August 2, 2013 · 8:45 am

Management And Mussels

Foodie Friday!  We were out to dinner last weekend and two of us split a plate of mussels as an appetizer.

Mussels at Trouville fish market

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They were delicious but they also got me thinking.  As you’re probably aware, mussels are part of the clam family.  There are lots of different varieties and you can prepare them in any of several ways.  You can grill them, fry them, smoke them or boil them.  Most of the time, they’re steamed in wine and/or water with different herbs and garlic.

Unlike other types of shellfish, I’m not aware of many places serving mussels on the half shell uncooked.  I’m not sure why that is although I’d speculate that it’s because their shell seems more fragile to me – sort of like steamer clams which aren’t really suitable to be served on the half shell.  It would be hard to get them open without breaking the shells and disturbing the meat inside.  You can tell if they’re alive before you cook them (and the MUST be) because they’ll shut down a bit when you disturb them.

Isn’t it interesting how working productively to supervise other folks can be just like cooking mussels?  The method of doing so usually involves the application of slow, gentle heat to coax the best out of them.  You can’t just apply that heat, to people, however intensely, and expect them to turn out great results.  Screaming at staff doesn’t work, nor do threats.  Explanations of goals and desired outcomes as a conversation (not a lecture) work wonders.  You’re in charge – you need to add the things that will enhance what your folks are bringing to the table – herbs and spices to the mussels; clear direction, and timing for your staff.

The expressions “clam up” applies both to shellfish and people.  Make them feel unsafe and they shut down, drawing shells tight around them.  It’s critical to notice if people DON’T react to events going on around them.  Those may be the ones that have lost their spark completely and, like dead shellfish, need to be dealt with before they spoil the dish (they can make you sick too!).

Managing as if you’re cooking mussels isn’t a bad thought in my book.  Yours?

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August 1, 2013 · 8:26 am

Horns

Business took me away for a hotel stay last evening. As you might know, Rancho Deluxe, better known as the home office, is located in a pretty quiet suburban town. Some random deer sneezing is about as loud as it gets in terms of external noise.  Living in a city is different and last night’s stay reminded me of when we lived in Manhattan. It’s rarely quiet.

Car horn symbol

(Photo credit: net_efekt)

The sound that seems to dominate is that of horns. Car horns, truck horns, construction horns. All day and most of the night, their incessant sound can drive you nuts until you learn to ignore it. Which is, of course, the business point.

Too many brands use their marketing messages much as a driver uses a horn. Think about how you use your car’s horn.  There are the friendly little taps to let someone know you’re there and to come out to the car.  There are the intense, lean-on-that-sucker blasts to tell the moron texting that the light has changed and to get moving.   Despite its simplicity, the horn can send a lot of different messages, all of which are intrusive and attention-getting.

Marketing is like that too.  Some brands are still treating their audiences like the line of traffic in front of them.  They blast away even when it’s obvious that the horn will do no good.  How do you react when a driver does that to you?  I don’t react well.  Than again, you learn to ignore it.

Consumers have learned to ignore car horn marketing.  The harder you slam away, the less chance you have to get them to pay attention.  Using car horn tactics in channels such as social media can do way more harm than just the apathy caused by ignoring your messages.  Your inept marketing can be held up for ridicule, much like the dope that’s too busy reading his email to drive.

Horns can be lifesavers – alerting another driver you’re behind them as they back up or making sure a pedestrian is aware you’re coming, for example.  If they’re abused, however, they’re just so much noise and serve no purpose.  We need to make sure that our marketing doesn’t fall into that trap.

You with me?

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July 31, 2013 · 8:34 am

Why You Suck At Social

I’m feeling a little snarky this morning so I’ll apologize in advance if this comes across as yet another bitter old guy (all you kids get off the lawn!).

Image representing Facebook as depicted in Cru...

Image via CrunchBase

I ran into yet another so-called “social media guru” the other day.  OK, I ran into the chaos they left but felt as if I’d been smacked across the face by their incompetence in person.   Oh, they market themselves far better than I do – that’s how someone of their abilities manages to get nice gigs with otherwise smart clients – brilliant marketing.  They excel at leveraging themselves online.  Bringing those tactics to bear for clients in a manner that grows the client’s business?  Not so much.  Let me explain.

Even as we’re five years into the age of social media marketing (I hate that term), many clients aren’t told the truth about it by those of us they employ to bring them up to speed.  Some of my so “peers” don’t explain that social is hard work and it’s not a place to stash the interns (since they’ll be on Facebook and Twitter all day anyway).  Make a page and magic will happen!

That’s an apt analogy except very few of us point out that when “magic” happens as we watch a performer do a trick, hundreds or thousands of hours of prep and practice have gone into making it seem seamless.  There are often specialized boxes or mirrors involved and one false move brings disaster.  Of course, “smoke and mirrors” is not exactly the type of reputation I think we’d want for our brands but I could be wrong.  Magicians put in the work and have the right tools.

So let’s try this one more time.  To do social well, companies have to blow up a very fundamental part of their thinking.  While most marketing is all about the product or brand, social is not.  It’s about your audience, and you need to focus squarely on them with the odd brand message here or there.  What’s helpful to them?  If you’re not willing to make that investment as well, maybe think about print or TV or some other medium where you can just barf out messages about how great you are.  You need to have a plan and tools and people with enough business acumen to assure all the stakeholder interests are aligned, including those of your customers.

And you “gurus?”  Get off my lawn…

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