[lavacon keynote] storming the castle: reaching those who control the power & purse strings [noz...
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Storming the Castle
@nozurbina @lavacon
How to Reach Those Who Control and Power and Purse
Strings
Storming the Castle: How to Reach Those Who Control and Power and
Purse Strings
@nozurbina / @thecsbook
urbinaconsulting.com
(Originally presented as a LavaCon Conference keynote while working for Mekon ltd.)
@nozurbina @LavaCon
Me (Noz Urbina, Urbina Consulting)
Content strategist & modeller
Consultant/trainer
Author
urbinaconsulting.com/events
89 3929 31 x8824g
UC.com 2015
You
You have a (great) idea for how to improve something content-related. Which requires:
@nozurbina @lavacon
Our mission overview
@nozurbina @lavacon
Climb the mountain,
storm the castle
...and get back with the treasure
Our mission tasks
@nozurbina @lavacon
Doing your research and choosing your team
Planning and equipment
Getting back down
Storming the castle
Climbing
What is the treasure?
@nozurbina @lavacon
What is the treasure?
@nozurbina @lavacon
If you’re not clear on what it is that you want, and why, you will
fail
Doing your research
@nozurbina @lavacon
Doing your research
@nozurbina @lavacon
? ???
?
?? ?
There are many ways to storm a castle…
Doing your research
@nozurbina @lavacon
“It is only one who is thoroughly
acquainted with the evils of war
that can thoroughly
understand the profitable way of carrying it on.”
– Sun Tzu
Validate what you think you want
– Audience
– Requirements
– ROI
@nozurbina @lavacon
“The general... whose only
thought is to protect his
country and do good service... is the jewel of the
kingdom.” – Sun Tzu
Find out how you’ll know when you have it
– Success metrics
– Audit
Doing your research
@nozurbina @lavacon
“Bravery without forethought,
causes you to fight blindly and
desperately like a mad bull.”– Sun Tzu
Find out if it’s even remotely possible
– Current corporate climate
– Other big spends/initiatives
Doing your research
Organisational Goals
User goalsYour goals
Sexual
Chocolate
Pitfalls
Thinking people care about
contentbit.ly/notking
All ideas and no tech
Not realising it’s sales a
pitch
All ideas and no tech
Not realising it’s sales a
pitch
Choosing your team
@nozurbina @lavacon
Choosing your team
Strategist
Doer
Technologist
Presenter
Copyright NBC Studios
Pitfalls
Know thyself
Availability
Too big / too many cooks
Dead weight
Too dispersed
Vision
Lack of key perspective
s
Planning and equipment
@nozurbina @lavacon
Castle map
Support
Es
“Sell”“Make”
ProductMgmt.Dev
SupportDocs & Training
Pre-Sales Eng.
Field App Eng.
S&M
Persuade
Org chart bingo$$$
Influencer
++
+- ?
x
n
-
ForAgainstNeutralUndecided Unknown
Irrelevant
+-xn
?
+
? ?
++
“Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle,
but in defeating
without ever fighting.”– Sun Tzu
Audience to benefits / needs map
Your idea
Quality (QM)•Errata Sheet Process•Doc Guidelines•Process alignment•…
Legal & Patent•Trademarks•Disclaimer•IP Protection•…
Communication•Corporate Design•Document distribution (e.g. via Internet)•…
Sales & Marketing•Document release•Requirement capturing•Localization•… R&D
•Document creation•Design automation•Tool support service•Template service•…
IT•Tool evaluation•Tool implementation•Process / Tool support•…
The 4Ps• Who’s
affected• Changes
to work
• Required Tools and support
• Credibility• Authority• Alignment
PeopleProces
s
Platform
Position
Pitfalls
Scope too big
Too fast
Insufficiently aligned /
researched
The climb itself
@nozurbina @lavacon
Castle map
Support
Es
“Sell”“Make”
ProductMgmt.Dev
SupportDocs & Training
Pre-Sales Eng.
Field App Eng.
S&M
Persuade
“There are only two methods of
attack:direct and indirect; yet in combination these give rise toan endless series of manoeuvres.”
– Sun Tzu
Castle map
Support
Es
“Sell”“Make”
ProductMgmt.Dev
SupportDocs & Training
Pre-Sales Eng.
Field App Eng.
S&M
Persuade
Castle map
Support
Es
“Sell”“Make”
ProductMgmt.Dev
SupportDocs & Training
Pre-Sales Eng.
Field App Eng.
S&M
Persuade
VPs
"Sell"
"Make"
ProductMgmt
Dev
Support
Docs &Train
Pre Sales Eng.
FieldAppEng.
S&M
Castle map with BUs (acquired)
VPs
"Sell""Make"
ProductMgmtDev
SupportDocs &Train
Pre Sales Eng.
FieldAppEng.
S&M
VPs
"Sell"
"Make
"
Product
Mgmt
S&M
Support
Docs &
Train
Pre
Sales
Eng.
Field
App
Eng.
S&M
Es
VPs
"Sell"
"Make"
ProductMgmt
Dev
Support
Docs &Train
Pre Sales Eng.
FieldAppEng.
S&M
Castle map with BUs (acquired)
VPs
"Sell""Make"
ProductMgmtDev
SupportDocs &Train
Pre Sales Eng.
FieldAppEng.
S&M
VPs
"Sell"
"Make
"
Product
Mgmt
S&M
Support
Docs &
Train
Pre
Sales
Eng.
Field
App
Eng.
S&M
Es
“...senior management is on board...middle managers do not all fully understand the
content initiatives and therefore do not carry
them forward with their staffs.”
– UC Survey Respondant
Pitfalls
Missing key buy-in
Getting communication balance
right
Cookie cutter pitching
No sense of urgency
Pitfalls
Missing key buy-in
Getting communication balance
right
Cookie cutter pitching
No sense of urgency
38%
38% don’t know what
their company is doing or
why!
[Realistic/Cookie]
Justifying that I'll be able to continue creating content
while also researching/implem
enting new tools and strategies.
– UC Survey Respondent
[Urgency]
Decision-makers who don't make
decisions or communicate... by sharing updates,
requesting updates, or attending
meetings to make decisions
– UC Survey Respondent
The climb itself
@nozurbina @lavacon
Pitfalls
Thinking savings is always
motivational
Thinking content’s king
Playing the magician
Being a controversy whore
Lack of standards / references (credibility)
Unclear. Not concise.Not visual.
______’s (Content) StrategyCorporate Strategy• Be most innovative
provider of solutions into key markets:– ...– ...– ...
Content Strategy• Treat information
as a business asset– “Innovative”:
knowledge that’s easily shared & accessed
– “Solution”: content integrated into product offering
Sample tool selection short list“Killer” Requirements
CCMSs References CMS Compatibility /
Flexibility
Multi-platform
Standard Support
Roadmap
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
Pitch checklist
Itemised budget and ROI over time
5 Year TCO
Key milestones / Escape points
Risk matrix and mitigation plan
Market references
“What if we do nothing”?
Contextual alignment
CONTEXTUALISING THE PITCH
Some useful ideas
Content StrategyEnabling,
Product data &
Technical Content
Persuasive,
Sales & Marketing Content
Content Strategy is Cross-silo
Development efficiency &
significant cost avoidance
Unified Framework for ContentDelivery, Measurement and
Improvement
Brand Equity, regional markets
& revenue channels
BusinessGoals
Org
UsersYou
“Content providers are too siloed: MarComm, TechComm, Web Design, Product Support, and Training and
have different reporting structures.” – Survey
Un-aware
Recognize
Educate
Compare
Select
Configure
Support / Train
Use
Unified picture of a customer
?
Un-aware
Recognize
Educate
Compare
Select
Configure
Support / Train
Use
Unified picture of a customer
?
Un-aware
Recognize
Educate
Compare
Select
Configure
Support / Train
Use
Unified picture of a customer
? ?
“Companies don’t know what they know... they
don’t have a strategy that focuses around the
customer and the data and using them in a
proactive way.”
– Bill Payne, Vice President, CRM and industries
http://ibm.co/10UFHHx
Getting back down
@nozurbina @lavacon
Pitfalls
You won’t get everything:
prepare for the half-win
Fight for some more time:
managers often rush what they don’t (fully)
understand
GET BASELINESMETRICS:
So you can prove ROI
Wash, rinse, repeat:
Getting budget is the beginning of the fun
Happy storming!
[email protected]@nozurbina / @thecsbookUrbinaconsulting.com/blog
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