Market research is an essential tool in developing and differentiating brands and services But the research business is rapidly being disrupted by the encroachment of SaaS competitors, emerging methodologies, lower pricing and easier consumer access.
Change creates opportunity
The insights industry is clearly at a crossroads. We know that while disruption poses threats to business models, it also creates opportunity. The research and insights function has the opportunity to grow, though it must transform itself to thrive by improving communications, positioning and sales processes to demonstrate its organizational value. Therefore, we need to rethink the paradigm of the 150-slide Power Point data dump. Instead, brand stewards should focus on delivering compelling, contextualized, clearly elucidated and actionable insights that inspire rather than provoke. To be all those things, our work must tell a story.
To tell better stories researchers and marketers must optimize it use of media by thinking differently about delivery formats. These three paths to can begin your journey.
1. Think differently about presentations
Too many research presentations employ a narrative structure that focuses on the process, rather than the objectives of the research. A preferable approach is to focus on key objectives, putting calls to action, and takeaways, front and center. With a narrative approach, a deck might include a table of contents and a topline of insights followed by pages of dense data. In contrast, a deck with an objective-based structure outlines objectives and relevant insights/solutions. A well-crafted, objective-based deck organizes and curates data in support of those points as succinctly as possible.
2. Think differently about video
Brand stewards should consider how video formats are calibrated to the nature of the research messaging. Relevant formats to consider, include: movie trailers and documentary films. The choice should depend on what type of message is to be delivered. If it is a sales message, you want to inspire action and a movie trailer style may be preferable. That would ideally be quite short (:60 or less), with quick cut editing, dramatic music, and much less data and text. Alternatively, when you want to inform, a documentary style may be optimal.
On a completely separate note, one underutilized tool is sprinkling in video clips with actual consumer insights sessions. One method to consider is short excerpts of 1-2 minutes that bolster key points, problems to overcome, and opportunities. These video clips should be well edited, with a strong narrative structure. And, if you can capture actual footage from consumer sessions, it will enhance the impact of your videos.
3. Think differently about experience
Experiences are the other main distribution channel for research/insights. While share-out events are important, insight professionals often give short shrift to the experience and audience profile. One should experiment in both areas to maximize learnings and maintain audience attention. To heighten the experience, a variety of formats should be explored, whether styles of presentation, event formats, or otherwise. Brands might consider using actors to pose as target consumers, or feature articulate, charismatic consumers themselves.
It’s worth the effort to explore new event formats, such as live, “fishbowl” style events, in which consumers sit on a panel in real time, along with business people; then have the audience and speakers swap places. Unfortunately, when it comes to telling stories, we often neglect the consumers of our work. Oftentimes research socialization events have different audiences. Whether marketing, senior management, strategy/insights, sales or other constituencies, each event should be formatted and experiences calibrated to the motivations and level of knowledge of each audience.
As the market research industry continues to be challenged by disruptive business models and ever evolving consumer habits, presentations must change in profound ways. We must continue to improve our ability to communicate, to strategically position, and sell our work. To succeed, we must optimize media formats that communicate our deliverables and the marketing stories we tell.
About the Author
Kory Grushka is the founder of Stories Company, a creative agency that helps business leaders tell critical stories through presentations, video/animation, infographics and dashboards, among other tools. Kory is a creative director, strategist, business development executive and former corporate lawyer. He has extensive experience in a variety of industries, having managed brand strategy, innovation and design projects for Fortune 500 companies ranging from CPG to technology.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/mic-1132528_1280.jpg8471280Sharon Kastorianohttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngSharon Kastoriano2019-05-09 08:00:522019-05-09 22:37:01Market Researchers Must Master Storytelling
Where does an idea come from? It’s a debatable question, and one that likely invokes an image of classic cartoons and lightbulbs above heads. In real life, those “eureka!” moments most commonly crop up at unexpected times; you might be in the shower, or taking the garbage out, when suddenly the solution to a problem you’ve been working so desperately to solve, freely presents itself – and you weren’t even thinking about it! This is no modern phenomenon, either. We all know the iconic story of Sir Isaac Newton and the proverbial apple which hit him on the head at just the right moment, so that alas, the beginnings of his theory on gravity was born. What you might not know, however, is that other such instances of lightning strikes of inspiration are documented throughout the history books and span well into the present day. One thing connects these incredible moments of realisation: daydreaming.
In our productivity-obsessed world, “daydreaming” is not a popular concept. After all, who has time to sit with their feet up, lost to the world, while notifications overflow their many digital devices? Our modern culture sees daydreaming as either a luxury or just plain laziness – but in reality, focused daydreaming is a powerful tool of ideation that businesses cannot afford to overlook. If the mind is a machine, daydreaming is the oil that keeps the cogs moving. From writer’s block, to tricky problems, trying to force ideas only tightens everything up; hence pushing forward becomes impossible. Businesses that welcome daydreaming see the value in letting employees get up from their desk so they can spend some time going for a wander or relaxing in a new environment. This space to breathe will be far more effective in producing top ideas and creative solutions to problems than getting someone to force it out through hard work ever could be.
To harness the power of focused daydreaming, you have to make it practical. As nice as looking out the window thinking about dinner might be, it’s unlikely to produce any ground-breaking ideas. Perhaps you’re wondering how then, on occasion, good ideas come to you at random times? The answer lies in the separation of the conscious and unconscious brain. While you’re thinking of other things, your subconscious keeps ticking over in the background. This is where goal-oriented thinking comes in; for daydreaming to be productive, it is key you marry the goals of your two distinct minds. Fuel your brain by doing your homework. Spend some time gathering and processing all the relevant information – remember, you don’t have to do anything with it just yet, you just need to make sure you have good knowledge of all the relevant resources. With your mind full of information, switch off and do something else for 30 to 60 minutes. Have a coffee, go for a walk, doodle, listen to music – whatever it is that suits you, totally remove yourself from the problem for that block of time. When you come back, you’ll likely find that fresh ideas and solutions are suddenly available to you – and if they’re not, try the process again. Take breaks, breathe; the lower the pressure, the more likely you are to actually discover the answer you’re searching for.
For the remaining daydream skeptics, just take a look at some of the world’s most prominent geniuses and artists. Einstein credits daydreaming – or what he called his ‘thought experiments’ – with some of his greatest achievements, having apparently come up with his theory of relativity whilst imagining the journey he’d take sitting on a beam of light. The composer Mozart would daydream about music while on walks through the tranquil countryside, allowing the sounds of nature to become the foundation of his later compositions. Thomas Edison had an unusual technique wherein he’d hold ball bearings whilst relaxing, as he began to fall asleep, he’d drop the balls thus waking himself up so he could note down any ideas that came to him. The list of daydream advocates is long and embellished with innovators, but there is only one way you can prove the power of daydreaming in business to yourself and colleagues: that is to try it. So wise up, walk away, and discover what new and inventive solutions come to you whilst thinking of other things – so you can finally achieve that “Eureka!” moment.
About the Author
Chris Griffiths, author of The Creative Thinking Handbook: Your Step-By-Step Guide To Problem Solving In Business, is founder and CEO of OpenGenius. Griffiths has helped thousands of people worldwide drive business growth using highly practical innovation processes, including teams and individuals from Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies, the United Nations, governments, the European Commission and Nobel Laureates. He is a pioneer in combining creative thinking strategies with technology to enhance productivity and is behind the iMindMap and DropTask apps, now utilized by over two million people worldwide.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/9780749484668.jpg18001200StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2019-05-09 07:00:482019-05-09 22:45:54Rethinking Daydreaming: Why A Wandering Mind Benefits Business
There are so many things that go into making any kind of business truly successful in the modern age. The truth is that trying to keep up with all of the things that you have to deal with as a business owner can actually be somewhat overwhelming. The main issue is trying to figure out what needs to be at the top of the list of your priorities. A lot of different people will give you different answers to this question. They will say that you need to focus on marketing your business. Others will insist that you need to pay attention to your bottom line above all things. Others will say that keeping up with the times should be your number one priority. However, the truth is that the thing that you should really be paying the most attention to combines all of these things together. The truth is that the one thing that you need to be focusing on more than anything else is your customer base. Your customers are the only reason that your business is something real and not just another pipe dream and you need to make sure that you’re connecting with them properly. However, that can often be something of a challenge. With that in mind, here are some things that you can do to connect more effectively with your customers.
Understanding them
The first thing that you have to understand when it comes to making sure that you’re connecting with your customers is that you have to understand who your customers actually are. There are plenty of great businesses that come up with incredibly effective marketing techniques that still end up failing because they haven’t actually figured out their demographic. This isn’t just a matter of knowing the vague age groups or gender of your target audience. You need to be able to understand your target customers well enough that you can create a clear and detailed profile of them. That way you can not only tailor your marketing to them but you can tailor all aspects of your business in such a way that it is going to be as appealing to them as possible.
Understanding the modern landscape
Of course, it’s not just your customers you need to understand, you also need to understand the context that both you and they are in. The most important change that has come about in terms of how businesses and customers relate to one another is that people generally aren’t as receptive to traditional advertising as they might once have been. Not only that but they often actually find more overt and traditional forms of advertising frustrating and distasteful. Ads are skipped at the start of Youtube videos and pop-ups are closed almost instantly. Customers are interested in content in the modern era and you need to be sure that you’re providing them with just that. Just look at the way that a lot of brands are using social media these days. They’re not just advertising their products. They’re talking to people, making jokes, creating an emotional connection that is essential to building a relationship with customers in the modern era.
Embracing new technology
Technology has also played a major part in the way that businesses connect with their customers. The internet and social media are obvious examples of this but there are ways to go beyond that in how you embrace modern technology. Something that allows you to queue up social media posts on sites like Twitter or your business’s blog means that you’re able to keep up with a clear upload schedule while still focusing on other elements of your business. A few weeks is a lifetime online so a service like that is incredibly valuable. A chatbot on your website is also incredibly useful since it lets you automate a degree of your customer service and remove any barrier between your customers and the information and support they need. Check out this bot building resource page for information how to really get the most out of your website. These might not be the biggest changes in the world, but they’re the kinds of things that can make a huge difference.
Going beyond marketing
The idea of the chatbot raises an interesting point in terms of how you might need to change the way that you’re thinking about connecting with your customers. Most of the time this idea is focussed around marketing, which is certainly important. However, it’s also important to understand that your relationship with your customers goes way beyond marketing. You also need to think about the support and customer service that you’re offering at every stage of your customer’s interaction with your business. Otherwise, you’re going to be putting in plenty of effort into bringing in customers, but no effort into keeping them.
Putting in the effort
Speaking of effort. It’s essential to understand that if you want to connect with your customers in a meaningful way, you have to be willing to put the work in. This is not a part of your business that you can set aside until it’s convenient. It’s an integral part of your business from the very start and if you’re not paying it enough attention, you’re going to end up in trouble.
Of course, it’s essential to understand that this is far from the only thing that you have to worry about when it comes to trying to really make your business the best it can possibly be. The reality is that you need to give the same level of care and attention to every single part of your business because if you don’t then you’re going to end up dropping the ball. It can often feel like you’re spinning plates and keeping them all level can be an exhausting challenge. But that’s just the nature of the beast when it comes to running your own business. It’s the choice that you need to be sure of before you dive in for good. You need to be sure that you’re the kind of person who can handle the pressure and challenge that comes with running any kind of business at all.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/black-friday-buying-casual-1068527.jpg8221200StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2019-05-09 07:00:072019-05-09 01:52:58Are You Connecting With Your Customers?
When embarking on a career, there are a number of goals that most of us want to achieve. The most obvious goal is the desire to earn enough to live on comfortably; enough for a stable home environment and, if possible, a few treats along the way. Secondary goals tend to include a pleasant working experience – getting on with colleagues, feeling valued, and so on and so forth – as well as a work-life balance that allows us to work to live, rather than live to work.
However, there is one goal that tends to be, at best, overlooked – which is somewhat surprising, given its importance to our overall well-being. The goal in question? Career fulfilment.
What is career fulfilment?
The concept of career fulfilment is, as one would expect, a desire to feel fulfilled – in some way – by the work we do. On a basic level, fulfillment is simply a way to achieve a sense of satisfaction from your career; a satisfaction that comes not from the wage you earn and the lifestyle you are subsequently able to afford, but from the work itself.
Career fulfillment is most commonly associated with careers that serve a greater good or improve the lives of others; careers like that of Cynthia Telles, which take a passion and turn it into a vocation. However, any career can offer a sense of fulfilment; some careers are more likely to offer fulfilment but any type of career can under the right circumstances be fulfilling in its own way.
How common is career fulfilment?
Unfortunately, not particularly. A huge number of people work for their entire lives without achieving true fulfilment – and for some individuals, that works just fine. Particularly in financial and city-related jobs, many individuals choose to work extremely hard in a role they don’t really care about, with the goal of retiring early. For these people, fulfilment is not a necessary aim; the end – early retirement – justifies the means, and they are willing to tolerate even an unpleasant decade or so, as long as they meet their eventual FIRE goal.
However, for those not focused on FIRE but instead just trying to make a living, fulfilment becomes more important – but it remains incredibly rare. A surprisingly large number of people dislike their job, and only 33% of workers are fully engaged with their role; which, given that engagement is more likely to lead to fulfilment, is concerning.
Why is fulfilment so uncommon?
The reason many people work without career fulfilment varies wildly. Some people just need to earn a living; what they do, or how fulfilled they feel, is fairly unimportant. For others, the work itself does not – and cannot – offer significant fulfilment. What’s more, some people don’t even see fulfillment as particularly important; even those who are not aiming for FIRE may be more than content to simply work comfortably, earning what they need to live on, and look for nothing more.
As a result, career fulfillment is best thought of as a concept that is important for some people. For others, it would be nice to have, but far from crucial – we all have different priorities in life, after all. However, this does beg the question…
What happens if fulfillment is important to you, but your career is not fulfilling?
The above circumstance is the worst case scenario: you may be someone for whom fulfillment is incredibly important, but you do not find that your existing role – or even your entire career – offers this fulfillment. The consequences of working in such a scenario can be extremely challenging, leading to dissatisfaction, unhappiness, stress, and even an exacerbation of underlying health conditions.
How can you tell if you are lacking in career fulfillment?
Common signs of poor career fulfilment include:
Disinterest in the work itself; you do not feel excited or enthused by the work you have to do
Frequent absenteeism; you will more readily take sick days and will usually try to use all of your available vacation days
Malaise or even depression during the working week, which tends to lift in the evenings or on weekends – i.e. times when you are not working
What can you do if you are not achieving career fulfilment, but want to?
First and foremost, it’s worth considering other methods of achieving a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction outside of the workplace, as some people find that this can help them to better manage their overall career concerns. After all, if your hobbies or out-of-work activities offer a sense of fulfilment, then achieving this from your career may become less important. You could, for example, consider volunteering or fundraising for a cause close to your heart in your spare time, and switch to trying to see the work you do as a means to an end.
However, if you find the above is not sufficient – or you simply want to achieve fulfilment in your career rather than your personal time – then switching careers is likely to be the best choice.
Which careers should you consider switching to?
As we touched on above, while careers that can be considered meaningful are arguably more likely to offer career fulfilment, any career may be suitable. It’s just important to try and focus on a career where you feel that you would be happy with the work itself; where you feel that your contribution would be valuable (not necessarily in terms of money) in some way. To that end, it might be worth considering volunteering initially, so you can try out a few different ideas and see which affords you the most fulfilling experience.
In conclusion
Career fulfilment is not an essential – many people can spend their entire working lives without career fulfilment, but remain happy and content with this fact. However, if career fulfilment is important to you personally, then making a change that allows you to achieve the fulfilment you require could well be the right choice for your future happiness and well-being.
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The construction industry has always been well respected while also being at the center of a global focus for pollution. Poor air quality is a big deal, and the construction industry is always in the spotlight due to the way the pollutants hit the air. It’s construction that is a number one polluter, and yet there are so many things that companies in the business could be doing to clean up their act.
The air we breathe and the grounds that you work on all need to be cared for properly to avoid adding anything more to the environment than is necessary. Your strategy should take into account the space your teams work in around the country, too. Taking all of that into consideration, you can check out the four things that you could be doing to build a sustainable construction site from today.
Look At Your Premises. As a lot of pollution comes directly from the building sites and the transportation used in the business of construction, and it’s important that you get as much information about zero valent iron and other safe remediation products to remove pollutants from the soil outside. Your site should be energy efficient, and you should be able to use as many renewable sources as possible while you and your team work.
Remove Waste Safely. Construction sites often emanate waste, and the contribution to waste streams means that construction is never really considered as sustainable. An effective waste management policy is essential for your business, and if you want to combat the sustainability issues with your company, you need to look deeper.
Make Your Transport As Economical As Possible. At the moment, transport on the road is a significant contributor to carbon dioxide emissions. If your drivers aren’t efficient on the road or with the vehicles on site, you will not be as eco-friendly as you would like. You can switch to cars that are more efficient with fuel, and if you source as many materials locally as possible, you can reduce the impact on the environment, which will be a positive thing in the long run.
Efficient Equipment. As well as making sure that you are using the right materials to remediate the grounds you are working within, you also need to ensure that you are using renewable options for equipment where possible. This also means using fuels of a high-quality, and this means choosing the right equipment for your site from day one. The equipment here can include the generator, as you want to use generators that fit your needs.
The construction industry is working hard to remain responsible in the industry, and your business should be taking a stand, too. Operating a carbon reduction strategy is just one of many ways that you could do well for the environment, and you can get started today to do better for the world.
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Business Programs
Market Researchers Must Master Storytelling
/in Marketing & Sales/by Kory GrushkaChange creates opportunity
The insights industry is clearly at a crossroads. We know that while disruption poses threats to business models, it also creates opportunity. The research and insights function has the opportunity to grow, though it must transform itself to thrive by improving communications, positioning and sales processes to demonstrate its organizational value. Therefore, we need to rethink the paradigm of the 150-slide Power Point data dump. Instead, brand stewards should focus on delivering compelling, contextualized, clearly elucidated and actionable insights that inspire rather than provoke. To be all those things, our work must tell a story.
To tell better stories researchers and marketers must optimize it use of media by thinking differently about delivery formats. These three paths to can begin your journey.
1. Think differently about presentations
Too many research presentations employ a narrative structure that focuses on the process, rather than the objectives of the research. A preferable approach is to focus on key objectives, putting calls to action, and takeaways, front and center. With a narrative approach, a deck might include a table of contents and a topline of insights followed by pages of dense data. In contrast, a deck with an objective-based structure outlines objectives and relevant insights/solutions. A well-crafted, objective-based deck organizes and curates data in support of those points as succinctly as possible.
2. Think differently about video
Brand stewards should consider how video formats are calibrated to the nature of the research messaging. Relevant formats to consider, include: movie trailers and documentary films. The choice should depend on what type of message is to be delivered. If it is a sales message, you want to inspire action and a movie trailer style may be preferable. That would ideally be quite short (:60 or less), with quick cut editing, dramatic music, and much less data and text. Alternatively, when you want to inform, a documentary style may be optimal.
On a completely separate note, one underutilized tool is sprinkling in video clips with actual consumer insights sessions. One method to consider is short excerpts of 1-2 minutes that bolster key points, problems to overcome, and opportunities. These video clips should be well edited, with a strong narrative structure. And, if you can capture actual footage from consumer sessions, it will enhance the impact of your videos.
3. Think differently about experience
Experiences are the other main distribution channel for research/insights. While share-out events are important, insight professionals often give short shrift to the experience and audience profile. One should experiment in both areas to maximize learnings and maintain audience attention. To heighten the experience, a variety of formats should be explored, whether styles of presentation, event formats, or otherwise. Brands might consider using actors to pose as target consumers, or feature articulate, charismatic consumers themselves.
It’s worth the effort to explore new event formats, such as live, “fishbowl” style events, in which consumers sit on a panel in real time, along with business people; then have the audience and speakers swap places. Unfortunately, when it comes to telling stories, we often neglect the consumers of our work. Oftentimes research socialization events have different audiences. Whether marketing, senior management, strategy/insights, sales or other constituencies, each event should be formatted and experiences calibrated to the motivations and level of knowledge of each audience.
As the market research industry continues to be challenged by disruptive business models and ever evolving consumer habits, presentations must change in profound ways. We must continue to improve our ability to communicate, to strategically position, and sell our work. To succeed, we must optimize media formats that communicate our deliverables and the marketing stories we tell.
About the Author
Rethinking Daydreaming: Why A Wandering Mind Benefits Business
/in Innovation/by Chris GriffithsIn our productivity-obsessed world, “daydreaming” is not a popular concept. After all, who has time to sit with their feet up, lost to the world, while notifications overflow their many digital devices? Our modern culture sees daydreaming as either a luxury or just plain laziness – but in reality, focused daydreaming is a powerful tool of ideation that businesses cannot afford to overlook. If the mind is a machine, daydreaming is the oil that keeps the cogs moving. From writer’s block, to tricky problems, trying to force ideas only tightens everything up; hence pushing forward becomes impossible. Businesses that welcome daydreaming see the value in letting employees get up from their desk so they can spend some time going for a wander or relaxing in a new environment. This space to breathe will be far more effective in producing top ideas and creative solutions to problems than getting someone to force it out through hard work ever could be.
To harness the power of focused daydreaming, you have to make it practical. As nice as looking out the window thinking about dinner might be, it’s unlikely to produce any ground-breaking ideas. Perhaps you’re wondering how then, on occasion, good ideas come to you at random times? The answer lies in the separation of the conscious and unconscious brain. While you’re thinking of other things, your subconscious keeps ticking over in the background. This is where goal-oriented thinking comes in; for daydreaming to be productive, it is key you marry the goals of your two distinct minds. Fuel your brain by doing your homework. Spend some time gathering and processing all the relevant information – remember, you don’t have to do anything with it just yet, you just need to make sure you have good knowledge of all the relevant resources. With your mind full of information, switch off and do something else for 30 to 60 minutes. Have a coffee, go for a walk, doodle, listen to music – whatever it is that suits you, totally remove yourself from the problem for that block of time. When you come back, you’ll likely find that fresh ideas and solutions are suddenly available to you – and if they’re not, try the process again. Take breaks, breathe; the lower the pressure, the more likely you are to actually discover the answer you’re searching for.
For the remaining daydream skeptics, just take a look at some of the world’s most prominent geniuses and artists. Einstein credits daydreaming – or what he called his ‘thought experiments’ – with some of his greatest achievements, having apparently come up with his theory of relativity whilst imagining the journey he’d take sitting on a beam of light. The composer Mozart would daydream about music while on walks through the tranquil countryside, allowing the sounds of nature to become the foundation of his later compositions. Thomas Edison had an unusual technique wherein he’d hold ball bearings whilst relaxing, as he began to fall asleep, he’d drop the balls thus waking himself up so he could note down any ideas that came to him. The list of daydream advocates is long and embellished with innovators, but there is only one way you can prove the power of daydreaming in business to yourself and colleagues: that is to try it. So wise up, walk away, and discover what new and inventive solutions come to you whilst thinking of other things – so you can finally achieve that “Eureka!” moment.
About the Author
Are You Connecting With Your Customers?
/in Customer Relationship Management/by StrategyDrivenUnderstanding them
The first thing that you have to understand when it comes to making sure that you’re connecting with your customers is that you have to understand who your customers actually are. There are plenty of great businesses that come up with incredibly effective marketing techniques that still end up failing because they haven’t actually figured out their demographic. This isn’t just a matter of knowing the vague age groups or gender of your target audience. You need to be able to understand your target customers well enough that you can create a clear and detailed profile of them. That way you can not only tailor your marketing to them but you can tailor all aspects of your business in such a way that it is going to be as appealing to them as possible.
Understanding the modern landscape
Of course, it’s not just your customers you need to understand, you also need to understand the context that both you and they are in. The most important change that has come about in terms of how businesses and customers relate to one another is that people generally aren’t as receptive to traditional advertising as they might once have been. Not only that but they often actually find more overt and traditional forms of advertising frustrating and distasteful. Ads are skipped at the start of Youtube videos and pop-ups are closed almost instantly. Customers are interested in content in the modern era and you need to be sure that you’re providing them with just that. Just look at the way that a lot of brands are using social media these days. They’re not just advertising their products. They’re talking to people, making jokes, creating an emotional connection that is essential to building a relationship with customers in the modern era.
Technology has also played a major part in the way that businesses connect with their customers. The internet and social media are obvious examples of this but there are ways to go beyond that in how you embrace modern technology. Something that allows you to queue up social media posts on sites like Twitter or your business’s blog means that you’re able to keep up with a clear upload schedule while still focusing on other elements of your business. A few weeks is a lifetime online so a service like that is incredibly valuable. A chatbot on your website is also incredibly useful since it lets you automate a degree of your customer service and remove any barrier between your customers and the information and support they need. Check out this bot building resource page for information how to really get the most out of your website. These might not be the biggest changes in the world, but they’re the kinds of things that can make a huge difference.
Going beyond marketing
The idea of the chatbot raises an interesting point in terms of how you might need to change the way that you’re thinking about connecting with your customers. Most of the time this idea is focussed around marketing, which is certainly important. However, it’s also important to understand that your relationship with your customers goes way beyond marketing. You also need to think about the support and customer service that you’re offering at every stage of your customer’s interaction with your business. Otherwise, you’re going to be putting in plenty of effort into bringing in customers, but no effort into keeping them.
Putting in the effort
Speaking of effort. It’s essential to understand that if you want to connect with your customers in a meaningful way, you have to be willing to put the work in. This is not a part of your business that you can set aside until it’s convenient. It’s an integral part of your business from the very start and if you’re not paying it enough attention, you’re going to end up in trouble.
Of course, it’s essential to understand that this is far from the only thing that you have to worry about when it comes to trying to really make your business the best it can possibly be. The reality is that you need to give the same level of care and attention to every single part of your business because if you don’t then you’re going to end up dropping the ball. It can often feel like you’re spinning plates and keeping them all level can be an exhausting challenge. But that’s just the nature of the beast when it comes to running your own business. It’s the choice that you need to be sure of before you dive in for good. You need to be sure that you’re the kind of person who can handle the pressure and challenge that comes with running any kind of business at all.
The Quest For Career Fulfillment
/in Professional Development/by StrategyDrivenHowever, there is one goal that tends to be, at best, overlooked – which is somewhat surprising, given its importance to our overall well-being. The goal in question? Career fulfilment.
What is career fulfilment?
The concept of career fulfilment is, as one would expect, a desire to feel fulfilled – in some way – by the work we do. On a basic level, fulfillment is simply a way to achieve a sense of satisfaction from your career; a satisfaction that comes not from the wage you earn and the lifestyle you are subsequently able to afford, but from the work itself.
Career fulfillment is most commonly associated with careers that serve a greater good or improve the lives of others; careers like that of Cynthia Telles, which take a passion and turn it into a vocation. However, any career can offer a sense of fulfilment; some careers are more likely to offer fulfilment but any type of career can under the right circumstances be fulfilling in its own way.
How common is career fulfilment?
Unfortunately, not particularly. A huge number of people work for their entire lives without achieving true fulfilment – and for some individuals, that works just fine. Particularly in financial and city-related jobs, many individuals choose to work extremely hard in a role they don’t really care about, with the goal of retiring early. For these people, fulfilment is not a necessary aim; the end – early retirement – justifies the means, and they are willing to tolerate even an unpleasant decade or so, as long as they meet their eventual FIRE goal.
However, for those not focused on FIRE but instead just trying to make a living, fulfilment becomes more important – but it remains incredibly rare. A surprisingly large number of people dislike their job, and only 33% of workers are fully engaged with their role; which, given that engagement is more likely to lead to fulfilment, is concerning.
Why is fulfilment so uncommon?
The reason many people work without career fulfilment varies wildly. Some people just need to earn a living; what they do, or how fulfilled they feel, is fairly unimportant. For others, the work itself does not – and cannot – offer significant fulfilment. What’s more, some people don’t even see fulfillment as particularly important; even those who are not aiming for FIRE may be more than content to simply work comfortably, earning what they need to live on, and look for nothing more.
As a result, career fulfillment is best thought of as a concept that is important for some people. For others, it would be nice to have, but far from crucial – we all have different priorities in life, after all. However, this does beg the question…
What happens if fulfillment is important to you, but your career is not fulfilling?
The above circumstance is the worst case scenario: you may be someone for whom fulfillment is incredibly important, but you do not find that your existing role – or even your entire career – offers this fulfillment. The consequences of working in such a scenario can be extremely challenging, leading to dissatisfaction, unhappiness, stress, and even an exacerbation of underlying health conditions.
How can you tell if you are lacking in career fulfillment?
Common signs of poor career fulfilment include:
What can you do if you are not achieving career fulfilment, but want to?
First and foremost, it’s worth considering other methods of achieving a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction outside of the workplace, as some people find that this can help them to better manage their overall career concerns. After all, if your hobbies or out-of-work activities offer a sense of fulfilment, then achieving this from your career may become less important. You could, for example, consider volunteering or fundraising for a cause close to your heart in your spare time, and switch to trying to see the work you do as a means to an end.
However, if you find the above is not sufficient – or you simply want to achieve fulfilment in your career rather than your personal time – then switching careers is likely to be the best choice.
As we touched on above, while careers that can be considered meaningful are arguably more likely to offer career fulfilment, any career may be suitable. It’s just important to try and focus on a career where you feel that you would be happy with the work itself; where you feel that your contribution would be valuable (not necessarily in terms of money) in some way. To that end, it might be worth considering volunteering initially, so you can try out a few different ideas and see which affords you the most fulfilling experience.
In conclusion
Career fulfilment is not an essential – many people can spend their entire working lives without career fulfilment, but remain happy and content with this fact. However, if career fulfilment is important to you personally, then making a change that allows you to achieve the fulfilment you require could well be the right choice for your future happiness and well-being.
Four Things You Could Be Doing For A More Sustainable Construction Biz
/in Managing Your Business/by StrategyDrivenThe air we breathe and the grounds that you work on all need to be cared for properly to avoid adding anything more to the environment than is necessary. Your strategy should take into account the space your teams work in around the country, too. Taking all of that into consideration, you can check out the four things that you could be doing to build a sustainable construction site from today.
The construction industry is working hard to remain responsible in the industry, and your business should be taking a stand, too. Operating a carbon reduction strategy is just one of many ways that you could do well for the environment, and you can get started today to do better for the world.