal life. He wrote about his 11 year old son’s miscommunication with a hair stylist. The woman shaved his head instead of giving him a trim has he requested. The kid was traumatized and wore a baseball cap until his hair grew back.
He uses this anecdote to illustrate the importance of communicating clearly with QVC customers.
George believes that these kinds of stories “create a high level of engagement and connection between the one giving the illustration and those who are hearing it.
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