Collaboration will Create Disruption in Regenerative Medicine – Yeah!

On Wednesday, May 9th, at York University, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Michael May speak about the work he is doing in the area of stem cell research and regenerative medicine.  From the progress made to date, it is clear that within our lifetime we will indeed see the disappearance of the need for bone marrow and organ donors, as well as the market introduction of cures for diabetes, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.  From the sounds of it, Dr. May’s team will play a large role in this.

Why?  Obviously he is doing amazing work.  But so are hundreds of other biochemists.  The reason he is more likely to succeed is related to what Clayton Christensen calls creative disruption.

One of the main reasons many scientists conduct research is for the discoveries that can change processes, industries, lives.  Although such findings have the potential to disrupt how things have “always been”, they do not – not on their own in any event – fit into Christensen’s disruptor definition of innovation.  

According to this way of looking at business strategy, the “true disruptive power of an innovation lies not in the technology itself, but in the business model surrounding that technology.”  In Dr. May’s case, he has done an outstanding job of creating a collaborative model that brings together business thinkers, funders, scientists and companies that can invest in and profit from the breakthroughs. 

In one simple move he has managed to get competitors to collaborate to maximize funding potential and shorten the path to bring good products to market.  That move is the creative disruption that will lead to use seeing real cures in our lifetime.

Kudos to Dr. May.  To learn more about the network and his inspiring work, please check out the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine in Toronto, Canada. 

When he spoke, Dr. May quoted Abraham Joshua Heschel who said, “The beginning of awe is wonder, and the beginning of wisdom is awe.” He also said, “Knowledge is fostered by curiosity; wisdom is fostered by awe.”  So in awe of both the medical and business break throughs, I wish you a week in which your curiosity leads to acquire more knowledge.

Jane-Michèle

 

P.S.  If you’re interested in reading an interesting article on how to be a disruptive scientist, please go to: http://bit.ly/IRqlFq.

Anecdotal Evidence that Twitter Works for Small Bricks ‘n Mortar Businesses, Too

I am often asked, “Does social media really work... for people other than online hucksters and large, established brand-name companies?”

My answer is always: “Yes... if you use the tools strategically, consistently, in conjunction with one another... and leverage each of the vehicles to full advantage.”

That is almost always met with an incredulous almost suspiciously sceptical, “Really?”

Well, to those of you who are like the people from Missouri (the “show me” state), I’ll leave it up to you to decide once you’ve read a few of things that have happened in my immediate circle of influence in the past fortnight.

As you read, please keep in mind that with the exception of our client, no one is using the tools to full advantage. I know; I know... think about the cobbler’s kids who go barefoot and you’ll understand why our own social media activities get put on a back burner in favour of client needs.


Being Hired as a Key Note Speaker

Someone who follows my tweets was intrigued enough by one of my posts to click through to my blog. Something there prompted him to subscribe to the blog. One of my blog entries led him to read related articles on our website. About a month later, when the keynote speaker for a corporate event got appendicitis, I got a call. That was last week.


Asked to Consult by a College in Colorado

I participate in a forum for marketing professors. This created a twitter follower who became a blog follower which led to someone checking out my Linked In profile. This led to a call last Wednesday for me to consult on a project.


VP Contact

One of my students used his blog to talk about something covered by a speaker we had in class recently. He mentioned the VP of Adidas and included a relevant YouTube clip. The result: The Adidas VP is now following his tweets and blog – which could be useful when the young man starts looking for a job.


Student Offered $150M Job 3 Months Before Graduation

I regularly coach people on how to get their dream job. One of my students did as instructed and integrated his Facebook, twitter, YouTube accounts and website – then used article forum participation, back links and other tools to help raise her online profile.

Her tweets caught the attention of an industry marketing board. She was asked to write their newsletter. Tweets related to the newsletter led to her being contacted by a major company in that industry. Two phone calls and one round-trip later (for the interview) and she has been offered a senior executive position.... three months before she even writes her final MBA exam.


Client Gets Two New Customers in Twelve Days

We set up an integrated online campaign for a small manufacturer of powdered metal coatings. When they wanted to get into patio furniture, we started a twitter account and blog that only talked about the use of powdered metals in the manufacturing of patio furniture.

The result: Two new clients in the past twelve days – one of which is now the company’s largest piece of business!

Don’t know about you, but these simple stories suggest that twitter works for all types of business... despite the articles we’ve all seen lately claiming otherwise.

If you have your own stories, I’d love to hear them.

Until next time, remember to tweet and don’t be afraid to go out on that proverbial limb to find the sweet fruit!

Jane-Michèle

Becel’s Busted Business Strategy

Okay, the Becel strategy is actually sound, but I liked the alliteration in terms of what happened today.

Driving along I heard the current Becel commercial discussing how controlling your cholesterol level is an important first step in preventing strokes and heart attacks and talking about the two-day clinics being held across the country to test people’s blood levels. (To see the “Love Your Heart” campaign, please go to: http://www.loveyourheart.ca/proactiv/)

Ignoring the fact that this is a free service in this country anyway, it’s a good idea. The marketing plan ties a good product in with caring for the community while giving it the patina of medically-proven health enhancement.

The whole campaign is based on higher levels of cholesterol being harbingers of heart attacks and strokes. As part of its plan, Becel sponsors the Heart & Stroke Foundation – great idea, given that Becel Pro-Activ is a margarine that is fortified with plant sterols.

Plant sterols are the common name for phytosterols which are found in fruits, grains, legumes and vegetables. Phytosterols slow the body’s absorption of dietary cholesterol as well as cholesterol that is made by the liver. Research shows that two grams of plant sterols can lower bad cholesterol (LDL: low-density lipoproteins) by 10%, which means that by simply spreading Becel on your toast in the morning as part of your regular routine, you’ll get about half of what you need to lower your cholesterol. Use a little more at lunch and you’ll likely start to see a difference in your numbers.

So what’s the problem? Hard on the heels of the Becel commercial was the announcement that “research shows that contrary to what we believed before, cholesterol levels are not indicators of a woman’s likelihood of having a stroke.”

A longevity study conducted by Danish researchers over a 33-year period showed that non-fasting cholesterol is not the right marker for stroke risk. Apparently triglycerides, which are another type of fat contributing to plaque build-up, are the real indicators of potential stroke. Especially in women – and the Becel campaign is directed at women.

See the dilemna?

Does that mean that Becel needs to abandon its campaign? Less-than-savvy marketers might, but in my opinion, that’s not the right approach.

If it were my client, I would include the info about the Danish study (http://bit.ly/eFV7Tx ) on the “Love Your Heart” site, alert woman to the need to have their triglyceride measured, while continuing to reduce LDLs to help with plaque build-up that can damage their hearts.

Handled properly, it’s still a win – and a good PR person can even use the news to get more air time!

Until next time, have fun, take calculated risks and watch your cholesterol!

How to Foil a Burglar

Many, many years ago, we created a series of brochures and small advertisements for A & A Jewellers, leading manufacturers of Harmony Diamond jewellery (at the time ranked not far behind DeBeers, etc.) to give to the retailers carrying their wares.

This series complemented the regular campaign and featured two brochures. One was entitled, “But I thought I was covered” and talked about insurance matters related to jewellery and other fine items.

The second offered tips from burglars and offered suggestions on how to foil their nefarious attempts. I received the e-mail below today from a student and was reminded of the positive response the campaign received from retailers and consumers alike, so I thought would share these tips with you.

Before you read these helpful hints, let me address the obvious question: What does this have to with business or marketing strategy?

We all know that when you are able to provide your customers with an added value benefit that is related to your product, it enhances consumer perception of your offering and can help to increase customer loyalty. The interesting point here is that the “value add” does not need to be an expensive item – sometimes something as simple as truly useful information can do the job.

And on that note, I hope you find the following to be of use!


Tips from Burglars - 21 Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste...and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbour to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom - and your jewellery. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there, too.

8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door - understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.

12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. Find it at http://www.faketv.com

14. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

15. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbours.

16. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbour hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.

17. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

18. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighbourhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

19. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Face book page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.

20. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

21. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.


Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs www.crimedoctor.com and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book "Burglars on the Job."

Optimizing Pushcast Benefits

In these days of increased competition and fiscal responsibility, managers often seek to find ways to make their sales teams more efficient.

One way is to push content to mobile devices so that infield reps – from support staff to sales team leaders – can use drive time and other down time to keep up to date with what is going on in their industry, within the company… and within their prospect’s industry, too.

Real time QuickCasts (my word and I have decided to coin) can be used to deliver relevant breaking news and industry best practices and other relevant tips to your mobile teams to help give them a competitive advantage.

This, of course, requires the hiring of either qualified staff or external writers to create appropriate content. Although PowerPoint with voiceover tends to work best, just about kind of content can be adapted for mobile use quite easily these days.

Chalk, which is a now a wholly-owned subsidiary of RIM, is one of many companies offering the technology to make this work. The same tools can also be used to deliver mandatory training modules to infield reps and support staff.

 

Some Suggestions

1.  Keep text concise and separate presentation into 5 minute idea segments. In other words, a rep should be able to receive a complete concept or key idea within five minutes. That alone will increase the rep’s likelihood of using the PushCasts by at least fivefold.
   
   Why? Because if he or she knows that “it will only take a moment”, a rep is more likely to listen in line, while waiting to go into an appointment, etc. Also, when on the road it is hard for reps to actually assimilate many details while simultaneously preparing mentally to go into another meeting – and as an employer you probably don’t want them to go more than get one key idea and then concentrate on the next call.
   
2. Create content relevant to the key industries in which your company does business and suggest additional ways in which your reps can use your products and services to help their prospective clients. If these sections are updated regularly, and if the content is solid, reps will be more likely to use the resource, resulting in enhanced team performance and close ratios.
   
3. Push content to mobile devices rather than requiring reps to pull it from a server. This ensures higher rates of listening compliance.
   
4. Create folders for online content and name files in a way that enables reps to properly “file” the new messages when they appear for easy retrieval. Some systems are designed so that the documents are automatically deposited into the right spot with an alert appearing to let the rep know that new content has arrived.

If you have any questions about how you can use push casting to help your business, please feel free to drop me a line: jmc@theQgroup.com, or to give me a call at 416.424.6644.

Until next time, remember to go out on the limb and seek out that fruit!
Jane-Michèle Clark

 

 

 

Research Works Best When Respondents Can Respond!

I just participated in the most poorly-conducted online research study I've ever seen... and to top things off, the system made me wait nearly two minutes between me hitting the answer button and showing me the next question.  Finally it stopped working altogether.  That bad experience had prompted me to write that post, because online research only works when peopel can answer your questions.

Online research has become a staple in our business and, under the right conditions, can even be used to mimic focus groups.

When being used for qualitative research, respondents participate in interactive, moderated sessions.

Typically respondents are shown a video clip of a commercial or new product. They are then asked a series of typical quantitative survey type questions related to what they saw as well as open-ended questions.

The moderator can send a note to individual participants and ask for clarification from any of the people taking part.

Respondents also get to indicate whether or not they agree with the other participants’ comments by use of “agree” and “disagree” buttons.

Advantages of this Method

• You get people to self-select their participation – and can then qualify them using a series of questions upfront. This can significantly reduce recruiting costs.
• It’s quick and relatively easy to administer.
• Respondent fees are replaced with contest entries and points – again a substantial costs savings to clients.
• You avoid costs related to focus room use, food, taping and transcribing, etc.
• All comments are automatically entered making for easy tabulation, sorting and analysis.
• You can get input from people living anywhere without having to incur travel related expenses
• It’s much easier to get rural area respondents.

Disadvantages of this Method

• People self-select their participation, which can introduce a bias into the research, even if you qualify their participation.
• It’s much harder to probe the reasons “why” people believe something in an online setting, so it is almost impossible to get the same depth of understanding that is possible in face-to-face focus groups.
• Although people can see and comment on one another’s answers, online sessions miss out on points that are often raised when groups build off one another’s answers. Group dynamics can play a powerful role in helping get to heart of important matters.
• Not all respondents complete these interactive sessions. The degree of compliance is influenced by the topic (and the respondents interest in it), the length of the session... and how well the technology works. If respondents can’t answer the questions, it’s a waste of client’s time and money. An inability to complete answers not only causes respondents to shut the window, it can severely impact the likelihood of the respondent being willing to take part in future surveys.

A Couple of Things to Remember

• Ensure that your respondent can indeed see the video by first showing a couple of mini test videos and asking questions about the two images and sound tracks. This lets you know that the person will be able to see the research videos as intended.
• Provide downloads / plug-ins for the tools needed to view your videos and interact with your discussion forum and/or session moderator.
• Limit the participation time to a maximum of 15 minutes (or less).
• Offer participation rewards that appear generous in relation to the time investment required of the respondent – and yes, you always let the person know this upfront.
• Test regularly to make sure that all technology-related tools are working properly.
• Capture participants’’ e-mails addresses so that you can contact people who churn off part-way through to a) determine why and b) request they complete the survey (much easier than locating another person who fits the desired profile).

My next post will provide some of the results of research conducted to help determine what women want from men and their relationships with them. In the meantime, if you have any research-related questions, please feel free to drop me a line. JMC

Choosing the Right Research Company

Well, after having been asked the same three questions three times in almost as many days, I figured others might also be asking, “How do I choose the right research company?” and “How can I tell whose proposal makes the most sense?” and How much should I spend?”

1) Choosing the right research company

It goes without saying that you start by interviewing companies with experience... and ones that have worked for companies you recognize and respect. Call a few of their clients to find out what kind of work was done by your candidates (quality, type, etc.) and how well the data was analysed.

Once you have chosen the companies to add to your short list, you’ll need to brief the prospective agencies. The right firm will ask you questions before giving you a proposal. Lots of questions. The right company will also seek to understand the business challenge at hand before they make any recommendations about how to conduct the research project at hand.

At a minimum, the people preparing the proposal should want to know...

• What is the key issue to be addressed / problem to be solved?
• How/ where does it fit within the corporate vision and other issues under consideration?
• What needs to be learned...and why?
• Who do you believe is best to give you this info? (The researchers may make other suggestions, but they should gain an understanding of who you think is best-positioned to give you the needed details.)
• How you are going to use the information – specifically?
• What research do you already have on the topic? (Yes; they’ll want to see it)


2) “How can I tell whose proposal makes the most sense?”

When the company presents its proposal, the researchers should be able to explain clearly why they have chosen the routes proposed – and the answers should feel right.

You also want a company that respects a budget... and one that will recommend what is needed to get the desired level of reliability and confidence in the data, without going overboard.


3) How much will I need to spend?

That’s a little like asking “How long is a piece of string?” The short answer: That all depends on the size of the company, the size of the problem/ challenge and the impact the decision being made will have on the company.

Before you embark on a research project, you need to assess how the resulting decisions will affect the company’s bottom line. If the decision will only influence $50,000 - 100,000 of sales – and is not expected to affect business long term – then it rarely makes sense to spend more than half of that on research. (Four focus groups, a survey and analysis will usually top the $50M mark).

On the other hand, if your company is a multi-million dollar entity with hundreds of employees, and you are seeking answers that will take your company in a new direction, then it would be irresponsible not to do the appropriate due diligence. The ticket price on such research will usually start at $50,000 and go up. Sometimes way up.

For some, this may sound as though research is expensive. Not doing research, however, can be even more expensive. That being said, there are types of research that can be completed for less than $10,000. (Please feel free to contact me to learn more on this topic.)
I hope this helps.

Until next time... remember to ask questions and don’t be afraid to go out on that proverbial limb. JMC