I don’t know about you, but although I feel fairly proficient on the computer, but I still love to discover new tricks to make my work even more productive.
It is in this spirit that I adapted a recent David Pogue (NYTimes.com/Pogue) column outlining some everyday tips sent in by his readers. I have further rearranged them into easily skimmed categories, so you can focus on the areas you find the most helpful. Enjoy!
Windows Tricks
- You can double-click a word to highlight it in any document, e-mail or Web page.
- You can hide all windows, revealing only what's on the computer desktop, with one keystroke: Windows key+D in Windows, F11 on Macs (or, on recent Mac laptops, Command+F3; Command is the key with the cloverleaf logo). That's great when you want examine or delete something you've just downloaded to the desktop, for example. Press the keystroke again to return to what you were doing.
- You can adjust the size and position of any window on your computer. Drag the top strip to move it; drag the lower-right corner (Mac) or any edge (Windows) to resize it.
- If you can't find some obvious command, like Delete in a photo program, try clicking using the right-side mouse button. (On the Mac, you can Control-click instead.)
- You can open the Start menu by tapping the key with the Windows logo on it.
- You can switch from one open program to the next by pressing Alt+Tab (Windows) or Command-Tab (Mac).
- Just putting something into the Trash or the Recycle Bin doesn't actually delete it. You then have to *empty* the Trash or Recycle Bin. (Once a year, I hear about somebody whose hard drive is full, despite having practically no files. It's because over the years, they've put 79 gigabytes' worth of stuff in the Recycle Bin and never emptied it.)
Web Tricks
- You don't have to type "http://www" into your Web browser. Just type the remainder: "nytimes.com" or "dilbert.com," for example. (In the Safari browser, you can even leave off the ".com" part.)
- You can enlarge the text on any Web page. In Windows, press Ctrl and the plus or minus keys (for bigger or smaller fonts); on the Mac, it's the Command key and plus or minus.
- You can also enlarge the entire Web page or document by pressing the Control key as you turn the wheel on top of your mouse. On the Mac, this enlarges the entire screen image.
- You can tap the Space bar to scroll down on a Web page one screen. Add the Shift key to scroll back up.
- When you're filling in the boxes on a Web page (like City, State, Zip), you can press the Tab key to jump from box to box, rather than clicking. Add the Shift key to jump through the boxes backwards.
- When you're searching for something on the Web using, say, Google, put quotes around phrases that must be searched together. For example, if you put quotes around "electric curtains," Google won't waste your time finding one set of Web pages containing the word "electric" and another set containing the word "curtains."
- You can use Google to do math for you. Just type the equation, like 23*7+15/3=, and hit Enter. Oh, yeah: on the computer, * means "times" and / means "divided by."
- Google is also a units-of-measurement and currency converter. Type "teaspoons in 1.3 gallons," for example, or "euros in 17 dollars." Click Search to see the answer.
Cameras & Phones
- On the iPhone, hit the Space bar twice at the end of a sentence. You get a period, a space, and a capitalized letter at the beginning of the next word.
- On most cellphones, press the Send key to open up a list of recent calls. Instead of manually dialing, you can return a call by highlighting one of these calls and pressing Send again.
- The number of megapixels does not determine a camera's picture quality; that's a marketing myth. The sensor size is far more important. (Use Google to find it. For example, search for "sensor size Nikon D90.")
- Forcing the camera's flash to go off prevents silhouetted, too-dark faces when you're outdoors.
- You generally can't send someone more than a couple of full-size digital photos as an e-mail attachment; those files are too big, and they'll bounce back to you. (Instead, use iPhone or Picasa--photo-organizing programs that can automatically scale down photos in the process of e-mailing them.)
- Whatever technology you buy today will be obsolete soon, but you can avoid heartache by learning the cycles. New iPods come out every September. New digital cameras typically come out in February and October.
Miscellaneous Tricks
- Come up with an automated backup system for your computer. There's no misery quite like the sick feeling of having lost chunks of your life because you didn't have a safety copy.
- When someone sends you some shocking e-mail and suggests that you pass it on, don't. At least not until you've first confirmed its truth at snopes.com, the Internet's authority on e-mailed myths. This includes get-rich schemes, Microsoft/AOL cash giveaways, Nigerian inheritance schemes, or political scare-tactic messages of any sort.
- When you get an e-mail message from eBay or your bank, claiming that you have an account problem or a question from a buyer, it's probably a "phishing scam" intended to trick you into typing your password. Never click the link in the message. If in doubt, go directly to the account in question and send their customer service department an inquiry.
It might seem odd to tie trade promotion issues to the current debate about “what is the right amount of government regulation?”, but I saw an interesting survey today that got me thinking…
A few days ago, the GMA SmartBrief on Leadership email feed recapped their survey asking "What's your opinion of the government's decision to increase market regulation after last week's crisis?"
More than 1,170 readers weighed in with the following results:
· The markets have become so complicated that stronger oversight is needed to protect the economy -- 432 votes, 36.9%
· More active regulation is necessary to prevent even more meltdowns -- 266 votes, 22.7%
· Allowing the markets to regulate themselves is more important in the long run to continued growth and creativity in the financial sector -- 216 votes, 18.5%
· It invites too much political involvement in what should be a purely economic activity -- 174 votes, 14.9%
· The downside constraints and expense of regulation will pose even greater burdens on the economy -- 83 votes, 7.1%
Three months ago, SmartBrief on Leadership asked readers a very similar question “Should the Federal Reserve take a more active role in regulating the markets?” with entirely different results:
- 34% said “No, it invites too much political involvement”
- 21% said “Yes, the markets are too complicated”
- 19% said “No, it will place too many constraints on the economy”
- 15% said “No, in the long run its more important to allow for creativity in the financial markets.”
- Only 11% said “Yes, more active regulation is needed to prevent further meltdowns.”
“Interesting…support for regulation has almost doubled in just a few months. Clearly, a sense of urgency has developed that has caused executives to reconsider the case for regulation,” said Eva Schmatz, president of Summus, who conducted the poll for SmartBrief.
So what does this have to do with TPM? In theory, heightened regulation ---- and even more so, a heightened acceptance of regulation --- places business executives on alert to assure that their enterprise is functioning at an efficient and tractable fashion. Look at the reaction public companies took with the introduction of Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. The current crisis, therefore, will not only place burdens on business borrowing practice and availability, but will also tighten their internal operations and oversight.
If your auditing and tracking of TPM is not up to the task, expect the pressures to “get your house in order” to be increasing. The Foodservice University TPM Forum has discussed best practice in this space and during our webinars (archived here). The time to fine-tune (or create) your TPM strategy is here. Don’t wait for the other shoe to drop before you “professionalize” your process and auditing. It could be too late…
“When you fight monsters, be careful you do not become one yourself.”
--- Frederic Bourdin, French Philosopher
In case you haven’t heard, the SE is experiencing a severe gasoline crisis due to hurricane Ike, with stations closed and long lines when one does open with a supply.
Returning from lunch today, I purposely took the route that passed my favorite BP station, in hopes that they may have had a delivery during the morning. Sure enough, there was a line in the access lane approaching the station, and an orange-vested guy directing traffic. I fell into line behind the last car, approximately two blocks from the station.
After about half a block, I passed our favorite Chinese restaurant, Chin Chin. Out front there was a handwritten sign:
“CALL! CALL! 678-560-5550 CHIN CHIN We will deliver food to your car while you waiting for gas!”
This might be considered as a living example of "when life hands you lemons...make lemonade." Only in this case its probably Kung Pao Chicken...
As we watch clips of the candidates, and watch congressional hearings on the Wall Street crisis, I thought I would explore LEADERSHIP, and the traits necessary to define it.
Harvard Business Review recently published a short article by John Baldoni entitled “Three Traits of a Tough Leader.” (Link at the bottom of this post).
In it, he posits that it’s not about what’s on the outside (gruff and ready), but rather what is inside (character and resilience). He also outlines ways leaders can demonstrate toughness:
They defuse tension. Maintain the sense of urgency, but give people some breathing room.
They get up off the floor. It’s not about getting knocked down; it’s about what you do next.
They let off some steam. Vent when you need to, but focus on the situation, not the person.
Lastly, the author discusses an element of toughness that is often overlooked: Humility. Owning up to failure is not a weakness; it's a measure of strength. First, it demonstrates a willingness to accept consequences. Second, it demonstrates humanness; human beings make mistakes. It also creates opportunity to move forward.
Evaluate your own experience --- and those of your leaders throughout your career --- against these traits. How have you (and they) faired?
I can’t resist moving this discussion into the current presidential race; and when you do, it’s easy to see how these traits need to apply to our country’s next “chief executive.” Based on the clips and speeches you have seen, how do you think they are doing?
Lastly, a survey was recently conducted by Summus, Ltd., a research and information-based consulting practice focused on enterprise management. They polled business owners and managers with the following question: Which of the following leadership qualities do you think is most important in a president?
-
Character -- 816 votes, 43.38%
-
Vision -- 715 votes, 37.89%
-
Experience -- 169 votes, 9.02%
-
Backbone -- 144 votes, 7.68%
-
Empathy -- 39 votes, 2.03%
Current media rabble aside, character and vision come out on top in this focused (though unscientific) survey. We can only hope that voters use these criteria as an important part of their decision in this year's important "new hire"…
As I speak to many of my colleagues around the country, they are all lamenting the softness in their sales “…cause the economy sucks.” Indeed, the news this week from Wall Street was precedent-setting: two giant brokerage firms and the largest insurance underwriter in the world “on the brink.” Despite the subsequent government bailout, the effects of these and similar economic issues will be felt by consumers and businesses in the US for many months to come.
During my foodservice career, I had to lead my organization thru several recessions and economic slowdowns. It always perturbed me when one of my sales people (or worse yet, a manager) would tell me his sales were off “because of the bad economy.” I always prided myself on being a compassionate manager, but using the economy over and over as an excuse just wouldn’t cut it with me. As one of my early mentors always used to say, “I didn’t ask you WHAT the problem was, I asked you WHAT you were going to do about it!”
In turbulent times, one needs to be even more proactive, focused, and targeted than normal. Tough times can even provide opportunity and advantage because customers will be looking for only the best suppliers. Suppliers that have a proven track record, suppliers that offer solid value propositions.
So if you’ve done your homework, built long lasting relationships with your customers, and have a clear view of your company’s value proposition, you will have a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Now is the time to leverage that advantage. There is a good possibility that your competitor’s sales organization will be nervous --- and perhaps easing off a little --- so your opportunities to obtain extra share is even better than normal.
Some basic principles to use to guide you might be:
- Remind your sales team of the basic “best practices” that served them in the past
- Discuss and understand your company’s role and value in the market place
- Develop or refine your individual territory action plans based on current conditions
- Renew some training and development exercises to keep everyone sharp and focused
- Create territory plans which target accounts based on potential for long-term growth
- Create your own change by being alert to market and industry trends
So it’s NOT the economy, stupid…it could be YOU! And that’s something you DO have control over…
It may seem counterintuitive, but the ultra-premium market in nearly every consumer good is flourishing. It is continuing proof that during tough economic times that both the low end and the high end of any commodity or service seem to thrive, while the middle is squeezed at every turn.
Current sales statistics in the foodservice industry prove this concept as well. But as a manufacturer, it is risky to address only the low or high end during this temporary correction, so what is an organization to do?
It discusses the Mars company’s lavish introduction of the new “M&M Premiums” product this week. A current trend and a common theme, Mars “premiumized” their ubiquitous M&M candies with new packaging, product, and varieties of M&M candies. The article further outlines some of the current statistics --- and global issues --- driving this trend.
All well and good, but what does this mean to me? I make a good product, at a good price, and sell it into that “middle segment” whose sales suck right now. How does this work for me?
The premiumization concept should be thought of on a continuum. Any product at any level can be “tweaked” to “raise its value” to the user. But the introduction of a new product would require significant investment in development, marketing, and sales effort to before the producer would see a pay off in sales. Perhaps a more logical effort could be investment in a range of “premium-style” menu applications for all of your mid-scale segments, along with access by authorized small chains to your menu development resources to customize and premiumize some applications for them alone.
If you sell chicken, for example, develop exotic and interesting “premium-positioned” sandwiches like Thai or Greek-influenced applications using easily-sourced sauces, condiments, or breads. Smart marketers may also want to establish alliances with complimentary producers to work together on this strategy (i.e. source a good sauce company and an artesian bread maker for a combined effort to market the application in our example).
Support these new and interesting menu applications with a strong communication plan, field and agency training effort, and a range of PROMOTIONS to encourage distributors and operators to advertise or menu these ideas.
The bottom line is the “bottom line”: When an operator is struggling, they want to give their patrons something NEW & DIFFERENT, that PROVIDES VALUE. Smart premiumization accomplishes all three. The added benefit is that you have firmly established yourself as a resource to your channel partners. They will not forget that as the economy improves.
“… nobody likes to look like everyone else or consume the same way. The result is what marketers call ‘differentiation frenzy.’ It’s particularly acute because, in a post-ideological world, who you are is defined less by what you think…than by what you purchase and eat.” --- Roger Cohen
I normally would have posted a new blog by now, but my primary computer CRASHED again and went into BRICK mode. Temporarily without my files and notes, I can’t complete the follow-up to my “Faster Horses” blog as I had planned. Instead, I thought I would rant about technology…and the world.
I have always been interested and intrigued with technology. Typically an “early adopter” I have had the Commodore 64, Apple II, Radio Shack TRS-80, and an original MAC, purchased when they were first introduced in 1984. Remember the really cool 1984 ad?
That was twenty-five years ago, and though technology has advanced far beyond what we all could have imagined, it continues to break down at its most base level: with the user. Think about how easy it is to buy a computer; but how incredibly complex it is to set it up, and transfer your files. Think about having to go out and source a wireless router and set up your own home network by yourself, without the assistance of a workman in grey Dickies to set it up and get it running. Sure, you can still HIRE someone from Geek Squad or similar to make a house call, but the cost to do so can sometimes approach the cost of the computer hardware you just bought!
The dichotomy is that technology has advanced so broadly --- and can do so much --- that it became a complex monster, consuming huge chunks of time and money, when it was designed to SAVE you both. Hard drive crashes --- even with data back-up resources --- will cripple you for days and sometimes weeks. New hardware and software can astound --- but often remain a nightmare to set up. (A great example is the new iPhone. Now that it is configured and interoperable with my laptop and the MobileMe cloud server, it is an astounding tool. But it took over two weeks of study, trial and error, lots of frustration to get there. That’s just plain wrong.)
So what is my point? In a way, our triumphs and frustrations with technology might be a metaphor for life today. Our highs are higher, and our lows are lower. When the economy was cooking, it was red hot; but when it crashes... The world builds the fastest cars ever available, but they run on gasoline that is in short supply, is expensive, and moves us toward environmental disaster. The military industrial complex can produce awesome weapons, yet our current wars are fought in hand-to-hand combat. We have become a global economy, and yet are bitterly divided in socioeconomic and religious warfare based on fundamentalism that is many centuries old. Its all so weird and frustrating.
OK...I'm done now. I feel better, until I read the paper again. And by the way, HP said it will take up to 14 days to repair my computer. Your friendly blogger will be limping along until then...
"There you go again, giving a f*ck when its not your turn to do so." --- George Carlin
A recent study by Technomic Associates was published in the last few days, indicating that nearly nine out of 10 New Yorkers favor their city’s recent menu-labeling mandate, because they “believe it helps them make better choices when dining out.”
My role as restaurant owner and industry consultant has been in conflict with my “consumer” role on this issue. As a proponent of healthy eating (at least some of the time) I would like to know more about the dish being offered to me. Conversely, as a restaurant owner, I understand the challenge that “full disclosure” requires, especially since most food manufacturers often cannot provide the end user with the information or tools to convert your dish to the proper “reporting format.” Instead of fighting the trend, the state and national restaurant associations need to assist their members with this challenge.
The aforementioned survey indicated that a number of New Yorker restaurant patrons have CHANGED their ordering based on the nutrition information provided. The New York law only affects operations with 15 or more units, and concentrates on calorie counts. Yet 86% of the respondents favored the new regulation.
Technomic executive vice president Bob Goldin states, “I kind of sensed there was a shift [in public perception] based on some other work I’ve done concerning government regulation and restaurant responsibility,” and expressed surprise at how many respondents were in favor of calorie disclosure. "…I think it’s an indication that we’re going to see a lot more mandated nutritional disclosure that likely will go beyond calories," he said. "It’s a brave new world."
So what does this mean to all of us in the restaurant SUPPLY business? To me, it calls out an OPPORTUNITY to the upward links on the supply chain to begin thinking about how to:
-
CHANGE our assumptions about why customers buy our products, and
-
SUPPORT the end-user in his effort to not only provide high-quality menu items, but to REPORT their advantages (and disadvantages) clearly for their customers.
Smart suppliers will further address this trend as an opportunity to cut back on useless trade promotion, and create TOOLS for end users to use and/or access to assure that they properly state nutritional and caloric details.
Likewise, smart restaurant groups will empower their lobbyists to embrace this fact and try to set the proper agenda for state regulation, rather than let uninformed state assemblies set the criteria.
The bottom line is that this is GOOD NEWS. Perhaps the future may not include 67% of Americans classified as obese…
"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." -- Henry Ford
Webcasts, video conferences, online classrooms, and on-demand presentations and training…have all become even hotter tools for the corporate world of late. Is the technology driving this popularity? Yes and no. The technology is not particularly new; it’s been around for several years now. Likewise, broadband access (required to effectively watch and/or participate in online events) has been a staple for corporations and road warriors for a time also, albeit enhanced by the explosion of wireless networks and devises for universal 3G connectivity.
No, the recent popularity of these tools has advanced due to the sluggish economy, and corporate efforts to rein in their costs. Fuel prices have significantly increased the expense of traveling; yet business goes on, and communication and collaboration must also. In addition, the online tools for collaboration and interaction have steadily gotten better. State-of-the-art videoconferencing systems are expensive ($20-$100k), but the experience can be so lifelike as to closely replicate a “live meeting”. The screens are life size, often with a conference table between you and the screens so that it appears your associates are across the table from you. Gone are the jerky videos feed with shadowed images and low quality sound.
Although the economy has jump-started this trend, “…These technology tools are going to change the way corporations think about travel and work in the long run,” say analysts at Forester Research.
The results can be seen not only in the expensive new telepresence systems like those from Cisco Systems and HP, but also in more mainstream collaboration technologies — Web conferencing, online document sharing, wikis and Internet telephony. Simple audio and desktop presentations in Web-based meetings, for example, are now more likely to be in sync and interactive, as evidenced by my company’s simple Foodservice University FORUM webinars over the last two years.
Companies of all sizes are beginning to shift to web-based meetings for both training and sales presentations. Back in the day, we used to travel to have an introductory meeting to explore the viability of doing business with a new customer. Now salespeople can arrange an online presentation to interactively present their capabilities and explore the sales opportunities, using simple screen-sharing technologies like WebEx or GoToWebinar, along with a conference telephone . And clients often prefer these events to the interruptions of a personal meeting early in the relationship. Of course, no one suggests that face-to-face meetings are obsolete. Quite the contrary. However, the process of selectively focusing business travel is much more productive and cost-effective.
Over the course of the next several weeks, TPMusings will examine the tools and technology involved in online collaboration, adding a few foodservice-centric ideas for how to use them as a devise to differentiate yourself from your competition.
Watch this space…
“Companies are often tempted to throttle back on investment and innovation during recessions, and experience shows that that's often the best time to ratchet innovation efforts up." --- John Kao, innovation consultant
Is it possible to persuade with a PowerPoint? Of course it is. Those of us in sales use PowerPoint to walk a prospect thru the features and benefits of our products every day. In his new book, Harry Mills provides six strategies to optimize persuasive impact in Power Points! How to Design & Deliver Presentations That Sizzle and Sell. Here is a brief recap:
Align PowerPoint with the brain. We all receive information via two channels --- visual and verbal. By combining limited graphics with verbal support, we can assure the best comprehension of the material. Don’t overload either channel, or you risk a missed connection on one or more of the points you are trying to make. Your presentation should also encourage “active processing”…allow your audience to select, organize, and integrate information somewhat on their own, interacting with them (if possible) thru questions or commentary during the presentation.
Segment your presentation into visually digestible bites. Avoid too much information too fast; try to limit each slide to dealing with a single point (or perhaps several closely related points). Pace yourself at two to three minutes per slide (i.e. 10 slides in 30 minutes). Use handouts as needed to provide more depth or clarification to some points.
Create context and “location” with graphic organizers. Give your audience a sense of time, place, and direction by incorporating a graphic organizer into your presentation, such as a timeline, pie chart, matrix, or a variety of other choices to organize and content. Discretely use PowerPoint's "Build" and "Color" features to enhance your information and process. Beware, however, that you can have too much of a good thing!
Persuade with visuals wherever possible. Visuals move audiences. Research has shown that presenters who use visuals are more persuasive than those who don't. Visuals also increase message retention. Tip: minimize text on each slide. “Small bites” of text are much easier to digest and remember. And consider converting words into visuals or graphics whenever possible.
Eliminate all but essential text and audiovisual effects. We all know that “less is more” with PowerPoint, but are often so excited by the cool tools in PowerPoint that we often go overboard. Realize that many of the "extras" that that you add to presentations (clip art, sounds, music, and animation) can sometimes REDUCE persuasion. Remove anything that does not DIRECTLY support your central message. Be overly critical with your own presentations, removing superfluous corporate logos (except for title page) and minimize on-screen text that you intend to narrate.
Sequence complex visuals. Nothing can confuse and irritate an audience more than complex diagrams. Presenters needing to use complex visuals should present its component parts as separate slides (or a slide that appears to build each part). Remember, it takes the same amount of time to present five points on a slide, as it does to present one point on five slides.
Six simple, yet effective, PowerPoint tips for improved presentations. See how easy that was?
“A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people." --- Will Rogers, American comedian, humorist