There’s a word for it. It’s called ‘a tell’. It’s when a speaker ‘tells’ the audience about something without saying anything. There are congruent tells, where the subtle message reinforces the real one, like smiling sincerely and saying ‘I’m really happy to be here’; and such congruence makes for a powerful message. Then there’s the…
I’ve got a friend called Quentin. He’s an actor and a good one too with a long track record of theatre, stage & screen roles behind him. Actors can sometimes be a bit full of themselves but not Quenty, he’s a no-nonsense kind of bloke and when he says something to me with that special look…
Conferences are hard work and can be sometimes a little soul destroying. Get the delegate list, identify your targets, book meetings, prepare for 2 days of squalid drudgery that comes to nought when you walk into the conference centre and decide that anything would be better than this and book into the spa for 2…
I know that sales people see marketeers as floppy-haired tossers, more interested in their clothes and teeth than selling, but even the most cynical salesperson would, on a good day have to say that when you’ve got a marketing director who’s conneceted to her front-line sales people, it’s bloody marvellous. So the question is valid….
As a professional, perhaps with a valuable technical expertise, the chances are that you are going to use conferences as a marketing tool to convey to the market that you are innovative, approachable and available for hire. If you are going to a conference then, get a speaking slot. You won’t get one if you…
While every business development professional dreams of out of the blue phone calls from potential customers, they seldom happen.It’s really important to remind ourselves that most new business opportunities come from following up on referrals and tips from your own network of friends, clients and contacts. We all know the old saw about it being…
Sometimes, often when you least want it to happen, usually at the most serious moment, something happens. A phrase comes out wrong and is somehow horribly right; someone exposes their stupidity to the light, your colleague drops you in it or life’s essential futility slaps you in the face- What can you do? Have a…
When you’re trying to explain what you do to other people whether in conversation, through the written word or as part of a proposal, remember that ‘concrete is always good’. I’m not talking about the noxious mix of cement, sand and lime used in building, obviously, but it’s a useful metaphor as it’s an almost…
With all of the stuff I’ve been writing recently about the importance of campaigning, it’s easy to forget that there’s a hard-edge to it all. The edge is that it’s about building and maintaining your network over time. But like all advice, unless you trust the source of that advice, I’m simply a stranger asking…