Strategic SolutionsRSS

Top 10 on Google Guaranteed?

Wherever I go, I run across consulting/service firms that guarantee they can get your company’s website on the first page of Google’s search results. Usually this claim is to be accomplished by using something called “SEO”. Let’s take a minute to understand the term “SEO” and evaluate claims made by SEO firms.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM)?

SEO is the practice of improving the amount and/or quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine listings. In other words, the goal is to have pages from your website rank high in the natural search result listings. By contrast, SEM is the practice of improving the amount and/or quality of traffic to your website through paid advertising (such as Sponsored Links) on Google.

Some SEO offerors improperly include SEM within the SEO designation. In fact, they are two different but related areas.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

As indicated above, SEO deals with organic listings. Typically, increased organic rankings are achieved by the quality of the content on your website and the frequency with which others on the Web link to that content. Therefore, SEO practitioners have as their primary goal to increase the quality of your web content and to advance your outreach to increase linking from your online market: web-savvy consumers, peers and partners.

The effectiveness of your website’s content, considered as part of an SEO strategy, is very dependent on your ability to manage the content fluidly. SEO-ready web content management systems (CMS) are a prerequisite to competent SEO management.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

High organic search result rankings are generally preferred to high advertising positions (such as you might see in Google’s “Sponsored Links”) gained through SEM. However, SEM provides several valuable functions. First, at the least SEM gives you a search engine presence while you are working on the position of organic listings. Second, SEM can provide reinforcement for your organic listings (the consumer sees your company in two different positions on the same page). Third, SEM might provide more return on investment than your total investment in SEO efforts—thus making it the place where you decide to devote your resources.

Hypothetical Guarantees

Once you have found out how the offeror achieves the result (SEO and/or SEM), it is important to note the nature of the guarantee. Examples:

• For SEO, the guarantee might not consist in the ability to get your site on the first page of search results, but merely that you won’t pay unless the desired results are achieved. For example, once a page from your website hits the top 10 in response to a given keyword search, you will be charged $400 dollars per month, per keyword for every month in which the same result is achieved.
• Also for SEO, the guarantee might state that you will not have to make any changes to your website. This means that the results will likely be achieved solely by setting up referral content (content at other frequently visited websites that point to your site).
• For SEM guarantees are much less frequent, because the position of your advertisement is based solely on your ability to fund the campaign necessary to achieve top rankings.

Further Questions for the Consultant

• Be careful to ask discerning questions about methodology—some consultants use less than scrupulous methods, which will result in only short-term gains. [I may write a future article to elaborate on this point.]
• Ask what level of control the consultant will need to have over your content (whether it appears on your website or elsewhere). Your content represents your company. Make sure that the consultant doesn’t start populating your website (or feeder sites) with poorly written content that drives traffic but does not result in sales and further, degrades your brand.
• Request a preliminary review of the SEO ability of your current website—this will make sure that you don’t get halfway through an engagement, only to find that you need to spend thousands of dollars on renovating your site.
• Request case studies of work performed for named, knowledgeable companies that paid going rates for the services that they received from the consultant.

Finally, SEO/SEM consultants can spend between several hours and thousands of hours on related strategy, management and execution for your company. Make sure that you clearly state your budget and expectations when hiring a constant.

There is much more that can be written on this subject! However, this article should provide a primer for those pursuing SEO/SEM consulting services to benefit their company.

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Strategic Engagement Scopes

I am often asked how Trinity engages with clients on the Strategic level. The answer is that Trinity provides strategic consultation in every type of engagement (Design, Web, Proposal, IT)—that is what makes Trinity a provider of Integrated Business Development Solutions rather than simply a provider of services.

However, though the above answer is true, it may seem to “dodge the question” a bit. So here’s a more practical response.

Trinity’s Strategic offerings run the full Business Development gamut, from market analysis to internal diagnostics (people, process, tools).

So, Trinity can be engaged to handle a complete marketing review and analysis, followed by the creation of a marketing plan and the management/performance of its execution.

However, Trinity can also be engaged in opportunities of limited scope. Trinity might be asked to handle a small aspect of a client’s marketing concerns. Here are a few examples:

• Web toolkit review—to identify whether or not a client is properly leveraging web-based tools for marketing and/or business operations
• Tradeshow planning—to help the client plan for participation in a tradeshow, from booth concept design to authoring keynote presentations
• Capture planning—to help the client identify opportunities for new business acquisition through RFP response (proposal development)

The best way to learn how Trinity can provide your company with a Strategic advantage is to contact us to set up a free initial consultation. Let’s sit down and talk about your business!

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Ready for Strategic Marketing Consulting?

Small businesses often wonder at what point, if any, they should seek an outside consultant to provide objective marketing advice or run their marketing functions. There is no clear-cut answer to this question. However, I do offer a few words of advice to small business owners (or managers).

1. Define your needs. To the extent possible, you should know and be able to articulate exactly where you feel such a consultant would be able to help your business. This is important because it helps you to be (and feel like) a partner in the marketing process when you begin to interview consultants. It also helps you to remain a partner as the relationship progresses.
2. Quantify success. Once you have defined your needs, be sure to identify how you will quantify success. After all, regardless of the number of marketing actions taken, you will judge the consultant by the level of success attained through those efforts. Since this is the case, make sure you define your expectations for success (your goals) and be prepared to relate them to the consultant.
3. Define a budget. A good starting point is to determine how much marketing spend you can afford per dollar in earned revenue. This information helps to provide marketing parameters by stating what marketing expense can be tolerated within your industry (and within your particular model of operation) while remaining competitive and profitable.
4. Be open to scrutiny. Small business owners, particularly first time business owners, can feel very personally about their business. As a small business owner, I know this to be true! You might be flustered by the level of scrutiny that will be brought to bear on your entire business by a good strategic marketing consultant. The many questions that you receive are designed to probe your knowledge of your business, of the market, etc. At some point the consultant may recommend that your business model be adjusted in order for you to be competitive. Be prepared for this possibility.
5. Be involved. The marketing process will be a partnership between the consultant and the business owner; both parties must commit to the success of the business venture. Therefore, the business owner needs to set aside time each week for following, understanding, and being involved in the marketing efforts.
6. For a specific need, hire a specialist. Good strategic marketing consultants bring a circumspect approach and like to look at the big picture. So if you are looking for someone to handle a specific need (rather than to provide comprehensive insight for your marketing plans), you aren’t looking for a strategist or overall marketing manager—you are seeking a specialist. For example, if you merely want someone to manage your existing graphic design and printing needs, you should consider hiring a graphic designer/director who takes a consultative approach and is used to working directly with printers to manage projects.

Interviewing and selecting a marketing consultant, as well as the engagement process itself, will no doubt influence positions established prior to the hiring process. You may work with the consultant to create a revised set of needs, a goals statement, and budget. However, all of the above items are necessary groundwork to define for what purpose and at what point it is reasonable to hire a marketing consultant.

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Trinity’s Dual Approach — Marketing and IT

Trinity’s broad business development platform is indicative of its strong roots in business communication and information technology. The most obvious juncture at which these two disciplines meet is Trinity’s Web Design & Development service, where technology, design, content, etc. come together to make powerful business tools.

Most of Trinity’s service offerings (Strategic Consulting, Graphic Design, Proposals, and Web Design & Development) are generally understood within the construct of Marketing. But some wonder where IT Managed Services fits in.

Trinity realizes that all clients are interested in increasing profitability. Two primary ways to do this are by increasing revenue and improving operations. Many companies suffer from information technology (or IT support) that is either functionally deficient or not properly utilized to best advantage. Providing IT Managed Services is one way to address a key pain point for many clients that frees up time, attention, and often resources. Trinity’s clients are then free to keep the focus on the future, and the freed assets may be rededicated to driving corporate growth—which might include future IT investment.

IT Managed Services are complemented by the “Development” aspect of Web Design & Development.  Trinity provides web application development services to clients who have specific business process automation needs, and consults to bring ready-made third-party solutions to bear, as appropriate.

Trinity’s efforts revolve around helping clients to build real assets that drive corporate success—whether the asset be a brand or an automated business process—and it is from this viewpoint that Trinity’s individual services are presented.

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Tips for New Business Owners

A reader requested that I provide some thoughts directed at sole proprietors who are just getting started in business. This got me wondering: what sort of advice would I give to someone who was in the process of setting up their first business? Here are some tips.

1. Make sure that you do everything necessary to legally operate your business and to limit your potential liability. Incorporating your business will limit your personal liability. Make sure you secure the additional licenses required for your type of business (if any). Secure insurance policies as necessary.

2. Define what accomplishment/success means for you in your business. Create clearly stated goals based on this definition. Create a business plan that outlines how you plan to meet your goals and achieve success.

3. Create a goals for your personal time management, create a schedule, and do your best to stick to it. Many new business fail because the owner is unable to properly manage his/her own time.

4. Don’t figure out your bookkeeping after you get started on your business. Learn how to keep your books properly, and get the system set up before you get busy. Many small business are uncertain of their current financial status due to ineffective bookkeeping. This inhibits confident decision-making. In addition, poor tax planning can be murderous to a business.

5. Many new businesses fail, for a large variety of reasons. Particularly if others are dependent on you, your business plan should include risk assessment and an exit strategy.  If you don’t have an exit strategy, then you haven’t defined the line past which “enough is enough" and you need to cut your losses and move on.

I hope this provides some beneficial information, and look forward to any questions that you might have.

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ACT

ACT: move towards your market

From the article “See, Transform, Act”: Trinity’s model of business development derives its uniqueness from the way that Trinity expresses and applies the model’s principles. Trinity’s unique expression and application of SEE, TRANSFORM, ACT comes from deeply seated personal and corporate beliefs about humility, communication and business ethics.

Recap: The SEE part of “See, Transform, Act” presents a roadmap for growing business through an effective market approach. In the TRANSFORM part of the model, the company readies itself for this approach by applying necessary internal change.

Having done these things, it is time to ACT.

ACT means execute. The company uses all of its investigation and transformative (or “readying”) action to move forward aggressively in pursuit of clearly stated goals.

ACT means courting your market. ACT equals attaining the object of your desire. ACT means winning the contract, superior performance in product/service delivery, and high customer retention.

The “See, Transform, Act” model takes the company on a full development cycle. SEE (Marketplace Diagnostic), TRANSFORM (Internal Diagnostic), ACT (Tactical Plan Development/Execution), and finally SEE again (Post-Plan Execution Analysis). This last part of the process ensures that gathered statistics and learned lessons are fed back into the strategic plan for improved execution in subsequent iterations of the cycle.

The entire process increases the organization’s body of general knowledge and intellectual property, which strengthens the organization and leads to growing effectiveness and confidence in decision-making.

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The Non-Profit Matrix

I’ve been working with non-profit organizations for 14 years. In that time, I’ve compiled a matrix for non-profit formation built not only on my own experiences, but also on expert consensus. This structure, called the Non-Profit Best Practice Concurrence Matrix™ (The Non-Profit Matrix™, for short), was first composed in my thoughts and project notes, subsequently researched, and then finally assembled into structured document/presentation form in early 2009.

The Non-Profit Matrix deals with the roles of leaders, management, staff, and volunteers. It also addresses such fundamental areas as board composition, strategic planning, and business planning. The last mentioned area includes such items as asset review, budgeting and reporting, market research, communications/marketing activity, staffing, and appropriate use of technology.

At present the structure includes just over 50 principles for action that should be considered by most if not all non-profits. The Non-Profit Matrix seeks to encourage not only the tacit acceptance of its principles; rather, it seeks to encourage that the principles be embraced and discussed by the individuals who are responsible for enacting them.

An example of a specific (and very important) subject dealt with in The Non-Profit Matrix: board composition. A well composed board is vital to the success of a non-profit organization—and once you find yourself with an ineffective board, it may prove a difficult problem to rectify.

On the subject of board composition, The Non-Profit Matrix includes several principles, including “the board’s role and responsibility for setting the organization’s values and philosophies should be firmly established” and “each board member should understand the key elements necessary to the success of the organization”. Other principles encourage utilizing proper criteria when nominating board members, implementing various forms of accountability for the members, and planning for succession at key board positions.

The Non-Profit Matrix seeks not only to consider non-profit concerns per se, but also concerns that are universally applicable to considering profit and long-term value in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors.

At present The Non-Profit Matrix is not available for distribution and serves both as an internal consulting tool and as the foundation for several presentations (such as on Strategic and Business Planning for Non-Profits). However, if you have any questions about how its principles might be able to help your non-profit organization, please Contact Trinity for an appointment. I will be happy to speak with you!

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TRANSFORM to ready yourself for the market approach

From the article “See, Transform, Act”: Trinity’s model of business development derives its uniqueness from the way that Trinity expresses and applies the model’s principles. Trinity’s unique expression and application of SEE, TRANSFORM, ACT comes from deeply seated personal and corporate beliefs about humility, communication and business ethics.

The SEE part of “See, Transform, Act” presents a roadmap for growing business through an effective market approach. In the TRANSFORM part of the model, the company readies itself for this approach by applying necessary internal change.

The TRANSFORM process analyzes people, process, and environment. Are the right people in place? Are the necessary processes and policies defined? Is the environment equipped for operational requirements of the plan?

Sustainable business growth is enabled by the right people, working toward common goals by means of well established processes and policies, operating effectively in an environment that is equipped with necessary tools.

TRANSFORM readies a company to aggressively, doggedly, and successfully execute a market approach.

Next: ACT.

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SEE Your Business Clearly

From the article “See, Transform, Act”: Trinity’s model of business development derives its uniqueness from the way that Trinity expresses and applies the model’s principles. Trinity’s unique expression and application of SEE, TRANSFORM, ACT comes from deeply seated personal and corporate beliefs about humility, communication and business ethics.

In the SEE portion of the model  these ideas are immediately brought to bear. SEE is, in its essence, an exercise in humility. SEE, to Trinity, means the need to view your company not just from the inside out, but from the outside in. How does the market (customers, competitors, peers/partners, analysts/experts, government, etc.) see you?

To SEE, or examine yourself through the eyes of the market, requires the humility to recognize the value of what others have to offer.

SEE is gathering information. SEE is building knowledge. SEE is essential to business growth, and the more clearly you SEE, the more successful you will become.

Next: TRANSFORM.

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Economic woes force reassessment of customer service

The poor economy has prompted many companies to reevaluate their customer focus.  In some cases, companies have had to reassess what customer service means to both themselves and to their customers.

On hearing this news, the customer's knee-jerk response might be: "Why weren't those idiotic companies providing great customer service to begin with?"  In some cases this is a reasonable complaint.

However, it is also important to consider that the company may simply be responding to the consumer's changing evaluation criteria. In the current economy, consumers are more clearly focused on value for the dollar--which might represent itself in various ways. Companies are investing more in polling and other forms of customer research as a way of learning about how changing priorities affect purchasing decisions.

Economic woes have imparted many difficult lessons, but that is not to say that many of these lessons aren't good for us. Companies that learn to value the customer more dearly, even if this learning experience is forced upon them, will be better off in the long run--as will be the customer.

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See, Transform, Act

Trinity defines the strategic business development process as a repeatable cycle that uncovers ever more accurate information about both the market and your organization with each revolution.

In the “SEE, TRANSFORM, ACT” model, your organization sees its customer, transforms itself to accommodate the customer, and then moves towards and engages with the customer. All parts of the SEE, TRANSFORM, ACT process create valuable knowledge that enables principled, informed decisions at every stage of development. This leads to a strengthened corporate identity that facilitates growth.

Trinity’s “See, Transform, Act” model of business development derives its uniqueness from the way that Trinity expresses and applies the model’s principles. Trinity’s unique expression and application of SEE, TRANSFORM, ACT comes from deeply seated personal and corporate beliefs about humility, communication and business ethics.

The reason that Trinity often speaks about “corporate humility” is because humility is the cornerstone of effective business development.  Whether instituting new internal business practices or planning a marketing approach, humility is necessary to apply best practices and market information in an introspective manner.

Effective communication is essential within any business. Good leadership and management is impossible without effective, charitable communication at all levels of business.

Ethical behavior in business means pursuing a corporate agenda that respects the dignity of all persons.

Application of these concepts within the “See, Transform, Act” model breeds powerful knowledge, breeds true leadership, and breeds business innovation.

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Staff Retention and IT Efficiency

In previous articles I wrote about IT efficiency and mentioned that having good tools impacts employee job satisfaction.

Your computer and network are tools that impact the ability to perform your job properly (effectively and efficiently). When the employer provides an inadequate IT toolkit, it places roadblocks in the way to success. The company places each staff member and the entire company at a competitive disadvantage, and creates frustration in many aspects of daily work.

Frustration mounts when poor communication pertinent to IT concerns exists between the IT department (or outside consultants), staff, and management. Part of good IT administration is effective communication regarding new systems, policy changes, etc. At times, IT problems and failure to communicate and/or apply a correction can result in high levels of workplace toxicity!

Beyond merely helping your staff to be happy and successful through proper application of IT, you should consider what technological advancements will allow you to create even greater efficiencies.  If employee productivity is increased, over time you should be able to do more with the same amount of people without increasing workload per person. This in turn can have positive effects: increased employee compensation and benefits (increasing the likelihood of staff retention), increased profitability, etc.

Want to perform an audit to find out how your staff members view IT efficiency, and how it impacts their job satisfaction? Contact Trinity.

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Employee Satisfaction in the Workplace

Quality of coworkers, tools, and environment are three aspects of employee satisfaction that will occasionally be neglected (to one degree or another) by employers.  Yet, each has a major impact on staff retention.

Ultimately, many intelligent employees will figure out how to do with a few thousand dollars less--for the benefit of being able to work in a quality environment. This is particularly true of employees that have worked in difficult environments and know when they have found a good situation by having some basis for comparison. In other words, if there is a three thousand dollar difference in salary between loving your job and hating the thought of going  to work in the morning, in my experience most people would choose the job that they love and in which they feel well supported.

If you are an employer and are not weighing quality of coworkers (including management), tools (including IT), and environment as part of an employee's total compensation package, think again.

Contact Trinity to discuss improving employee satisfaction in your workplace.

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Value on the Dollar

Within each subcategory of the uber-category "Business Development" there are many professional business consultants  providing an extreme variance in value accompanied by an extreme variance in pricing.

This is why, in many categories, it is impractical to believe that a good solution will be achieved if the company takes a commodity pricing approach to hiring a professional consultant. In other words, if the company sends out a solicitation for bid and selects with the lowest price available, that company is unlikely to receive returned value that exceeds the average. Rather, the company has to exercise due diligence and  perform a "best value" assessment.

This is not to say that the company needs to go with the most expensive option, even assuming that the most expensive option provides the "highest level of value". What is needed is a provided level of value that corresponds to the associated level of need--the right solution at the right price.  (Please note that the "right price" is not the price that one wishes, but rather the fair price for the value that is provided.)

Again, not the "highest level of value", necessarily, but rather the "best level of value."

Some companies convince themselves that all consultants are created equal--it allows them be lazy about acquiring enough knowledge to make a value judgment on the services that they are receiving for the price that they are paying. There is no reasonable excuse for this mindset. If the company doesn't know what it is already receiving (the value of the service, and how that value stacks up to the industry)--how can it make an educated decision about whether or not it is receiving fair value for the price? Simply stated: it can't.
Trinity seeks to demonstrate "best value" to all of its clients when recommending solutions. Not only is this the most prudent thing for us to do, but also:

1. We are interested in long-term relationships. Win-win strategies, we believe, will make both parties successful. We want to grow with our clients--not at the expense of our clients.

2. Trinity has a corporate commitment to building trust in business relationships. We hire only those consultants who will practice their profession at an ethical standard far above the industry standard. Being ethical, to Trinity, includes striving to charge a fair price for the value received.

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Make the Most Out of Your Weakness

The two largest contributing factors to Trinity's success are (1) the character of our staff and (2) their drive to discover better solutions to problems/challenges.  Because of these two things, it is a privilege for me to come to work every day and experience these valuable qualities as the events of the day (week, month, year) are played out.

Not being able to provide the best solution to a particular challenge drives us nuts. If the lack of an available solution is attributable to a particular corporate weakness (on Trinity's part) that we can identify and address, we bear down and make improvements.

Every company likes to brag about its strengths and sweep its weaknesses under the rug.  But the reality of the world is that all people, and the companies that they word for, have strengths and weaknesses.  Nobody hits it out of the park every time. The rewards that are merited in life, including business achievements, are not measured by whether one has any weaknesses, but by whether one constantly strive to overcome them.

Many people, and the companies that they work for, are all about emphasizing their strengths. However, it takes discipline and character to acknowledge and address weaknesses so that those weaknesses can be turned into strengths.

Corporate introspection is a good thing. The acknowledgement that we all have weaknesses is a good thing. Using the "we all have weaknesses" card to excuse poor behavior/performance is a bad thing both in our personal lives, our businesses, and our society.  It is admirable to forgive -- we all need to do that. But "forgiveness", in my opinion, is often mistaken for "making excuses for others".  And too often, we make excuses for others but never forgive! How does that make good sense?

In professional business consulting, addressing weaknesses in a client relationship is not a one way street.  Trinity challenges its clients--and we desire to have clients that welcome that challenge.  But Trinity's clients also challenge us to grow, to expand our knowledge, etc. -- in short, to improve ourselves in too many ways to count.

Trinity holds a leadership meeting about every two weeks where our executives talk to each other about improving our internal practices to better serve our clients--and to make ourselves better professionals and better people.

In short, Trinity works to turn its weaknesses into strengths--a commitment both to ourselves and to our clients. Trinity is not satisfied with being less than the best.

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Self-Discovery is the Key to Good Marketing Strategy

The basis of Trinity's Total Marketing Strategy is knowledge gained through self-discovery.  The path of vision to self-discovery is directly through the eyes of your market.

Imagine yourself standing on a grassy slope with a wide open plain in front of you. Filling the plain is your market—not a crowd of people, but a group of individual persons. These individual persons extend across the plain and into the foothills of a mountain range on the other side.  These individuals are flowing down streams that come down from the mountains, through the foothills, across the slope, and out onto the valley floor.

The place on which you stand is not high enough to see each individual person.  In fact, you can only see a half-dozen rows deep.  You want to see more. The mountain range on the other side of the plain is undoubtedly a better vantage point, but you worry that if you ascend so high, you won't be able to see the individuals any more—just a massive pool of humanity.  But you move into the plain, you might be able to see even less than you see right now.

So, how do you engage the entire market?

Easily.  You stop being concerned about who you can see, and how clearly you can see them.  Instead, you close your eyes and imagine yourself in the shoes of each person standing on the plain...and you ask yourself: "What do I see when I look up at that slope?"

It isn't literally possible to put your feet into every pair of shoes.  So instead, you deploy your forces. You send messengers out onto the plain, who gather information and convey it to monitors that you have stationed on the mountain ridges.  You delve into the ranges, you find the source of the mountain streams, and follow them back to the plain.  You understand where each person came from and how they got to this place. 

You ask questions, and organize persons into groups of people. The questions are many, but the ultimately what you are trying to get from each person, and from each group, is the answer to the master questions: Who are you? What are you looking for? What do you see?

In business, the only way to see yourself truly--as you really are (not as you want to see yourself, or as it is convenient to see yourself)—is to understand how your market sees you (or whether they can see you). The way you know yourself only on the inside is, to a great extent irrelevant if each individual person (customer, client, partner) does not see you in the same way...and find something of value in that vision. 

Ironically, if the person sees value in your company, it will be as they see themselves through the prism of the goods and services that you provide.

You need to see and know yourself through the eyes of others. It is the only way to make sure that you are valued, that you are wanted, that you are needed.  It is the only way to comprehensively engage the market.

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Instant Coffee? Is Starbucks Devaluing Their Brand?

In a frenzied media blitz last week, Starbucks launched a new product line called Via – their version of instant coffee. They call it a game changer, opening an almost $20 Billion market currently held by Nestle, Folgers, and Sanka. They piloted this concept in three different cities with apparently great success and seem to believe that it will not detract from their existing coffee at Starbucks locations. They are touting that it tastes just as good as a regular cup of joe at a fraction of the cost of one Starbucks cup (packs of three for $2.95 and packs of 12 for $9.95).

That may be true – given their testing I am certain they monitored these numbers very carefully and it most likely will impact their immediate future earnings positively. They enter the niche with a bang as THE Gourmet option for instant coffee – sort of the high-end among low-end coffee. The price point may still be too much for the average morning home consumer who dips into the jar of Folgers to get their near instant caffeine fix.

The real problem of course is that Starbucks Brand has always been associated with high-end coffee – the essence of which is the quality AND experience…and instant coffee, well…that is just not high end. While Starbucks may claim similar quality they will have to overcome the stigma of “instant coffee = cheap coffee”. And so the questions remains… will the Starbucks brand go from being associated with an experience to just another coffee, thus sacrificing long-term value for short-term gain?

A final aside is that my view is national not global. Since US consumers account for only four percent of the worldwide instant coffee market, it very well could be that the stigma of instant coffee as low end exists only in the US, and not abroad. However that doesn’t change the essence of the question – will instant coffee devalue the Starbucks Brand and will it also devalue long-term earnings by digging into its other offerings?

I guess we will have to stay tuned.

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The Evangelist

Outside of Christian expression, the title "evangelist" is one that has been applied either in an official or unofficial manner to the professional product enthusiast. This enthusiast is harnessed to employ his natural talents to encourage others to buy into the qualities of the product/service, and encourage a sense of community and lifestyle associated with the consumer's affinity for the product and the company that created it.

The first time that I came into contact with this usage of the word "evangelist" was some years ago when I first encountered the term "Apple evangelist" or "Mac evangelist". This expression was treated with delight by Mac enthusiasts, skepticism by the PC indifferent, and derision by those who favored the PC.

So many companies receive a substantial portion of their business through word of mouth. Therefore, it can be very advantageous to identify courageous "early adopters" of products (particularly technology) who live in both the "world in the details" and the "world of people". These individuals maintain a near obsessive product knowledge and associated value while widely, warmly, and enthusiastically carrying that message to market.

To harness the evangelist to your purposes, you absolutely must (to one degree or another) welcome him into the inner circle and provide a level of access that helps to solidify his sense of solidarity as a stakeholder in the product's continued success. You may also need to provide some sort of subsidy (if not salary) to make sure that continuing to act in this evangelical way is a sustainable proposition.

No one would ever mistake me for being an evangelist at the elite levels, but I am passionate about good products, retain the product information easily, and broadcast that information with enthusiasm.

For example, about three years ago I developed a thing for Nordstrom SmartCare shirts (tailored cut) and haven't gotten off of that kick yet. I tell people about them all the time (because people tell me my shirts look nice, which is a great opportunity), and Nordstrom has sold a few shirts because of me. What do I get out of that? Nothing. But as I said, I love a great product -- and I think that people who produce great products should be patronized.

However, real evangelists naturally create much broader social circles than I do. The web, and then the blogosphere, and then social networking, has given evangelists a greater reach than ever before. Pair that with a little brand backing, and you expand that social circle exponentially.

This is all major food for thought not only for the enterprise but also for the small business. To what extent are these evangelists identifiable? Does one or more already work for my company? Can they be put into harness? What is the cost/benefit?

It is often said that great products sell themselves, and that is true to a certain extent. But somehow you need to get the product in front of the consumer, and word of mouth is often the fastest and most direct way to make that happen. If you can find and partner with the person who can make the connection between product and consumer in the most effective manner, then you have your gospel messenger.

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A Good Laugh..In Search of Website Editing Nirvana

Given my role as CMO, I occasionally visit the websites of various associations for our services to determine the benefits to Trinity and whether we should join. In my google meanderings I came across a web association I had not seen before.

My first glance made me do a double-take:

"Established in 1708, (this) trade association advocates on behalf of more than 9,100 web designers and web developers to promote and share industry best practices."

(Just to think some of our founding fathers’ fathers might have been web developers!)

I then checked their home page which suggests that they actually began this year—not 1708:

“Since 2009. (This Association) has advocated on behalf of more than 30,000 web designers and web developers in the United States and Canada.”

(I’m sure you noticed the period instead of the comma. It’s not that I am a stickler for grammar, but now that I have 1708 on my mind... well, I can’t help it.)

However, according to their news article titled… “2010 (yes – you read that correctly - 2010) Recognized as Top Membership Association”, they have been in business seven years!

(That’s right folks. This association is so good as to be recognized in the future. Just In case you were wondering, they announced this special recognition in April of 2009.)

So, as I wound through the rabbit trail of dates, I ended up with an historical beginning of either 2002 or 2003 (depending on whether that was seven years from 2009 or 2010).

Well, getting close to solving that historical puzzle was cause for celebration! I decided to attend their 2009 Web Designer Spectacular Gala to celebrate. But then I saw that it was announced in their “What’s New” section on 7/28/2010 — one year after it occurred! Its never too late to get out an announcement!

By this time I suspected the organization was not real. In case you are wondering, I did call them. It turns out the phone doesn’t go to the association at all but instead goes to a Web Design company. Apparently, the site was created to showcase various design capabilities to their clients . The person who answered thanked me profusely for bringing it to his attention and we had a very amicable discussion.

Oh well, so much for that blog piece I was going to write on the importance of website content editing…

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Is the Principle of Subsidiarity at Work in Your Place of Business? (Conclusions)

Conclusion 1: Evidence while growing is anecdotal

As you may have noted in the Part III, proof for the success of the Principle of Subsidiarity in business is anecdotal – I have found no in-depth scientific studies and if anyone does find one, please send it my way.

Most of what I have found is in the form of articles and case studies. However, I did note in one study that 70% of organizations have embraced some sort of “empowerment” process. This suggests, at the very least, a recognition of the good derived from decentralized decision making, particularly at a global level.

Conclusion 2: The Role of leadership is crucial for subsidiarity in an organization

The role of leadership in an organization is crucial for subsidiarity – from how they view and encourage the worker to how they provide appropriate training and technical support. Additionally, the organizational vision provided by leadership helps form the necessary foundation for unity in the organization.

Conclusion 3: Subsidiarity cannot bear fruit without solidarity

There is an inherent danger of decentralization that must also be recognized: the creation of independent fiefdoms which no longer operate with respect to the common good (both of the company and potentially the society at large). Thus, just as owners of a company must focus on protecting the individual dignity of the worker, the worker also has a responsibility to protect and contribute to the common good of the company. In other words, the principle of subsidiarity within the company cannot bear fruit without solidarity.

Conclusion 4: There is an inherent non-monetary relationship between owner and worker based on service

Within the framework of subsidiarity, there is a non-monetary, non-contractual reciprocity in the relationship between owner/management and the worker that is focused on the good of the company. There is, in a very real sense, a giving of yourself in service (through your work) to those around you – whether you are an owner or a worker. In this particular way, the owner and worker are on a level playing field because in a real sense (judged from a non-economic, relational perspective), they are servants to one another.

It would stand to reason that companies without subsidiarity could not have this type of relationship between owners and workers.

Final Remarks

While the current anecdotal research is extremely promising, greater scientific study is required to better understand the economic fruits of subsidiarity within business as well as other factors including retention, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, innovation, etc. It is my sincere hope that companies begin to explore and understand the effect of subsidiarity on their organizations.

As mentioned in Conclusion 3 above, solidarity also plays a significant role regarding mployee relationship to the organization. There seems to be an inevitable and corresponding relationship between both subsidiarity and solidarity (principles shaping the relationship of the organization to the individual and the individual to the organization).

As such, both the principle of solidarity as well as the relationship between subsidiarity and solidarity regarding their corresponding application to business bears future exploration.

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The Non-Profit Road

Trinity's fondness and sympathy for non-profit concerns stems primarily from one source: our staff, who genuinely care about the greater good, and desire to make the world a better place.

However, we all acquire that caring and desire from a source. Mine was prompted by the sacrifice that my parents exhibited throughout my formative years, and to the present. Legitimately interested in changing culture and society for the better, both my mom and dad have been active parents and educators. Both were always very sensitive to charitable concerns, contributing to worthy causes even in times of financial hardship. My father cofounded a non-profit institution in 1977, and founded another on his own in 1985. Both are thriving today.

My personal experience in non-profit ventures has not only been through board membership, employment, and volunteer work, but also by addressing the needs of various non-profit clients at Trinity.

Over the years we at Trinity have been privileged to serve non-profit clients working in a variety of areas, including Higher Education, Medical, Aerospace, Broadcast Media, Publishing, Retail, Family Advocacy, Insurance, Political, and Religious. Services performed have spanned all of our service lines.

At Trinity, we know that non-profits are needed. They make a difference in our communities, our religious institutions, our medical centers, our businesses, our families -- our lives. We do our best to honor our non-profit clients by giving that little bit extra to help them succeed.

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Four Rules for Working in a Non-Profit Organization

Since Trinity Consulting does a good amount of work in both the for-profit non-profit sectors, we occasionally serve as a sounding board for individuals who are contemplating the career leap from for-profit to non-profit. This is particularly true as Trinity assists our clients with staff recruitment.

Here are four rules (of many) to working in or with non-profit organizations.

1. Be Cost-Conscious. All but a small percentage of non-profit organizations are cash-poor (especially today). If you don't know how to stretch a dollar, learn. However, don't be penny wise and pound foolish.
2. Be a Strong Advocate: If you need something (mind, heart, resources, time, talent, etc.) from somebody to advance the mission of your organization, ask for it. The worst they can say is "No." Get over irrational fears of being perceived as someone who is always walking around with your hand out -- embrace it!
3. Strive for Excellence: Work hard and smart; focus on accomplishments. Make up your mind to the fact that non-profit status is not an excuse for mediocrity.
4. United We Stand: The more important the cause, the more passionate people within your organization will be. Even when everyone has a single goal in mind, there may be many strong opinions about the path to take. Beware divisiveness, which will cripple your organization! Check egos at the door.

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The phased approach to building business

In business as in life, the space between the current situation and an improved situation can seem very far. I think it is important for business development consultants and their clients to keep this in mind: not everything needs to happen at once.

Many business improvements, whether in development strategy or IT solutions, can be done incrementally to accommodate constraints in time and budget.

Example 1: Let's just say that your current brand (logo, colors, typeface, marketing copy, etc.) is a liability: outdated, ugly, uncomfortably worded, poorly presented, whatever -- it doesn't effectively represent your organization. You don't have to go through the entire brand renovation process at one time. If your brand is a liability, you can take positive structured steps to create new standards, and then roll out the new brand strategically and incrementally -- starting with the most visible presentations and moving on from there.

Example 2: Your network needs dramatic upgrades, but IT consultants keep offering you "all or nothing" solutions. Well, Trinity knows how to plan phased deployments/upgrades as well as prudent ways in which to stretch the IT dollar. We can start with improving infrastructure and support to your most critical users, and move forward from there.

The important thing is to firmly establish the fundamentals of the solution approach and create a development timeline, not just including tasks to be performed but also goals to be accomplished.

Then you need to put a big mark on that timeline to indicate at which point during the process the transformation will produce measurable results. Make it possible to celebrate the moments at which you turn liabilities into assets, and then continue building from strength to strength!

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Is the Principle of Subsidiarity at Work in Your Place of Business? (Part III)

In the last blog I concluded with the remark that subsidiarity can increase economic value. In this blog I will point to two case studies I have found on the subject and summarize results.

Case Study 1: FirstFruits (a Costco Supplier)

This recent successful example was highlighted in the Costco Connection magazine http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200908/?u1=texterity :

This particular article introduces the concept of servant-leadership focused on four basic tenets:

0. Serving the needs of the organization
0. Meeting the needs of those they lead
0. Facilitating personal growth in all who work with them
0. Listening and building a sense of community

In particular this article makes the case that by focusing on the dignity of their workers, the business has grown a single apple orchard into an $80 Million business.

Case Study 2: FreMap (a Spanish non-profit mutual Insurance Company)

This cases study can be found in Dominic Mele’s academic paper (pg 10-15) http://www.iese.edu/research/pdfs/DI-0566-E.pdf

Among other things, Fremap helps manage Spain’s social security. From 1933 to 1992 they managed the business as a highly centralized organization with pockets of high specialization and rigid hierarchical divisions. A strong bureaucratic culture had built up with layers of paperwork and management for each aspect of that paperwork. The result: customers had to speak to multiple people and wait a long time to get issues resolved.

In order to improve customer service, subsidiarity was introduced. A customer would work with one agent responsible for resolving all issues. The customer would be assigned to the agent on a territorial basis. Support, expertise and training were provided to the agents.

Results: Improved internal quality and efficiency, improved customer relations, significant growth of revenue and employees, and a AAA rating by S&P. According to the CEO, Carlos Alvarez, “businesses must organize work to achieve efficiency in such a way that it is compatible with human development.”

I will provide my final conclusions on the Principle of Subsidiarity in my next blog.

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Is the Principle of Subsidiarity at Work in Your Place of Business? (Part II)

In the last blog I defined the principle of subsidiarity, and in this blog I’ll begin to explore its relationship to business.

Subsidiarity bears a strong resemblance to the modern business method of “empowerment”, which is the process of imbuing lower levels of authority with greater authority.

However, subsidiarity is not a process; it is a philosophy or framework. This case is made very strongly in an academic paper by Domenec Mele, a Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Navarre, in Spain.

He points out that in a business where subsidiarity is fundamental, empowerment would never have to occur since the central authority would already be limited in scope and authority, and would already reside at the lowest possible point. The key difference though is that empowerment by its very existence acknowledges a strong central authority that is giving up some authority to lower levels in order to drive efficiency. In other words, it is still a top-down approach that focuses primarily on the good of the business rather than the resulting good of “empowering” the individual.

As I pointed out in the first blog, subsidiarity is different because, at its heart, it is concerned with the dignity of the people that are part of the society (as well as the people that society interacts with or serves i.e. customers). That efficiency and a sense of “empowerment” or “loyalty” occur is the natural byproduct of the framework of subsidiarity — not the goal.

Professor Mele states that “the point is not to ‘give power’ to employees, but to recognize that the dignity, freedom, and diversity of employees be duly considered, as should their capacity to contribute to the common good of business and the whole of society. This requires that employees have the power to organize their own work and make decisions.”

You may ask as I did, “So what? It seems like a difference in kind – doesn’t it accomplish the same thing?” My ultimate conclusion is that, yes, certain things are similarly accomplished according to various case studies—efficiency, improved customer relationships, and productivity, but the focus of the company says everything about the company.

At the end of the day, for companies truly interested in their employees, the bottom line (while important) is not everything – the people are. People are not tools to be used by a company—they are people who should be properly supported and trained to help the society they work within flourish by being better stewards of their individual spheres of influence. A steward by definition must have authority over what he/she is caring for.

It should be noted that by focusing on the person, the philosophy of subsidiarity does not decrease economic value. An argument can be made, though evidence is anecdotal, that it enhances economic value… for all parties. This evidence will be focused on more closely in Part III.

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Accounting for Your Time

Trinity is always looking for ways to improve the per-dollar value received by our clients. We also want to show our clients exactly how we use the time that they pay for.

In this, we may be no different from our quality competition. However, I feel that Trinity has taken this effort particularly seriously – and we recently again upgraded our game by upgrading our timesheet software. We are now using top-ranked Dovico Timesheet™, and even though we’ve only been using the system company-wide for a brief period of time, Trinity is already starting to see the benefits across a number of fronts.

• As alluded to above, Trinity will soon be able to easily provide clients with more detail than ever before about how time is being spent.
• Using the application’s available tools will likely shorten time spent in some areas of project management.
• The software will assist in precisely defining projects, following in-project process, and in general maintain a high level of focus throughout projects.

Most importantly: within projects, most assigned tasks mirror Trinity’s consultative and development processes across our various disciplines. This means that the software is heavily invested with the proprietary advantages that Trinity provides to clients.

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Room for Growth?

Have you completely saturated your market?

No? Good. Because that means even if your market is shrinking, you still have room for growth.

In a down-turning economy, some companies take a pessimistic view towards their ability to grow or sustain revenue. It's easy to understand why: a generic view of the marketplace leads one to think that everybody has less money to spend. Less spending means fewer business opportunities. Fewer business opportunities translates into reduced revenue.

While all of that may be true on some level, and the number of potential customers may be dwindling, you still have opportunities for growth if you haven't already gobbled up the entire market.

In any economy, you aren't competing against the prevailing economic conditions; rather, you are competing against your competitors in the marketplace. So if you have a good product or service (or both) you should still have a sense of optimism!

But do you have what it takes to "make hay" in this market? What do you really believe about yourself? You might be able to provide an answer to these questions by selecting a completion to the following statement.

Statement: When current and potential clients take a closer look at their vendors, it is:

• Better for us. We're awesome and we always have room for improvement.
• Worse for us. When there's less work to go around, it means the better companies will suck up what trickled down to us in a good economy.

If you believe that #1 is the correct answer, then keep reading.

A message from me to the company that believes in itself:

"Marketing is right for you. You have openness to ideas and information that will benefit your company, and believe that there are potential customers, yet to determined, that will be responsive to the message that your company sends to the market."

If you can get excited about your company, Trinity can get excited about your company. In marketing it is absolutely 100% true that the client "makes" the project. If you have the enduring optimism that can support finding out what the market demands of you, and then making a strong response to it, Trinity's brand of marketing is right for you.

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Is the Principle of Subsidiarity at Work in your Place of Business? (Part I)

The principle of subsidiarity is an important one to be aware of in a place of business.  It affects organization, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and ultimately revenue and profit.

In a three-part blog series I will attempt to introduce the principle of subsidiarity and its key elements, its place in business, and its effect on business success and the resulting intangible benefits.

Introduction to Subsidiarity
The Oxford dictionary defines subsidiarity as “the principle that a central authority should not be very powerful, and should only control things which cannot be controlled by local organizations.”

According to Wikipedia, the principle finds its historical roots in Catholic social teaching which states that “a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to coordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good.  [The principle of subsidarity] protects people from abuses by higher-level social authority and calls on these same authorities to help individuals and intermediate groups to fulfill their duties. This principle is imperative because every person, family and intermediate group has something original to offer to the community.”

There are three basic elements at work in this principle:    

• Each individual is unique and has inherent worth or dignity.
• All levels of a society - from the family, to local institutions, to the federal government - should work to support and promote that dignity.
• The dignity of individuals is best supported by what can be accomplished at the lowest or most immediate level in a society since it permits the greatest amount of participation by individuals.

Extrapolating from above, the principle suggests that those levels of authority closest to the human being are better equipped to understand and appreciate the needs of the individual and thereby address them (such as a parent to a child).  Conversely, this also suggests that any larger or more complex authority that usurps functions or responsibilities most appropriate to a lower authority strips away the inherent worth of the human beings involved. 

If this principle is fundamental to the well-being and functionality of all societies from the family unit to national government, how does it affect business in particular?  Should it make a difference to how a business is run, how decisions are made, how performance is measured, and how customer satisfaction is addressed? Does putting this principle into action in a business produce positive results?

We’ll begin to explore those questions in Part II.

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The Cure for Paralysis

Sound business decisions are best based on sound analysis of "the numbers". However, in the absence of a stable analytical process that tracks and regularly reports on key business measurements, the numbers often lead to frustration and decision making paralysis -- or the opposite: decision making in absence of the full picture.

Trinity provides SMB with reports that grow with their company and provide real-world data that facilitate the decision making process. The ability to generate these reports often depends on sound bookkeeping practices; therefore, Trinity provides advice on how to restructure books to facilitate the report process.

Once this process is complete, the client has numbers that tell the truth about its business world, rather than numbers that are forced into the clients assumptions of the world. This enables quick and decisive corporate action in a fast paced business environment.

The story told by the numbers may need to be related to shareholders, partners, and the like. The sound and detailed reporting process enables clients to create charts that tell a clear story and are precisely backed by real figures.

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March Madness

Now that we are in the middle of the NCAA Tournament, it seems like a good opportunity to point to a great read: Wooden on Leadership

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The Only Thing to Fear Is?

As a business owner and entrepreneur, it is somewhat strange that I have fallen in love with marketing. In some ways, I have a great loathing for marketing. Why? Performed properly, strategic marketing doesn't put the market in the cross-hairs—it puts your company in the cross-hairs. Your own company. Your baby. Do you really want to know whether your company has the stuff that it takes to succeed? For me, the answer has always been "Yes"—albeit, at times reluctantly so. Painful as the discovery process inherent to good marketing can be, which scenario would you rather see yourself in?

1. Going out of business.
2. Eking out an existence.
3. Thriving while hitting home runs.

If you answered with #3, then you and I are on the same page. Nobody wants to go out of business and nobody just wants to barely hang on forever. Marketing (again, when properly performed) makes sure that:

1. You have a market to address.
2. You are ready to address the market.
3. You have a winning message to present to the market.

There are costs associated with all three of these steps. But if you want to be "thriving while hitting home runs", you have to be able to afford them. In this economy, more companies are finding themselves cash poor. You might think: "Can I afford marketing?" The question is: can you afford not to?

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Puzzle This

Recently I was engaged in a discussion with one of our salesmen, who asked me: "What do you think is more important...Marketing or Sales?" That is an interesting question.

Many companies focus on the importance of Sales over Marketing (or vice-versa)--or rather, they have defined the role of one and not the other. In companies where strong silos have been built around each department, Sales generally views Marketing as a machine that "spits out stuff" and operates somewhere in the background. Marketing, to Sales, is merely leads, occasional handouts, case studies, powerpoints, trade show giveaways, the occasional cool advertisement, etc.

Sales tends to operate in a "what have you done for me lately" mentality, and Marketing is only top-of-mind when Sales is in need of something. Their viewpoint is understandable given this reality: Sales personnel perform a high stress job, they tend to be measured on short-term accomplishments, and they are trying to leverage every tool at their disposal to close deals (which, by the way, is of supreme importance to the revenue lifeblood of a company).

In this entrenched mode, Marketing may feel a constant pressure from Sales to produce of-the-moment deliverables that drive the ability to turn opportunities into paying customers. Feeling that Sales is always in "gimme" mode, but not providing the comprehensive customer-needs analysis necessary to produce materials (which Sales does not view to be its problem, though Sales is directly interacting with customers on a daily basis), Marketing may ascend even higher into a non-practical strategic stratosphere.

Without true harmony, each department views itself as doing what is really necessary to drive revenue. Not feeling the support of Marketing, Sales may feel the need to outpace Marketing's ability to deliver, and as a result autonomously generate sales materials that are not reflective of Marketing's vision. Both departments use their own language in support of increasingly distinct tactics. Before you know it, brands are destabilised and careers are placed in jeopardy.

In these situations, depending on your perspective, Sales is everything, or Marketing is everything. But Trinity strives for a perspective from which both Sales and Marketing are viewed as being indispensable parts of the same integrated process. Our answer is that Marketing is most important, but as a component of Marketing, Sales is inseparable from this judgment.

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Humility and Your Company

Fundamentally, companies are human societies interacting with other societies. Like any human society, companies are laden with corporate or cultural virtues and vices that stem from human virtue and vice.

A product or service is not just created to be, but created to be for a person. Ideally, the product itself, as well as the process of marketing, selling, and supporting the product creates a trust relationship with the brand that drives repeat business.

Whether or not it is recognized in all places of society, relationships that are truthful are more sustainable than those that are not. And if it is true that "action springs from being," how can you be what it takes to be successful in your corporate society, and how can Marketing play a key role in this endeavor?

Self-knowledge rooted in truth, and the strength to deal with rooting out corporate vice is necessary for success. But self-knowledge requires being open to the customer's perspective.

Understanding your customers' needs/wants, and creating products or services to address those needs, requires being focused externally. The company is also, like the individual human being, in a process of self discovery in which a company must overcome its internal corporate vices to be more fully integrated in the world and the customers around them. Practically speaking, the corporation focused on the customer is better able to provide valuable products and services tuned to specific needs, as well as to communicate and establish processes to handle high-quality customer service (which will help cement long-term relationships).

In the corporate culture, pride has a very strong company focus ("what is good for the company is good for the customer") while its inverse, humility, has a customer focus ("what is good for the customer is good for the company"). Properly oriented Marketing, supported by Sales and Customer Service, plays the primary role in analyzing and expressing customer needs and marketplace truths to top-level decision-makers.

Humility suggests being open to truth, particularly unpleasant truths, and requires a CEO to create and foster a culture of truth in order to produce long-term stability and growth--producing real bottom-line dollar results! Again, Marketing (which is already geared towards targeted communication, results collection, and analysis) can play a critical role internally in communicating the vision of this culture to the corporate entity at large, and then running internal diagnostics to help judge the preparedness of the entity for change based on the findings.

In order to perfect your business, you have to gain greater knowledge of yourself by investing in those you serve.

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The Promise of Truth

The promise of Trinity’s marketing approach is that it is based in truth. There’s no such thing as a “one size fits all” marketing approach. Who are you? Who does your customer want you to be; i.e, what is the truth of your situation? That’s what dictates your proper approach.

Not every company is ready to grow. So a company’s growth inhibitors may need to be addressed. Unless you are ready, dollars spent on promotion and sales might be water poured onto the sand — there for a moment, but quickly disappearing.

Trinity cares about whether or not our clients succeed. So the marketing process is an investment that fuses the heart and soul of your vision to a market-ready machine — your company. But the challenge is — you have to be ready to see yourself through the eyes of someone else (your customer) — and be prepared to make the appropriate response to the perspective that brings.

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