I do not like to write – I like to have written. Gloria Steinem

Advertizing might be headed to its grave. This will be a slow march, yes. Sprigs of advertizing will always, I believe, fuzz the framework of things like news, playbills, and sidewalks.

The first sweet sound of advertizing’s demise was advertorials. Then came advertainment. The premise of these tools is to meld content with a sales pitch. While the combination seems logical, it may too become a dead and buried format.

Content — as in information, entertainment, or any other produced media — may lead the way for businesses to get customers. This is already in place. Anytime a business blog is written (ahem, like this one) it’s a form of content creation that’s not advertizing, and yet seeks to attract customers or clients. (So enroll with me already!)

Content is Facebook posts, Tweets, and website pages. It’s articles and PR. It’s whitepapers, opinion pieces, and lectures. Content is value. Value for the consumer.

When the consumer reciprocates by interacting with the business and making a purchase, the content has served its purpose. Advertizing traditionally doesn’t provide value. It invades where the customer is seeking value, interrupts the exchange, and attempts to divert focus to a different action. Content is sought after.

Moreso, content might not have brand ownership. This is scary for businesses. It like an investment bank throwing money out of the window hoping the right growth products will pick it up, use it, and return it with the interest. And, the bank hopes no one else picks up any of it. Is this vacuum ever achievable? No.

So content won’t replace advertizing over night. Or even over a year. We’ll see a phase shift. As technologies develop to better deliver, sort, and track content we may grow to despise it more than advertizing.

Wouldn’t that be something?

Matthew Iscoe

However, Tzu is highlighting how honor can be manipulated to trap the leader. Imagine a taunt: “Your army isn’t brave enough to cross this river to fight us!” Bravery is at the heart of the matter, and the sensitive leader, not wanting his pride to be punctured by inaction, loses half his army in the swift current.

It’s easy to insult the sensitive person into action, and therefore easy to trap them. It’s part of “hard sales” these days: You wouldn’t let the Jones family see you driving that car would you? You’re not so insensitive a parent that you won’t volunteer every weekend at the PTA fundraiser, right?

The thin-skinned leader is quickly put in a place of shame. Why? Mainly because this leader measures his or her value based upon what others say, think, and feel. They try to keep everyone happy because “judgements” are a source of fear. This is different from Sun Tzu’s second fault. Overly sensitive leaders will make too many actions for the sake of appearance, if not pandering.

Honor is an important characteristic – in leadership or not. But when ego, reputation, and personal feeling control the reigns of honor, it becomes a fault of leadership.

Matthew Iscoe

Marketing Concepts
1. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: I am very rich. Marry me! – That’s Direct Marketing
2. You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says: He’s very rich. Marry him. – That’s Advertising
3. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day, you call and say: Hi, I’m very rich. Marry me. – That’s Telemarketing
4. You’re at a party and see gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a drink, you open the door of the car for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her ride and then say: By the way, I’m rich. Will you marry me? – That’s Public Relations
5. You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says: You are very rich! Can you marry me? – That’s Brand Recognition
6. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: I am very rich. Marry me! She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. – That’s Customer Feedback
7. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: I am very rich. Marry me! And she introduces you to her husband. – That’s demand and supply gap
8. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say anything, another person comes and tells her: I’m rich. Will you marry me? And she goes with him - That’s competition eating into your market share
9. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say: I’m rich, Marry me! Your wife arrives. – That’s restriction for entering new markets

Setting the Time-Table: 1 Paragraph
Presentation Body: 3 Paragraphs
Closing: 2 Paragraphs

The elements I shared in Part I are “off the map” meaning that they are not included in your time-table. The time-table is an agenda for the remainder of your presentation. It should include the major themes yet to come. It should also include, as the name implies, how long these sections should last. Having this information provides your prospects with an understanding of “where they are” in the bigger picture. The time frame should be written last, once you know how all the elements fit together.

Did you know that a recent poll of sales people found that over 50% do not prepare for sales presentations? What does that mean? Well, it means that the sales person is hearing the presentation for the first time, right along with the prospect! This is, of course, disturbing, but might also explain a lack of sales success. Don’t you think you should prepare?

Here are my three pillars of preparation: 1) Visualize the whole presentation — from parking your car outside the prospect’s office, to walking back to your car after the presentation is over, prospect’s signature in hand. 2) Test out all of your gear. This can mean making back-ups of your PowerPoint, doing a run-through with your web conferencing software, and assembling and disassembling your product demonstration. 3) Learn about your prospect. You have to dig around to discover what’s important to your prospect so you can directly address those things.

The body of your presentation is going to vary in length depending on what you’re selling, who you’re selling it to, and what platform/environment you’re in. But go look at your dinner fork. How many prongs does it have? Likely 3 to 6. This is the same number of points you’ll be making in your presentation. Any more and you’ll go from giving a  ”sales presentation” to a ”documentary.”

So, in Part I and Part II we defined all the components for a successful presentation structure. Once you gain attention and say who you are, your credibility demonstration and your intention statement follow. Provide a time-table prior to the body of your presentation, which should be limited in the number of points it makes. Answer any questions, then don’t be afraid to re-establish an attention grabber before restating your intention.

This structure works so well, it’s banned in North Korea! You’re more than welcome to go there and try to prove me wrong! Teasing aside, this presentation structure has empowered you to change what is not working in your sales efforts. Connect with me now so I can help you further develop your business.

Matthew Iscoe

(You can buy this t-shirt from Viktor Viktoria)

What’s that skinny girl up there saying to all of us? Nothing that we don’t all feel and recognise as true. In the world of presentations, attention = importance. Having someone’s attention and giving someone attention (the see-saw of communication) is the vital first component of any presentation.

As a marketing consultant who travels nationally to reach businesses big and small, I can share my knowledge of what it takes to have a winning presentation — no matter what the product.

Getting attention doesn’t have to come from an image. Quotes, stories, or weird factoids always seem to do the trick. Just pick the right one for your audience. You don’t tell your mom the same stories you tell your drinking buddies; same thing goes with your presentation stories. And attention grabbing isn’t just something you do to open. Plopping quotes in and out will help keep people engaged.

The next (quick) step is to insert your elevator bio. Who are you? What do you do? Who do you work for/with? How do you help? This can be four sentences, if not one.

—–Most attention spans last less than 10 seconds! Your presentation structure matters.—–

Afterward, you have to demonstrate a proof. What you are proving — rapidly — is your intention statement (see below). This proof can come in the form of a shocking statistic, a concise testimonial, or a credible backer such as a big wig from a big company.

My intention for you, by providing this presentation structure, is that you’ll understand where you may be falling short in your current efforts. When you see this challenge, contact me so that together we can expore better options for you and your business.

Make sure not to skip your intention statement, which is frankly and without irony saying exactly what YOU want from the presentation. Don’t wait until the end to spring it upon your listeners. (You’ll remind them later, of course.) First, say what you want them to learn. Second, say what you want them to do with this knowledge. Be clear, respectful, and confident.

Read Part II

Matthew Iscoe

This is the standard chaos that typically befalls a sales presentation (or an interview.)

Then she asks the question. It’s the insincere question that every decision maker flings out when they’re trying to prove that there’s more control to the situation than is apparent. (Usually, there isn’t.) The question is, “Why don’t you just go ahead with your presentation? I can listen while I’m signing these papers.”

Now the power has shifted to you. Before using it, try to understand what’s just happened. The prospect has acknowledged she doesn’t have time for you and that you’re not the most important thing in the room. She admitted that she won’t be listening to what you have to say. Lastly, she’s asking for you to provide an excuse to get away from all the mess.

Did you not pick up on the last point? When she started the question with “why don’t you” she has camouflaged your opportunity to walk out. Knowing you don’t have control, it’s time to make your exit.

Even if you haven’t said a word up to that point, it’d be best to escape. Now, doing so politely is important. So is making sure you have a new time to meet. Preferably, it should be away from her office, the distractions, and the noise.

Matthew Iscoe

The reason? No one wants to face an angry leader.

Unlike Recklessness or Cowardice, Anger in itself isn’t bad. It’s natural. It’s motivating. It can even be inspiring – for a short time. Yet, followers who come to expect anger as the normal response tend to communicate only positive information — even if that information isn’t correct. Then angry leader is uninformed.

Tzu cautions that these quick tempered leaders can easily be made into fools. Interpretations of this lesson hint that the angered leader will succumb to insults and shouting matches, opposed to resolution or progress. The leader that falls into the trap of anger all too often will find herself blaming others, introducing red herrings, and agitating all those around her.

Anger management, as a concept, gained popularity in the past decade or so. But this in title alone seems contraindicative with other leadership building methods. Instead, how about patience management? The leader that is able to listen with an open mind will get more information. After that point, a cool head will be better able to make decisions.

A short temper leads to a short career as leader. When we examine the fifth fault of leadership, Solicitude, it will become apparent that having no emotional response is just as detrimental as having a negative one. So, remain calm under the jab of insult. When provocation for the purpose of getting under your skin is at hand, it’s much safer to laugh it off.

The real leader is confident enough in herself that she can make the best of the situation without bringing down those around her.

Dr. Halvorson listed a mix of traits and actions that achievers share. One of them on the list was Don’t Tempt Fate (#8). This is one of those “yeah, but…” virtues that it harder to define in real life, especially in the heat of the moment. Dr. Halvorson states, “And don’t put yourself in harm’s way — many people are overly-confident in their ability to resist temptation, and as a result they put themselves in situations where temptations abound.”

This is right in the face of the “take risks, dare to dream, go for it” retrospective that we’d normally expect to hear at a graduation ceremony. And it’s refreshing.

Number 6 on her list is Have Grit. By grit, Dr. Halvorson means persistence, commitment, and perseverance. So how would you like to throw that word around to describe yourself in an interview? Perhaps mixing it in with the other factors on the list will make it more palatable.

Read the full post on the HBR Web site here.

Matthew Iscoe

The reason? No one wants to face an angry leader.

Unlike Recklessness or Cowardice, Anger in itself isn’t bad. It’s natural. It’s motivating. It can even be inspiring – for a short time. Yet, followers who come to expect anger as the normal response tend to communicate only positive information — even if that information isn’t correct. Then angry leader is uninformed.

Tzu cautions that these quick tempered leaders can easily be made into fools. Interpretations of this lesson hint that the angered leader will succumb to insults and shouting matches, opposed to resolution or progress. The leader that falls into the trap of anger all too often will find herself blaming others, introducing red herrings, and agitating all those around her.

Anger management, as a concept, gained popularity in the past decade or so. But this in title alone seems contraindicative with other leadership building methods. Instead, how about patience management? The leader that is able to listen with an open mind will get more information. After that point, a cool head will be better able to make decisions.

A short temper leads to a short career as leader. When we examine the fifth fault of leadership, Solicitude, it will become apparent that having no emotional response is just as detrimental as having a negative one. So, remain calm under the jab of insult. When provocation for the purpose of getting under your skin is at hand, it’s much safer to laugh it off.

The real leader is confident enough in herself that she can make the best of the situation without bringing down those around her.

Matthew Iscoe

Careful, careful. Realistic thinking is such a double edged sword that it often hurts those who use it. This is even more of a concern for leaders dealing with a near stagflation economy.

So what does realistic thinking get you?

Exactly what you think is real.

This is difficult, because we assume “realistic” is an optimist’s word for “pessimistic.” Have you been in a meeting where someone asks, “Can we have a realistic projection of the figures?” Or, “What’s my realistic investment actually going to look like?”

The question being asked is: How can I get past the issue in my imagination and make it seem plausible?

Therein lies the disconnect, and subsequent danger. When a leader’s vision is thwarted by “realistic expectations” the vision is not something that can be obtained.

But for the optimistic leader, realistic thinking can serve as an impressive ally. First of all, realistic thinking can provide a degree of credibility. What good is creating high soaring visions that are never attained? Realistic thinking upfront can help navigate pitfalls and help prepare for the curves in the road. Seeing a leader caught off-guard puts doubt in the minds of followers.

Second, realistic thinking gives you the framework to articulate oncoming risks, ask the questions that are difficult to bring up, and set targets that aren’t constantly moving. Realistic thinking is about the facts, good and bad. “What if…” questions help define the future because the answer to those questions should enable you to plan a response should any of those possibilities occur.

Lastly, realistic thinking ought to drive you in search of the best information. Being realistic and being visionary forces the leader to be an explorer. Leaders should have some desire to trailblaze. When what you have at hand isn’t good enough, you have to go out and find something that is.

Matthew Iscoe

The next fault, Cowardice, is slightly more challenging.

Some leaders would defend their recklessness as a point of pride. They fail to see how their actions affect the totality of the results. However, nearly every leader would deny Cowardice. This hurdle of acknowledgement makes it more difficult to overcome.

Cowardice can mean self-protective. Leaders who are highly risk averse will ultimately fail to achieve a significant vision. Status quo leaders often lose ground, lose followers, and lose to competitors. Fear of fear itself (or fear of failure) are ruinous to the leader and ultimately the organization.

Tzu said the cowardly leader would be captured by the enemy. He meant that such a leader would be so frozen in inaction and indecision because of the fear of negative consequences that he would be overrun by the opposing army. However, cowardly leaders can just as easily be overrun by others inside their own organization. Those vying for promotions and attention (and who avoid reckless actions) that can cope with risk taking serve as better leaders.

The anxiety of inaction can lead to revolt as well. Followers may simply walk away, as cowardice cannot command loyalty.

Is a proclivity to cowardly thinking a product of nature or nurture? It is both? Can it be modified? Neuroleadership studies will help make that call in the future. For right now we know that anxiety of all sorts can be managed and worked on. Leaders must make the first step toward admitting the problem. Only then can this fault of leadership begin to be resolved.

Matthew Iscoe

Tzu’s Five Faults of Leadership – Recklessness, Cowardice, Anger, Thin Skin, and Solicitude – must, has he says, “be deeply pondered.”

Tzu was writing about a General leading an army for battle. When he talks about the five faults, he was also describing the King or Sovereign who is responsible for the empire. So, these faults are of concern whether you are a front-line manager or CEO.

Let’s examine the first fault, Recklessness. Tzu’s point is that the reckless leader can be killed or destroyed. In the business world, we can assume the consequences for recklessness are profit losses, employee turnover, market share decline, and losing the job or responsibility of leadership.

What does recklessness look like? It’s company reports that get ignored. Recklessness is making gut decisions without information or due diligence. Recklessness is sharing information with the wrong people, or withholding it from the right people. Ignoring changes in the environment, failing to grow, and dismissing good advice are all reckless actions.

Interestingly, most of The Art of War is a guidebook on not being reckless. Tzu outlines tactics that, when followed, force the leader to be mindful. In fact, the first lesson from Tzu is assessing conditions.

Think about how your actions (or your boss’ actions) can be considered reckless. Then tell me what you did to over come it.

Matthew Iscoe

What can you possibly do to keep up?

Most organizations are sifting through their recycling bins. Old articles, papers, images, slides, webinars, and even video are getting a new coat of paint. Now, is this just the same old tune played through a new horn? In some cases it might be. Evergreen content is valuable because you’re never at a loss for something to publish. But having evergreen content on hand is rare.

More than likely you have an abundance of time-sensitive material that’s past its expiration date. What do you do then? The assignment is quite easy, actually. Read your stuff.

What comes as a surprise to most marketers is their own content. As future-facing creatives, we tend to forget exactly what we’ve said in the past, as well how we said it and if we liked it. The first step to repurposing material is to read (or watch or listen) to that material again. A lot of it may be quality content you’ve forgotten all about.

The purpose of repurposing is not to serve the same dinner every night. It’s to take a flavor and put it on a new plate. Even when time has expired on the subject matter, there it likely some element of a good message in the material. Take the following sales copy: Book before May 18 to lock in your best price because you’ll want to be part of the [brand] team! Ok, so May 18 has come and gone. However, the “because” section is still compelling.

This previous example might be branding specific, but the same principle works for white papers and webinars. There are often “general” messages affixed to a hot-now-cold topic. Those general messages can be repurposed (think transferred) into new places.

Bottom line: when looking to generate content, don’t forget to farm from your past.

Is this technique working for you? Tell me about it.

Matthew Iscoe

So what’s the deal?

Getting hired is difficult to do these days for several reasons. People immediately jump to “the economy” as the smothering blanket excuse. But what is it about the economy? To start, it is a perception. Media outlets love to push the dark day scenario. It makes sense: the more people home without jobs, the more people there are to watch tv. But, “the economy” really refers to growth. More so, it refers to anticipated growth. When a business hires an employee, it is making an investment. If there’s no anticipated growth from that investment, well, it’s a bad investment that need not be made.

Another factor is what some call “proxies” and others call “stepping stones.” College is one. Employment is another. If you are not currently employed, than you’re missing a stepping stone. Employers see their own businesses as the most important. If you can’t even work as someone else’s employee, how can you work for my company? By not having a job, your are, on the surface or not, telling the hiring manager that 1) you’re not good enough for other people; 2) your skills are deteriorating; 3) you’re probably desperate for anything. These aren’t always true — but that’s the message that’s given.

The last factor we’ll discuss here is that overwhelming mountain of other applicants. You not only have to be the ideal (not best) candidate, but you have to compete against both good and bad competition. Hiring managers may not get a chance to look at all the applications because of sheer volume. If you’re applying through a placement service then you have two or three additional layers to penetrate before being considered.

So what to do?

Let’s think about our summer jobs from those teenage years. Were those the best jobs? Did they pay a whole lot? Did they offer much growth? Probably not. But they did have something that can help you today.

First, those types of jobs aren’t “future adverse” meaning an employer is only investing in you short-term. There’s little risk involved. How can you convince a hiring manager today that you are a low risk investment? Perhaps offer your own on boarding terms or delay your benefits package.

Next, your summer job was likely not as Senior VP. If you can get a “lousy” job or at least a lower than expected position, take it. It’s better to be working than not. Plus, if you are capable beyond your position, than prove it once in the door. It’s easier to get promoted than wait on the doorstep. Plus, once that better opportunity comes along, you’ll have passed the stepping stone on your application.

Last, it all comes down to the basics. Network, volunteer, self-brand, and apply for jobs like it was your job. The more you are known, recognised, and recommended the more you’ll stand out.

How is this advice working for you? Let me know.

Matthew Iscoe