Thought some of you may be interested in this event about the 21^st century challenge of selling creative ideas, I’m taking part in on the 4th November. Below is the narrative of Arts Matrix’s event:

“Thought-provoker Ann Holman believes that intellectual property (IP) is dead.  Noel Akers, IP attorney makes his living in the UK and Europe by showing people it’s not - you decide… Expect lively debate and audience participation. This is an ArtsMatrix production in association with the Formation Zone, NJ Akers & Co.”

To book a place obtain your booking form from:

http://www.artsmatrix.org.uk/Portals/0/docs/Artsmatrix%2009%20programme12a1.pdf

04/11/09    University of Plymouth, Devon -4.30pm – 7.00pm

£35 for South West creatives - £60 outside South West

Be great to see you there should be very, very interesting!

Small businesses once they start to grow can begin to adopt ‘corporate’ tactics. Rather like when we get older we start saying the same things our parents say!! It’s easy to fall through the trap door of building organisational structures, implementing systems and creating job descriptions in the belief it provides us with control. Actually it can do the complete opposite.

As we grow we fear making the wrong decisions, expect no mistakes from our employees and build a structure that defends us from being human and imperfect. We create defined roles and responsibilities that constrain a persons ability to be innovate and then silos emerge. Teams fragment and become protective, fearful of looking stupid and pointing out the obvious. People start saying the ‘right’ things to directors and, finally, managers start using their positional authority by trying to control the uncontrollable, people. Low and behold anyone dare to expose their fallibility.

Everyone starts feeling crushed and accept this is the ‘way things are done round here.’ It’s no wonder that after an initial spurt of growth, small businesses begin to plateau and growth slows dramatically. We just sucked the life out of our business. As owners we tend to focus on growth being measured exclusively by the figures when it’s actually about the employees growth. In the past we recognised and praised their initiative, now afraid of loosing control, we stifle it.

For once, forget job descriptions, get rid of structure, deliberately allow teams to work together on joint problems to prevent silos and ditch those job titles. It’s not about keeping control that you need to be worried about, it’s the growing inertia business expansion can bring.

Each generation has it’s opportunity to improve things for the better. Each generation has it’s challenges when it comes to terrorism and war. Each generation has to face the inevitable changes that affect business lives. Each generation has to understand that change isn’t necessarily for the worse.

There is no denying that the web and technology has provided us with shifting sands and there are some things that have died; destructive competition. Broadcasting and shouting. Sales pitches, safe, mundane relationships with customers and employees. Being in control and managing people. The traditional way of making a profit. Copyright and patronising conversations. Silence. Corporate speak and organisational structures. Them and us. Marketing in the traditional sense. The memo and email. Egotistical management and scarcity. Information on a need to know basis.

I could go on. Unlike leg warmers, pogo sticks and lego, they are not going to make a come back, no matter how retro they may look in the future!

Traditional marketing pushes messages to people who aren’t listening. Anything you create; brochures, direct marketing, telemarketing, exhibitions have all been designed for people who don’t want to hear it. They are not interested anymore in our egotistical approach to selling how good we are and how we are different from our many, many competitors. There is no demand for messages, they want conversation and an intelligent one at that.

Customers want to look you in the eye, even online. They don’t want the truth disguised in corporate speak, nor, repackaged as public relations spin. They can smell BS a mile off.

Customer expectations have changed radically, yet most businesses marketing campaigns have become inert. Those that commission marketing consultancies who create campaigns around traditional approaches deserve everything they get…indifference. No wonder marketing is failing. No marketing strategy should be developed without a long, hard look at how to build credibility and reputation. Have a high level conversation with your customers rather than broadcasting the usual crap about your product. Customers are listening to conversation, but not to the bombardment of traditional marketing techniques we keep spewing out.

If you are thinking of starting a business, you need only answer one question and truly answer it:

How is my idea distinctly different from the others already established?

If you can’t answer that fine question within four or five bullet points, you’re already in trouble!

Linked to the post on ‘Allow mistakes’ yesterday. For one idea to be great, you have to have tens of duffers. You’re people know where your business is screwing up and many of the ideas/improvements shouldn’t really be coming from you.

The more staff, customers and followers you have the less you control your business. Get real, other people are orchestrating it’s future. Be sensible enough and have the brains to create that environment where your people can offer those suggestions and solutions.

People at the ‘coal face’ and ‘on the shop floor’ often have more valuable knowledge than the control freaks at the top. Let go, free up their time to think. What they come up with may be scary, but there again, that’s my point!

The UK Government has launched a new tool to help small businesses manage their employment obligations. It’s free (Chris Anderson will be pleased) and you can download it at:

www.businesslink.gov.uk/employmentlaworganiser

Thanks to Adam Stones for informing me of the launch.

If you strangle someone they will die. If you restrict movement, innovation and ideas, people will get de-motivated and their bright thoughts will remain deeply hidden in the recesses of their brain. All this manifests itself and then you start loosing people, the good ones!

Put such tight rules in place where mistakes are punished, no one will step out of the zone. People start rocking up to work protecting their backs rather than feeling free to create. This is when ‘work to rule’ and ‘I only do what I’m told to do’ come into play. Then companies complain that their team doesn’t show initiative….way to go!

Allow people the freedom to develop sessions that generate new ideas, allow mistakes, not lots of them, but at least some. Change doesn’t come from fear, or feeling constipated, it comes from the ability of your managers and people to feel comfortable enough to express themselves.

Too much of this can lead to this…….

Confidence to Arrogance

Fast to Hastiness

Control to Inflexibility

Commitment to Blinkered

Choice to Procrastination

Success to Complacency

Patience to Sluggish

Profile to Indifference

Procedure to Routine

Consistency to Mundane

Just a thought!

What tedious things does you business do at the moment particularly with staff or customers. Is it the ritual of appraisals? Dealing with problems? Managing the accounts? Dealing with customers?

Perhaps there is a way to spice things up, change the pace, respond to the equilibrium. Try and make it more inspiring even engaging. You never know it may even add value to your reputation and credibility!