July 29

Posted on July 29, 2014 by jmichaeldunn

jmichaeldunn's avatarThe Dunn Show

Dunn Show Happy New Year 2013As time goes on, the date of July 29 holds increasing meaning for me.  On this day in 2002, I started my career in the dental industry.  Little did I know that stepping into the office of Sirona Dental Systems would also entail the first step of such a wonderful, challenging, and inspiring professional journey.

I am very thankful to have spent this time as a part of the dental community. It has afforded me professional growth, travel opportunities, and personally rewarding experiences which, back on July 29, 2002, I would have never expected.  I have encountered fascinating products & technologies and have been honored to make some cherished friends and acquaintances along the way.  It has only been with the passage of time that I have become aware of how much this business community means to me.  I hope to have the privilege in the future to add…

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Just Execute!

Posted on July 26, 2014 by jmichaeldunn

keep calm and get to workI have a confession to make.  I am a recovering marketing plan junky.  If it involves thinking up, creating, reading about, contributing to, and/or discussing marketing plans, I’m in.  Maybe it’s the anticipation, or the thrill of starting something new, but, whatever the reason, developing a marketing plan is something I just can’t seem to get enough of.

There’s an allure to the intricate marketing plan.  We revise, tweak, present, edit,  and revise until we get it “perfect”.  Then we revise it again.  And then, savoring the moment, we sit back, impressed with our own cleverness and keen insights.  We proudly proclaim that now all that’s left to do is “just” execute.  Just execute.

Planning and strategy are important, but it is execution which often determines whether the day is won or lost.  So, I am now deliberately shifting my focus and energy to proper execution.  Define and understand objectives clearly, create a flexible structure of tactics to achieve them, and then get to work implementing the tactics with the courage and creativity to adapt based on results.  This is not a dismissal of planning.  Rather, it is doing away with the over-engineered plan and making a concerted effort to focus on executing the right tactics in the right ways.

Laptops and Google drives are full of overly tweaked marketing plans that “just” needed to be executed.  But, it sometimes seems that thoughtful, nimble planning AND execution is a lost art.  Let’s bring it back.

As always, I welcome your comments, feedback, and suggestions.  Feel free to comment or contact me.

 

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Value in Your Network

Posted on July 19, 2014 by jmichaeldunn

Are you giving?We love to see the numbers of our followers, likes, friends, connections, subscribers, etc. rise.  We take great pride in the size of our social networks.  And we’re often tasked with not only measuring and analyzing those networks, but also, showing how they create leads and sales (“how many sales did that tweet generate?!” GASP!).  To a certain degree, we’re right to do so.  If we invest time, effort, and money into a tactic, we definitely need to track performance.

But, let’s turn it around.  Ask yourself this simple question:  What is YOUR value in your network?  How are you and your content improving, or adding value to, the coveted network which you work so hard and tirelessly to build, track, analyze, and measure?  I hope it is an easy question to answer.  If it leaves you scratching your head, here are a few suggestions to try implementing in your social/content marketing efforts on a regular basis:

  • Replace a #FF tweet with a sincere recommendation of a colleague or partner
  • Include clear reasons or at least a personal touch to LinkedIn requests
  • Invite others to participate with their content on your blog
  • Reach out in person (yes, an actual phone call or…wait for it…face to face meeting) to people in your network – not a sales call, but more so simply to strengthen the relationship
  • Celebrate the efforts of your network members in your own blog articles
  • Facilitate conversations, make introductions

As I write the bullets above, I realize I’m too often guilty of not making simple efforts such as these.  So, I want to change that, and I hope you can help me.  And, of course, if you’d like assistance, I’d like to help you too.  We can be better.  We can do better.  Let’s do it together.

As always I welcome your comments, feedback, and suggestions.  Feel free to comment or contact me!

 

Posted in How to ..., Marketing, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments