Have you been on television yet?

In speaking with a gentleman the other day, he told me that he has been with a marketing company for two or three months and felt as though his bases were covered in navigating his search for a new job. One question changed his perception. I asked if they (the marketing company he had engaged) had gotten him on television yet. I was met with silence followed by, "No".

I went on to tell him what his 'marketing' company was doing for him: After spending some considerable time consulting with him, they rewrote his resume into narrative form and spammed it out to as many email accounts as they could.

If one wants to ensure a successful result rather than follow the herd and hope for better, would spamming out the best resume that was ever written trump a personal appearance on television and related media? Would receiving spam from you provide better positioning for you in the business sector than a focused presentation of your perspective and wisdom in a national forum? Which approach gives you marquee value? In my view, one approach makes it look like you need a job. The other makes you look like a voice of authority at the national level.

I'm interested in engaging with management level executives who want to ensure the expansion of their horizons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvWWoYK9hXw

Amplification of a market resonance

When growing a market for a brand--whether it is a person or a product--one needs to look for the resonance point in the marketplace. In other words, what is it about the person or the product that stirs the reaction in those who are, or would be, drawn to the brand? Understanding what the market is reacting to will determine what aspect of the personality or product needs amplification in the media communication in order to grow and extend the reach of the brand. Voyage is a good example of this. At first the film content may seem counter-intuitive in the way it presents the designer with only a brief look at the products, however, it hit the market's resonance point squarely on target.

"The Voyage video is lovely! It does build a connection to the designer and at the same time it's subtle. It gives a taste of who she is and the journey of her inspiration without giving away too much. It keeps the mystery of the creative process intact. (You know how some videos are too direct when they show: "And this pattern made exactly this piece of jewellery." I think that sometimes devalues the mystery of creativity.) I think that inspiration is multifaceted, a recipe with a whole range of ingredients. I can imagine that one of the designs could have been inspired by a range of memories, smells, parts of a story/book etc. So in this way your Voyage video is a nice balance. It gives enough to build a human connection to the jewellery range, but not too much." Katrin Hannusch, Senior Art Director, Doremus, Hong Kong

"The unique emotional and visual elements in "Voyage" are captivating and stimulating."

Judit & Corina, Wine & Dine TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuTT17vAqz8

Licensing and the business executive

Why should a business executive be concerned with licensing? The best answer is that it increases the yield from his or her personal brand. It extends the life and reach of the brand without requiring extra hours of work on the executive's part. Finally, it can create earnings that relieve the executive from the need to engage in work-for-hire contracts by which he or she is cast in the role of an employee. In a time when jobs are disappearing faster than the polar icecap, it is worth taking note of how licensing can apply to an executive.

If one were to think of an upper-level executive as an intellect, it can be quickly understood that there are many ways to monetize--merchandise--that intellect. Showing up to put in hours each day at someone else's corporation is but one of these. It is probably the least rewarding and remunerative, as well.

In the mid-80s, Mark McCormack of IMG turned his attention to the licensing of athletes thus forever changing the financial dynamics of the sports world. Until I pushed into the business world as a function of my Business on-demand project, I don't know that anyone else was applying this protocol to executives--a curious oversight, in my view.

I think a great many executives will become interested in the subject as the imperative 'Get a job' is supplanted by 'Assure the future'.

General Wilmot talks about the interview with Stephen Mitchell

The Interview

I was recently interviewed by Stephen Mitchell, a friend and associate to whom I was introduced about four years ago. The interview was conducted in a TV studio in Sherman Oaks, California. The resulting program and DVD will be used as a promotion piece for me and my projects (one of which is a new book I am writing) and also to promote Business on-demand, a business news channel conceived by Stephen in which I will play a part.

I am convinced that the production will be a valuable product which will enhance my career--not because of what I said or how I performed. It will be due to the professional approach utilized by Stephen in guiding the proceedings.

The Process

His technique involves meeting with the interviewee a few minutes before the shooting is scheduled. He came to the meeting fully prepared with a plan, notes and questions--a virtual roadmap of where he was going. This was comforting for me and I’m thinking, “Well at least he knows what we are going to do.”

I did take note of the fact that he wasn’t very specific concerning precisely what questions would be presented. So I was comforted on the one hand but concerning the questions--well, I was a little on edge.

He quickly sent me into the studio area to sit-in while his assistant set up lights and worked out the sound in preparation for the interview. In other words he left me to “stew” over the possible questions for 15 minutes or so.

In retrospect, my reaction was interesting. During the 15 minute interlude I felt as if the chemicals in my brain were activated and my interest in what was going to occur was piqued and I actually began to focus before the interview. I was ready for the challenge of Stephen Mitchell.

Underway

The command, “Roll camera” came and he hit me with the first question--an easy opener and then another question. I responded with a rather long answer to question two opening up a myriad of pathways for Stephen to pursue. At this point I noticed that Stephen put his notes aside and he went full steam ahead--he was underway--guiding, directing and asking for amplification, explanation and more details. We talked for over an hour.

Post Interview Thoughts

I was amazed at how effortless and easy the interview turned out to be. We simply had a conversation--yet the interview was powerful. I wondered to myself, “How did he do it?” Now I know--he came prepared, he gave me time to get the adrenaline moving, he opened slowly and ultimately followed his instincts to highlight important points for me to discuss.

In my view the key to a quality interview lies with the interviewer--Stephen Mitchell is a Master at the interview game.

Richard Wilmot
Brigadier General
US Army Retired

Layoffs Spread to More Sectors of the Economy

In the Economy section of the New York Times on-line, Catherine Rampell quoted Nigel Gault, chief United States economist at IHS Global Insight, as saying “There really isn’t any hiding place for companies anymore. The recent numbers coming in from the rest of the world are disastrous.”

The Comfort Zone with regard to careers, if ever there was one, is gone. When an announced seventy thousand jobs disappear in one day (knowing full well that the reality in these cases usually exceeds the announced numbers) on top of the jobs that have already slid into the ocean like so many melting glaciers, one cannot contemplate one's resume and feel reassured that what attracted offers a few years ago will have any allure for CEOs making hiring decisions in a time when the battle cry is "Abandon ship!"

It is a sad, but unavoidable, fact that many management-level executives aren't going to make it through their next job transition. No reflection on the quality of their skills and abilities, they've merely chosen to remain anonymous to their market--the CEOs in their sector--because it's easier to send out resumes and deal with hiring managers and head hunters rather than to confront the top brass. For many, it is uncomfortable to become known at that level of play.

If one isn't better known in the sector than the CEO who might tender an offer, the offer is likely never to come.

What is the difference between managing "Hollywood" talent and business executives?

Having managed actors, writers and directors for the better part of thirty years, I've been asked what is the difference between managing "Hollywood" talent and business executives. For me, there is no difference since the objectives are the same: Increase the client's visibility in the public media so as to attract enhanced offers and to proliferate sources of cash flow to the client.

The only difference I have to deal with is that, while every actor, writer and director I ever dealt with understood the need for strategic management and actively sought it out, business executives rarely understand the subject and believe that mailing out résumés and phoning their network contacts constitutes marketing. What this actually does is to advertise your misfortune rather than to create a demand for your services.

A presence in the media is the fastest way to double or triple an executive's earnings and television is the optimum outlet. It is a tool I've been using since 1980, so I speak from experience.

The question is: What does it take for an executive to see that television will do things a résumé could never hope to accomplish? The answer to this question could mean the difference between comedy and tragedy.

Manage Smarter

Excerpts from:
Ready for Your Close-Up, Mr. CEO?
Brand like a celebrity

By Stacy Straczynski

As a filmmaker and the founder of Hollywood-based talent management company Cine Paris, Stephen Mitchell is particularly intrigued by the enterprise of branding executives. During his 20-plus years in the entertainment industry, Mitchell knows first-hand the power that personal branding gives to an individual.

"I started as a filmmaker," Mitchell says. "My experience is that writers, directors and actors all need to brand themselves in order to break into the industry." He says he believes the same goes for executives' careers, and to that end recently expanded his company to offer an executive management consulting service.

"Executives have a need for visibility," he says. "No producer wants to cast an 'unknown.' The same goes for corporations." Companies are looking for a star to act as a business magnet and therefore want to hire an executive who has an established relationship with the public. They want their own industry celebrity who never fails to draw positive and profitable attention. But the problem is many executives don't know how to market themselves, and without correct self-positioning, companies will overlook them. "What actors have and CEOs don't is someone to help manage an executive's trajectory and career or even market them," Mitchell says. Executives often need help.

To begin building your personal brand, Mitchell says you need to start with the most important part—you. "When executives begin to find their interests and focus on areas in which they have a lot to say, they can begin to get a sense of who they are—and bring attention to themselves. It's a way to make a career out of being you that is separate from any corporate climate and affiliation," Mitchell says.

http://www.managesmarter.com/msg/content_display/marketing/e3if98651d51568f53a97b93b73dfad7696

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvWWoYK9hXw