Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 10, 2016 | Worcester Business Journal 17 10 T H I NG S I know about... Making an impact with elected officials By Pat Lawlor Pat Lawlor is the public affairs manager at the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. Reach him at plawlor@northcentralmass. com. 10) Communicate. Regular communication with elected officials – not just when you need their help – will go a long way in relationship building. Inviting them to events and sharing news will keep them engaged. 9) Appreciate the staff. Elected officials are pulled in every direction, which makes their staff essential. Never underestimate the influence staffers can have on their boss's decisions. 8) Leverage social media. Elected officials love using Facebook to show constituents the work they are doing. Like, share, re-tweet and stay engaged with your legislator's social media account. 7) Lobbying is not the same as selling. Lawmakers are smart people, and they know when they are being duped – don't go with the hard sell. Effective lobbying is all about education. 6) Don't take things personal. Sometimes things won't go your way. Whether it is a program that doesn't get funded or a bill is ordered to further study – your elected official is one of many. Work on a new strategy, and don't let a loss ruin your relationship with a lawmaker. 5) Numbers and data matter When making a case, bring plenty of numbers and data that help your cause. Whether you are speaking with a mayor, senator or city councilor – they all want to make informed decisions. Compelling data and information can help influence decisions. 4) Don't assume you are on a first name basis. Running for office commands a certain amount of respect. Referring to elected officials by their title shows a level of respect they will appreciate. Chances are they will say, "Call me Joe" – but don't risk it. 3) There is power in numbers. If there are others who share your goal – team up, write joint letters and attend meetings together – show that you are not in this alone. 2) Consult with the experts. If you are a member of an association, chamber of commerce or other industry group, seek their assistance or look at their resources. Name recognition and experience navigating government can go a long way. 1) Keep your cool. Always remain professional and respectful – losing your cool will only lose your credibility. K N O W H O W How to humanize your brand to attract, persuade and retain your customers O nce upon a time, in a faraway land, an eccen- tric entrepreneur with a habit of going against the grain asked himself: "How can I do a better job of connect- ing with my audiences?" To find an answer, he knew he'd have to embark on a dangerous journey. He packed up his "Marketing for Dummies" book, a loaf of bread and his smartphone (of course) and head- ed toward the abyss of uncertainty. On his journey, he was met by three spirits: the ghosts of PPC, SEO and ROI. Each attempted to convince him that they alone had the answer he sought. But he resisted their temptations. They each had a role to play, he said to himself, but there had to be more. His journey inevitably led him to the great and all-knowing Google, who promised him that the answer was in analytics and data. "No!" he proclaimed, as he shook his fist with a nervous anger. "Numbers alone are not enough!" He continued on his way, as he fought off the doldrums of despair that began to creep in. Then one evening, as he opened his journal to record the day's events, it dawned on him – if he wanted to con- nect with the people who'd become his customers, he'd have to stop thinking like a business and start thinking like a human. It was then that he resigned to focus his efforts on humanizing his brand. There's no way to tell for sure, but I'm certain he – and his business – lived happily ever after. Behind the demographics and data that marketers are known to obsess over are men, women and children who yearn for – and respond to – one simple thing: human interaction. Tell the actual story of your company Each company has an origin. What's yours? This isn't the time for you to pat yourself on the back and focus only on your accomplishments. The human experience is flawed and varied. Your brand's story is too. Discuss the late nights, the chewed S uccession planning – continuing effective performance of an orga- nization by making provisions to replace key people over time – should never be an afterthought when consid- ering the operational structure of a company. Good succession planning should begin with hiring; it's key to ensuring business strength and growth. Here are three points to keep in mind as you consider your successor. Know that the lack of a good successor could hinder your career path. Leaders who insist on becoming indispensable, controlling all decisions and hiring marginal talent may be passed over for promotion. "I see exec- utives who hire good people but they do not hire individuals strong enough to be the executive's replacement … Executives need to empower, trust and build competent leaders," writes Kimberly Whitler at Forbes.com, or risk staying in the same position. Don't be a rescuer. A rescuer is a term used by succession planning expert Marshall Goldsmith to describe executives who can't spot a coachable potential successor. "Rescuers tend to see the good in everybody and think every employee can be resuscitated," he tells Forbes.com. "An executive who believes in loyalty and sometimes will invest too much in people he deems loyal to him, when in fact, they may not have the full complement of skills needed to stay in their role," making it difficult to elevate the right talent. Pair your successor with a men- tor. A mentor-mentee relationship is key in professional development; it will bring your successor a new perspective and valuable wisdom. The mentor could be someone who is already a member of your team or someone from the inside, says David Ciambella at SeekingSuccession.com. "Mentors will- ingly share their knowledge, wisdom and experience as well as provide impartial advice on issues your succes- sor may encounter," he writes. BY KHAM INTHIARATH Special to the Worcester Business Journal BY SUSAN SHALHOUB Special to the Worcester Business Journal 10 1: S U C C E S S I O N P L A N N I N G W W fingernails, the moment when you almost gave up but didn't. Your customers will feel more connected if they can relate to your history. Pro tip: Keep this story short and to the point. Consider using a timeline approach, rather than a long-winded essay-like diatribe, and avoid relying on industry jargon. Prove people are behind the curtain The easiest way to humanize your brand is to highlight the humans behind your brand. Consider publishing weekly employee spotlights on social media. Use Instagram to show what life is like at the office. Encourage your employees to share their personalities with every piece of content you share. Never forget it's about customers It's easy to get caught up in your brand story and focus attention on your company. This is the wrong approach. Brand storytelling is inevi- tably about your customers, and the value they get when they engage with you. Incorporate that within your marketing messaging, and you're sure to connect with your prospects on a far more humanistic and meaningful level. Kham Inthirath is the founder and president of Worcester digital marketing agency Envision Digital Group. W Kham Inthiarath, founder and president, Envision Digital Group

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