Friday, September 30, 2011

Appearance Is Everything

We had a bit of a gasoline fuel shortage here a few weeks ago. I knew my friend’s gas tank was near-empty when we drove her home the previous night, so when she picked me up for supper I told her that the papers had been front-paging about local gas stations running dry, and that we should fill up before we supped.

We did, but not without her pointing out that there sure didn’t seem to be a shortage at the first gas station we came to, and furthermore, that the prices was the lowest it had been for a month.

It was still a bit early for supper, so we drove down Dundas Street to a furniture store, passing several gas stations on the way.

And on the way we passed FOUR gas stations devoid of cars.

A gas station in Toronto without a single car is most surely a sign of a gas station without gas.

Yet on my return home it struck me that had I still been looking for gas, I’d have driven past the vacant stations without bothering to see if, indeed, they did have gas and, co-incidentally, happened to have NO customers at that instant.

I took the vacant station to mean “No Gas”.

So if I ever find myself running a gas station during a gas shortage, First thing I’ll do is park my own car at one of the pumps, the pump most visible to approaching traffic.

Meanwhile, as broke as I am, I’ll continue to wear a suit-and-tie to meetings downtown ...

Talk to Me !

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Why Research Matters to LinkedIn

If you are a LinkedIn user you’ll know the frustration of wanting to make a contact with Robynne without being able to specify a legitimate company, colleague or other specific link to her.

LinkedIn quite rightly wants to protect its members from spurious invitations.

If all else fails and you choose “Other” in the hopes that Robynne will read your text, shrug, and say “OK. Why Not?”, you face an obstacle:

LinkedIn requires that you provide Robynne’s email address!

And the truth is that if you don’t know Robynne well enough to have indulged in eMail, you’ll likely as not not have her eMail address.

Here’s where research kicks in.

LinkedIn’s Achilles heel is a fleet of search engines, Google, for example.

8 times out of 10, a 5-minute sleuthing session will reveal an eMail address, and of those 8 times, at least half will be delivered via the corporate web site, press release, or other corporate-sponsored source.

Go Ahead! Make My Link!

Talk to Me !

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Please Confirm

“Can you please confirm your hours? I got your time summary yesterday, but now when I run the reports I got more hours. I think you sent me only MSM hours - Am I right? Please correct me.”

I just love confirmation!

I was brought up (via The Psychology of Computer Programming ) to know the value of having another programmer check my coding before submitting it for a job.

This week the process continues: I enter my time sheets online for a client, and I run a report.

The bookkeeper runs a report and compares hers to mine.

Last night I added in new entries for recent work, ran the report to check my new entries and thought “OK, I’m billing them ten hours this fortnight”.

This morning the email above arrived; the bookkeeper sees eighteen hours!

I had run my report of the entries I’d just keyed in, instead of the entries for the entire fortnight.

Without the confirmation run, I might have said “Pay me ten hours” and short-changed myself.

Hurray for bookkeepers!

Hurray for confirmation from an independent source.

Talk to Me !

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Next Steps

At each step, enhancements come crawling out of the woodwork. Don’t kill them; File them.

If an idea is truly critical to this project, then senior management can be convinced of it.

If not, add it to the list.

At the end of this project, review the list. Is there enough Good Stuff to institute a new project called “Phase 2”?

If not, aren’t you glad that those ideas are parked on a list and didn’t cost us time and money in achieving your goal?

Talk to Me !

Monday, September 26, 2011

Measurement

The four quantifiers of project apocalypse are Date-Time, Space (or “Geographic”), Boolean (“Yes/No”) and Numeric.

If you aren’t quantifying your expectations and results, you aren’t managing a project.

And an un-managed project is one that’s running out of control.

And an out-of-control project is destined for failure.

Remember the dictum of our early days: “Management Measures”.

Talk to Me !

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Acceptance Tests

Every goal and every objective has a well-defined acceptance test written down and agreed upon before the project work starts.

The Acceptance Test is a mutual understanding of what we expect our deliverable to achieve., and each deliverable has an acceptance test.

It is a contract between us that governs payment of fees.

It’s how you know you’re happy!

If you can’t specify what will make you happy, how can you expect me to know how to make you happy?

Talk to Me !

Friday, September 23, 2011

Deadlines

Every deliverable takes place at a time, and that time is agreed on before we start.

Reaching our goal by a date depends on completing each objective with a deliverable.

Lose a day and risk a project.

The key to slippage is fix small delays before they become large.

Stick to your deadlines, or explain things to senior management.

Your choice.

Talk to Me !

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Deliverables

Every objective has a tangible deliverable, something that is delivered, hand-to-hand.

It may be a certificate, a receipt, software on memory-key, but it goes from my hand to yours as proof that we’ve got somewhere.

If I am not delivering evidence that I’m somewhere, I’m nowhere.

Talk to Me !

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Objectives

A goal is reached by a sequence (not a series) of steps.

Breaking a goal down into digestible steps is how we reach it.

If any objective seems large, call it a goal, and break that down into steps.

Continue until the entire team can read the path as a sequence of digestible steps.

If the team can’t digest the objective, they aren’t going to order it, let alone taste it!

Talk to Me !

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Goal

If you don’t have a goal, how can you be happy that you’ve achieved your goal?

If you’re not happy, why would you pay me?

I like goals!

Write your goal on a single sheet of paper.
Pin it above your desk.
Stay focused on your goal.
Let everyone on the team know.

Talk to Me !

Monday, September 19, 2011

Goddamn!

Goal

If you don’t have a goal, how can you be happy that you’ve achieved your goal?

Objectives

Breaking a goal down into digestible steps is how we reach it.

Deadlines

Every deliverable takes place at a time, and that time is agreed on before we start.

Acceptance Tests

Every goal and every objective has a well-defined acceptance test written down and agreed upon before the project work starts.

Measurement

The four quantifiers of project apocalypse are Date-Time, Space (or “Geographic”), Boolean (“Yes/No”) and Numeric.

Next Steps

At each step, enhancements come crawling out of the woodwork. Don’t kill them; File them.

Talk to Me !

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Unique Business Cards

My take on business cards is dead-plain. Minimal. A phone number, no more. I explain THAT in my speaker session on business cards.

That said, I confess to being intrigued by Miranda Skoczek’s post on Business cards.

Her words:

Now that I have some business cards, I am officially in business! These were just going to be temporary, but I’ve had such a lovely response from people, that I’ve decided they’re a keeper! And so inexpensive. I have a bit of a thing for rubber stamps, so I had one made with my details, cut up a huge painting, stamped the back – and voila! No two cards are the same, each individually cut and stamped by hand.

Brill!

I want to try it.

Talk to Me !

Friday, September 16, 2011

What’s Your Favorite Communication Channel?

  • Is it eMail?
  • Is it Face-to-Face?
  • Is it Telephone?
  • Is it Postal Mail?
  • Is it Group-Networking?
  • Is it Tele-Conferencing?
  • Is it Twitter?

Now of those seven channels, If I’d just taken a guess, I’d have, perhaps a 14% chance of guessing correctly what channel best suits you when I want to establish a business relationship with you - what channel best pleases you.

Notwithstanding the fact that if you’re reading this online you probably have a bias towards online channels of communication.

Now, about me

Which of those seven channels do you think I prefer when someone is establishing a business relationship with me?

Now about the President/CEO/CFO of the firm you’d like to do business with.

Which of those seven channels do you think they will prefer when you want to establish a business relationship with them?

How about lunch?

Is that an eighth option?

Talk to Me !

Thursday, September 15, 2011

It’s all about ME!

Under the unlikely heading “Interim change team transforms struggling charity“ in a Canada News Wire story I found the valuable phrase “an ability to apply years of related experience quickly and effectively to realize short-term gains and position the organization for long term success.”

I happen to think that that might be a better description of who I am for someone who has just heard of me.

Sure I can program, but that’s only as the final step in implementing a solution to some business problems.

I like to think that my experience (and tenacity) counts for something.

Time for me to review my marketing statement ...

Talk to Me !

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

But My Best Friend Uses gMail!!

You’ve made the decision NOT to communicate with those who divide their time between making an easy buck and the malware-infested porn/game/free-download sites, right?

No more wasting time with Gabby123@AOL.com .

No more finding yourself one of 72 people on a CC list going out to swampland.

“But my best friend GiGi in Los Angeles ...?”, I hear you cry.

I got news for you:

Registering a domain costs as little as $10 a year.

If GiGi really is your best friend, buy her Christmas present early this year. And renew it each year. Automatically.

$10 can’t buy friendship on this planet.

But if GiGi refuses to budge, then she is NOT your best friend; is probably not even a friend.

Friend’s recognize constraints of their friends running a business and make compromises.

Freeloaders don’t.

Talk to Me !

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Why are You Still Communicating with gMail, Yahoo and AOL?

You’re getting just as much spam as am I. Even with a spam filter such as MailWasher , you still need to eyeball incoming mail Just In case there’s a bona-fide enquiry there.

But Why are you doing THAT?

Consider Your Target Market

Are you more interested in making serious money off serious businesses, or are you eking out grocery money and saving up for that once-in-a-lifetime trip to – downtown?

If the latter, you may stop reading now.

If the former – just how many serious business relationships do you think will spring from anyone using a free web-based email service?

None!

(The biggest letters I could find)

While it’s true that you might get some business from a yahoo address, the chances are vanishingly small compared to an enquiry from GlobalConglobulation.com.

And you’ll spend a lot more time batting emails back-and-forth with Mickey123@Yahoo.com for a $125 gig compared to the knowledge you’ll gain in the same time from GlobalConglobulation.com

You Know It’s True

So – off we go to MailWasher ; edit your Friends filters and remove every address that ends with Yahoo, gMail or AOL. You know the other culprits.

And then to the blacklist to set *@Yahoo, *@gMail and *@AOL.

Tomorrow: “But my best friend uses gMail!!”

Talk to Me !

Monday, September 12, 2011

More About Picture Postage

A recent order for 40 customized stamps on a sheet has gone missing.

The order confirmation says “Wait 15 business days”, and it’s nearly that now, but The Canadian Banknote Company usually has them here within 4 days.

I suspect that the sheet-sized envelope got dropped into the wrong box in this building, and some mean and nasty person decided that a set of stamps was too good to refuse.

May their tongue cleave to the roof of their mouth when they try to lick them.

In the meantime, it’s time to augment my image by printing my web domain up the side of the stamp.

Visit www.ChrisGreaves.com for this image! PicturePostageGEDC1897ChrisGreavesL.com.jpg

1 If anyone steals and uses my stamps, their mother, cousin, or business associate might be curious enough to visit my web site and ask me “What’s the deal?”.

2 More importantly – anyone who sees my envelope/stamp lying on a desk and picks it up, curious, might visit my web site

3 It gets my name out there yet again!

Talk to Me !

Saturday, September 10, 2011

An Un-Answerable Question

Are you ever asked an un-answerable question?

Oh come ON Andy, you know me. I'm never stuck for an answer!

Quote: 'What can I do with VBA that I can't do faster with Excel?'

It's a lot more fun to go up a level or two, and treat this not as a question about "Excel" and 'VBA" as much as a question about "me at the computer" and "programming".

To which the short answer is "Decision-making".

Whether it's the user pecking away at an Excel worksheet, or Word document, or whether they are sitting at the screen double-clicking on a variety of icons, chances are strong that a Microsoft Office macro or a DOS batch file can do it faster, more accurately, and without errors.

The big thing about a programming language, IMHO, is the IF statement (and all its derivatives such as While, For etc.), which in earlier times was known as the Conditional Branch instruction.

Since my earliest introduction to computers I've loved them for their ability to eradicate the boring and repetitive past of my life, and still today that's my mantra in front of a room of users: "If it's boring and repetitive, write a macro!".

Which, at last, brings me back to the original question: "'What can I do with VBA that I can't do faster with Excel?'".

If what you are doing is repetitive and/or boring, you should write a macro (program, script etc) to do that rote stuff and free up your brain to do intelligent work, idea development; or just use the time saved to hit the golf course earlier.

Talk to Me !

Friday, September 9, 2011

Moved!

Argh!

Here in the mail is a returned letter.

I met the Managing Director, Head of Marketing & Planning, took him to lunch, discussed this and that; friendly and cheerful fellow.

Last week I mailed a letter.

This week it was returned, “Moved”

I know what that means; he’s gone. Fired or got-a-better-job.

But lost to me, because invariably if I phone to see where he’s gone, the switchboard answers “We don’t have a phone number for him”.

Companies cut ties, and cut them well.

In the past I’ve shrugged, and deleted the record from my contacts list.

But today I phone back

Waddayaknow!

His voice-mail carries his cheerful voice. He is still there!

Could it be just that I have the wrong address? Or that he has switched floors and the Post office has a problem with going to another floor?

Whatever.

I left a voice-mail asking for an updated postal address.

Another one that won’t slip through the net!

Talk to Me !

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Wedding in Ottawa

Ottawa is about 5 or 6 hours drive east of here. And, of course, 5 or 6 hours back.

I’m asked for a “rush thing” on Friday morning and I deliver it by email mid-afternoon.

Then I wait for a response, such as “Thx apprec.”, or perhaps something more substantial.

Nothing

Nothing all through the weekend.

Nothing until Tuesday, or until I call to make sure the email got through.

Then it is that I learn that there was a “Wedding in Ottawa” which, of course, meant leaving Toronto at noon to avoid the weekend cottage-rush, and to get to Ottawa in time to freshen-up in the hotel before meeting the family for supper.

The wedding, of course, takes all day, and Sunday is given over to a late checkout and a leisurely drive home.

All of it out of contact of email, phones etc.

“It’s My Sister’s Wedding”, Right?

Sunday night too pooped to want to do anything other than shower and topple into bed.

Monday morning is given over to catching up on emails, voice mail, walking the dog, rinsing out the food scraps container we forgot to empty before leaving it by itself for the hottest Saturday, July 16th on record, ...

“Wedding in Ottawa”. It explains almost everything.

Talk to Me !

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

It Doesn’t Come Naturally ...

“And if it doesn’t come naturally to you, then schedule this into your day.” writes Demian Farnworth in the CopyBlogger post 10 Ways to Beat Online Obscurity .

Talk to Me !

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

How to Ask If Someone Still Works There

Gail Smith was appointed 18 months ago, and you never did get around to sending off a congratulatory notes.

Do it now.

But what if things didn’t pan out and she has been replaced/let go?

Canada News Wire may not have the announcement.

And you’ll look pretty stupid if your congratulator note gets handed to the new Chief Financial No-Nonsense Officer, won’t you?

It’s simple

Just call the main switchboard; tell them that you have a letter to mail to “Gail Smith, your Chief Financial Officer” and ask if you have the correct postal address.

If Gail is still there, what you read off will be confirmed.

If Gail is no longer there, you’ll be told.

P.S.

This method is better than asking to be “Put through to Gail” because you don’t get into a gatekeeper dialogue “What’s it about?”, and you don’t suffer the embarrassment of having to hang up and leave your phone number staring her in the face.

Talk to Me !

Monday, September 5, 2011

Who is this Guy Chris Greaves?

If you’ve been following these posts you’ll be aware that a large part of my marketing is to expose myself to the C-crowd of the Deep Pockets Club.

I do that by phone calls, postal mailings, and one-on-one luncheon meetings. I expect that, from time to time, some president, CEO or CFO says to themselves “Who is this Guy Chris Greaves?” (who is inviting me to lunch, who keeps mailing me articles, ...)

So, from time to time, I ask myself that question.

Here are three results of Google searches, the first just for “Chris Greaves”, then second and third for “Chris Greaves Toronto” and “Chris Greaves Mississauga”, since those are my stated geographic markets.

Visit www.ChrisGreaves.com for this image! ChrisGreaves_only.png

Visit www.ChrisGreaves.com for this image! ChrisGreaves_toronto.png

Visit www.ChrisGreaves.com for this image! ChrisGreaves_mississauga.png

Quantities may vary f you repeat the search, depending on the date, and on the size of your monitor screen.

The results can be summarized as follows

Name Only

& Toronto

& Mississauga

4 out 7 or 57%

9 out of 9 or 100%

Top 4 out of 9 or 55%

Now getting 50% or more of the first page is good, but we also need to consider what shows up.

“Walks Toronto”? OK, perhaps he likes to keep healthy, or really loves this city. Arguments with the 407-ETR? Who hasn’t, but it looks as if he has done something about it. Gas prices? Ditto.

But there I am tweeting, LinkedIn, and apparently a member of a society.

This is not necessarily the image I want, but at least I’m there.

I need to get more of my blog or technical pages showing up, and since every page contains the same header information, it must be the content that is affecting the hits.

Google thinks that Walking, 407-ETR, Ice-Storms and Gas Prices are of more interest to people than algorithms and the distinction between data and information.

Talk to Me !

Saturday, September 3, 2011

What If I Were on Retainer?

A few days ago I reflected “ When is a Non-Retainer a Retainer? ”.

Today I mused a bit more over the nice contacts who call me or email me asking for a “Quick Fix”.

I ask myself this: Is this something I would do if they were paying me, right now, to work from home on their project?

I ask myself this: Is this something I would do if they were paying me a retainer?

The amount of retainer doesn’t matter at this point; let’s assume it’s a monthly amount that keeps us both happy (otherwise don’t do it)

How would I feel about fixing all these little problems if I were receiving, say $100 a month, non-refundable?

Talk to Me !

Friday, September 2, 2011

Reducing the Risk

It’s always fun to go shopping when I have a few minutes to kill.

I pick a shop with something of interest to me – in this case, cigars.

I don’t smoke, now, but 30 years ago I did, so I have some experience, and am happy enough to admit that the experience is stale.

What does a successful cigar store owner suggest I buy?

Well, I don’t want to burn up $50 in smoke.

So, OK, we start as low as $3.50, then we have $5.50, then we go to $10 and up.

I see.

The bulk of cigars on display are $15 and up, but we’ll let that slide.

Here’s the Pitch

“Why not take home one each of the $3.50, $5.50 and $10, then you can compare them?”

Smart guy (and that is, in part, why he is successful.

1: I am no longer “Buying a cigar”, I’m “Taking some home”.

2: I am not committed to buying three cigars that may not be right for me

3: The escape exit, for both of us, is that I can buy just a single $3.50 cigar and promise to come back in a week or two.

Which I do.

Talk to Me !

Thursday, September 1, 2011

... Came in Two-By-Two

The story of Noah’s Ark was all about survival. Survival of species, as we would call it nowadays. A simple story, one that couldn’t possibly work (subsequent inbreeding would decimate stocks!), but with elements of truth that are applicable in the business world.

As I work my way through my contacts list, phoning, mailing I find that “Joe doesn’t work here any more”, or scrawled across a returned envelope “Moved; RTS”.

In too many cases I’ve shot my bolt; that person was my ONLY contact at the firm.

Bad Move.

Be Prepared!

As I warp up my latest mailing campaign I’ve been examining each contact.

Are they my only contact in that form?

If so, I research the press releases and web sites to obtain a second (or more!) contact.

If I’m talking with the CEO, I look for the CFO; if I’m talking with the VP of investor relations, I hunt out the President.

My objective is to have no contact company with less than 2 contacts at any one time.

Talk to Me !