Most of these top-visited blog posts contain advice on how to be more effective professionals or are reminders to tend to parts of your business that are easy to overlook. Popular topics have included customer service, sales, business writing, and social media. All of the posts are as timeless and relevant today as they were when they were written. We hope you’ll take a look at these top posts again and find the insights useful.

12. Tried and True Sales Tips for Boosting Business Performance

by Laura Mattis

11. 10 Content Ideas to Tap When Your Social Media Sources Are Tapped Out

by Jason Martin

10. Using Social Media to Nurture Sales

by Kendra Ramirez

9. The Double Platinum Rule: Taking Customer Service to the Next Level (or Two!)

by Chris Mann

8. Dot the I’s and Cross the T’s: Quality Writing Is Crucial

by Kathryn Lee

7. Stop PowerPoint Abuse! Five Crimes Against PowerPoint

by LeighAnne Lankford

6. Is the Digital Age Killing Good Written Communication?

by Kathryn Lee

5. Social Media Mythbusters

by Kendra Ramirez

4. AICC or SCORM: Which Is Best for Packaging E-Learning Content?

by Tim Symons

3. Did She Really Just Say That? Customer Service Tips for Challenging Conversations

by Laura Mattis

2. The Three Most Compelling Questions for Sales

by Amy Fox

1. What’s Your Catch Phrase?

by Laura Mattis

Which post resonates with you the most? Are there topics that you would like us to expand upon as we blog in the future?

I have a confession. I am not a fan of blogging (gasp!). Brainstorming a topic is a stressful experience for me. Inspiration does NOT come easily!! I start off with great intentions—“I’m going to write a fun and insightful blog today!” But that positive attitude quickly turns to frustration when I sit down to my computer to write and discover that I have an empty brain. My frustration typically leads to disappointment and procrastination.

As I was procrastinating the writing of this blog, I came across an article in The Wall Street Journal. It was about companies like Zappos and Facebook that are encouraging their employees to doodle or sketch out ideas to spark creativity. In that spirit, I sat down and starting drawing. An entire sheet of badly drawn stick figures later, I decided to doodle my way through this blog entry. And it’s all about ways you can jump start your own creativity.

Change your perspective. Literally. If you’re sitting in front of your computer, it can be as simple as standing up. But why stop there? Do a handstand. Lie down. Go find some monkey bars and hang upside down. Remind yourself to relax and have fun. Creativity doesn’t always happen sitting in a chair staring at a computer screen.

Look at visual inspiration! Go to an art gallery, stop by the art section of a local book store, or take a look at Mother Nature for inspiration! And now might be a good time to join Pinterest—an online “pinboard” that allows you to organize and share images from the web. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Do a search using a keyword from a topic you are working on. Or better yet—don’t. Sometimes inspiration can come from a place that has nothing to do with your topic.

Listen to music you’ve never heard before. Listening to music is a great way to stimulate the brain, but listening to the same playlist on your iPod 100 times is NOT going to inspire different thinking. Try a genre outside your comfort zone, or one you have never heard of before.

Set creative boundaries. This might sound counterintuitive, but even creativity needs limits. By imposing some creative parameters, you actually allow yourself to become more inventive. For example, rather than saying you need to write a story, say you need to write a mystery in just 100 words. Try different levels of limitations and see how your creativity thrives.

Make a list. Have you heard of the concept of 20 Bad Ideas? The premise is that, while it’s impossible to come up with 20 good ideas, it’s also impossible to come up with 20 BAD ideas. Stuck on a creative problem? Force yourself to make a list of at least 20 solutions and see where it takes you.

That’s a short list, but I’m sure you have your own way of getting those creative juices flowing. So how about it? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, or better yet, send me a doodle illustrating the way YOU get inspired!

P.S. For those of you who may be concerned, I will not be the graphic designer on your next project. I’ll stick to project managing, thank you very much.

Relationships are crucial for leaders in organizations as well, but not every leader pays enough attention to them. When many people are promoted to leadership roles, they tend to focus on what instead of who. In fact, Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, and James Noel wrote in their well-known book, The Leadership Pipeline, that the three areas where new managers face challenges all boil down to:

• Defining and assigning work to be done, including communicating with the boss and others about needs or expectations, planning, organizing, choosing people, and delegating
• Enabling direct reports to do the work by monitoring, coaching, providing feedback, acquiring resources, problem solving, and communicating
• Building social contracts through establishing relationships with direct reports, bosses, and support groups that facilitate open dialogue and trust

Do you see a pattern here? All three of these challenges have something to do with people and the relationships we build as leaders. In essence, success boils down to how well you can build and foster relationships, both within your team and across the organization, because there is a direct correlation between positive, cooperative, and respectful relationships and getting more work done. So what can we do? How can new leaders cultivate relationships? Below are some best practices.

• Be a contributor rather than a “boss.” When you grow your relationships to be about making a contribution, you open up the space for transformation to occur. This means engaging people’s hearts and minds around what they’re trying to achieve (a new possibility). While you can impose your will on people’s hands and feet, you can’t win their hearts with force—“being the boss.” Some people will perform under those circumstances, and sometimes extremely well. If your will is strong enough and you can dominate them enough and subject them to your will, you will get results. The problem is that it usually drains energy and commitment from the people involved rather than infuse them with energy. You may get a short-term gain, but in the end you’ll never build a winning team.
• Make connections with your team members. There are opportunities ALL around you. Really listen to what your team says and show interest. Demonstrate that they have your full attention through the language you use, the actions you take, and the nonverbal communication you use. In other words, put your smartphone away when they’re speaking to you so you can maintain eye contact. Ask questions based on what you heard and lean forward to show that you are genuinely interested in what they say.
• Show appreciation and recognition. Everyone likes to hear that they’re doing a good job, but for some reason we often forget to say “thank you.” Find opportunities to acknowledge the day-to-day efforts of those around you. Remember, people engage more when they feel appreciated, so become really good at verbally communicating your thanks. Tell people how their efforts benefit the company, the department, etc. And lastly, make it meaningful by including a personal quality. People like to be thanked in different ways. Take the time to find out how they like to receive recognition and then do it!
• Communicate with clarity and consistency. Communication can make or break relationships. In fact, it’s the actual glue that holds relationships together but is oftentimes overlooked. Make a plan to invest the time in effective communication to ensure that your intent always matches your effect. This means taking time to consider the effect your message will have, where will you have the conversation, who else might be around, and what your relationship is like with the person you are speaking to.
• Be authentic. Lead with your heart as well as your head. Sometimes it’s not about winning or losing; it’s about making a difference. It’s about releasing the need to be right, appropriate, “on top,” “the boss,” and so on, and instead saying or doing the one thing that will make a difference. It’s about being real and genuine because at the end of the day we’re all human. We’re all trying to obtain our goals.

We live in a fast-paced world where we all have to-do lists a mile long—a world where it’s very easy to forgo the time investment in building and sustaining relationships, which is detrimental to everyone. Relationships are the magic ingredients for success. What will you do to ensure that you focus time on relationships?

“Accelerated Business Results is truly client-focused and experienced at all aspects of the training business,” said Terri Shannon, Account Manager for ABR. “We don’t have the red tape and procedural constraints that many bigger competitors have. I believe this gives us the leverage to better service our clients, and helps us stand out from the rest.”

Elise Margol, an Instructional Design and Project Manager for ABR, said, “I think ABR is adept at serving our clients for our instructional design methodology. We recognize the balance between adhering to the academics behind our solid instructional design process, while also building elements in our learning solutions that engage adult learners, such as with stories and visual effects. We think it’s the special something that our clients know us for; the way our programs tap into people’s emotions and imagination to maintain their attention all to ensure learning occurs.”

“What makes ABR unique is the way we customize the solutions and services that we offer,” said Kathryn Lee, Quality Assurance Manager for ABR. “Our clients come back to us time and again because we are reliable, responsive, and collaborative professionals, and they know they can count on us to provide quality solutions.”

Founded in 2001, Amy Fox started the company with no outside investors, yet the company has had year-over-year growth. ABR designs, develops, and implements customized training, e-learning, facilitation, coaching, and social media solutions, as well as other interactive tools and programs. ABR’s focus on unique, quality solutions since its founding a decade ago has earned the company industry recognition and helped to build an impressive list of clients, including Comcast, Sprint, Procter & Gamble, and Time Warner Cable.

See the full list of the Cincinnati Chamber’s 2012 Small Business Excellence Awards finalists.

Visit the Accelerated Business Results website for more information about its training and social media services.

At first glance, the features of LinkedIn Premium are not knocking my socks off, but let’s dive in and see what it’s all about.

InMail

LinkedIn InMail allows you, as a Premium user, to send a message to any LinkedIn member, regardless of how distant a connection level you are from that person. This feature is extremely useful to an HR professional or recruiter whose job it is to gather qualified job candidates for their companies or for the companies they represent. It’s not obtrusive, to me, to get a LinkedIn message from a recruiter, but I don’t want unsolicited messages from salespeople. For a salesperson, InMail is a useful tool, yet I’d still caution salespeople to avoid over-using it. Be very selective about sending messages to people who aren’t expecting them. It’s ideal if the person is familiar with you or your company so that your message doesn’t look like spam. Writing a professional, friendly, and concise LinkedIn message, whether on the free or Premium version, should be the priority.

There really is no good reason for a professional who is not in HR, recruiting, or sales to use LinkedIn InMail. The free version lets you message your first-level connections and those who are connected to your direct connections.

Grade: C

More Search Results

With LinkedIn Premium, you’re promised more results from your people searches, which doesn’t seem to be overly valuable to me since the free version already gives you plenty of results. I’ve never been disappointed by a lack of results when I’ve searched for people, but then again, it’s not a feature I use to the degree that a salesperson might.

The greater upside to performing people searches as a Premium user is that your view of others’ profiles is not limited. On the free version, you may not see the individual’s full profile. Their recommendations, groups, and job or education details are often hidden if you are not connected, or if they’ve chosen to hide some of those details to non-connections. I can see this feature being quite useful, again, to HR and sales people who want to have a full perspective of prospects before they reach out to them with a job opportunity or sales message. For those who are not in these roles, seeing a user’s complete profile still has some value in that it can help them decide if there’s really a benefit to connecting with that user.

Grade: B

Profile Organizer

Profile Organizer attempts to lend some organization to what can be a very disorganized LinkedIn. As a free version user, your contacts are lumped into one list, and if you have more than 100 or so contacts, you might be yearning for some CRM-like features to enhance what you know about them and what’s important to your ongoing relationship with them. Profile Organizer gives you options to add notes to profiles that you’ve stored, keep histories of correspondences, and save other relevant details just like you do in your CRM. You can use labels to keep profiles in “folders” that you can sort by projects, opportunities, companies, etc.

It’s not at all a bad idea to sign up for the Premium level of LinkedIn just for this feature, if you truly need the features of Profile Organizer to add some intelligence to your profiles and contacts.

Grade: A

Who’s Viewed Your Profile; Premium Badge; OpenLink

“Who’s Viewed Your Profile”: This has always been a fun feature of the free version of LinkedIn, and seeing it on Premium is even more interesting since you get a little more insight into who has checked you out. On Premium, you can see the viewers’ titles, regions, and companies, while on the free version those details are often hidden. You can also see the keywords people used to search in LinkedIn when they landed on your profile.

Premium badge: This is nothing more than a little icon next to your name that tells people you are a Premium user. That doesn’t hold a lot of value to me.

OpenLink: This feature allows any member of LinkedIn to send you messages for free, even if they’re outside of your network. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth because I love the LinkedIn that is based on real relationships and connections. I don’t love the idea of LinkedIn being akin to giving everyone who wants it access to my address. As you can tell, I’m not sold on this feature, but I have added my name to the OpenLink network anyway, so we’ll see how much spam and unsolicited messages I receive over the next month.

Grade for these lesser features: C

So, the value of LinkedIn Premium is highly dependent on the job function or specialized purpose you have. If you are in a human resources or recruiting role that requires you to efficiently gather and qualify job candidates, Premium is for you. If you are a sales person, especially a B2B one, who needs to keep your prospect funnel filled and establish connections with decision-makers who may be three or more connection levels beyond you, LinkedIn Premium is for you. If you are a job seeker, I don’t see enough reasons to spend $40 per month for the Premium features that really don’t give you anything better than what you already have on the free LinkedIn.

Are you already satisfied by using the free version of LinkedIn to keep and grow a strong professional network of past, current, and future contacts, participate in Groups, and stay current by updating your status and using Answers? Then I recommend you stay right where you are. LinkedIn Premium won’t make your life easier, happier, or more profitable.

Have you used LinkedIn Premium? Which features do you appreciate the most, or the least?

The fallout from not practicing exceptional customer service can be devastating to a business owner or a sales professional’s funnel. In my own experience, I lived on the receiving end of poor customer service for way too long, trying to give a certain business owner the benefit of the doubt. I kept thinking that perhaps my expectations were too high – after all, part of my job is to train sales professionals, business owners, and leaders on the importance of exceptional customer service. But I finally realized that the bottom line is this: no matter what the customer’s expectations are, they are not too high. If you think they are too high, you need to exit the business relationship professionally and gracefully.

Unfortunately I had to end my relationship with that business before our contract was completed. But I also provided a few tips to the owner on my way out the door:

1. Apologies are important: An apology first and foremost has to be SINCERE! Also, it should not start with or include phrases such as “I am sorry you feel disappointed.” Instead, try “I am sorry you are disappointed; what can I do to correct this?”
2. Take ownership: This means that no matter where blame lies (and there is usually plenty to go around with all parties), state what you are responsible for and make an offer to resolve it. For example, “I have not met my estimated timeline, so I would like to propose… Do you think this will get us back on track to meeting your expectations?”
3. Communication is key: Never skimp on communication. When in doubt, over communicate. If it’s too much communication, your customer will typically let you know. Under communicating fosters skepticism and creates doubt about all of your capabilities. Strong communication is the foundation of exceptional customer service.

Can you relate to any of these? Are you delivering – or receiving – exceptional customer service?

A recent encounter with one of my professional contacts illustrated this quite well. I’d waited for some time, very patiently in fact, to finally have lunch with Larry, one of my networking contacts. His area of expertise, and the type of business he runs, is printing. I’ve been able to refer him some business in the past, but my specific goal recently was to discuss referrals.

Ironically, the location he chose for lunch was where I’d been for a professional association meeting just the previous evening. Very naturally, I was able to talk to Larry about this new organization. Sharing information with him about the inaugural meeting of this women’s organization was truly valuable information for him and his thriving business that depends on referrals as perhaps its primary source of new clients.

However, as interested as Larry was in this information, I wasn’t prepared for the subject he shared with me next! His printing company, just days before, received our local Chamber of Commerce 2012 Business Award honoring their impact in our community. I had no idea whatsoever! What an honor for him and his employees. Well, he was his usual humble self. I, however, felt horrible for not gathering such key information about his business before I met him for lunch!

Truthfully, I’ve since researched the award Larry received and although it was an important one, the recognition, unfortunately, was easily missed because it wasn’t made as public as it deserved. Hopefully, within a short time from now, his LinkedIn updates will feature this. From that lunch meeting, I know we both received great information that will help further our business relationship.

Lesson learned: Don’t take any opportunity for granted! Fortunately, thanks to social media, there’s so much information about our professional contacts that is readily available. I should never show up at an appointment, of any kind, without being prepared with not only what I want to share with my contact, but also what I should know about them, like recent awards or recognitions, news in their industry, or anything at all that I am confident is affecting their business.

Relationship building is part of effective networking. Let’s review a few basics that are so often overlooked:

1)    Always follow through on your commitments. This includes being on time. Whether or not you called the meeting, it’s a common courtesy to be on time. Things happen; so certainly if traffic, etc., causes you to run late, you should be able to at least attempt to let your contact know.

Referring to the lunch story above, I’d previously told Larry that I’d draft my own 30-second-commercial and email it to him. This is an easy way to help my contacts in the referral process, especially since many of my contacts don’t have their own in-house training expert. I had a copy of what I’d emailed him with me as a point of discussion. It was helpful, too, for me to assure that the info I’d given him was of value.

2)    Be creative. Although your business relationships may not be “right on” in terms of practicing within the same industry, if you want to build a strong network, find something of value you can present to each of your contacts. Google and LinkedIn are a great resource for articles, etc., to share. Often times, the simple fact that I documented (or remember…) facts about my contact can help me share leads. For example, remembering where my contact’s children went to high school helped—the high school just started a business networking organization. I knew this—my contact didn’t.

3)    Take the time to organize and document your information. Thank goodness for Salesforce.com! The information you gather in your business relationships isn’t going to serve a business purpose if it’s not documented appropriately. Although you may pride yourself on having a great memory or home office note system, it’s a courtesy to your colleagues to have your files accessible for their use as well.

4)    Utilize the “Golden Rule.” If you invite someone to discuss leveraging each others’ contacts, cramming your monthly sales special down their throat when meeting is not appropriate. Similarly, although it may be beyond your comfort zone, it’s okay to say no. For example, should you genuinely not have time if asked to a networking meeting, be honest. Honesty, I believe, is a sign of integrity. After all, if we’re truly networking for a business purpose, we want our networking contacts to be successful, right?

5)    Practice what you preach. I’m a real believer in this. What good am I to others if I don’t? For example, Amy Fox (President and CEO of ABR) posted a blog entitled “The Three Most Compelling Questions in Sales.” Here’s an excerpt: “One of the most compelling questions is a Motivation question. Motivation questions get at what’s really at stake for the client and allow you to find out what the impact, consequence, or effect will be of fixing the customer’s problem. For example, it might sound like, ‘After your company installs the new system, what impact will that have on your department?’ Or you might simply ask, ‘Why is that important?’ The key is uncovering the customer’s motivation so you can understand how they define value.”

Motivation questions are very key as we work on building relationships! Given our current difficult economic times, time definitely is money. It’s important to keep this in mind and assure to give your contact the opportunity to answer a motivation question. Once your appointment wraps up, you want your contact to look forward to a follow-up conversation, right?

What lessons about business networking have YOU learned recently?

1. Make it regular and make it a priority. Launching a blog is actually pretty easy – it’s fun to try something new and in the beginning, you have so much to say! But keeping a blog going on a consistent basis is a much bigger challenge. There’s a tendency to put the blog on the back burner when there are other seemingly more pressing priorities or clients to tend to. To remain relevant to your audience, though, your blog content needs to be fresh and current. If readers like your blog, they want to know that they can go to it as a regular source of information. Plus, it just looks bad when a blog’s most recent post was four months ago. When we launched our ABR blog, our team agreed that we would post an article at least once per week on Tuesdays, and I’m very proud to say that we have never missed a post. In fact, if the mood strikes us, we sometimes post short blog articles on other days in addition to the regular Tuesday ones.
2. At the same time, don’t just post for the sake of posting. People will be more interested in reading something that you’re genuinely interested in and want to write about. Sometimes when you write out of habit or to meet a deadline, the passion isn’t really there. If you don’t feel like you have enough to say as regularly as you would like, consider asking colleagues to take turns, and/or invite other professionals outside your organization to be occasional guest bloggers. Nearly everyone on the ABR team has written at least one article for our blog, and some have written many – it’s definitely a team effort. We’ve also had several excellent guest bloggers from outside our company. Using multiple blog writers is great for several reasons. First, it means we share a variety of voices in our blog – readers get to hear different points of view from various professionals about a range of topics. It also prevents just one person from having to shoulder the overwhelming responsibility of writing every single blog article. Plus, it’s great exposure for external guest bloggers, especially if they have a business of their own, so they often appreciate the opportunity. It can be a win-win for everyone.
3. Mix it up. The written word is great, but you can enhance your blog by incorporating other elements like photos, tables, maps, videos, and links to other websites and blogs. Make your blog stand out by using appealing visuals or interactive features that support what you’ve written. But don’t overdo it with the extras – too much of this makes for a cluttered article and can detract from your message.
4. Clean it up. As an editor, I can’t provide tips for writing blogs without stressing the importance of accurate, clean content. Although the purpose of many blogs is to offer opinions about current issues and trends, the information bloggers share needs to be correct and based on facts. Be careful when writing about things that you don’t know much about, and if you do, be sure to research thoroughly. Also, make sure the writing itself is clear and free of errors. You might have exceptional content and groundbreaking advice, but many readers won’t fully appreciate your message (or take you seriously) if your writing is full of grammatical, spelling, and usage mistakes. Hiring a professional editor for your blog posts is ideal, but if this isn’t feasible, you can clean up your articles by carefully re-reading and revising them, then asking a colleague or two to review them.

There’s plenty of advice out there about how to write and maintain a blog – these are just a few ideas that come to my mind. The most important thing to remember is one of our favorite clichés: be yourself. Whether you’re writing a personal or business blog, don’t try to be something you’re not. It will seem much more authentic and your natural enthusiasm will shine through if you’re writing about topics that genuinely interest you and if you write them in a conversational way.

What are some other crucial components to writing a good blog? If you are more of a blog reader than a writer, what kinds of things do you appreciate in the blogs you read? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment box below!

Q: What exactly is “rapid development”?

A: Traditionally, there are high upfront costs (both money and time) associated with developing e-learning. A “rapid authoring” platform is software that can help curb those costs. Software alone is not a magic bullet, though. Rapid development is about following a condensed workflow, being flexible, and working within rapid software’s inherent limitations.

Q: What’s the difference between an e-learning course that uses “rapid” development versus one that uses “non-rapid” development?

A: A rapid project prioritizes speed and cost savings over other desirable characteristics, mainly quality and customization. When building “non-rapid” or “custom” courses, the balance shifts in the direction of quality and customization.

Q: Why would a company use a rapid development approach?

A: The best time to use rapid is when budget or a quick delivery date is the top priority, and when modest graphic presentation and little customization are acceptable.

Q: Is there a reason NOT to use rapid development?

A: Rapid is not always the right fit. Some topics do not lend themselves easily to this format because they are difficult to teach, and they require advanced animation and complex interactions. Sometimes the quality of the graphical presentation is a high priority. In both of these situations, it’s not possible to follow a true rapid workflow.

Q: How do I decide what is right for my company?

A: Most large businesses will have applications for both rapid and non-rapid authoring workflows at different times, so it’s not really a question of what’s right for the company, but what’s right for a given training need. If the need is for top-quality customized learning that will last, a non-rapid approach is better. If the need is more for down-and-dirty training that can be deployed very quickly, rapid is the best approach.

Q: So does the choice of authoring software determine if the project will be rapid or non-rapid?

A: No. Many companies standardize to a single authoring platform (Lectora or Articulate, for example), but still need to provide high-quality customized e-learning. In these situations, the development team will use so-called “rapid” software, but follow a non-rapid workflow. Graphic designers will customize the out-of-the-box user interface, and programmers will find ways to extend the capabilities of the software.

Does rapid development of e-learning interest you? We can answer your questions or consult you on the best approach to your training needs. Leave a comment here or contact us any time.

What’s the recipe for breakthrough results like this? I believe that one of the many factors in these triumphs is the leadership and what great leaders do to achieve success. In my opinion, it boils down to the power of collaborative leadership and fueling your team’s inner motivation. Tapping into your team’s emotional side is much more effective than exercising a traditional “management” leadership style. All too often, leaders view their role as “I’m the boss, you’re the employee.” It flows from the idea that you, as a leader, are “in charge.” With this approach, conversations tend to revolve around “What’s wrong?” and “How do I fix it?”

Collaborative leaders, on the other hand, make it their mission to empower their employees—to awaken the possibility in others and elicit excellence and passion. Although imposing your will on people by “being the boss” sometimes gets the result you are looking for, the problem is that it usually drains energy and commitment from the people involved. You may get a short-term gain, but in the end you’ll never build a winning team. Rather than managing by control, collaborative leaders guide decisions and encourage employees.

I have found the following strategies helpful in the process of evolving into a more collaborative leader:

• Get to know your employees and find out what they are all about. Ask them about their goals and aspirations—personally and organizationally. Talk about what it is about them that makes them stand out in your eyes.
• Look for an opportunity to coach an employee and share your team’s goals. Tell your employee you would like her to be a part of creating the future and ask if she sees how she might contribute. Then discuss ways you think she can contribute, building off her personal aspirations, talents, and abilities.
• Tell employees what to expect from you. Describe and paint a picture of what collaborative leadership looks like to you. For example, you stand for their future, you are committed to their success, you are their advocate, you will challenge them on their goals, priorities, and blind spots, etc.
• Tell employees what you expect of them. Clearly describe goals and, more importantly, why these goals are important to you, the employee, and the organization. Make sure it’s clear that something is at stake! Let them know that you expect questions, big or small. Emphasize the importance of following through on priorities and their willingness to take risks.

It’s easy to just “be the boss” and tell others exactly what to do. The challenge of being a stronger, more collaborative leader is in discovering ways to truly inspire your team’s inner enthusiasm. What other strategies can you share for doing this?

Begin by choosing a few topics or issues that are big in your industry, and that meet these criteria:

1. Current hot-button issues or challenges that your customers face
2. Those with general appeal or that are applicable to a wide audience
3. Topics that are easy to explain and present, and ideally are non-technical
4. Those that enable you to use real-world examples that your product(s) or service(s) can solve

Read up on webinar platforms, such as WebEx or GoToWebinar. For a small investment, you can schedule free or paid audio/video sessions with people interested in the topics you present. Has your email list become stagnate? There’s a good chance you can revitalize that list by offering an educational session about a topic in your industry, or common questions or concerns that people face when evaluating the products and services you sell. Only at the end of the webinar should you mention how to get in touch with you to learn more about your company.

For instance, a financial services company may want to offer a series of webinars on mortgage issues. Or a digital marketing agency could present some how-tos on selecting the right web design or SEO company. By inviting people to attend your webinars, you show that you care about more than getting their business, and in doing so, they will think of you when they are ready to buy because you have shown that you are a leader in your field. Being an educator puts you ahead of those who just sell, sell, and sell.

To start, create a PowerPoint presentation on the topic you want to present in your webinar. Don’t try to fit in too much. A succinct presentation, though it may cover a small portion of what you really want to present, will go over much better than one that is overloaded with information that will bury your audience. Next, decide who in your company will present the webinar. This should be someone who is well-spoken and can answer questions with authority. Or, partner with an outside expert who may even have some name recognition to bring more attention to the webinar.

Once you have signed up with your webinar provider, schedule the webinar and send an invitation to your lists. Promote the webinar details on every social network, direct mail, or any other channel you have within reach. Ultimately, you not only want to re-invigorate your existing list but gain NEW people who could become future customers. Finally, once you host your webinar, be sure to record it in a file that people can download at a later time. You may even choose to offer it as a free download on your website as an incentive to complete a call to action.

In the end, you want your company to be seen as a leader in your field, but not just because of your size, marketing budget, or your ability to voice a sales message. Webinars may not be right for you, but I’d urge you to find other ways to make sure your marketing is not only the outbound sort, like direct mail, but also (and maybe even more so) inbound, which is the kind that pulls people in on their own volition because your information is just that stinking powerful and credible!

Sounds like a think-tank exercise, right? One you might ask to get people to start “thinking outside the box.” Recently this hypothetical question became a reality when a client presented ABR with a challenge to meet a very specific and immediate need for their organization.

So we had to say to ourselves, “We have six days to deliver a project that would normally take three months to complete—how are we going to do it?”

Of course, as with any complex business question, the answer can be boiled down to the lyrics of a 90s pop song (if you miss the reference to the 90s song, see the bottom of this blog).

Stop.

There is a tendency in a quick-turn project to just dive in and HurryupNotimetoplanJuststartworking. This is an easy way for a project to get out of control, and can ultimately doom a project to failure. As with any “normal” project, take the time at the beginning to ensure understanding of the client’s goals and expectations. Take the time to establish your process. A project can feel overwhelming if you don’t know where to even start. Giving team members information and structure at the start of the project allows them to get more done sooner.

The time you take to plan at the beginning might actually save you time overall, even in the shortest of timelines.

Collaborate.

Tight deadlines naturally encourage teamwork; you have no choice but to rely on your team to accomplish the task before you. People who might normally be used to working autonomously are more open to communicating with team members via email, IM, phone calls, etc. This close collaboration strengthens team bonds and can spur creativity.

Listen.

It was essential that I met with stakeholders and team members daily to answer three questions:

1)     What have we accomplished today?

2)     What do we plan to accomplish tomorrow?

3)     What do we need to make it happen?

Getting everyone in a room together (or in our case, on the phone) to hear the answers to these questions allows you to quickly remove obstacles and keep the work moving forward.

On our final team call before handing over the deliverables, we were putting the finishing touches on the final deliverables before turning them over to the client. We were somewhat suspicious that there was no crisis that had to be dealt with, no fires that had to be put out. But this shouldn’t have been a surprise—we took the time to plan at the start and we were in constant communication throughout the entire process. And I’m happy to report that we successfully delivered the project to our client on time.

Have you ever had very little time to complete a project or a task? What strategies did you use to meet your deadline and still ensure outstanding results?

——

the song referenced in this blog post is…

Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” –

STOP, collaborate and listen

Ice is back with my brand new invention

Something grabs a hold of me tightly

Flows like a harpoon daily and nightly…

Macy’s, Inc. is one of the nation’s premier retailers and has corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York. With a focus on promoting from within, Macy’s Credit and Customer Services (MCCS) recently identified a gap in progressive leadership skills as supervisors were promoted to managers and beyond. In order to equip supervisors with the advanced leadership proficiency required to be successful and effective in management roles, Macy’s needed a clear strategy to elevate leadership expertise. Specifically, the company wanted to strengthen its supervisors’ coaching, project management, and general leadership skills, as well as awareness of what it means to be a leader.

The ABR Solution:

The final component of the Leadership Excellence solution was a structured mentoring program to take place after all of the ILT sessions were completed. This Lead Mentor Circle Program teamed a few supervisors with some manager mentors in a group, allowing new supervisors to reinforce the skills learned throughout the overall program, continue to enhance their leadership skills, and learn from others in leadership roles.

How ABR Helped Macy’s:

ABR gave Macy’s a foundation to equip the company with much stronger leaders. Prior to the Leadership Excellence solution, employees with promise were being promoted into leadership roles but weren’t being given adequate transition training. The Leadership Excellence solution gave Macy’s the tools to elevate the quality of its leadership pipeline, and did so with a clear and strategic skill progression.

Do you remember being in elementary school, or perhaps more recently observing your own elementary-aged children, and seeing the curiosity and uninhibited ability and desire to find out more about something or somebody? Have you ever heard a child ask someone, “Why do you have that cast on your arm?” or “How come you’re in a wheelchair?” or other curious questions? While sometimes the blunt questioning may be a little embarrassing for us, when all is said and done, the end result is usually a positive outcome of not only some human interaction, but also that the child has learned and expanded his universe of knowledge. Somewhere along the line, we learn to be so politically correct, courteous, and careful not to offend that we don’t get those questions answered, even though we still have them.

Looking below the surface and diving a bit deeper into what makes people tick can certainly help you gain a new perspective on where they are coming from when they interact with you. You may begin to realize that certain subjects have a lot more meaning to the person than others do. You may discover elements of their personal lives or personality that give you keen insight into how you can help or be the most supportive person for them.

No matter how good a person is at making every decision in life in an objective manner, no matter how they manage to keep their personal needs and emotions out of it, the fact is that we are all influenced by these factors. Sometimes it may completely influence a decision directly, but more often our emotions and personal needs can cloud how we think, or pull our energy in one direction or another. What a person verbalizes as their priority at the time may not be what’s really weighing heavily on their mind. By allowing other people to feel comfortable with you on a personal level, they in turn are more likely to express themselves honestly and to genuinely interact.

In business, drawing a balance of professional/personal interaction can sometimes be more difficult. But if that balance is indeed struck, the insight you may gain into the priorities, needs, and wants of that person can help guide your future interactions to be truly in tune with them. When your prospect or customer feels you understand them on this level, they are much more comfortable openly discussing business matters with you. If you are in a business that requires you to “build relationships” rather than to immediately sell something, making a genuine attempt at not only getting to know more about their business needs, but also more about them as a person can certainly strengthen and enhance your interactions.

This requires a bit more time and effort, but that relationship will have a completely different vibe for them than the ones they have with your competitors who simply focus on making a sale as quickly as they can. What kind of results and reactions have YOU had in the past when you have worked at true relationship building with a prospect or customer?

If any of these violations sound familiar to you, it may be time to tell your technology, “I want to take things slow,” or “let’s take a break.” Seriously, though, I am guilty of four of these, and probably more if I am really being honest.

10. You check your Facebook account in the morning before you check on your kids.

9. You clean the face of your smartphone more often than you clean your own face.

8. You justify your texting-and-driving frequency by saying, “That’s why we have two eyes. One for the road and one for the screen.”

7. You use Foursquare to tell people you are home.

6. Before you buy new pants, you make sure the pockets are smartphone friendly, meaning that your phone has a comfortable place to live for the few minutes each day that it’s not tied to your hand.

5. You tweet while you’re at an event with your friends or colleagues, and are offended when they use their voice to respond to you rather than tweet their response.

4. Your emails are littered with emoticons and over-use of punctuation, which signifies that you are slipping further and further away from the antiquated use of those strings of letters from the alphabet to express your feelings.

3. You feel a greater sense of loss over your misplaced phone than your misplaced house keys, because at least if you lose your house keys you can still find shelter and maintain your social existence by using the free Wi-Fi at Starbucks.

2. You justify your tweeting during church services by using your deity as a hashtag, i.e., #God.

1. You truly cannot wait in a line or stand anywhere with people around you, and not feel like a social outcast, a black sheep, a wallflower, a wretched soul, if you aren’t looking at your phone.

Just as with human relationships, you need to evaluate where you stand with your technological relationships. Are they taking from you more than you’re giving to them? What are you sacrificing in the “offline” world while you are spending all of the time you do online? An over-reliance on any one thing can lead to a complete burn-out, and when that happens, the tremendous benefits of technology become replacements, not supplements, to other meaningful parts of our lives.

So let’s face it – in our hearts we all want to be collaborative. Right? That’s what we’re supposed to say anyway, but sometimes it’s just plain hard. Collaboration is a skill and a set of practices that are very rarely taught. In school, we’re assigned to group projects, but does the professor ever offer guidance for working collaboratively? What I remember is that one or two people always ended up doing all the work.

Collaboration is something people learn on the job in a hit-or-miss fashion. Some are naturals at it, but for most of us, it requires some work because to be collaborative you truly have to leave your ego at the door. Being collaborative means getting outside of yourself and not just listening to other ideas but really hearing them. Furthermore, collaboration only happens within certain environments, meaning that some cultures foster it while others simply don’t. It’s not just something you can direct, but rather must be modeled.

And despite this challenge, I continue to see the word “collaborative” used all over the place: collaborative leadership, collaborative tools, collaborative learning, collaborative brainstorming…the list goes on. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines collaboration as “to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor.” But the question really is: What does this look like in organizations? Well, in collaborative fashion, I asked our ABR team for some ideas on how leaders can foster collaboration. Below is what we came up with.

Ask for Input and Ideas from Team Members

Lead by example. By reaching out to your team to get their input on the things you’re working on (establishing new office policies, deciding the theme for the holiday party, and/or putting together a proposal), you show that you not only value their opinion but that you don’t expect any one person to have all the answers all the time. If you are collaborating, chances are, your team will too.

Assign Teams to Get Work Done

When staffing project work, assign two people to one role instead of one and divvy up the workload. For example, at ABR we always staff our projects with a minimum of two people – one person handles the project management tasks and the other person develops the materials. In this manner, collaboration comes easily because both are responsible for the success of the project.

Brainstorm and Vet Current Issues and/or New Ideas

When you’re stumped on a task (or you want to float a new idea), organize a meeting with people who have different perspectives from you. Explain your issue, why it’s important, what your goal is, and then ask for help brainstorming ideas. You’ll be surprised by how many out-of-the-box ideas you will unearth.

Form Learning Communities

Create learning communities within your organization using social networking tools. Start a discussion forum to seek others’ thoughts on how to solve an issue. Write a blog with a peer and then post it for the rest of your community to read. Use microblogging to keep in touch with each other as a group. Take a video of yourself performing a task in a different way and post it for your community to comment on. I could go on, but you catch my point, right? Engage with your peers. Learn from them. Don’t be afraid to seek advice. It’s true – two heads are better than one.

Share Information

People like information. They want to be in the know but oftentimes leaders leave their teams in the dark. How can collaboration take place without the sharing of information? Well, I’m telling you, it can’t! Being collaborative means letting go of the reigns and bringing everyone into “the know.” Only when this happens can people collaborate on the information shared.

Be Authentic

Let me fill you in on a little secret: nobody is perfect. We are all human, which means we have strengths and opportunities for growth and development. At the end of the day, we’re all really aiming for similar goals of success. One person can’t and shouldn’t know it all. So why not just let it go and see what happens when we share not only our successes but our failures with our teams?

These are just a few ideas on how leaders can foster collaboration in organizations. We would love to hear more about the collaboration strategies you practice.

My son had barely gotten in the car when he gave me this HUGE smile and said, “I learned a new move today, Mom. It’s so awesome – I can’t wait to try it out!”

I immediately felt guilty…didn’t I want to embrace this enthusiasm and truly support him? Absolutely! It also made me realize that I too could channel that wrestling enthusiasm and challenge myself in my business development plan. After all, it is 2012 – a new year. It’s time to try something new!

Whether you’re in a totally new job, a new position within your existing company, or simply looking for a fresh, new, energetic approach to the same responsibilities you’ve always had, I challenge you to reach within yourself and incorporate some new “moves” into your everyday work!

Integrate something you struggle with the most into a new place in your day – shuffle things around a bit. Many of us become creatures of habit; however, I’m convinced that although I often dread it, change is good. Initiating phone calls, especially difficult ones, is always a tough one for me. Why not begin my day with this task first? What a great feeling of accomplishment once my call list is completed! Maybe I have to leave messages for a few of these calls. That’s okay, I’ve made the effort. I can send a follow-up email or, if I’m lucky, I’ll answer their return call to me. Either situation is something I enjoy and am effective at.

Reward yourself with something that will help you to be more successful in finishing your plan. Often I allow myself a brisk walk, or a treat like Starbucks or ice cream; I do this as a reward for having accomplished A-B-C tasks. Sometimes the reward is simply the ability to call it a day sooner – and indulge in family, the gym, a leisurely dinner, or whatever the after-work plans are. And occasionally I use that time to write those follow-up emails that I otherwise complete during my “off” hours.

LinkedIn: try it – you’ll like it! Trust me, for a professional who somehow earned a Bachelor’s degree without ever taking a computer course, LinkedIn is an awesome form of networking! I know, “networking” is one of those things that you either love or hate. However, LinkedIn allows you to attack this necessary evil online – without ever having to leave your office! What an effective time-saving tool! If you haven’t yet created your own LinkedIn profile, just do it! If you’re unsure about the how-to part of this social media mania, ask a friend. Truly, it’s something that all professionals should master, even if just a little bit.

If you’re already on LinkedIn, try something new with it. Recently a colleague of mine posted a blog about becoming a LinkedIn Power User. It reminded me to get back to basics on this helpful tool. For instance, using the Advanced Search option is something I had lost sight of in my usual routine, so I’m trying to use it more. You can also use LinkedIn to give back to others. Sometimes I notice that an acquaintance is in transition. Why not offer to write a recommendation for those you’ve worked with, especially when they’re looking for a new opportunity?

READ one of your industry’s professional journals, a newspaper, or even some of your industry’s e-mail notifications. This should be a must, no matter your profession. With so much technology surrounding our every move, I’m committed to ensuring that my family knows the value of a good book. Plus, it’s always a bonus to be able to share a good read with a fellow colleague or prospect.

My son’s wrestling season is quickly flying by and I’m starting to pick up on some of the lingo. In addition to learning new moves, my son can now boast a win or two. These days when he gets in the car, he says, “Mom, you don’t know how good it feels to pin someone!” I love it when my children find their passions.

Similarly, I love it when my passion for my work helps others. What are some of the new moves you’ve been able to work into your day? Sometimes the most meaningful ones are those that literally turn your stomach at first, aren’t they? Accept the challenge and try these first!  Believe me, the feeling of accomplishment may empower you more than you could imagine.

I can remember working for a membership organization many years ago. While we attempted to keep in touch with our members throughout the year, it always seemed like the ones who heard from us the most were those who hadn’t paid their renewal fees yet or those who seemed like good prospects to upsell, or those who had a complaint. Yet the customers who were our very best members—those who always renewed on time and never complained about anything—seemed to be ignored.

I had some service done to my car recently and a few days after I got the car back, the service center called and asked me about the service I received. They also gave me a way to get it done cheaper the next time. Of course I know they did this so I will go there again, but the fact is, I probably will because that phone call helped me feel just a little more connected to that company.

Paying attention to our good customers, even when they seem okay, builds loyalty and a sense that we value them as customers and are not just contacting them to try to sell them more or put out a fire.

Scheduling time for those meaningful calls should be a priority, just as prospecting, sales, collection, or other customer service calls are. Think about the last time you were called by someone you had given business to. Did that call strengthen your sense of loyalty to them? Start planning today to make some “good feeling” contacts. This not only will keep your name in the mind of customers but also will give them one more reason to stick with you.

If you recognize that social media has a place in your business, but just haven’t been able to determine exactly to what degree, or how to get started, it’s time to take the next step to learn more.

If you could walk into your company tomorrow with a set of clear action items for getting your business on the right path with social media, you might just be the hero of the day, right?

I am one of the trainers for the new Essentials of Social Media for Business Professionals courses at Cincinnati State’s Workforce Development Center, offered by their Institute for Social Media. I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that these courses are going to deliver extremely tactical, no-fluff, actionable information. Just what you need to either get your social media strategy off the ground or propel your existing strategy to the next level!

If you are in the Cincinnati area, I recommend you check out the social media courses that start in February (2/3 and 2/10). Each one is just $69, or you can receive a discount for pre-purchasing all four sessions. We start off with an Introduction to Social Media for Business Professionals, and then later in February we’ll offer a workshop on how to effectively make new connections in social media.

Questions? You may ask me directly or visit the website for more information.

I’m much more interested in how you are doing leading and managing your professional self. And I can say with some authority that most of you are screwing it up. Don’t think so? Can you answer all three of these questions with a “Heck Yes!!”?

• I am actively developing the “what’s next?” in my career.
• If I lose my job tomorrow, I am prepared. My network is robust and active, and my resume is up to date and ready for use.
• I can clearly explain who I am professionally to anyone who asks.

If you can answer yes to all three, you can stop reading and go reward yourself with a cupcake. But I’m guessing those questions made you cringe in self-recognition as you whispered no.

It’s easy to be lulled into the belief that your organization will look out for you, or that you are so valuable as to be assured life-long employment. But really, your career is yours to lead and manage. It can’t be outsourced, delegated, or ignored.

Let’s work toward a yes for each of these, shall we?

I am actively developing the “what’s next?” in my career.

Put your head up once in awhile and commit to putting some effort into identifying what you are interested in doing next. Is it moving up a level in your current department? Moving to a different functional area? If there is nothing inside your current organization that appeals to you, commit to researching what else you can do in your industry, within your function, or in your professional community. It’s out there, but it isn’t going to knock on your door. And if it did, if you are 100% focused on doing your company’s bidding, you may not even hear the knock.

If I lose my job tomorrow, I am prepared. My network is robust and active, and my resume is up to date and ready for use.

Ah, yes, the network. If you are like most, you spend very little time thinking about it, let alone building or really developing those key relationships. If your entire professional network consists of your current colleagues, that is a problem. Connect with professional or industry-based associations, and yes, actually attend meetings. Make it a habit of reaching out to people you want to maintain professional relationships with even when you don’t need anything. If people only hear from you when you want something, your reputation as a user and a taker will be well deserved. And as far as that resume goes, even if it’s not ready for prime time, I beg you to at least keep a file of your accomplishments, preferably at home should the unexpected happen and you lose your ability to access your work materials.

I can clearly explain who I am professionally to anyone who asks.

Yep, this is the dreaded “tell me about yourself” question that we never give much thought to until we are in a job search. I never understood that. If you really are leading and managing yourself, shouldn’t you be crystal clear on what you are leading and managing? Ask yourself what you want people to know about you. And if your career is in sales and marketing, apply the same principles to yourself as you do to your products and services. Hint: your answer should not start with “I work for the ‘X’ company.”

If you are committed to leading and managing yourself, you must embrace the idea and practice aligning yourself with your professional skills and experiences. Who are you, professionally? Don’t know? Sounds like a good starting place to me.

The first was a high-end day spa that was at a career fair for a telemarketing company and doing a chair massage in an empty parking lot (it was literally one chair in a huge empty lot, with no cars or customers in sight). I have no words here. The second was a beauty salon/spa that had a kiosk in a mall. Nice idea, but it was staffed with what looked like a 16-year-old boy in a ripped Santa hat. He had acne and was hunched over and sipping on a large smoothie. What an image.

The reason I bring this up is because we see this kind of thing all the time. Just watch any episode of “Kitchen Nightmares.” A company gradually makes small adjustments to save on costs, increase sales, or make someone happy. The next thing you know, a fine dining restaurant is serving chicken strips and has a man dressed as Foghorn Leghorn in front of the store, twirling a sign that says “New Management” (or what I like to call the “Please try us again—sorry we sucked last time!” sign). Rather than resorting to such measures, here are a few tips that will help you avoid a future of chicken dancing and street sign spinning:

• To keep from straying off the path, you must first know what the path is. I recommend defining a clear mission statement for your organization and writing it down. You must make the statement public so that you and your team are reminded of it. After you have a clear, simple mission statement, I suggest adding a few sub-statements that define who your customers are, what they want, and how you intend to deliver it. Remember, you can’t be all things to all people, so keep a narrow focus and really laser in on what you want to be.
• Next, post your mission statement everywhere. Make sure your team knows it by heart. Posting the statement is critical because it will remind you and your team why you’re in business and who your customer really is.
• The third step is one that many business owners lose sight of. You, the owner, must live the mission statement. Nothing upsets me more than a business owner who has a mission to “deliver the highest level of service to every customer,” and then pulls into the first parking spot right next to the door. How are you servicing the customer by taking the best parking spot for yourself? Business owners must not be above the laws they create. I have a rule that I will never ask any member of my team to do something that I’m not willing to do myself. You absolutely must lead by example; otherwise your mission statement will fall on deaf ears.
• The last step is simply to ask yourself one question during every decision-making process: “Does this support my mission statement or does it obstruct it?” If your decision or actions violate any part of the mission, image, or brand you’ve created, then you must not do it. Does a chair massage in an empty parking lot support our image as a high-end day spa? No. Does a mall kiosk with an unsightly and apathetic employee support our beauty brand? No.

So grab your compass and create the path. Then promote it, walk it, and every once in a while, look down to make sure your feet are still on it rather than next to it.

Think about the last customer interaction you had. Did you really listen and show you cared about what he or she was saying? What about the last customer issue you dealt with? Did you immediately transfer the problem instead of doing everything possible to resolve it yourself?

Every customer interaction is an opportunity to lock in loyalty or destroy it. Don’t underestimate the power of being empathetic and demonstrating your authenticity to clients.

What tactics do you use to keep it real and maintain your sense of urgency with clients?

I’ve used LinkedIn since 2006, quite a long time to remain loyal to any website. Yet that doesn’t mean I don’t have things to learn. Even when I think I know it all, there are still ways to improve by watching others who do things a different way.

So, I spent 30 minutes recently observing the LinkedIn activities of those in my Connection network, and even strangers who appear to be frequent users. It was 30 minutes well spent, and I’d recommend this exercise for anyone who wants to power up their LinkedIn use.

These are the features that every LinkedIn Power User leverages, which means that they would likely be valuable for you too!

LinkedIn Advanced Search: Search for people, companies, answers, or groups that fit criteria as specific as you wish. Salespeople love using this feature to create prospect lists that are sorted by degrees of relationships, allowing them to connect with new people through existing connections.

Power User Tip: Even if you’re not in a sales role, you should perform searches to see who among your second degree connections you may want to connect with.

LinkedIn Groups: At one time, I was joining groups that looked interesting, but after joining I didn’t participate in 95% of them. Power Users join the groups that they know they can contribute their expertise to, and are willing to learn from others in that same interest area, too. Groups are great for sharing your knowledge and connecting to people who may become new business partners, referrers, prospects, or customers.

Power User Tip: Participate in two or three groups per week by joining discussions or starting ones on topics you believe will interest others in the group.

LinkedIn Answers: Similar to Groups, Answers is a place for you to let your knowledge and experience shine through to help others. What I’ve found even more valuable than answering others’ questions, though, is asking questions and watching how helpful and thorough the answers are that LinkedIn users provide. I posted a question recently on LinkedIn Answers, and in less than two hours I had a half dozen quality answers in the palm of my hand.

Power User Tip: Stop hoarding your knowledge. Share it! Go to Advanced Answers Search within Answers, then search the topics you know the most about. Those on LinkedIn who help others tend to feel the good karma come back at them.

LinkedIn Updates: Updates are where you get the most visibility within your LinkedIn network. You can post simple updates about what’s new and interesting in your professional life or business. The most valuable updates are the ones that link to thought-provoking articles, blog posts, or videos that your network of like-minded professionals will find interesting as well. Be an information-sharer, not a self-promoter. Well, okay, an occasional self-promotion is acceptable!

Power User Tip: Post updates four or five times during your work week. Doing so will keep you top-of-mind in your network while not becoming over-exposed. You have to gauge what you are comfortable with, but letting two or three days go by without posting an update is akin to locking yourself in your office and not sending emails or answering phone calls.

LinkedIn Events: It’s not a very robust feature on LinkedIn, but Power Users love the fact that they can search and find events in their region on LinkedIn rather than going to other sites to find them. Searching by your interests, industry, and city generates events that LinkedIn users have posted.

Power User Tip: At the end of each month, perform a search to discover events that are happening the following month. You can also see who within your network has confirmed that they are attending, and others you may want to connect with when you attend.

LinkedIn News: This recently redesigned area of LinkedIn is really slick! Customize the news that you want to follow by choosing the topics and sources you like. Once you have created a News area that reflects some of the articles you like to read, as well as those that might be of interest to others you want to network with, save the article or share the article with a connection.

Power User Tip: Select one or two connections with whom you wish to foster a stronger relationship. If you’ve set up your News to collect articles on topics they would appreciate, sharing those articles will be easy! Don’t overdo it, though.

Ten minutes spent per week on each of these six features and tips equals one Power hour every week on LinkedIn. You’ll find that some of these features will have varying levels of value and results, but the point is to find a formula that cuts out any unproductive time so you maximize every moment on the world’s #1 professional social network.

Communication is king. Whether it’s communication with the client, the stakeholders, or the project resources, if you’re not communicating as a project manager, something is bound to go wrong. As the person with all of the knowledge about the project, it is up to you to make sure everyone has the right information to be able to work effectively. And often it’s not only about what you’re communicating, but how. If your approach to communication (style, tone, frequency, method, etc.) isn’t working, you may as well not be saying anything at all.

Anticipate and adjust. Part of being a good project manager is being able to stay one step ahead of pretty much everyone else on the project. It’s up to you to anticipate every aspect of the project and then adjust accordingly. This might mean anticipating challenges that the project team could face and adjusting the timeline accordingly. Or it might mean anticipating the client’s potential concerns and  having a plan in place to address them. Whatever it is, living by this motto  will minimize surprises and setbacks during your project.

Plan your work and work your plan. I can’t take credit for this motto. It’s something my dad always said and I thought it was pretty clever. Then I learned that it was originally said by former Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi. Then I thought it was brilliant. This is a great motto for any job, role, or task, but it especially applies to project managers. The two parts of this motto—first, planning what you are going to do and then second, actually following through on that plan—are pretty much the nuts and bolts of being a good project manager.

There are probably many other mottos to consider. And I think it’s OK to have more than one… or even just to have a list of best practices to keep in mind as you manage projects. What do you think? Would you vote for one of these as the best project manager’s motto? Or do you have one of your own that you could share?

What will the next generation of social media look like, and what will those practitioners say about how we used social media in 2011 and 2012? After all, we are still in the mix tape stage of social media.

Here is my mix tape of a handful of social media observations, lessons from 2011, and expectations for 2012:

1. Social and SEO Collision: At the beginning of 2011, social media and search engines operated on two pretty distinct planets. That all changed with the entrance of the Facebook and Bing association, followed later by Google’s inclusion of more social media profiles and posts on their search results pages, and finally the introduction of Google Plus. What all this means is a more personalized search engine experience. If you are logged in to your Google account when you search, you now see social media likes, posts, and feedback from your friends integrated into your search. If you want to find a new restaurant to dine at, you may just see mentions of your friends’ recent experiences at local restaurants in your Google search results. Pretty cool!
2. Content Overload: Now that social media managers are understanding that content is king when it comes to making any social media impact with their customers, many are falling into a bad habit of recycling too much content without injecting original content of their own. It’s easy to retweet someone else’s article link or interesting observation. It takes more effort and time to post original, creative, and helpful content that your customers will appreciate. The lesson here is to shake things up a bit more, to be more strategic about the content you post. A content calendar can help you schedule some original social media posts so that you have a plan, rather than getting stuck in retweet land for days and days at a time.
3. Social Media ROI: Businesses are still asking, “Where is the ROI in social media?” And they should be asking that. However, does every single part of one’s business have an ROI? Seems like an odd question to those who can track every bit of spending to some form of a return. But most companies we talk to are now understanding that social media is necessary to their business, whether or not they can draw a direct line between investment and return. Social media for business further legitimizes you with customers who are searching and wanting to discover if you are participating, discussing, and reaching out to them. They want to have a conversation with you, and if you aren’t there to reciprocate, they will not hesitate to find your competitors. Social media ROI can come in the form of more sales leads, lower cost and more effective recruiting and customer service, and marketing efficiencies. It can be quantitative as well as qualitative. Look at both sides of the fence. Your biggest returns on your social media investment may just be the simple conversations over Twitter or LinkedIn that lead to a first meeting and then a sale. Social media is a cog in the machine, not the end-all-be-all. Far less frequently will you be able to tie a social media interaction directly to a sale.
4. Social Media Channel Irrelevancy: There was a time when we saw social networks as websites we logged in to in order to read about what our friends were doing or saying, and to post our thoughts and updates. We could not see Facebook posts unless we were logged in to Facebook, and the same was true for all the other networks. Now, we are seeing our friends’ Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube likes and posts on search engines, as I’ve mentioned. Yet there is strong evidence that more of those same likes and posts will also be visible on other websites we like to visit, such as news sites, online stores, and special interest sites. Even today, on many sites, you are given the option to log in with your Facebook account, or even link your social networks together so that your post on one network will be duplicated on another. All of this points to a place in the near future where we may not even need to log in to our social networks to be active on them. Social media channels will become largely irrelevant as they intertwine and start to look like traditional non-social media sites. It will mean a more personalized, fluid web experience where the walls of logins come down. Of course, this presents some privacy and security issues that will have to be addressed. This trend may not be fully realized in 2012, but it’s coming quickly.
5. Steer Clear of Social Media Experts: Don’t trust anyone who calls him/herself a social media expert. I have known many companies to be lured in by a fancy title and rehashing of the same ideas that a million other social media “experts” have iterated. When looking for a social media consultant to help you form a business strategy, set up profiles, and track ROI, don’t trust Klout or other scoring systems. And don’t believe their advertisements that say you will see immediate, quantitative results. Social media is a marathon, not a sprint, and you should be comfortable with a consultant who will spend time learning about your business, goals, and customers, even before they get to work on the actual social media strategy. Look up their social media activities on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Do they blog frequently? These are a social media consultant’s credentials, as well as any previously created strategies they can share with you.

Accelerated Business Results is in a unique position as a training and performance improvement company to hear about what matters most to business owners and key stakeholders in human resources, training, and sales and marketing. Plus, I have the fortune to be able to talk to businesses of all types about how social media has (and should) impact their internal and external customer touch points. We’ve definitely been listening to their concerns and questions, and are encouraged by the successes we help them achieve.

2012 will shape up to be an important year in the evolution of social media, primarily in the ways that businesses find the points in their existing processes where they can evolve and enhance their customers’ experiences with their brand, products, or services. How will you use social media in 2012?

By talking with our clients, we’re learning that workplaces and workforces are changing. Although there are many reasons for this, a key one is because several different generations are now collaborating in the workforce. And because the environment is changing, training also needs to change and evolve. With this in mind, I’ve put together a wish list of five training trends that learners are wanting in 2012:

Learner Wish #1: I want shorter, quicker training.

This means more nano learning. Learners are tired of the traditional model of e-learning followed by instructor-led training (ILT). Instead, they want shorter, chunked down learning in brief, impactful bursts and in a variety of formats. For example, rather than a 30-minute e-learning module, perhaps a 5-10 minute podcast or tutorial would suffice. Learners also seem to be more accepting of informal learning solutions, and it’s clear that not all training has to be driven from a learning management system (LMS) – learners don’t need to be tested on everything, especially when using nano learning as a follow-up or reinforcement.

Learner Wish #2: I expect training to be relevant.

In other words, cut the fat and fluff. Of course it is always an instructional designer’s goal to make learning relevant and customized, but it seems that there has been an even stronger shift lately toward zero tolerance for fluff in training. For instance, ABR recently worked with a client to slim down a 300-page manual to about 100 pages. By cutting out absolutely everything that was unnecessary and unusable, we have transformed it into a useful and relevant learning tool.

For training to be relevant, it also must be customized to a learner’s world. There should be a heavy emphasis on practice and application, because learners need to know how to make real connections and to truly apply what they’re learning. In general, training seems to be moving away from the old school practice of “show it, see it, do it.” Instead, case studies and simulations are the center of the learning experience more than ever before.

Learner Wish #3: Give me training with the tools I already use.

Companies are ready to experiment with more mobile and tablet applications in their training, and they should be. They know that their employees are already using smartphones and tablets, and they want to find new and unique ways to push content to them through these popular tools and mediums. In fact, one of ABR’s clients recently deployed iPads to their entire sales team. Initially they intended for employees to use only operational apps, but their sales reps started asking for resources that would help sharpen their soft skills as well – such as being able to quickly prepare for client meetings with vertical apps that would help them walk the walk of their customers.

Learner Wish #4: I need practical training that will help me be a better leader.

2011 saw leadership on the rise (ABR’s leadership training increased by 40% this year), and the trend is toward more hands-on, real-world training for frontline leaders. Leadership training is no longer just conceptual – organizations are conducting more real-world training for their leaders because they are realizing that leaders need authentic leadership skills to thrive – and they need a lot more practice with the challenges they’re facing. You can expect this trend to continue as organizations will be offering more application-based training that integrates skills, systems, products, and company strategies.

Learner Wish #5: I want to collaborate with my peers.

Social media is everywhere, and more professionals than ever are using it to connect and collaborate. They also want to be connected with organizations that are ready to harness the power of social media as a learning tool. But most organizations have struggled with social learning solutions because they realize that doing it well requires the right tools, guidance, and management, which can be overwhelming. In 2012, it’s likely that many organizations will continue to try to figure it out. We’ll probably see more informal (YouTube) videos used and learning communities created. As an example, ABR is currently developing a toolkit with a client in a SharePoint environment. It will house several options for training, including a social component, such as an “Ask the Expert” area. We also plan to share testimonials via video or text.

So what training trends are you noticing as 2012 approaches? If you’re a learner, what’s on your wish list for the new year?

Award-winning training and social media company has delivered innovative and results-driven solutions since 2001

CINCINNATI, Ohio (December 16, 2011) – Accelerated Business Results (ABR), a full-service, award-winning training and social media firm, celebrated its 10-year anniversary last month. Amy E. Fox, ABR’s President and CEO, founded the company in November of 2001, soon after 9/11.

“Everyone thought I was nuts for wanting to start a training business right after 9/11! I saw training organizations shrinking and businesses expecting their employees to do more,” said Fox. “I recognized that businesses of course still needed training, but more flexible training solutions to meet their needs. That’s where ABR came in.”

Fox started ABR from the ground up, with no outside investors, and the company has had year-over-year growth. The company designs, develops, and implements customized training, e-learning, facilitation, coaching, and social media solutions, as well as other interactive tools and programs. ABR’s focus on unique, quality solutions since its founding a decade ago has earned the company industry recognition and helped to build an impressive list of clients, including Comcast, Sprint, Procter & Gamble, and Time Warner Cable.

About Accelerated Business Results

ABR is a full-service, award-winning training and social media company specializing in sales and service performance, social media solutions, management and leadership development, and product knowledge. In 2011, ABR was recognized as one of the “Businesses WE Watch” by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s WE Celebrate Awards and was a Cincinnati Business Courier “Fast 55” recipient in 2008. In addition, the firm has been cited as a Company of Distinction by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD). For more information on ABR products and services, visit www.acceleratedbr.com.

One area where this terminology really helps is with challenging customers. Anyone who works with customers or clients has them, and we are all fearful of that next conversation with them where yet again, we aren’t good enough, fast enough, or detail-oriented enough to please them. It always surprises me that these people continue to do business with us even though they seemingly dislike everything we do for them. What should we do when we’re faced with the challenge of climbing this mountain? Well, here’s what I’ve learned.

It’s not all about us. We don’t know what kind of day they’ve had, what personal challenges they’re facing, and what life is like for them. It’s not our job to judge them; it’s our job to help them. In my case, I help them relax and forget about their challenges. But whatever business you’re in, remember that it’s not about you, it’s about them. So I offer these four quick strategies to help you strap on your climbing boots and scale their mountain of unhappiness.

1. First, listen. Many times, people just want to be heard. Please don’t make the mistake of giving them something just so they’ll go away. This may work in the short term, but it usually results in negative word of mouth and eventually will rear its vicious head again and make you miserable. Instead, put yourself in their shoes and really listen. Let them get it all off their chest, then move on to step 2.
2. Pause. This step of doing nothing is actually vitally important because by doing nothing, you are doing so much. This pause indicates to the customer that you are taking the time to process what they have said. It indicates that you have listened and are trying to figure out what to do. Often after a complaint, organizations move on to their scripted process of apologizing, telling you they are working hard to correct the problem, and then offering to give you 10% off. Nothing is more annoying. Their lack of pause indicates that they’ve heard nothing you’ve said and are just trying to get you off the phone or out the door as quickly as possible.
3. Third, be nice. The old expression “kill them with kindness” is never more appropriate. I remember a particular instance in my very first customer service job when my manager was getting yelled at by an angry customer. The first thing my manager said was, “First of all, I really love your necklace. Where did you get that? I’d love to get my wife one.” The customer was immediately disarmed, her anger melted, and they had a 10-minute conversation about the necklace, after which she left with a smile on her face. No matter how irate or unreasonable a customer is, always be nice. You must never—ever—lose your cool in front of a customer. Try disarming them with a compliment or simply thanking them for bringing the challenge to your attention. After you have an idea of why they are upset, put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself, “What would I want done if I were in this situation? What would make me happy? What would make me want to come back again?” Once you’ve determined what would make you happy, do more. I usually double whatever it is that would make me happy. This way you assuredly make them happy and hopefully gain the privilege of keeping them as a client.
4. Lastly, learn. You must never forget that a complaint is a gift. It’s an opportunity for you to correct whatever went wrong (or in some cases, the perception of what went wrong) and make sure it never happens again. When we ignore complaints, or discredit the opinions of our clients, we’re telling them that we don’t care about their business and we didn’t listen.

So the next time you’re presented with a challenging client, strap on your hiking boots, start to climb, and remember to listen, pause, be kind, and learn.

ABR President Amy Fox and Account Manager Terri Shannon pose for a photo at the WE Celebrate Award Ceremony

CINCINNATI, Ohio (December 7, 2011) – Accelerated Business Results (ABR), a full-service, award-winning training and social media company, has been named as one of the “Businesses WE Watch” for the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s WE Celebrate Awards. The award recognizes women-owned companies that every business should connect with now as they blaze a trail to future growth through innovative practices and offerings.

“A critical success factor for ABR has been our partnership with our clients and our interest and passion in listening to their needs,” said ABR President Amy Fox. “Our clients’ challenges push ABR to create new and creative training solutions.”

ABR’s innovative and results-driven focus since its founding a decade ago has helped the company build an impressive list of clients, including Comcast, Sprint, Procter & Gamble, and Time Warner Cable. ABR designs, develops, and implements customized training, e-learning, facilitation, and coaching solutions, as well as social media consulting and other interactive tools and programs.

WE Celebrate awards honor women and women-owned businesses for their achievement, innovation, social responsibility, and mentoring. ABR and other finalists were recognized during a breakfast award ceremony today at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Cincinnati.

ABR was founded in 2001 and has been profitable since inception. The company specializes in sales and service performance, social media solutions, management and leadership development, and product knowledge.ABR was a 2008 Cincinnati Business Courier “Fast 55” recipient. In addition, the firm has been cited as a Company of Distinction by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD). For more information on ABR products and services, visit www.acceleratedbr.com.

According to dictionary.com, the definition of a leader is a person who guides or inspires, while a manager is someone who directs. This forces me to ask myself: am I inspiring others or simply directing them? I do know that my most successful teams have been those that were inspired, either by me or by my understanding of and ability to tap into what motivated each individual on the team. The goal for all of us in a management role, then, should be to shift away from a strict direction-only focus and instead be the type of leader who truly fuels those around us.

You might be wondering where to start. I believe that the first step is to honestly classify yourself as one of these types. To do this, we must understand the specific behaviors that are typical of managers versus leaders.

A manager:

• Focuses primarily on the results
• Directs his or her team’s actions and activities without linking to goals
• Has limited interpersonal relationships with team members

On the other hand, a leader:

• Knows each individual on his or her team, their motivators, their areas of expertise, and their areas of skill gaps
• Spends time with the team in an effort to fully understand their work environment
• Ensures that his or her actions align with words
• Makes coaching and developing the team a priority

So as we wrap up the year and think about strategies and goals for 2012, my challenge to you is to ask yourself whether you primarily exhibit the traits of a manager or a leader. If you’re not yet the type of leader that you want to be, what steps could you take in 2012 to get there?

Mind you, we didn’t venture out at 2 a.m. with all of the “I’m going to pepper spray you in the face to get my Xbox” people. There was no camping out in front of Best Buy. We headed out at the more reasonable time of 1 p.m. By that point, the bargain-crazed mobs had thinned out to a reasonable crowd that you might see at any other time during the holiday shopping season. Surprisingly, we even found a parking spot easily.

What was even more surprising was the genuinely good customer service we received while making our way through the many stores of the outlet mall. My expectations were pretty low. I mean, really, what were the chances that these sales people—who had likely been dealing with the masses since the early morning rush—would actually be interested in helping me find just the right coffee maker for my mom? But there they were, all smiles and ready to help me locate the perfect gift. So helpful were they that by the end of the day, not only had I gotten my mom that coffee maker, but I had finished nearly half of my holiday shopping!

As I think about the different sales people who helped me on Black Friday, certain characteristics stick out. While I don’t work in retail, as a project manager, I work in customer service every day. On Black Friday, I took a step back and considered what these sales people were doing right and asked myself if I am doing the same things in my job every day. How can I be more like these stellar Black Friday sales people when interacting with my clients? The characteristics they had were:

• They were friendly. Each one greeted me with a sincere smile. They all asked, “How can I help you?” and thanked me for my business.
• They were proactive. They didn’t wait for me to seek them out. One employee noticed me studying a coffee maker and offered to tell me a little bit more about the features.
• They were thorough. The cashiers double-checked to make sure the security tags had been removed from my purchase, that all my items were packaged properly, and that the gift receipt was in the bag.
• They were knowledgeable. Remember the employee who wanted to talk to me about the coffee maker? After learning more about who I was shopping for, he was able to recommend a different machine that cost a little bit less and would still be perfect for my mom!

So how about you? Are you being friendly, proactive, thorough, and knowledgeable in your daily interactions with your customers?

Managing time zones: In project management, it’s extremely important to meet on the phone and talk with your colleagues at least once a week. Email and chat are fine, but hearing voices is significantly better. However, this isn’t easy with a global team. I live in Southern California, or the Pacific time zone. My clients are in the US, mainly on the East Coast, and my team members are scattered all over the US and predominantly in India and the Philippines. One of the biggest challenges in this environment is managing the various time zones. In a word, the solution is compromise. Everyone must adapt, even the clients. I start my day at 6 a.m. slurping coffee in front of my computer so I can take advantage of the few hours of overlap with my Indian colleagues. They typically come in later in their day and may stay well into their evening. My Philippine colleagues work nights, mirroring a US East Coast work schedule. We have our internal team calls at my 6 a.m. PT, which is 9 a.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. IST, and 10:00 p.m. PHT. Is this ideal? Not likely, but all of us know this life and are willing to work these hours in order to connect with one another and get our jobs done.

Over-communicate: In my line of work (learning curriculum development), my project teams consist of clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and processes. This is an absolute necessity. Otherwise, you invite missed deadlines, lack of cohesion, frustration, and chaos. It is imperative that the project manager establishes a clear communication and handoff protocol for every step in the development process, including client touch points, so that absolutely everyone is clear on how work will come to them, what to do with the deliverable when it’s on their desk, and to whom to communicate the next handoff. Depending on the size of the project, you may need to designate leads for each role. Establish email templates as necessary. You might think it’s ridiculous to tell people how to write an email, but your team will thank you for defining the key handoff details (who, what, when, where, how) in advance.

Documentation: I produce an agenda one business day in advance of each weekly team call. Then during the call, I take notes, and following the call, I produce minutes. The agenda must be detailed enough so that everyone knows what they need to do for the coming week. I am an avid fan of color and my agendas contain names with action items in bold blue and due dates in bold red. The reason I produce the agenda so far in advance is to give my East Coasters and offshore team members time to digest it and if necessary, respond to their action items via email in case they can’t join the call. That way, they can “report in” and I get the information I need to keep the project running smoothly. That week’s minutes document becomes the basis for next week’s agenda document so that if they were to be read page by page, they would tell the story of the project from start to finish. Is this time-consuming? You bet. Is it worth it? If you’ve ever had to struggle to look up data for a short-notice call with execs, the answer is a resounding yes.

The human element: It doesn’t matter what company you work for or what types of projects you manage, you are working with real, live PEOPLE. Treat them as such. How do you introduce humanity across the miles? First, be courteous. Use “please” and “thank you” in your online and verbal communication. The old adage of praising in public and criticizing in private is absolutely true. As a project manager, I am the leader of my team and I take my role of setting an example seriously. Trust me, your team members notice.

In addition, take a genuine interest in your global colleagues’ culture. For example, I maintain a PTO (paid time off) chart for my teams and clients to ensure that we have a backup plan for upcoming holidays. This PTO chart contains the holidays of all of the countries in which my team resides. When a holiday is coming up, I ask my team members to tell us a little bit about the holiday. I have a book called “The Book of Holidays Around the World” by Alice van Straalen. Sometimes I look up the holiday in the book, read the description during the team call, and ask my colleagues if what the book says is true. It’s fun! I also happen to be a grandmother, so when someone is expecting, I ask to share baby pictures. Are you into sports? Art? Food? There are so many ways to learn about each other’s lives and cultures. Bottom line: Find ways to connect with your teams, and whatever you do, it must be sincere and genuine. This can’t be faked.

In closing, to be successful in this type of role, you must want to work virtually and with people around the world. The strategies I shared have evolved over time based on my own lessons learned. I am by no means an expert. What works for you?

The holy grail of iPad e-learning would have the following properties:

1. Works on both tablet PCs and desktops (including desktops running old versions of IE)
2. Allows rich interactivity and animation
3. Communicates scores and status to the customer’s LMS

Here are several possible solutions, with varying strengths and weaknesses.

HTML5

Apple’s devices have been hyped as driving wide adoption of HTML5 technology. So it makes sense that creating courses in pure HTML5, without any other framework, is an option for iPad e-learning. The good news is that a solution like this can almost always work easily with the customer’s LMS, and it allows a healthy degree of interactivity and animation. It also works on IE9, Firefox, and Safari/Chrome desktop browsers.

But there’s a big downside. Most corporate customers require support for IE7 and 8 (and some IE6), and these browsers are not HTML5-friendly. Despite a few hacks that will reduce incompatibility, old versions of IE will not work well with HTML5.

Adobe Flash/Flex

Even though Flash files do not natively run on Apple’s devices, there are still a couple of ways to run Flash content. Adobe Flash Builder (aka Flex) allows projects to be published as iPad apps, which can then be installed or loaded to the Apple store just like any other app. The process is reliable and provides some nice features, like being able to publish for Android, and Adobe has a nice video about it here. This allows developers to use the full features of Adobe software to create very interactive and customized applications, and the content can be published for both desktops and tablets.

The disadvantage is that the published course, at least the tablet version, can’t easily be connected to an LMS, and in some situations may not be able to connect at all. This can be a major deal-breaker if the course needs to be tracked.

iSWiFTER

An app called iSWiFTER has recently emerged as an alternate method for playing Flash-based content on the iPad. It is marketed as a browser that allows users to play games on tablets, but it also has a potential for e-learning deployment use. Rather than running Flash content directly on the tablets, the app runs the Flash content on a remote server and then streams it to the tablet. This enables Flash-based courseware to be served from an LMS and viewed on a tablet.

There are a few disadvantages. Because content is being relayed from an intermediate server, it’s not as secure as connecting directly to an LMS. Also, some users report a lag (courses being less responsive) when viewed in this way. Finally, it requires users to purchase and install the iSWiFTER app, which may be difficult in a corporate environment.

Lectora

Trivantis’s Lectora is one of the better options available right now, because it partially addresses customers’ main concerns. A course can be developed and published in an iPad-compatible mode, and many of Lectora’s features work on both tablets and desktops. Lectora also does a reliable job with LMS communication across devices.

There are a few downsides, though, the first being the inherent limitations of the Lectora environment (IDE). The platform serves its purpose well, but it doesn’t allow for a high level of creativity and customization. The second is that not all of Lectora’s features are functional on iPad. A breakdown of features is available here. For many customers, the biggest limitation is that cue point-based audio (audio timed to an animation) is not available.

Conclusion

Any tablet-based training solution needs to be evaluated based on the customer’s needs and priorities. This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of the options, but it is a good sampling of the current choices and their pros and cons. Has your company implemented tablet training? What platforms are you using, are what are your successes and challenges?

Just when I thought I was participating in all the right social networks for my business, I started hearing about Google’s social network called Google Plus. Because it’s Google, it has caught my attention, but do I really need to spend time on yet another social network? What are the advantages of being on Google Plus?

- Rob Stewart, Birmingham, AL

Dear Rob,

The jury will be in deliberation for a long while before we understand how much of an impact Google Plus will have on the social media landscape. We also do not know yet how, or if, consumers will really want to engage with businesses on Google Plus. For several months now, the general public has been able to create profiles on Google Plus, and the adoption rate has been pretty slow. Most of the people who have signed up and are active are practitioners or heavy users of social media, or “techies” who love to be first on the scene to try new technologies.

However, the big development this week is that Google has begun allowing businesses to create pages on Google Plus. I believe this feature will change social networking for businesses to a good degree. Consumers will begin to “follow” businesses on Google Plus and view, engage, and share content, much like what’s happening on Facebook now.

You may be thinking, “Why should I create and maintain a Google Plus business page if I already have a Facebook business page?” Here are two very critical qualities that should make you, as a business, consider adding Google Plus to your social media strategy, either now or later:

1. Google Plus is obviously operated by Google, and with that comes the integration of your Google Plus business page and posts with Google search results. From a search engine optimization and visibility perspective, this is HUGE, because that activity gives you more frequent and higher rates of appearing in your customers’ Google search results.
2. Unlike with Facebook, Google Plus offers businesses the ability to segment posts by groups, called Circles. Circles are groups of people you follow that fit categories, interests, or any other segments you wish to create. Facebook, on the other hand, lumps all of your page’s fans into one group, so everyone sees your posts. There is great value for a business in creating Circles for each of its target industries, or maybe even a Circle to target its customers. For example, you may wish to extend an event invitation to only your customers whom you follow. Circles are a big “plus,” especially for marketers, who love the advantages of segmenting messages with unique information.

Ultimately, every business should check out Google Plus and watch the developments. Here is a good summary of Google Plus and how to create business pages. You could create a Google Alert with the keyword “Google Plus” to help you monitor how the new social network is evolving. Or, there’s really no harm in jumping in now to create your page without spending a lot of time on it. All you need is a free Google account to get started. Good luck, and let us know about your experiences with Google Plus.

- Jason Martin, Social Media Specialist

Traditional instructional design by definition IS a process. After all, if you speak the words “instructional design,” many people will respond back with “ADDIE,” the most common model used for designing and developing instruction. And usually when the term ADDIE is used, it’s synonymous with “a long time.”

What Elliott Masie was really getting at when he asked whether instructional design is dead is how we as instructional designers will adapt to the changing business needs for 2012. At Accelerated Business Results (ABR), we recognize the challenges our clients face and have already begun making strides to ensure that we not only design practical solutions that align with the realities of our clients’ businesses, but that we do it as quickly as possible without impacting quality. Below are some guiding principles on how we do this.

• Ask the right questions early in the process. We all know it’s important to understand the audience we’re designing for, but how much time do most instructional designers really spend interfacing with their audience group? Getting a solid understanding of the tasks your audience must be able to perform up front saves a ton of time on the back end. This means spending time with each group and asking well-thought-out questions to ensure that you understand their job, what is expected of them, and the challenges they face.
• Ensure that your learning program is focused on “doing.” It’s a common fact that people learn best by “doing,” so it’s a good practice to spend face-to-face time practicing skills. And guess what? This type of design tends to take less time to develop! It is relatively easy to build structured activities in which learners have opportunities to role play real-life situations, ask tough questions, and get feedback from an experienced facilitator and/or subject matter expert (SME). This type of design does not require big, thick participant materials, which, by the way, no one ever reads. Rather, think “workbook-style” in which the materials truly serve as a guide, not a manual.
• Figure out how best to use your subject matter experts. Many SMEs are capable of doing more than just providing raw content and/or reviewing content. Think about using SMEs to write content. Or try creating a template in which the SME simply fills in data. For example, recently I worked on a project in which we needed context behind the systems the learners were required to use for their job. We simply created a template in PowerPoint with headers on each slide and questions that would help the SME provide the exact information we needed. We also included placeholders for activities with instructions on the types of customer scenarios we needed for each. In this situation, the instructional designer played more of a coach and quality role, which sped up the process tremendously. Rather than receiving a big pile of documents from the SME with data that needed to be sorted and synthesized, I got back only the information I needed because I had provided clear parameters.

As I reflect back on Elliott Masie’s question around whether instructional design is dead, I realize that the role I play has indeed evolved over the last couple of years, but it is still very much valued and needed. Instructional design skills ensure that our learning interventions are realistic, authentic, and intelligent. What do you think?

Fox has observed thousands of salespeople throughout her career as a training professional and business leader, and has compiled the essential solutions to the most common sales pitfalls. Those solutions have been shown to shorten sales cycles from prospecting through closing the sale.

“Included in the ‘12 Sales Pitfalls’ white paper,” said Fox, “are recommendations to speak to your niches in your market, to describe your solutions in specific ways, and to socialize with your clients wherever they are spending time—including the use of LinkedIn.com. The overarching theme is to be strategic about how you communicate with your clients, both when your solution is not a priority and when you come in second place once the sales decision is made.”

ABR is a full-service, award-winning training company specializing in sales and service performance, management and leadership development, and product knowledge. The company’s impressive client list includes Fortune 500 companies such as Comcast, Procter & Gamble, Sprint, and Time Warner Cable. ABR was a 2008 Cincinnati Business Courier “Fast 55” recipient. In addition, the firm has been cited as a Company of Distinction by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD). For more information on ABR products and services, visit www.acceleratedbr.com.

The practice of “under promising and over delivering” has never been more relevant than today. When those of us who sell are able to demonstrate to the buyer that working with us will not only give the customer a fair, competitive price for the product or service, but will make their job easier by saving them time and energy, we have a much better chance of making the sale.

Gaining a true understanding of the buyer’s needs and priorities and finding ways to demonstrate that you really do get it will go a long way to begin to show your value. There are many ways to continue to add value throughout the process:

• Getting proposals or other deliverables to them more quickly and more efficiently than they expected
• Presenting them with information in a manner and format that makes it easier for them to understand and promote it to other stakeholders
• Helping them to identify resources that solve other problems
• Showing them that they will clearly be leveraging the dollars they spend for maximum results

Added value may mean simply giving more of something than your competitors. But more often, when all is said and done, your buyers will feel that they got more than they paid for if what you deliver can:

• Save them time and energy
• Provide an avenue that will allow them to see results sooner and more efficiently

If you can find a way to demonstrate added value over what your competitors might show, you’ll be able to differentiate your service or product from the rest of the crowd. If you don’t differentiate and everyone looks the same to the buyer, they will surely revert back to the “lowest bidder” mentality, and that’s an expensive game to play.

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and brainstorm with your company to find ways that you can shine above the competition and stand out in a sometimes crowded field. Price will fluctuate from year to year, but consistent, added value will keep your relationship with your buyer strong and transcend pricing fluctuations as well as many other hurdles along the way.

1. Dress up in costumes. Being something you’re not, simply to inflate your social media community “likes” and follower numbers, is as see-through a tactic as there is. A good rule of thumb is to avoid posting or sharing any information that you wouldn’t consider providing through other marketing channels. When you start obsessing over how many fans or followers you have, you lose focus on offering value.
2. Pass out weird-looking candy. Giving out incentives and prizes that do not fit your typical brand offerings, just because it’s so easy to do on social networks, is scary. Often businesses will offer a prize to a random fan who posts a Facebook comment or to a Twitter follower who re-tweets their tweet. On the surface it’s nice to incentivize community activity. But think about what your community wants from you, and stick to giving them the candy that they expect from you, such as your expertise, promotions related to your business, buying tips and news, and more.
3. Jump out from hiding places. When I was a kid, walking my typical trick-or-treating route, I always seemed to see a few kids I didn’t recognize. It was as if they spent the other 364 days of the year preparing to pop out on Halloween night. This also occurs on social networks. Don’t be the kid who pops out from the bushes. Post frequently (3-5 days a week is ideal for most brands) and stay relevant. Make each appearance mean something.
4. Hang scary decorations on your house. You only have one chance to make an un-scary impression. What does your house communicate to those people who walk down your street for the first time? Will they like and come back to your house if you greet them with spider webs, inflatable Frankensteins, and ghoulish music? What I’m saying here is that when people land on your Facebook page, read your blog, see your tweets, or watch your YouTube videos, make sure that they have a clear, accurate, and welcoming feeling about who you are. You can have fun, especially on Facebook, but be who you want to be known for.
   

   What is the first impression people have of your social media home?

5. Put wet brains in your candy bowl. This is a nod to one of my neighbors growing up, who would hold out two bowls to trick-or-treaters every year. One bowl had only candy and the other had a layer of candy on top but a mixture of slimy brains (wet pasta) and eyeballs (green olives) underneath. My hand always wound up in the bowl with the slimy body parts. Don’t be the house that causes your community to be scared of perfectly harmless food for years to come. In other words, when people visit your social media sites for the first time, be upfront about what they will gain by liking your Facebook page, reading your blog, following your Twitter profile, and so on. Then deliver on that promise consistently.

Please note that we do not encourage such frightening behavior, but rather hope that by calling attention to these poor social media tactics, we will help those who truly don’t intend to scare people away from their social media outlets.

I have not created a Facebook business page for my company. I don’t want people to see what I am posting from a personal standpoint on my profile. I want to be able to control what people see, and I’m unsure of how much control I would have over my business page. How can I get my business more involved on Facebook but maintain control and privacy?

- Charles M.
President of a financial services company in Dayton, OH

Charles,

Those who “like” Facebook business pages cannot see who owns or administers the page. When you post to your business page as an “admin” of that page, the name of your page appears as the author, not your personal name. Note in this example that the personal identity of the author of the post is not revealed.

It is true that you have to create a personal profile in order to create a business page, but the connection is not visible in any way to your community of Facebook fans. In fact, you never really have to spend time with your personal profile if you don’t want to.

Although you didn’t ask, I’d like to mention that no matter what type of business you have, Facebook is a social network worthy of consideration. Approximately 1 in 13 people on Earth are on Facebook, and half of those people (250 million) are logged in on any given day! There’s a very good chance that your customers are spending time there, and not just connecting with friends, but also researching businesses that offer products and services they need.  Facebook is also, by the way, a popular place for users to share experiences they have with businesses and to get recommendations from each other.

Do some checking around to see which social networks your customers are spending their time on. If it’s Facebook, know that your personal identity and information shared on your profile is not viewable by your business page community.

- Jason Martin, Social Media Specialist

The reality is that PowerPoint can be a powerful tool in a presentation. It can elicit emotional responses, help with humor, illustrate key points, help the brain organize the material, encourage retention, and enhance the mood.

So if PowerPoint is so powerful, why the bad press? In my experience as a member of the audience, nine out of ten users seem to simply stick with the crowded bullet points. So the question is, do you use this great tool well—or are you an abuser?

To help you determine your guilt, I’ve made a list of several of the more common crimes against the audience and PowerPoint below.

Crime #1: Fonts

Using too many fonts on the slide is distracting and makes it difficult for the audience to process. Stick with only two fonts throughout your entire slide deck. These can be simple fonts like Ariel and Ariel Bold, or you could use a colored font for the title and something plain for the body.

Crime #2: Colors

Using great colors can help with branding, it can help emphasize your message, it can evoke emotions …and…it can send your audience into fits or make them think they are blind. Using slides of many different colors, bright colors, or colors that don’t work well together can sabotage your presentation.

As we age, our eyes cannot distinguish colors as well as they did in the past. For example, the two best color combinations for the aging adult eye are:

• Blue background – yellow text OR
• White background – black text

In addition, many people suffer from color blindness. This usually doesn’t mean that they see the world only in black and white—it means that they can’t distinguish certain colors from others, such as red and green.

In addition, I’ve seen trainers try to delight or energize their audience with the use of splashy colors. A simple white background with vibrant photos for interest will do a much better job of keeping your audience awake.

Crime #3: Busy Template

PowerPoint templates can provide a great unifying theme throughout your presentation. For this reason, many presenters insist on using them. In addition, many corporate marketing departments prefer to create branded, colorful templates for all presentations. In my experience, a one-color (no gradient) background with simple fonts creates the best visual presentation. But you act as the judge. The same content is presented below using two different template styles.

Another great reason to choose a simple template is photos. If you use a colorful photo, it’s challenging to make your photos work on the image. See these two samples:

Crime #4: Too Much on the Screen

Keep your slides simple. Less is more. Too much information on the screen is difficult to process. Use white space, a picture, and large font. If you have an Excel table to share, put it in a handout!! Not a single member of your audience will be able to read an Excel table.

Also, don’t put more than 36 words on a screen. If you must use bullets, follow the 6 x 6 rule.

The best use of slides, however, is not as the content for the presentation but rather as emphasis for your points. Each slide should have only one main point. The best slides of all have no bullet points—only pictures. See the example below of moving content out of bullet point mode. Which one will act as the best emphasis for the speaker?

Crime #5: Reading the Slide

Do not read your slides. Let me repeat myself. Do not read your slides. There is no quicker route to an audience that is completely disengaged.

While there are many other crimes against PowerPoint, paying attention to these five major ones will improve your PowerPoint presentations greatly and may help to improve the reputation of this powerful tool.

What are some factors I need to consider for my business when I am deciding between e-learning training and in-person, instructor-led training?

- Paula G.

Hi Paula,

Choosing between e-learning or instructor-led training (ILT) is a critical step in your training development planning, because your decision can greatly influence how your audience or learners absorb the information.

Let’s look at several factors that can get you started in deciding between an e-learning solution and instructor-led training.

• Geography of learners: If the audience is large and geographically dispersed, online training can enable you to train more efficiently instead of having to coordinate and pay for travel (for learners and/or facilitators).
• Shelf life of content: It is typically more difficult to make content updates to e-learning than to instructor materials. So if your content is likely to change frequently, classroom training may be the way to go.
• Type of content: E-learning can be an effective way to train information or test knowledge (new policies, product releases, etc.), but if your content is focused on skills, a classroom environment provides more opportunities for practice, discussions, and application.
• Scheduling and equipment: In your workplace, is it difficult to get groups of learners in a classroom all at the same time? If so, e-learning can provide a way for learners to complete training at their desks as their individual schedules allow.
• Facilities and facilitators: If you have limited space, e-learning might be a better option for you since instructor-led training requires room to accommodate all of your learners and a facilitator.

Keep in mind that you do not necessarily have to decide between e-learning and instructor-led training. A blended option may be an ideal solution for you. For example, e-learning can provide the foundational knowledge on a topic, and follow-up instructor-led sessions can enable you to get more in-depth and allow for practice and application of skills.

The experienced staff at Accelerated Business Results can diagnose your training needs and recommend a solution that would be best for you. Contact us for more information or a consultation.

- Steve Wade, Project Manager & Instructional Designer

In fact, only about 10% of Twitter accounts (~15 million) follow more than 50 people (source: Twitter API), which tells us that roughly 90% of Twitter account holders never discover any real value, or they’ve just decided to focus their energy on Facebook, as the traffic on the largest social network would seem to reflect.

But wait! There’s hope for those of you who want to reap the benefits of Twitter, and you won’t have to deal with the rough ride of learning Twitter on the unfriendly Twitter.com.

TweetDeck is a free application, recently purchased by Twitter, that lays out in a very clean and intuitive manner all of the activity you normally would do on the clunky Twitter.com site.

In the video here, I discuss ten ways that TweetDeck cures the phobias and frustrations of Twitter.

1. It’s simple to organize your information
2. Searching keywords and topics is painless
3. You can easily track all of the instances where you are mentioned
4. Hassle-free participation in tweetchats
5. Allows you to quickly glance over everything you’re monitoring
6. Stay on the same screen for every Twitter function
7. You can manage multiple Twitter profiles
8. Monitor lists that you create or have been created by others
9. Efficiently conduct market and competitive research
10. TweetDeck is owned by Twitter

Do you use TweetDeck? What do you like most about the application? Has TweetDeck helped you overcome your initial hesitancy to adopt Twitter?

I am a mid-sized business. I understand the need to engage in social media. What are some ways that I can get this done in an efficient and effective way, considering I don’t have the resources to “hire” someone to do this work? How have others kept it a focus while keeping costs and resources allocated appropriately?

- Roger B.

Hi Roger,

Your question is very appreciated, because it’s such a common one we hear. In my role what I often see is that a lack of structure and organization within a company’s social media activity is what capsizes the boat, so to speak. Social media planning and strategy is especially critical to small to mid-sized businesses, whether you have one resource or many.

I have seen very well-intended social media plans never translate to success because the resource—the employee who has been tapped to oversee social media—hasn’t been given a roadmap, which doesn’t exactly serve as a strong foundation for social media success. Dabbling with the social networking sites, aside from learning how they function, isn’t a good use of time when you could use that time to build a strategy.

Here are four can’t-miss steps and questions that many small and mid-sized businesses focus on to prepare and manage their social media programs:

1. Audit: Who is our target audience? What resource(s) do we need to implement a strategy? What are our top two or three competitors doing with social media?
2. Goals: What results do we want to achieve? How will we define success?
3. Monitor and Measure: What quantitative and qualitative metrics do we want to monitor? How often will we measure the results so that we can re-assess our strategy and share successes with the entire company?
4. Tools and Content: Which two or three social networking tools will be our focus (they should be the same as the ones your customers use)? What type of content will we post on each network, and what are our sources?

These steps are absolutely not comprehensive, but are some very important ones. Create a social media team to help plan your strategy, and through that process you will have a clear sense of how much time your resource will need to spend implementing the strategy your team has created.

In closing, I would say that engaging in social media can be done more efficiently and effectively when upfront planning and strategy are a focus, just as businesses plan and strategize any other initiative that requires resources and time. Then, the day-to-day social media management is more organized and tied to the strategy versus being a time-sucker. Good luck, and let us know if we can assist in your strategy.

- Jason Martin, Social Media Specialist

Start by turning over all the pieces. You need to know what you’re working with, right? Identify all the potential resources for all the projects you’re considering. Take a look at their areas of expertise, their strengths and talents, their current workload, and even how easily they might fit with other pieces of the puzzle. Doing this will ensure that you start the puzzle with all the information you need. And don’t forget to check the box! You don’t want to get to the end of a project only to discover that the piece that holds everything together got stuck in a corner of the box.

Find the four corners. Once you know what you’re working with, start by identifying the cornerstone of your project. This might be a project or program manager, or maybe an account manager or subject matter expert. Your project may have one corner piece or multiple corner pieces. These are the pieces from which you will build the rest of the project.

Try different scenarios. With most puzzles, there are many, many pieces that look similar. To find two that fit together, you just have to keep trying different ones. The same is true for projects. Try a few different resource combinations until you find one you think will click. Of course, it’s probably not in your best interest to put someone on a project just to see if he or she fits. This is where having all the pieces turned over comes in handy. If you’re looking at all aspects of all your resources, you can likely get a pretty good idea of which resources are going to fit together. Also keep in mind that most puzzle pieces connect to more than one other piece. The same can be said for resources. There might be scenarios when your resources fit with more than one project team.

Use the box for help. Can you imagine putting together a puzzle if you had no idea how the end product was supposed to look? Talk about a frustrating experience! If you have something that will help you achieve success, use it! Maybe it’s a team that developed great chemistry on a previous, similar project. Maybe it’s a single resource that has worked with the client for a while and knows how to drive success. Whatever you have that can help you put the right pieces in the right places, make sure you’re leveraging it.

Hopefully when it’s all put together, your project puzzle will form a beautiful image that all can admire—for a while, at least, until you have to take it apart and make space for the next puzzle.

What sets us apart? We use a 360 degree analysis and design methodology with our training programs. This holistic approach ensures that we create the most viable solutions for our clients in four ways:

Sales Perspective

ABR staffs every sales training initiative with sales subject matter experts (SMEs) who infuse their expertise into each phase of the project. They participate in many data gathering tasks such as ride-alongs with the field organization, interviewing sales managers, and researching the inter-workings of the client’s business. As full-fledged members of our team, our sales SMEs contribute valuable insight and perspective to the process.

Facilitator Input

Typically facilitators are not involved in the analysis and design process. In fact, they are usually not invited to the table until it is time to discuss Train-the-Trainer plans. At ABR, we bring our facilitator(s) into the process from the onset. We recognize the expertise they bring to the table and rely on them to ensure we design solutions that can be successfully delivered and implemented.

Business Realities

We pride ourselves on designing practical solutions that align with the realities of our clients’ businesses. For example, sometimes it is not feasible for sales reps to be out of the field and in a classroom for more than a certain number of days. If this is the case, we do whatever it takes to derive an innovative solution that abides by this business need. Whatever the constraints, whether it’s budget, timeline, or resources, ABR collaborates with our clients to ensure that the solution matches the reality of the business.

Communication Tools

We all know the criticality of effective communication, but ABR puts protocols in place to ensure buy-in and alignment at each phase of the project. Whether it’s weekly status calls, stakeholder updates, or review meetings, we place milestones in our timeline to ensure that these activities occur. We usually find that other companies talk about communication tools, but at the end of the day, that’s all they do: talk. ABR is stringent about communication because it synchronizes all parties involved, which ensures success.

While not all of my daughter’s friends understand the importance of differentiation, ABR gets it. Being different comes naturally to us. We march to our beat—the beat of what our clients need, which is bold, unique, clear, and can never be mistaken for another company. What makes your company stand out from the pack?

Delivering what your customer needs in the here and now is absolutely necessary, but I would call that more of a transactional type of marketing and selling. Fill the current demand because the current demand is there for the taking. There’s nothing wrong with it; in fact, it’s the kind of marketing and selling that sustains businesses and (hopefully) makes them profitable.

But here’s a challenge: Devote more time, budget, and energy to creating and innovating on your products and services that will mean something prolific to your customers tomorrow. Today’s need may look very different than tomorrow’s.

I attended a digital marketing conference here in Cincinnati last week called the Digital Non-Conference. Over 300 marketing and technology professionals attended breakout sessions on various digital topics and listened to keynote speeches given by well-known local and national thinkers. One of those keynotes was from Chris Heile (Twitter: @ccheile), who leads a local creative agency called Hyperquake. Chris’s keynote was on the topic of aspirational design, a term I had never heard of, though I was immediately captivated because there was something in what he was relaying to the crowd that is so antithetical to how many marketers wield their craft.

Aspirational marketing, or design, starts by asking your customer the question that I began with: “Who do you want to be?” This is not meant to be a literal question that you ask your customers point-blank. Marketers should spend significant time and energy figuring out what their customers will want and need before they know what they will want and need. Equally, marketers need to concentrate on integrating a greater meaning or cause to their offerings. That meaning, or cause, doesn’t have to be a charitable cause, though that approach has worked well for many.

Here are just a few questions that may help you discover what your aspirational tie-in to your brand might be:

1. How can your customers use your products and services to help improve their lives in a personal or emotional way?
2. Can your products or services do more to solve problems that your customers face, or simply make their lives easier?
3. How can you help your customers become better versions of themselves? What does better mean to them?

Each of these questions is meant to probe deeper into your brand’s reason for being, to find out if you can integrate a more personal meaning to products and services that may currently only solve problems in a common way. Aspirational marketing and design helps you find your “blue ocean strategy” and discover a more inspirational, or aspirational, meaning.

I’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg of aspirational marketing and design here, and I realize I’ve written this in very general terms. But I hope I’ve shared enough to inspire you to look into how you can be more aspirational.

Tell us in the comment area below if aspirational marketing has a place in your business, or if you are already doing it and can share your perspective.

In the meantime, here are some aspirational videos. The first video is from TOMS Shoes, a cause-based aspirational brand, and the second is from Nike, one of the classic aspirational brands.

TOMS Shoes

Nike

I believe that there are many ways to define achievement and to attain sales success, but the ideas that are resonating with me currently are a reflection of several books, workshops, and speakers that I have taken in this summer. Here are a few of those recent insights about achievement in sales:

1. It’s important to examine every conversation with a prospect, customer, and co-worker. In the book Fierce Conversations, author Susan Scott states that “the conversation is the relationship.” While this idea isn’t a news flash, it did get me thinking in a different way about the conversations I am having. There are some that I have been very cavalier about; others I have been only partially engaged in; many I have had with gusto (whether those were productive is still being determined); and some I have avoided because of the uncertainty of the outcome. What resonated with me is that avoidance and carelessness builds walls and is actually damaging to the relationship. Are you willing to have fierce conversations with your co-workers? What about your customers?
2. Know your prospect and bring some thoughtfulness to the sales conversation. I have always been passionate about this, but it was confirmed again as a success factor recently when I worked with a client on selling in a specific vertical. There is so much to know in this vertical about trends, regulations, technology advances, and fundamental shifts in how they approach decision making that it is absolutely crucial to have deep knowledge about the industry if you hope to successfully sell there. I am pleasantly surprised by how many sales professionals, regardless of experience level, see the benefit of rolling up their sleeves to understand their prospects and customers. The best way to tackle any vertical is to research what affects them. Ask current customers to have a meeting just to talk about trends, etc.—no selling allowed!
3. Achievement is a decision! It is about doing what you believe you can’t achieve. Thanks, Grace Killelea, for your openness at the recent WICT Philadelphia meeting. This experience really made me examine my own definition of achievement. For many years I viewed it as some culmination of how others defined achievement, which in some ways was very shallow. The critical question Grace asked us and that I now ask you is: What is holding you back? Is it self-doubt? Lack of education? Lack of experience? Whatever it is, what is your game plan to overcome it?

So, how do you achieve sales success? Are you willing to have fierce conversations? Are you willing to invest your time and energy in caring about what your prospects and customers care about? If not, what is holding you back?

AICC stands for Aviation Industry CBT Committee and primarily uses the HTTP AICC Communication Protocol (HACP) to facilitate communication between the course content and the learning management system (LMS). The HACP method uses an HTML form to send information to the LMS and the LMS sends information back to the course as a simple text string.

SCORM, or Sharable Content Object Reference Model, was developed by Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL), a research group sponsored by the Department of Defense to develop standards for e-learning training materials. The method used to communicate between the course content and the LMS is referred as JavaScript Application Programming Interface (JS API). JS API is a set of functions defined on the LMS that a developer can call, using JavaScript, to pass information to and retrieve information from the LMS.

So what are the pros and cons of each? Here’s a short list:

SCORM

• Pro: There is a standard set of functions to send and retrieve information.
• Con: There are issues with cross-browser scripting. The content and LMS must be on the same server.

AICC

• Pro: AICC allows content to exist on a separate server and supports secure information transfers with HTTPS.
• Con: Organization of data is more complicated and it requires multiple functions to remove information from the string returned by the server.
• Con: AICC-compliant LMSs only have to support specific features. Thus, the content developer is required to write all of the functions for communication.

While this is certainly not an exhaustive list, it gives you a general idea of their differences. When considering which specification to use, you should focus on a few factors:

1) What tool will you be using to develop your e-learning content?

If you are using a rapid e-learning development tool such as Articulate or Lectora, then you will have no issues with AICC or SCORM because these tools come with single button publishing to either specification. Flash also has an AICC/SCORM template that you can publish, but it’s a little trickier because you still have to write the function(s) to break apart the string returned from the LMS if you use AICC. In this case, a SCORM-compliant course would be faster to develop than an AICC-compliant course.

2) Will you be allowed to place your content on the server hosting the LMS or will it have to be on a different server?

This will be an issue if the LMS you are developing content for does not supply you with some kind of server-side program to get around the cross-browser scripting issue that hinders SCORM. If they do, then you can use either method. If not, then you will need to use the AICC method.

3) Does the information you are passing between the LMS and the course have to be sent over a secure connection?

This is not a typical requirement, but it does come up. If you need a secure connection, then AICC is your best choice because it will allow you to send information over secure HTTP (HTTPS). SCORM uses JavaScript functions, so the information is not secure. SCORM also has recently been singled out as an easy-to-cheat-on specification.

In the end, both AICC and SCORM have strengths that give them the edge in certain situations. My personal practice is to choose the method that best fits the requirements of each client.

For more information on each specification, visit their websites and peruse the specifications documentation. If you are new to SCORM, I highly recommend reading “In the Eye of the SCORM” by Claude Ostyn.

References:

CMI Guidelines for Interoperability AICC

Advanced Distributed Learning – SCORM Specification

In the Eye of the SCORM