Why Execution Is as Important as Innovation

Posted on October 27, 2011 by cara

It seems like no one can agree on the economy — and some of us are ready to #OccupyKlout this week — but everyone can agree that we love innovation. In my series about innovation and entrepreneurs, I talked with client Don Steiner, founder and president of Profit Recovery Partners LLC. PRP is a Remarx Media client that provides economic stimulus to CFOs today. Don stresses that innovation doesn’t happen in isolation; you have to deliver on your outstanding ideas with a well-honed team. Read on to learn more and let us know your comments and questions.

1. How do you define innovation?

Innovation is thinking outside the box with commitment to execution.

2. Give us an example of innovation within your organization this year.

Our reinvention is our best example. We examined our limits to growth with our current structure. We identified our limitations, restructured our company to find deeper savings, processed to achieve savings 200 percent faster, increased service to our clients, raised the bar for employees (through sales skills, presentation skills and strategic thinking) and now have a scalable organization. The execution of this is a two-year project changing the current function of 80 employees while maintaining the highest levels of service to our clients.

3. How do you see the results of innovation created by PRP?

All innovations must have a plan, timeline and measurable results (revenue increase or reduction in cost).

4. PRP often works with entrepreneurs. Tell us one story about how you made a difference to an entrepreneur.

Creating jobs. PRP has reduced costs for its clients, which have saved jobs and helped our clients fund growth.

5. I hear you mix philanthropy with business. How is that part of innovation?

Yes, donations should be given to organizations that use the money wisely and have everlasting impact to improve people’s lives.

What are your thoughts on innovation? Comment here or tweet me at @remarx. And if you missed it last month, Michael J. Harris of Aperture Capital shared his thoughts about innovation. Read it here.

Interview with Michael J. Harris, Aperture Capital, Aperture Payment Solutions

Posted on September 22, 2011 by cara

Last month, I kicked off our series on innovation by talking with Julie Evans, the chief executive officer at Project Tomorrow. This month, I interviewed client Michael J. Harris. He’s the chief at Aperture Capital and the newly formed Aperture Payment Solutions. I love what this highly disciplined exec has to say about innovation.

Michael J. Harris

1. How do you define innovation?
To me, “innovation” means inventing or finding creative solutions to problems. In my worlds of capital and merchant card services, the wheel has already been invented and re-invented about a million times over. It’s not about inventing the wheel for my Clients, it’s what wheel fits them best.

2. Give us an example of innovation within your organization this year.
Again, on the topic of finding the best solution for your Client, I really need to understand my Clients and their needs. Every single deal is dramatically different. My favorite account is one where the existing merchant card service provider was encouraging my Client to key in her transactions, vs. actually swiping the customer’s card. All this did was to double his income from each sale he made. Again, I wasn’t reinventing the wheel, just selling my Client on a better-fitting wheel.

3. How do you see the results of innovation created by Aperture Capital and Aperture Payment Solutions?
Integrity and “Doing the Best Thing for the Client” are tenets of my businesses. This invariably leads to happier clients, and happier clients lead to more happy client referrals – the lifeblood of my businesses.

4. Aperture Payment Solutions often works with entrepreneurs. Tell us one story about how you made a difference to an entrepreneur.
I brought in a client, who I thought was a single-account entity. Turns out, this client owns 10 retail shops around Southern California. Because I did such a good job in terms of pricing and service on the first location, I successfully brought on the entire family of accounts. It’s all about being good at what you do, and asking for the business.

5. Now for fun: What is your favorite mobile app?
Without a doubt, Pandora.

Business Blogging: Sales & Marketing Roundtable

Posted on August 24, 2011 by cara

I’m giving another talk on corporate blogging, and would love to see you there.

Build a Rapport with Your Customers and Prospects…Sign-up Today!

Build a rapport with customers by blogging

Given the decline in effectiveness of business-to-business (B2B) advertising, more companies are turning to blogs to promote their products and services. B2B technology marketers are publishing applicable content on corporate blogs to educate prospects, embrace current customers and gather leads. But how do you turn content into sales?

Did you know:

Business.com reports 81 percent of B2B companies maintain company-related accounts or profiles on social media sites.
Seventy five percent of B2Bers participate in micro-blogging, such as Twitter.
Demand Gen Reports reveals nine out of 10 buyers say when they’re ready to buy, they’ll find you online.
Cision and The George Washington University reports 89 percent of journalists make use of blogs while conducting their online research and 96 percent turn to corporate websites. Sixty three percent of C-suite execs turn to the web to locate information, and six out of 10 conduct more than six searches a day.

Boy…Do we have a case study treat for YOU!

Considering the escalating prominence of B2B blogging, TechAmerica Orange County has assembled a roundtable about B2B blogging to answer some key questions about trends. I’ll moderate a talk about the benefits of B2B blogging and demonstrate how tech companies can incorporate it into their integrated marketing mix.

This program will headline Roland DGA Marketing Communication Manager Dede Sabey. She will reveal Roland DGA’s social media and blogging best practices, metrics, wins and disappointments.

What You Will Learn:
During this presentation, Dede and I will share how to best:

Present a blog initiative for executive approval
Select a blog platform
Position your company as a thought leader in your industry
Share stories about your products and services in a savvy, meaningful way
Keep your customers coming back to your blog
Re-purpose content from other marketing channels for your blog
Interact with your community and nurture leads
Determine metrics
Measure results and report them for company-wide buy in

Who Should Attend:

CEOs, Marketing VPs and Managers, SEOs, CIOs, Social Media Specialists, Directors and Managers, Brand Evangelists, Technologists, and anyone on the team responsible for your company’s brand visibility!

Admission:
Members: $10
Non-Members: $30
@ The Door: $20/$40
*Breakfast included. Receive $10 OFF when you use this exclusive discount code [BlogTAOC]

Date: Wednesday, Aug 31, 2011

Agenda:
7:30 a.m. Registration & Breakfast
8 a.m. Program Begins
9 a.m. Program Concludes

New Host Location: SYSPRO
959 S. Coast Dr # 100
Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1786
Driving Map

Registration:
To registration of if you have questions, please contact Program Marketing & Event Manager Yalanda Oglesby at 949-502-0051 or Yalanda.Oglesby@TechAmerica.org. If you send an email, please kindly call to confirm receipt as they have strong filters.

Featured Thought Leaders:

About Dede Sabey
As the Marketing Communications Manager at Roland, Dede has seen Roland DGA more than double in both number of employees and annual revenue during her 13 year tenure. She co-runs the marketing department, overseeing social media initiatives, event management, collateral, and advertising efforts for all four of Roland’s product lines: wide-format inkjet, engravers, vinyl cutters and milling machines. Her strengths are marketing operations, including budget responsibility, team leadership and project management.

A little about Me (Yup here comes the boilerplate bio!)
Cara Stewart is the founder and chief rabble-rouser of Remarx Media. She’s a fearless leader and entrepreneur with more than 17 years of experience in journalism, marketing communications and public relations. Clients say Cara stands out because of her intricate knowledge of B2B social media and PR. KTLA 5 News (Los Angeles), Mashable, MSNBC, The Orange County Register, The Orange County Business Journal, Communication World and other outlets have considered her as a go-to media resource on the topics of business branding and the use of social media in PR. She also speaks frequently to business, civic and academic organizations, including the Association for Women in Technology, Harvard Business Review, NAWBO-Orange County and Vanguard University, on these topics.

Sponsorship:
To learn how your company can benefit from the visibility associated with the TechAmerica Orange County Sales & Marketing Roundtable Series, please contact Bob Brunson at 949-502-0053 or Bob.Brunson@TechAmerica.org.

Radical Integration of Media: 30 Speakers, 15 questions, 60 Minutes

Posted on August 22, 2011 by cara

Today’s post is an invitation to The Future of Media: Radical Integration, a virtual event on Tuesday, Aug. 23, where I will be one of the speakers answering questions about the massive convergence taking place right now in pr, advertising and marketing.

This virtual event will feature 30 PR and communications experts, industry leaders and analysts in just 60 minutes. So in one hour, you’ll hear answers to important questions, such as:

Is advertising dead?
What is the new marketing mix?
How has social media changed our ability to generate earned media?
What does success look like in the era of radical integration?

You can register now for this free virtual event. If you can’t make it, don’t worry: You will be sent the MP3 recording and a transcript of the event just for registering.

The webinar is being presented by Cision, and you can also follow it by liking their Facebook page and following @cision on Twitter and the conversation at #radmedia.

Hope to “see” you there!

Interview with Julie Evans, Project Tomorrow CEO

Posted on July 8, 2011 by cara

Since opening our doors in 2009, our goal has been to help the companies, nonprofits and people driving the Innovation Economy make their mark.

www.tomorrow.org

Julie Evans is one of those people. She is the chief executive officer at Project Tomorrow. We had a conversation with her about innovation and thought you’d like to know her thoughts. This is the first interview in a series on innovation.

1. How do you define innovation?

I really like this definition of innovation from the management guru Peter Drucker: “Change that creates a new dimension of performance.” I think that sometimes folks only think of innovation as a change in the way of doing something or a new product or service. However, as Drucker so eloquently points out what is most important is the impact of that change. An innovative idea, product or service must result in a totally new level or dimension of performance to be a legitimate innovation. Dare I say, it is all about the impact, stupid!

Continue reading →

Networking 101: She Who Dies with the Most Business Cards Wins

Posted on June 18, 2011 by cara

Last week, I attended a networking meeting to learn how to network. I’m sure there is a punch line in there somewhere. Grand master Hank Blank (@hankblank) delivered it as part of a workshop series organized by the Professional Communicators Exchange (@p_c_e). (It’s even funnier that Hank was teaching people who are paid to talk and write for a living how to network, but this is serious stuff.)

Hank Blank notes style stands out.

In truth, I’m a good networker. I listen more than talk, help more than ask for help and invest time in an organization before writing it off as a waste. I know that the game of “she who dies with the most business cards” does not pay off. Nonetheless, Hank reminded me of a few pointers.

First, “face time, not Facebook, leads to relationships,” Hank said. “People hide behind their computers and social media.” Social networking is an easy tool in our networked world. But don’t make it the only tool. Get out and meet people. If you have a great relationship with a resource online, meet for coffee and make that relationship IRL (in real life).

Second, “this is the new normal,” Hank said. “The old economy is not coming back so networking is more important.” The good news is that you can network anywhere, such as the grocery store, the elevator, the gym or traditional networking groups. If you really get to know people for the sheer benefit of forming connections, the dividends are endless.

And finally, “have an attitude of engagement. 75 percent of jobs come from relationships,” Hank said. Speak up to get what you want but also reach out to help someone else. We’re in this together, remember.

I’d love to learn what makes you a successful networker. Would you share your tips, too?

You Can’t Parlay Your Headshot

Posted on May 31, 2011 by theresa

Pirates Captured Us and Demanded A Sequel

Quick replies required:

Does your headshot reflect how you look today? Yes or No
Are you proud of your headshot? Yes or No
Does your headshot capture your personality? Yes or No

If you answered “no” to these questions, mark your calendar for June 10, and plan to spend 30 minutes with your friends at Remarx Media.

Between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., our partner photographer David Moyle will be at Remarx Media for an open photo shoot for our clients, partners and friends. We know you love that photo of yourself from 15 years ago because you look “so young, skinny and energetic.” Trust us, it’s time to clear that photo out of cyberspace and replace it with a professional image that best captures your fresh look today.

For less money than you’ll fork over on dinner out or guzzle down on designer lattes this month, you could have a proper head shot taken that represents you and your unique brand personality. The cost is $65 per person. This includes a 30-minute photo shoot, unlimited number of digital images taken, and professional rendering and processing of three of your favorite photos. You will own all images shot during the shoot, so you can return to David to have other photos processed later. To schedule a time for your shoot, contact Theresa Dreike at theresa@remarxmedia.com or 714-706-0433 ext. 102.

Confessions from a Cubicle Ditcher

Posted on May 2, 2011 by cara

Nine years ago on May 1, I ditched the world of beige cubicles for a table at Starbucks and, eventually, my own corner office. I became self-employed. Any entrepreneur can attest that it takes more hustling, longer hours and delayed gratification than anticipated. Yet we slog along because of the hope we have that we will be successful in return. Unlike the textbook knowledge that some of my colleagues and friends are learning from formal MBA programs, I am learning the equivalent to a master’s program the hard way. (And I wouldn’t change a second of it.)

Here are the most-important nine lessons I’ve learned:

Continue reading →

The Tweet Less Traveled

Posted on April 29, 2011 by cara

M. Scott Peck in his landmark book, “The Road Less Traveled,” wrote about striking balance in life. Balance is a discipline, like problem-solving and time management. And like most disciplines, the typical way to learn it is to get a few bruises along the way.

Peck was no different in his learning style. He wrote about his experience as a 9-year-old daredevil unwilling to give up the ecstasy of riding his new bicycle down a steep hill. His ecstasy ended when he couldn’t negotiate the corner at the bottom of that hill. The scratched up and bleeding kid no longer was the owner of a new bike. He was the owner of a twisted piece of metal, gnarled by the impact against a tree. “I had lost my balance,” Peck wrote.

How many times a day or week do you feel like you’ve lost your balance?