All’s fair in love and entrepreneurship. Marketing wisdom and observations from the world of outsourced marketing communications.

Prologue

Did you know you could buy an internship for $5000.? Or, more realistically, your parents could buy it for you?

Did you know some students who are here illegally can receive scholarships to go to school for free?

Did you know some schools would prefer to not issue internship credit so you can gain work experience?

Neither did I, and that is why I felt compelled to address these issues today. So, I will stray a bit from my normal rant to fill you in on some news you may have missed. But first, to place my opinion in perspective it might be important to note that aside from my current gig, I too wrestled my way through college like millions of others, paid my own way through school, and still continue to educate myself formally today. Unlike most, though, I have also been an academic and career advisor, and have had the amazing opportunity to meet and help hundreds of other students manage the process of getting through their college careers with spirit still intact. So each of these articles I’ll mention below struck a chord with me, and after weeks of wanting to write about it, today’s article finally sent my fingers to the keyboard. So here we go!

A Question of Purpose

Lately I have been puzzled and sometimes stunned by what I have been reading in the Wall Street Journal. First, Miriam Jordan wrote about brilliant, but illegal, Princeton Salutatorian Dan-el Padilla Peralta, whose captivating story of persistence and academic genius is the stuff movies are made of. Read it here: If you haven’t read it, I believe you’ll be amazed by some of what is said.

Then Ellen Gamerman’s article entitled “Now up for bid: Plum Internships” was published. In it, she highlights the new and interesting practice of auctioning-off “internships” at top companies to benefit the charitable wings of elite educational institutions and the students who attend them. As someone who participated in internships for years to make headway in the music industry for little or no money, reading her article hit me so hard it was as if someone had driven their fist straight through my stomach wall. Read it here:

Then today, Anne Marie Chaker took me down for the count with her article: “Summer Internships Can Carry A Price”, which details how academic credit is often required now for internships so companies can abide by Labor Laws. What this means, though, is that in the process of doing so, students may often have to pay thousands of dollars in tuition for the opportunity to work for free. Read a syndicated version here:

The real consequence of short-sightedness

What amazes me about each one of these stories is how often we seem to be missing the big picture, and, how at least in these three pieces, the people missing that picture reside in our academic institutions.

For example, how can it be, that former Princeton Dean of Admissions Fred Hargadon feels comfortable publicly stating Mr. Padilla “could have been from the moon and I would have admitted him.”? Isn’t Mr. Hargadon aware there thousands of equally brilliant students of different races and ethnicities who dream of going to Princeton — and attempt to do so legally? What about those students? Is it right to ignore the law and one’s own sensibility, merely because one student seems to be exceptional? I have no issue with Mr. Padilla Peralta himself. The shocking detachment from ethics is what really grabs me in this case.

And what of Ms. Gamerman’s bombshell about schools selling off donated internships to the highest bidder? As internships become more important to each of our students’ future, does it make sense to allow anyone who can afford to buy an internship for their child to actually do so? Nepotism will always be around for sure, but this seems ridiculous to me. Does the school not recognize that by adding several thousand dollars to their development coffers and making one teenager and her parents happy, they have at the same time disappointed the rest of their student body and their parents? This story was so unbelievable to me. Unfortunately, in the end, I couldn’t really place a finger on which group I was more upset with: our schools or our companies. So many hardworking, passionate students who would make great interns are being overlooked for God-knows what reason. The perception that money means brilliance I thought died a very long time ago.

And finally, today’s WSJ article left me again struggling to understand why administrators at some institutions would rather remain so firm on the idea that academic credit is to be given only for so-called “academic” courses, that in doing so they would prevent their student population from earning internships that require credit. Having known many a graduate student who received independent study credit for merely assembling a bibliography, I see no reason why an internship is not given the same weight. Are we talking about learning, or are we merely discussing learning that is done in an institutional setting? In today’s world they are not as far removed from one another as we might first think.

Epilouge

Schools need to realize that their students are their CUSTOMERS, and when they respect those customers, they will reap the rewards that come from doing so. This point is heavily debated in academia, and I’ve always been puzzled as to why, really. After all, one can make the leap from student to customer rather quickly, and that leap can be viewed very clearly from the sidelines. All we need to do is watch what happens when the student actually graduates from the school they have paid a small fortune to attend.

Who is it that sends the first letter congratulating them on their commencement? Their favorite teacher? Their fellow students? Nope.

Who follows up dutifully six months out. . .a year out. . .five years out. . .to remind that student of their proud experiences at their alma mater?

I think we all know who I’m referring to, right? Correct. The Alumni Association.

Come on, guys. It’s really simple. If you can’t look at the students as your customers when they’re a captive audience and paying tuition, why is it so easy to view them as customers when they’re no longer paying and MUCH, MUCH harder to influence?

When was the last time you donated? (Note: I am actually an active member of my alum association, and believe firmly that changes can and should be made to better serve the administration AND its students!)

Please, Administrators: know your audience!

P.S. For further fodder, please read Zachary M. Seward’s intriguing article about how Alumni magazines want more “Rah, Rah from their magazines in order to bring in more alumni support! Read it here:

Cheers,
Doc Kane, Roscommon

Doc Kane is the president of Roscommon, a Chicago-based marketing communications firm that helps clients outsource their writing needs. Essentially, if it’s got words, Roscommon can help.   His firm has the privilege of writing for some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Abbott Labs and Aon Corporation, as well as a good number of small businesses and experts making a lot of noise in their own backyards.  Doc has also been heavily involved in Internet marketing since 1994, and continues to help small businesses market themselves online via web content and SEO.  You can visit Roscommon online at: www.roscommon.com

This past week I rented Terrence Malick’s “The New World”. His lush portrayal of Virginia in all its boundless beauty left me awestruck at times, and I must say his eye for dramatic scenery is impressive. The story, for those who have not seen the film, is about the legendary Pocahontas and the rather impactful life she led over 400 years ago. Of course there are parallel stories and other characters, namely John Smith and John Rolfe, but who really remembers their names after 4 centuries? Historians, perhaps. . .but that’s about it, really.

So let’s consider that for a moment. The spread of time, I mean.

. . .four hundred years.

Pocahontas was a teen-aged girl who had interactions with a group of explorers and settlers from England long before the majority of events that preoccupy most of us today were ever recorded, and yet we’re still talking about her in 2006! Mention her name to anyone above the age of five and they can probably at least identify her.

So that got me thinking about business and corporate permanence. And more precisely, at what point does one’s story stick? There are countless examples of individuals and companies whose legacy just does not stand the test of time, so what causes those others we do remember to remain a fixture in our minds? I can’t tell you how many buildings and streets are named after individuals who were quite well known in their time and for some years after, but have since been lost to the ether. Why? And how can you ensure your legacy and that of your company outlives you and your grandchildren’s children? Of course, the answer is yours to contemplate, but as a corporate historian myself, I’ll give you a few ideas as to how you can get started. Check out a few of these links to place yourself on the right path toward immortality.

Maintaining great corporate records is the role of any serious corporate historian. But what do you do when the cubic feet of archival documents you possess about your company’s history outweigh the building where your office is located? Check out the History Factory and be AMAZED! Also, History Associates runs a tight ship for corporate histories.

The Committee To Encourage Corporate Philanthropy exists to drive corporations to stretch the bounds of the current definition of corporate responsibility. I had the pleasure to hear Miles D. White of Abbott Labs address an audience at the Executive’s Club of Chicago on this very topic, and it was right on, and quite insightful. After all, helping out our friends is a good thing, and as we experienced with Hurricane Katrina, businesses are often in a better place to do it than our governments. Hey, do like Pocahontas and be nice. It seems to create a lasting memory!

Of course, the first step to being remembered, is to start writing. Below I have included a few links to companies who have done a relatively good job of documenting their company history on-line How are you doing? Here are their sites:

Pfizer

Coke (they even have a museum!)

Interestingly enough, Google already has begun the task of documenting their corporate history!

We do corporate histories as well so feel free to reach out if you would like a documented history of your company you can be proud to pass on to your shareholders, employees, and grandchildren. Reach us at www.roscommon.com

Cheers,
Doc Kane, Roscommon

Doc Kane is the president of Roscommon, a Chicago-based marketing communications firm that helps clients outsource their writing needs. Essentially, if it’s got words, Roscommon can help.   His firm has the privilege of writing for some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Abbott Labs and Aon Corporation, as well as a good number of small businesses and experts making a lot of noise in their own backyards.  Doc has also been heavily involved in Internet marketing since 1994, and continues to help small businesses market themselves online via web content and SEO.  You can visit Roscommon online at: www.roscommon.com

A quandry

My throat seizes as I look at the beautiful row of vinyl lined up in my office. Neatly stacked 12 x 12 super-delicious truly tangible versions of records from yester-year. There’s Springsteen and The Beatles, Hendrix and The Doors, Emmylou Harris and Hank Williams, REM and the Replacements and many, many more styles and colors to whet your musical appetite. It’s all great music to ease the soul on a cool quite Sunday, or any day for that matter. The row of color seems complete. Years in the making, it is most of the records I have wanted to collect to round out a great collection of cds that have fueled a passion for music my whole life. And yet within a month they will be gone. . .a distant memory.

Why, you ask? . . .I’m selling them all. Or, most of them at least. It is time for change, and I have been resisting change for almost 20 years. You see, that long line of beautiful smooth polymer plastic is HEAVY. And when I move, I don’t want to move them again. Plus, I do have a number of them now on cd and so, the music isn’t really going away, it’s just changing formats. Kind of like our lives in a way. . .every thing moving along toward progress whether we like it or not. This blog, of course, is just one example of the technological change that is rapidly engulfing us today. As a writer, I’m no longer merely writing for an imagined audience in the hope someone sees it. . .I’m published immediately! It’s pretty cool, actually, but it takes a certain initiative on my part to get it done. All those readers don’t come without a change of behavior, a new way of thinking, and a possibly difficult and time consuming decision. Writing on paper is simple, learning how to use a new program can be a challenge.

Breaking resistance to change in sales

And therein lies the dilemma. How do we get people to change their vantage point so they may benefit from the changes that result? For years, I thought change was simple. Nike had it down pat, I thought. And working in sales, lead generation and marketing communications it is my professional obligation to instruct and reduce obstacles to change. Of course it’s easy, right? Why doesn’t that customer get it? Change a vendor, change a process, change a brand. . . They don’t get it because you don’t get them. It’s all about the vinyl. Change has been easy for me because the changes I have made haven’t really run the risk of affecting me in a negative way at all. I view new skills and technology as beneficial to my growth, so I never even think about it.

But rationing off my vinyl is personal. I have a physical attachment to those records and memories to go along with them. Plus, because of their scarcity in excellent condition, they have a potential monetary value as well. Heavy, sure, but is the change worth it? Is having a few less boxes to move really a huge deal? Is having more floor space in my office really that critical? If you were a professional organizer, perhaps you would say getting rid of all that “junk” is good for my soul. Well, baby you would have a hard time convincing me on that based on that suggestion alone. Remember, the business owner or high-level manager you’re speaking with is much more intimate with his business than you’ll ever be. If the owner is your prospect the change your pushing is directed at a company that was most likely birthed with great pride, and if you’re speaking to a C-Level rep, the parrallel is almost the same. They’re invested. You’re not. Not yet, at least.

You have to become me to sell me. Understand why this change is painful for me, and then figure out a way to get me to recognize a better solution. Without it, these records stick with me and your contract as my organizer is kaput! After all, these records have been with me for 20 years and I just met you! For example, if you were to mention to me (a technology nut) there is a way to digitize those records with a USB turntable my ears might perk up. Or perhaps talk about how the value of the records themselves isn’t as much as one imagines given the rise of auction houses like eBay. Or maybe make a better case for why the extra floor space makes me more productive, or will allow me to utilize more area for my techno-gadgets. Get inside my head and any one of these reasons would draw me closer to siding with you. All of them would have me eating out of your hand. So do your research, know your buyer and practice, practice, practices. . .empathy!

As for me, my ardous bi-weekly walk to the local record store with 30 pounds of records is becoming less difficult, and the row of vinyl that I have been so attatched do is quickly yielding more hardwood floor in my office than I have seen since the day I signed the lease. And while the walk to the store still elicits some fears of doubt, I know that by the time of my last trek my investment in change will yield greater results for me than my alphabetized rack of vinyl ever will. These times they are a changin. And of course, I don’t have to sell them all, right? A few Beatles records are always necessary for good living, right? . . .and heck, what would I do with my turntable anyway?

For those of you interested in understanding buyer psychology and profiting from better research and lead generating initiatives like the kind we do at Roscommon, check out the following links. I think you’ll find them productive!

Dealing with objections in sales and buyer behavior links:

Artefact in Ireland is a firm dedicated to brand identity. This specific article is about buyer psychology, and the rest of the site is a good read for small business owners looking to find more about building their own brand. This brief article is located here.

Also across the pond in the UK, Huthwaite Sales Training seems to have great courses that will help you beef up your sales skills and understand your buyer more clearly.

Closer to my home in the US, here is an academically slanted, but very comprehensive look at resistance to change at the Focused Performance web site.

Here is a brief link as to how as a salesperson you may be able to employ certian methods of Six Sigma in your approach to selling to help stave off your prospect’s resistance to change.

Rick Maurer writes a good article specifically related to dealing with change as a salesperson here, and fellow copywriter Mark Sansone from Ohio offers some great samples in his blog entry “Stoppers to Successful Change” wherin he links to wonderful articles by such luminaries as Mark Cuban, Kevin Eikenberry, Mark Graban and Tom Foster. Scroll down to the aforementioned title to find the links. They’re really quite good!

Cheers,
Doc Kane, Roscommon

Doc Kane is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. He specializes in creating polished internal communications and marketing communications collateral for his clients which allows them to complete their goals and spend more time with their families. Doc is also a web copywriter and serves as a freelance editor for publishing and consulting firms across the country. Samples of his work as a freelance writer can be found at www.roscommon.com