Maurilio Amorim

Author: Maurilio Amorim

  • The Wrong Assumptions Can Derail Your Organization

    Eventually all our assumptions need to be either validated or disproved. In the world of business, the sooner we have clarity on foundational beliefs the better decisions we make with increasingly better results. Entrepreneurs have a sense of timing and intuitiveness that allow us to take calculated and yet successful risks early in our enterprises. Unfortunately this “beginner’s luck” is not a sustainable business practice and the same skill that got us going early on can lead to our undoing.

    assume-nothing

    Take online advertisement for example. Intuitively we think that Generations X and Y would spend more time online than any of the previous generations since they are digital natives as opposed to digital immigrants for the rest of the population. As it turns out, Baby Boomers spend more time online than any other demographic*. As a marketer my understanding that 46-65 year-olds spend more time online than their younger counterparts has great significance. Entire business models, marketing campaigns, and communication strategies can be built on a false assumptions, such as that 18-35 year old is the primary audience of the web.

    I have seen organizations have a difficult time getting past the “start up” mindset even though their balance sheet tells a different story. They keep making critical errors based on unproven bogus assumptions. Ignorance is not bliss; and your intuition is not a sustainable business or communication model. Assumptions must be tested and proven. Research is not the answer to every problem, but as a communication’s professional, I would hate to design and execute a branding or marketing plan based on a faulty set of beliefs. If the foundation is not solid, the plan and its implementation are irrelevant.

    Have you ever been in a situation where your assumptions were wrong? What happened?

    *(Source: Q1 2010 Three Screen Report, Nielsen Online NPOWER –Live +7 Total Screen Time July 2009 –July 2010 and Nielsen Online NetView Panel aggregated.) 

  • Sometimes You Can Only Win After Failure

    Sometimes your client or potential client needs to fail before you can help him. That was a difficult lesson for me to learn, but has proven to be an important one. And if you’re going to be successful in the service industry, you better learn this one, and fast.

    success and failure client strategy

    Earlier in my career as a consultant, I would try to argue and convince my clients of a course of action that I thought was best for them. Most of the time my advice became strategy or a tool that eventually brought results. But from time to time I encountered, and still do to this day, people who believe they know more than I do and decide that their solution is preferable to mine. As a consultant, this know-it-all attitude has always puzzled me. After all, if you know the “what” and “how,” why hire me in the first place?

    In the early, lean days of The A Group, I would take on the flawed strategy projects because I needed the money. They were disastrous. No one ever won. My team would begrudgingly execute a plan we knew was not going to work. The anemic performance would cause the client to blame the implementation, of course. That’s a lose/lose situation.

    One day I wised up. I walked away from a potential big project because I knew that even a well-executed but flawed strategy was not going to bring results. The potential client went to another firm that took the project as directed. It failed. A year later they were back. This time there was no big argument, no arrogance, but collaboration and eventually success.

    As counter-intuitive as walking away from a potentially lucrative project might be, sometimes it’s your only option. Unfortunately, the ignorant and arrogant are not able to learn from others’ mistakes. They must make them and pay a high price before they are ready to be helped.

    What has been your experience with an arrogant leader/client and a project doomed from the beginning?

  • 4 Skills Every Good Salesperson Must Have

    We are all in sales. No matter what we do for a living, we all represent ourselves, our employer, and our value system to those with whom we come in contact. The very best sales people are not those who will promise anything and harass people to close a deal. People like that don’t last long in any job. They burn too many bridges in the process of getting it done. In my experience, here are some thoughts on what makes a good salesperson:

    sales

    They believe in their product. Whether you’re selling pen, cars, software, or hope, you cannot be great at it without believing in your product. I’m not saying that the product has to be great, but you must believe in it in order to champion it with heart. I once bought hundreds of pen fors my company because of the infectious conversation with the lady who cold-called me. She was so excited about the darn pen that I just had to place a big order.

     They genuinely like people. Gregarious men and women have an advantage when it comes to sales. They genuinely like to meet new people. When I walk into a room full of people whom I do not know, my first instinct is to think “I wonder how many new friends I’ll meet.” Eventually my entrepreneurial self kicks in and I’ll think about how many potential clients I could have. But to this day, that’s never the first thought.

     They do what’s best for the customer even if it costs them the sale. I was very proud of one of my team members who recently told a client that he should not have our company rebuild their online back end system but use what they already have for the time being. While that cost us a potential big sale, it was the right thing for the client. I’m certain that when the time comes, we’ll rebuild the whole thing.

     They make you want to buy from them again. When you take care of your customer and you treat them well, they come back. Products cannot give you an “experience,” but people can. A beautifully designed store with bad salespeople will not last long. If I like you I’m more likely to buy more and more often than I need because it’s fun doing business with people you like. Just ask the guys at Max Muscle where I buy enough dietary supplements that I have enough inventory in hand to start my own franchise.

    When you think of a great salesperson, who first comes to mind? 

  • How Good Should We Smell at Work?

    For this edition of the Fashion Friday post, I’m tackling a very sensitive issue that I often get asked about. While my own policy might not be popular, I think it’s the right one. So what’s the place of cologne or perfume in the workplace? How much or how little should you wear to work?

    How much perfum to wear at work?

    Before I answer that, here are a few thoughts to consider:

    Cologne or perfume smells different on each person depending one’s our body chemistry. What smells like lavender fields on you might smell like a can of  sardines on me. Well, not really, but you get the point.

    The more you wear it, the less you smell it. That’s a tough one to balance. Like most chemicals, perfume dulls your senses. In other words, the more you use it, the less you smell it. However, the rest of us can smell it whether or not you can. Not long ago I found myself  locked in a conference room with a power-cologne wearer at 8 a.m. The man  might as well have been wearing paint thinner. My head was spinning, my eyes watering, and at one point I thought I was going to lose breakfast. It was so bad that I texted a friend to call “with an emergency” so I could excuse myself from the room. I even suggested a bomb threat so we could evacuate the building and get everyone some much needed fresh air.

    Not all scents are created equal. If you’re going to wear it,  you need to know the difference:

    • Perfume extract (Extrait): 15-40% aromatic compounds. This stuff is powerful and like most deadly poisons, it only comes in very small packages. A little goes a long, long way.
    • Eau de Parfum (EdP), Parfum de Toilette (PdT): 10-20% aromatic compounds. Sometimes listed as “eau de perfume” or “millésime”. Concentrated but not deadly.
    • Eau de Toilette (EdT): 5-15% aromatic compounds. No, it’s not made with toilet water.
    • Eau de Cologne (EdC): Chypre citrus type perfumes with 3-8%  aromatic compounds. Light and bearable.
    • Splash and After-Shave: 1-3% aromatic compounds. Like the name, splash, mostly water.

    Most office settings are now open environments. A strong scent can be disruptive and compromise your effectiveness as a professional before you even open your mouth.

    If you bathe at least every other day, which I hope you do, unlike the French who invented the all-powerful perfume extract (if you’ve ever been in a Paris subway at 5 p.m. you know why they need it), I would be very careful wearing anything more than an eau de cologne to work. My personal policy is not to wear any cologne until after 5 p.m. That way I’m certain not to dull my senses or offend someone’s olfactory sensitivities.

    What’s your take on the smelly stuff at work?

  • Email Etiquette for the Office

    I hate email. It’s dying, but not fast enough for me. And since we still need to use it to communicate, I would like to offer some email etiquette guidelines that would make the use of such an antiquated communication tool more, well, bearable.

    email-at-work etiquette

    Keep it short. Please no emails longer than three short paragraphs. Unless we are paid by the word or by the hour (attorneys!), we don’t have the attention span to read it. I usually scan it and close the email to read later. However, I seldom go back to it. Maybe never. Ok, never.

    Use the subject line properly. Create a subject line that makes sense and is relevant to the content of the email. In one day I received five emails from the same person with no subject lines. When that happens, I have not idea how to organize incoming emails and a chances are I will miss one or two. Oh, and please, do not use the subject line as the first line of the email content. That’s annoying.

    Have an email signature for all emails. Here’s a minimum: your full name and telephone number. Better yet have two options – one with name, title, company information, and phone, and second one that is simpler for replies, including name and phone number.

    Reply with care. When you reply, make sure to have the original email included for reference. I don’t remember what I had for breakfast, much less what I wrote in an email last week.

    Forward responsibly. Don’t just forward an email chain and put “see below.” Please, don’t make me figure out your internal emails. If you need to include the full chain, please be kind and  summarize the pertinent content.

    What else would you add to this list?

  • Questions You Should Answer When Creating Your Marketing Plan

    There is an audience for just about everything. Really.  Your job is to find yours.

    I was reading Smart Money magazine and ran across Bart Centre, a retired New Hampshire retail executive behind Eternal Earth-Bound Pets: The Next Best Thing to Pet Salvation in a Post Rapture World.” According to Mr. Centre, he has sold 263 pet-care contracts to Christians concerned about their dogs and kittens left behind in the upcoming rapture. For $135, clients can count on pet-rescue services provided by one of 46 atheists who are guaranteed to remain on earth after the Second Coming.  Yep. It’s for real.

    A good marketer’s job is to connect the product or message with the target audience. It’s simple, but not always easy. Before you put together your marketing strategy, ask yourself these questions:

    Who is my target audience? The more defined your audience, the easier it is to communicate your value proposition with them. In the example above, the audience is a pre-tribulationalist, pre-millennialist, pet-loving Christian group. While that might be a very small group, they are willing to spend a lot of money to ensure their pets’ well-being after they are left behind during the rapture.

    What are my audience’s hot buttons?  We all have “hot buttons,” things that elicit a strong reaction from us and cause us to make an emotional purchase or decision.  These 263 folks who bought the left-behind insurance for their pets are responsible, loving, and humane people. While they might be accused of being gullible, they cannot be labeled irresponsible or lacking in conviction on their beliefs. They know for sure they’ll be going up in the sky and want their loved ones taken care of, even by atheists.

    Who are my sneezers? These are your biggest fans. This is perhaps your most powerful marketing strategy.  The sneezers are often responsible for 20% of new traffic to their favorite websites, retailers, or ministries. They buy, give, volunteer, and leverage their networks to promote your product.  If you know who they are and can give them tools to maximize their sneezing, then you’ll have a powerful marketing tool.  Perhaps the first insurance policy Mr. Centre sold was to a member of the Rapture-Ready Club who after sharing the good news with his friends, helped sell several more policies.

    What other question should we ask about our audience? 

  • So You Are Dealing with Failure. Now What?

    There are always excuses to stop us from accomplishing greatness in our lives. Some of them might even be legitimate. But there is nothing that stops me from trying harder than dealing with failure. After all, failure is the best excuse of all: “I’ve gave my best shot and fail. I’m moving on.” No one can fault you for that. You tried. You did your best. Now it’s time to move on, right? Well, not so fast.

    Abraham lincoln failure fail

    Recently I was reminded of the many failures Abraham Lincoln faced before he was finally elected president.

    In 1831, Abraham Lincoln failed in business.

    In 1832, Abraham Lincoln was defeated for state legislator.

    In 1833, Abraham Lincoln tried a new business, and failed.

    In 1835, Abraham Lincoln’s fiancée died.

    In 1836, Abraham Lincoln had a nervous breakdown.

    In 1843, Abraham Lincoln ran for Congress and was defeated.

    In 1848, Lincoln ran again, and was defeated. Again.

    In 1855, Lincoln ran for the Senate, and lost.

    In 1856, Lincoln ran for Vice President, and lost.

    In 1859, Lincoln ran again for the Senate. He was defeated.

    Then, in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States.

    I’m not a student of Mr. Lincoln’s life, but I know he was human and no matter how resolute one is, failure is always painful. I’m sure his nervous breakdown was not the result of success.

    Chances are there are some area or areas in our lives we are dealing with failure: a job, a marriage, a relationship, our own expectations. We can say we tried and give up. Or we can try again. And again. And again. It’s easier said than done, but it can be done.

    Is there a failure in your life you should try again, but the fear of a repeat performance is stopping you?

     

  • What Makes a Great Customer Experience?

    Regardless of the final results, you will be graded on the entire execution process. Whether we are in the restaurant business, a not-for-profit, a church, or selling gadgets, our measure of success, from the consumer point of view, is not only the quality of deliverables but how well we get there.

    great customer experience

    That thought stuck with me as I experienced great customer service at a restaurant recently. From the moment I walked in to the point I stepped out, I was impressed with the level of detail and care. And, yes, the food was amazing, but so was everything else.

    On the other side of that equation, I was thinking about a home project that at the end looked good and was well done, but getting there was a painful, arduous affair.  While people complimented the final product, I always think, “I’m not doing that ever again.”

    As I tried to break down all variables on what makes a great experience and what doesn’t, I ultimately have to come to its most basic of all parts: people.

    That’s an easy one if we are looking at the service industry whose products and experiences are driven primarily by the one-on-one interaction with people, but even in the commodity industry, people will create the design, as well as the experience of discovering, engaging, and purchasing a product.  Apple has done a great job in being consumer-centric and innovating its way from the brink of bankruptcy a few years ago to the most valuable tech company on the planet. The experience of discovering, purchasing, and using an Apple product is by far superior to its competitors.

    At The A Group, we invest in people more than any other tool. So far it has been the best return on investment we have made.

    What’s a recent memorable experience and what made it special?

  • Testing Your Vision

    This past weekend my good friend and client, Frank Santora started a church in the middle of Time Square NYC. He couldn’t have picked a more difficult and expensive place to plant a church, but I’m glad he did. People in the city need to hear the gospel in a dynamic and unique way, and Frank is a gifted writer and communicator. Vision is a powerful motivation and one that often doesn’t make sense, but once it grabs hold of us, it can change everything.

    vision

    I had a vision to start The A Group several years before we started it in 2001. I remember a former boss saying, “what you want to do is needed, but I don’t think people will pay for it.” He was wrong. I’m glad. But too often the naysayers win the day and the vision that had been growing within us dies without ever being birthed.

    Here are a few ways to look and validate vision in my life:

    Let it develop. Visions start often with an “aha” moment. “What if we could do …?” Or “It’s time for someone to create a better solution to this problem. I think I know how to solve it.” Take time and think through the problem you’re solving or the experience you are about to create. Sometimes people work vision out in their minds for months, even years before they are ready to consider giving it life.

    Test it. Do your work. Look around and see who’s doing something similar to what you want to do and learn from them. Understand your audience, the opportunity, the threats, and the industry or sector you are considering. Talk with a mentor or someone whom you trust who can unbiasedly give you good council.

    Align it with your skills and experience. Even a dynamic vision outside your skill set and knowledge base might not succeed. If you have a passion to start a high-end restaurant but have never spent a day in the food or entertainment business, you might not make it. I remember starting a custom cabinet company years ago. I ended up giving my shares to my business partner and walking away from the business because I knew nothing, nor cared about manufacturing cabinets. It’s one thing to invest in a promising startup, but to start one up without an insider’s perspective can be painfully costly.

    Count the cost. While we can never truly put a cost on a new venture, we should have a business plan as a guideline. What’s my break-even point? How much volume do I need to be profitable? How much cash do I need in hand to be able to operate? How much should I set aside for marketing? Don’t walk into a new vision blinded by the opportunity without counting the cost. The sexiness of the idea will soon give way the harshness of the realities of cash flow, unexpected expenses, and a slower-than-expected forward momentum.

    Did I miss anything?

  • A Different Approach to Inconvinience

    While the adults at my delayed gate in Atlanta looked around frustrated, tapped their toes, and checked their watches often, a group of small children decided to take a different approach to the inconvenience. I like their approach better.

    children at play inconvinience

    It was a typical scene in most busy airports in America: people trying to get to their final destinations, hoping that their delayed flight would not derail their best laid plans. I had joined the rest of the self-important business travelers whose body language clearly displayed our discontent with the situation. During my time at the gate, I saw a few small children finding each other and impromptuly forming a circle on the floor. Then they began to play games, and by the time we were boarding, they were breaking into song. Our delay became their party.

    As I was boarding I looked at the children and could not help but smile. I noticed a lady next to me smiling as well. The thought then crossed my mind: at what point in my “development” did I lose the ability to find the fun and excitement in the most of mundane, if not, inconvenient, of situations? At what point of maturity did life become a series of tasks and appointments where I lost the opportunity to make new friends and smile?

    Years ago my flight to Rio was diverted to Bogota, Columbia due to engine issues. Our entire 747 was stranded at the airport. We could not even leave the plane due to obscure reasons I do not recall. Word came that we would have to stay at least another 6 hours waiting for the problem to be fixed before we could leave. People were mad, hungry, despondent–the typical traveling reaction to such an ordeal.

    After a make-shift dinner of airport food fare, we found ourselves sitting back at the plane grumbling about our misfortune. During this time I discovered that the young couple sitting next to me was college students like myself, but they were also opera singers and quite accomplished for their age. “Why don’t you sing for us?” I proposed. They looked puzzled at first then shrugged their shoulders and agreed.

    What happened next was pure fun. My new friends broke into an aria right from their seats. They stood up and began to sing from the top of their lungs. It was just beautiful. The whole plane got quiet, and as they finished the first song, the place erupted in spontaneous applause. For the next several minutes they went through most of their repertoire. Once they were done, I stood up and asked if anyone else would like to sing, or “share a talent” with the rest of the plane.

    What started as a terrible delay in an airport where soldiers carried machine guns around the concourse turned out to be one of the most memorable moments of my life. It’s been almost 30 years since then, and I can still remember it vividly.

    What would happen if we were not always so “grown up” and found a way to turn the inconveniences of life into opportunities to engage and enjoy people around us?  I think the airport children were right. They found a party where we found a headache.