In recent weeks, I have noticed an alarming number of stories from people who are annoyed at the abuse they have to put up with when applying for a job. The sad fact is, many small business owners are not following a modicum of common decency in their recruitment procedures.

We know that the economy is weak, that jobs are scarce, benefit payments are escalating, stress levels are rising and it seems, so are the number of stories where ‘would be’ employers are not playing fair.

Its now apparent that people who are innocently answering job adverts online and in newspapers are increasingly having to deal with poor behaviour by the advertiser. Common complaints from a few people include:

1. Being told after a lengthy interview and a wait for a response, that you are perfect for the job, but the employer ‘forgot’ to state that a drivers licence was needed for an administrative position. It appears that the owner requires far more then what was stated in the advert, including paying repeated visits to the owner’s clients. To add insult to injury, the ‘employer’ proceeded to push a heap of advertising material onto the unsuccessful applicant, for her to become a reseller in a pyramid scheme.
2. A student told me last week that he needed to earn his next months rent so he applied for a selling job, only to be visited by a reseller that wanted £85 for a sales kit to get him started. Argue all you want, people that are short of rent money, don’t need to pay out money when applying for a job, surely?
3. Then more bizarrely, an applicant for a waitressing job was offered no real interview, rather an opportunity to buy herself an alcoholic drink in a winebar.
4. It takes some effort for people with minimal funds to print CVs, get dressed up smartly and pay for transport to a potential position, to conduct themselves well enough to be told that they will get a call back in a few days, only to never hear from the employer again.
5. Another common complaint, was the number of CVs [with personal details on them] that get forwarded without knowledge and consent to spammers and dodgy recruitment brokers who inundate the victim with endless unrelated offers.

Other than the above being rank bad manners, it is an abuse on those that are mostly defenseless. If this continues to escalate, we will have more and more good people not bothering to apply for jobs offered by small business. As we know, small business depends on good people. Stories of indigent foreigners being promised a fair wage and getting nothing of the sort after at least a month of valuable hard work, are legendary. We need to ensure that our agreements are understood and in writing.

Wouldn’t it be great if the small business sector became a preferred place to work because of the positive way staff are treated? It doesn’t help to say we only treat people well that we actually employ. We know that word gets out quickly and let’s be honest, old habits die hard – if you only treat people well that give you something in return, your existing staff will see this trait very quickly.

I know its a tough old world out there. I also know that some bad apples shouldn’t be allowed to upset the applecart. What I am suggesting is, that as business owners and employers, we should always pay very careful attention to the way we treat all people, especially potential employees. Also, when we notice others treating vulnerable people badly, we should stand up and say or do something constructive.

Let me know below what you think.

When busy growing our business, there are times when problems get in the way of a good plan. Time-out, to think clearly about some steps before solving problems and making important decisions may turn a great opportunity into a solid, profitable and exciting direction. Some pointers in the diagram below may save you time, make better decisions and even make you money. Use only what you feel is relevant. However, four steps are mission critical to your problem solving & decision-making, they are:

1. Definition
2. Alternatives
3. Solution
4. Results

You may add steps, but its unwise to delete any of these four. Use any variation of the points that make up each step, by choosing a mix of sub-category points….or add to them, to suit your situation.

Feel free to use this FREE DOWNLOAD diagram below as a guideline to get your thinking going for your mind map, planogram, white board discussion or whatever method you prefer, to prepare for your problem solving. A clear and simple idea of ‘the way forward’ is a good way to stay focused.

Feel free too, to pass the diagram around. Most important, please let us know your comments, so we may grow too.

FREE DOWNLOAD:  Problem solving

Plant now, Gro2

* SWOT = Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

How different would prospects look today for brands Kevin Pietersen, Wayne Rooney and Dimitri Mascarenhas? …if they had made different decisions than the ones they did this week, that attracted negative media attention?

Decisions affect us relentlessly. Sometimes to devastating effect. If either the risk or rewards are large, the results of our decisions can either contribute positively or contaminate negatively towards our lives. The obvious preference is for us to make far more good decisions than bad ones.

Decison-making is a question of style. We generally vary our style according the situation or decision we are faced with. Serious problems arise when we default to making decisions emotionally and ignore what our brain might contribute. I would suggest that the decisions taken by Messrs. Pietersen and Mascarenhas had more heart than head. Not good when you are brand building in the unforgiving media who look make and break brands.

So what styles do we generally employ when we are thinking sensibly? Some of the more important styles are:

Authoritarian: Mostly used in a beaurocracy, top down with little interest in others opinions and is becoming outdated.
Procedural: Following a tried and tested template where individual thought is minimal.
Risk-averse: Choosing to spend / lose as little as possible, to get the best reward.
Systematic: Using a series of steps in researching facts, defining the problem, analysing evidence and implementing choices systematically are common in solving strategic issues.
Intuitive: Using intuition, emotion and imagination creates a ‘hunch’ or ‘gut feel’ which are powerful allies to systematic decision-making.
Adventurous: Thinking ‘outside the box’ brings a fresh context to a problem. This too can be a powerful ally to a systematic problem-solving approach. Bold decisions can be made after carefully considering risks.
Democratic: While not useful in emergencies when quick decisions are needed, soliciting the opinions of others when risk management is needed for medium to long-term strategic matters is good practice.

Taking the situation our sportsmen mentioned above, find themselves in – what advice would you like to offer them in hindsight, to improve on the decision-making styles they used?

Feel free to make your comments below.

When busy growing our business, there are times when events get in the way of a good plan. Time-out, to think clearly about some steps before an important negotiation may turn a great opportunity into a solid and workable deal. Some pointers in the diagram below may save you time and make you money. Use only what you feel is relevant. However, four steps are mission critical to your negotiation, they are:

• 1. Preparing
• 2. Proposing
• 3. Bargaining
• 4. Closing

You may add steps, but its unwise to delete any of these four. Use any variation of the points that make up each step, by choosing a mix of sub-category points….or add to them, to suit your situation.

Feel free to use this FREE DOWNLOAD diagram below as a guideline to get your thinking going for your mind map, planogram, white board discussion or whatever method you prefer, to prepare for your negotiations. A clear and simple idea of ‘the way forward’ is a good way to stay focused.

Feel free too, to pass the diagram around. Most important, please let us know your comments, so we too can improve.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Negotiating steps

* SWOT = Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

When busy growing our brands, there are times when events get in the way of a good plan. Time-out, to think clearly about some steps before making important branding decisions, may turn a great opportunity into a solid and workable plan. Some pointers in the diagram below may save you time and make you money. Use only what you feel is relevant. However, four steps are mission critical to our branding process, they are:

1. Markets
2. Audience
3. Strategy
4. Message

You may add steps, but its unwise to delete any of these four. Use any variation of the points that make up each step, by choosing a mix of sub-category points….or add to them, to suit your situation.

Feel free to use this FREE DOWNLOAD diagram below as a guideline to get your thinking going for your mind map, planogram, white board discussion or whatever method you prefer, to prepare for your branding decisions. A clear and simple idea of ‘the way forward’ is a good way to stay focused.

Feel free too, to pass the diagram around. Most important, please let us know your comments, so we may grow too.

Plant now, Gro2

FREE DOWNLOAD:  Branding steps

When busy growing our business, there are times when events get in the way of a good plan. Time-out, to think clearly about some steps before making important decisions for our success, may turn a great opportunity into a solid and workable plan. Some pointers in the diagram below may save you time and make you money. Use only what you feel is relevant. However, four steps are mission critical to our success process, they are;

1. Vision
2. Where from
3. Where to
4. How to

You may add steps, but its unwise to delete any of these four. Use any variation of the points that make up each step, by choosing a mix of sub-category points….or add to them, to suit your situation.

Feel free to use this FREE DOWNLOAD diagram below as a guideline to get your thinking going for your mind map, planogram, white board discussion or whatever method you prefer, to prepare for your success steps. A clear and simple idea of ‘the way forward’ is a good way to stay focused.

Feel free too, to pass the diagram around. Most important, please let us know your comments, so we may grow too.

FREE DOWNLOAD:  Success steps

Plant now, Gro2

When busy growing our business, there are times when events get in the way of a good plan. Time-out, to think clearly about some steps before making important changes may turn a great opportunity into a solid and workable plan. Some pointers in the diagram below may save you time and make you money. Use only what you feel is relevant. However, four steps are mission critical to your change process, they are;

1. Opportunities
2. Vision
3. Strategies
4. Leadership

You may add steps, but its unwise to delete any of these four. Use any variation of the points that make up each step, by choosing a mix of sub-category points….or add to them, to suit your situation.

Feel free to use this FREE DOWNLOAD diagram below as a guideline to get your thinking going for your mind map, planogram, white board discussion or whatever method you prefer, to prepare for your change management. A clear and simple idea of ‘the way forward’ is a good way to stay focused.

Feel free too, to pass the diagram around. Most important, please let us know your comments, so we may grow too.

FREE DOWNLOAD:  Change management steps

Plant now, Gro2

Brand Beckham put our minds at ease yesterday by opting out of chasing Fabio Cappello from the hottest job in England. (After Jonathan Ross’s BBC throne of course.) The king’s work is dead, long live the legend. Beckham said he lacks the passion to manage the team. Is that all he lacks, wants or knows?

I would think that he would need to manage a third division team for half a season to qualify as national coach or to have at least been to a week course on sports injuries. No doubt David qualifies on loyalty, dress codes and hairstyles. However, most of the managers in the world cup quarter finals, have been more than an ‘unofficial part of a squad’ in their CV, leading up to the big let down on the field under African skies. This begs the question, does experience, strategy, tactics, management skills, credibility, interpersonal skills, media profile, technical ability, drive, leadership and more…. really matter in helping a team to win a world cup? What do you think and does David Beckham qualify on any or all of these criteria?

Beckham has calmed the storm of speculation regards his loyalties and coaching aspirations by saying that Fabio Capello is not to blame for the England’s poor performance which is a blunt way of saying the players must take the rap. A sure sign that he doesn’t want to coach the current players. Nor would they be particularly endeared by his finger pointing at them, I would think. Anyway, he will be challenging for one of the persona non grata places in the team for the next world cup. Bringing a whole new meaning to being thirtysomething. There is certainly something to be said for playing Peter Pan. We should all be inspired to become ‘age is just a number’ kind of people.

Considering David for the england coaching throne without qualifications is symptomatic of our times. We all abhor all the isms associated with prejudice in our selections for any position. What we can’t deny is the value of professional recruitment on merit. Its amusing to listen to the many platitudes of pundits given a platform by the media to ignite meaningless debates for their own ends and egos. No one would squabble about any appointment on merit at a fair price. The debate rages though, about public appointments where fair value is hard to see.

The good news is that David Beckham is clearly smart and talented, not only on the football field but in front of the camera as well. He, more than anyone, knows where his talents and passion can best be appreciated and put to good use. I applaud David’s decision to work with children in his academy and to tell the media like it is. This way, he dismisses speculation at his and Fab’s expense. There is something refreshing about people who pin their colours to a mask and remain loyal to their cause. Dave and Fab are aware of the facts and the evidence closest to the national football field throne. Not so, the emotional fans or opportunists.

Again David Beckham makes headlines, inadvertently of course. Despite the ignominious media message that he is now considered too old to play for England – the question of age, not ability raises its ugly head as the reason for redundancy. I was under the impression in these modern times that it was decidedly not de rigueur to even ask ones age on a form, let alone use it as a reason for dismissal or worse, unsuitability for employment.

Ageism is a conundrum I don’t yet understand. We all will be affected by it as we ourselves age, yet we continue to allow this prejudice to continue. In my view, Fabio Capello should be sanctioned for age discrimination against David Beckham. Of course this won’t happen, but it does make the point that Fabio didn’t use ability as the criteria for dismissal. He may have meant it that way, but he didn’t say it that way. Its like a jealous husband beating his wife out of jealousy. He may have meant it that he loved her, but what he actually did was open to interpretation and unlawful. We all need to be far smarter about what we say and do when ending a career, Fabio included.

There are many highly skilled people in the world over fifty feeling that they are on the bottom of the employment ladder or off it. Maybe also, many now feel that after decades of hard work they are now deemed to be less worthwhile to an employer than a younger, less experienced employee. I fail to to see the generalities of this logic. Sure, specific cases would have merit to argue against this but I in turn would argue that if employment is on merit, those that put in the effort should get rewarded for their efforts – not have their life changed through some arbitrary prejudice, trend, decision or worse…a whim. Stability has few detractors and neither has creativity. We need to find new ways to grow our businesses and our economy without undermining the skills base we have taken time and hard earned resources to build.

Most countries need growth after the credit crunch and the UK has many unemployed graduates, many skilled immigrants gainfully employed and many able bodied people on benefits. We also have the option or retiring much later than we erstwhile thought. At the same time, when growth and competition become essentials in our economy we dilute our skills base. We all know that cheaper is not necessarily better.

To grow, we need to compete in a robust manner. To compete, we should employ the people with the best skills and experience at the best price. It makes no sense to me to encourage people to retire later, then discriminate against them in the process by saying they are too old to continue working or to be recruited. If we choose the best person for the job, should we not remove all discrimination to achieve this goal? Or is this merely ideology, here-say or double speak?

I understand that the longer you work the better your pension contributions will amount to. I also understand that new employers will be contributors to the pension fund (and in financial speak at a lower cost to company) not soon to be takers from it. By keeping the fund economically active through young employees is a sign that someone hasn’t been keeping their business strategies in order and ensured that their HR strategy and planning keeps their pension fund contributions a variable operating expense or in some other more intelligent way, less dependent from operations. It is also a sign that the longer one remains employed, the worse you are treated. What will that do for loyalty, trust, productivity and creativity?

What do you think – Age before beauty? Or do you think this will never affect you financially or interest you?

Vodafone provides me with a good example of what not to promote in a marketing message. This telecommunications giant has a brand vision that personifies the ‘can do’ approach that makes life easier for customers” when in fact my experience has been somewhat different. Their service to my innocent computer is unrecognisable if used to measure against the smooth claims made in their marketing material.

My relationship with the massive Vodafone brand has tenure and its only in the recent past that it has turned somewhat sour. In fact so sour that my perception of the brand may have been altered irreparably. This feeling is not as a result of a single frustrated emotional outburst on my part but a measured response after many weeks of poor or no service. A service that was paid for in advance and is mission critical to putting food on my families table.

The fact is, we all understand technical difficulties with technology and that patience is the best policy as the experts put wrongs right. What I don’t understand is why Vodafone kept me in the dark for a long time, making it very difficult for weeks to make appropriate business decisions and also, forcing me to waste a heap of time (which is money) in trying tor rectify the situation.

I learnt belatedly, from a helpful call centre person that the problem was caused by a 3rd party supplier (Sony Ericsson) who would sorting out the problem in a few days. My point is, the more messages I got from Vodafone and the more I tried tried to solve my precarious situation that has threatened my business for weeks, the more the stories don’t add up. Thereby, crushing my trust in a brand that I have supported for some time. Let the brand buyer beware.

The marketing issue for me is that Vodafone seem to support a tactic of saying and acting as if it’s better to tell customers technically as little as possible. I understand that rationale, but don’t accept it. Thereafter, they appear to deal with protests only when the complaints reach crisis proportions. This is mind boggling considering that at the same time, marketing gurus try to build their brand at great expense.

Vodafone could learn a lot from listening to the needs of customers as their problems arise and feedback is presented, instead of sending out heaps electronic surveys, pamphlets, packaging, text messages, et al. I kid you not, when I called to get the details of whom to complain to up the hierarchy, I received an automated call to my mobile phone asking me to rate their customer service. Quite frankly, without a reliable signal for days, that wasn’t a priority for me or an interest, to assist them without even a human to voice my reply.

It’s an online phenomenon it seems that management only appear when bonuses are announced. If that is a customer perception, despite being untrue, the brand is tarnished. Its gruelling to have to listen to spin when a mission critical service that has been pre-paid for is not being delivered and the supplier has no obvious process in place to reimburse you or any intention of telling you what the problem is or when it will be fixed. Marketing is doing itself an injustice here by showing untold arrogance and insensitivity.

There is a significant marketing lesson in this story for all of us. It’s so easy to forget the tiny customers on the fringes. We all have been on some end of this continuum. Either side, its not pleasant when the truth emerges. That said, we need to listen and make sure that each customer receives the respect and service to which they are entitled (and paid for)

When I as a customer in need ask of my supplier to support me and sort out their service, what I don’t want is a barrage of marketing promotion messages. The fact that Vodafone and their 3rd party network would be unreliable in my area for weeks, without explanation and that available bandwidth would be reserved primarily for mobile phone customers. This is something that I would have preferred to hear in their promotions before they took my money. Here I thought brand building was about customer loyalty.

Times are changing and so I expect will our choices as to what we as marketers promote and inevitably, what we as customers buy. This is not a unique story, consequently is it a trend that is emerging that will create more marketing opportunities? Possibly, in industries that aren’t easily regulated. Otherwise, despite best intentions and vacuous words, it will continue until we have the courage to speak out and do something to change it.

Its now a month since I submitted a written complaint to management and two weeks since I wrote to the CEO and still, no solution or contact. At least we now know for sure, what the Vodafone brand messages really mean.