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Pay Attention to Customer Complaints - They May be Disguised Opportunities

1/28/2015

What do you do when a customer complains about something on the project? Are you abrasive? Defensive? Apologetic? No matter what happens, no matter whose fault it is, we should always be apologetic. Not that the customer is always right, but if they are upset at all then we need to be concerned. Twice I did not take my own advice and I lost my clients over it. Lesson learned.

But let’s go further. Let’s listen carefully. What are they complaining about? I’ve changed my way of thinking. In reality, complaints are opportunities. Either for us to improve our service and possibly create some new avenues with that client, or the basis of the complaint may a need the customer has that they do not yet recognize as a need…they are just expressing it now as a frustration…a complaint. Listen well…and then act…

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Key Competencies for Creative Marketing Managers

1/27/2015

You’re a marketing manager in the creative management industry. What skills do you need to do your job well? To be effective for your organization, to lead your teams, to successfully deliver for your clients or your own organization? Current marketing managers should be thinking in terms of the following list of broad-based skills that can be applied to different scenarios, in different industries, and for companies varying in size from small startups and mom and pop shops to large Fortune 500 organizations.

Marketing managers need analytical skills

Successful marketing managers have analytical minds. They know the value of the vast amount of data available today, and are highly interested in what that data can reveal about consumer behavior, efficacy of various marketing approaches and more. The best managers also know how to look beyond the data and pick up on trends and patterns that can lead to better, more successful marketing efforts...

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Avoid Losing that New Car Project Smell

1/21/2015

You know that new car smell or how a new romantic relationship feels? Ok, that may be a little over the top in trying to equate that to the feeling of a fresh new project, but it gets you close. Everything is new. Everything is perfect. Everything is fresh. The team has not experienced any conflicts. Hopefully the customer isn’t complaining about anything yet. Senior management isn’t wondering why you haven’t delivered that big billable deliverable yet so they can have the revenue in ‘x’ quarter.

Yes…everything is fresh, optimistic, promising, and on track. Yeah! No budget issues, no project timeline issues, no issues whatsoever! No one has complained…as far as you know requirements are in place and ready for work to start. Let’s go!...

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5 Reasons Why You Need OneDesk for Your PM, Product, and Help Desk Solutions

1/20/2015

In this next installment of my popular “5 Reasons Why…” software and services overview series, I am looking at 5 Reasons Why you should check out OneDesk for your Help Desk, Product Management and Project Management needs. I’ve looked this software over a bit and had conversations with the people behind the offerings and I’ve been very impressed with the overall functionality of this software as it pertains to the enterprise and how complete it’s capabilities are. Are you looking for one PM, product and customer service option for your IT services? This is likely it…and here’s 5 reasons why…

Traditional (waterfall) Project Management meets Agile

Features both Agile and Waterfall views, user can switch between them depending on if they are in the planning or execution phases
Card view for Agile execution or sprint planning
Hierarchical list and gantt for waterfall planning

Highly Collaborative

Follow discussions, e-mail notifications, individual tasks or entire projects
Members of different teams can see dependencies/know what is needed to progress
Issues, tasks, requirements and feedback can be linked
Updates can be followed and prioritized
Share projects both within and outside your organization while retaining control

Connection to the Customer Base

Maintain the linkage between customer requests and the tasks being performed
Feedback options from the customer base can be integrated into the product/project cycle
Provide real time updates on product/project development (enhancements, bug fixes)

Highly Configurable Workflow Options

Integrative features (API, SSO,JIRA, Salesforce..)
Customizable workflows, fields and forms
Automated actions are also customizable

Stay connected and aligned with business goals

Connect your tasks to the requirements and business goals that drive them
Combine project work, with issues, bugs and ticket resolution to get a realistic overview of the work involved
Teams from across organization have tools to collaborate on projects/portfolios
Reports and dashboards ensure everything is on track

Ready to check it out for yourself?

Have I peaked your interest? You need to look into this one in more detail – trust me. Check out the OneDesk homepage and then signup for a demo and see for yourself.

Project Management and the Offshore Development Team - Part 1

1/20/2015

Profitability on our projects is always a goal – especially as our senior management looks at our portfolio of projects. And there is probably no greater factor into that profitability than our own human resources that are charging to our projects. So, in terms of technical projects…one thing that many organizations consider is who to utilize when developing software on a project. Do we use in-house resources (if we even have in-house resources…depending on the organization type, of course)? Do we outsource it locally or nationwide? Or do we utilize inexpensive offshore development resources?

It is that last option – the offshore team – that I want to focus on for this article. Not about whether we should use them or not…that’s a call each organization has to make. My focus is more on what the project manager needs to be considering and focusing on once you’ve already made that choice to go offshore. I’ve been there, and for me it comes down to five key things to look at and consider or incorporate into the project….

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5 Issues that Frustrate Creative Project Managers

1/19/2015

Now is our chance. Yes...our turn to complain. Think hard. When you're managing a project, what things really grind your gears? What bothers you and makes you want to blow your top? What behaviors or actions, questions or issues show up and really drive you crazy? Think hard now...this is your chance to gripe about them.

Well, keep thinking and I will share my personal top 5 (in no particular order)...

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5 Ways Workamajig Will Delight B2B Marketing Clients

1/15/2015

As a client, Do the programs and tools they use have the flexibility to be customized to your needs?

This year, McBru has committed to implementing the only software made exclusively for creative agencies. It’s called Workamajig. The name is kind of perfect, because you can’t really call it a project management software, or an accounting program, or a collaboration tool—because it’s all of that, and more...

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I'm Drinking a Surge Right Now: Be Creative, but be Aware

1/12/2015

Yes, I am drinking a Surge soda right now as I type this. That may not be big news to some of you, but in our family – and specifically to two of my sons – it is a huge thing. Surge soda and its disappearance is sort of like the original Coca-Cola, only on a smaller scale. Surge was created by Coca-Cola in 1996 to compete with Pepsi’s Mountain Dew. But since we all know that Mt. Dew is the best soft drink ever, Coca-Cola realized that it wasn’t possible for it to win out over Mt. Dew and they chose to discontinue Surge in 2003. Many faithfuls – including my 2nd son who was 14 at the time – begged for it to come back. Coca-Cola tried Vault soda as a replacement and it was closer to Mt. Dew, but still not enough competition and it eventually disappeared as well...

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How to Make Changes on a Project

1/9/2015

It is never fun to make changes, especially amidst a big project, but at times change is necessary. There might be personnel who are not working out, or the scope might be wrong or ill-defined, or perhaps the schedule needs to be overhauled; all of these things and others can cause changes on the project. There is always a chance that the change will be disruptive for the project and the project team, so changing anything on a project just for the sake of change is never a good idea. Leaders should consider the issue from every angle and solicit input from all concerned parties before they can even decide if a change is warranted. If change is indeed necessary for the project, then the following checklist will help ensure that all bases are covered as the project manager implements the change(s)...

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The Ugly Duckling: Project Management in a Creative Centric World

1/9/2015

Imagine your agency landing a seven-figure contract with a Fortune 100 brand, only to discover a year later that your agency profitability has cratered, resulting in: smaller dividends, reduced profit share, a negatively impacted culture and increased financial instability. Sound impossible? Unfortunately, we see it happen every day.

While there are numerous and well-documented ways to improve the top-line revenue of an advertising or marketing agency (establishing a niche, adding new capabilities, thought leadership, improved business development, M&A, etc.), none of these have a direct link to improved profits. Worse yet…increasing top-line revenue can actually decrease profitability!...

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<< Previous

Pay Attention to Customer Complaints - They May be Disguised Opportunities

Key Competencies for Creative Marketing Managers

Avoid Losing that New Car Project Smell

5 Reasons Why You Need OneDesk for Your PM, Product, and Help Desk Solutions

Project Management and the Offshore Development Team - Part 1

5 Issues that Frustrate Creative Project Managers

5 Ways Workamajig Will Delight B2B Marketing Clients

I'm Drinking a Surge Right Now: Be Creative, but be Aware

How to Make Changes on a Project

The Ugly Duckling: Project Management in a Creative Centric World

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