Entries from April 2008 ↓

My posting has been pretty poor the last few days because I am down in Las Vegas for Interop. The show so far has been interesting and provided plenty of fodder for future blog posts. I have also managed to glean a little tech news that I’ll share as soon as I can.

 Unfortunately, duty calls and I can’t afford the time for any of it right now. Need to take a client out and try to avoid creating anything that needs to stay in Vegas.

So it’s Friday again and I’m a little late with the links. I know the crowds are clamoring in the streets and children are refusing to go to bed, so here they are. Now I’m headed back to work. We’re preparing for Interop in Las Vegas next week and we’re in the 11th hour (alright maybe 10th). If you’re in Vegas or will be next month, get in touch, and I’ll buy you a beer.

Why Aren’t There More Googles from paulgraham.com
Here’s a little insight into the world of venture capital investment and why so few companies stun the world. This is of particular interest to me as we are looking for another round of cash right now. Anyone with deep pockets is encouraged to send me an email and help us on our way to Googledom.

This is the World’s Worst PR Pitch from What’s Next Blog
PR is difficult. That said, some make it look harder than others. Enjoy a well illustrated example of what not to do.

Top 25 Opening Credits of 1980 from The Popcorn Trick
Okay, it sounds like Digg bait. Frankly, it probably is Digg bait, but it still took an amazing amount of effort to put together. While it is a little strange for me to link to something like this in the Friday Five, let’s just assume work has made me a little strange and enjoy it. Besides, the guys behind it are friends of mine, and their antics (when this entertaining) deserve a little attention.

Your Customer Rewards Program from Duct Tape Marketing
How do you reward your customers? I mean, other than with the privilege of enjoying your wonderful product or service. I like this post’s idea of a customer council as opposed to the nearly cliché iPod or the self serving discounts on future purchases. But, if I were to create a group of privileged customers, I would call it the Customer League and make everyone wear a cape.

APR for Houses from The Dilbert Blog
There is no sense hiding it. This link is largely self promotional. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the post and the idea behind it. In fact, I like it so much I wrote a post over at the postgreen blog all about it.

Recovered Posts: So I switched blogging software and haven’t managed to get the old posts back. While I may have the time to figure it out one day, I figured I would take the opportunity to reprint some of my favorite old posts. I apologize for those who have been around since the beginning. Ignore if you like.

This post was written as part of Middle Zone Musings’ group writing project “What I learned . . . “. This month’s assignment focused on what I learned from work. Check it out and join in.

A 50 pound package of shingles is a heavy thing for a 140 pound, scrawny teenager to carry up a rickety ladder. By the tenth trip the shingles had rubbed my shoulder raw, which was actually an almost pleasant relief from the sunburn that covered the rest of my body. My right arm was only semi-functional after hours swinging a hammer, and it was still buzzing with the dull, aching aftermath of several angry, homeless hornets. There was tar in my hair and at the peak of the day the roof was so hot it would melt to the bottom of my shoes. I was exhausted, unhappy and, I’ll admit, a little bit whiny. The men I was working with wouldn’t even play decent music.

Roofing, as you can tell, is remembered mostly for its misery, but I did take an important lesson or two away with me. I learned, from that experience, that no matter how bad your job seems, someone is doing something worse (unless you’re roofing). This helped me through a litany of less than exciting work situations. Long days did not seem so long compared to my time with the shingles. Tedious tasks were nothing compared to picking fallen nails out of the grass. Annoying customers didn’t bother me nearly as much as bees. I would always say, “at least it isn’t roofing.”

I also learned, much to my disbelief, that there were people who actually liked roofing. At the time it lead me to assume that these people must also like having red hot needles shoved under their fingernails. That they were, in a word, crazy. However, time and several other jobs where my unhappiness was not mirrored by all of my fellow workers, showed me that different jobs appeal to different people. Some  types of work, the kind that would make me want to pull my teeth out one by one just for a break in the monotony, would be the most exciting occupation in the world to someone else. Whereas, a job I found interesting would appeal to them about as much as nice, solid smack in the face. Hell, there are even people who actually enjoy a nice, solid smack in the face.

Now, I have a job I enjoy, and I don’t have to say, “at least it isn’t roofing” anymore, but I still remember the lessons from that time. I remember some of the guys I worked with on those roofs. They were smiling and laughing. They were happy up there. They had found something about roofing that I couldn’t see and, despite what I thought, it wasn’t crazy. It was simply different. At the end of the day I could imagine them at home. Their wife asks, “how was your day?” They reply, “It was alright. A little hot, but at least it isn’t marketing.”

No, this is not a question for peeping toms and voyeurs (we already know their answer). It is a question for you, the marketing guy/gal. Do you get the opportunity to watch people interact with your product? Do you take that opportunity?

Often it is difficult to imagine a product being used in any way other than the specific way your company intended. Knowing the product as well as you do, it is hard to imagine what someone else might do with it. It is nearly impossible to imagine the many places people will struggle with your product, impossible to predict what will be easy and what won’t. It is hard to say what will impress, stun, wow.

The best way to discover these things is to observe users interacting with your product. For some this may be easier than others, but it is important for everyone.

Help a Neophyte:
What tools and techniques do you use to see your product in use? What would you like to try?

A little Earth Day humor. Thanks to The Daily Green for their Earth Day comic collection.

Rhymes With Orange by Hilary Price, dist. by King Features Syndicate

How are you going green this year?

We have all spent time in cumbersome phone systems, hopelessly navigating complex menu options only to reach a dead-end and a dial-tone. We have probably all spoken with unprepared, scripted call center staff who, though friendly, are unable to answer our simplest questions. Most of us have, at one time or other, waited with increasing frustration for an email response to a support question or complaint only to receive an automated response hours later which begs for our patience.  An unlucky few of us have even had the IM moment with a customer service representative where you are sure they have gone out for a mid-chat smoke.

These irritating interactions with companies bother us, but they have become so expected that we have come to accept them. We set aside hours for a call to the cable company. We have no real expectation of useful answers from the gas works service rep or from their supervisor. If someone we know calls a software company for support assistance, we generally steer clear of them for a few hours afterward to avoid being the target of their vented aggravation. It is this persistently dismal performance on the part of most companies that makes the exceptions so remarkable.

Remarkable, worthy of remark, something to tell others about. In this age of marketing, where word of mouth and peer review has become so important, being talked about (in a positive manner) can be vital. Consumers increasingly rely on the advice of others to make purchasing decisions, and a small effort to be remarkable can produce great results.

Our company, Universe Point, produces an excellent product and provides a unique service (would you expect me to say anything less?), but much of our positive feedback actually comes from our responsiveness. Calls are handled by knowledgeable individuals, emails are answered quickly (often within minutes) and our chat line is equally well-attended. Now, before I sound as if I am bragging (which I am), I will admit that some of this responsiveness is due to our startup status and relatively small staff.

Since we are still small enough that each member of the team has multiple roles and a broad understanding of the product and company, it is relatively easy to assure that the individual interacting with the customer is well equipped. In addition, we have yet to develop a customer base large enough to stretch us to the limit of our support and sales capabilities. Our size also pretty much guarantees that the person interacting with the customer has a vested interest in the success of the company.

So, how does one maintain this remarkable responsiveness as the company grows? What steps can we take to assure that years from now, when our company has grown to gargantuan size (a man can dream), our interaction with our customers is still something that people talk about? Too often we see large companies fail in this area, or at least fail to impress. How can we avoid such a failure?

Remarkable responsiveness needs to be an ongoing priority. Training and staffing need to reflect this prioritization. Employees need to feel valued both in pay and treatment in order to be expected to pass that valued feeling on to the customer. Does it cost more to be remarkable? Of course, but the benefits seem to be worth the investment.

Help a Neophyte:
How do you maintain remarkable responsiveness? What other elements of your business causes people to say nice things about you?

In the spirit of moving forward I am returning to old form by pointing at things I like. Take a minute to click on a link or two and enjoy the wisdom, wit and/or oddity of others.

Who Answers The Phone from Seth Godin’s Blog
Seth, a regular in the Friday 5, talks about the importance of the inbound phone call and those people who answer them. Inbound calls represent some of the best opportunities to connect with your customers and yet the employees answering those calls are typical under-trained and under-valued. I think this posts calls for more than just an improvement in phone policy. It also seems to suggests an increase in the attention paid to each and every employee.

Article Marketing: How To Be an Article Marketer Like No Other  from Marketing Pilgrim
Some great tips from Shannon Lilly on how to market your site through writing articles. This is a direction I have been meaning to pursue for a while and this post has pushed me to finally start. Look for some expert articles on data backup and marketing from yours truly in the near future.

Thinking On Your Feet With Anil Dash from Servant of Chaos
This one made the list because it features a video of a game I really want to have a go at . . . Battle Decks. Basically, you take the stage in front of a room of people and improvise a presentation to slides you have never seen before. The video features some fine work by Anil Dash.

Are You Saying Too Much? from Drew’s Marketing Minute
This one really hit home because I discovered that many of the materials I had produced were doing just that . . . saying too much. Not a big surprise to those that know me (let’s say I tend to talk), but something I am definitely keeping an eye on now.

10 Annoyingly Brilliant Office Interiors from Deputy Dog
As we at Universe Point anticipate growth in the coming year, we have talked a bit about the kind of office environment we would like to create. This post illustrates some inspirational extravagances and is bound to induce jealousy in anyone foolish enough to view them. Is it worth it to spend on office design? Positive PR and the increased ability to attract and keep top notch employees suggests that it is. (Thanks to Goose for this one)

So, it appears I will have to move forward without the benefit of my old posts for now. While I have them all in a handy text file right here in front of me, I cannot find an easy way to get them into this WordPress database. In the words of one of my favorite authors (a shout out to whoever can guess his name in the comments), “So it goes.”

In a way this clean slate may be kind of entertaining, and if one day I don’t have much to say I can simply post an old favorite that has been lost in this tragic transition. I will keep working to reinstate the old posts, but I’m going to stop letting my failures keep me from writing.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more . . .

Do you have something to say to me that the comments just won’t hold? Do you want to connect on a deeper electronic level? Or, maybe you just want to spam me in a larger variety of ways?

Try email at nicdarling@gmail.com or IM me at the same address.

You could also visit my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter.

Update: This was supposed to be the text for my contact page. I’m still getting used to WordPress I guess. Well, I’ll call it a happy mistake and leave the info here as well for those of you whose feed reading makes actually blog visits unnecessary.

In addition to the myriad other complications that my half-baked, blog-change scheme has spawned, it seems there is a problem with my feed. If anyone actually gets this post via RSS, I would love to hear about it. Either drop me a comment below or send a quick email.

Thanks for the help.