Behind the Scenes at Global-Roam

No, we’re not dead.  We’re doing decidedly better (even) than an “ex-parrot” nailed to the perch.

1)  Where we are doing well

In fact, just last week the guys in the office put together a document listing a large number of things we have going for us, or are doing right.  Here’s my short summary of what they said:

(A) Business Vision

There was universal agreement that the underlying vision for the business was sound (after all, most employees, and even a few ex-employees, have invested in the company in Round 3 or Round 2).

It was also reiterated that our chosen business model was also one of our advantages.

We are also not afraid to pause for introspection, such as discussed here.

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(Photo: sloth_rider)

I recently attended an IIB event entitled Building the Resilient Company. The purpose of the event (straight from the program) was to provide insights into the current economic cycle, the challenges to survive and the strategies to prepare for an economic recovery. To sum: we are in the shit, how do we get out?
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No, I’m not talking about corona discharge on HV AC power lines – I’m referring to the more esoteric notion of “Buzz Marketing”.

Hang on a sec … just what is Buzz Marketing?

I asked the very same question, the first time I heard the term – a few years ago now.

The best definition I have come across is that it’s just like “Word of Mouth” Marketing/Advertising (i.e. people talking about you) – with the addition that you make a conscious, structured effort to get and sustain people talking about your product.

”Viral Marketing” is another coin termed for the same process .

Buzz Marketing in the energy industry?

Yeah right!

There are probably not many industries that could conjure up (and carry off with good effect) the  marvellous advertisement revolving around the line:

“We’re excited by electricity, even if you’re not”

I did try to find some video-record of this advert, but was somewhat surprised to find that there was nothing recorded on YouTube or elsewhere (or at least none I could find).

Perhaps the advert itself is symbolic – TRUenergy gets all the industry insiders laughing at the joke, but Mr Joe Public – well, is sleeping on.  Certainly it does seem that no one was sufficiently inspired to put a bootleg copy of the advert onto YouTube.

PS – did find this one, later, but it’s not exactly the one I was thinking of… (at 3,379 views currently, it does seem to have woken slumbering Joe Public  – albeit very slightly)

My main point, here, is that there does not seem to be a lot of space in the energy market for a bit of buzz.  Too geeky, too complicated, not sexy enough, or just damn boring?

Well, all’s not lost yet…

Why this article now?

That’s a good question!
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Why are we interested in internet marketing?

Our business is a little different than the “typical” internet marketer (though I guess they all say that).

Yes, we do deliver “information products” (ours is software) over the web, but our clients are mainly large corporates who operate in a narrow, vertical industry.  Our software is priced well above the typical level of the typical e-book, and it’s for a pretty specific target market.  That said, there’s pretty much noone who’s life (and business) is not touched by electricity in a significant way - hence there is a broad potential market for us to tap into, in the future, as we seek to find other unmet needs for understanding of of the electricity market.

Given our type of client, a degree of one-on-one interaction is still necessary, so we are looking to internet marketing to augment our holistic approach to marketing (online and offline) - as part of a larger project of upgrading (and part-automating) our “Business Management System”, as I like to call it.

Over the past 18 months I have learnt a great deal about marketing, and am continuing to explore other avenues for learning, such that I can help the company meet its ambitious growth targets over the next 10 years.

The System Seminar 2009

In March this year I attended The System Seminar in Chicago. We weren’t sure what I would bring back from the experience, but if it turned out to be a poor investment at the very least we would know not to attend in future years.

The seminar featured presentations on a broad range of areas of Internet marketing. For each presenter, I have highlighted a couple of points that I found most useful or relevant to our company.

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Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence

Please Understand Me II is the most fascinating look at interpersonal relationships that I have ever read.  It deals with a plethora of issues ranging from parent/child relationships to marriage, and does so in a way that is both understandable and enjoyable to read.  From a business perspective, the book deals with two key areas that every company should be aware of – intelligence and leadership.  The primary focus of Keirsey’s book is the four temperaments - the Artisan, Guardian, Idealist and Rational.  In it he explores how these temperaments have been described through history (as far back as two thousand years or more) by various authors and expanding on what the temperaments are and how they interact with each other as partners, parents, children, leaders and subordinates.  Most importantly, Keirsey discusses intelligence in great detail.

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For us, the answer is not as easy as it might first seem….

(a)  Note that my question was NOT “what does Google know about Innovation?” – for surely they would know enough for several book’s worth of material.

(b)  I am more focused on us (a small-sized software company based in Milton, Brisbane) and wondering what WE can learn – provided we are not too dumb, distracted or egotistical to really hear the messages that were presented to us.

I’m writing this post 2 weeks after the Warren Centre’s “2009 Innovation Lecture”, featuring Lars Rasmussen of Google.

There were three of us who attended – myself, and two of our developers.  Paul has already posted his comments about what he gained from the lecture.

Given my focus is more on “Working ON, not IN, the business” (or at least I try for it to be), my interest was moreso in the lessons we could learn from the two projects (Google Maps and Google Wave) rather than the technology per-se.  For this reason, I found the obligatory product demo of the Wave mid-way through the presentation a little tedious, and would rather have heard more about Lars’ personal experiences of innovation during the two projects.

However, I was not totally disappointed – as the lecture was accompanied by some well-written notes (big copyright notice, so can’t scan here) and the synopsis also provided by the Warren Centre online.

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One of the benefits of working at Global-Roam is the strong emphasis we have on self-improvement. We do everything short of eating books and articles concerned with marketing, software development practices, and creativity. Very regularly we brainstorm, philosophize, furrow eyebrows and pull serious faces in an attempt improve some aspect of the company.

One day, the boss-man (aka Paul McArdle, or as telemarketers like to call him, Paul McArdie) was bulldozing his junkmail collection when he happened upon an advertisement for The Warren Centre’s 2009 Innovation Lecture (http://www.warren.usyd.edu.au/bulletin/NO58/ed58art1.htm). He was about to feed it through the woodchipper when he noticed that the guest speaker was Dr Lars Rasmussen of Google Maps fame.

He immediately emailed the rest of us to see who might be interested in attending. He already knew that interest would be unanimous and yet unfortunately the company coffers were not bottomless. With grave finality (and maybe a hint of sadistic glee) he announced that there would only be three tickets purchased, and that he himself would attend. The reaction to this news was immediate and the air was cold with a sense of hostility (and perhaps the onset of winter). Tempers flared, teeth gnashed and Paul appraised the scene from atop his desk, rubbing his chin. Animals. How could he dispense the tickets without creating dissent among those who would miss out? Should it be first-in best-dressed? Should they be doled out based upon performance? Organised cage matches? Or perhaps he could just throw the tickets into the crowd and let God sort it out..

Then the most obvious question struck me. “Hang on. Is this during work hours?”

“It starts at 6pm”.

“PPFFFFFFFT!”
Tears flowed as I tried to stem the flow of coffee from my nose. Before I could react, excuses were flying around the room like angry hornets.

Shane the Canadian chimed in: “It sounds pretty cool eh, but I’ve got to write another hilarious blog post. They don’t write themselves and I have too many NEM-Watches to sell eh.”

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Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace

Personal Binary Review: 1

Entertaining, easy to read, interesting ideas, storybook format.

Business Binary Review: 0

Lessons more applicable to large manufacturing corporations struggling with outdated organisational structures and ideas, less applicable to younger, more agile organisations not run by dinosaurs masquerading as men.

The basic point of the entire book, is that Semler is a renegade, who implemented the idea of empowering his employees (in Brazil of all places) and actually treating them like people, and it paid off. I know, shocking, right?

Still, some interesting points:

• Complete transparency to the inner workings of the company, including employee salaries. Everyone knows everything.
• People set their own salaries, which allows for voluntary cuts during hard times, and raises and bonuses during good times. System isnt open to manipulation, because everyone knows everything from the point above.
• Challenge anything, anywhere, anytime and have people in power who will listen.

In summary, interesting, entertaining story but business lessons not really applicable to us.