Lessons from Our Marketing Summit

Last month, I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend my company's marketing summit, which included many types of marketers from around our business and the world. We had a packed couple days, and the time spent helped spark some new ideas and relationships. Some of the takeaways I felt most beneficial are below. I've been told before that you have to ask, and an important part of asking is framing up the WIIFM for the person of whom you're asking something. Our CMO presented a framework that puts more structure around the process of asking, and I like that it's direct and brief. I guess he wants us to spend more time actually doing something rather than just talking about if/why we can!

1) Frame It - so other people can understand what you're doing & what you're asking of them (it's about discipline)
2) Make It Better - solicit input and feedback from trusted resources (it's about humility)
3) Overcome Obstacles - What do you need to overcome and how are you going to do it so that you can gain consensus? (it's about persistence)
4) Sell It - the best way to persuade a decision maker (it's about commitment)
What other steps or information do you think are important to include when asking for something at work?

Other general ideas that jumped out at me included:
- Create experiences for your customer, client -- whomever you are serving. The speaker’s example was the Library Hotel in New York City, which seems pretty awesome if you ask me!
- To successfully offer mass customization, you should modularize your offerings. This way, you can build and deconstruct, almost as though you're using Legos.
- Logic => Magic => Ignition
- Good ideas aren't about the, "Ah ha!" moment. They come from slow hunches and require long, slow development and clarification.

Comments/reactions?

Procrastination is a Dirty Drug

Since I have been falling victim to procrastination of late, I thought this article from the Harvard Business Review blog was quite timely AND helpful! Paraphrased....

Ways to Avoid Procrastination
1. Figure out what's holding you back
Ask yourself why -- is it something you don't like to do or something you don't know how to do? Once you've identified why you've put something off, you can break the cycle and prevent future bouts of procrastination.

2. Set deadlines for yourself
Create a schedule with clear due dates for each piece. Small wins make the work more manageable and contribute to your sense of progress.

3. Increase the rewards
Focus on short-term rewards and/or embed the reward into the task itself.

4. Involve others
Ask for help, turn to a trusted colleague or a friend or look for an example as a starting point. Share what you are working on and hold each other accountable.

5. Get in the habit
It's a habit you can cultivate.