In our reader survey we asked which working relationships you find challenging and which you would most like to improve. Here’s what we found...

Bad news for the Board
74% of respondents said that out of all the relationships in their working life, Senior Management presented them with most difficulties, citing reasons such as:

• lack of visibility ‘not on senior management radar’ ‘not a bad relationship, just no relationship’
• senior managers’ lack of marketing knowledge/understanding
• lack of involvement day-to-day involvement ‘at the coalface’
• lack of opportunity for informal or social contact ‘they don’t mix with the minions’

You’re a customer-focused bunch
A desire to improve customer/client relationships came a close second with 66% of marketers interviewed saying they find these dealings quite or highly challenging and 50% wishing they could improve them. On respondents’ wishlist for improving client relations were ‘more time to focus on clients’ needs’, ‘more of a partnership, less focus on price’, ‘more discussion of the long term rather than reacting all the time’. If you’ve got a new training budget to play with in 2008 why not consider this customer-focused course from CIM: From CRM to CMR Customer-Managed Relationships

Love the one you’re with
One-to-one relationships with immediate managers and Direct Reports were also up for criticism with a third of readers wanting to change or improve them. Several people said they would value more openness and transparency from their direct manager or report and a greater awareness of each other’s workloads. Comments show that these relationships are seen by pre-management marketers as having most impact on opportunities for progress and promotion and making them successful is of huge importance.

Who do we get on best with?
Unsurprisingly, nearly 60% of respondents said relationships with peers, parallel colleagues and team-mates presented little or no challenging aspects. However nearly 20% said they would still like to improve them in some way, such as reducing competitiveness, being more informal, supporting each others’ personal objectives as well as team goals.

Love-hate relationship
Contact with suppliers and agencies provoked mixed feelings from survey participants; equal numbers said that working with agencies throws up some tough challenges while as many claimed that working with external suppliers was the least difficult.

As you become more successful in your marketing career, your work will affect more and more people. Without developing a good technique for managing multiple relationships all at once, your success, and your stress levels, can suffer. Stakeholder management is a tried and tested technique for focussing your time and efforts on those relationships that are most important to you, your work and your career. Be ruthless!

1. Brainstorm your stakeholders
Write down the names of all the people who are affected by your work, those who can influence it, and those who have an interest in its completion. Remember that while a stakeholder can be an entire organisation, you actually communicate with people, so ensure you write down as many affected individuals as possible. You could use a mind-map or other creative device to help with this process.

Stakeholders might come from the following groups:

Your boss Government Senior executives Interest groups

Your team The press Agencies/suppliers Your co-workers

Shareholders Customers Your family The community

Prospective customers The public

2. Prioritise your stakeholders
Decide how important each stakeholder is by plotting their name on a Power/Interest grid.

• High power, interested people: People you must fully engage and make the greatest efforts with. Example: Your boss, Head of Marketing
• High power, less interested people: Provide sufficient information to keep them satisfied, but not so much that they are overwhelmed. Example: Head of Finance, Senior Execs
• Low power, interested people: Keep adequately informed, and ensure that no major issues arise. These people are often helpful with project implementation. Example: Frontline customer services, end-users
• Low power, less interested people: Again, monitor these people, but offer minimal communication. Example: Unaffected departments and teams

3. Talk to your stakeholders
It is worthwhile establishing who will be supporters of your project and who will be critics. Use colour coding to identify which of these two groups the stakeholder belongs – e.g. green for advocates and supporters and red for those who are disinterested or unsupportive.

The following questions help you to understand their needs/drivers and establish the best way to communicate with them:

• What interest do they have in the outcome of your work (financial, emotional, positive, negative)?
• What support do you want from them? What information do they want from you?
• What is the best way of communicating your message to them?
• What is their current opinion of your work and is it based on good information?
• Who influences their opinions and should these influencers become stakeholders too?
• If they are not positive towards your project, what will win them round?
• If you are unlikely to win them round, then how will you manage their opposition?

4. Managing stakeholders through good communication
Have a plan: Concentrate on the high-power/high-interest stakeholders first, and the low-interest/low-power stakeholders last. Create a practical communication plan which includes frequency, method (face-to-face, email, phone) and desired result. Communicating early with stakeholders can win you lots of brownie points as well as help you identify any potential problems.

What to say: What do you need to do to keep your best supporters engaged. Work out how to win over (or neutralize) the opposition of your skeptics and get the active support and interest from those people you need on-board. Good messages show the benefits of what you are doing to the individual, and focus on key performance drivers like increasing profitability or delivering real improvements.

Keep it up-to-date: Remember that projects become more important the nearer they get to implementation and will therefore affect more people. Keep abreast of your stakeholder analysis and change your communications techniques as necessary to ensure that your stakeholders are kept informed to the right level.

Walk up to a group of strangers? Talk about yourself? Nose around in other peoples’ lives and jobs? Aren’t these the things our parents told us never to do?

Maybe that’s why so many people find networking such an uncomfortable prospect. But we all have at least a sneaking suspicion that networking is good for our careers, so here are some tips from Chris Liles of Relationships Doctor Ltd that might take the pain out of networking…

1. Take small but regular doses. You only get more nervous by avoiding a dreaded situation. Ease yourself into it gently over a period of weeks. Start by staying on after a meeting for an extra 10 minutes to chat to a colleague you don’t know that well. Take it up to 20 minutes during a coffee break at your next training event and then 30 minutes mingling during a conference lunch. By mid-December you could be ready to spend an hour, or even two, over drinks and nibbles networking like a pro at the Christmas party – or with some of your fellow CIM members at the next GLR Meet with Drinks session.
2. Go with a buddy. Accept an invitation from someone in your target network who can be there to meet you to help you to integrate faster and more gently via introductions. If you have a mentor (if not sign up for GLR’s free mentoring scheme) ask him or her to join you at a networking event. Try not to cling to your buddy all night though, otherwise your networking mission will have failed.
3. Get yourself a sound bite or two. When someone asks what you do, have a prepared phrase to get the conversation off to a flying start. Start with a short one (10-15 words). That is enough for them to decide if they want to know more. If they ask for more details give them a slightly longer version with extra information (prepare 2 or 3 sentences). Each time you are offering some extra detail to the listener and helping them find the ‘hook’ they are most interested in.
4. Open up the conversation. To encourage people to get the conversation rolling, ask them open questions that begin with What, Why, How. Be prepared to answer these yourself, again with short answers (15 to 20 seconds). People can always fish for more if they want to. Lack of preparation is often what creates Nervous Networkers so, be ready.
5. Minty fresh mouthwash. If you get self-conscious, give your confidence a head-start by making your ‘personal presentation’ won’t make you unpopular. Ask event organisers in advance about dress codes (Smart Casual is safest) so you can prepare and feel confident as possible when you enter the room. Don’t let the easily solvable things sabotage your confidence.
6. Go all Blue Peter and make yourself a badge that you can use for any networking opportunity. People often glance around the room looking for their next conversation and if they can see something interesting on your badge it helps them choose you. Don’t just use your business card, my badge simply says “Chris Liles – Business Relationships Coach” then in smaller letters “Relationships Doctor Ltd”. This is enough to spark interest and for people to say “What does a Business Relationships Coach do then Chris?”. An eye-catching piece of jewellery or tie can have the same conversation-starter powers as long as it doesn’t get attention for the wrong reasons!
7. Remember my name. There’s nothing quite as memorable as someone who remembers you. Repeat peoples’ names to yourself whilst you are looking at them, to help it lodge in your sub-conscious e.g. “Hello Dee, so what does a Life Coach do?” Record all names, trades, personal details on your database to help you remember them when you revisit that network - people will be impressed and flattered by your ‘memory’.
8. Arrive early and find your soulmate. If you arrive early you can (a) familiarise yourself with the environment at leisure but more importantly (b) meet similarly keen networkers – you already have either your punctuality or your nervousness in common! Or both! Be honest about your apprehensions – there’s nothing like confessing your nerves to put someone else at ease!
9. Stay right until the end. Sometimes people who were distracted by others during the session will say ‘Oh I’m glad you’re still here, I’m keen to speak with you’. But unless you’re the host, don’t arrive first and leave last, it doesn’t look good.
10. Have fun. Once all the above are in place you can be a confident networker and actually enjoy making the new friends you haven't yet met.

70% of GLR readers work client-side so agency relationships . 70% of GLR readers work client-side so agency relationships are central to much of our success at work – particularly creative aspects. For the agency team to help you grow your business they need to become your partners. It's a sort of 'business marriage', so give and take, good manners and respect all have their place.

1. Make time for each other…
Does your agency provide you with regular feedback? Do they hold regular reviews? Do you feel you know what they are doing on your project each month? Talk regularly, email them, meet up, at least monthly, and keep your contacts in the loop. Involve them where it might be useful - sales meetings, range reviews, conferences - many will welcome the opportunity to get closer to your business and hear about your marketplace.

2. Don’t let the sun go down on an argument…
Many disagreements are the result of simple misunderstandings that could be avoided by clearer, more frequent dialogue. Make sure all members of your team know all members of the agency team, but designate admin and account management responsibility to one person from each side to deal with things like fees, invoices, deadlines, contracts, briefs, sending materials, agreeing meetings, gaining sign-off. This means nothing drops through the net and no nasty surprises can mar your beautiful relationship.

3. Understand each other…
Leave room for the agency team to do what they're good at, what you're paying them to do – be creative. That doesn't mean giving them carte blanche but trust them enough to listen carefully to their ideas however left-field they first seem. Understand the four stages of creativity:

1. Preparation – exposure to the initial problem, taking the brief, immersion in the topic by reading around, listening to customer research interviews. You can help by giving your creatives stimulus materials that appeal to all five senses. This is the stage to encourage questions from your agency – especially stupid ones.
2. Incubation – letting the brief ‘bed in’, mulling it over. Many of us find that the best ideas come when you’re thinking of something completely different and the creative process is no different. Incubation can be perceived by clients as downtime or feel that the project has been forgotten but it during this time that ‘aha’ moments can arise. Techniques for sweating ideas out are brainstorming and hot-housing.
3. Inspiration – the Eureka moment. Ideas usually present themselves in an unfinished form and need a lot of developing before they fully answer the brief. When reviewing creative you must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water – often it is not an idea that is wrong, just a particular execution or representation of it.
4. Verification – when beautiful ideas meet the light of day there can be a lot of work to do to help them succeed in the ‘real world’. Many agency creatives hate this stage as they have to defend their original idea over and over to persistent skeptics who present the practical difficulties more than the opportunities.

4. Get a prenup…

• Agree with the agency in advance, how you are going to pay for the work you want done. Some work on a retainer basis, annual, quarterly or on a job by job basis. And you could do both with the same agency if you want to. The advantage of having a retained agency is that you can keep in regular and close contact and get better value for money in the longer term, than re-briefing a separate agency each time you have a separate project.
• There will be fees, commissions, travel expenses and so on. Most agencies will expect to mark up any bought in services to cover administering them on your behalf. Ask for a written contractual agreement or a letter confirming all these items. And if you get details in writing, be good enough to read it and query anything that's unclear before a project starts. There's nothing more frustrating for an agency than taking the time and trouble to confirm charges only to have their client feigning surprise when it comes to invoice time.
• It's unfair to ask an agency to respond to a brief without a budget outline. They'll help you work out what you can do best with the budget you have, and they'll tell you when you can make savings and when not to.
• Always allow a contingency of 10% for unforeseen items or unexpected changes to the brief.

References:
CIM Fact File - by Helen Willson, Mezzo Consultancy Ltd
How to brief an agency - a CIM GLR Workshop presented by Marketing Zone
Appointing & Managing DM agencies – DMA/AAR
The Creative Mind: Myths & mechanics, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Abacus, 1991

Culture affects everything we do. It is a shared framework of understanding and a basis for communication. For marketers who work internationally or interact regularly with counterparts overseas, poor understanding of each others cultural background can lead to uncomfortable situations, bad decisions and ineffective relationships.

Dutch Professor Geert Hofstede developed the first model for measuring how values in the workplace are influenced by culture.

Though dating from the 70s, his theory can still help reduce levels of frustration, anxiety and concern. It can improve your understanding of other cultures and success in global team situations.

Hofstede concluded that there are 5 dimensions to cultural cross-communications. By knowing how a culture measures up on each scale you can understand their behaviour and relate to them more effectively.

You can find Hofstede’s scores for each country/region and more about Hofstede’s theory here. But here’s how the UK’s culture compares with that in Japan, the US and Sweden.

As well as her demanding day job at Swarovski Crystal in Knightsbridge, Ade Onilude is organising next March’s prestigious Women in Marketing (WIM) event. Last year’s Women in Marketing evening saw a hundred happy delegates, a panel of high-profile speakers and a glamorous evening of networking at the chic Commonwealth Club venue in London. Ade takes a break to talk to GLR News about how she plans to top that…

GLR News: After the success of the last Women in Marketing event you have a tough act to follow. How is next year’s Women in Marketing event shaping up?

Ade: It’s going well. We were delighted with how the event went last time but as the organiser I can see ways to make it even better. Plus we’re taking a completely different marketing theme – “The Ethical One” – which is really exciting and gives plenty of new scope for some fascinating speakers.

GLR News: Can you tell GLR News readers who you’ve got lined up to present?

Ade: Well I can reveal that we have confirmed a fantastic Keynote Speaker in Harriet Lamb, (see panel). She’ll be hot-footing it to the Women in Marketing event straight from Fairtrade Week, so we’re really honoured for this event to be on her radar.
I’m still finalising diaries with other speakers but I’m very excited about the presenters line-up. Being me, I can’t help giving WIM events a fashion edge – we had the amazing jewellery show last time. I’m talking to Armani this time. Delegates tell us it really helps them mingle and enjoy networking after the presentations are finished.

GLR News: How do you fit in all the organising while you’re working as well? What’s your typical day like?

Ade: Well my employers are very supportive of my involvement with GLR which is great. There is a lot of overlap between my work at Swarovksi and the fashion/media world I try to bring into Women in Marketing. But it is tricky to fit it all into a normal day though and as we get closer to March my days just get longer and longer.

Swarovski is a hugely exciting brand with lots of potential. I’m responsible for the stunning Collection Couture by Daniel Swarovski. It helps if you really love the products you work with and fortunately I do. My role as Brand Ambassador is customer-facing – the real coalface of marketing. I love the people aspect as it really tests my communication skills. I meet a huge variety of people from celebs to Christmas shoppers, from couture buyers to bridal wholesalers. Both men and women buy Swarovski, there’s such a wide range of gifts, bags, ornaments and jewellery.

GLR News: What is the thinking behind the Women in Marketing series? Surely men are welcome too!?

Ade: Of course men and women are welcome; we had several male delegates at last year’s event, just look at the photo gallery. We had Daniel Nabarro talking about underwear! Women in Marketing evenings are scheduled to coincide with International Women's Day which celebrates the story of ordinary women as makers of history. It is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women seeking to participate in society on an equal footing with men. Today around the world, International Women's Day is always celebrated on 8th March and marks a celebration of the economic, social, cultural and political achievements women have made. This CIM GLR event is designed to celebrate the achievements of women in the field of marketing though not all our speakers will be women though and I certainly hope not all our delegates will be women!

GLR News: When and where will Women in Marketing 2008 be taking place?

Ade: We’ve narrowed it down to the evening of 11, 12 or 13 March. I’m still waiting for a speaker to get back to me with their availability before we can confirm the exact date. Believe me this presenter is worth waiting for! It will be Central London, somewhere as gorgeous as the Commonwealth Club I hope!

GLR News: Can GLR Members reserve a place now?

Ade: Not yet, but we’ll be sending out details through the usual GLR channels (newsletter, event emails, GLR website, CIM website) and in the marketing press, so keep an eye out for more details.

Milton Keynes team event review: Woburn – The branding of a destination

49 CIM GLR members attended the ‘Branding a Destination’ evening at Woburn’s Safari Lodge on 18 September. Delegates, who included marketers from the fields of consultancy, healthcare, media and the public sector said they had an extremely enjoyable evening and said it fully met their expectations of a CIM event.

Volunteer event organiser from the Milton Keynes team, Chris Wright, said “Woburn is a fantastic business venue with a wide range of facilities. The Safari Lodge is a good location for evening events straight from work as it has a relaxed atmosphere and views over the lake. All our guests could network over drinks and watch the sun set before the evening started.

We’ll be holding more events like this and plan to invite an even wider range of non-members from the business community to increase the networking value, promote The Institute and transfer valuable marketing knowledge to businesses in our region.”

Want to help organise events like this?

Want to meet other professional marketers in and around Milton Keynes?
Willing to be creative and put your ideas into practice?
Interested in being part of a highly successful 10-strong marketing team close to home?

If you can give some of your precious time to your professional Institute, the join the Milton Keynes CIM members’ volunteer team. We’re looking for one or two more volunteers to help run our exciting and challenging programme of events. It's great fun. Leadership is shared and the group gets things done.
Commitment-wise, we're talking about helping with up to five events a year and attending as many Volunteer Briefings as possible. Some communications activities in between also need organising. Volunteers can lead the whole event from the conception through to being host for the event. A great development opportunity for marketers who love marketing!

To find out more contact Cathy Jones on 07711 201519 or at cathyjones1@btinternet.com

Or come along to an ‘Energising Event’ on Thursday 15 November. All our volunteers will be getting together to organise 2008 and to be creative. We’ve got a fun evening lined up with a buffet and maybe a surprise or two!

Good luck Julie!

GLR Board Member Julie Walker will be attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro this December. Standing 5985m high Kilimanjaro is the highest ‘walkable’ mountain in the world. She’ll be raising funds for one of our GLR charities The British Paralympic Association. To support Julie and make a donation, visit Just Giving at www.justgiving.com/kili-dec2007

Julie leaves for Tanzania on 15 December and expects to complete her round trip via the summit within 13 days. She says of the task ahead “Climbing Kilimanjaro will be one of the toughest challenges of my life. If by reaching the top I can help the British Paralympics team to get closer to their goals of competing in the Olympics and bringing back a medal or two, that would be an added bonus.”

GLR News wishes you the best of luck.

Following GLR’s recent announcement about our alliance with two charities here’s news of your first opportunity to get involved. Choose from a 350km bike ride or growing a moustache... Sorry ladies, cycling it is then...

Facial hair fundraising – raise money without even trying!

Ever wondered what you’d look like with a moustache? Well this is your chance to find out! Grow a ‘Mo’ is the new November campaign from The Prostate Cancer Charity. ‘Movember’ (the month formally known as November) is an Australian charity event held during November each year and this year The Prostate Cancer Charity is the UK partner. Here’s how it works… At any point in Movember, guys register with a clean shaven face. The Movember participants known as Mo Bros then have the remainder of the month to grow and groom their Mo. Compete against your mates for the best Errol Flynn, Magnum PI or Handlebar! Movember finishes with the mo-mentous Gala Parté on December 4th in London where Tom Selleck, Hulk Hogan and Borat look-a-likes battle it out for their chance to take home the prestigious Man of Movember title. The aim of Movember is to change attitudes, raise awareness, make male health fun by putting the Mo back on the face of fashion and in the process raise some serious funds for the number one male health issue, prostate cancer and The Prostate Cancer Charity.

Become part of the mo-vement. Sign up to today.

Turning pedals into medals

The British Paralympics Association is offering a unique fundraising cycling challenge in China with an amazing opportunity to attend the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Cycle 350km through rural China visiting the breathtaking Great Wall, and discover the fascinating beauty, people and culture of a country immersed in history and ancient traditions. Experience the excitement and thrill of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games with tickets to the Games and a chance to see our ParalympicsGB Team in action. At the same time your fundraising will help to ensure we give Britain’s top disabled athletes the best possible chance to fulfil their dreams of Paralympic success in Beijing. Britain is one of the most successful Paralympic nations of all time and with your support The BPA can keep UK athletes on the podium.

For more information on Cycle China visit Cycle China British Paralympic Association.

We’ve just finished our latest satisfaction survey with GLR Studying Members. Here are some key findings from this and other recent research along with some of the changes we’re working on …

Thank you…

…to all those who shared much-valued opinions in the online survey. All participants earned the chance to win a fantastic new iPod Video. This time, the lucky winner was Rebecca Hearn (right) who is Marketing Coordinator with International Jewellery London.

Congratulations Rebecca and enjoy your tunes!

Rebecca told GLR News her top three all-time favourite tracks:

1. Dirty, Christina Aguilera
2. Frozen, Madonna (left)
3. Smooth, Santana featuring Rob Thomas

Giving corporate gifts is an opportunity for you to strengthen relationships with individuals in another company. Your gifts can have a greater impact both on the receiver and for your own company if you strategically plan your gift giving activities. Following these corporate gift giving guidelines can have an impact on your company's bottom line.

1. Choose the right gift and spend enough. Cheap pens and trinkets do not have enough longevity. Give something that they will use and that will make them think positive thoughts of you (and your company). If you give a pen, choose a nice heavy duty one that people can feel the weight of. Alcohol, food and humorous presents are not appropriate for many recipients and are best avoided in some situations.
2. Choose the right recipient. If your main contact is a middle manager, your interests may be better served to give a gift to an administrative assistant in addition to the manager. That's because that manager may not be in that position very long before they move somewhere else within the organization. However, the administrative assistant may have their position for longer and your gift will have a more long lasting effect on your customer relationship.
3. Choose the best occasion. Christmas can be a great time to express appreciation but your gift doesn’t have to be a festive one and you could even consider showing thanks at other times of the year, such as New Year or Easter. Be considerate of the recipient’s culture too, a Thanksgiving gift for a US colleague and non-alcoholic gifts for Muslim contacts.
4. Choose the right giver. People build relationships with individuals so don’t send a gift from your company. An accompanying card can create a personal touch that evokes an emotional response, so get everyone to sign it. Consider delivering the gift personally – it will be remembered for much longer.

If you’re looking for a way of saying thank you to a sports-mad colleague or a football-obsessed supplier, then enter our GLR News competition to win a fascinating commemorative Sports Book.

These handmade, hand-bound, leatherette sports books contain genuine newspaper stories covering the highs and lows of a favourite sport or football team from the past 100 years. Each book takes four specialist craftsmen to create and carries a personalised front plate with the recipient’s name.

Worth £44.99, we’ve got Sports Books to give away to 5 lucky GLR members.

Choose from the following:

Sports	Football teams
International Rugby International Cricket Formula 1 Horse Racing Wimbledon Tennis Open Golf Boxing	Aberdeen Arsenal Aston Villa Birmingham Blackburn Bolton Cardiff Celtic Charlton Chelsea Coventry Crystal Palace Derby Dundee Utd Everton	Fulham Hearts Hibernian Ipswich Leeds Leicester Liverpool Manchester City Manchester Utd Middlesbrough Newcastle Norwich Nottingham Forest Portsmouth Preston	QPR Rangers Reading Sheffield Utd Sheffield Wednesday Southampton Stoke Sunderland Tottenham Watford West Bromwich West Ham Wigan Wolves

10% discount for all CIM GLR members on these gifts and more…

To find out more about newspaper gifts visit www.devotedtosport.co.uk or call Historic Newspapers on 0844 770 7690. You can also get original newspapers from any date in the last 100 years presented in beautiful gift boxes. We also offer commemorative news books. Visit www.historic-newspapers.co.uk or call 0844 770 7687.

Quote promotional code CM01 with your order.

If you’re preparing for December’s exams or hand-in deadline, you’re probably short on time, so we’ve made this advice page short, snappy and full of quick links. Wishing all the CIM’s studying members the best of luck in December!

Many of these resources are free, some have fees attached. Don't forget you will need to log in to the CIM website to gain access to CIM resources. If you have any problems getting in call CIM Membership Services on 01628 427120.