Your top interview question

 

What is the most important question you would ask a job applicant?

Marketing Tricks #08 - Numbers don't lie

 

Good marketeers can put together numbers so good that you can't even argue. "I have a client who made USD25K within 6 months, earning back 10x the fee she paid to me. " "By 2022 global e-commerce will reach USD5.4 trillion" "E-learning is projected to grow at a CAGR of 21% from 2021 to 2027". These numbers are real. They are impactful. But you also need to consider other numbers which are not shared. What percentage of clients successfully started new businesses? How many other e-commerce sellers will I be competing against? How much does an average e-learning course earn per month? 

What to do with this information: 

When you are a buyer, recognise these tricks and don't let them affect you making the right decision. Don't hate marketers. It is their job to help sellers connect to their target audience. As a buyer it is your responsibility to understand the product and whether it fits you. 

When you are a seller, this is a trick you can use. No matter how well you market, you must still have a good product if you want to stay in business. Do right by your customers. 

Learning mindset

 

When you have a learning mindset, you will find yourself learning from many things, not only when you sit down to attend a class or training. Even when sitting through a marketing lecture where you already know 90% of the content, you can still be learning from observing how the lecturer teaches. Maybe this is a very engaging and inspiring lecturer and you can learn public speaking skills from her. Even when undergoing a bad situation it is a learning opportunity - learning what to avoid in future, learning how to improve. 

This and other tips in my book Every Employee an Entrepreneur: 

• Shopee Malaysia
• Lazada Malaysia
• Google Playstore e-book
• Amazon
• Amazon Kindle e-book

The problem with learning from other people's success

If we only look at the successes, we overlook the 90% failures. The failures may be doing the same things as the successful people. Sometimes because of our urge to find a conclusion, we oversimplify why people succeed. 

Learn from both the successes and the failures. 

Don't make decisions based on group identity

Have you seen people make decisions like this? "I trusted him with this business deal because he also went to La Salle in Sabah" "I recruited her because she goes to the same church as my cousin" "I started a business with him because he's also a very good golfer like me."

Belonging to the same group sometimes distorts our judgement. Belonging to a common group helps in building rapport, but there is much more we need to do to understand a person. 

How to win an argument

Give the idea time to sink in. 

Picture this. Your boss wants to promote John, and asks your opinion. You've worked with John closely, and you don't think he's ready. You explain why, and your boss is surprised. However you know he's not seeking your approval or agreement. He's only seeking validation for his idea. He insists to you that John has been doing great. 

Now if you continue to debate with your boss, the discussion may not go anywhere. Just state your reasons clearly, and you will have planted a seed in his mind. People don't like to be told they are wrong, especially not repeatedly. Make your point clear, and let the idea sink in by itself. Pushing your idea hard sometimes only make others defensive and unwilling to consider it out of pride. 

Seminar panellist: What Industry Should I Be Preparing My Child For

 

I have been invited by Aspiration International School to be a panellist for their online seminar for parents - What Industry Should I Be Preparing My Child For? Come listen if this is of interest to you. It is open to public. 

Band of Brothers

 

Band of Brothers (2001 TV series) has some of the best leadership and management lessons.

A good leader: 

- has clarity of objective 

- leads by example

- genuinely cares about and does right by his/her people

- has empathy and respect for his/her opponents