Successful Blog

The Book List: ‘Poke the Box’ and ‘The Thank You Economy’

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow of Key Business Partners, LLC

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their book promotion and social media marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting two books; both I found on Amazon and added to my “reading list”.

The books in the Book List Series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘Poke the Box’

by Seth Godin

As you may know, I go on Amazon.com frequently and I did something a bit out of character the last time. As I was on the home page, instead of going to the search box at the top and typing in “business books” or “social media books”, I happen to click on the Kindle books.

And what popped out to me was this book titled, ‘Poke the Box’. Love the title because it definitely got my attention. What was even more surprising was it was by international best selling author, Seth Godin. Then again, Seth is famous for his unexpected titles….remember Meatball Sundae.

Once I found out it was from Seth, I knew I wanted to highlight it here this week.

Mix things up and get your butt moving on your dreams!

This is one book he has created to mix things up and get you moving. If you want to do something….don’t waste time thinking about doing it, do it.

I found the timing of my finding this book on Amazon interesting (you may call it an intervention of sorts) because I did posted a video just yesterday about how writers can “get in your own way” from writing a book. And this seems to go along the same thinking.

And I remember when I used to work in the corporate world, my department would have meetings to start projects but hardly anything ever did get done. I will be getting this book of Seth’s very soon as I believe it will be great reminder to keep moving forward toward the dream. Or as Seth puts it, ‘Poke the Box’.

The Domino Project
This book, Poke the Box, is one of Seth’s latest ventures. The Domino Project is an independent publishing imprint created by Seth and Amazon.
Read more of the interview at Amazon with Seth.

About the Book*:
If you’re stuck at the starting line, you don’t need more time or permission. You don’t need to wait for a boss’s okay or to be told to push the button; you just need to poke.

Poke the Box is a manifesto by bestselling author Seth Godin that just might make you uncomfortable. It’s a call to action about the initiative you’re taking-– in your job or in your life. Godin knows that one of our scarcest resources is the spark of initiative in most organizations (and most careers)-– the person with the guts to say, “I want to start stuff.”

Poke the Box just may be the kick in the pants you need to shake up your life.

About Seth*:

Seth Godin is the author of ten international bestsellers that have been translated into over 30 languages, and have changed the way people think about marketing and work. His Unleashing the Ideavirus is the most popular ebook ever published, and Purple Cow is the bestselling marketing book of the decade.

His penultimate book, Tribes, is a nationwide bestseller, appearing on the Amazon, New York Times, BusinessWeek and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. It’s about the most powerful form of marketing–leadership–and how anyone can now become a leader, creating movements that matter.

His last book is called Linchpin, and it is the fastest selling book of his career. Linchpin challenges you to stand up, do work that matters and race to the top instead of the bottom. More than that, though, the book outlines a massive change in our economy, a fundamental shift in what it means to have a job.

In addition to his writing and speaking, Seth is founder and CEO of Squidoo.com, a fast growing recommendation website. His blog (find it by typing “seth” into Google) is the most popular marketing blog in the world. Before his work as a writer and blogger, Godin was Vice President of Direct Marketing at Yahoo!, a job he got after selling them his pioneering 1990s online startup, Yoyodyne.

You can find every single possible detail that anyone could ever want to know at squidoo.com/seth.

You can purchase a copy of ‘Poke the Box’ online at Amazon. *this information came from Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to another book on the business book list on Amazon and on my reading list: ‘Thank you Economy’.

The Thank You Economy

by Gary Vaynerchuk

Amazon.com Review*

The Thank You Economy is much more than saying “thank you.” The Thank You Economy represents a much bigger movement. This book could easily have been called The Humanization of Business or Manners Marketing.

I feel that we’re living through the biggest culture shift of our time. The internet, itself, is 17-years-old. It’s just hitting the social part of its life. It’s just like growing up. As you get to 13, 14 and 15, you want to go out and go to parties. That’s what’s happening right now! The internet is growing up.

What happens when we live in this word of mouth world where we’re tweeting out “I love Company X’s orange juice”? We’re sharing thoughts that we never would have picked up the phone and called somebody about in the past. What happens when brands can be humanized? In The Thank You Economy, I tackle the issue of the ROI of social media and provide case studies. I think we wrote a much, much stronger book than I did with Crush It. When I say we, I mean the people in the social graph–the people that are living it.

There is enormous ROI in social media. It’s like my famous saying though, “What’s the ROI of your mother?” The data isn’t as black and white like it has been in the past. I firmly believe that the brands that have a soul and a heart and understand how to scale this will win.

This is a comprehensive book from a guy that has lived in the social space for the last 6 years like I have. I live and breathe my community and I’ve been able to consult with big brands for the past two years on how to leverage this world of caring. This is the perfect book, not only for entrepreneurs who might have an employee or two, but also for brand managers and CMOs at bigger companies.

Say thank you and know the strength of social media

As I read the following Amazon review and I believe this is a good reminder about the simple things as a society we may have forgotten or just don’t take the time to pay attention to as we should. Just taking the time to say “thank you” and mean it—simple but very poignant. Especially when you are talking about social media. It is important to take the time to say thank you and be present when networking and building your community online.

And I like how he is talking about the internet and it is growing up. It is as if the internet is hitting its stride now and having fun exploring all the possibilities. And we (as business people, whether you are a entrepreneur, manager or employee) are realizing all the things the internet can help us with, we need to remember to say thank you to all those involved in our life.

About Gary*:

Meet Gary Vaynerchuk (VAY*NER*CHUK), a 33-year-old self-trained wine and social media expert who has revolutionized the wine industry. Gary’s cult-like following is the result of his unconventional, often irreverent commentary on wine, combined with his business acumen and foresight to use social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to reach an untapped audience. He hosts a daily webcast called “The Thunder Show”on tv.winelibrary.com that attracts over 90,000 viewers each day. Recently, Gary’s podcast became the most downloaded show on iTunes in the Food category, beating out venerable names in the industry including Martha Stewart and Jamie Oliver.

Known as the “King of Social Media,” Gary is one of the first–and one of a few–Facebook users who has maxed-out his friend limit, with over 17,000 pending friend requests. He is in the top 100 people followed on Twitter and was the keynote speaker at noted events like the 2009 South by Southwest Interactive conference and the New Media and Web 2.0 expos. A weekly contributor to TheStreet.com and Popeater.com, Gary is regularly asked to consult on social media for some of the world’s largest and most recognizable companies like Google, Johnson & Johnson, Disney, Proctor & Gamble, and Pepsi.
*courtesy of book website and Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Thank You Economy’ at Amazon.

The Book List: ‘Fast Track Guide to a Professional Job Search’ & ‘Enchantment’

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow of Key Business Partners, LLC

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their book promotion and social media marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting two books; one is with an author I am working with and the other is on my “reading list”.

The books in the Social Media Book List Series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘Fast Track Guide to a Professional Job Search’

by Joanie Natalizio

Fast Track Guide to a Professional Job Search

“Joanie Natalizio’s Fast Track Guide to a Professional Job Search offers extremely timely and practical advice for all stages of a job search. Her no-nonsense approach will save time, reduce stress and, most important, provide results. The ‘Take Action’ feature of her book will get to the core of what needs to occur while one is in transition. Not only will the executive learn how take charge of his or her job search with this action-centered book, he or she will learn to navigate a myriad of career challenges one faces, especially in a difficult economy.”
Victor C. Massaglia, M.A., Career Counselor, Career Center,
University of Minnesota Law School

“The ultimate guide book on how to conduct a professional job search from beginning to end. Each chapter provides you with ‘take action’ steps and insider ‘hot tips’ so you’ll be sure to get everything you need to know to conduct a successful job search. A book no professional should be without.”
Barbara Rosenzweig, Owner, Dental People, Inc.

About the Book*:
‘The Fast Track Guide to a Professional Job Search’ was written to take the guesswork out of finding the right executive-level position for you. Serving as your handy guide and indispensable companion, it contains everything you need to drive your job search and career forward. It takes you all the way from setting your career path, through the planning and strategizing, the execution, the emotional rollercoaster, and all the way to offer evaluation and acceptance.

Written by Joanie Natalizio, a professional executive coach who steers a successful business coaching practice, ‘The Fast Track Guide to a Professional Job Search’ teaches you to distinguish yourself, present your unique strengths and capabilities, and make sure an offer is a good fit for you before you accept it. All through the book, the easy to use checklists make sure you stay on track. How to create a professional biography and tips on evaluating compensation packages are just a few of the many executive job search topics discussed.

Joanie reveals little known tips traditionally restricted to executive career coaching sessions, so that you have an extra edge in your job search. With ‘The Fast Track Guide to a Professional Job Search’ at hand, you can proceed in your executive job search with clarity, competence and complete confidence.

About Joanie*:

Joanie Natalizio, President of Defero Business Coaching and Seminars, has over 15 years of combined experience in both business and executive coaching, and has worked at some of this country’s top Fortune 500 corporations.

Along with her corporate experience, Ms. Natalizio holds a Master’s degree in Counseling, and is an accredited Job and Career Transition Coach and a Certified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Practitioner. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Anoka Ramsey Community College teaching Career Development courses. Her specialty seminars including employee training and development, change management and one-on-one executive coaching make Joanie Natalizio one of the Twin Cities’ most respected business advisors in the areas of professional executive development.

You can purchase a copy of ‘Fast Track Guide to a Professional Job Search’ online from the publisher site or on Amazon. *this information came from the author’s website.

Next, I would like to introduce you to another book on the business book list on Amazon and on my reading list: ‘Enchantment’.

Enchantment

by Guy Kawasaki

enchantment

“Kawasaki provides insights so valuable we all wish we’d had them first.”
-Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence: Science and Practice

“Guy teaches you how to pull gems from people’s hearts and minds and how to become an effective practitioner of life’s crucial domains. Clearly, I taught him well.”
-Dr. Phil Zimbardo, professor emeritus of psychology, Stanford University

About the Book*

Enchantment, as defined by bestselling business guru Guy Kawasaki, is not about manipulating people. It transforms situations and relationships. It converts hostility into civility and civility into affinity. It changes the skeptics and cynics into the believers and the undecided into the loyal. Enchantment can happen during a retail transaction, a high-level corporate negotiation, or a Facebook update. And when done right, it’s more powerful than traditional persuasion, influence, or marketing techniques.

Kawasaki argues that in business and personal interactions, your goal is not merely to get what you want but to bring about a voluntary, enduring, and delightful change in other people. By enlisting their own goals and desires, by being likable and trustworthy, and by framing a cause that others can embrace, you can change hearts, minds, and actions. For instance, enchantment is what enabled . . .

* A Peace Corps volunteer to finesse a potentially violent confrontation with armed guerrillas.
* A small cable channel (E!) to win the TV broadcast rights to radio superstar Howard Stern.??
* A seemingly crazy new running shoe (Vibram Five Fingers) to methodically build a passionate customer base.??
* A Canadian crystal maker (Nova Scotian Crystal) to turn observers into buyers.

This book explains all the tactics you need to prepare and launch an enchantment campaign; to get the most from both push and pull technologies; and to enchant your customers, your employees, and even your boss. It shows how enchantment can turn difficult decisions your way, at times when intangibles mean more than hard facts. It will help you overcome other people’s entrenched habits and defy the not-always-wise “wisdom of the crowd.”

Kawasaki’s lessons are drawn from his tenure at one of the most enchanting organizations of all time, Apple, as well as his decades of experience as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. There are few people in the world more qualified to teach you how to enchant people.

As Kawasaki writes, “Want to change the world? Change caterpillars into butterflies? This takes more than run-of-the-mill relationships. You need to convince people to dream the same dream that you do.” That’s a big goal, but one that’s possible for all of us.

About Guy*:
Guy Kawasaki is the co-founder of Alltop.com, an “online magazine rack” of popular topics on the web, and a founding partner at Garage Technology Ventures. He is also a columnist for the Open Forum of American Express. Previously, he was the chief evangelist of Apple.

Mr. Kawasaki is the author of nine books including Enchantment, Reality Check, The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way.

Guy Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

*courtesy of book website and Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘Enchantment’ at Amazon.

5 Critical Questions for Your High Performing Team of Volunteers or Employees

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10-Point Plan: A High Performance Team

Keeping the Focus Is Fun

cooltext443809602_strategy

Whether we work for huge enterprise or help build the economy from your home, leaders know that we can only do so much on our own. To build a business that thrives, we need to rely on employees, partners, vendors, volunteers, and customer who pitch in to help us grow. It takes a team, a community to build anything that resembles a business. A great team can build a great business.

Anyone who’s assembled a great team knows that when you get the right people on the bus you make amazing things happen. And if you’ve been part of a team like that you probably also know that money isn’t what moves a team to greatness. As Peter Drucker realized, “money is a disincentive.” People notice when there’s not enough and it brings them down, but more doesn’t improve their performance in any predictable wya.

Those right people on the bus work for less money when they can do more …
more of the things that work,
more of the things they do well,
more of the things that get more done well,
more of the things that put meaning into what they do.

Those right people on the bus work for less money when they can do less …
less of the things that don’t work,
less of the things that they don’t do well.
less of the things that get in the way of great work — the meaningless work-like, useless,
out-of-date, without purpose, policy-driven, time-wasting, relationship-breaking, stupid tasks — in other words, things that make work rather than get work done.

Getting the right team going in the right direction is challenge in time when time is at a premium. It takes more than just telling everyone “Do what you do well. Delegate to others what they do better. And don’t do what we don’t need to do.” Still, if we can get that kind of focus and momentum going, we’re well on our way to business that is responsive to customers, highly performing, and structurally sound.

Nothing beats reflection, checking in regularly as benchmark test to be sure we’re moving in the right direction. Here are five questions you, your team, and your business should be asking and answering at least once a week.

  1. What is the goal? What are we trying to do or say this week?
  2. What is the strategy that drives us? Where do we want to be by the end of the week?
  3. What’s missing from the team? Have we got the right people doing the right things? Do we have too much of one skill set and not enough of another? Do we need to rearrange things?
  4. What’s right / wrong with the process / structure / culture? Who needs resources, room, or support to do their best work? Who’s doing the wrong work?
  5. What rewards are ours to claim? How can we leverage them? Do we define, measure, and reward the outcomes we seek?

People, teams, and businesses can get off track in big leaps, but we usually lose our way incrementally by losing focus while doing what worked in the past. If you use the five questions to keep challenging your direction, you’ll find that the team soon will see every decision strategically.

How do you keep the focus to grow the high-performance business you want?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

I’m a proud affiliate of

third-tribe-marketing

Liz Strauss – Titan of Web 2.0! Thank You, Davos, for the Honor!

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It Started with an Invitation to Speak in Davos

Davos, Switzerland, 21 February 2011, II World Forum “Communication on Top” took place in Swiss Davos at the end of last week. Trend-makers and key figures from communications industry participated in the Forum. Among them are top-managers of world-known companies like GALLUP, ENEL, EDELMAN, SPN Ogilvy, DELL, leaders of large-scale political and social projects in various countries, and world-famous “stars” in the area of consultancy and communications.

cooltext443794242_influence

Last year, I received an invitation from the project manager of the annual World Forum “Communication on Top”, held in Davos, Switzerland. The content is in the field of Communications, PR, Marketing, Social Media, and Corporate relations: http://www.forumdavos.com

The invitation offered me a keynote session and asked if I would be willing to participate as a nominee for the C4F awards ceremony in the category “Titan of Web 2.0.”

Being asked to speak in Davos is quite a heady experience. Switzerland is famous for great minds meeting at important events.

Such as this interview in which:
Garrett Johnston discusses

  • aritificial intelligence and the singularlity
  • understanding the reasons people consume what they consume
  • creative and uncreative consumers.
  • companies who do well in the crisis

 

“It’s a question of making the choice easier and more accurate for the consumer. It works for everybody and reduces friction.” he says.

Who Wouldn’t Want to Be at an Event Like that?

Unfortunately Switzerland is also an exclusive ticket to an entrepreneur in the launch phase of a new business. Though I’m usually quick flexible and creative at solving problems in ways that everyone wins, I also had a prior commitment to speak on the other side of the world in Las Vegas during the Davos event.

And my word is my word.

So we agreed that the keynote might wait until next year. Then we’d have proper time to plan for the event. Participation in the nomination moved forward, I met with Helen Brandt of the Davos Top of Communication World Forum Team — It was an early morning interview — 7 time zones apart — on Skype about what being a Titan of the Web might mean.

Here’s a bit of that … Liz Unplugged.

  • a titan – brings images of building things with elaboration and fluency
  • It’s not a titanic labor to raise a blog; it’s a titanic responsibility. You write a blog to connect with people. It’s conversation.
  • I love to show companies how an invitation is more exciting than a pitch. I love to teach the fun of negotiating from the same side of the table.
  • I love showing people how their values attract people who have the same values as they do.

 

“I love bringing people back to the common sense. There’s so much we can do to bring the world back to the community,” I said.

I had done all I might do to be ready for the Titan of Web 2.0 nomination. Now what was left was to be online during the presentation.

Enter the Titanic in the Titan

When I got to Las Vegas, I was set and ready. I tuned in before my event to watch an learn from the speakers. All was well. Then came the time for the presentations — 7pm in Switzerland / 10am in LasVegas and the livestream in my hotel crashed.

The rest is history. I wasn’t a part of the awards — the skype connection we prepared disappointed us with no service. It was time to go speak on my panel before the wifi came back up.

The panel at the conference in Las Vegas went well. The people were outstanding both on the panel, including that Leadership guy Terry Starbucker, and in the audience. We talked about how social media can change the face of a business and bring customers closer — close enough to build a brand up.

An hour later, when the panel was over, I discovered via Twitter this lovely tweet …

banner1-uus1
and-the-winner-is

 

And my partner, Terry, who was the first to say “congratulations,” now calls me Liss.
And every life event is worth the worry if you get a great story out of it.

Will I be at Davos next year? You can bet on it. I will be there not only to give that keynote, but to say a proper thank you, share my gratitude for this prestigious recognition

And I’ll try to learn some titan speak.

Blushing just a little, and saying thank you to the Davos Forum, to my friends, partners, and readers, — all of you who make everything I do worth every minute I spend doing it.

You’re the titans that keep this titan on the web.

Related links for more information about World Forum, “Communication on Top,” Davos, Switzerland:
http://forumdavos.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/comm_on_top (hashtag #topcom)
http://www.facebook.com/ForumDavos
http://www.youtube.com/user/forumdavoscom

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Social Media Book List: How Reliable is your Product & 42 Rules of Product Management

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow of Key Business Partners, LLC

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their book promotion and social media marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting two books; one is with an author I am working with and the other is on my “reading list”.

The books I cover in the Social Media Book List Series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘How Reliable is your Product: 50 Ways to Improve Product Reliability’

by Mike Silverman

How Reliable is Your Product

“After reading Mike’s ’50 Ways to Improve Product Reliability,’ I am impressed to state that if most people who want reliable products would execute fifty or sixty percent of what he is espousing, how great it would be for consumers. Instead of going into depth on each topic, Mike stays at a higher level to give a perspective of reliability within the product development lifecycle. If you need more in-depth knowledge on any of the techniques discussed in his book, you can easily contact a consulting firm such as Mike’s company, Ops A La Carte®, and get the educational or consulting expertise you need. I have known Mike
for over 15 years, and he is one of the most honest people I know. Feel free to get to know him and you will see what I am talking about. Enjoy his book!”
Harry McLean
Manager of Reliability, Advanced Energy Inc.
Author of HALT, HASS, and HASA Explained: Accelerated Reliability
Techniques

“’50 Ways to Improve Product Reliability’ is a great collection of ground-rules that are based upon experience. It describes a number of situations and presents practical examples of what engineers should do to be successful in the area of reliability. In a few examples it also indicates what should not be done in order to avoid problems. The book is organized according to the phases of a project and a maturity matrix is presented as a means to measure progress. Many examples show proactive use of reliability tools for hardware and software. All are accompanied by concise case studies showing how to apply tools and handle common situations. It is a must read for all engineers and managers who are involved with corporate-wide reliability improvement efforts.”
James McLinn, CRE, Fellow, ASQ

About the Book*:

Mike has focused on reliability throughout his 25-year career, and has observed the position of reliability in the organization evolve. In this book, he condenses his expertise and experience into a volume of immense practical worth to the engineering and engineering management communities including designers, manufacturing engineers and reliability/quality engineers.

Among other things, Mike discusses how reliability fits, or should fit, within the product design cycle. He provides a high-level overview of reliability techniques available to engineers today. He lucidly discusses the design of experiments and the role of failure management. With case studies and narratives from personal experience, Mike discusses optimal ways to utilize different reliability techniques. He highlights common errors of judgment, missteps and sub-optimal decisions that are often made within organizations on the path to total reliability.

With How Reliable is Your Product? Mike Silverman has delivered what few have done before–a comprehensive yet succinct overview of the field of reliability engineering and testing. Engineers and engineering managers will find much in this book of immediate, practical value.

About Mike*:
Throughout his 25-year career, Mike Silverman has maintained a singular focus on reliability. He is Founder of and Managing Partner at Ops A La Carte, a reliability engineering consultancy that helps customers build end-to-end reliability into their products.

He owns and operates HALT and HASS Labs, a reliability laboratory in Northern California that has now tested over 500 products. A Certified Reliability Engineer with over a dozen technical papers under his belt, Mike is currently President of the Silicon Valley IEEE Reliability Society.

You can purchase a copy of ‘How Reliable is your Product’ online from the publisher site or on Amazon. *this information came from the author’s website.

Next, I would like to introduce you to another book on the business book list on Amazon and on my reading list: ”.

42 Rules of Product Management

by Greg Cohen and Brian Lawley

This is very valuable for anyone involved with the process of taking products to market. With their extensive experience and contacts, Greg and Brian have gleaned insightful jewels from thought leaders in the product management field. The format is refreshing because you get a fresh perspective on each page since each author has to get their most important observations into two pages. It makes for great reading and, as with one of the other reviewers, I found myself finishing the whole book in one sitting and really enjoyed it.
Gary Parker – Amazon reviewer

Excellent chance to quickly gain great insights into the fine art of product management. Practical, useful topics. I’m proud to have been asked to contribute a chapter and be a part of this very timely book. This is information you can use today to build better products.
J. Cook – Amazon Reviewer

This is a great book for both experienced and new product managers as well as those in closely related responsibilities such as product marketing.

About the Book*
Packed with pearls of product management wisdom, this book has something for everyone. Best of all, it was written with the busy product manager in mind. Each rule is kept to two pages and designed to stand-on its own. They can be read in any order. In less than five minutes a day, you can learn from forty of the best product managers in the world.

’42 Rules of Product Management’ is a collection of product management wisdom from forty experts from around the world. With over five hundred years of combined hands-on product management and product marketing experience, the authors each shares one rule that they think is critical to know to succeed in product management. Whether you are a seasoned and experienced product manager or are just starting out, ’42 Rules of Product Management’ will help you lead with greater effectiveness and influence.

About Greg and Brian*:

Brian Lawley is the CEO and founder of the 280 Group. During his twenty five year career in Product Management and Product Marketing he has shipped more than fifty successful products. He is the former President of the Silicon Valley Product Management Association, won the 2008 AIPMM award for Excellence in Thought Leadership for Product Management and is the author of the best-selling books ‘Expert Product Management’ and ‘The Phenomenal Product Manager’. He is a Certified Product Manager and Certified Product Marketing Manager and has been featured on CNBC’s World Business Review and the Silicon Valley Business Report and writes articles for a variety of publications including the Product Management 2.0 newsletter and Blog.

Greg Cohen is a Senior Principal Consultant with the 280 Group and a 15 year Product Management veteran with extensive experience and knowledge of Agile development, a Certified Scrum Master, and former President of the Silicon Valley Product Management Association. He has worked and consulted to venture start-ups and large companies alike and has trained product managers throughout the world on Agile development, road mapping, feature prioritization, product lifecycle process, and product management assessment. Greg is the author of the book ‘Agile Excellence for Product Managers’ and a speaker and frequent commentator on product management issues.

*courtesy of book website and Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ’42 Rules of Product Management’ at Amazon.

So how do you check your product reliability in your business?

Negotiations: 3 Steps to a “YES” and a Great Relationship

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A Guest Post by
Zelko Kecman

cooltext443809602_strategy

We’ve all heard this when buying a car – “let me check with the manager and see what I can do for you”. The interesting thing for me is this also happens a lot in business and almost the same type of conversations. Someone almost always has to go away and ask for approval either on price or a clause in a contract.

Here are some simple principles that have worked for me over the years that will get you to a mutual Yes and more importantly won’t harm your relationship for future business. Lastly this is a very high level view as what I’ve outlined is generic for both business or personal. There are some additional considerations when dealing with very large organizations and large values.

I see negotiations in 3 phases, Preparation, Discussions and Done Deal. The more time you spend on step 1, the less time you’ll spend in 2 and you will be more likely to get to a good deal.

1) Preparation (aka Do your homework)

– #1 item is listing specifically what is most important to you. What is absolutely not negotiable and what is and how far. WRITE it down and be specific with the details.
– Leverage your network of friends and colleagues (that’s what Facebook and LinkedIn are for)
– Google, Bing, your own internal databases: look for other similar cases, going prices, reviews, what are you worth, how the company is doing, etc
– What role does the person you are going to be talk with have? Think of this, someone in procurement is measured by how much they get from the other side financially in most cases. Also is it month/qtr/year end?

2) Discussions

First of all, before you even get into the hard discussions and start throwing contracts or wants around, try to understand who you are dealing with. If you meet someone who is good at what they do, it almost always starts with seemingly harmless questions and discussion. The reason for this is to get a better sense on who that person is or what is important to them. Also, have faith the other person is being honest, but do not trust. I know this sounds harsh, but being naive will not serve you well.

Here’s a simple checklist during the discussions:
– Keep a cool head all the time, be friendly and keep emotion out of it.
– Be open to heated debate. Just don’t make it personal, keep it factual.
– For each item being discussed, clarify your intent. I can’t stress this one enough. Especially in legal terms, legal is not as black and white as people believe.
– Take notes on actions and decisions and owners of each
– Don’t commit to something unless you are 100% sure. Take it away to verify. Again, with the car, “so if I were to drop $xxx off you would buy the car?” – you’re response should be “let’s take a look at the whole deal and decide then”
– At the end review all the actions and decisions

At this point, you’re either getting closure on the deal or steps 1 and 2 will need to be done a few more times as people take away action items or revisions. Remember this is negotiations and you should be able to give on items (look at your list you wrote down in #1 and push on others you want. Also, it is very important to know that if you truly have 1 item left that there is no mutually agreeable way forward you should be able to step away from the situation and wish the other person well. If you can not you better be ready to give on that item then.

3) Done Deal

Great job, both you and the other person have come to an agreement. Neither side should walk away from the situation feeling like they got taken advantage of, if it does happen, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll never to business again. Close the conversation like it started with a friendly conversation and a follow up once you’ve completed the transaction. You never know when you will be back at the table and having a supporter of you will be important.

Lastly, getting to a point where you are comfortable with negotiations is not something you get from a course or book alone. It really is something that you need to do regularly. It can be with simple negotiations with your kids, spouse, stores, banks, anyone, you just have to be conscious that you are practicing your skills or in participating with others who are seasoned at it.

There are hundreds of resources out there for learning negotiations, however one of the best that I have seen as a starting point is “Getting To Yes” .

I love debate, discussion and comments so please feel free to let me know what you think.

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This blog post began as a Twitter conversation with Zelko Kecman – @zelkoCA – You can find out more about him through his linked in profile.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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