But what exactly does this growth mean? And, more importantly, how can you leverage it to get more business?

LinkedIn can serve as a powerful network building tool for you if you are strategic about how you use it. With an optimized LinkedIn business profile, you can make yourself visible to ideal prospects and their relevant circles. Keep in mind, LinkedIn is all about marketing: marketing your company and marketing yourself.

So where do you begin? We recommend starting with your LinkedIn business profile (especially if you haven’t touched it in months or years!). This is a key area that your prospects and clients are looking to learn more about you. Plus, it’s highly ranked with search engines and your LinkedIn profile will most likely be one of the top results in a search for your name!

CPR for your LinkedIn Profile

The first step in leveraging LinkedIn is to breathe some life into your business profile. (Don’t have a LinkedIn profile? Get one – it’s free!) Here are 6 easy steps to improve your LinkedIn profile:

Step 1: Choose the right photo.

Your picture is the first thing people see on your LinkedIn profile, so make sure to choose a strong photo and that actually looks like you. Keep it professional (you’d do better to list your burning love for Star Wars in the “Interests” section instead of posing with your light sabre) but don’t be afraid to choose a casual photo if it speaks to your personality.

Step 2: Write a compelling summary.

Who are you? Where did you come from? Where are you headed? How are you getting there? Take the time to describe yourself in an informative, entertaining way. It will grab the reader’s attention and create a memorable first impression of your profile. The summary also affects how LinkedIn ranks you in search results – so include those relevant keywords and phrases!

Step 3: Fill in those blanks.

Think of your LinkedIn profile like a digital resume – the end goal is for your profile to compel the reader and lend to your credibility as a professional. Your educational background and work portfolio are the most valuable ways to share your qualifications with the LinkedIn community. You don’t need to write a memoir, but do share descriptions of past jobs and degrees, detailing your significant accomplishments and awards. Wherever possible, link your prior experience to the company pages of your employers – it’s a fast way to boost your connectivity and searchability while making your profile more visually engaging!

Step 4: Don’t just say it, display it.

Recent changes to LinkedIn empower you to illustrate your professional story with visual content, upping your profile’s punch. Research shows that social media consumers are more likely to engage with visual content, so consider including images, videos, and presentations in your profile to bring the WOW factor and make a lasting impression on readers.

Step 5: Link it up!

Drive traffic to your website or blog by adding URLs to your LinkedIn contact info. If you have a Twitter account, you can take advantage of LinkedIn’s Twitter integration to share content between the two networks. Just be sure that your tweets are worthy of inclusion on your professional profile.

Step 6: Keep it alive!

LinkedIn keeps tabs on how active your account is. Ensuring that your profile stays fresh and up-to-date makes you more visible and more relevant in the LinkedIn community.

Taking time to breathe life into your profile will attract connections and prospects, and following these steps will help you leverage your profile to create a compelling and memorable presence on LinkedIn. Any key concepts that we missed? Let us know in the comments section below!

So you land the winner. Now what? Now you need a process through which you can nurture and develop that all-star. What ideas should you consider as you craft the overall plan?

Don’t shut your people in a box.

You absolutely must train new hires consistently, well and in a way that sets them up for success. But once they’ve got the hang of the core deliverables, you mustn’t shove new talent into a little box and allow them to only excel at the short list of things for which you’ve hired them.  Great, successful companies allow their people to raise their hands, run with new ideas and use their non-mandatory talents to the massive benefit of the organization.

Assume employees are going to do right, and give them a chance to do so.

Ever work in an organization whose leaders assumed that the employees were bound to screw up, and they managed accordingly? It can be disastrous, souring the culture and impeding productivity and growth.  Great leaders not only assume their people will do right; they give them a chance to do so. You must cultivate an environment, from the top down, that gives everyone the chance to do it right, and ample opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them.

Give everyone a M-A-P.

In Guy Kawasaki’s book Enchantment, he outlines how important it is to not only enchant customers, but employees as well. The most powerful way to do so, he says, is to provide a M-A-P. The “M” stands for mastery — give your people a means to master skills. “A” is autonomy. This one’s obvious, and something we just referenced above. Great talent thrives on autonomy, and people perform best when given the space to excel. And, last, “P,” or purpose. While money and perks are what most assume best motivate employees, studies have proven that mastery, autonomy and a sense of purpose are the best way to motivate (and enchant) employees.

While finding, attracting, and retaining exceptional people can feel formidable to even the most astute business owners, developing and then following thoughtful, consistent talent management processes can dramatically increase the odds that your team abounds with brilliant, high-performing A-players.

Even the largest, most sophisticated corporations – the ones flush with resources to invest in their recruitment and talent management engines – report that attracting, developing and retaining top talent is among the most formidable challenges to achieving organizational growth.

So what about businesses that are just emerging? Or the company that’s ready to take things to the next level, yet uncertain of how to bring in the right human capital, at the right price?

Hiring and nurturing A-players the right way isn’t a matter of luck, chance and a killer website; it requires a recruiting and hiring process that consistently attracts great people whose skills, personalities and values align with the company’s core values.

Note how we didn’t say “…it requires recruiting technology that consistently attracts great people…” Sure, slick applicant tracking systems and talent management software can make the effort easier. But it’s the process, leadership’s commitment to that process, and the consistent application of that process that will stack the cards in your favor, over and over again.

What are the vital elements to an impactful recruiting and hiring process? While they will vary depending on the goals, structure and personality of the organization, here’s a quick primer on things to consider as you build the overall plan:

Part I: Perfecting the Hiring Process

Be clear on your core values, and communicate everywhere.

You’re not likely to find the people who exemplify your values if the only place you share them is on the cafeteria wall.  List them out in every place you anticipate a candidate’s eyeballs to cross: website, job descriptions, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. At Kinesis, we strive to hire only great-fit talent, and we list our values on both our website, and in every job description we post.

Hire people who are head over heels for your product, service and/or mission.

Certainly, you need to build a process that points you toward highly qualified performers. But if you find a “dead-on fit” who lacks fire in the belly for who you are or what you do?  You immediately reduce the odds that you’ve found a long-term winner. Instead, consider sleuthing out the power users and super fans of your company, your brand, your vision. Even if their skill set isn’t precisely what you’ve put to paper on the job description, their passion and advocacy will go a long way, and ignite enthusiasm in everyone around them.

Don’t rush your process.

Plenty of recruiters subscribe to the “time kills all deals” school of hiring. And, yes, you do have to realize that dragging your feet forever could make you miss out on someone great. But there is much to be said about being thoughtful and thorough as you seek a great fit A-player. If you were only looking for skills, rushing through your hiring process might work OK. But the best hires aren’t those who simply can to do the work; they’re those who are likable and, more importantly, align well with the culture and values of the organization. Make sure your process provides opportunity to observe a candidate’s character, and digest both the hard and soft skills of the potential hire.

Find the marathoners; be careful of the sprinters.

A common problem among small business owners is the tendency to assume they need the flashy sprinters. You can’t blame them. They want to grow, win, take the business as far as they can, as fast as they can. And it can be plenty enticing to grab up the first shiny, fast-talking race horse that offers big promise for fast gain. But true growth requires stamina, pacing and the grit to weather unexpected circumstances that are inherent to any emerging organization. Certainly, look for the fastest marathoner, but use care when feeling lured by the dazzle of the sprinter.

If you’re using external recruiters, make sure it’s a clear, valuable partnership (or don’t use them).

Recruiters can be a vital asset to a business’ recruiting and hiring process, but the relationship must be set up thoughtfully, and viewed as a partnership between the company and the agency. Clear goals and processes need to be established up front, and every stakeholder must both buy in and participate. On the fees front, realize that if you try to squeeze an agency for the lowest possible fee structure, you will likely earn yourself a spot among the lowest priority clients. Something to keep in mind.

So you land the winner. Now what? Next week we will focus on how you can nurture and develop that all-star.

Many companies struggle to make a hire, let alone a REMARKABLE hire. If you keep these qualities in mind as you search, however, you could be well on your way to finding that perfect fit. Posted on Inc.com, Jeff Haden shares what he thinks are the ideal qualities a remarkable employee possesses. By hiring remarkable employees, you can continually build a remarkable company.

  They ignore job descriptions.

The smaller the company, the more important it is that employees can think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities, and do whatever it takes, regardless of role or position, to get things done.

  They’re eccentric…

The best employees can seem slightly odd, but in a really good way. Unusual personalities shake things up, make work more fun, and transform a plain-vanilla group into a team with flair and flavor.

  But they know when to dial it back.

Remarkable employees know when to play and when to be serious; when to be irreverent and when to conform; and when to challenge and when to back off. It’s a tough balance to strike, but a rare few can walk that fine line with ease.

  They publicly praise…

Praise from a boss feels good. Praise from a peer feels awesome, especially when you look up to that person.

  And they privately complain.

We all want employees to bring issues forward, but some problems are better handled in private. Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom.

  They speak when others won’t.

Some employees are hesitant to speak up in meetings. Some are even hesitant to speak up privately. Remarkable employees have an innate feel for the issues and concerns of those around them, and step up to ask questions or raise important issues when others hesitate.

  They like to prove others wrong.

Self-motivation often springs from a desire to show that doubters are wrong. Education, intelligence, talent, and skill are important, but drive is critical.

  They’re always fiddling.

Some people are rarely satisfied and are constantly tinkering with something: Reworking a timeline, adjusting a process, tweaking a workflow. Great employees follow processes. Remarkable employees find ways to make those processes even better, not only because they are expected to… but because they just can’t help it.

Even if you aren’t hiring at this time, take these qualities into consideration for yourself. Are you a remarkable employee? This is a good opportunity to look within and make YOU more remarkable.

To read the full article by Jeff Haden, see his post on Inc.com.

One of the largest hurdles for marketing to overcome in a business is how to best understand and target leads. Ultimately, the goal of marketing for your company should be to attract highly qualified leads that convert to customers.

E-Myth has shared five great tips on how to identify and target the optimal prospects for your business. We’ve enhanced their tips and added a couple of our own. Click here to read the full article at E-Myth.

7 Tips to Improve Your Lead Conversion

Tip #1: Know Your Ideal Customer

How well do you ‘know’ your ideal customer? Determine their income, where they live, occupation, lifestyle, buying habits and other data regarding their financial circumstances. It’s not just demographics, however; understand your customer’s psychographic data as well, such as their behaviors and preferences.

Tip #2: Your Sales System

Create a systematic approach to making (see our next tip) and tracking sales. Measure what you are achieving, and then focus on key enhancements that will impact this number. Make sure you are setting lead and conversion goals. Everyone involved in sales needs to know the system, its messaging, and what makes your business stand out from the competition (your key differentiator). And, of course, everyone in your organization sells and is a brand champion. Any staff member becomes part of your sales force when interacting with vendors, colleagues, or sales leads.

Tip #3: Sales Mapping and Milestones

Your sales system needs to have established milestones that mark the key events in the sales process. Develop a specific map that shows the step-by-step process that it takes to convert your inquiries into customers. This can include what it takes to build trust, understand your buyers’ goals, how to create certainty that your product/service meets their needs, and so on. Milestones will enable you to understand how far along your prospects are in the sales cycle, train other salespeople effectively, and enable you to more accurately forecast sales for strategic planning purposes.

Tip #4: Know Why They Buy

You need to understand why your customers buy your products and services. Essentially, your customers buy your products for the benefits they believe they will obtain. Sales messaging should trumpet the benefits of buying your products and services.

Tip #5: Know Why They Don’t Buy

You need to know why prospects don’t turn into customers. Knowing why someone doesn’t buy from you is important knowledge, too. If you know why prospects drop from your sales system, and at which point in the cycle, you have a big clue as to what do next.

Tip #6: Qualify Leads Up Front

Time wasted on unqualified leads is the biggest factor that can affect your company’s sales success. Not everyone is a prime prospect for your products or services. You spend all day talking to people, but you won’t make sales unless you concentrate on qualified prospects. These are people who are receptive, interested, ready to buy, and can afford what you are offering.

Tip #7: Use a Planned Agenda

A planned agenda for meetings is one of the most effective, yet underutilized, tools in selling. It makes your sales meetings more productive and rewarding, and it shows you’ve taken the time and effort to plan for the meeting. It also allows you to be in control of the meeting and stick to a pre-determined time allocation. Follow up with meeting notes – record and follow-through on agreed-upon actions on time. This will set you apart from competitors by enhancing your reputation and professionalism, increasing the chance that you’ll win the sale.

These simple tips aren’t a ‘quick-fix’ to solving your lead conversion challenges. However, by implementing these tips, it should help set the course for long-term success.

Of course the folks I worked for didn’t see it that way. This was an Ad Agency after all, and their job was to, well, sell ads. And, the model worked – “marketing” (as they knew it) was simple: pitch a clever concept, create an ad, and blast consumers with your message. Easy as pie.

The New Landscape of Marketing

What the ad agencies failed to grasp was that the marketing landscape was about to undergo a seismic change. The Internet would bring about a revolution in how businesses sold services and how customers interacted with brands. For the small business owner, it meant a way to access customers that was far less expensive than ever before. The promise of the Internet meant great ideas could succeed, even without massive advertising budgets.

Of course there was a tradeoff to this new egalitarian marketing landscape. While businesses could have unprecedented access to customers, the complexity of marketing was increasing exponentially. It was no longer sufficient to define your marketing “strategy” by which newspaper you advertised in. In the new paradigm, businesses would have to worry about social media, pay per click, partner marketing, Google Reviews…on and on and on. Layer upon layer of complexity meant that old systems simply no longer worked for owners. In short, marketing was broken.

Problems and Solutions

To help explain this challenge, we put together a short video that illustrates why marketing is such a challenge for small- to mid-sized businesses. At the end, we’ve included a link to a page which shows our solution to this problem. As a bonus, the page highlights 3 proven growth strategies that small- and mid-sized businesses can use to generate growth and significantly more profits. Enjoy!

As some of our readers know, Kinesis recently had the good fortune to be awarded as one of  Portland’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies. I’m extremely proud of our team, and humbled by the accomplishment.

Interestingly, while this milestone is about “success,” I’m interested in the failures and mistakes that we encounter on the road to victory. We celebrate “winners,” but I’m more intrigued in how businesses can use failure (or mistakes) to succeed.

Why we’re never too young to succeed

At an early age, Americans are told that mistakes are “OK.” Parents attempt to instill their children with the idea that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process; little Johnny is told that it’s alright to slip up.

Yet, as a society, we don’t support this forgiving ideology. As years pass, the tolerance for errors erodes; by the time Johnny enters the workforce, a mistake is viewed as a threat to his career. Indeed, most CEOs rise to power not through avoiding mistakes, but rather by building an ego so powerful that neither they nor those around them will acknowledge error in judgment.

I’d like to propose that perhaps this entire system is wrong. That maybe, just maybe, mistakes aren’t so bad after all, and that – when used correctly – these errors can be a competitive advantage.

Mistakes, big and small

First, let’s define the type of mistake I’m referring to.

We generally agree that a mistake is when something goes wrong, typically as the result of a human decision or lack of foresight. Sadly, we do a very poor job of delineating big mistakes (like spending $130 million on designing a bridge that’s too short) from smaller mistakes (missing the bus on my morning commute). The English language is simply too monochromatic when it comes to nuancing errors.

Is it really that important?

Some years back I developed a strategy for determining how important a problem was (and, how upset I should allow myself to become). The formula was simple. I’d ask myself: in a year, will this issue still be affecting my life? And, will this issue still upset me when I think back on it? If the answer was, “no,” then it’s probably a much smaller issue than it first appeared.

Humans tend to thrive on drama, and the drama of the moment often blows things out of proportion. So, when I analyze a mistake, I’ll send it through my, “will it matter in a year?” filter. If the answer is “no,” then it might be the kind of “small mistake” that can yield a benefit.

Three ways you can win from mistakes

In the world of business and marketing, mistakes are everywhere. There’s no rule-book for entrepreneurs, and the changing landscape means that what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. In fact, sophisticated entrepreneurs know that marketing is actually a series of small successes and mistakes, eventually leading to insights and opportunities. Here are 3 ways I’ve learned to gain deeper understanding through mistakes:

1. Mistakes teach us about others.

A few weeks back, Kinesis made a mistake with two prospective clients. With one client, it was a typo in our contract. With the other client, one of my employees double-booked our conference room.

Now, both of these were what I would call “small mistakes.” And indeed, client #1 (the typo) was very charitable; she admitted she’d done the same thing before, and acknowledged that it’s easy to make that mistake. It was a gracious gesture, and I knew she’d be a great business partner.

Prospect #2, on the other hand, was less forgiving; while I apologized and presented a solution, he used the opportunity to chastise us for attention to detail. While the client might have presented an opportunity in terms of revenue, the small mistake showed that they didn’t align well with our win-win, Build to Last approach. Needless to say, we passed on the engagement.

2. Mistakes teach us about ourselves.

When I was early in my career, a big part of my job ensured clients’ projects moved from digital design to paper. In the printing industry, especially before many of the modern advances, the opportunities for mistakes were almost infinite. Converting the files to film, proofing the film, converting the film to plates, printing on the press, ink mixes, humidity around the press…on and on. I’m not even sure it was possible to run a complex job without something snagging up.

Back then, we worked almost exclusively with a small print shop; its owner, Tom Mustard, was a legend for his dedication to quality and, “making things right.” When I asked Tom about his attention to detail and customer service he explained it in simple terms: everyone can look good when things are going well; printers are all heroes when there aren’t any problems. What really matters is how you act when projects go off the rails. Do you blame others? Do you blame technology? Do you blame the client? Or, do you look at the situation calmly and ask, “How can I turn this to success?”

3. Mistakes are the output of dedication.

While working on the light bulb, Thomas Edison is reported to have failed over 6000 times in his effort to find a working filament. Failures and mistakes surrounded the inventor’s project, yet he’s heralded as a genius ahead of his time.

And Edison was not alone; the annals of history are replete with mistakes and failures: Abraham Lincoln lost more elections than he won; Soichiro Honda built an automobile empire on the idea of succeeding only once in every 100 tries; Michael Jordan credits his success to missing over 9000 shots in his career. Great accomplishments seldom (if ever) happen is a flash of genius; they’re the result of hard work, perseverance and – most importantly – fervent dedication.

Won’t be fooled again

Let’s face it: No one wants to make mistakes. And yet despite the pain of screw-ups and missteps, nearly 40% of business founders cite “previous failure” as a key element to future success. You see, what these leaders know is that not all mistakes are created equal – if you learn to identify the big from the small, the significant from the trivial, you’ll not only avoid making the same mistake twice, you’ll actually learn more about others, yourself, and the dedication required to become truly great.

Every day, your employees interact with people on the phone, at meetings, in the halls, and on their computer. When they leave your facility, they go to stores, restaurants, gyms, banks, and bars. They call, text, post, comment, upload, Skype, and email.

With all of that communication, you gotta wonder…

When they talk about your company, are they saying good things? When they speak to your customers, prospects, and network, are they reflecting a positive company image?

In other words, do your employees act as committed, passionate ambassadors for your brand?

If you are a business owner who can unequivocally shout “Yes!” then congratulations! On the other hand, if you think your internal team could take brand representation to the next level, then here are some suggestions for you.

Develop company values

One of the first things that we do at Kinesis when we work with our clients is to lead a strategic planning day. During this session, one of our key focus areas is to build living, breathing values. These values are actionable statements that guide your team in their decision-making processes.

Core values should describe the collective behaviors of an organization and what is important to it. They drive the day-to-day actions of how employees act with customers, prospects, vendors, and partners.

Once you’ve developed core values, weave them into every aspect of your business. For instance, here are some of the ways our clients have incorporated their values into their company:

• Talk about them at staff meetings
• Explain them to new hires at their orientation
• Measure employees’ performance based on them
• Ask your team how they can implement values into more aspects of the business
• Incentivize managers for instilling values in their department
• Reward employees for acting in alignment with your values
• Write your marketing materials around your values
• Include your values in your job descriptions

Serve your customers, exceptionally

Excellent firms don’t believe in excellence – only in constant improvement and constant change.
- Tom Peters, business author and speaker

Customer service isn’t a department – it isn’t even a function. Customer service is an expression that is tired and trite. If it were up to me, I’d throw it out of our business language and have each company come up with a unique expression of what it means to their company to serve their customers.

Instead of customer service, begin to think about how you can make your company extraordinary. Ask yourself (and your team), what stake can we put into the ground that says, “We do this one thing better and different than any other company…and we always serve you, our best-fit customer, in a remarkable way.”

I really like the Zappo’s core values, especially their first one: “Deliver WOW Through Service.” If you have time, go to the Zappo’s website and click on each one of their values to read their elaboration of each value. Below their Wow Value, they write:

At Zappos, anything worth doing is worth doing with WOW.

“WOW is such a short, simple word, but it really encompasses a lot of things. To WOW, you must differentiate yourself, which means doing something a little unconventional and innovative. You must do something that’s above and beyond what’s expected. And whatever you do must have an emotional impact on the receiver. We are not an average company, our service is not average, and we don’t want our people to be average. We expect every employee to deliver WOW.”

Imagine if the way in which your company served your customers was in alignment with this value. What if every single person in your organization delivered WOW, day in and day out? Do you think that would change the experience that people had with your brand?

I do.

Hire and nurture A+ players

One of the big problems that we see in professional service firms is employees who hold back the growth of the company. Perhaps you can relate. There are certain employees who whine, bring drama to work, consistently under-perform, make too many mistakes, require constant hand holding, and/or rub other team members the wrong way.

They are not delivering a WOW experience.

Conversely, an A+ player – in any position of your company – will help grow your revenue, bring new ideas and solutions to your organization, make other employees enthusiastic, and consistently infuse your business with optimism and energy. This type of person is excited to live your values, passionately express your brand, and deliver WOWs.

Create a recruiting and hiring system that attracts top talent – people who bring a strong skill set and personality that align with your company values.

Make your company a great place to work. This vibrant environment will help retain top talent. One way to do this is to develop opportunities within your company for training and advancement. Great people are not just hired; they are crafted. Many of your existing team members can be trained to be great. People respond to great leaders – they will help achieve your vision if you clearly identify expectations and show that you truly care about them.

Create a “we” organization with an atmosphere of transparency and open communication. Ensure your leadership listens to the front line as much the other way around. Find a myriad of ways to say “thank you” to your team. Celebrate successes and acknowledge people for their work.

Grow your people

Read Jim Collins’ “From Good to Great” and Bradford D. Smart’s “Topgrading” for more tips on how to hire and nurture great employees.

Employees matter, a lot. The success of your company depends on how each individual employee feels and speaks about your company. They have the potential to be your biggest advocates, positively reflecting your business in the myriad of ways they communicate every day. Your team is the engine that can catapult your company upward. Bottom line: treat them well.

People who know me know that I’m passionate about great design, architecture, and green building; I’m always on the lookout for outstanding Portland firms. While there are many exceptional artisans, few combine their craft with savvy marketing like the team over at Hammer and Hand.

Hoping to inspire and educate, I asked H&H’s Chief Evangelist, Zacke Semke and founder, Sam Hagerman to share some of their business experiences and marketing insights.

Tell me a little bit about Hammer and Hand, and your decision to start the company in Portland.

SAM: Hammer & Hand is a company of nearly 75 carpenters and building science technicians dedicated to the notion that better living comes through better building. Our employees are passionate about craft and tradition, but also about the way buildings perform, the efficiency and comfort that they confer to the people who inhabit them.

It’s inspiring and gratifying to be part of it all.  When Daniel and I started the company 18 years ago we were just another couple of carpenters working on old Portland houses. But a few months in we asked ourselves, “why don’t we do this right, get licensed, build a business, and see where it leads?” Things quickly developed from there, and before long we were trading in our tool belts for jackets and ties and focusing more and more on visioning, management, and the entrepreneurial work of developing a business. But we didn’t have any of that expertise going into it at the beginning. We did know that we wanted the company to be about something bigger than just he and I, however. That’s why we called it “Hammer and Hand” and not “Thomas and Hagerman.”

I imagine that when you started the company, the economics of the market were quite different. How have things changed for your market in the last few years?

SAM: When the market got so overheated leading up to the crash that essentially anybody could walk off the street and borrow hundreds of thousands with no real vetting process of one’s assets, income or liabilities, we could see that the industry, and the economy as a whole, was in for a big hit. So Daniel and I began working to make the company more resilient. The main goal was to protect Hammer & Hand’s core, our employees. Our strategy was to sandbag around the core with a series of new business ventures. Happily, we were able to weather the storm without laying anyone off, and in the last few years we’ve nearly doubled our staff and tripled production.

What were the top strategic moves you made to adjust to the changing (shrinking) marketplace?

SAM: We tried several new initiatives. We started building and selling upcycled furniture. We opened a new Retail Studio in the Pearl. We launched a home performance division dedicated to providing home energy audits, primarily through Clean Energy Works Oregon. And we got pretty heavily involved in the high performance building and Passive House movements. All of these ventures are still going strong, but the element that really took hold and began to drive strategic change and innovation at Hammer & Hand has been the Passive House/building science work. We’re harnessing a new, cutting-edge understanding of how building systems function and interact that’s allowing us to build structures that use up to 80% less energy than conventional structures. It’s pretty revolutionary. And the comfort and health that these buildings bring to inhabitants is totally unparalleled. So the marketplace has transformed, but so has Hammer & Hand, and we’re really excited about this “new normal” we’re in.

Any Regrets?

SAM: Of course there are the normal “coulda-shoulda-wouldas” that you only see with 20/20 hindsight, but no I don’t have any regrets other than the time my work took away from my young family, but we made it out great! We were lucky to push into new ways of doing business during this whole industry/economic crisis, and I’m really happy with where we’re at.

You’ve recently opened a retail storefront just a few blocks from my Portland office. With so much uncertainty in the economy, how did you come to the decision that this was a critical move for your business?

SAM: Like so much of our entrepreneurial experience with Hammer & Hand, our Retail Studio in the Pearl has been a process of evolution. The initial impetus for the space was as a storefront to show our upcycled furniture. We had all of these beautifully designed and crafted pieces, rich with narrative, that were only viewable online. But when we found the retail space on the corner of 10th and Flanders, right on the streetcar line, we knew that Retail Studio would also be a three-dimensional billboard for our core business: building and remodeling the best of Portland. So the space, a collaborative venture with our colleagues at bright designlab, now marries together key aspects of Hammer & Hand’s business under one roof: retail TI work, commercial construction, condo and loft remodeling, and upcycled furniture.

“Differentiation” is a word often tossed about, but few companies are able to convey how they’re markedly different from their competitors. How do you talk about the “Hammer and Hand Difference?”

ZACK: This is really topical for us right now, actually. As Hammer & Hand has evolved over the last few years, the way we communicate about who we are is evolving as well. And I’ve been getting some good inspiration and insight from Marty Neumeier’s book, “Zag.”

Hammer & Hand’s “brand” has been carefully built and developed over the years around two key aspects of the company. First is the notion that only by servicing the employee – providing full health and dental insurance, paid vacation, 401k, profit sharing, a living wage, and support for professional and artisanal development – can we produce the passion and excellence necessary to provide a really exemplary experience and product for the client. Second is Hammer & Hand’s steadfast dedication to centuries-old traditions of craftsmanship, handed down from master to apprentice over and over again, that enables the company to execute everything from the most old-school Victorian restorations to the cleanest of modernist jewels.

But a third key element of differentiation has emerged for Hammer & Hand recently, and that’s our commitment to building science and high performance building. Earthy-crunchy notions of “green building” are becoming passé now. What we’re talking about is more akin to the performance of an Audi, or maybe more appropriately, a Prius. We as an industry now have the building science knowledge and technique at our disposal to build structures that consume 90% less energy than conventional buildings, provide a constant supply of oxygen-rich fresh air, envelope inhabitants in 70 degree temps – all at very small cost premiums. But most of our competitors are being caught flat-footed on this. That’s perhaps sad for the industry, but great news for us as a company. We’re gaining a nice competitive advantage and key differentiation.

Let’s talk marketing. You guys have done a great job at the visuals and presentation of your company and portfolio; you also maintain an active blog and social media presence. How do you approach marketing as a competitive strategy for your company?

SAM: We see our marketing efforts as a natural outgrowth of our education and advocacy work in the community. Our marketing work is an organic process that responds to the visioning that’s going on in the company. I don’t think marketing efforts work when they’re bolted-on, disconnected from a company’s core. If it doesn’t arrive directly from what’s within the company, then it isn’t worth much.

ZACK: I totally agree, and I see our marketing work as a storytelling endeavor. And, to be clear, by “storytelling” I don’t mean fiction. We’re telling real stories about client experiences, design challenges, triumphs of craft, technical breakthroughs ­­– all authentically inspiring stuff. Hammer & Hand, like any well-run strategically-minded company, has more cool stories to tell than we have the time or bandwidth to share. So our marketing is aimed at selecting the most compelling stories and sharing them far and wide.

Small businesses are often paralyzed by how to better market themselves. Social media, the web, direct marketing…the number of marketing channels grows almost daily. Can you share a piece of marketing wisdom with our readers who own small businesses?

ZACK: My advice would be to stick with the essence of what you have to say, and don’t obsess about the specific medium. After all, a “social media strategy” is bereft without good content (Note: “content” = “stories”). If you can figure out how to weave a compelling narrative about your work, the details about how to share that on social media, your blog, the web, direct marketing, whatever, will sort itself out. Social media marketing gurus are fond of citing the importance of WIITFM, or “what’s in it for me?” The idea is that people will only engage with a given mar-com channel when they feel there’s some benefit to them. My experience is that a good story provides that benefit. And people love to share a good story.

What other Portland small businesses inspire you?

SAM: Rejuvenation had a great run and tells a wonderful story about up-cycling and growth. New Seasons seems generally committed to the well-being of their employees. There are some great start-ups I’ve been watching like Soup Cycle, GoBox that are part of the dynamic food scene here in Portland. And of course I should mention my dear friends at Salt and Straw, the consummate masters of vision-based marketing. Go Kim!

What’s in store for H&H in the coming year?

SAM: We definitely foresee a big emphasis on high performance building and Passive House for Hammer & Hand, both in the commercial and residential realms. We’re also expanding our work into the Seattle market, which is a big, exciting move for us. While there are lots of great contractors up there, we believe that Hammer & Hand’s tripartite focus on the employee, craftsmanship, and building science offers something new and unique…and profitable!

 Footnote: A big thank you to Sam and Zack for their time. If you know other businesses that look small but act big, let me know. We’d love to feature them in our blog and newsletter.

Outsourced vs. In-House Marketing

Many growing businesses – and businesses that want to grow – consider the option of bringing in an in-house marketing resource. While there’s no universal answer for when to bring on an employee, we’ve created a few questions to guide your decision-making.

First: Is there enough work to merit the investment?

While it’s tempting to have an “always on” marketing resource, before you add to your costs (calculate payroll plus benefits and overhead), make sure that your business has at least 25-30 hours of marketing needed per week. Businesses that typically have this sort of requirement include retail, online commerce, and professional services firms that rely on highly-customized proposals and RFP responses (think architecture or public projects).

Second: Are you looking for marketing or sales (or something else)?

If you answered “yes,” to the first question, consider the specific activities you want this position to fulfill. If you need someone to network, cold call, and hustle up new business, then you’re actually in the market for a salesperson.

Which leads to one of the biggest pitfalls we see: The “Sales and Marketing” Manager.

Many businesses seek to kill two birds with one stone by combining marketing strategy and sales outreach. Invariably this strategy fails; the employee gravitates to their strength and minimizes their secondary role (or worse, the employee is mediocre at both). It’s a lose-lose scenario – you are not getting an A Player in this position and the new hire is set up for failure because they will never meet your expectations of excellence in both roles.

Because it’s difficult to outsource sales, we recommend hiring this position first while relying on contractors or agencies to help with marketing strategy.

Third: Do you know how to evaluate your new employee?

One of the biggest challenges to hiring an internal marketing resource is your ability to measure their skill and effectiveness. If you’ve never had a person in this role before, it will be extremely difficult to hire the right skill set and to measure the employee’s impact over time. If you’re confident you’ve outgrown an outsourced marketing solution, then consider hiring an HR consultant to help write the job description and interview applicants. Your investment in an expert’s time will pay huge dividends when you hire the best person for your needs.

Fourth: Do you know what type of marketing pro you need? Can you afford them?

One of the big problems with hiring a “marketing person” is defining what “marketing” really means. For example, “marketing” can mean: a strategist, a writer, a designer, a web programmer, an SEO expert, a PR guru, and on and on and on. The more roles you try to wrap into a single position, the more expensive their salary becomes and the more likely you are to get a “jack of all trades, master of none.”

Moral of the story: Get specific in your expectations and job description. Be willing to pay more for a person who has more skill-sets. Define the activities you need to fill and be realistic about hiring for multiple roles.

The Marketing Employee Worksheet

To help owners decide if they should hire an in-house marketing person (or not), we’ve created a one-page guide outlining the various types of “marketing” assistance you might need in your company. The sheet is divided into 3 sections: Role, Persona, and Alternate Roles.

Here’s an overview of the Marketing Employee Worksheet:

1. Role describes the core function of the employee. For example, you can define a “Writer” vs. a “Print Designer.” The salary column reflects the range of pay for the position, based on Portland market surveys that Kinesis regularly monitors.
2. Persona is an expression of both the type of work required as well as the core driver of the employee. We look at potential employees and their roles through three lenses: creative (new ideas, outside the box thinking), execution (works with systems and processes), and analytical (research and uncovering opportunities from existing information). Most employees fit one persona; the rare candidate fits two areas of focus (a strong primary and a weaker secondary).
3. Alternate Roles are additional positions that you may be able to fill with a single hire. We’ve grouped complementary roles and alternate roles based on our extensive experience with different types of marketers. For example, you can often combine writing duties and PR needs; however, it’s unlikely you’ll find a web programmer that can overlap with either of these duties. Remember to consider that adding top-performers with multiple roles will increase the salary requirements for the position.

• download the M. E. Worksheet

Should I Hire? A Real-World Example

To better understand how to use the Marketing Employee Worksheet, we’ve created an example of a business considering hiring an in-house marketing resource.

Euro-Tours is an online business specializing in high-end guided trips to Western Europe. The company runs a dynamic website with hundreds of trip offerings. Their content changes on a daily basis, and their company has built a strong social-media presence, interacting with customers on Facebook and Twitter. Euro-Tours also hopes to leverage PR in the coming year, aiming to have some of their tours featured in prominent travel blogs and print publications.

Euro-Tours’ options: Travel is all about excitement and a sense of discovery. Therefore, hiring a skilled writer with strong creative drive (as opposed to an analytical persona) could help increase customer engagement and interest in new offerings. Euro-Tours will want to look for a candidate with the ability to execute on regular blog posts and meet firm deadlines. If they are able to commit more budget, the company may be able to combine the writing with PR (this type of candidate will command a very high salary if they can be found in Portland’s relatively small market).

What Euro-Tours won’t get: By hiring a creative content expert, Euro-Tours will need to continue outsourcing other key marketing roles such as design, web programming, and search engine marketing. In our experience, we’d anticipate this new hire solves a lot of problems (writing, media initiatives) but also leaves a number of gaps – particularly with strategic planning and analysis.

Here’s a sample of a Marketing Employee Worksheet filled out for Euro-Tours.

Final Thoughts on Outsourced Marketing

Whether you’re considering hiring a marketing employee or outsourcing your marketing, spend some time with our three-part series. Examine the activities you need along with the position’s payroll implications and choose the models that will work for your company. Most importantly, do a full-analysis of the costs associated with your needs. In the Euro-Tours example above, the budget (including full-time pay, benefits, and additional outsourced resources) would be well in excess of $100,000 per year.

If you have questions, post them in the comments below, or send me a note through our website. Good luck!