5 Ways to Get Up to Speed on Anything
Fast
You can't constantly monitor every
development in your industry, but a few techniques can greatly expedite getting the knowledge you need.
With help from other executives and a few of
my firm's trendsetters, I've devised five surefire ways to help you get up to
speed on anything fast.
1. Decide What's Important
We're
all deluged with shiny new objects that are the talk of the business world for
a week or two, and then fade away. Whether it's Google Glass, Flipboard, or
SnapChat, there's always some weird-sounding new technology that ruins a Monday
morning water cooler chat because you're clueless about the topic.
I
no longer stress about new technology. Instead, I ask one of our millennials to
provide me with a demonstration. I then ask how clients might benefit from the
new development or how my firm might leverage it. If it resonates with me, I
file away the information. If it doesn't, the shiny new object finds itself in
my trash can.
I
also depend heavily on proxies. Richard Ouyang, our director of digital,
examines a diverse range of sites to keep himself (and me) up to speed. He
suggests visiting VentureBeat, WSJD, and Quora to evaluate everything
from venture capital funding to the hottest technologies.
2. Observe and Experience
When
it comes to social media, it's not enough for me simply to be able to provide
counsel to clients. I must immerse myself in every critical social media
channel. So I write a daily blog. I tweet. I've created a few videos
that have been widely shared. And I occasionally check in on my Facebook account. I've made some serious blunders,
managed my way through the ensuing crises, and come out whole. That's enabled
me to provide firsthand guidance on what to say, whom to engage, and when to
maintain radio silence.
Barbara
Goodstein is chief marketing officer of Vonage, a leading provider of
communications services. She's responsible for everything from sales and
e-commerce to data analytics, direct mail, and PR. While Goodstein relies on
daily reports that monitor every type of customer habit, she's also benefited
from a new ethnographic research approach in which Vonage observes exactly how
its technology is being used in a customer's home. That's helped her better
understand the customer experience and why he uses a telephone.
"We
learned that phones are used for the most important, intimate conversations,
followed by texting and email," she says. "By understanding a
product's or service's purpose and why people use it, entrepreneurs can
fast-track every aspect of their learning and marketing."
3. Span the Globe (Virtually)
I
can't possibly keep up with the most creative and strategic advertising,
marketing, and PR campaigns. So in the same way every U.S. president receives a
daily briefing document, I get a weekly memo from Lauren Parker, a management
supervisor. Her Innovation Mill is a weekly blog that shares the hottest and
edgiest campaigns in the world. Even more importantly, Lauren and co. tell
readers why these campaigns succeed.
In
addition to my in-house proxy's help, I receive RSS feeds from Inc., The
Huffington Post, Advertising
Age, Mediabistro, and The
Onion. I
also make sure I read both the The Wall Street Journal and The
New York Times on
a daily basis.
4. Keep Your Yriends Close and Your Enemies
Closer
When
I need to know what the competition is up to, I ask my lawyer, accountant,
broker, or insurance agent to breakfast. As is often the case in other sectors,
many firms share the same suppliers. So, while these professionals won't betray
confidences, they will share timely, relevant intelligence.
I
also belong to, and am past chair of, the PRSA Counselors Academy. Its spring conference
remains the only industry event I've ever attended where participants (in this
case the owners of small and midsized firms) share competitive information. I
always return from the conferences armed with best practices I can mix and
match with our own capabilities to produce a new product or service.
5. Walk in Your Audience's Shoes
The
first four tips won't matter if your organization doesn't stay ahead of
customers' ever-changing wants and needs. Vonage's Goodstein uses her weekly
commute to listen to recordings of incoming customer service calls. "By
literally listening to the voice of the customer, I'm able to create clearer,
more specific and more personalized communications that provide answers to the
questions I keep hearing," she says.
The
most effective thing I do is conduct periodic audits of Peppercomm. I visit our
website to see how easy it is to find relevant news and information. I call the
main phone number to gauge how well my call is handled. And when I know a
temporary receptionist is sitting at the front desk, I'll walk in and pretend
to be a new business prospect just to see how well I'm handled.
Data
Is No Substitute For Real Experience
IBM
Global Consulting interviewed 1,500 chief marketing
officers to
determine how they were adapting to a rapidly changing
business climate. The findings? The vast majority were drowning in data. Most
admitted they had no time to experience their organization from the outside in.
They had too much information and not enough knowledge.
So do yourself a favor. Get out of
the office now, and see what it's like to interact with your own firm.
It's the fastest way I know to get up to speed.
BY Steve Cody http://www.inc.com/steve-cody/5-ways-to-get-up-to-speed-on-anything-fast.html?cid=em01020week08c
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