Business of BPM

MOM = MCM + PM + CEM + DAM

I read an article this morning by Chris Graham on Multichannel Marketing which I thought was a great framework for several marketing related items I have been thinking about.  He talks about the following:

• Marketing Operations Management (MOM)
• Multichannel Marketing (MCM)
• Permission Marketing (PM)
• Customer Experience Management (CEM) and
• Digital Asset Management

If you don't know what all these mean, it doesn't surprise me, but I think MOM is the key.  Chris describes it as MCM in a box.  I think it is the key of how direct marketing processes operate.  You need to understand the customer.  You have to know what channel they respond to.  You have to know how to effect their behavior.  You need to have proven messaging (DAM) that you can pull from.  And, this needs to be part of a process so that it is not simply a one-time ping of that customer. 

From Chris' article..."So let's look at an MCM scenario: The customer makes an enquiry through his digital satellite TV remote in response to an advertisement; immediately an email is sent back to them, a personalized MMS confirms the dispatch of a personalized printed document specific to their geographical area, a call center flags a "to do" for seven days time, from which a personalized micro Web site is automatically generated with the latest product literature specifically for the products they want to look at."

Is Marketing a Process?

Is marketing a process or really a bunch of sub-processes that are part of other end-to-end processes?  I was looking at how to automate the different marketing functions (new product development, product management, pricing, research, marketing communications, and voice of the customer) and realized that most of these are simply part of a bigger process.

The process that consumes most of these is the lifecycle from idea through sales through billing. 

Here is a quick picture I came up with to describe the marketing function from a subprocess view. 

Perhaps you wonder why this matters?  Architecturally, it matters if you are building a system and want to connect processes.

Technology-wise, it matters if you want to focus on a SOA (service oriented architecture) approach where you can re-use components. 

Organizationally, it matters to understand how data and tasks flow and how to optimize your investment. 

Process-wise, it matters to understand best practices. 

As I have talked about several times, the fear with any improvement is sub-optimization which often happens when you focus on a subsection of the entire process. 

Here is a article to read on sub-processes (a little technical for some of you) 

http://www.bpmenterprise.com/content/c070212a.asp

Blog Inspiration - CEO's Secret Handbook

I often get asked why I blog and how I make the time for it.  (Other than the obvious - person and corporate branding)

Blogging for me is a good outlet for thinking through ideas.  I put my thoughts here for numerous reasons.  Two particular things stick out to me as I think about getting inspired daily to put thoughts down.

1. When I graduated business school, one of my teachers (Mahendra Gupta) who is now Dean of Washington University in St. Louis told me that I should try to put down my thoughts every day so that I could capture my lessons learned.  I have tried different mediums over the years, but they were difficult to maintain and impossible to search.
2. The other thing is an article that Business 2.0 published about the CEO's Secret Handbook in 2005.  I started pulling together all my key documents that I had amassed over the years.  I then started a book where I pasted things in there with some comments.  It has been a living document, but I am going to put everything here.  Again, it is easier to search...more dynamic...and accessible from anywhere. 

The handbook is summarized below thanks to Career Communication's Group -  Bill Swanson's '25 Unwritten Rules of Management':

1. Learn to say, "I don't know." If used when appropriate, it will be often.
2. It is easier to get into something than it is to get out of it.
3. If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
4. Look for what is missing. Many know how to improve what's there, but few can see what isn't there.
5. Viewgraph rule: When something appears on a viewgraph (an overhead transparency), assume the world knows about it, and deal with it accordingly.
6. Work for a boss with whom you are comfortable telling it like it is. Remember that you can't pick your relatives, but you can pick your boss.
7. Constantly review developments to make sure that the actual benefits are what they are supposed to be. Avoid Newton's Law.
8. However menial and trivial your early assignments may appear, give them your best efforts.
9. Persistence or tenacity is the disposition to persevere in spite of difficulties, discouragement, or indifference. Don't be known as a good starter but a poor finisher.
10. In completing a project, don't wait for others; go after them, and make sure it gets done.
11. Confirm your instructions and the commitments of others in writing. Don't assume it will get done!
12. Don't be timid; speak up. Express yourself, and promote your ideas.
13. Practice shows that those who speak the most knowingly and confidently often end up with the assignment to get it done.
14. Strive for brevity and clarity in oral and written reports.
15. Be extremely careful of the accuracy of your statements.
16. Don't overlook the fact that you are working for a boss.  Keep him or her informed. Avoid surprises!  Whatever the boss wants takes top priority.
17. Promises, schedules, and estimates are important instruments in a well-ordered business.
18. You must make promises. Don't lean on the often-used phrase, "I can't estimate it because it depends upon many uncertain factors."
19. Never direct a complaint to the top. A serious offense is to "cc" a person's boss.
20. When dealing with outsiders, remember that you represent the company. Be careful of your commitments.
21. Cultivate the habit of "boiling matters down" to the simplest terms. An elevator speech is the best way.
22. Don't get excited in engineering emergencies. Keep your feet on the ground.
23. Cultivate the habit of making quick, clean-cut decisions.
24. When making decisions, the pros are much easier to deal with than the cons. Your boss wants to see the cons also.
25. Don't ever lose your sense of humor.
26. Have fun at what you do. It will reflect in your work. No one likes a grump except another grump.

Interested in Music (non-BPM)

One of the more interesting partners at E&Y back in the dotcom days was our lead Internet partner named Yobie Benjamin.  I only got to make one sales call with him, but he was great.  As a VC, partner, and developer, he represented much of what clients wanted at that time.  Think about what GE was doing with their "destroymybusiness.com" initiatives (i.e., this was when they challenged people to think about how a start-up could erode their marketshare or profit). 

I got a note from Yobie this morning through LinkedIn and thought I would pass it along...

Over the past few weeks, I've been coding up a storm to build a "widget" that can potentially change the way music is distributed. Well, I am ready to show it and test it in the real world. I want to find as many bugs and hear feature improvements that are relevant to labels and bands. Development at web 2.0 speed!!!

http://music.goodstorm.com

Although these are initially non-paid positions, I am looking for active testers (especially working musicians and serious music fans with blogs and mySpace pages) to test our music widget.

A few active testers may get hired on as part of GoodStorm's upcoming street team. We are trying to identify a geographically dispersed team of musicians and music fanatics to help test out our new website.

Active testers will be given invites to our rollout event on June 12 in NYC and SF.

The test period is short and sweet as we have a hard date on rolling out our technology June 12. 2007. We are going on accelerated testing because we're doing a massive global rollout on June 12 with Amnesty International. For more information, please go to http://instantkarma.org

Company: GoodStorm.com
Job Title: Serious Beta Testers Needed (May Lead To Paid Contract Positions)
Description: Active beta testers needed for accelerated test period. Active testers may be recruited as part of a permanent "street team" to help promote GoodStorm's MixTape technology. There will be 7 positions for street team members in key cities.

Working musicians or serious music fans are strongly preferred. Those with personal blogs and mySpace pages will be given priority.

People with formal QA experience also considered.

If you're interested, please sign up at music.goodstorm.com or send email to betatest {at} goodstorm [dot] com.