Marketing Skill

Agenda Introduction Mental models Communication and behavioural styles

INTRODUCTION -“Marketing” The 4 P’s of Internet Marketing • The Product : An idea, a new process, advice, insights • The Price : The effort, the time, consequence to self, training for new processes • The Price : Launch your idea to the whole agency? Test market? To those who decide or those who will do? • The promotion : In a document? Verbally, Presentation? Saying what? Page 3

INTRODUCTION -“Value” Value = Benefits – Coast - Risks Will it make : • My life easier • Me more successful • Increase my influence • Reduce my stress • Produce measurable results Is it worth: • The time it will take • The effort of learning new things • The training time • The risks of failure • The career risk • The opportunity cost Page 4

INTRODUCTION -“Customers” Who are the internal customers? • Who are the stakeholders in the success of for your project? • Who will make the go/no go decisions? • Who will be affected by the outcome of the decisions? • Are there segmentations within your internal market? e.g.??? Page 5

INTRODUCTION -“Segmentation” The role & importance of segmentation • How would you identify each of the following? - controllers - promoters - analyzers - supporters • Why is their identification important? • How would your messaging differ to each? Page 6

INTRODUCTION - Addressing our own” Definition of Mental Models : Our deeply held beliefs and assumptions about how the would works Characteristics: • Critical to our effectiveness • Filter what we see and hear • Often treat them as “obvious truth” • Flawed and can get is into trouble Page 7

MENTAL MODELS -Internal customer expectations • Knowing your customer’s mental models helps you talk their language and “ get inside their heads” -what makes them tick • It also helps you understand their preconceptions of you • It also helps you understand their expectations- and how you can meet and exceed them Page 8

MENTAL MODELS -Laddering to Reveal Mental Models • Laddering is an exercise in revealing the underlying motives and beliefs of behaviour • Briefly, it involves asking “why” questions. For example, “When you do X, what does it mean for You? What benefits do you et from doing X?” Page 9

MENTAL MODELS -The Ladder of Interface The Ladder of Inference illustrates an automatic, unconscious process. This process occurs in our thoughts, as we reach conclusions when we interact with others. Within organizations we rarely investigate the ladder of inference for others. And yet it reveals useful information for more productive conversations. We also need to examine our own “Ladders of Inference ” Adopt Beliefs Take Action Draw Conclusions Make Assumptions Add Meaning Results Select Data Observable Data and Experience Page 10

MENTAL MODELS -We jump up the Ladder • We select what treat as important • We add meanings and draw conclusions • Our thinking is effortless, fast and works routinely • Our conclusions appear obvious and we rarely think about the steps • Our beliefs, assumptions and values influence what data we select, what meanings we add and what conclusions we draw Adopt Beliefs Draw Conclusions Make Assumptions Add Meaning Select Data Observable Data and Experience Page 11

MENTAL MODELS - Our skill Our skill is essential – and gets us into trouble • We jump up the ladder without stopping to reflect • People with the same data often reach different conclusions. Yet when they see their conclusions as obvious, they do not see a need to illustrate the steps. • People who disagree often hurl conclusions at each other from the tops of their respective ladders • Our thinking is vulnerable to error. We allow error to persist by not publicly testing • This has an important impact on the quality of the thinking and the decisions we make as a team and as an organization Page 12

MENTAL MODELS - Revealing Mental Models Revealing Mental Models : The advocacy / Inquiry Matrix • In marketing to external customers, we balance the needs of the external customer with our own internal needs - the same balance occurs with internal marketing - the balance of being responsive to customers as well as being persuasive • Advocacy / Inquiry Matrix - Tool for balancing our level of advocacy vs. inquiry in our conversations - Remember : Understanding the thinking that drives behaviour is one way to help change behaviour Page 13

ADVOCACY / INQUIRY The Art of Productive Conversations :Balancing Advocacy and Inquiry Advocacy • Speaking about what you believe • Communicating your point of view • Stating clearly and confidently what you think Inquiry • Looking into what you do not understand • Trying to discover what others see and understand • Trying to understand the other’s point of view and beliefs-that may differ from your own • Being sufficiently “open” to admit you are wrong Page 14

Productive Conversation ADVOCACY / INQUIRY Balancing Advocacy and Inquiry : The Positive and Negatives High Explaining Dictating Productive Conversation Mutual Learning ADVOCACY Observing Withdrawing Interviewing Interrogating Low INQUIRY High Page 15

ADVOCACY / INQUIRY Protocols for improved advocacy What to do What to say State your assumptions, and describe the data that led to them “Here’s what I think, and here’s how I get there.” Explain your assumptions “I assumed that” “I came to the conclusion because..” Make your reasoning explicit “To get a clear picture of what I mean, imagine..” Give examples Page 16

ADVOCACY / INQUIRY What to say What to do Protocols for improved inquiry What to do What to say Walk other though their ladders of inference “What leads you to the conclude that ? “What data do you have for that ?” “What causes you to say that ?” “Help me understand your thinking here ?” rather than “what do you mean” ? Use non-aggressive language “What would be the significance of that ?” “How does this relate to the other concerns?” Draw out their reasoning Explain your reasons for inquiring “To get a clear picture of what I mean, imagine..” Page 17