Every little helps!

Last week Cicero broke the news of his recent epiphany. And that will have come as a shock to you. This week we open with yet another shock. This will be the last time you will read Cicero’s thoughts and opinions in 2009. There is no easy way of breaking this shocking and disturbing news but the good news is that we will be back in 2010 with more insight, wit and wisdom. Hopefully you will be able to hang on in there for a couple of weeks.

But with the Saturnalian and Bacchanalian revels and festivities fast approaching you need a break from the stimulation and thought provocation that Cicero provides you with each and every week. This is a time for fun, for enjoyment and for reflection. And with over a year’s worth of Ciceronic musings you will have plenty to reflect on and to chew over. You will be able to cope. And we will all soon be back together for more of Cicero’s finest. Now that is something to look forward to.

And of course we still have today’s fine words and mind blowing musings to entertain, enthuse and excite you.

And this week’s Thought for the Day starts with a quote and let’s see if you can guess who said it.

‘’what’s important is that you are loyal to your customers rather than your customers being loyal to you’’.

These are the words of Sir Terry Leahy, the Head Honcho at Tesco and Britain’s most admired leader for the umpteenth time, according to Management Today, a glossy mag for Head Honchos everywhere.

What an insight? Cicero is so jealous. And of course Tesco Tel is so right. Get the first part of the equation right and the rest will surely follow. All our businesses no doubt talk about customer loyalty but in many cases we mean customer apathy or indifference and do we really do a lot to earn that loyalty. We take it for granted at our peril.

Look at all the little things that Tesco does very well and you will see that the whole from a customer’s point of view is much better than the sum of the parts. Perhaps Tesco Tel has read these musings and as previously advocated has appointed a Director of Small Stuff.

It is no measure aided and abetted by the data generated by its Clubcard, less a loyalty card, more a data gathering machine. However it uses this data to identify trends, to isolate niches and to develop products and services that allow it to do the right things to demonstrate loyalty to generate loyalty.

Take Tesco Tel’s ‘Finest’ range of quality foods. This came about following the identification that regular shoppers changed habits at important holiday festivals such as Christmas. At these times of the year they would switch to more upmarket brands such as Waitrose or Marks & Spencer. And this insight begat a more upmarket sub-brand to capture increased share of wallet.

Now we might not like the Tescofication of our High Streets but you cannot quibble with the brilliance of Tesco Tel nor argue with his popularity among customers who every day of every week vote with their feet and their wallet and whose loyalty is earned each and every day. So unlike Cicero’s Lords and Masters.

You have to admit it is incredibly smart business.

And so this is your challenge for the New Year, whether you work in the public, private, third or fourth sector, how are you going to show loyalty to your customers? Your resolution for 2010 must be to demonstrate that every little helps and to show this to your people and to your customers. If we can deliver on this we will earn the loyalty and the commitment of all our people and our customers and business success will be delivered.

But one final tip-don’t use the line ‘every little helps’. Cicero cannot be sure about this but he thinks someone else is using it. Innovation might be undiscovered plagiarism but this might be a bit too obvious.

Is it only me?

Am I the only one who will be wondering what kind of Christmas Roger Federer is going to have. He might be the world’s greatest ever tennis player but his Christmas this year is set to be ruined. The poor guy must be on tenterhooks waiting for the other slipper to fall.

Now you might be no doubt thinking that Cicero has had too much mulled wine already and has lost it but think about it.

For past few months Roger has been the face and stubble of Gillette along with his mates Thierry Henry and Tiger Woods. Now you are with me.

First of all Monsieur Henri through careful handling helps the Gauls to the World Cup finals in South Africa. With so much gall, you have to hand it to them. It was almost a close shave but the chance to play at the World Cup Finals must be the best a man can get. But we should point out to M Henri that it is the football world cup. The clue is in the name. And as a consequence there are now more beards in the Erin Isle per head of population than in any other nation.

And then came Tiger, the world’s finest golfer, and never did someone have a more apt name if the news reports are to be believed, giving new meaning to the chants of ‘You’re the man’ and ‘In the hole’, which is of course exactly all Mr Woods was attempting to do. Again for many, though not for Cicero of course, Tiger’s antics (alleged) might be considered the best a man can get but with a net worth of £1billion (alleged) and with substantive pre-nups in place (alleged), it might of course be that Tiger is the best a woman can get.

And so Mr Federer must now be left wondering when and where the curse of Gillette is going to strike again. Cicero hears that Mrs Federer has been checking the pre-nups and the life insurance should lightening strike again.

Indeed so worried is old Cicero about the curse of Gillette that he is now re-considering how to maintain his own clean cut, smooth as a baby’s bum, hirsute-free look. If sponsorship is all about image associations, you can never be too careful. Mind you, shaving with Gillette never did much for Cicero’s football, golf or tennis skills so it might be alright.

Have a great week and see you in the New Year.

Felix dies Nativatis.

I'm not as clever as I thought I was!

This week Cicero has had an epiphany moment. Indeed it is more than a moment. It might not be quite on the scale of a Pauline Damascene-esque conversion but it is right up there with some of the best flip flops of all time. And before this is shared with you, please make sure you are seated with no sharp objects or warm liquids to hand.

And this week’s shocks news which will come as a surprise to you, especially if you are of a data manipulating eco-mentalist persuasion, Cicero now admits that global warming, climate change, wonky weather, or whatever this week’s fashionable term might be, might be happening. Are you still there?

Now news of this import requires explanation. Why the change the mind? Well, in the absence of hard data which as the eco-mentalists know is hard to come by since they destroyed it once they had sexed it up a bit, Cicero has used other climatic and meteorological indicators to reach this conclusion.

Now you might not know this but each and every day Cicero braves the wrath of the Capital’s bendy buses and cycles on his week bike across town to the TSSB where he plies his trade. Proof that Cicero is concerned about his carbon footprint.

Anyway it is now mid December and Cicero continues to be seen about town on his wee bike in shorts. Now this might not be a pretty sight but never have shorts been worn so late in year. Surely proof positive that we are in midst of wonky weather. And so Cicero is convinced.

And in case there is an eco-mentalist out there who thinks that Cicero will now move on to challenge other moronities, think again. This is a subject to which Cicero intends to return. The case for man made climate change is far from proven and after the wilful destruction and obscuring of objectivity on this matter, rest assured we will re-visit this topic in the coming weeks. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

And in other shocking news this week Cicero has learnt that he is not as clever as he thought he was.

Now this is difficult to believe and this revelation almost caused Ciceronic depression for it seems that there is more than one kind of intelligence and Cicero might have the wrong one. You probably didn’t even know that you could have the wrong kind of intelligence but seemingly just as trains can be affected by the wrong kind of snow and water companies by the wrong kind of rain, it is now possible to have the wrong kind of intelligence.

Up until now you might have thought that proof of Cicero’s intelligence and ability was based on an endless supply of good ideas, an incisive mind and well developed technical skills. Imagine the let down and disappointment when you learn that nowadays this is nowhere near good enough. This type of intelligence is only an entry level requirement to be able to meet the requirements of working in the Top Secret State Bunker and for doing the job of protecting you.

Are you as gutted as Cicero was when he discovered this devastating news. It seems that for anyone to do their job properly the right kind of intelligence to have these days is Emotional Intelligence.

What is it? And why is it important, why is it relevant to us and our businesses?

It seems that to become as intelligent emotionally as we like to think we are as a common or garden intelligent person we need to develop and learn, if not too late, new skills.

To succeed we need self awareness and to be in touch with our emotions, drives and moods and their effect on others. This is an easy one. Cicero is never moody.

Secondly, we need to have the ability to control or re-direct our disruptive impulses and moods. Cicero will skip that one.

Thirdly we need to have a strong desire and be well motivated to achieve. No problem.

And we are now required to have the social skills needed to manage relationships and build networks Got that one unless its time to buy a round..

Lastly, emotional intelligence requires us to understand the emotional make up of other people and to empathise with the needs and wants of others. Now it’s got real hard to be intelligent.

So to be intelligent in today’s workplace requires us to understand others and their feelings, and to understand ourselves, our goals, our moods and our behaviour. Whatever happened to the other kind of intelligence? Cicero was good at that one

However to be emotionally dumb is not an option. What kind of an organisation would you like to be a customer of? Where would you like to work?

To be the kind of human and creative business we want for our customers and for ourselves, we need to continue to develop and grow in emotional intelligence. We must continue to show self awareness, an ability to control our emotions, to demonstrate a passion to achieve for customers and colleagues, to empathise with people, and to build proficiency in managing relationships.

Consider two airlines-Virgin and Ryanair. Where would you prefer to work? With whom would you prefer to fly? Which has the higher level of emotional intelligence as a business, as a brand?

Cicero has come across few with emotional intelligence. It is a rare gift. And someone with it is to be loved, cherished and kept close. The world and your life is truly a better place for their presence in it. You can trust Cicero on this one. He has experience of EI people.

Is it only me?

And so to this week’s big question-should bankers get a bonus?

No doubt you will have been wondering all week through the media and political emotional knee jerk response to this issue, if Cicero had a view on such a topic. Of course Cicero has a view. And as is the wont of this column the Ciceronic opinion is not one to make Cicero popular. No matter. Truth as always will out though it often takes a week or two before public opinion catches up.

And before dispensing views and opinions on this matter, it is worth pointing out that prior to Cicero practising his marketing genius and alchemy on your behalf, such genius was previously applied to the financial services industry though the views formed on bankers’ bonuses are formed independently of these experiences. In any event Cicero never did benefit from such levels of largesse and generosity.

Over the past year we as taxpayers have sunk billions into our banks to ensure that when we went to a cash machine our money was there. And sure these bankers now us all a wee bit more than the price of a three bedrooms semi detached house. And we might no longer think of these people as masters of the universe and indeed we might even call them a word that rhymes with bankers.

Now it might only be me, and now given that the mission of this piece is to go boldly where no one has gone before, and to go there in a grammatically correct way, you will note, but I would like my money back at some point and if this means that a few pinstripes have to be paid a wee bit more to deliver so that I can get my money back, big deal.

Please can we stop all this hysteria which has all the similarities of a KKK lynch mob? Can we end the populist appeal to the base instincts of the mob? Can we cease the political posturing and futile political gestures? It is also worth remembering that screaming foul on bonuses is a handy diversion from the very fraudulent expense fiddles practiced by our MPs. No wonder they are keen to attack the pinstripe and red braces brigade.

So can we get back to sanity? Pay the bankers what is needed so we can get our loans back and let our banks perform. But let’s make sure that we more properly align the needs of bankers with those of the taxpayer and the shareholder.

All I want are my bawbees back. And I am sure you do too.

Have a great week.

Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.

A Chinese takeaway

Salvete.

Thank you once again for all your contributions to last week’s thoughts. Cicero would however like to correct the charge levelled at him by one of last week’s anonymous contributors that he is mean. This is a libellous and scurrilous accusation. Cicero is not mean. He is just careful with his bawbees.

Cicero has also been asked from where he gets the inspiration to write such thought provoking insight each and every week. Clearly you realise that though it is made to look easy, stimulus is required each and every week for such great thoughts to be written. The words inscribed on the tomb of Sir Christopher Wren are clearly apposite in response:

‘Lector, si monumentum requiris te circumspice’

Cicero will not insult your intelligence by translating this into the vernacular but needless to say inspiration is everywhere and nowhere.

Last week Cicero was musing for no apparent reason on the words and works of Chairman Mao. On this occasion he means the Great Helmsman, the Supreme Leader of the Chinese nation, and not the Chinese restaurant on Wigan High St.

In the 1960s this man urged the nation to let ‘a hundred flowers bloom’ to encourage radical and off the wall thinking. Now while this ended in the absurdity of the Cultural Revolution and mass murder of anyone thinking unorthodox thoughts, maybe just maybe there might be some lessons for us as marketers in this approach. And when Cicero says this he means the first bit about letting a hundred flowers bloom and not the mass murder bit even though it would open a few career paths.

Too often in business we employ people on vast-ish salaries who are under the impression that they must come up with vast-ish thoughts and equally vastishly expensive thinking to justify such vast-ish salaries. The result is often initiative after programme after project which expensively delivers outputs and rarely outcomes. Just look at the volume of initiatives pouring from TSSBs across Whitehall for proof of this thesis. The urge to do be seen to do things is like an itch and the bigger the scratch the better.

Now here’s a radical thought.

Maybe more could be achieved if businesses and its leaders focussed on doing the small things which can quite often deliver big results. And maybe if we as leaders encouraged ourselves and our people to light a hundred small fires, to let a hundred flowers bloom, we might achieve more. What do you think? Do you think Cicero is onto something here?

Many businesses will have tried to put in place comprehensive and full blown and no doubt expensive employee engagement programmes usually involving an expensive staff satisfaction survey or by chasing IIP accreditation. And no doubt a Director of Employee Engagement will be hired on a vasti-ish salary to think vast-ish thoughts.

Not necessarily wrong but taking the small fire approach much progress can be made to engage our people if we remember to take time out to show we appreciate their efforts; if we share business results and progress on a regular basis; and if we take time to listen to what they are doing and what they are feeling.

Easy. Cheap. Effective.

Maybe businesses of all shapes and sizes would do much better if they stopped hiring fancy Marketing Directors on fancy salaries who think they must develop expensive brand refresh programmes and expensive advertising campaigns to justify their fancy salaries.

And instead they employ a Director of Small Things to concentrate not on the big expensive stuff to drive business but on initiatives which cost the price of chips but deliver big results. A person whose job is to light loads of small fires around the business to improve business performance.

In the world of small fires where a hundreds of flowers a bloom, BT combined a telephone number and web address to boost response by a factor of 3 over a single call to action. Simple but brilliant.

Another example? One leading charity added a text response and immediately doubled donations especially from the young And

This even works for small businesses. One small shop Cicero knows boosted turnover by £60,000 simply by moving the fruit and veg from the rear to the front of the shop.

And in one town that employed a Director of Small Things the number of people who gave up their car and switched to walking was increased after they replaced signs showing distance to places as is the norm with signs showing time on assumption that people are short of time not miles. Again Cicero is in awe of such thinking, such an approach.

And so if this week you smell burning, you can be sure that Cicero has been lighting small fires across his TSSB and has been encouraging his team to do the same. Let’s not think about spending money on the big things but about how we can deliver big results by doing the small stuff better.

Let’s smell the flowers, let’s set our business alight, let a thousand thoughts contend. It will be good for us, for our people, for our business.

Is it only me?

Cicero is fed up. He is angered, annoyed and apoplectic. And, what you might ask, is the source of such apoplectic angst? Well it is the record industry. Why so, will be your next question?

For years the record industry has done nothing but moan about the threats posed to their business model by free downloading and the competitive threat of the internet. Indeed so loud has been their moaning that the conventional and usually broken approach is now to be followed. The government will intervene and do something. This is always a recipe for disaster. Governments of all shades are regularly implored to do something, just listen to the ‘Today’ programme for 15 minutes and count the number of times the government ‘must do something’. It rarely works.

Now it might only be me but I have never heard the manufacturers of Perrier, Evian or Buxton Spring asking the government to do something to help them compete with the threat to their business model posed by the free download of their major competitor, tap water. Even the mighty Coke, which regards tap water, not Pepsi, as its major competitor for share of throat, has raised no objection to competing with this free resource.

Unlike the record companies who just carp on and on about how unfair life is, these companies set out to build brands which better meet and satisfy consumer need than tap water does and for this they charge a premium. And it works. Indeed it works so well that the data manipulating eco-mentalist brigade are now muscling in on the act and moaning about the eco-mentalist impacts of these examples of great brand building. Stick to manipulating and hiding the climate change data, you are good at that, and leave the brand builders to do what they do best.

And so Cicero has this advice to the moaning minnies of the record industry. Get over it. Life is unfair. Deal with it. Stop moaning. And start thinking about how you can compete. You will find the answer on tap.

Have a great week. And see you again next week.

Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.