Struggling to build your startup team? Let’s help you out!

Companies that have a strong hold in the market, say FMCG or Automotive , tend to produce products which are a bit more advanced than their previous launch. Their major motive is to not lose confidence of the already existing user base.

On the other hand, a startup is a beginning from scratch. Employees do not have some predecessor’s shoes to gain insight from and neither a prominent history of successful commodities that they can use as a benchmark for their next project.

Hence, what becomes essential in such a scenario is how even the most insignificant job in a startup requires an out of the box thinking. Thereby, it becomes essential for an entrepreneur to have a team that can believe in his ideas.

What differentiates a merely profitable startup from one that goes on to become a biggie is the entrepreneur’s knowledge of choosing the right people who can help him achieve what he aims for. And the fact that ‘a company is known by those who run it’ isn’t just veracious for a startup, but every organisation, small or big. Hence, here are 5 things which when imbibed in the hiring process help recruit the most ideal workforce for a startup.

• Is experience just about previous jobs?

In most cases, entrepreneurs only focus on an applicant’s past experience as a measure of his/her working abilities. Rather than going through the grinds of comprehensively judging the talents, they tend to depend only on the applicant’s prior work experience.

This isn’t an erroneous criteria but keeping it as the only one leads to missing out on fresh faces, energized to prove their mettle. Giving importance to traits like experience gained through competitions in college and skills developed in the process, helps find the best fit for a task. Every big shot in the market does start somewhere, and if you can be the one giving a break to such an individual, it also helps you hone your characteristics as a leader.

Even an entrepreneur is a nobody when he starts his journey in the market!

• Being quiet does not mean being under confident.

  

Shyness to express one’s thoughts is assumed to be a characteristic which goes against the chances of an applicant getting hired. Due to this reason, introverts miss out on job offers even if they’re best suited for them.

Therefore, it becomes all the more important to have an interviewing process which helps understand the best of even the most hesitant individual. More often than not, the more an individual expresses becomes a way for entrepreneurs to judge his/her confidence level. 

Hence, a techie who has the potential to come up with the most efficient piece of code for the startup should not be an opportunity missed merely because he wasn’t vibrant enough to discuss his accomplishments as a developer.

• Compatibility: Is it love or arranged?

  

Startups usually comprise of small teams, and consequently, every department does not have a huge set of members. Hence, it is up to the people working in different departments to keep up with each other’s progress and adapt accordingly.

So, even if a graphic designer isn’t a prodigy at his/her work, but can happily accept constructive criticism from other departments without intervention of an HR professional, he’ll any day be a better choice.

The ability to work in unison with others is what makes an employee the most suitable choice for a startup.

• Soft skills aren’t just an added perk, they define the employee:

If an entrepreneur commits mistakes, he may not have the backing of investors, or profits generated from previous products to fall back upon unlike established companies. The emotional strength to withstand failures and henceforth, take individual initiative is what you need to look for.

Having a selection procedure which also makes the candidate go through questions that help derive traits pertaining to their emotional quotient helps understand how an applicant would react to diverse situations that a startup experiences.

Try making up a questionnaire that suits the needs of your startup and hire the best fit.

P.S. EQ(emotional quotient) is as important as IQ(intelligent quotient).

• Leaders: These are what startups are made of.

Startups do not comprise of hierarchies. Also, it is not feasible for the entrepreneur to take every decision, small or big, all by himself.

Unlike established companies, which have a higher level to keep a check on the progress of their subordinates, startups require employees who have the ability to take independent decisions. The people working in a startup aren’t just part of a workforce which is expected to do their job and wait for some higher authority to approve it.

Understanding what the entrepreneur is out there to achieve and taking responsibility of every aspect the company goes through, be it losing out on a lucrative deal, or failing at properly executing a marketing idea, is a factor that differentiates a desk job worker from a trailblazer. Choose wisely because you’re building the face of what you wish your startup to be!

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK! THE RIGHT PEOPLE ARE JUST ROUND THE CORNER!

How to Enhance Customer Experience?

A company has numerous departments ranging from the HR to the development team, working diligently to achieve a common goal:

“Bring forth something that attracts the audiences and after gaining their confidence, ensures customer satisfaction.”

We’ve all experienced the scenes of those relatives trying their best to cease the crying of a baby and bring a smile on his face. They try out all alternatives from creating distinctive sounds to making funny faces. Likewise, the CEO of some company might proudly say that all sections of his organization work meticulously. But at the end of the day, if the customer that is being catered to isn’t happy with what he’s being presented with, then the prime aim of the company is not met.

How much time does it take in writing a two-line email? A few seconds or minutes!

Telling your customer “We care”, an assurance to the customer that he/she belongs to an extended family; And the fact that the service providers aren’t just some business firm out there to barter goods in return of money. So, how do I go about making my consumer realize that yes, I do care. Let’s find out!

• Make the customer say ‘cheese’:

Before incorporating new measures to please your customers, it is imperative to make sure that the already existing services don’t lose their quality.

So if we, at Samayla are providing our customers with an efficient work management software, it becomes essential for us to have a hardworking team to ensure that every aspect of the tool works fine without hampering our esteemed user’s daily usage.

• Promoting customer participation:

Having a portal for all users to give feedback, which could vary from them pointing out a flaw in some existing feature, to suggestions of features which they’d like the company to add onto their product, is always beneficial. It may even be a simple appreciation note regarding some component, which in a way is a means for a software company to recognize it’s strong points.

• Nostalgia connects one and all:

Ever just stared at those childhood pictures and remembered them carefree days? It undoubtedly is like a walk in the park with heartfelt memories. How about wishing your customer an anniversary of coming into your family, every year? Or, maybe reminding them of how valuable they are to you by giving them some goodies or added benefits as a small token of appreciation. In short, it’s all about giving beautiful souvenirs as part of the everlasting bond you two share.

• Engaging customers through offers and activities:

How about offering something exciting to hyper active users? To increase participation, and even the user base, interesting activities like contests on social media could be organized. In return of winning those contests, some rewards could be given out. Creating the contests in such a way that they’re informative about the product helps kill two birds with one stone.

• Introducing new elements in the ever-changing world:

As they say, “Change is the only constant.” Customers are always on the lookout for new stuff. So, providing them with a service and then stagnating is bound to make them lose interest after a period of time. As an organization, you must always be on your toes to keep your customer satisfied. Hence, for a software company, it becomes imperative to keep adding new features.

To conclude, as I share these techniques to go out of the way to enhance customer experience, I’m not taking away the fact that companies should be selfish about growing in the market and generating finances.

But sometimes, you have to become a bit selfless to fulfill your selfish needs. Don’t you?

 

Digital Marketing: The Modern Way of Selling!

In the current scenario, internet has become indispensable to the functioning of every aspect of our lives. And however harsh the reality may sound, we’ve made ourselves so badly dependent on it, that it has taken the form of an addiction.

The most familiar example to highlight this state of the internet user can be visualized through the popularity Facebook harbors. Meant to be a website helpful in connecting friends and family, it has now taken a form where we’ve tailormade ourselves to stay online just because we simply cannot delay reading a text, replying to another and what not. This is where corporates tend to jump in to make the most of the internet, especially social media websites, to gain customers.

In uncomplicated terms, “digital marketing is the marketing of product or services using the digital technology, mainly internet.”

It takes various forms like display advertising, search engine optimization & marketing, email direct marketing etc.

Display advertising involves publishing an ad on forums like search engines and on side bars of frequently visited sites. Now as an individual out there to win over maximum customers by shelling out the least amount, I’ll tend to analyze how I can use display advertising to the best effect. Payments for display advertising are made based on one out of many factors. I can either pay per user who is viewing my ad, per user who is clicking on my advertisement or say, per user who is extensively using the website which I’m promoting.

Along with this, payments made also vary from day-to-day. This is where I as a member of the marketing team need to carefully inspect the pattern of behavior shown by potential users during a week. So, if Sunday is when I am getting the most number of click throughs, then maximum percent of my budget assigned for display advertising ought to be reserved for that day. For those new to the term click throughs, it is the following of the link of a website, in most cases, related to an enterprise. Click through rate, or the ratio of the number of users clicking, to the number of users viewing an advertisement, is an efficient method to measure how effective the marketing technique has turned out to be, in terms of bringing in people to the website.

The concept of click through rates also holds prominence for email marketing. How catchy or engrossing an email ad is, is determined by how many of the ones who read the email were convinced to click on the website’s link.

Content creation, which may or may not be directly related to the theme of the company’s product, that catches the eyeball of users helps increase click throughs to their website. Writing informal blogs on sites like WordPress helps organisations inspire people and along with it, fulfill the aim of getting noticed on social media. And with the rising frequency of visitors, the website being promoted is bound to rise-up the ranks of search engines by the technique of SEO.With the coming of smartphones, people are switching to hand-help devices even for tasks like communicating through emails and preparing presentations, which earlier on required a laptop or PC. This change has been utilized by firms which send SMS messages to people to give their marketing a sense of personal aura.

To conclude, the thought that needs clarity in the minds of those in the corporate sector is that methods of digital marketing are in abundance. But, that instead give rise to the fact that it requires even more diligence from their side to realise which technique is best suited for their product.

Modernize your way of marketing: Become Digital!

Wearing Formals in Corporates, Necessity or a Mere Tradition?

In the current world abuzz with people in their 20s who are utilizing their creative ideas to give birth to a company, or as commonly called ‘startups’, a sense of youthfulness has attached itself with the corporate world. Compared to the scenario a few years back, college pass outs aren’t equally willing to go through the grill of competing for placements in a company, and thereafter competing for a better position in the company’s hierarchy.

This veering in culture has consequently led to a shift in how the current corporate organizations are functioning with regards to their office culture and ethics.

There was a time when almost all firms had a proper code of conduct which expected its employees to wear shirts, trousers, and well-polished shoes, in most cases black. This attire used to be a symbol of their sincerity towards their work. And, employees not adhering to this neat-looking set of clothing were judged as being casual towards their job.

But, the current outburst of young entrepreneurs in recent times has led to an environment which does not look down upon outfits similar to the ones any other college goers would have preferred. In fact, such an environment has led to the thriving of the idea which promotes comfort over any other aspect of dressing up for work.  

According to the mindset of people, such informal attires symbolize zeal and enthusiasm to do something out of the box. The most familiar example that strikes us is that of Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. He’s never believed in formals having any significance when it comes to diligence towards work. Taking into consideration the fact that he’s a top honcho on the internet, people are bound to get inspired by his line of thought.

Employees spending less time on maintenance of outfit and rather spending more time worrying about the various tasks assigned in workplace, and obviously the freedom to express that attaches itself with a comfortable and less-disciplined outfit are what make having a less rigorous policy on clothing advantageous.

On the other hand, a casually dressing up culture has its own disadvantages as well. As the great saying goes, “The first impression of an individual is his/her last impression.” The first way in which clients perceive the seriousness of company employees is through their attire. A relaxed dressing up policy could well carry forth the message of employees being less aspiring towards achieving their targets, along with being less disciplined with regards to the same. In addition to it, there can in fact be a case when not having a formal culture in terms of attire actually ends up imbibing a sense of casualty in the approach of the staff towards their assigned jobs.

To conclude, not having a formal code of conduct at workplace is something which comes with its own set of pros and cons. Therefore, it cannot be generalized as to which culture out of the two is better for the functioning of an organization. Because of such a scenario, it becomes the responsibility of companies to not defy either of the two and realize how a mix of the two could be utilized so that the company is able to meet its potential.

 

No More Bugs: Fantasy to Reality!

According to Google, a software bug is “an error, flaw, failure or fault in a computer program or system that causes it to produce an incorrect or unexpected result, or to behave in unintended ways.”

Before jumping onto a task, we have this propensity of having a vision of what we wish to accomplish. It could be as simple as reaching office on time or, say, finishing the jobs assigned to us in the stipulated time. Similarly, when developers start typing out a piece of software code, they have in mind a specific set of features and their various aspects of functioning.

For example, Whatsapp’s latest version allows users to update a story which is visible for 24 hours to people in their contact list. Now, the workforce behind developing this feature could have various questions in mind,

“Should the Whatsapp status still be visible to people deleted from contact list after posting it?”

“Whether viewers of that status could specifically reply to it?” and many more.

If the final product can satisfy these aspects and many more which the developers aimed at adding to it, we say the app has produced the desired outcome.

But, just like perfection is a myth, erroneous outputs are a part and parcel of any piece of code. To reduce such errors, or in technical terms, ‘bugs’, companies hire testers who go through every minutest of the options, like any other user does, but with the endeavor to find all the faults and undesired results showing up.  These are then removed by the coding team to yield the less-flawed version of the same software.

Adding more exciting and work-simplifying features to an app is necessary for companies to attract new users and to also keep the allure of the app for the existing users intact. Hence, using the terminology ‘less flawed’ divulges the fact that a completely bug free code cannot be attained since errors are bound to crop up as developers go about adding more aspects to their already existing app or software.

As the traditional saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”. Therefore, being entirely dependent on a skillful set of testers isn’t an attribute attached to companies that stand strong as producers of error-free apps. Here is a list of ways to tackle the nuisance these bugs are:

1. Involve the tester team from the day the first line of code is written.

2. Keep an organized log of bugs and how they were tackled in the building up stage.

3. Provide general users with a portal to share any errors they face, which’ll help reach closer to perfection.

To summarize, it’s a well-accepted certitude that ideality can only be tended to, and not precisely achieved. Applying this fact to a technical software, on one hand, we need to accept our limitations, but on the other hand, comprehend the idea that reducing the bugs is something that is as essential as the endeavor of coming up with a product that helps provide solutions to people in their daily lives.

Let’s BUILD A BUG DEFEATING SOFTWARE WORLD!

 

Need a killing marketing strategy? Here are five!

In the current marketing setup, it comes as no surprise that every product is found to have many competitors which aim at solving the same issue. The most basic example of which is the android phone owned by almost every individual in each household. And hence, however unique and innovative one’s idea may sound, its success in the market cannot be guaranteed only by quality.Then what else do I need, to make my product stand out as a bestseller in today’s competitive market?

There is no denying the fact that the outreach of a commodity has become a significant factor for it to sell. Considering the ample options available out there to the buyers, it isn’t feasible for them to try out each of those and then choose what best fits their needs. And here comes in the role of a marketing strategy that garners the attention of the users and convinces them of making their lives better.

But, isn’t it as simple as those shrieks of a vegetable seller walking through the streets?

The synchronous ‘No’ following this question isn’t merely because of the fact that I took a very traditional example to sell a commodity. It’s majorly because we people aren’t ready to leave the comforts of our laptops and even look outside the window.

And with the guilt of becoming secluded from the world outside still surrounding our head, it’s time we straightaway jump to strategies that in the current corporate environment can in fact play a valuable role in the success of a product:

• Aiming for that social media website tab that is always open

I wonder how many of you would laugh if I say that today, even a dog has an active Facebook account? With the arrival of cheap mobile phones and lucrative offers like Jio plans, even the rural households are no longer alienated from the developments around the globe.

Therefore, an efficient online marketing team capable of persuading users can influence the growth of a company to a whole lot extent. Facebook pages with creative posts, and tweets that trend on the internet can help cash in on users based on popularity among the masses. And obviously, it has become one of the cheapest platforms to make buyers aware of any new developments.

• It’s time you’re not just an audience in sought after events like summits and conferences. But how?

The administration of colleges comes up with festivals and events to bring a sense of relief in the otherwise rigorous schedule of college students. So, what’s there in such fests in terms of profits for anyone other than the treasure chest of the college? Companies readily join the bandwagon as sponsors by shelling out money which the hosting college or institution uses to arrange the fest. And hence, the companies are given the leverage to set up posters and monitor screens to advertise their idea and mobilize the youth.
On the other hand, events, conferences & summits bring a platform to attract eyeballs via marketing stalls and they’ve also become advantageous in terms of generating contacts with many other companies and hence creating the possibility of a potential collaboration. 

• Targeting people who share a common taste, culture or belief.

However unfortunate it may sound, but the most prominent factor that plays a key role in domains like politics or for that matter even education, is the idea of targeting communities of a specific background. It could be as basic as the existing quota in colleges for aspirants of various castes.

Like these constructs, corporates can sell their idea by focusing on such delicacies. Attaching the name of a local celebrity, say Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was born and brought up in Jharkhand, while advertising in the same state is an example.Another example can be derived from the street smart promotion of ‘Deadpool 2’.

Unlike usual superhero films which spend a majority of their budget on gigantic posters and hoardings during promotions, the producers of DP2 took to unique ideas like short and clever teasers, especially the one involving David Beckham. The teaser found an instant connection with the footballer’s fans and achieved its goal without the usually high expenditures involved in publicizing the larger than life hero.

In short, it’s about using the traditional British idea of ‘divide and rule’ in a way which benefits both the commodity seller and the targeted group.

• ‘Undercover Marketing’; sounds too adventurous right. But what is it actually?

“The excellence of a publicity team is not determined by how completely it can convey the features of the final product to its potential users.”

Don’t I sound silly when I quote such a non-coherent statement after preaching at great length about the importance of proper advertising through forums like social media and conferences. Well, read on before you conclude:

Who isn’t curious about watching a film’s trailer the day it releases? Even though it’s a 2-3-minute video that doesn’t completely reveal the plot, it still ends up leaving the viewer wanting to know how the movie will ultimately unfold, and hence drives them to the theaters. Similar is the case of a product or an idea!

Entirely giving out the features leaves nothing for a buyer as a surprise element for him/her to explore while making use of it. Along with that, shelling out details of features but not to  full extent makes the potential user eager to purchase the commodity and know more about it.

• Trial/Sample version of some antivirus software; Ever thought beyond those annoying reminders of ‘Upgrade to full version’.

Taking the example of a cellular sim; Within minutes television channels have advertisements which introduce us to plans offered by various telecom companies, with the ever-boring setup of a hot blonde watching an IPL match in a difficult terrain like mountains. And hence, over the years, TV viewers have lost interest in paying attention to these, and it is common for them to switch the channel when an ad comes up.At this point, when publicity is losing its charm among the audiences which have a lesser span of attention, comes the role of giving out samples and hence gaining their confidence.
Giving out commodities with some of the most basic features to give buyers a hands-on experience of their product has become the way out for companies to keep those buyers wanting for more.

At the end of the day, it is all about making the user comfortable with what you’re presenting them. Change is inevitable, but for people too reluctant to change, ‘Sample Marketing’ is undoubtedly the way ahead.
BECAUSE AFTER ALL, MARKETING IS MORE THAN JUST ABOUT THOSE SHRIEKS OF THAT VEGETABLE SELLER!!!!!!!

 

A Successful Entrepreneur: The traits they all have!

As of today, the present scenario witnesses people not wanting to work for a boss. Everybody wants to own their work and achieve from it, especially the newly graduated youngsters.

Well, they also know it’s not a piece of cake. It requires that one very important factor. Not everybody can build an empire.

The X factor says that, to be a successful entrepreneur, you don’t need permission for doing anything, taking a step towards one more risk or putting one more brick on your establishment.

Intel’s Andy Grove says, “There is always more to be done, more that should be done, always more than can be done.” 

There is always more to learn too. So, let’s figure out the most exciting traits most successful entrepreneurs possess.

• Imagine the best. Don’t forget to prepare for the worst:We all daydream. We love it. It gives us a sense of virtual achievement. Hey! don’t do it now! Come back to the trait reading!

All entrepreneurs, No, wait! All successful entrepreneurs imagine all the positive outcomes of their decisions but also prepare for the worst case scenarios.

On one hand, you can feel good imagining cracking a big deal in your future ventures but you also need to keep a backup for that one employee that may ditch you in the long run.

Always, always prepare for all the things that might go wrong. You will be relaxed and will tackle certain situations even before they arrive.

• Being organized, decisive and proactive:

Dividing your day into minutes might help. You will never slack off if you count a day in 1440 minutes. Give a couple of minutes to each task and keep going until enough work is done for the day. At least until your will power needs some battery.

Throw away your to-do lists! ‘It turns out that only 41 percent of the items on to-do lists ever get done.’

Instead put up all your tasks on your calendar or maybe use a work management software. They are available online and are very handy to use. They will keep all your work organized and will take away the feeling of missing out on small things.

Most of the people who run businesses have a common characteristic: decisiveness.

It’s okay if you need mentors sometimes, but you don’t need anybody’s permission. Once you start operating on your own terms, you will find yourself on the ladder to where successful entrepreneurs are found.

• `One size does not fit ALL:

We all have different ideas, different intuitions, different thinking processes
and basically, a different approach. If your peer entrepreneurs follow a certain norm or rule, that does not mean it will work for you.

If it works, very well. If it does not, you’ve got to stop copying. SpaceX Founder Elon Musk says,

 “Being an entrepreneur is like eating glass and staring into the abyss of death.”

Metaphorically, eat glass if you need to, but not only because someone else is also doing it. People who do things differently most of the times end up building good stuff.

• Great minds think alike:

You think of a great idea. Someone else implements it. You develop a great product. Someone brings out a much better version! There will always be people thinking of the same thing as you do and perhaps, even thinking better than you. Well, that is why we call it a competitive market. Another famous saying by Elon Musk goes as:

“Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”Even if you keep failing, at least your mind knows what you don’t need to implement again. Going on the initial road that you built without any flyovers or perhaps, even without underpasses, will lead you to no change.

• Desire for alone time:As a person who has built an empire or is in the process of building it, you are always surrounded by fellow humans.

You need them & their support. But sometimes, you also need yourself. Just you and your thoughts alone in a separate space.

This is not time wastage but an energy building mechanism. Even for

15 minutes a day, if you shut your stupid smartphone and stay quiet and alone, your batteries will be recharged faster making you feel ready for the next challenge.

Because believe me, there are many. There will always be many. Better you face them with full charge!!

Entrepreneurship: Successful or Unsuccessful? You choose!

 

The Power of Focusing on one thing at once!

I understand the multi-tasker in you won’t agree so easily. You have built your mental state to focus on ten things at a time which is not bad at all. In fact, it probably always works in your favour. However, in this handling of more than one thing at a time, your focus gets divided and well, sorry to brief you but we are granted with only one brain! 

“One fascinating study conducted by Timothy Wilson at the University of Virginia found that while our brain receives 11 million “bits” of information each second, it can only process 40 of them.” Hence, when you divide your focus into ten small pieces and further into a little more, you exhaust your mental strength. Often to a level, where you are on the verge of breaking down. 

So, before you break down, take a break & bring on some changes.

• Useful first, abstract later:

How many times have you checked Facebook since morning? Ten? Perhaps a 100?

“Studies have shown that for most people, spending 5 minutes on Facebook or other distracting stuff would lead to 15 minutes of downtime, as your brain struggles to get back to what it was previously thinking about.”

Yes, we know you can drive your car and check emails and other stuff at the same time. But by doing this, you divide your attention between the road and your smartphone which, God forbid, may have totally drastic results.

This is why you need to organize. Do the most important stuff first. Not while driving! But after you reach your work spot. Wait till then.

Build a task structure or a list (use online collaboration tools for better organization) keeping the things with priority one on top and checking social media for when you are exhausted from the former. This will keep unnecessary anxiety at bay and will keep your focus refreshed.

• Remove WIP:

  WIP refers to ‘Work in Progress’. The work that pops up as soon as you reach your office or some work that your subordinate wants your attention on. Your brain thinks, ‘Let me finish this off and then I will focus on what I was actually going to do’.

As soon as you finish off this, some other person comes on, hungry for your focus. Let me tell you, there will always be work in progress. Always!

It is in your hand what to say no to. Prioritize your time. If you want to start off with your work first, then that is how it should happen. Your subordinate can wait for a while. Maintain this discipline and convert the work in progress to work concluded.

• Bring the focus back:

“In 2010, Harvard psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert discovered that 47% of our waking hours are spent thinking about something totally unrelated to what’s currently right in front of us.”

This is obviously because a plethora of tasks keep creeping in every hour. Imagine a screen, if you will, in front of you, split into half. On the left side, a movie is going on and on the other side, some emails are popping up.

Will you remember the climax of the movie while answering to one of the emails?

No! You will pause and replay.Our brain wants to stick to one task and dig deeper. That is how it works effectively and produces great results. When our focus diverts between at the least, even two things, we feel that we are being productive, but actually, we are not.

Doing only one thing at a time is one of the best ways to accomplish more in less time. Bring your focus back to that one thing.

Even Steve Jobs, in his autobiography says,

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all.  It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are.”                                                   

Hence, focus on one and stop living in the grey zone.                                                             

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Attending Conferences- What’s in it for you?

Yes, I agree! Going to a conference/Summit can be an extra headache along with your daily work commitments. Often times, you look at the event description and think to yourself,

“Do I really need to go to this?”

“Is it worth for this sum of money?”

“What’s in it for me?”

Apart from the great location & food, conferences can give you that marketing edge that you look for to upgrade your business.

How can you extract maximum benefit, you ask? Read on!

• Speed of your marketing message:

Can you pitch your marketing message to somebody in 60 secs or better yet 30?

These conferences give you a chance to practice the art of fast pitching. Along with the formal discussions, there are frequent breaks where you can meet fellow delegates and convey your business message to them. But you’ve got to be careful. Time is less.

Keep it crisp and short. However, interesting at the same time. This is where your creative skills pay you.

• Learning positively or negatively:

Let’s say you go to a conference and come back inspired after hearing some famous person’s speech. Or you come back red-faced after seeing your competitor’s growth.

Here’s the catch! Either way, envious or inspired, you will definitely get rolling on to your work. You will put in more hours to come ahead of your competitor. Your dedication and work ethic will reach a new high!

Re-learning of old techniques will also occur at these conferences. Your mind may be blown seeing how differently you could have done some things. Once you learn these aspects, you can come back & implement the same. You can pitch the same ideas to your colleagues too.

Apart from this, conferences provide clutter-free and honest information unlike the internet. Information on the internet is haywire & massive. For conferences, you can selectively choose the discussions you would like to be a part of and gain valuable information. 

If you are the expert in the conference, there is no harm in sharing your life long knowledge.  Let it out!

You have gone there to inspire, which might bring loads of respect & result in attracting the younger and energetic generation towards your company. Maybe you also get to learn something from the fresh perspective of these newbies.

Providing you with a new insight for your business, conferences can lead you to your next venture.

• Talent Acquisition:

Conferences are a great place to meet fresh talent. Who knows, you maybe sitting next to your upcoming employee or customer.

It’s the easiest way to know a person. And you both already have one topic in common-         ‘the conference’.

Hence, removing the initial awkwardness, you can talk about the conference discussions first, leading onto the actual gainful talk.

Adding to that, there is no need to make small talk. If you like it, it is okay. But if you are an introvert, you better cut to the chase.

• Creating a larger network:

This is the most common but efficient benefit you can gain. Building your company’s network with more experienced and bigger firm leaders will give you the growing edge.

Don’t just exchange cards, talk! Even if it is for a minute. Here, your marketing message speed comes into play. Have a brief conversation and know when to stop. Don’t stick to one person for too long.

To gain these benefits, you must also prevent a few things. 

• Do not act like a Know-it-all. It not only decreases your chances of gaining information, but also makes you come out as arrogant and rude.
• Don’t talk constantly and to the same person even if you admire them or look up to them. Keep moving!
• Reduce small talk as it only wastes time.
• Keep a tab on your drinking. The conference may become a disaster for you if you don’t limit yourself.
• Put your damn phone away and on silent. You may not realise it, but it is very disturbing especially when a discussion is going on.

So, the next time you think of skipping a conference,

THINK AGAIN!