Evangelism for yourself: Marketing yourself in a group

 

 

 

I have been learning many more things in life the hard way, which people tend to pick up very early in their careers, & one of the things which I have come across is the art of marketing yourself in a group or in a public setting.

This article has taken inspiration from an article by Guy Kawasaki where the author is trying to put forth the key arguments of being a good product/service evangelist. The same logics apply to individual marketing as well, where the importance of a being can only be stressed upon when the focus is not on yourself but on making the discussion/network more efficient & fruitful.

A professional shall be deemed crucial for a discussion, or to a process if he/she is able to change the lifecycle of the entire product/service or a significant part of it. This essentially means that the suggestions & participation in the group and contribution in the group is much more important and significant than the actual product and service, or the Cause for which the group or the Network has come together to jointly work .

The relevance of various different leaders from public domain was higher because of their contribution in making a difference to the society, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Aang San Suu Kyi and many more such people.

I my opinion, following are the key cogs in effectively changing the course of discussions while working on different products/services, thus leaving an impression on the group about “how passionately or sincerely you think/feel about the product/service”

Make it great.

It's very hard to evangelize crap. It’s much easier to evangelize great stuff. I learned that the starting point of evangelism is a great product or service. Great stuff embodies five qualities:

• Profound. This means that whatever you say in the discussion, has lots of different points of view, because you are trying to foresee the how the product/service shall be perceived by the customers, when it goes out commercially.
• Relevant. The network should reflect upon your contributions as genuinely relevant and important in transforming the product/service
• Complete. A successful product/service is only possible, when all the possible facets/modalities have been completely thought through and stitching things end to end is super crucial. Thus cross functional dependencies and their engagement in the process is super important.
• Empowering. Pushing yourself to the fore shouldn’t be the only agenda in a team, and thus Empowering others in the network to speak up and contribute is just as important as portraying yourself in the discussion.
• Elegant. This means that you shouldn’t be perceived as too pushy and your maneuvering in shaping up the product in the final acceptable format should be such that other contributors should take the suggestions in their stride while recognizing your contributions.

Help others to discover the “Soul” or "cause"

A discussion about a product or service, no matter how great, is a collection of parts or snippets of points of view. A “cause,” by contrast, changes lives. It’s not enough to make a great product or service—you also need to position it and explain it as a way to improve lives. Thus, making the group connect with the higher objective of changing the lives of the end consumers by identifying with the “Soul” of the product which ultimately shall help in evolving an amazing product/service.

Harp on Humility.

Don’t describe your suggestions as “revolutionary,” “paradigm shifting,” and “curve jumping.” Conveying your thoughts in a more subtle and humble but assertive tone, shall earn some extra points. People don’t buy “revolutions.” But look forward to quick solutions to fix the pain or “vitamins” to supplement their lives, so stay humble and keep it simple.

Non Users vs, Pre-occupied Patrons.

It is very hard to convert someone to a new religion when he worships another god. In order to successfully see your suggestions go through in the group, you must garner support of team members in the group. Those who are either neutral or have no point of view are easy to convert to your way rather than those, who have their opinions and dispositions.

If a person doesn’t “get” your product or service after fifteen minutes, cut your losses and move on and focus on those who are more interested in what you say and profess.

Demoing the Scenarios

“Evangelist who cannot give a great demo” is an oxymoron.Demoing should be as second nature, even involuntary, as breathing. Try to showcase the various scenarios as to how would the product look like if implemented the way you want to put it across. Let people figure out the various merits in the proposition rather than only you talking in person.

 

Minimalistic Changes in the existing processes.

The disruptively new thoughts and value systems shall be perceived well, only if they are not asking the users to fundamentally change their use cases. Thus, the new product/service in the making shouldn’t demand the users to put in lot of effort by expending their efforts and resources to adapt to the new environment. This may also not find favours with other stakeholders.

Everyone’s important.

If you want to succeed as a Significant contributor, ignore people’s titles and pedigrees, accept people as they are, and treat everyone with respect and kindness. Thus, garnering the support from different strata of stakeholders is as important as it for the CXOs or other senior management.

Conclusion

Don’t try to be a hardwired salesperson who is obsessed with his or her own best interests at heart: commission, making quota, closing the deal. An evangelist has the other person’s best interests at heart: “Try this because it will help you.” Keep this difference in mind, and you’ll be on the right track.

Thanks!

Socio-Economic Impact of 11/26 in Mumbai

The evening of 26^th November 2008, on Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus marked the beginning of a renewed era of Terrorism which has left the India as well the entire world awestruck. This carnage started from CST where indiscriminate firing was opened to all the passengers who were boarding the trains in the peak hours back home. Simultaneously, at the same time terrorists(ISLAMIC  JEHADIS) struck at 3-4 other locations in the nearby locations, one of these unlucky places were the likes of India’s First FIVE STAR hotel THE TAJ MAHAL, APPOLOBUNDER & THE OBEROI. The inmates were held hostages & the a huge firing & the grenade attacks started off.

The entire drama ran over 62hours continuously only to end with the deaths of those terrorists & a huge number of Civilians (156 as per official estimates & 20 security personnel). A wave of terror spread like the jungle fire & engulfed the entire country & also drew huge attention of International community as well. This incident has offset the impact of the global economic slowdown of the world economy  for a while, though adversely impacting the attractiveness & risk profile of India as an Investment destination for the investors who have been treading a cautious path & are taking out their invested capital from the Indian markets thus creating another bloodbath in the financial territory. The FIIs ( Foreign Institutional Investors) who had  invested over  USD52bn into the Indian markets since year 2003 till date withdrew about USD12bn to fund their home country fund requirements. The recent attacks which were more focussed on the High Profile Society & Elite of Indian Society & to the Foreign visitors, Delegates & the tourists who were staying in the above facilities or were there when militants struck the town.

These attacks have increased the risk of India as a safe Investment Destination with Higher returns & having a moderate risk profile to Moderate to High Returns with High Geo-Political risk. The markets which are mainly SENTIMENT driven will be accordingly impacted. Thus, in this scenario the responsibility of the ex-chequer has also gone up dramatically as it has not been able to deliver on multiple instances. India has been reeling under terrorist activism for over 2-2.5 decades & we have not been able to develop the capabilities to counter such Terror strikes & stop them & ultimately weed them out through their roots. India’s defence expenditure has been always in the vicinity of 2.5-3.00% for over the past few decades , but was downgraded to a mere 1.99% this year in order to build & improve rapport with our neighbours which are none but a pack of GOONS & hooligans who have found solace by doing anti-social activities in India.

In an era of Technology , Indian Security forces are still fighting the AK-47s of the militants with the age old rifles & similar artillery. An average Indian soldier/commando who is willing to risk his life & put the aspirations of his dependants at bay earns a meagre amount as salary & has the age old facilities, protective equipments like Helmets, Shoes etc. This reduction in the Budgetary allocation has fuelled a huge debate on as to how the GoI should leave the issue un-addressed. If we look at the statistics of defence expenditure worldwide , it is realized that the scale of allocations needs to be increased to much higher levels given the threats of similar magnitudes.

This terrorist attack on Mumbai has already resulted into the loss of INR 4000crores in a single day apart from the loss incurred due to the closure of the stock markets for a day which have an average turnover of over INR 32000 crores. This loss can be replicated if the authorities don’t take a note of it right away & prevent the movement of money from Indian Markets & the foreign Investments in the Indian ventures by boosting the confidence of not just investors but also that of the Tourists & other foreign dignitaries. 

Walking towards Sunlight

Project Sunlight--Unilever

 

This a very special and a unique initiative of a FMCG giant such as Unilever to impart hope to the expecting parents is a very applaudable effort. World at present is going through so many difficulties & scarcity issues, which are making us feel dwarf and human race as such. The volatility in ecosystem, the multiple wars which are being fought in the field but in the minds of everyone of us for more & more material prosperity, to stay one up, has resulted into this problem. Actually, problem is not that of the scarcity, but that of our inability to satiate our GREED.

 

People argue that if greed is killed, then there would be adverse effects on the world growth, evolution of the society shall stop, & so shall the need to make lives better. I don’t know if this argument stands 100% true, but certainly, we have bartered our mental peace in our quest for more money, prosperity, for a more relaxed & comforting lifestyle. These needs are beyond a point unnecessary, & have diminishing marginal utility. I was going through an article on the world's most richest politicians, & one of them have a fleet of 7000 cars(still counting) & one of the largest palace to live(>1mn sqft of carpet area). Why is such a lavish lifestyle driving us mad

 

Our madness in directing our endeavors to achieve more & more are leaving us mentally disrupted. Most of the professionals today, suffer from insomnia, high levels of stress, with no or minimal family life. Family life is one of the most amazing things available at one's disposal, which gives one a chance to unwind oneself with the family members. One learns many people handling skills while at the family, with different relatives having different priorities in life, but all converging to a common goal of nurturing a bigger aim of superior family value & integrity.