Rowen Untivero is
Partner and Chief
Sales Strategist of
Mansmith and Fielders, Inc

Not being the market leader, we tend to get bullied by big customers, who extract a lot of concessions. Oftentimes we feel helpless. Is there a way around this? -Amy of Manila.

Numerous sellers as well as buyers get bullied by more powerful counter-parts everyday in this imperfect negotiating world. Though a reality, it is not an unavoidable fate for weaker parties!

Let’s first understand how bullying per se occurs and thereafter find out how we can protect ourselves preventively as well as remedially when we negotiate.

Lessons from Youthful Experiences

My recollection as a bullying victim remains quite vivid, unbridled by repressive defense shields the mind uses to block emotional and psychological trauma.  I still remember the adrenaline rush of being the gazelle outrunning lions.  Fortunately, dexterous evasive maneuvers in ‘patintero’ kept me from being an ‘alpha meal’. After my last grade school summer break, I reached a level of physical ascendancy accompanied by a ‘macho’ resolve. I transmogrified into an alpha male wolf, territorial, oftentimes leading my own pack, in a reckoning of sorts, overcompensating then as a new bully.  Because my bully persona tends to control outcomes, I felt undoubtedly more reassured relative to when I was the victim.

However, by the middle of my adolescence, I realized that striking a balance worked much better for human relations. I also surmised it requires less plastic surgery in the future. Bullies (siga) also chance upon counter bullies (maton), the outcome of which is usually unpleasant. I learned that having power and not abusing it elicited more respect. Thus I transformed myself to a more balanced player, promoting productive exchanges while relationships remain engendered. Paradoxically, it seemed to receive beyond a fair share of return without having to terrorize anyone. Balance is utopia indeed, but let’s set foot once again on imperfect Earth.

The Dynamics of the Bullying and Being Victimized

Bullies secure leverage from power absent in the victim. But as the cliche goes: ‘it takes two to tango’. The victim unknowingly submits to bullying after realizing the lack of power to resist the bully’s impositions. This in turn provides the bully “encouraging” feedback to continue the behavior. The same is practically true in business negotiations. Power rests disproportionately on one party who knowingly uses such leverage to extract an unbalanced amount of concessions from the other party. In turn, the other party surrenders concessions like sacrificial lambs to appease a ‘god’ simply to be spared harm, at the cost of receiving mere vestiges and scraps of a deal! When this is allowed to happen a first time, the bullying behavior gets rewarded and therefore, repeated.  Reinforcement spirals it down to become an acceptable habit that pitifully descends further down to be immortalized in an abyss of sacrosanct business rituals!

Avoiding and Breaking the Bullying Cycle
For the weaker negotiating party, a well-crafted strategy is half your solution to avoid getting bullied:

• Nego-mapping possibilities, probabilities as well as determining how to lead negotiations to your preferred outcomes are essential planning components.
• Predictive knowledge is a great source of power!
• You likewise need to plug or hide your weaknesses.

More importantly, develop relevant counter strengths, before you accede to any meeting.

Never ever ‘walk’ into negotiations without these, unless tragedy tickles your fancy!

The other half of the solution intended to break the bullying cycle requires suave execution mastery:

• Learn where and how to confidently stonewall (hold ground) complete with the proper word choices, tones and body language, communicating firmness where it matters and flexibility where it is allowable
• Superior posturing projection is also a necessary skill to master. Project surefootedness without hostility.  Avoid hesitation.  Bullies prey on game, not on suspected fellow predators (maton) they tend to respect. Attain respect as an early milestone.

Then, excellently execute your nego-mapped plan, sensitive to scenario realizations, to complete your tactical defense.

Conclusion

For bullying to prosper it needs a victim. By repositioning a weak position to that of a respectable counterpart, the bully’s appetite for blood will be redirected to a more delectable victim, sparing you the third degree treatment. Concession exchange can then become more balanced and relationship can then be mutually established.

Rowen Untivero is a Partner and Chief Sales Strategist of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc., the country’s leading marketing and sales, strategy and innovation training company.  He is an original developer/training master of three Negotiation Courses (Tactical, Strategic and 3D Language of Negotiation), where related framework, processes, strategies and tools can exclusively be learned. He has an upcoming negotiation public seminar on May 24 and 25, 2012. Please send your questions, comments or feedback to mentors@mansmith.net. You can also visit www.mansmith.net.

Josiah Go is chairman
and chief marketing
strategist of Mansmith
and Fielders, Inc.,
the leading training
company in marketing,
sales, strategy and
innovation.

This is an excerpt from Mr. Go’s forthcoming book “Marketing Plan: Building The Profitable Preferred Brand” (2nd edition, co-authored by Chiqui Escareal-Go) to be released in June 2012.

Listed here is the normally backward sequence to attain customer loyalty:

1. To ultimately earn customer’s loyalty means the customers have been repurchasing and have adopted a company’s products.
2. The customers will not repurchase products unless they are satisfied with these products.
3. They cannot be satisfied with the product unless they have tried the product.
4. They cannot try the product unless the product is available.
5. They will not look for the product unless they are aware of its existence, convinced of its relevance, and they like the brand image.

Although customer satisfaction is extremely important because they may lead to repeat purchase, the relationship between customer satisfaction and repeat purchase is not automatic. No strong evidence that links customer satisfaction to automatic repeat purchase. Just because a customer is satisfied with a product does not mean he will stick with the same product, as other brands would also be courting him to try and switch to them.

This is why learning to be better than the competition is needed! The marketers must, therefore, be on the offensive in bringing their customers to a loyalty level while being defensive in preventing their customers from trying other competing brands. Remember that the probability of a repeat purchase increases with the frequency of previous purchases and decreases when a customer fails to purchase during a purchase cycle. One can easily observe from above that to build a strong brand and gain customer loyalty, firms must build the following marketing tasks:

1. Awareness
2. Availability
3. Trial
4. Continuous Repeat Purchase leading to Adoption

Hence, marketers must formulate strategies to satisfy customer’s needs and wants based on these four critical marketing tasks. Note that in accordance to the product life cycle concept, the product category must be deemed relevant first before a brand can be effective in creating awareness. The regular calamities affecting the Philippines, such as the 2009 Ondoy flood in Metro Manila and nearby provinces or the 2011 Sendong flood in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan have made insurance products more relevant and receive greater demand. Awareness was increased by reports on losses of properties and lives on television, print, online and radio. In fact, the industry hardly grew in 2009 but gross insurance premiums of the industry went up substantially by P4 billion, from P47 billion to P51 billion, in 2010, as major banks started to require “catastrophic perils cover” for business loan availors.

Marketers might talk about “delighting” customers, but this can happen only after their basic needs and wants are satisfied. An upscale gym, which might try to do this by giving their customers rebates on their annual dues in exchange for new referrals, will not get the full cooperation of its members unless basic things like opening on time and having soap and shampoo readily and consistently available are guaranteed. Certainly, competition that understands marketing will do the same marketing tasks. The firm that can do it faster and better will have the edge in a marketplace characterized with having too little differentiation, too much noise and too many choices.

There is a second way to create demand aside from satisfying needs and wants. By creating dissatisfaction, firms get to take advantage of their unique capabilities and resources in addressing unclear needs of customers. This is done by introducing to the consumers new ways of doing things and converting their existing satisfaction level to a dissatisfaction level. The key is to ask, “Could our product enable customers to do what they could not do as well?” Citibank, for instance, offers photo cards as an added security to their cardholders. Waters Philippines’ Bio Mineral Pot offers not only a water purifier but also an alkaline maker and mineralizer capable of producing high quality water at around P1.45 per liter versus the P12.00 per liter from most bottled water brands because of savings in packaging and distribution. In creating these new satisfaction levels, Citibank obtains a lead over its competitors through better security, while Waters Philippines manages to rattle the economics in the purified water market.

Josiah Go is Chairman and Chief Marketing Strategist of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc., the leader in marketing, sales and innovation training. He will be conducting the following seminars: Strategic Marketing May 23, 2012; Marketing Strategy and Plans May 24-25, 2012 and Market-Driving Strategies June 21-22, 2012. 

Josiah Go is chairman
and chief marketing
strategist of Mansmith
and Fielders, Inc.,
the leading training
company in marketing,
sales, strategy and
innovation.

This  is an excerpt from Josiah Go’s forthcoming book “Marketing Plan: Building The Profitable Preferred Brand” (2nd edition, co-authored by Chiqui Escareal-Go) to be released in June 2012.

Many products have a low market penetration rate, typically in single-digit or in low double digits. With this comes the question on whether marketers are focusing their activities on the minority of the market or whether they have the right marketing mix and business model in the first place to attract a much wider audience. There is a big difference between serving current customers (market-driven strategy) and serving underserved and unserved markets (market-driving

The marketers of Noah Ion Cleanse Foot Detox System saw the problem of air circulation in salons and spa centers. Because the product removes toxins through one’s feet, open air circulation is necessary and hygienic. In addition, the toxins released through one’s feet might make the user uncomfortable in the presence of strangers, thus making the salon and the spa weak in the viability of its location. The marketers succeeded in introducing their product to the bigger home market via selling to housewives through installment plan, backed by medically tested evidence that showed diabetic patients with lower blood sugar levels after a 30-minute detox session.

Menthol-soothing Vicks Vaporub is being used as a pre-shave skin conditioner in many barbershops, a much larger market instead of relying on people suffering from colds.

Century Tuna did not just have a first mover advantage in the tuna industry but created the industry by repositioning tuna as the healthier meat. In 2011, it did the same thing by launching tuna hotdog targeting the adult segment who are more health conscious.

Healthway is the pioneer in mall-based outpatient medical service, which is more convenient and less threatening versus hospitals, attracting walk-in patients reminded of their need for check-up or laboratory tests. Outpatient rate is roughly 70% of a person’s medical needs, hence, the idea of setting up a clinic outside of hospitals.

East West Seeds, the market leader in vegetable seeds, innovated by tapping the consumer market through schools. Instead of through traditional farmers, it offered schools an alternative way to teach values like patience, sense of responsibility, sense of ownership and observation skills through planting vegetables. This led more grades 5 and 6 pupils to enjoy eating vegetables they planted, saving money for families while ensuring their health and growth.

Vitamilk’s clear glass bottle and its 12-month shelf life solved the short shelf life of locally manufactured brands (typically 3 to 5 days) and the premium price of imported soymilk brands (P25 to P30 a bottle) – barriers that prevented more consumers from trying their products. Imported from Thailand, Vitamilk’s high repeat purchase level will hopefully allow them to join the ranks of C2 and Del Monte Fit n Rite as successful beverage drinks that sold multi-billions. In countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, soy milk is a thirst-quenching beverage and is in fact the second most popular breakfast drink, next to coffee, in Thailand.

The above are examples of how new products can attract the unserved and underserved market to buy one’s products or services.  Known as market-driving strategy, the basic idea is to understand what the customers and non-customers do not like about an existing offering and then gain insights into what should be created in order to attract more market penetration in the product category, instead of mere brand-switching strategies practiced by most marketers.

Market-driving strategy is not just about new products or services; it can also be about presenting new evidence or angles on why existing products should be used by non-users. Such was the case of the Rexona Dryness Challenge when they launched the Sweat Strip, a simple but powerful proof that showed that people, despite denial, actually do sweat in their underarms. The result is the product’s highest-ever penetration and market shares increase.

Dominant market leader Eden, which owns two-thirds of the cheese market, improved its market penetration level from 22% to 31% after their successful “100 days countdown to Christmas” campaign in December 2010 where they connected music to gatherings. This was done after deciding that instead of being a big fish in a small pond that is the cheese market where Kraft dominates two-thirds, it wanted to be a small fish in a big pond, focusing on the unlined bread opportunity worth about P45 billion or nine times the size of the cheese market.

Josiah Go is Chairman and Chief Marketing Strategist of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc., the leader in marketing, sales and innovation training. He will be conducting the ff. seminars: Strategic Marketing May 23, 2012; Marketing Strategy and Plans May 24-25, 2012 and Market-Driving Strategies June 21-22, 2012. 

Poch Cid is
the Chief  Brand Advisor of
Mansmith and Fielders, Inc.

Consumers have little time to pay attention to a brand. With all the advertisements coming in, the average consumer not only fails to remember but actually ignores many of those messages.

Since advertising in the usual way, like television, print, billboard and digital, can be easily ignored, many marketers have increasingly resorted to special events to attract attention. Because when marketed well, special events can build a strong preference for a brand not only among the people who actually participate, such as in a concert or a race, but much more importantly, among all the other people who see the marketing effort.

It is the audience of the general marketing effort which can be far more important in actually moving volume, often more than the actual participants in an event. The reason could be the marketing for a special event can be very much engaging for viewers than the brand’s advertisements. Or maybe the brand does not have the money for heavy advertising campaigns. It can also be that the special event contains something that people find more engaging such as real people who are also striving or maybe they can relate their own needs or dreams.

The other day, I was looking through some reports on running events and noticed that in many cases, sponsorships did not seem to have much potential for building brand equity. The link between the brand sponsor and running was either not strong, or was not maximized either in the marketing communications or the mechanics of the event.

But some sponsorship did seem to promise better results. Including one which changed the usual race format to better support the idea the brand stood for. “The Last Man Running” event is a race sponsored by Rogin-E, a brand often associated with potency among older males. They held an event last 2011 with the blurb “Tatagal ka ba?” and insisted “Longer is Better” while the tagline for this year hectored you with ”Can you go another round?”. The race last year required runners to maintain a speed or get swept off the course. This year, the challenge is to run another round for a total of seven hours. So the brand and running were tied together by the idea of sustained physical effort.

Maybe next year, they might consider finding a way to highlight runners who are over 40 years old to bring out more strongly the connection to stamina in mature men.

There are other examples of special events which managed to not only entertain their audiences but also build a strong impression of what a brand is good for. Such that when the special event is done, the audience has been sold on the brand far more effectively than with pure advertising.

There’s a case in kitchen paper towels. A boring product, nothing like an iPad. Luckily, most of us do not sell iPads, so this lesson can be useful.

A US brand knew that their category’s main buyers were women. They knew that most women have an ideal man.

So they ran a promotion that asked women to name a strong man whose picture would be placed on the package of the brand as a symbol of strength, replacing the brand’s iconic man on the package. Strength was important because it was the kitchen towel’s selling point.

The promotion went beautifully. Sales and market share exceeded expectations even after the event, which indicated a favorable effect beyond the actual promotional period.

Why? I am sure that many women actually sent in nomination forms naming their ideal man, like what the winner did. But I don’t think that explains the volume increase.

One of the other reasons for growth must have been that other supermarket shoppers who were not current users of the brand were also hit by the promotional activity. The brand’s message was still talking about strength but doing it in a more interesting way than the usual advertising. The message probably touched the feelings and longings of a lot of women, feelings of love and appreciation for their own men, or just their feelings for an ideal man.

The brand was able to build up its association with the idea of “strength” by riding on many women’s feelings, and did it in a way that its usual advertising probably could not, which is what special events should do.

Benedicto “Poch” Cid is the Chief Brand Adviser of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc. (www.mansmith.net), the leading marketing and sales training company in the Philippines. Poch will conduct a seminar entitled Consumer Promotion Planning Essentials on July 17-18, 2012.  For inquiries, please email info@mansmith.net call (+63-2) 584-5858 /412-0034 or text (63) 918-81-168-88. Please also send your marketing, sales and strategy questions to mentors@mansmith.net.

Donald Lim is
the Chief  E-Marketing Strategist of
Mansmith and Fielders, Inc.
What do you think of hiring celebrities to tweet or blog a new product or marketing campaign? Are there rules of engagement? How do you strike the balance? – Mara of Cebu City.

Using a celebrity to blog or tweet is no different from using a celebrity for a TV commercial or print campaign. You are leveraging the celebrity’s status and following to increase awareness and interest, borrowing from the equity the celebrity has with his or her followers. There are no special rules when you execute a marketing campaign using celebrities in digital versus that of above-the-line, except for the fact that you have to remember the digital is a more transparent and authentic platform — transparent and authentic in the sense that when they endorse a particular product or brand, people believe that they are really endorsing based on their personal experience, and not because it is a marketing play.

Take the case of the recently launched Selecta Magnum Ice Cream, which hit the internet by storm, trending on twitter, and much talked about in Facebook. That was definitely a good week of people posting their pictures eating Magnum, buying Magnum, and asking what the fuzz is about Magnum.  Basically, the brand employed celebrities and appointed them as brand ambassadors, to simply tweet and post on their social pages how much they liked Magnum after tasting it. They launched it in a major event with celebrities, and then capped it with an augmented reality front page cover of celebrity/model Solenn Heusaff in Rogue Magazine. While I was told that the marketing budget allocated for the brand launch was quite substantial, in terms of just generating awareness of the product’s availability in the market, it definitely paid off, and more.

Another interesting marketing case was that of not involving a real celebrity, but a well-known personality. I am talking about Christopher Lao, and the viral sensation he caused when he innocently drove his car through flood waters. He was caught on national television for blaming everyone for not informing him that the road was not passable. Coming off arrogant on camera, he got the ire of people. Netizens attacked him online, creating hate pages. Two months later, BPI took the opportunity of his (un)popularity and created a viral video about him going through the flood again, telling people that nature does not inform, so we should all be prepared with an auto insurance, a free offer that comes with every car loan. While the budget spent for this campaign was very low, the mileage and the business after-effects were tremendously successful. What’s more, Christopher Lao’s reputation was reversed, as people now admired him as he looked at those who ridiculed him in the eye, and turned it around to something positive. Just recently, Christopher Lao passed the bar exams and is now a lawyer.

On the other end, we have seen celebrities who attacked each other online through tweets and Facebook posts, not considering the consequences, which eventually sets the stage for legal cases.  Brands should reconsider getting twitter trigger-happy celebrities because while they are controversial and have a huge following, there are also negative implications. Given that they may give a brand a huge boost, the association of the endorsers with the brand may stick for some time. If a tweet or social post from the celebrity becomes unpleasantly controversial, then the brand risks also its brand name and equity with the endorser.

What is more important to remember is that brands should not use celebrities for the sake of using celebrities. Celebrities have their time and place in the marketing arsenal, and if used correctly, can provide enormous marketing and business performance. The power of the internet, as we have seen, can amplify the power of celebrities and personalities to no bounds, benefiting the brand in the process. However, it is important to remember that celebrities are people, and their followers expect them to be truthful. If the fans were to find out that their idols have been paid to tweet or say something about the brand, then it lessens the credibility of the celebrity, and may affect the brand as well. Celebrities endorsing, especially on the digital sphere, should be handled with caution and care, because while the boost can be one time, the association and effects can be long lasting.

Donald Lim is the Chief e-Marketing Strategist of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc. (www.mansmith.net), the leading marketing and sales training company in the Philippines. He will have a seminar-workshop entitled Digital Marketing Plan on May 23-24, 2012. Please email info@mansmith.net, call (+63-2) 584-5858 / 412-0034 or text 0918-81-168-88.  Please also send your marketing, sales and strategy questions to mentors@mansmith.net.

Malu Dy Buncio is
the Chief Business Development
Strategist of
Mansmith and Fielders, Inc.

Over the last couple of years, I have been doing part-time consultancy with Mansmith & Fielders and have handled a great variety of clients. Clients in the broadcast and restaurant businesses, pharmaceutical, direct selling, gaming, and banking industries.  My focus has been business development and strategic planning.  Often I’m asked by clients, prior to the awarding of a project, ‘How transferrable are your skill and experience to our business?’  Often, I feel I’m typecast as a ‘direct selling expert’. There is a belief that direct selling is so unique that experience gained in this industry is not applicable to others.

What do I believe?  I believe that the fundamentals of good business management are universal.  This is what has allowed me to develop and facilitate strategic planning over a great variety of industries.

What do I mean by the fundamentals of good business practices?

Strategy Development.  Every business requires a road map.  As I am fond of saying, ‘if you don’t know where you’re going, you will never get there.’  A business that is successful without a road map is either very small, has deep pockets (and therefore can afford to make expensive mistakes), or is led by a charismatic, entrepreneurial leader who knows instinctively what direction to take the organization.  However, once the business ceases to be small, runs out of cash, or loses the charismatic leader, the business begins to spin its wheels.  Growth is no longer sustainable.

Executional Excellence.  Another phrase I am fond of is ‘Strategy is execution, execution, execution.’  It is not enough to have well-thought strategies. It is far more important to have a well-thought-out plan for the execution of these strategies. The larger and more complex a business is, the more detailed the plans for the execution of strategies must be. As they say ‘the devil is in the detail’.

People Management.  In my experience, there are two sides to people management. There is the technical, structural side where an organization must have processes in place to ensure that the organization is adequately staffed (numbers) and competent (quality). People management must be proactive. By this I mean, you don’t recruit when there is a vacancy.  You protect critical and high potential employees. You recruit, train, and develop for future needs. The other side is the softer, yet equally important area of culture and corporate values.  Employees must understand what is and what is not acceptable in the company they work for.

Leadership. Corporate culture and values are largely driven by the leader of an organization. There are formal leaders (by virtue of position) and informal leaders (those who influence).  Leadership is important particularly during times of turbulence and uncertainty. In times of crisis, it is not enough to manage a business, you have to lead.  There is an immense difference between managing and leading. We are all aware of how the leadership of Steve Jobs shaped Apple through good times and bad.  It will be interesting to see how the organization will develop post Steve Jobs.

Financial Management.  Even if you are a non-profit organization, a good, sound financial management is critical.  Goals must be achieved.  Controls must be in place.  Cash must flow.

Of course, there are ‘hot buttons’ that are unique to each industry or business.  They drive the business you are in.  Employees who possess the skill to execute them should be protected and nurtured. If a business is not built on the fundamentals of good business management, even those ‘hot buttons’ will not be enough to sustain growth.

Malu Dy Buncio is the Chief Business Development Strategist of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc., (www.mansmith.net). She will be conducting a seminar-workshop on May 29-30, 2012 entitled Strategic Planning. For inquiries on our programs, please call (63-2) 584-5858/412-0034, text 0918-81-168-88 or email info@mansmith.net.

Emilio Macasaet III
Partner and Chief Distribution
Strategist of
Mansmith and Fielders, Inc.

“We are a start-up company who manufacture our own products. We are bent on developing our own brands and business. When we started selling to big supermarkets and department stores, our selling and marketing expenses skyrocketed due to the usual endless demands of retailers for listing fees, product highlights, in-store promotions, opening supports. Despite all this, we are still not able to significantly increase sales volume and build our brands through the retail stores since our competitors are also doing the same things. In essence, we have been commoditized! Can you recommend other ways we can achieve our objective?”   – Tina Trying

I chose to feature this question because many suppliers struggle to connect with their target consumers through retailers who seem to make a living from direct-to-pocket incomes but fail to help build suppliers’ businesses. In the not–so-distant past, there were many retailers but not as huge as they are today in the Philippines. Not one retailer really dominated the industry with great retail power. We now live in a time when retailers have much power than individual brands. Suppliers are now finding difficulty in leveraging on their own brand power. Lars Thomassen, with two other authors, provided recommendations in their book entitled ‘Retailization’ on ways how to survive in this new competitive landscape. I am not an endorser of their work, but I find their observation and analysis relevant to the needs of suppliers like the letter sender. Hence, I am sharing some points from the book with our readers.

Create your own distribution channels. Create proprietary distribution channels by building one’s own retail stores.  The increasing number of brands is putting emphasis on getting their own distribution. Look at Nike, Levi’s, Prada, Body Shop, Apple, Avon, Globe, Nokia, and many others who have created their own retail stores. Creating your own distribution can be a convenient way to avoid powerful retailers and reclaim the ownership of contact with your shoppers. And what’s more, suppliers can have the liberty to do whatever is needed to enhance communication and branding through their own distribution channels or flagship stores.  Because this makes a lot of business and marketing sense, we could see more of this in the near future.

Reinvent or redefine your place of distribution. In their book, Thomassen, et al, gave interesting examples on how other brands have redefined their places of distribution in the minds of the shoppers. Coca-Cola experimented with its Red Lounges which are upgraded vending machines that target teenagers in malls. Imagine a vending machine inside a mall which is neatly converted into a lounge with custom-built furniture where visitors can relax and hang out with friends while enjoying a ‘plasma-screen media wall and sound domes’ with their favorite Coca-Cola drinks. I oftentimes see something like this being done by cigarette brands, ice-cream, and cosmetics, inside our malls.

Collaborate with retailers. This entails a strong partnership and cooperation between suppliers and retailers who will commit to jointly grow the business of both partners.  A. Brandenburger (of Harvard) and B. Nalebuff (of Yale) call this ‘coopetition’ which is basically a play of words to blend cooperation with competition. Their idea of ‘coopetition’ can lead to expansion of the market and the formation of new business relationships and even new forms of enterprise. Thomassen argues that while proprietary distribution and reinvention are viable and important options to consider, creating relevant and meaningful relationships with key retailers would probably be an easier and more accessible strategic solution for brands.

More and more suppliers for large retailers in the Philippines are forging strategic collaborations to grow categories and brands. I recall the joint effort of Watsons and Nivea in shopper insighting to develop Watson’s MenZone category. This resulted to dramatic increase in sales off-take and created brand value for both retailer and suppliers.  I also know of one small company who is actually thriving in selling its paper-based brands to large supermarkets and department stores as a result of their collaboration in developing the house brands of the retailers.

Emilio “Bong” Macasaet III is Partner and Chief Distribution Strategist of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc. (www.mansmith.net), the leading marketing and sales training company in the Philippines.    Bong will conduct seminar-workshops entitled 7 Building Blocks of a Winning Sales Team on May 24 and 25, 2012 and 10 Steps to Setting Up Distributors on May 22-23, 2012. For inquiries, please email info@mansmith.net, call (+63-2) 584-5858 /412-0034 or text (63) 918-81-168-88. Please also send your marketing, sales, strategy and innovation questions to mentors@mansmith.net.

Rowen Untivero is
Partner and Chief
Sales Strategist of
Mansmith and Fielders, Inc. 

I am a supervisor working in product development. I am envious when marketing people present. They take credit and get promoted for things we develop. It isn’t fair. But I know I am partly to blame. I don’t like presenting. I am afraid of making a mistake in front of everyone. But I also want to be promoted. Can you give me some tips?- Shy guy of Metro-Manila

Congratulations! You have already won half your battle: accepting your shortcomings and wanting to learn. Indeed, your predicament is shared by many members of the workforce. In fact, fear of presenting, like public speaking, ranks among the highest, closely rivalling fear of drowning! You are also correct in your observation that good presenters get ahead much faster than those who shy from the task. After all, communication ability becomes more in demand versus technical knowledge as you go up the organization. So here are some pointers that you may find handy.

Audience is King

A lot of presentations are crafted wrongly for the audience. Take for instance a technically-elaborate presentation to a CEO whose only concern is to determine which project to fund. Five minutes after a long-winded backgrounder, the CEO loses interest and curtly delegates the project review to an assistant. The assistant grudgingly takes the cudgels but buries the project in a heap of work taller than most skyscrapers. In another instance, an unimpressed CFO expecting a numbers walk-thru is bedazzled with a glitzy presentation. After the presentation, the CFO grunted and pedagogically lectured the presenters on business mathematics that was so unforgettable it gave them presentation phobias afterwards. Still in another instance, a Marketing VP is desperately fighting back sleepiness not even a triple espresso can remedy, while she listens to a monotonous cackle and visually anaemic presentation by a clueless junior marketer. After 15 minutes that seemed as long as it took the universe to form, all she could think of was: should she fire this fellow first or the guy who hired him?  Hence, with presentations, knowing the audience is primordial.

 There is No Substitute to Preparation

Preparation normally involves understanding one’s audience, their possible views relative to what one will present and then developing the presentation. Some presentations merely inform, such as cascades and updates. There are also those meant to secure agreements or approvals internally or externally. Those that involve persuasion beyond just information delivery, require a more elaborate effort for preparation, perhaps at times, disproportionate relative to the actual execution. Presentation preparation time and effort is usually predicated on importance or how critical consequences of success or failure will be.

 Presentation = Content x Structure x Execution

Each component can either deflate or inflate the success of presentations. Content refers to what key messages or points need to be made. Structure is about flow and form to ensure optimal impact on the audience. Execution is about delivery. Determining the content, structure and execution mix is tied back to audience-centricity.

 Constantly Reviewed and Corrected Practice Approximates Perfection

Obviously, more experience allows for more practical learning. One is encouraged to first volunteer for non-mission critical presentation tasks at work, in your community and other social groups. However, practice alone does not make perfect. One needs to do this frequently to gain more experience. It is also necessary to review and learn from each experience. It is ideal to get an objective coach, mentor or a partner to review and critique your performance for your better learning and growth. Lastly, identifying and addressing one’s weaknesses allow for progress towards becoming a better presenter.

Confidence Floats over Competence

Some people have immediate high confidence, perhaps due to early exposure or social stature. Most gain confidence with progress and getting positive reinforcement from their respective audiences. In other words, confidence is a natural by-product of progress.

With the pointers I gave you, I hope these will help you trek forward in your quest to become a good presenter and to consequently bag the promotion you deserve.

Rowen Untivero is a Partner and Chief Sales Strategist of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc., the country’s leading marketing and sales, strategy and innovation training company. He is also a Senior Consultant for COACH or Corporate Achievers Institute where he conducts the “Planning and Delivering Powerfully Effective Presentations” workshop, one of which will be held on March 28 and 29, 2012.  Here, you can gain access to various exclusive related framework, processes, strategies and tools that can guide you in preparing for your important and critical presentations.  Please send your questions, comments or feedback to mentors@mansmith.net. You can also visit www.mansmith.net.

Key Benefits to Participants
Participants will learn:

• The milieu and distinctiveness of services especially the unique challenges involved in marketing services
• Ways of choosing segments and spotting opportunities in the creation of service ideas
• The key factors for success in service businesses and how service can be a source of competitive advantage using innovation and insighting frameworks.

Key Benefits to Companies
The company will gain:

• New ideas in service innovation
• Teams who understand how to create true customer value via service
• Frameworks to guide their strategy and execution

Program Concept
This course aims to prepare department heads to wear a new pair of lenses for fresher perspective, as they explore the role of services as a source of differentiation and competitive advantage. By creating new and big ideas using various frameworks in understanding the customer, uncovering insights and formulating innovations in service, participants can be advocates of service culture and innovation to keep their companies ahead of the pack.

Course Outline
Module 1:  Dominating the Servicesphere
Module 2:  Differentiating via Innovation in Service
Module 3:  Delivering Excellent Service

About the Speaker:
CHIQUI ESCAREAL-GO, 
President and Chief Service Strategist, Mansmith and Fielders, Inc.
Author/co-author of 4 marketing and entrepreneurship books. Outstanding Filipina Entrepreneur 2011 (Trailblazer category). Vice chair of Waters Philippines, Certified Master Coach (by the Behavioral Coaching Institute) and Certified Appreciative Inquiry Training Facilitator (by Company of Experts USA). Took advanced marketing programs at the Burke Institute, Columbia Business School (Ceibs campus), Kellogg Business School,  Harvard Business School and at the University of California, Berkeley. Member of the Board of Trustees of St. Paul College Pasig and Kythe, Inc.

This 2-day seminar takes a unique approach to the rules of good business writing that effectively inform and influence readers.

Key Benefits to Participants
Each participant will learn:

• Business writing skills that will help build credibility and competitive advantage
• Be forced to clarify ideas about the subject at hand

Key Benefits to Companies
The company will gain:

• Important business results from skilfully crafted written communications
• A culture of excellence that uses clear language to accurately inform and influence prospects, customers, employees and other stakeholders of the organization

Program Concept
What and how you write exert the impact you intend.
Participants will learn the fundamental elements of any good business letter and the formatting options that give their message the tone and style they desire – plus! – authentic cases to show what works and what doesn’t. Participants will enjoy animated lectures, group discussions and presentations to enhance the learning process.

Program Overview  
Module 1: Effective Writing Skills

• Writing the one-minute message
• Writing habits you need to learn and unlearn
• Writing with your individual style and tone
• Your grammar: rewriting it to say what you really want to say
• 10+ Examples of business letters
• Workshop: Participants will reconstruct and rewrite sample letters

Module 2: The Key Elements and Formats of a Memo

• The memo as a template for strategic thinking
• Two kinds of memos: information and recommendation memos
• The basic components of a recommendation memo
• The memo exposes flawed thinking – or burnishes brilliant thinking
• A good memo is transparent
• Examples of Persuasive Memos
• Workshop: Participants will write a memo based on a case

Module 3: Writing the Executive Summary

• The audience in mind
• Establish the need or problem
• Recommend the solution and explain its value
• Provide substantiation
• The pitch perfect summary
• Use formatting and graphics to highlight your message
• Keep it short and simple
• Learn to use linking functions in Microsoft Word
• Workshop: Participants will write a one-page executive summary

Who Should Attend
This workshop is for anyone who is called upon to produce written communications that intend to get and give information, to influence, control, and direct others.

About the Speaker:
EMILIO MACASAET III
Partner and Chief Distribution Strategist, Mansmith and Fielders, Inc.
President of his own two distribution companies; have organized and set up different distributor networks, former VP sales and distribution of RFM, former national sales manager of L’Oreal, a part time professor of De La Salle Graduate School teaching Distribution Management, rose from the ranks of different companies (Nestle, Gillette, MetroLab). Attended an executive program on Marketing Channels at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago.