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Tuesday, 16 February 2016

Well-intentioned people

Navigating Conflicting Advice from Startup Mentors and Business Advisors - https://lnkd.in/e95fZwC

Fashion jobs: the brightest minds behind the scenes that influence what you wear

http://observer.com/2016/02/four-secret-fashion-jobs-influence-everything-you-wear/

Friday, 12 February 2016

The State of the Mobile Experience: How People Use Their Phones Today [Infographic]

Written by Amber Tiffany

Let’s pretend you just won the lottery. What’s the very next thing you do?

Send a mass text sprinkled with celebration emojis? Call your significant other/best friend/mom while doing the happy dance? Tweet about your plans to buy a Lambo and quit your job?

If you answered B, you’re like most people on the planet. When it’s really important and the stakes are high, a real conversation is the only thing that will do. In fact, people prefer a phone call to share major life events over all other forms of communication -- including social media, text, and email, according to recent data released by Invoca.

And don’t assume the desire to talk is limited to our personal lives. The truth is people often prefer a phone call when contacting a business. Even millennials. Cue the sound of digital marketing perceptions being shattered everywhere ...

The Role of Phone Calls in Today's Mobile Experience

In the age of mobile, using our phones to make a call just seems so ... pedestrian. But in reality, we’re using our pocket-sized computers to click, swipe, search, play, and make phone calls -- more than ever.

Let’s look at some stats about the role phone calls play in today’s mobile experience:

Mobile calls to businesses will reach 162 billion by 2019, more than double from 2014.

Nearly 3X more people use their phone to call a business versus fill out a form.

66% of millennials are very likely to contact a business by calling versus 22% who are likely to use social media.

This data tells an interesting story: All the new communications technology in the world can’t replace human-to-human conversation. In truth, technology has made it easier for us to hop from a digital experience to a phone call, which is why businesses are getting more customer-initiated phone calls than ever before.

When and Why Do People Prefer to Talk?

According to Invoca, these are the top three reasons people to choose call a business:

They need a quick answer.

They want to express concern to a person vs. filling out a form.

They want expert advice.

No matter how streamlined a website or convenient an app, it’s often faster and easier to talk to a real person, especially if you’re on a mobile device where fat thumbs and small screens can really slow you down.

Not to mention, the need to talk is even more prevalent when it comes to complex purchases. Most people don't shop for a mortgage entirely online? And the reason is that those situations call for a human touch, someone who can answer complex questions, ease concerns and help customers make the right decisions.

What’s a Digital Marketer To Do?

I think a lot of digital marketers inherently know how important phone calls are to the customer journey. They just don’t think they are in a position to do anything about it.

However, call intelligence solutions can actually help marketers create a seamless and consistent customer experience across all channels -- online and offline. With call intelligence, marketers can tie together every part of the customer experience and use the insights gathered to inform their future interactions. Talk about personalization.

Want to learn more about the current state of the mobile experience?

Check out this followinginfographic:

How to Talk About Money in a Job Interview Without Making It Awkward - Levo

Here are some steps you can take to determine when and how to bring up salary:

1. Figure out if the employer is even interested in you.

Before you bring up money, try to get a better sense of how interested the employer is in you.

“Pay close attention to the length and quality of your initial email or phone screening,” says Taylor. “Ask yourself: How long did the initial phone call last? Was there laughter? Did the email reveal enthusiasm? These are initial indicators of how aggressive you can be.”

If you feel fairly certain there was no chemistry and a job offer isn’t in the cards, hold off on the salary discussion.

2. Consider your level of experience.

If you’re fairly new to the job market, say entry level, this is one more factor to consider, Taylor says.

“At this point in your career, it’s more customary to hold back on salary discussions before you enter the job interview versus being a mid-manager with five to 10 years experience.”

3. Know the risks of bringing it up too early.

It’s no secret that money is important to most people—but you don’t want the hiring manager to think that’s what drives you, or what’s most important to you.

Bringing up salary too soon can send the wrong message, so if you really love the position and know deep down you’d take it regardless of the pay, it might not be worth bringing it up until the very end.

4. Listen to your gut.

Job candidates often play it too safe and wait for the company to make the first move.

“If waiting for this critical piece of the puzzle is driving you crazy during a very promising conversation, then follow your gut and ask,” says Taylor. “It’s disheartening when you are excited about a position, only to find out at the eleventh hour that the compensation was reminiscent of your salary five years ago.”

5. Wait until they start selling you on the job.

There may come a moment in the process where you suddenly feel like the tables have turned: You’re no longer trying to sell your skills or qualifications to the employer—the employer is trying to sell you on the job.

When that happens, you’re in the clear.

6. Ease into it.

Once you feel like it’s the right time to bring it up—and remember, there’s no “magical time” that’s right; it’s different in every situation—you can ease into the conversation is by asking: “Would you be the right person to discuss salary with? (Pause.) If so, is this a convenient time to discuss it?”

It can make things less awkward than just blurting out: “How much does the job pay?!”

Plus, if the interviewer isn’t the right person to talk money with (maybe that’s someone in HR’s job), that’s good information to have.

7. Expect a vague answer.

Even if you feel that the question flowed well with the conversation, you may not get a straight answer.

The interviewer might just say, “The pay is very competitive.” So be patient—it might take the interviewer more time to get to know you before they’re ready to reveal that information, says Taylor.

8. Be prepared for the question to be flipped back to you.

If you do ask for the salary or range, be prepared to be asked what range you’re looking for, or what you’re currently making, Taylor says.

Know ahead of time how you want to answer these questions. Responding with lots of “ummms” and “uhhhs” will make things even more uncomfortable for both of you.

“If you’re asked about your current or recent salary, try to give a range first,” she advises. “Try not to back yourself into a corner. This can seem like a ping-pong match, but you can still defer politely by saying that you’re more interested in the opportunity than salary itself.”

9. Have a threshold in mind.

Know in advance the lowest salary you’d accept. “You’ll lessen your chances of awkward exchanges if you know exactly what you want and stick with it,” she says. “Of course you’ll want to do your homework first, through such sites as Glassdoor, Payscale, and your social networks, to know what’s realistic.”

10. Be prepared to negotiate.

Not only do you want to have a “minimum” number in mind, but you should also have a plan for how to get there.

There are certain tricks you can use, like striking a power pose or offering a salary range—and phrases to avoid, such as “I think” or “I’m sorry”—to successfully negotiate your pay.

Being prepared will make things a lot less awkward, and will certainly help you get closer to the number you feel you deserve.

11. Don’t obsess over the money.

Yes, money is important—but don’t obsess over it.

Again, bringing it up too early, or too frequently, will send the wrong message. Focus more on why you’re excited about the opportunity and less on how much the salary will influence your decision on whether or not you’d take the job.

It’s especially important that you not make threats like, “If you can’t give me $100,000, I won’t take the job,” or, “I’ll only accept if you give me $100,000.” Even if that’s what you’re thinking, don’t say it out loud.

12. Watch for red flags.

“Some companies may drag out the salary discussion to the point that you question whether you can trust the employer to deliver on their initial interest or promises,” Taylor explains. “Or they may be vague and leave you not knowing what you can really earn, especially with sales-based positions where there’s a large unknown.”

If you have this uneasy feeling, follow your instinct and continue your search.

This article was originally published on Business Insider.

Lead Generation: A Beginner's Guide to Generating Business Leads the Inbound Way

Written by Anum Hussain

We've all been through it. You know, the moment you're about to dig into the best darn pile of spaghetti and meatballs you've ever seen.

Just as you twist your fork in the pasta, spear a mouth-watering meatball, and go in for the first savory bite ... the phone rings. "May I speak to Aaahnooom Hahsahn?" says the telemarketer on the other end. "This is an important message regarding your oven preferences."

This frustrating interruption is exactly why we're here to discuss inbound lead generation. What is inbound lead generation? It's a solution that can save your business or organization from being that annoying, disruptive cold caller who is ruining spaghetti nights for pasta lovers all over the world.

Download our complete guide to lead generation here for even more lead gen tips.

Let's start with defining a lead, and then we'll get into what lead generation is, why you need lead generation, how you qualify someone as a lead, how you generate leads, and why inbound lead generation is much more effective than simply buying leads.

What is a Lead?

Let's start with the basics. A lead is a person who has indicated interest in your company's product or service in some way, shape, or form.

In other words, instead of getting a random cold call from someone who purchased your contact information, you'd hear from a business or organization you've already opened communication with.

For example, maybe you took an online survey to learn more about how to take care of your car. If you got an email from the auto company that hosted the survey on their website about how they could help you take care of your car, it'd be far less intrusive and irrelevant than if they'd just called you out of the blue with no knowledge of whether you even care about car maintenance ... right?

And from a business perspective, the information the auto company collected about you from your survey responses would help them personalize that opening communication to meet the existing needs of the potential client.

What Is Lead Generation?

Lead generation is the process of attracting and converting strangers and prospects into those leads we just talked about.

Whenever someone outside the marketing world asks me what I do, I can't simply say, "I create content for lead generation." It'd be totally lost on them, and I'd get some really confused looks.

So instead, I say, "I work on finding unique ways to attract people to my business. I want to provide them with enough goodies to get them naturally interested in my company so they eventually warm up to the brand enough to want to hear from us!"

That usually resonates better, and that's exactly what lead generation is: It's a way of warming up potential customers to your business and getting them on the path to eventually buying.

Why Do You Need Lead Generation?

By showing an organic interest in your business, it's those strangers and prospects that are initiating the relationship with you -- versus you, the business, initiating the relationship with them. This makes it easier and more natural for them to want to buy from you somewhere down the line.

Within the larger inbound marketing methodology, lead generation falls in the second stage. It occurs after you've attracted an audience and are ready to actually convert those visitors into leads for your sales team. As you can see in the diagram below, generating leads is a fundamental point in an individual's journey to becoming a delighted customer of your business.

convert-leads-methodology

How Do You Qualify Someone as a Lead?

As you now know, a lead is a person who has indicated interest in your company's product or service. Now, let's talk about the ways in which someone can actually show that interest.

Essentially, a lead is generated through information collection. That information collection could come as the result of a job seeker showing interest in a position by completing an application for the job, a shopper sharing contact information in exchange for a coupon, or a person filling out a form to download an educational piece of content, like an ebook, kit, podcast, tool, trial, or something else. (Here are 23 types of lead generation content to inspire you.)

Below are just a few of the many ways in which you could qualify someone as a lead. Each of these examples also highlights the fact that the amount of information you can collect to qualify someone as a lead, as well as the that person's level of interest in your company, can vary. Let's assess each scenario:

Job Application: Any individual filling out an application form is willing to share a lot of personal information because he/she wants to be considered for the position. Filling out that application shows their true interest in the job, therefore qualifying the person as a lead for the company's recruiting team.

Coupon: Unlike the job application, you probably know very little about someone who has stumbled upon one of your online coupons. But if they find the coupon valuable enough, they may be willing to provide their name and email address in exchange for it. Although it's not a lot of information, it's enough for a business to know that someone has interest in their company.

Content: While the download of a coupon shows an individual has a direct interest in your product or service, content (like an educational ebook or webinar) does not. Therefore, in order to truly understand the nature of the person's interest in your business, you'll probably need to collect more information -- you'll need enough information for a sales rep to actually understand whether the person is interested in your product or service, and whether they're a good fit.

These three general examples highlight how lead generation differs from company to company, and from person to person. You'll need to collect enough information in order to gauge whether someone has a true, valid interest in your product or service, but knowing how much information is enough information will vary depending on your business.

Let's look at Episerver, for example. They use web content reports for lead generation, collecting six pieces of information from prospective leads:

episerver-landing-page.png

As you can see, Episerver asks for:

Full Name: Basic information needed for communication with the to-be lead.

Email: The email address will allow your business to communicate with the to-be lead through your email marketing campaigns.

Company: This will give you the ability to research what the business does and how the lead might benefit from your product or service. (Mainly for B2B)

Role: Understanding an individual's role in the business will help you understand how to communicate with them. Every brand stakeholder will have a different take and perspective on your offering. (Mainly for B2B)

Country: Location information needed for qualifying the to-be lead and sending it to the correct sales team, if applicable.

State: Location information needed for qualifying the to-be lead and sending it to the correct sales team, if applicable.

If you'd like to learn more intermediate-level tips on information collection and what you should ask for on your lead-capture forms, read our post about it here. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Now back to the basics ...

How Do You Generate Leads? The Mechanics of Lead Generation

Now that we understand how lead generation fits into the whole inbound marketing methodology, let's review the actual components of the lead generation process.

Landing Page: A landing page is a web page a visitor lands on for a distinct purpose. While a landing page can be used for various reasons, one of its most frequent uses is to capture leads through ...

Forms: Forms are hosted on landing pages. They consist of a series of fields (like in our example above) that collect information in exchange for an ...

Offer: An offer is the content or something of value that's being "offered" on the landing page. The offer must have enough value to a visitor to merit providing their personal information in exchange for access to it.

Call-to-Action: A call-to-action (CTA) is an image, button, or message that calls website visitors to take some sort of action. When it comes to lead generation, this action is (you guessed it!) to fill out the form on the landing page and redeem the offer.

See how everything fits together?

Once you put all these elements together, you can use your various promotional channels to link and drive traffic to the landing page so you can start generating leads. Here are some example pathways for lead generation:

lead-generation-flow

Why Not Just Buy Leads?

Marketers and salespeople alike want to fill their sales funnel -- and they want to fill it quickly. That's where the temptation to buy leads comes in. Buying leads, as opposed to generating them organically, is much easier and takes far less time and effort -- despite being more expensive. So why shouldn't you just buy leads?

First and foremost, leads you've purchased don't actually know you. Typically, they've "opted in" at some other site when signing up for something -- and didn't actually opt in to receiving anything from your company. The messages you send them are therefore unwanted messages, and sending unwanted messages is intrusive, not inviting. If the prospect has never been to your website, indicated an interest in your resources, products, services, or even industry, then you’re interrupting them ... plain and simple.

If they never opted in to receive messages from you specifically, then there's a high likelihood they could flag your messages as spam. This is quite dangerous for you. Not only does this train their inbox to show only emails they want to see, but it indicates to their email provider which emails to filter out. Once enough people click flag your messages as spam, you go on a "blacklist," which is then shared with other email providers. Once you get on the blacklist, it’s really, really hard to get back off of it. In addition, your email deliverability and IP reputation will likely be harmed.

It's always, always, always better to generate leads organically rather than buy them. Read this blog post to learn how to grow an opt-in email list instead of buying one.

Want more lead generation insight? Download our complete guide to lead generation for even more lead gen tips.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in July 2013 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

This Chart Shows Who Marries CEOs, Doctors, Chefs and Janitors

By Adam Pearce and Dorothy Gambrell

When it comes to falling in love, it’s not just fate that brings people together—sometimes it’s their jobs. We scanned data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey—which covers 3.5 million households—to find out how people are pairing up.

Some of the matches seemed practical (the most common marriage is between grade-school teachers), and others had us questioning Cupid’s aim (why do female dancers have a thing for male welders?).

High-earning women (doctors, lawyers) tend to pair up with their economic equals, while middle- and lower-tier women often marry up. In other words, female CEOs tend to marry other CEOs; male CEOs are OK marrying their secretaries.

http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2016-who-marries-whom/?smid=fb-nytupshot&smtyp=cur

Now Comes Another ‘Big Short’—-Subprime Auto Loans | David Stockman's Contra Corner

Money managers have looked at betting that subprime auto securities will tank for many of the same reasons that investors wagered against risky mortgage bonds in the run-up to the financial crisis: Loan volume has mushroomed in the last few years, lending terms have become looser and delinquencies are ticking higher. Mary Kane, an asset-backed securities analyst at Citigroup Inc., wrote in a note late last month that the bank has received “an explosion of calls” in recent weeks, after the movie “The Big Short” portrayed a group of traders that profited from the collapse of subprime home loans.

The demand now is coming from hedge funds that trade everything from stocks to bonds, analysts said. But many banks, including Bank of America Corp. and Morgan Stanley, are not interested in making the bet happen for clients, according to representatives of the firms. Some said they fear that helping clients wager against car loans would be bad for their reputation, and that new capital rules and other post-crisis regulations would make the transactions difficult or even impossible to put together.

“Most trading desks just don’t take that kind of risk now,” said Mike Edman, a former Morgan Stanley executive who helped invent credit derivatives that helped Wall Street banks bet against subprime mortgage bonds.