Contents

• Mind Mapping for Marketers
• Reader Competition: Mind Maps
• Brain Awareness Week
• A Day in the Life of a Marketer
• How Did I Get Here?
• Get Chartered
• Meet the CIM in Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire
• Podcast
• Student Key Dates
• New Board
• Life Coaching competition winner

This issue we’re focusing the mind on an essential creative and organisational technique for studying members and practitioners alike – mind mapping. We’ve got fantastic books and software from the world’s leading mind map expert Tony Buzan to give away in our GLR Competition.

Like to be more creative at work?
Marketers can be logical, analytical left-brainers or free-thinking, intuitive right-brainers. Often we are expected to be both. Find out which you are by entering our Brain Awareness Week Prize Draw. If you’re not as creative as you’d like to be, try using mind maps to get your creative juices going. Here’s how:

1. Centre first: Our linear, left-brain education system has taught us to start in the upper left-hand corner of a page. Resist! Mind mapping begins with a word or image that represents what you want to think about placed in the middle of the page.
   
   
   
2. Lighten up! Let go of the idea of writing the perfect exam answer or writing the perfect report for a few minutes. Mind mapping is a brain-dumping process that helps stimulate ideas and connections. As thoughts emerge, jot down one or two word descriptions on lines branching from the centre.
3. Think fast: Your brain works best in 5-7 minute bursts so capture that explosion of ideas as rapidly as possible. Key words, symbols and images provide a mental short-hand to help you record ideas as quickly as possible.
4. Break boundaries: Break through the mentality that says you have to write on white, A4 paper with black ink. Turn the paper on its side, use bright pens, or stand on one leg!
5. No ideas are bad ideas: Put down everything that comes to mind even if it is completely unrelated. Otherwise your mind can get stuck in a rut and you'll never get those useful ideas out.
6. Keep moving: Keep your hand moving. If ideas slow down, draw empty lines, and watch your brain automatically find ideas to put on them. Or change colours to re-energize your mind.
7. Organise only if it comes naturally: Sometimes you see relationships and connections immediately and you can add sub-branches to a main idea. Sometimes you don't, so you just connect the ideas to the central focus. Organisation can always come later; the first requirement is to get the ideas out of your head and onto the paper.

Mind Mapping for studying marketers
If all creatures really do adapt to suit their prevailing environment, marketers should soon be developing flat, square fingertips – all the better for tapping our computer keyboards and mouse buttons. CIM students however, have not yet forgotten the feel of a pen in their hand. Whether it’s copious note-taking or 3 hour exam stints, studying members know the heartache of hand-ache, not to mention brain-ache. Mind maps can help with both.

Taking notes
Even if you happen to be a whizz at Pitman shorthand, just copying down what you hear in lectures or what you read in text books is not the only way to take notes. Mind maps can help you start processing information while recording it. Lines, arrows and bubbles make you think conceptually which helps you make connections, linking ideas together in ways that may not have occurred to you if you were writing the more usual 'line-by-line' notes.

Memorising topics
Because completed mind maps show the 'shape' of a subject, the relative importance of individual points and the way one point relates to other, they can be extremely useful as recall tools. Simply scanning a mind map you’ve created previously can refresh a whole topic area in your mind quite quickly. Although mind maps may always not fit on small index cards, they can still provide a refreshing and highly visual aid to revision.

Testing your recall
If you’ve trying to remember a sprawling topic with multiple elements such as the Marketing Planning Cycle, or a Market Research Brief, get yourself a blank sheet of paper and sketch a quick mind map to see how much you’ve remembered. Cross-check it against your notes or text book to fill any gaps.

Exams and assignments
CIM assessors remind students that the highest scoring submissions always manage to answer each and every part of the question or task. To help you methodically dissect a complex or long brief, plan an outline to your answer by creating a rough mind map as you read through the question. It will not necessarily tell you which order to address points in, although this should come to you more easily once you’ve created the map. Don’t forget to review the mind map at the end to check you covered off all the key points.

GLR News has got 25 copies of Tony Buzan’s latest Study Skills Handbook and 25 copies of Tony Buzan’s iMindMap™ software to give away to GLR News readers.

Simply complete our online questionnaire to enter the competition.

Study Skills Handbook
Buzan’s latest skills guide brings together his three key areas of expertise - Memory, Speed Reading and Mind Mapping - into one collection. Perfect for CIM students in the run up to revision or any marketing professional who needs to hone their information processing skills. Although there’s no magic shortcut to getting your CIM qualifications, this book can help you:

• get through more books on your reading list
• read long reports and articles in minutes
• take useful, at-a-glance notes from lectures and presentations
• absorb and retain key information more quickly (1000 words per minute)
• filter out secondary or irrelevant details
• use mind maps to analyse, create, recall, explore and plan any topic
• learn memory techniques and study shortcuts

Mind mapping software
Tony Buzan’s iMindMap™ software replicates the brain-friendly Buzan process on your PC. If you’ve ever wanted to circulate the output of a brainstorming session or share your early meandering thoughts on a creative project, you’ll see how mind-mapping software might be useful. On-screen mind maps are a good way to transport, share and present a large amount of information. Word-weary colleagues may even thank you for sending a colourful graphic rather than reams of notes.

3 years’ free upgrades to boot
Along with the iMindMap software giveaway, Tony Buzan is offering 3 years of free upgrades while the team work on the next iteration of the product. So as a winner of this prize you would be invited to offer feedback and send in requests for the functionality you would like to see in your next free upgrade.

Terms & Conditions
Competition closes on Friday 13 April. We will select 25 book winners and 25 software winners at random and notify them by email by Monday 30 April.

Book winners
We will send book winners their prize by post no later than 1 June. We will ask book winners for their preferred address when we notify them.

Software winners
We will send software winners their prize by email no later than 1 June – a serial number for accessing their prize. Winners must download their iMindMap software no later than 31 July.

Employees of Marketing Zone and members of Greater London Region Board are prohibited from entering the competition. Only one entry per person is permitted. No cash alternative can be substituted for any prize. Names of prize winners will be available on request from the competition promoter. The competition promoter is CIM GLR of Moor Hall, Cookham, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 9QH. The competition promoter may promote the winners in the GLR News.

Find out how you think for Brain Awareness Week

To celebrate Brain Awareness Week (12 - 18th March) GLR News is giving away six personal Thinking-Style profiles – worth £65 each.

Six lucky readers can discover their personal ‘thinking style’ with a leading assessment tool - The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI™).

The HBDI™ is a 120-question diagnostic questionnaire which you complete online and send off for expert analysis. You then receive a personal, full colour HBDI profile, a data summary sheet and four information leaflets guiding you on how to make the most of your results.

Understanding your thinking style preferences can help you achieve a greater appreciation of how you learn, make decisions, manage people, solve problems and communicate. An HBDI profile gives you a unique quadrilateral shape on the image above. This shows whether you are left or right-brained (essentially numeric/factual/analytical or visual/creative/intuitive) and which of the four thinking styles you prefer.

To be in with a chance of winning a Personal HBDI Profile, all you need to do is give us your name and contact details using this form. Six winners will be selected at random and notified by email.

Your profile will be supplied and analysed by international brain training and consultancy company, The Thinking Business. Jayne Cormie, Founder says, “The HBDI Profile is a fantastic tool for marketers to understand what makes them tick, and to unlock the full potential of their brain.”

Jayne herself is a graduate of the Disney Institute in Creativity and Innovation and is licensed by Tony Buzan to provide training in the world famous Mind Mapping® technique, speed reading, memory skills and accelerated learning. “The profile shape shown is typical of someone who is predominantly right-brained with a preference for creative thinking, communication, interpersonal skills, organising and planning. This profile is often found in marketing professionals, as well as people who need to work with many different types of people.” More information on this and on Brain Awareness Week can be found at www.thethinkingbusiness.co.uk.

This is a new feature where, one member at a time, GLR News finds out what “I work in marketing” actually means. Every issue we follow a different GLR member to work to see what they do. They share with us the highs and lows of a typical day in their life as a marketer. If you would like to feature in this section please email us.

First up is Shelley Owen who runs a sports marketing consultancy near Milton Keynes.

In this new feature GLR News follows one of the region’s more ‘seasoned’ marketers on a career retrospective. This issue, we talk to Cathy Jones, Fellow of The CIM and Milton Keynes team member. Cathy, happy to be turning 50 next month reviews her career path with us and traces back her passions for creativity, communications and customer focus.

When I was little I wanted to be…
…a vet or a lawyer. But I think it was early experience of retail and customer service in my grandfather’s Lancashire gentlemen’s tailoring shop that really formed my first career ambitions.

I first realised I was a marketer...
…soon after starting my first job. When I left school I got a bit dazzled by the idea of a steady job and a good salary and, for my sins, became a Tax Officer at HM Inspector of Taxes. It quickly became clear to me that they didn’t much like their customers or treat them well, certainly in those days. And it became even clearer that this really, really bothered me. I knew then I was passionately customer-orientated. This, to me, is at the heart of marketing.

I started my marketing career in…
…retail. You can’t work in retail management and not learn about marketing. I started out as a management trainee with Debenhams in Oxford Street, moved onto M&S, and ended up with Allders Department Stores where eventually I ran my own store for several years.

The best and worst moments of my career…
…were both with Allders. My store entered an Evening Standard ‘Best Santa’s Grotto in London’ competition and won, beating Harrods by a mile! I still have clippings! My career-stopping, nightmare moment was while I managed a South London store. For an in-store promotion I had organised an appearance by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I hadn’t really understood their gi-normous popularity and we ended up with the police closing off the entire high street due to hundreds and hundreds of people trying to get in to see them. Good PR, Big Trouble.

The best career move I made…
…was a total leap of faith into a completely different industry. After 14 years in retail management -I think I was on a beach somewhere in Malaysia -when I had the overwhelming feeling that I just didn’t want to do it any more. I went for a job as Marketing Director with a Further Education College. Looking back I think it was a pull towards creative marketing and communications that was getting stronger.

The career move I should have made but didn’t…
I always have followed my instincts on career choices. I always tell my CIM students to run with what their heart tells them to do. If it feels right, what’s the worst that can happen? Even when I was made redundant in the 90s, I just thought it was fate showing me it was time to move on… I have no regrets about my career at all, but if I could have done one thing earlier on in life, I would have worked for an agency sooner. The level of expertise you witness and the variety of experience you gather is hugely valuable.

The toughest marketing challenge I faced…
…was marketing in academia. Back then in the early 90s, educational establishments were still quite new to many aspects of marketing and academics notoriously demand to see evidence for every decision and every action. It was a tough audience to turn and all my powers of diplomacy and patience were put to the test. It was fun working closely with students though and this is something I still do with my CIM training.

Gaining my CIM qualification helped me…
…relax. Because I didn’t formally study marketing until later on in my career, I’d already been ‘doing the do’ for several years and secretly suspected I was winging it a bit – and probably getting a lot of if wrong. Getting qualified helped me realise I had been doing it right – mostly! My Professional Postgraduate Diploma made me more serious about becoming the best marketer I could be. A journey I’m still on.

My remaining ambitions…
…have cooled off a bit and I’m feeling quite chilled about things now! My new job as Creative Development Manager with a marketing services agency suits me well. I get huge enjoyment out of winning new clients and accounts. Also after eight years of self-employment and freelancing it’s nice to be in a more social environment. I plan to continue tutoring CIM students as training is one of the joys of my professional life.

If I had to explain to a 5-year old what marketing is, I would say…
…it’s all about writing stories and painting pictures so that people buy things…

get chartered for people who are serious about marketing

Keep one step ahead and get rewarded with CPD hours
There are some great GLR events this spring and so lots of opportunities to earn the 35 hours of CPD you need for Chartered status. But did you know you can also earn CPD hours for reading certain publications, attending conferences and holding meetings?

Here’s a quick reminder of these and other ways you can attain or maintain your Chartered status and the maximum number of hours you can claim per year. View the rules, definitions and details .

• Meetings (10 hours)
• Conferences & exhibitions (10 hours)
• In-company development (35 hours with a maximum of 8 hours for Promotion & Appraisal)
• Post-qualification studies (35 hours)
• Short courses (35 hours)
• Language training (35 hours)
• Imparting knowledge (14 hours)
• Mentoring (21 hours)
• Contribution to the community (8 hours)
• Private study (8 hours)

Even though you need to be MCIM or FCIM to be Chartered, you can start collecting CPD hours as an Associate Member or an Affiliate Professional Member. You’ll need to show two years’ evidence, so there’s no time like the present...

The Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire branch has announced its meeting dates for 2007. If you are a member in this area and would like to get involved in planning and organising local CIM events, join the next meeting on 9 May.

Apart from the opportunity to meet people from outside your sector and broaden your marketing horizons, you get CPD points for every meeting you attend including any events you help organize. You can claim up to 10 hours a year under this category – that’s nearly a third of your requirement to reach or retain Chartered Marketer status.

Contact team leader Stuart White for meeting venues. “Meetings are often held in Harpenden as that seems to be a halfway point for several team members at the moment, but this is flexible – in fact a change would be quite nice!”

Launch your 2007 studies with a free CIM audio podcast and supporting factsheet

Created by CIM's North West Region in partnership with Student Support Group (SSG), the podcast provides CIM-specific study hints and tips to help you maximise use of your precious study time.

Last term almost 300 students downloaded this podcast. We’re making it available for GLR students but only for a limited period, so download it today.

Ideal for all studying members but especially those who are new to CIM this term, this podcast can help you:

• Discover your preferred learning style
• Appreciate CIM Examiner requirements, standards and syllabus
• Learn how to decide what’s important (and what’s not!)
• Develop techniques for retaining information
• Test your subject knowledge
• Improve reading and note-taking skills
• Research topics, find useful Case studies and topical examples
• Master your use of the 3 C’s: Customers, Company and Competitiveness
• Successfully creating high standard CIM exam answers

To download the study tips podcast, you need to be a registered CIM studying member and be able to download, store and play MP3 files using e.g. an iPod, MP3 player or computer.

You can get even more free study advice and useful web links in this CIM/SSG fact-sheet.

Results from last December’s assessments were published a few weeks ago. Congratulations to those who achieved the results they wanted. For those who didn’t, there are a range of CIM services to help you get back on track with your studies.

Here we’ve listed the next few months’ key dates and deadlines.

On behalf of members GLR News welcomes our new Board

Colin Linton (Chair) “Successful members are at the heart of a successful CIM. We need to do as much as we can so that people feel they are getting great value from being a GLR member. The Board and I look forward to making this a region for members to be proud of.”

Mocky Khan (Vice Chair & Heathrow and West London team leader) “It is a challenging but very rewarding role as I get to meet fellow marketers. We plan and organise events on hot topics that are affecting our industry and in the process I get to grow my network and knowledge."

Brian Burgess (Finance) ”Managing the accounts for the Greater London Region, I share the Board’s responsibility to see that we are investing our resources wisely in excellent services for local members.”

Claire Dirdal (North London team leader) “Getting involved in the GLR teams looks fantastic on the CV. Plus between them, other members provide me with an invaluable support network and sounding board anytime it's needed.”

Louisa Hebden (Central London team leader) “I was originally from a non-marketing background, so The Chartered Institute of Marketing has filled a knowledge gap and also keeps me up to date with current thinking and themes. I’m looking forward to my first year as team leader."

John Housden "As an 'elder statesman' of The Institute, I am delighted that Central London reformed last year and am very pleased to be part of the new line-up."

Georges Knell “Having worked in marketing roles across Europe, I can bring GLR my experience of marketing in an international context."

Shelley Owen (Milton Keynes team leader) “The Milton Keynes branch has got a very strong record of events and team involvement. I’m looking forward to meeting more members in the region and discussing my ideas for new services.”

Ann Prayle “I’m looking forward to addressing some fresh challenges on the Board and being the CIM ‘student voice’. Having been a student relatively recently, I hope this will help ensure what we do is relevant and up-to-date.”

Steven Revill “I’m delighted that a re-launched Central London team is up-and-running. This year holds some great opportunities for members in the capital and the wider region.”

June Sheedy (outgoing Chair) "I strongly believe that the benefits of membership are greatest when you take part in shaping the future of the organisation. The Board offers an open invitation to all GLR members to comment, contribute and join in."

John Sweeney "The Chartered Institute of Marketing provides a fantastic opportunity to meet marketing professionals, exchange ideas and learn from each other."

Jon Twomey (Studying Members) "My focus is on studying members who have to juggle their studies around hectic working lives. The services we provide in this region must reflect their specific needs."

Julie Walker “I hope to add value to GLR members by developing greater links between the worlds of technology and marketing. I think this is a key area for the discipline of marketing.”

Michael Warne (Regional Director) “As The Institute’s Regional Director for London and the South East I support the work of the board by helping them to guide and motivate the local member groups and share best practice across regions.”

Stuart White (Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire team leader) “Joining your regional team is a great way to really influence how The Institute works, the events it runs and the ideas it comes up with for new services.”

The winner of GLR’s January issue Life Coaching Competition worth £900 is lucky Jo Fells, Head of Press & Marketing at the Museum of London.

Jo, 41, from Islington in London, manages a marketing team of three and press team of four who together arrange all promotion, press coverage and campaigns for the Museum of London.

Jo was over the moon at the news of her win. We contacted her at the museum to get her reaction: “I’m delighted! A friend suggested Life Coaching was worth considering a year or two back, and I've not had the spare cash or time to commit to a programme. This prize will get me to focus a bit more on my plans and how to shape my future rather than be shaped by events around me.”

“I'm not entirely sure what to expect though. I like the idea of coaching rather than counselling as it has a far more positive slant - my idea is that it's about what I can do for myself, but through refining my ideas. I'm not a great navel-gazer - this sounds more like a programme for a doer.”

Jo will be undertaking her complementary six-part programme with leading Life Coach and CIM GLR Member Hannah McNamara over the next few months. While carefully respecting Jo’s confidentiality GLR News hopes to track Jo’s progress. We’ll be catching up with her in summer to see what she thought of the Life Coaching experience and to glean some tips and techniques for the rest of us who would also like to get ourselves organised!

Thanks to all of you who entered the competition. Good luck with this issue’s Competitions.