In a nutshell

I am thinking of developing an educational program for the city of Eden Prairie to help generate interest and involvement between the schools and the fire stations. Every year we get a chance to spend 30-45 minutes in a classroom lecturing and demonstrating the dangers of fire and how to be safe. This is critical part to the education process. It also helps strengthen the role/bond between the department, fire fighters and the community. You hope the kids remember and apply the learning.
But to be certain, why not give the little ones a little motivation. My concept is to build or license (have someone build) a website that allows kids to select an age appropriate curriculum. Then proceed to a simple test to check their comprehension. Each curriculum allows the student to print a certificate of achievement. Each certificate can be brought in to a fire station to get an age appropriate gift (think coloring book, pencil, etc…) This gives the child an incentive to meet fire fighters and tour a station.

That is it….in a nutshell.

Back Online

I have been so focused on maintaining my fire blog that I realized my first priority blog has taken a back seat.

Well, unlike fire, I have a lot of changes to report on at work. We are in the midst of rolling out a new CRM application & dbase and just completed our first phase of the holiday season.

A lot of changes at corporate including a new VP of Marketing and CIO (Both very much needed).

Now the focus is balancing short term marketing success with long term LTV of our customers.

Seriously?

It is not that I don't love my current job..because I do. Well, I might not love it, but it is a great company, team and opportunity and I am very grateful.

But, after returning from vacation I was thinking.....how could I make a living (nothing too modest, but enough to maintain our current lifestyle and build for the future) doing what I love doing:

• Cycling
• Adventure Racing
• Firefighter
• Hiking/Climbing
• Camping
• Coaching

(Get the idea...anything outdoor related)?

Then it hit me. All I need to do is position myself as a fulltime volunteer/fund raiser. What fortune 500 company wouldn't want a dedicated person to lead their organization on hikes, walks, climbs and other special events?

Simply give me some gear with logo's, a satellite computer (so I can stay connected and solicit donations); a modest travel budget and salary....and a ten year contract. I'd be set.

Anyone interested?

Partnership Marketing

3.5 months into my new role at Christopher & Banks and things are really starting to move forward. Being in the retail space we are down like many of our competitors but we have been putting a lot of efforts around grass roots marketing...specifically focusing on the local level where we have strong relationship with customer.

We just concluded a test with a national "Shoe" retailer (not at liberty to share the details as our promotion just ended and I have not shared any details with the partner yet) where we offer a reciprocal $10 off coupon at each others locations. We test three markets and saw some very promising numbers in terms of new customers while driving higher AOS of existing customers.

I am looking for other partners out there who would be interested in working Christopher & Banks. We are a 850+ specialty retailer in the women's category. We run two brands (CB= Petite and Misses and CJ = Plus).

If you are interested in talking please shoot me a message at dgandrud@christopherandbanks.com

Polar Plunge in July?

This weekend was the second annual Eden Prairie Polar Plunge. The event raises money for the Special Olympics. EP raised over $33K from 200 ‘plungers’ This years weather felt more like mid July with a warm spell in the high 40’s (in comparison to our negative numbers a few days earlier). This year my 13yo son joined me….Kudo’s to Alex. I have to hand it to him…I gave him about a 60 minute notice that he was going to leave the confines of our warm basement and go jump into a murky, frozen lake….and he did. Very proud of him.

Next year we need to make it a bit more challenging and move the date to January when it truly feels polar!

Refreshing Sales Call

I just had a very refreshing sales with a CRM SaaS provider called Aplicor. After 15 minutes she told me their solution is likely not a great fit for our needs. And she even offered to put me in touch with someone who just went through a similar process.

The fact that a sales person can recognize when their solution is not the right fit and walk away is very refreshing. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have been on that side of the fence where, as an organization, you sell a solution that requires a boatload of customization. Nobody wins.

This gives me a glimmer of hope that there are (sales) people and organizations out there who get it. If anybody is looking for a vendor to help drive and qualify leads i would strongly suggest calling Aplicor and asking for Lisa D.

Wine vs. Scotch

As Mark Twain said, "I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead", which I think is a perfect statement to my current situation. I could consider my traditional way of think as to over complicate things. I tend to look too far down the road and consider ALL variables and options. Which in many situations is a good thing. But what I am discovering now that the it may be better to go with the simple(r) ideas.....at least with technology.

When you consider how fast technology changes why invest in the biggest and best solution today when there will be a bigger, faster solution tomorrow? When is the right time to pull the trigger on an investment? Compound the change in technology with the change in economy and who knows what tomorrow will look like for retailers, developers and other businesses.

Which is why I am exploring the idea of integrating 3 to 4 businesses that each specialize in one area of CRM, instead of looking for one fully integrated solution. Some of the disciplines include:

• Campaign Management


• Business Intelligence


• CRM Platform/Data Hygiene


• Loyalty


• Email management

The beauty of this strategy is it keeps my initial (capital) investment low and provides a best of breed solution to each discipline. In addition, if some new widget or strategy becomes available down the road, my investment is minimal which gives me great opportunity for change.

One downside of this solution is the fact that I have multiple vendors to manage and I need to rely on making sure they all play nice together. And the fact that I have to look at my payment structure as being spread out over time (paying for each sip of wine vs. purchasing an entire winery). However, this might not be a bad thing if we decide scotch is our drink of choice after a few years? okay bad analogy but you get the idea.

As of right now this direction is only an idea. I have defined a few players but now all. I am not sure if I can make this a reality or not in the time frame I have been given...but i am going to give it a shot.

The Power of Chris Brogan

I never stop being amazed at the power and timeliness of social media.

No less than 60 seconds ago I decided to send Chris Brogan a Tweet about a social media idea I came up with last month. The idea is simple. How quickly (and how much) can a single blog and a few posts penetrate the social network to drive attention and awareness.



In this case, I decided to see if I could raise money for charity. The Power of One (dollar). No less then seconds, literally seconds from the time is sent my tweet to Mr. Brogan (check out his website) did I see an influx of Twitter followers and people already supporting this cause.

THANK YOU CHRIS! Thank you Social Media.


http://www.chrisbrogan.com/

Customer Service the Way it Should Be!

I just had to post a quick statement regarding TheLadders executive recruiting web site. Customer Service the way it should be....

I signed up for a three month membership when my previous employer decided to relocate my job. At the time, I did not read the fine print (my error) about auto renewal.

Fortunately, I landed my current opportunity within three months. But I have continued to receive premium benefits from The Ladders. I thought it might be just a timing issue so I did not check...until this morning. It turns out I have signed up for another three months.

Talk about convenience. The Ladders offers real time chat. So I initiated a dialog with Gloria. After explaining the situation and listening to Gloria defend the company's policy, I asked her if she "will do the right thing" and she did. Refunded my $75 and wished me a pleasant day.

As you can see.....I am surprised and grateful.

The basics still do work

I thought I would take a minute to add a little hope to the masses out there who are frustrated with challenges in job hunting into today's economy.

I can honestly say that my last two employment opportunities have both been as a result of applying online through CareerBuilder.

Most recently I was notified that my job was relocating and I had no interest in going with it. So in September I put my job hunting focus into full gear (keep in mind that I always focus on maintaining an active network and will always help out a contact in need....good Karma).

In addition to a heavy focus on networking through LinkedIn & Twitter (which I would say is very valuable if you know how to use properly) I also scanned the daily email robots that I built at Monster and CareerBuilder. I tended to over apply to opportunities but made a point to research and follow up on the positions that truly fit my skills and passion.

During my 2-month search I had over 15 active opportunities at one time. The position I finally accepted was a direct result of my application online off a CareerBuilder posting. Even though this position was being recruited nationally through head hunters they still paid attention to their 'inbox'….and fortunately for me my resume struck a cord.

Granted this is not the norm for most but it does happen. Stay focused. Stay confident (I know it is easier to say when you are employed) and network Online and in person.

Good Luck.

New Job. New Opportunity

I am very excited to finally have started at Christopher & Banks. I am three days into my role and am realizing there is a tremendous amount of 'opportunity'. During my interview process I referenced "low hanging fruit" and was quickly corrected....C&B does not have low hanging fruit...."we have loads of rotting fruit all over the floor". Meaning: There is a ton of opportunity just waiting for the picking.

So, now that I am three days into the position I have spent the majority of time focusing on research (internally) into systems, resources, data, use of data and processes. Like I said...a lot of opportunity.

We are currently engaged with a Vendor that is providing support including list hygiene and maintenance, reporting and email management. So far they look very good but I want to explore a few other options for long(er) term CRM providers.
In a nutshell, I am looking for a vendor to partner with that can help with the following:

• Short Term Planning execution combined with Longer Term Strategy
  Ability to help drive measureable short term campaigns while building the longer term solution.


• A vendor that understands over time we may bring some or all services in house but will still help build the best system that is not 'vendor exclusive'.


• Help define customer models, cubes, segments and the reporting platform to make the data actionable.


• Potential to develop a loyalty program within CRM strategy


• Help integrate CRM across the organization, planning and management.

For now if anyone has any CRM companies that have experience in the retail space please shoot me a message. I am early in my time and the process but I know this will be coming fast down the pipeline.

Job Hunting-Week 6

First day of Snow! This is another post that will be posted after the fact. I am very conscious of being 'unemployed' but the fact is there are a lot of people out in the market in the same situation. A lot of talented executives looking for work. As scary as the economy is right now I am pleasantly surprised with the level of activity I am seeing in my search. I looked back at the first post and all of those opportunities are still alive with the exception of the one I was expecting an offer on. It goes to show you that no matter how confident you are the key is to not let up on the networking until you have an offer in hand. One person said to keep going strong until the first pay check is in your bank.....I am realist but I will be satisfied once an offer is made and accepted (in writing).

Here is my current list of active companies:
1: Sr. Dir of CRM/Loyalty. This is now my number one opportunity. I have met with HR, Recruiter and Hiring Mgr. All solid. References have been sent and I am waiting to meet with the CEO.
2: Category directory. Still active. Met with hiring mngr and waiting for feedback. Could be a good opportunity but the culture is a bit off
3: Dir of Mtk. Another educational company. This would be a great opportunity but very unstable. I would definitely need an exit package before going
4. Dir of Loyalty Banking company. Meeting with the bosses boss next week. Not interested as the commute would be hell (40+miles each way)
5. Dir of digital Mtk This is a new one that just surfaced today. I am being introduced to the hiring mgr by the recruiter. This is a solid opportunity and #2 on my list
6. I continue to log some time consulting for a loyalty company in St. Paul. This could be a great fit but there is not a full time offer
7. Just spoke with a former colleague who is now the CEO of a SaaS company that is back in the hospitality space. These guys are doing it right but I have little interest in going back to the hotel software space......but it is an option.

Then I have three agencies I am talking to. All three are in a wait and see mode.
8. Agency 1 (Plymouth)
9. Agency 2 (downtown)
10. Agency 3 (downtown)

Bottom line in week 6. I am still in a great mood. The fact that I do not have any more income coming is a concern but I am confident that something will surface. It has to. To have 10 legitimate opportunities going is good. I would just to hate to see "Job Hunting- Week 10 because that means that nothing has come to fruition.

Plus I am getting sick to death of the coffee office. Although I prefer Dunn's coffee I have to say that Caribou's free wireless beats the hell out of having to log into the Starbucks ATT system. Need to prepare for my next call....#11. I won't add this to the list yet as it is for a job "near St. Cloud". Talk about a lengthy commute. Hopefully that will not be necessary but as I wrote early....never give up until an offer is in hand.

Blog Management

I decided to modify my blogging efforts and try to keep some 'theme' consistent for each blog. So I have now migrated my fire related training to a new blog called www.2in2out.blogspot.com

This blog will continue to focus more on my professional business life and my adventure racing will still be on www.tmmar.blogspot.com

Holiday Inn

I started the following blog a few days ago after seeing this new commercial by Holiday Inn. I was interrupted by false alarm fire call (a story for another day) and I am finally getting back to finishing it.

Awareness. Retention. Acquisition. Trial. Loyalty. Repeat. Engagement.
These are key terms I think about when I am 'thinking' about how drive more revenue. Any good marketer is looking for a strategy that can be measured. It might be as simple as reservations or units sold or more complex like a percentage increase in click through’s on a specific site over a defined period of time. This commercial is funny. It is very creative. And yes it is even getting me to write about. But is going to drive more revenue? Will it encourage a frequent traveler to ask....maybe I should stay at a Holiday Inn? Will remind a family that Holiday Inn provides accommodations? Will it encourage someone to take a trip that would never be taken before? Upgrade to a more expensive room? Order a movie? Anything incremental?



I am all for entertainment. Even at the expense of marketing and advertising dollars....but what value is being driven?

One Cool Video

The CMO at BestBuy posted a link to this video on Twitter. I am glad he did as it really made me smile today.


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Great Post on Blogging

I picked up this post on Twitter from Desarev . Great overview on blogging.

Response to the question about customer loyalty vs loyal customers

David Gandrud: Good question. Customer Loyalty is not a result of a good marketing strategy or even a well planned rewards program. Customer loyalty is the byproduct of providing an exceptional service or product that, at a minimum, meets the needs of the customer and at a price point and convenience factor that places your product/service in the mindset that drives repeat business above and beyond other solutions or competition. Loyalty Marketing is the strategy that is used in a heavily commoditized space or one with significant competition and minimal differentiation. This strategy is used create a point of difference that says, all things being equal, I might as well get rewarded for my behavior.

See posting on Linkedin.

Job Hunting - - Week Two

I am writing this blog with the intention of posting after I have firmly landed on the ground with a new job. I am officially one week into my official transition from SoftBrands and I have three more weeks of being on the payroll.

Over the last two weeks I have spent nearly every business day meeting with at least one or two individuals...building the network. This week the 'opportunities' have seem to come fast. As it stands now I am interviewing for the following:

Company "A"--Publisher, Director of Marketing. This is a solid opportunity and one that I think I will get an offer on. I am currently one of two remaining candidates.

Company "B" -- Category Director. This opportunity came about from an inside contact who was able to get me in front of the recruiter after they had conducted the first rounds of interviews. Feels good but there are a lot of candidates.

Company "C" -- Consultant and Full time. This came about from a placement agency. This is one of those large, institutional companies that is low on my list of "ideal" situations. But an opportunity (two) none the less

Agency "D" -- just met up with this one today. Had not expectation that they were even looking but it appears they might be and it could be a great opportunity. Excellent culture. Great people.

Company "E" -- This one just surfaced as well today. Another institutional company that is low on my radar screen.

Agency "F" -- This one actually started in mid-September. This one is a Q1 opportunity that still needs a requisite.

As 'good' as this seems I am still a pessimistic realist when it comes to my own doings. I plan for the worst......even though I know I am doing everything I can.

Coffee Pods Research

Doing some quick research.
How many of you currently use have used the coffee pod machines? What are your thoughts as it relates to:

• Convenience?


• Quality?


• Variety?


• Cost?
  
  I am looking to do some work for a boutique premium coffee manufacturer that is entering this space and I would love all the feedback and comments I can get. There will likely be more specific questions later.

Thanks,

EPTFA

Just finished the first meeting for the EPTFA board of directors for the upcoming 2009 season. This is the fourth season of the EPTFA and its growth is getting stronger and stronger. The number of athletes continue to increase as do the required number of volunteers to run the program. This upcoming season we are expecting over 400 athletes and will be looking to host our first open/competitive meet following next year’s season.

I got involved in this organization after listening to running into one of the founders at registration. It turned out that we ran track in college together back in 1987 & 88. Twenty years later we end up living in the same community and are now working together on the same track & field program for K-6 graders.