Curtains

Another year draws to a close and those that are not yet caught up in the turmoil of the subprime mortgage scandal or related corporate governance issues are probably focused on revenues and earnings objectives for the coming quarter. It never ceases to amaze me how many managers plead innocence publicly prior to knowing the facts and especially before claiming ignorance as they beg for forgiveness when the shit hits the fan because a few investors actually bothered to read between the lines as they picked up on sub-par decisions embedded for eternity on the balance sheet that the CEO signed off just weeks earlier. Am I referring to any company in particular? Perhaps… Do I have some sort of conflict with certain management teams that believe that they are above the law. Nay, nay for their day is nigh.

Yes, the shortfall in forecasted ROI has struck me too… How can the large, multi-national organizations that claim to spend so much effort getting things right make such ridiculous miscalculations with our money? We investors need to be vigilant and show our support for those doing the right thing. We investors need to reduce the pompousness at the board level and dig into the virtues of the truly great managers in order to pull out some sanity and coach our teams to do the right thing. Come clean say you?

Do the right thing and you are clean say I.

OK, you got me… perhaps that diatribe was a bit o’er the top but this is my official end of the year cautionary note – you ain’t seen nothing yet folks… the subprime beast shall rear its ugly head in the coming months (errr years) and we will all get a taste of how badly this calamity has affected the companies we invested in when the Q4 numbers are released. I have already looked into the crystal ball my friends… it ain’t pretty.

Anyone care to set up a pool and take bets on which giants of industry will be the next to tumble? How about a bank… If there were a pool, I’d place my money on UBS, Citigroup and Merrill Lynch not necessarily in that order.

Eternal Data Preservation – is it possible?

I was making my monthly backup recently when it occurred to me that long term data storage does not yet really exist. Can you believe it? There is currently no well known technological means of digitally storing data for a few hundred years. I decided to dive in and investigate and here is what I discovered.

First of all, sorting out personal needs from corporate and governmental requirements I found out that the term ‘long term data storage’ currently refers to a period of 20 to 30 years in a ‘controlled environment’. What is a ‘controlled environment’? Well, this phrase refers to the absence of ultra violet rays (basically sunlight) and heat – both of which decrease the lifespan of current data storage media. It is hard to believe that an industry has come to the conclusion that 30 years is ‘long term’ but setting that aside, let’s address personal data storage alternatives first. There are CD-R discs and CD-RW discs available as well as DVD-R, DVD+R and DVD+RW options in most electronics stores today. If you want to store your data for a few years, do not rely on RW discs – they are suitable for temporary storage or data transfer purposes only. Technically speaking, the coating is volatile and will not last more than a few years.

Next, let’s explore the coatings used on CDs and DVDs. As I put these words onto digital paper, the most durable of the CD-R coatings is Phthalocyanine. When combined with gold reflective layers and stored in a cool, dry, dark environment, experts tell us that the data ‘should last’ up to 100 years on these discs. Reality however, is that no one has been able to confirm the manufacturer’s claims given than CD and DVD technology has only been available to the masses for the past 20 years (one fifth of the claimed lifespan). The other issue is that CD and DVD readers / writers are constantly changing and also improving by increasing data storage capacity and improving read / write tasks keeping pace with Moore’s law. Thus, the conclusion is that although you may be able (under ideal conditions) to maintain integrity of some discs for up to 100 years, the chances are good that there will not be a reader available for those discs 50 years from now. Storage is apparently one thing and data retrieval an entirely different beast.

On the corporate and government fronts, DVDs and CDs are not only too expensive to archive data but also too difficult to handle given their current capacity limitations. Tape systems have worked in these environments for decades but, tape is a medium designed for 5 to 10 years at the most before the data is no longer retrievable. The other issue is quantity or volume of data that needs to be stored for more than 20 years. Imagine the vast libraries of books that are being converted into digital format, add to this collection another library of artwork and photos that are only available digitally and quintuple that amount of data with a library of films, movies and documentaries and you quickly become overwhelmed with the task faced by people with the responsibility of preserving history for future generations to appreciate.

The facts are fairly straight forward, hard drives are mechanical and will fail in under 5 years with a probability better than 70%, top quality compact discs can last 15-20 years before the coatings, dyes or composite materials will begin to break down and disintegrate.

What can we use to preserve our digital assets for eternity before it’s too late?

One possibility, Microfiche. If this is an option, it would be a case of back to the future IMHO. The basics are that data as we know it today would be printed on the microfiche using a color laser. The Microfiche could be stored for hundreds of years in a fraction of space required by other media and, when needed, the Microfiche could be scanned back into a PC using the then current scanners which would likely be much better than today’s resolution thus delivering a technology independent method of long term data archiving.

I wonder what companies would be the first to order if such a machine were to exist?

Personalities

There are four basic personality types. In order for a company to succeed in today’s global business environment, each of these personality types needs to be integrated into as many teams as possible to provide balance and, in many cases an important competitive edge. The key is having the right tools and mindset in order to accurately identify each trait and then know how to position the various types in the organization so they have the best chance of achieving success and interacting well with their managers and co-workers.

THE LEADER – THE “A” TYPE PERSONALITY

“A” type personalities are the ones that are always “looking for a better way” or building a “better mouse trap”. They have an entrepreneurial streak and don’t mind taking risk in order to receive the rewards that can go along with it.

The “A” personality is usually very independent, direct and to the point. They will probably tell you to “get to the bottom line” or give them the “executive summary” to read. They don’t like routine and often delegate routine chores to someone else.

The “A” Personality enjoys change, and one of their biggest fears is falling into a routine. They are very focused on what they are doing and are almost always relatively insensitive to others that might be around them. If they tell somebody something, or explain it, they’ll say it ONCE and expect that everybody listening understood because they’re ready to move on.

“A” type personalities are often found as business owners, managers, sales people (especially straight commission), or any position requiring a very “direct” person that typically “takes charge” and forges ahead. They are very decisive and persistent in getting what they want and need.

THE SOCIALIZER – “B” TYPE PERSONALITY

The “B” type loves to party, travel and be part of groups, and is often the center of attention. They love excitement and are often impatient and demanding as a result of being a “high energy” type. They love the limelight and the “hype” and often do very well in sales, advertising, marketing, public speaking, party planning, travel and other positions where they can have a “good time” while working.

The “B” personality is as Supportive of others as they are direct in their approach. Most people enjoy being around them or watching or listening to them “perform”. Many radio and TV personalities, actors and high-profile speakers are often “B” personalities. It is very important for the “B” personality to be liked by others and can be easily hurt if they think someone doesn’t care for them. They may take it very personally.

A “B” type believes that the world revolves around them… they can be a bit narcissistic and often think things like: “It’s all about me” “Aren’t I great?” This type often does well in sales as they tend to be very talkative and outgoing with people and are normally quite persuasive.

THE INFORMATION HOUND – “C” TYPE PERSONALITY

If you want to picture a typical “C” type personality, think of your accountant, an engineer or a computer programmer or analyst. The “C” thrives on details, accuracy and takes just about everything seriously. They are usually very neat, dress fashionably and are very calculated and precise in just about everything they do.

The “C” doesn’t like “hype”, rather, they want facts… information from which they can verify the details and make a decision. They are very consistent in everything they do because everything has an order or procedure; thus they can be predictable at times and often very dependable, however, don’t expect them to make a decision when YOU want it, as it will only come after THEY have checked all the facts and are satisfied that everything is correct.

They are deep, thoughtful and usually very sensitive. They enjoy know how and why things are the way they are rather than taking anything at face value. They often make good customer service people and sales people, especially if the product to support or sell is something “technical” or involves numbers. They are loyal and patient and can leave customers with a good feeling that they’re somebody that really cares. However, managers may need to make sure they don’t spend TOO much time with details if the objective or expected outcome doesn’t warrant the investment of their time and expertise.
ALWAYS THERE WHEN YOU NEED THEM

THE “D” TYPE PERSONALITY

The typical “D” personality doesn’t like change, preferring instead, to have a set of guidelines from which to follow and they won’t mind doing the same thing over and over. They are usually more motivated by security and benefits and are likely to get the “gold watch” if the company can provide the security they seek.

“D” types are very supportive of others and are often the type that others turn to when they have a problem. Their compassion level is usually quite high and often seem very happy and content with themselves and life in general. They are usually punctual, and consistent. They add “balance” and support in the workplace and may be the champion of the “under dog”.

OPPOSITES

The highest potential for personality clashes is when opposites are working with each other or one working for another in a business environment.
“A” and “D” personalities are opposite of each other. The “A” likes change, is impatient and a risk-taker. The “D” dislikes changes, is very patient and thinks the “A” is crazy for taking so many risks preferring instead to be very steady and seek the security of knowing what you have and what you can count on.

The “B” and “C” personalities are opposites as well. The “B” loves the glamour and the hype, the “C” insists on knowing if there is any “substance” behind it all. Where the “B” can be messy, the “C” is neat and orderly and doesn’t thing “by the book”. The “B” is Extroverted, the “C” is Introverted.

Opposite personalities can also compliment one another if each tries to understand the other’s perspective. Perhaps this is why opposites often marry and lead a very full life, since each makes up for the other’s weaknesses and each brings important characteristics into the relationship.

However, opposites can be a bad thing too, especially if undetected, and not properly managed in the work environment. We have seen many examples where a client will call us complaining of turnover in the sales department, for example. They need a better way to “assess” sales people because the ones they hire never seem to last long enough.

After assessing their sales staff, we’re sometimes surprised to find that their personalities should be very good for the job they are doing, but when we look into their manager or supervisor, we find that they are being managed by an Opposite Personality who expects them to do things in a way that is incompatible with the sales people’s personality!

An example you’ll see us use often is Oscar Madison and Felix Unger from the TV show, “The Odd Couple”. It isn’t hard to imagine the friendly, outgoing “B” type Oscar being a top sales person. He makes friends and builds relationships wherever he goes and seems to do the work of 2 or 3 other people.

If the neat, precise “C” type Felix is his manager and is always demanding that every blank on every sales report is filled out, neatly and on-time every time, it isn’t surprising to see that this won’t work out for long. Nothing is “wrong” with either person, they just need to have more insight into each other’s personalities and find reasonable middle ground from which to work. However, if the manager is inflexible and demands perfection in everything they do, it isn’t surprising to see a lot of turnover in the people that would work for him, especially if the ideal candidate for the sales job was a “B” personality.

Almost everyone has been in this position at one time or another. Even though two people may have opposite personalities, we also have a factor called “adaptability” in human nature, and when presented with a better understanding of what is needed, especially in understanding other people, many can adapt and the results are often almost immediately positive. I wonder how many issues could be resolved with just a few minutes of thinking and a few seconds of adaptation.

Grow or Die

There is much to be said about the plethora of business models but rather than bore you with details of things that simply don’t work or concepts that have become outdated in the online world of today, I thought I’d present a viewpoint based on innovation and direction.

Each firm we deal with has two possible outcomes in addition to stagnation – to grow or to die. It all depends on the choices made by executive management and their board. Some have said innovate or die but the truth is that innovation in and of itself is not a viable business strategy that delivers profits and thus an opportunity for growth.

I refer to innovation in the sense that you are trying to do something new without reinventing the wheel. When I use the term direction, I am referring to the executive management’s intention decision to move the company toward a specific goal – in a given direction. A dear colleague has provided me with a few graphics so that I don’t have to type 1000 words to present this concept.

Let’s begin with a definition so that you know where I am coming from…
A business model describes the value an organization offers to various Customers and portrays the capabilities and partners required for creating, marketing and delivering this value in addition to relationship capital with the goal of generalizing profitable and sustainable revenue streams. Whew, that is a mouthful! Here is a more visual representation of that text…

So, given that you have your infrastructure in place, a compelling offer with a solid value proposition, a relationship with your Customers either directly or via a partner and a mechanism ready to capture orders and convert them to revenue… you are in business. But is your model optimized for what you want to achieve? Obviously, application infrastructure and IT systems need to support the model on the back end.

But, what about direction? What course was plotted by those in command? There are a few directions to choose from, and at least one will make sense to executives wanting to grow their business – but in what direction might they want to grow? Here is a simple graphic to help understanding the available options.

In each of the four quadrants below there is an opportunity for growth. Each has an unique way to move the company forward so that the business model supports rather than hinders growth. By being innovative in your approach and testing what works on a consistent and frequent basis, you will be able to optimize your model for your market more effectively than 95% of your competitors.

Take a moment and think about the variables that drive your business – for a car it would be the gas pedal. The more pressure you put on the gas pedal, the faster your car is going to travel. You use a speedometer to measure this in your car so how do you measure success in your business? Well, for starters you need to select a variable that drives your business and find a way to measure the performance delta so that you know if putting pressure on this variable delivers a positive outcome or not.

At BoxOnline we have extensive experience in improving online business models and can literally guarantee that your company will increase revenues after you improve your conversion rates.

Most business process consulting firms make promises that they simply can not keep and still manage to invoice their Clients each month for unfulfilled objectives. At BoxOnline, one of our value propositions for helping our Clients increase online revenues is a success driven fee. If you do not succeed – neither do we.

If you need to grow your revenues and agree that an increase in your conversion rate might deliver the results that your board is after, we may be able to provide you with some innovative input that has already delivered results to hundreds of successful online businesses in the past year. What have you got to lose? Contact us right now..

Do You Really Need A Coach?

Ever come across a successful football team without a coach / trainer / manager?

How about a top basketball or ice hockey team?

Each player has his/her specialty, each has a training program to improve skills, abilities and experience yet the coach ties it all together for each player and then again for the entire team.

Typically, the coach has been there before – they have played on a variety of fields and can leverage their experience to benefit the whole team. Ever notice that the coach does not put on a uniform and replace a non-performing player? The coach has a different sort of job that is oriented around managing people rather than executing on a given play.

Interesting that when comparing sports to businesses, only the most successful businesses have coaches. These coaches or mentors help guide executives by providing external input and expertise so that the business person can score a goal.

Why is it that only the most successful business people have a coach?

On the one hand, you could interpret this as “in order to be successful in business, you need a coach” or “When you have achieved a certain level of success, you can get even further with a coach”. We believe that the answer is something of a combination of the above scenarios in that, an external coach or mentor is a tremendous asset to any given business. Sadly, business people today typically come to the conclusion that they need help only after they encounter an obstacle crossing their path to success.

Why not hire a coach before you run into an obstacle?

If a coach can review your strategy, your plans, tactics and team profiles, do you think you could increase your probability for success?

Given what we have learned from coaching 25 companies during the past 10 years in addition to the learning we captured from our own coaches, the definitive answer is YES, coaching makes a positive difference. Here is how we came to this conclusion.

Many companies have learned that their employees can overcome self doubt, fears and concerns created by corporate restructuring or poor leadership by hiring a coach. Today, more and more firms are looking for support by bringing in a coach rather than sending employees out for additional education. Depending on the challenge at hand, a coach often is able to deliver results to a company faster and for less investment (time and money) than sending a team to an offsite for a few days.

For a coach, there is no secret recipe that can be applied to all Clients. The coach needs to explore the needs and objectives of each Client separately and then tap into a library of experiences, tools and resources to be able to deliver results that can make the difference between missing quarterly objectives and over-performing by 20%.

Several years ago an investor came to us to help get his bank get back on track. A few areas within the bank were delivering adequately yet not enough to offset the poor performance in one key division. This division of the bank had a ‘new’ manager who apparently lacked leadership experience and as a result, was losing many key employees. This particular manager was promoted one week after the former director passed away unexpectedly, more than 10 months ago. The manager may have been a good deputy director but was not prepared for the challenges faced by his boss and thus, the team wanted out.

The knee jerk reaction would usually be to remove the new manager and reform the team however, banks don’t necessarily work this way. They are very slow and resistant to change. Removing this manager was not an option but providing him with guidance in the form of a coach was in line with the bank’s culture and objectives.

The coach observed the manager in action, took notes on the methods he used to lead his team, plan for the future, inspire others and instill a sense of belonging in typical day to day situations. In the process the coach noticed that this manager allocated very little of his time dealing with employee’s needs or even listening to his people when they had feedback for the team. There was little doubt that this was one of the most probable reasons for the mass defections and the coach found a way to get the message across to this manager that a percentage of each day needs to be allocated to the bank’s most important asset.. its people. The coach provided a few models and some guidance on active listening techniques and then participated in a few sessions with employees while the manager put his newly acquired skills to work.

The first objective was to initiate a change in the way that this manager dealt with his staff so that each staff member felt as though they were able to communicate openly with their boss and that their voice was heard. The second objective was to ensure that the manager scheduled time to resolve the issues that each employee had raised and then to report back to the employee and close the circle. Mission accomplished: company board members happy, company execs happy, employees happy – a win-win-win result.

What exactly is coaching in today’s constantly changing business environment?

During a recent restructuring project there was a component of reorganization which created not only an uneasy emotional environment but outright confusion among staffers and management alike. Managers that go through a change process like this often have no one to turn to for advice or guidance. Access to a good coach is key to the manager’s well being and success. A coach’s role in situations like these is to create a sense of security so that all involved are able to see things clearer thus bringing a sense of calm into the organization. Also, as an external observer, the coach is often able to present a totally different perspective to the Client thus encouraging each member of a team to move toward something positive rather than away from something negative – but that is an entirely different topic that we will cover later this year.

If you believe that hiring a coach might help you to:

• see things more clearly
• introduce a sense of calm to your team
• leverage experience to provide you with guidance
• motivate yourself and inspire your team
• identify obstacles in your path to success
• better prepare for your business challenges
• achieve success

you are probably right on track and we’d be delighted to hear about your needs. Who knows, perhaps our coaches might be able to help you and your company achieve your mutual objectives this quarter.

There is a real difference between managing and leading, managing ends up being the allocation of resources against tasks and projects. Leadership focuses on people. My definition of a leader is someone who helps people succeed. Is there any way we can help you succeed?

Are you an Entrepreneur?

There is a lot of discussion these days about what defines a true entrepreneur and whether financial success is a pre-requisite of being an entrepreneur. Well, rather than argue moot points, let’s look at this from a practical, self evaluation perspective and see what is revealed. Below I compare and contrast being a freelancer with being an entrepreneur – I can’t wait to read your comments:

1. A freelancer is about the work. An entrepreneur is about the business…
2. A freelancer is a doer. A freelancer knows the tactics. An entrepreneur is a negotiator, a visionary and a thinker. An entrepreneur builds strategy and is constantly testing it.
3. A freelancer thinks the work is the business. An enterpreneur knows the business supports the work.
4. A freelancer is disinterested in ‘business controls and necessities’  – including thinking, budgets, invoices, business plans etc. which all get in the way of the ‘real’ work. An entrepreneur understands that without those ‘business controls and necessities’, it is simply not a business – it’s a job.
5. A freelancer might want to grow a Client base. An entrepreneur knows a business either grows or decays, and is constantly looking for ways to keep the growth managed and within reasonable risk parameters.
6. A freelancer lives in the now with an eye to long term Client relationships that might afford some security. An entreprenuer is looking to a vision of the business, now is a reflection of what the business will be.
7. A freelancer often doesn’t invest in his or her own equipment, training, or help. Many freelancers don’t delegate low-level skills or tasks that they don’t do well, because they think in terms of cost rather than investment and best use of time and resources. An entrepreneur knows that time is money, invests in future development and the business vision. An entrepreneur will pay for skills that he or she doesn’t have knowing that it is money well spent on quality and commitment.
8. A freelancer works from day to day. An entrepreneur has a business plan.

VCs.. arrGH!

Many venture capitalists expect entrepreneurs to go out on a limb for them – climbing high while vigilantly sawing away at a supporting branch.

When Clients ask what exactly is needed for funding, I can provide some very interesting answers based on my 20+ years of experience… Here are some of my personal favorites:

An impeccable board of directors
It may not be the first issue you are faced with but this is one of the really important ones. Your board of directors needs to be comprised of a broad spectrum of very skilled individuals experienced in the industry of your company. The venture capitalist firms all look for a strong board and that means a board that brings in money (read Sales), investors and strategic relationships – all the important things you need as an early stage company.

A winning team
You may have a great idea, but if you don’t have a strong core team, investors aren’t going to be willing to bet on your company. Think of this as an analogy to a horse race. Betting on horse races equates to betting on high-tech. Betting on a race is equivalent to betting on the industry your company is in. Betting on a horse is like betting on your company to succeed and betting on a jockey is what a VC is after. VCs want to bet on winners that have proven their abilities before. The team surrounding the jockey is also key but don’t get too caught up in having everyone on board before chasing funds. You don’t need to have a complete, world-class, all-gaps-filled team. But the founders have to have the credibility to launch the company and attract the world-class talent needed to fill in the gaps. The lone entrepreneur, even with all the passion in the world, is never enough. If you haven’t been able to convince at least one other person to drink the lemonade, investors certainly won’t. One other thing… If the founders do not have skin in the game, don’t expect others to invest their savings. To be convincing, founders need to go out on a limb, risk their personal savings, sell their car or get a second mortgage on their home to indicate that they too have risked all to make this company a success.

A compelling idea
“Every entrepreneur believes his or her idea is compelling. The reality is that very few business plans present ideas that are unique. It is very common for investors to see multiple versions of the same idea over the course of a few months, and
then again after a few years. What makes an idea compelling to an investor is that it reflects a deep understanding of a big problem or opportunity, and offers an elegant solution.”

The market opportunity
You should be targeting a sector that is not already crowded, where there is a significant problem that needs to be solved, or an opportunity that has not been exploited, and where your solution will create substantial value. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not about how big the market is; it’s about how much value you can create.

The technology
VCs ask – What makes your technology so great?
The correct answer is, ‘There are plenty of Customers with plenty of money that want to buy it’.
If you have a technological advantage today, how are you going to sustain that advantage in the future? Patents alone won’t do it. You better have the talent or the partners to assure investors that you will stay ahead of the curve.

Competitive Advantage
Every interesting business has real competition. Competition is not just about direct competitors. It includes alternatives, ‘good enough’ solutions, and the status quo. You need to convince investors that you have advantages that address all these issues, and that you can sustain these advantages over several years.

Financial projections
Your projections demonstrate that you understand the economics of your business. They should tell your story in numbers – what drives your growth, what drives your profit, and how your company will evolve over the next 5 years.

Validation
Is there any evidence that your solution will be purchased by your target Customers? Do you have an advisory board of credible industry experts? Do you have a co-development partner within the industry? Do you have Customers or Beta users to whom investors can speak? Do you already have paying customers? The more credibility and Customer traction you have, the more likely investors are going to be interested.

What I have learned is that a company needs good scores in ALL of the above areas and excellent scores in at least 3 in order to have a reasonable chance to secure funding.

Corporate Energy

Yes, this topic is a bit on the esoteric side I admit… but hear me out, there is logic and reason behind the glass. Some colleagues of mine use the following model to judge a company’s investment worthiness. I found it fascinating and have now evaluated a few hundred firms using this technique. Situations at a few companies that I previously worked with made me feel uneasy about the company and its culture but I did not know why. Today, I have a good idea what triggered my feelings and I have come to the conclusion that unless I can change things for the better, I would rather not work with such firms again. These firms were suppliers of mine as well as a few Customers. Read on and assess the technique for yourselves – I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Energy zones
An organization’s energy can be perceived as either positive (driven by enthusiasm, pride, joy or satisfaction) or negative (guided by fear, uncertainty, frustration, doubt or sorrow). Most organizations fall into one of four categories:

1) Comfort 2) Resignation 3) Aggression and 4) Passion.

Companies in the comfort zone have a high level of satisfaction but a low level of action. Thus, its employees might be very content on the one hand but they lack the vitality, alertness, motivation and emotional tension necessary for initiating bold new strategic thrusts or significant change.

Organizations in the resignation area, on the other hand, show both low and negative energy. Therefore, they are not particularly active and their employees may not identify with the company goals at all.

Businesses in the aggression area are driven by a strong, negative energy, which often expresses in an
intense internal competitive spirit and portrays in high levels of activity and alertness. Hence, unlike organizations in the resignation area, they often direct all power towards achieving company goals. The analogy here is of a ping pong match where employees hit the ball back and forth across the net either to other team members or to Customers and partners and the net result is dissatisfaction since the ball keeps coming back and there is little forward momentum as a unit. Despite progress by a few successful individuals – it is not a team effort.

Lastly, firms in the passion zone flourish and excel on their great positive energy and large amount of varying activities. Their employees feel joy and pride working in the organisation and all enthusiasm and excitement appears to be set on reaching shared organisational priorities.

Organizations in the comfort or resignation zones live in the past and have basically given up. Consequently, they are less likely to be successful, as they prefer standardised, institutionalized ways of working. They shun innovation and risk as well as suffer from conflicting priorities and a lack of
employee commitment.

Companies in the aggression or passion zones show urgency for productivity as they strive for larger-than-life goals. Their energy moreover supports them in aligning and channelling their powers and in directing them towards common goals and activities.

In short, the model suggests that high achieving organisations are full of energy. Businesses that work from a basis of passion or with passionate people for that matter, are likely to have the highest energy levels. Their work is not only driven by very positive factors but they do a lot to develop themselves and their people, too. Simply put, their cultures appear to be based on cohesion. The analogy here is of a football team (soccer for you folks in the USA) where the team has a common goal and each member knows his role within the team so that as a unit they are able to move the ball forward and achieve their goals together.

Landing Pages

Landing Pages are the weapon of choice for many marketers.
Marketers who do not employ Landing Pages either do not understand the
concept, or they are just plain lazy.

A Landing Page is more than just a duplicate of your sales page renamed
for a PPC campaign. A Landing Page often strips out many elements of
“effective design” and focuses on selling the product or service.
The main purpose of your Landing Page is to give the visitor two
choices: Buy or Leave. Nothing else. Don’t distract them with other
options. That is why they are there – don’t make the mistake of giving
them too much to choose from. If you want to get them to subscribe for
more information, fine. Then create a “name squeeze” page, but don’t
confuse yourself. Landing Pages are for one reason and one reason only
… to make a sale.

Here is a short laundry list of what I do when I create a Landing Page:

Font Face, Color & Size:
There is one thing that most people hate, and that is 4-5 different
fonts that clutter up the landscape of the page. Different Fonts for
headlines is fine. Different fonts in your body text is not good, it is
distracting. Don’t do it. Keep to one font in your body text. Testing
shows that the best “off line” (print) font is Times New Roman. This is
why it is the default font on the internet. Big mistake. Testing shows
that Times New Roman is one of the worst fonts online. Why? It causes
rapid eye fatigue.

The best fonts? Verdana and Arial. Standardize on Verdana as it
consistently outperforms every font out there in terms of reducing eye
strain and increased readability. Use standard fonts in the body of the
page, if you want an usual font for a headline, create it as a graphic
so it will look the same on every computer. You want your message to
have the look you intended.

The text should be readable. The standard size is “2”. Text should
always be dark on a light background (black text on a white background
is preferred). Landing Pages aren’t designed to allow you to show off
how “cute” you can be. This is serious stuff, you are selling. Put on
your “best face”.

Make the Links Easy to Find:
Now, having a cool CSS file that makes the links change colors, add or
remove underlines is fine on your site. Knock yourself out. However,
they have no business on your Landing Pages. Why? Because confusing a
visitor is not your priority, getting them to buy is.
Use standard linking practices to avoid confusion. If a potential
customer can’t distinguish between text and a link you are going to
lose. That’s not good.

Standard colors are:

* Unvisited Link – Underline in Blue
* Active Link (when the mouse “hovers” over the link – Red
* Visited Link – Purple

I recommend not messing around with the visited link, just have the
standard unvisited and hover so the visitor has some interactivity and
the link will “catch” their eye. I have done a ton of testing and the
standard linking practices always have better conversion ratios.

Color Scheme:
The colors you choose should match the product or service you are
selling. Soothing yellows, greens and blues are best for skin care. Pick
your color carefully as they will either bring the visitor in deeper
into the sales process or turn them away. A site for men shouldn’t have
pink as the primary color … or secondary color for that matter.

Not sure the colors to use? Look at the competition, as it is a great
place to start. And if you still aren’t sure, test.

White Space:
White space has been referred to as “negative space” by many designers
and thus, avoided. All of those designers should lose their jobs. This
is not high school art class. You are selling here, remember? White
space is good. White space is your friend.
When I look at a Landing Page with effective use of white space, I see
perfection. Without white space, text becomes unreadable, and the
graphics and other important elements become “washed out” and the
message is lost.

White space is more than just a background “color” – it is a part of
your conversion design. This also leads into another area, page
backgrounds. Don’t use them. Over the years I have seen floral designs
on iPod sites, vacation pictures as backgrounds, and even a woman and
her cat as the background …. and these were ALL landing pages.

Page Width and Page Height:
Have you heard the term “above the fold”? I am sure you have. It comes
from the newspaper industry and referred to ads and information that was
above the folded area. Testing found that 86% of the people who picked
up a newspaper at an airport, train station, office waiting room, never
“flipped” the paper over … they just looked “above the fold” only. The
same is true online. Did you know that of the people who don’t scroll
down that 6% of them don’t because they don’t know how?
Yes, you read that right. They don’t know how.

If your landing pages scrolls vertically on a 1024×768 resolution you
need to redo it. And if you are forcing a visitor to scroll
HORIZONTALLY, you are guilty of one of the worst web design mistakes of
all time. The scroll bar is your enemy. All of your important
information, including your Call to Action must be above the fold. Period.

Page Theme:
A Landing Page is geared to sell a particular product or service. So, if
I am doing a search for left-handed golf clubs or a Hawaiian vacation, I
am expecting to see a page about those topics. Don’t be lazy. Deliver
what I want, and I will be more likely to buy. Don’t dump me on a cookie
tracked version of your home page either. The content needs to match my
search. If not, I will most likely leave.
Stress Benefits, Not Features – Very few people care about features,
most care about benefits. Stress the benefits of the product or service
and you will increase your conversions.

Call To Action:
A no brainer, right? Wrong. Too many sites fail to have an effective
Call to Action. This is typical of most new and non-experienced sales
people. They fail to ask for the order. They just assume that the
prospects understands. Newsflash: They don’t. Explain what you want them
to do in easy to understand language, or an effective graphic. A “Buy
Now” is a Call to Action, and often a very effective one.

That’s it – we know you’ll be able to put these simple, but tested and
proven landing page strategies to work in your own business, whether
you’re an affiliate or marketing your own products.

Perception

Each of us tends to see things from a different perspective. I recently discovered that I too can see things very differently from what I expected and thanks to the animation below – now, so can you.

If your eyes follow the movement of the rotating pink dot… the dot will remain pink.

If you scroll down and stare at the plus sign in the center of the circle, you may notice that the moving dot changes to another color – for many people it becomes a moving green dot.

If you really concentrate on the plus sign you will probably notice that all the pink dots will disappear.

I can guarantee you that the pink dots are still there and that there is no green dot at all! I only created pink dots for this graphic!

This is positive proof that not everything we see actually exists.