Laura’s Winning Ideas

I spoke to an SMPS Chapter meeting this week on the topic of “Engineered Networking.”

The challenge for some firms is to create an understanding of the “Black Box” of Marketing, so principals and other representatives of the firm can effectively participate. I’ve implemented successful programs with two different engineering firms and offered three formulas:

Rapport = Credibility x Repetition

• Rapport: a relationship of mutual trust and/or affinity. This is the type of relationship which allows for successful partnership and collaboration.
• Credibility: proven by making a contribution.
• Repetition: A minimum of 7 repetitions (but only after 12 can we be sure) reserve our place in the minds of people we know.

In other words, we develop strong relationships by repeated contact and enhance (or reduce) that rapport with credibility.

12H x 1/Time Lapse = Relative Strength of Rapport

Here’s a formula we can use to measure the relative strength of rapport in the developing relationship.

• H: hits. Contacts with the prospect.
• 12: number of hits/contacts required to assure a place in the minds of people we meet.
• Time Lapse: time between hits, i.e. days or weeks

We use this formula when evaluating our marketing priorities (in addition to the priorities you’ve outlined in your marketing plan). If the time for RFP release is getting closer, we need to monitor ourselves to be sure we’ve reached a level of rapport before asking for award of a contract. We can compare the relative strength of rapport for two relationships with contact every 4 days versus once a month:
12 x 1/4 > 12 x 1/25 which calculates to 3 > .48

The bad news is that most firms don’t focus on building rapport before asking for a contract. The good news is that once rapport is established, it takes much less effort to maintain the relationship. So, in building your marketing program, using a focused approach is best. Frequent contact with a few, is stronger than occasional contact with many.

The Power of Intention

There are many ways to send the message that your intention matters. The one I used here is the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto, a research scientist in Japan. His discoveries were included in a recent movie, “What the Bleep Do We Know?”

We looked at a number of water crystals from Emoto’s book, The Hidden Messages in Water.

This is a water crystal formed from water exposed to the words “Love and Gratitude.”

This Crystal is from a water sample exposed to the words “You make me sick. I will kill you.”

This Crystal is from a water sample exposed to the song, Yesterday, by the Beatles.

This Crystal is from a water sample exposed to heavy metal music.

“Wisdom” in English

“Wisdom” in Japanese

“Wisdom” in German

This discussion brought us to the:

Formula to Raise Intention

1. Praise
2. Gratitude
3. Worthiness / Love
4. Compassion / Cognition / Namaste

By contemplating with each of these attitudes, you naturally raise your intention. When preparing to go into a meeting or other interaction (especially if you are concerned about it), take a few quiet minutes to think:

1. Praise - What praise can I carry about this?
2. Gratitude - What can I be grateful for here?
3. Worthiness / Love - How am I worthy and loving in this instance?
4. Compassion / Cognition / Namaste - I recognize your perspective and see you doing your best in the circumstance.

Finally, I told the story about a marketing campaign in which 25 engineers developed rapport by carrying the intention to simply understand the people they met in 25 different organizations over a 6 month period.

• We received new business sole source.
• Others recommended our firm as the only viable choice.
• A group of decidedly non-marketing types realized they make a big contribution to strategic sales because they understand the people involved and are now comfortable calling to ask questions.

It’s not appropriate on a Blog to give the specifics, though the group was impressed with the program specifics. If you’d like the particulars, call me at 414.807.3669.