Increased Employee Productivity

Partnering for Profits: Relate Honestly to Employees

How do you, the executive, relate to employees in this tough economic time? First, employees are scared; even if they feel their job is somewhat safe, perhaps a spouse or close family member has recently experienced a lay off? We are all being assaulted several times a day with rotten news about the economy. What are you doing to help your employees overcome this continued negative influence? Perhaps more frequent and more honest information sharing would serve everyone?

Second, your integrity will be their motivator. Your employees want to believe that everything will work out all right. They want to believe in you, and your leadership team. Your integrity in keeping your words and actions consistent will play a huge role in keeping your employees motivated—especially now with cutbacks in pay, benefits, hours, etc. Paint an honest picture, your employees will thank you for it.

You can read more about my perspective on the fine points of alliance development at

http://www.Rigsbee.com/morearticles.htm (Permission to reprint my articles is also there.)

Executive Presentation Skills: Use Mind Pictures

One of the stories that I frequently tell from the platform is about the importance of having the needed skills before one tries to implement. It is a story about when I learned to ski. My goal is to create a picture in the minds of my audience members before I start to use my body as the visual. I start the story with, “I wish you could have been there; it was a sunny fall day in Yosemite National Park at the Badger Pass Ski area…” This conjures something in everyone’s mind. Make your presentations more powerful by frequently painting mind pictures for those in your audience.

Executive Public Speakers, Professional Speakers, and Emerging Professional Speakers; please visit http://www.SucceedInSpeaking.com for additional ideas, assistance, and resources.

Trade Association & Professional Society Executives: Exchange Older Members for New?

(First, I’d like to connect back to last week’s cost cutting. If you need a speaker to perform several activities at your next convention, for a single price, please give me a call at 800-839-1520. Have I got a deal for you!)

Why are senior association members not renewing their membership? ASAE did a study in 1999 and found that 76% did not renew memberships because of value issues. Perhaps the question behind the question might be: Is it smart for your association to let go of their older members in exchange for younger ones? Does a continual membership turnstile really serve the association and its membership?

And another question might be: What would be the cost/benefit ratio analysis to adjust programs, benefits, and membership types to keep the older speakers? (Do they have enough relevant knowledge/skills to benefit the newer members?)

The above questions have never been more relevant. Yes, you want new blood in your association. And yes, you want to honor and value the experience, knowledge and wisdom of the more senior members. While many associations have created groups for younger members, most have not done so for the older members. Creating a special group for your older members will both deliver more specific value to the senior members and possibly add a small additional revenue stream into your coffers.

Association Executives may access association growth articles and member recruitment campaign information at http://www.GrowingYourAssociation.com

Hammer Out an Airtight Deal Structure

Partnering for Profits: New Book to Consider

Strategic Alliances: Three Ways to Make Them Work by Steve Steinhilber

From Harvard Business Publishing, publication Date: Nov 3, 2008

Link for purchase: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml;jsessionid=QXC04XAEHDHR0AKRGWDSELQBKE0YIISW?id=2588&referral=2342

Excerpted: “At Cisco, I manage a portfolio of alliances that crosses multiple industry sectors, technologies, and geographies, with a cumulative value of more than $4.5 billion annually in business impact to Cisco and much more than that to our alliance partners. Strategic alliances are woven into the very fabric of our company and the way we see ourselves in the world—from Chairman and CEO John Chambers on down.

You’ll see a similar picture at other alliance-savvy companies, like IBM, Eli Lilly, and Procter & Gamble—partnerships are a central part of their core strategy. If alliances are not viewed as an integral part of your strategy, then you’re working with both hands tied behind your back. You might have a few short term successes, but long term, make no mistake: you will probably fail.

Let’s assume that you have a strategy in which alliances do make sense for your company at one or more levels of your value chain. If that’s the case, you need to construct and manage each alliance as a business. Your job is to bring the right framework, the right organization, and the right relationships together and to move the project forward. Your approach needs to look at the big picture rather than short-term payoffs. “Winning” and beating the other company in negotiations may doom the relationship from the beginning. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is thinking that alliances are all about hammering out an airtight deal structure, negotiating hard, and planning for every eventuality. We had one partner whose CEO said he measured a partnership’s success “in the number of POs [purchase orders] that get written”—in other words, how much business his company generated from us. That company is no longer a partner.”

You can read more about my perspective on the fine points of alliance development at http://www.Rigsbee.com/morearticles.htm (Permission to reprint my articles is also there.)

Executive Presentation Skills: Audience Engagement

For several months now, I have been on the editorial committee for Speaker Magazine. My job has been to author a monthly column where I interview people that book professional speakers. A point that frequently is made by these people is that they want a speaker that will ENGAGE their meeting attendees.

Earlier this month, I attended a meeting planner site familiarization trip in Breckenridge, Colorado. After the second day of skiing, rather than to join the “hot tub” group I joined the “bar” group. The entertainers, Swing Crew, a two-piece local group did an amazing job of ENGAGING their audience by bring some folks on stage and enrolling some at their tables. For this group, tips were high following their set. And the important lesson was about engaging an audience through participation. I do not think I have ever seen bar entertainers do such a masterful job of including their audience.

In an hour talk, might you be able to have two or three audience interactions? Not just asking everyone to hold up their hand or to repeat after you, but real interactions? Give it a try.

Executive Public Speakers, Professional Speakers, and Emerging Professional Speakers; please visit http://www.SucceedInSpeaking.com for additional ideas, assistance, and resources.

Trade Association & Professional Society Executives: Fall Meeting Cost Busters

For executives at small to mid-sized associations, two important cost saving ideas for your fall meetings:

1. If you still have not signed a contract, look at higher end hotels for your meeting. Yes, you heard me right. As the corporations are scrambling to change the “location/venue perception” of their coming meetings (moving to Marriott & Hilton), the higher end properties have been hit the hardest. As such, they currently seem the most willing to negotiate.

2. For your speakers, you might be inclined to find someone local or a college professor? This might not be the best financial/benefit ratio strategy? They just might not be that good. A better strategy might be to engage a more experienced “content expert” speaker that offers a wide range of services; keynote, workshops, industry discussion facilitation, emcee, on-site consultation with members, etc. One fee, one hotel room, and one travel expense might prove to be more cost effective than a host of “f-r-e-e” industry speakers covering their travel and lodging? With only one paid speaker from the outside, you still get the prestige of bringing in an expert but at a better cost/benefit ratio. Many experienced speakers will fit this description and offer a single-price package.

Association Executives may access association growth articles and member recruitment campaign information at http://www.GrowingYourAssociation.com

Alliance Best Practices

Partnering for Profits: Takeaways, Best Practices & Implications

At the recent Silicon Valley Chief Alliance Officer Roundtable hosted by Cisco at their facility in San Jose, CA on January 14, 2009; they discussed alliance takeaways, best practices & implications. There were seven key highlights of these trends and best practices.

(#4 of 7) Portfolio Evaluation Criteria Adapts as New Partner Models Emerge:

• Develop a working partner portfolio model that reflects long-term priorities, but incorporates risk management for near-term objectives.

• “One Size Fits All” partner criteria don’t work well.

• When re-evaluating partnerships, ask the tough questions and be honest.

• Innovate and invest in the partner model with your key partners during the downturn.

I believe that the important value to be received here is that of recognizing that alliance relationships might have to change in this current economic environment. You need to examine both your short-term and long-term alliance strategy. Be care though of putting too much focus in short term revenue generating alliances “to help you through” at the cost of keeping long-term alliances strong that will yield you greater profits when the economic recovery arrives.

You can read more about the fine points in my several alliance articles at http://www.Rigsbee.com/morearticles.htm (Permission to reprint is also there.)

Executive Presentation Skills: How Powerful Is Your Close?

The members of your audience most likely will remember your opening if it is powerful and the same for your close. Ross Shafer shared his formula at the annual convention of the National Speakers Association: Open with “B” material, do your “C” material, then close with your “A” stuff. Not a bad formula, would you agree?

And, what about that close—consider the following:

1. Stop talking long before your audience is done listening.

2. Go out with a huge bang; story, video, or disappearing act.

3. Give your audience some action to take immediately, or upon returning to home or office.

4. Give the attendees something insightful, emotionally penetrating, or inspirational to remember.

Executive Public Speakers, Professional Speakers, and Emerging Professional Speakers; please visit http://www.SucceedInSpeaking.com for additional ideas, assistance, and resources.

Trade Association & Professional Society Executives: Keep Your Exhibitors

On the cover of the March issue of M&C Magazine is Galen Poss, president of Hanley Wood Exhibitions. There is a very timely story about how he and others are dealing with large conference exhibitors that are pulling out of this year’s expos. Also, read about how Robin Preston at National School Boards Association kept a technology supplier engaged when they had planned on pulling out of this year’s meetings. By the way as an FYI, M&C will soon be offering web-only content, so it might be a good idea to bookmark their Web Site and visit frequently: http://www.mcmag.com/

My Question: are your exhibitors simply using the tight economy as an excuse to pull out when the real issue is most likely little perceived value in exhibiting? If so, how are you re-engineering your meetings to offer more value to suppliers, exhibitors, and sponsors?

Association Executives may access association growth articles and member recruitment campaign information at http://www.GrowingYourAssociation.com

Building Successful Alliances

Partnering for Profits: Deeper Relationships with Alliance Partners

A topic that I wrote about in my first book, “The Art of Partnering” back in the mid-1990s is that of going deeper (vertically) to build additional relationships beyond your immediate contacts. When you do this in our alliance partner organizations, you achieve two important alliance strengthening elements:

1. Business leaders get promoted, transferred, and fired. If this happens to your only contact at an alliance organization, chaos in the daily functioning of the alliance is sure to follow. However, if your relationships go both wide and deep in your partner organization, there is a good chance that you will already have a relationship with your new contact, be they transferred or promoted.

2. When problems in the alliance occur, and they will, it is having the deep organizational relationships that will hold things together. When partners are at war, anything one does is considered confrontational by the other. Conversely, when relationships are good, mistakes made by a partner organization are simply considered just that; honest mistakes and not cause for eliminating the alliance.

To keep your strategic alliances working like a well oiled machine, take the time and make the effort to build relationships both deep and wide in your partner organization.

You can read more about the fine points in my several alliance articles at http://www.Rigsbee.com/morearticles.htm (Permission to reprint is also there.)

Executive Presentation Skills: Deep Personal Inner Exploration

Consider the idea of deep personal inner exploration of your core message, wisdom, and universal truths in preparation for your next presentation. My good friend, John Alston, CSP, CPAE, once told me to get rid of the “fat” around my universal truths. He told me that it is that “fat” that diffuses the power of my message.

As we endeavor, I believe, to develop content to share with others, too frequently we abandon what Mark Victor Hansen, CSP, told me is “Your Inner Knower.” Yes, we have to trust ourselves. In presenting our ideas to others there is a monumental need for you to access our inner core beliefs. This is necessary on order to muster up your passion to effectively to influence others. In contrast think about the monotone speaker reading his/her PowerPoint bullet points, one at a time—at an excruciatingly slow pace.

Compare in your mind the vision of the slow monotone speaker to that of a strong, committed and powerful speaker, like John Alston. In order to influence others you must dig deep into your soul to determine your real beliefs on any topic in order to share the subtleties of the topic through your window on the world.

Before every speech, consider spending the time necessary to quiet the static in your head, to explore your beliefs, and determine the core message (about any topic) that you want to share with your audience.

Executive Public Speakers, Professional Speakers, and Emerging Professional Speakers; please visit http://www.SucceedInSpeaking.com for additional ideas, assistance, and resources.

Trade Association & Professional Society Executives: Go Deeper in Member Companies

As I mentioned above in the “Partnering for Profits” section, there are benefits for going deeper in building relationships in partner organizations. This applies also for trade associations and to some degree in professional societies.

By going deeper, encouraging conference attendance and membership of additional job levels, within your current member companies will serve your organization well. The cost to your organization will be appropriating the necessary resources to both develop additional levels of educational programming and appropriate conference activities.

The benefits to your organization are:

• Increased membership from additional employee levels

• Member retention as owners/CEOs will see additional value in their membership through providing cost effective training and other benefits for their employees

• Emotional ownership in your association from tomorrow’s leaders of your member companies.

• Increased convention/conference/expo attendance

• Increased interest from your supplier members to participate at higher levels driven by increased meeting attendance and ability to influence up and coming users/buyers of their products and services

Association Executives may access association growth articles and member recruitment campaign information at http://www.GrowingYourAssociation.com

Crashing Preoccupation Barrier

Partnering for Profits: Finding Alliance Partners

Where do I find great alliance partners is the question I generally hear. The simple answer: anywhere and everywhere. The truth is—the quality of your partner(s) does play a major role in the value you will receive from an alliance. In my book, Developing Strategic Alliances I offer several recommendations:

• Your suppliers are a good place to start in your search for an alliance partner. They know your competitors and other local business people from a different window than you. You can learn about their buying habits, bill paying habits and other important information about them.

• Your customers are another great place to look. They have most likely done some business with the person or company that could be seeking. Again, they have a unique window through which they have viewed your potential alliance partner.

• Your professional or trade association is a fabulous environment to search if you want to build an alliance with competitors or suppliers. The executive director of the association is usually the person who is most a tune with the players in your industry.

• Newspapers and trade magazines offer current information as to the movers and shakers in many industries. They compare, they research and generally dig up interesting bits of information about business people. Also research Internet blogs, articles, and postings for aggressive companies.

• Local successful business people can be found at the chamber of commerce activities and mixers, civic service clubs, charitable organizations and even local seminars.

• Ask those that supply you with professional services; including, consultants, lawyers, and accountants.

You can read more about the fine points in my several alliance articles at http://www.Rigsbee.com/morearticles.htm (Permission to reprint is also there.)

Executive Presentation Skills: Crashing Preoccupation Barrier

In order for your presentation to be effective, you first have to first get your audience’s attention. Those folks sitting in the seats in front of you are thinking about their jobs, their friends, and their loved ones—and all the issues that surround them. They are preoccupied, and it is your job to crash through that barrier. Needless to say, it is best to do this at the beginning. Start with your introduction; make it short and it needs to sell you. Your introduction had better give your audience a reason or two that it would be in their best interest to listen to what you have to say.

Then your opening has to build on your introduction. Your opening is more than just what you say; it is also what you do. Check your non-verbal statements. What you wear, how you look, how you stand, your manner in approaching the platform following your introduction, all speaks clearly about you. What are these non-verbal statements saying about you?

While you are waiting to present, take the temperature of the room and determine if your meeting planner gave you the correct information about your audience. This “last chance” to adjust is crucial. I know—who wants to change at the last minute? Any quality presenter, professional or not, is willing to do last minute adjustments to better serve the audience.

The first words out of your mouth are being judged by those in your audience, it is simple human nature. Don’t fight it, go with it. Lean into your strength at the beginning. Truly attempt to “sell yourself” to your audience in the first minutes of a presentation. Your effort will make experience better for all that are in the room, including you.

Executive Public Speakers, Professional Speakers, and Emerging Professional Speakers; please visit http://www.SucceedInSpeaking.com for additional ideas, assistance, and resources.

Trade Association & Professional Society Executives: 2009 Meeting Strength

Lately, I have been hearing from association executive directors about their fears and concerns regarding the strength (attendance) of their meetings in 2009. Yes, everyone involved in the meetings industry has huge concerns for the strength of meetings in 2009. What can you do to motivate more of your members to attend this year’s meeting and also bring along their senior staff?

Deliver more value is the answer. Most likely your members are currently having a difficult time. As an example, is a golf tournament the best use of your resources? Perhaps a better idea would be to have a consulting day? Enroll your speakers to attend the meeting for an extra day and deliver consulting sessions. There are a number of ways to administer this idea; sell the sessions, have a drawing for early registrants, or organize it so all attendees have access.

Be honest, is it networking or education that is the primary driver for your attendees? Lean into the primary attendance driver by adjusting the meeting format to better serve the real needs. If it is networking they want; rather than offering traditional lecture programs, shift to interactive programming. You may have to secure different speakers, and it will be worth the effort.

If it is education that is the primary attendance driver then select the speakers that are willing to help you build a pre-conference, conference, and post-conference educational event that is beyond anything your members have ever seen. Many speakers have eBooks, surveys, etc. that can be structured to deliver this higher-level education. Explore through new windows how you can deliver more value while still keeping costs manageable.

Association Executives may access association growth articles and member recruitment campaign information at http://www.GrowingYourAssociation.com

Don't Be Caught Empty Handed on Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is coming; (guys) you had better shop by Friday. Don’t be caught empty handed on Saturday morning.This week we all really should be thinking about relationships so I am going to focus on just one topic; Clicking verses Conflicting

Trust:

In both business and personal relationships trust is, in my opinion, the foremost ingredient. Trust is something that can be destroyed unintentionally and without hurtful intent. Trust is also something that once damaged, if ever, takes a tremendous amount of work to repair. By making continual “Relationship Bank Deposits” with others, your chances are less that things will fall apart. And if conflict does occur, the perception others will have of you is that there must have been a simple mistake made rather then using the situation to justify in their own mind that you are untrustworthy.

Communication:

Conveying your true thoughts, feelings, and ideas to another person is more difficult than you might think. Everyone hears/listens through their personal filter, developed from years of various experiences. It is the lack of these shared experiences that creates subtle communication challenges, frequently not recognized by either party; and that can easily cause conflict. If every person would take responsibility for both their outgoing and incoming communication, oh how much better things would be. Yes, you should be responsible for what you say, how you say it, and how the other receives it. Don’t you think? Trust me on this one, when you do this everyone around you will seem just a bit smarter.

Priority:

What matters to me might be quite far away from what matters to you, and vice versa. Without meaningful communication in the area of shared priorities, relationships fall apart. I believe this is a crucial element in the sidetracking of any relationship. Frequently, you will find it difficult to understand the priority of others, let alone care about them. Since Valentine’s Day is so close, let’s bring this one home. You want to stay home and relax, but your honey wants to go out—or vice versa. Who wins out? The person that wins that battle is ever so closer to losing the war. But the other agreed, you say. Sure they did—they really gave in. By being aware of, and sensitive to, your honey’s priorities, you are making hugely valuable “Relationship Bank Deposits” that will go a long way in smoothing ruffled feathers then you have been guilty of being less sensitive. You can take that one to the bank!

Action:

It is the action of showing, through both word and deed, that the needs and wants of another person are important that help to cement relationships. Here is a timely idea: with the economy slow and money tight consider doing something really special for your Valentine. Skip the usual last minute shopping and write a love poem, letter, or song for your special someone. Deliver it with breakfast in bed on Saturday morning. You will build trust through a new style of communication. You will also show that your priorities are in order through this action—a win for all involved. Except the retailers, oh well, let the “schlubs” go shopping—you have a better idea.

Alliance Implementation Steps

Partnering for Profits: Alliance Crash Course

Perhaps, now more than ever, it’s time to give your organization a crash course in alliance management? As you already know, facing 2009 are some difficult economic realities. Goods and services demand has slowed or reversed; resulting, are many organizational failures. Increased competition and consolidation naturally follow. CEO edicts; “Do more with less” have become common place. Can organizations realize more value from their alliance relationships? I absolutely believe so.

Have your alliance relationships grown organically rather than by purpose? If so, perhaps your alliance managers could use a tune-up? Like most other business development and managerial activities, alliance skills are learned rather than inherent. Do your alliance managers have the ability to see the bigger organizational picture while managing an external relationship?

Below are my Seven Steps for Alliance Development, I like to call them the Alliance Alchemy; the formula for turning your alliance efforts to gold.

1. Monitor (Determine Reasons and Need)

2. Educate (Cultural, Operational and Strategic Differences)

3. Select Alliance Type (Structure)

4. Organize (Select Partner)

5. Agreement (Written is Best)

6. Implementation (Begin Activity)

7. Maintenance (Monitor Progress and Cooperation)

You can read more about the fine points in my several alliance articles at http://www.Rigsbee.com/morearticles.htm (Permission to reprint is there too.)

Executive Presentation Skills: Twittering in the Back

If you are presenting to an audience where there are a minimum of just a couple people under the age of 40 (perhaps 50?), I can assure you there is someone Twittering. What’s Twittering? Visit www.twitter.com/edrigsbee to see. Twitter is something like an instant blog Web Site where persons can post—from their cell phones using the text messaging function. Their friends that follow them receive a notice of the other person’s post. You may not realize it but there can very well be a number of people commenting to one another about your speech—real time, while you are speaking.

What’s a presenter to do? First acknowledge it. Say something early in your speech like, “For those of you Twittering in the back, say something nice about my speech.” This is being proactive. Let them know that you know. Also, if it is possible, leave the podium (the definition of podium is; riser or stage, not lectern) and walk toward the back of the room, you can keep them off guard and they might Twitter less. Of course this is assuming you have a wireless lavaliere microphone.

For years now presenters have been successfully dealing with those RUDE individuals that leave their cell phones on “ring” rather than “vibrate” in a belief that they (the offender) are more important than the entire audience—that it is okay to disturb others trying to glean some important bit of information. Today, presenters are also successfully enduring the second generation of “disturbance through technology.”

Executive Public Speakers, Professional Speakers, and Emerging Professional Speakers; please visit http://www.SucceedInSpeaking.com for additional ideas, assistance, and resources.

Trade Association & Professional Society Executives: Getting to Yes

Just last week, I was hosting the Cigar PEG, Inc. Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, AZ. I called the hotel front desk (from California) to be sure my attendees could check in before I arrived as the rooms and expenses would be put on my card, which was already in their system. And what do you know; the clerk I spoke with at the front desk was all about why they could not check in without…

Why in the world does one want to create conflict before the guests arrive? The primary reason I believe is twofold; a lack of training and a lack of a desire to serve. Let’s now move the discussion of your staff interacting with your members. Is there any chance that any of your staff could be guilty of this?

At the hotel, there was of course a very easy solution that (the second) front desk person offered. Perhaps the same is true when one of your members has a challenge? But why did I have to go to a second person? See the above two-fold reason.

Let’s face it, 2009 could deliver your association a membership net loss. So why in the world would you allow your staff to do anything but deliver absolutely fabulous value to your members? When staff doesn’t care or is trained poorly, the E.D. needs to look in the mirror for fault.

Please do what you can to help your staff to abandon the “sorry, it’s our policy” and stay focused on the “yes, I’m sure we can help you.” Your members will thank you.

Association Executives may access association growth articles and member recruitment campaign information at http://www.GrowingYourAssociation.com