Management Tips As Chrysler Goes Global

Weak revenue streams from the US market now has Chrysler taking a more serious look at global markets.

According to Wall Street Journal, the auto maker, which relies on North America for about 90% of its sales, is planning to bolster its dealer network in Russia and China this year in hopes of benefiting from the rapid growth in those two big, developing markets, Mike Manley, Chrysler's international-sales chief, said in an interview.

So what's the strategy? Well here are some of them as quoted from Wall Street Journal

1. Chrysler boosted the number of products offered overseas to 20 from nine. In China, Chrysler said it is reintroducing Dodge-brand vehicles after a 62-year absence. The Caravan minivan is in production. The Caliber hatchback and Avenger sedan are also slated to be sold in that country.
2. The auto maker has started using recruitment teams, investment forums and the promise of large territories with more products to expand its dealer network overseas.
3. They hired key management - CEO, Philip Murtaugh, who spurred GM's growth in China, this past September.
4. U.S., incentives will be kept to a minimum as the auto maker sticks with its vow to curtail production rather than fill dealer lots, North American sales chief Steve Landry said.
5. Chrysler is in the midst of eliminating shifts at five North American plants, resulting in job cuts of 8,500 to 10,000 hourly workers. The cuts are slated to be completed by April.
6. Introduction of the Dodge Journey, Chrysler's redesigned Dodge Ram pickup truck and the hybrid version of the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango to bolster sales.

These are their plans, whether they'll work or not only time will tell.

9 Of Forbes' 20 Most Important Questions In Business

Forbes.com just released a very interesting article headlined "The 20 Most Important Questions In Business." It's great that they shared this with the rest of us. There are many budding entrepreneurs all over the world. Even employees can benefit from learning how overall business strategy will help them continue to have employment.

Basically it mentions how we don't really have all the answers. But the key to success in business is to ask the right questions. Studies estimate that just two-thirds of all start-ups survive the first two years, and less than half make it to the fourth.

Here are some highlights of the article about the question entrepreneurs have to answer in order to keep their businesses afloat. This is basically the shorter version of the article with some of my comments on the side:

What is your value proposition?

Without a need, there is no incentive for customers to pay. And without sales, you have no business. Period.

What differentiates your product from the competitors'?

If you want to win in business, you need to offer something tangibly valuable that the competition doesn't.

How much cash do you need to survive the early years?

Three words: Mind the cash.

What are your strengths?

Figure out what you're good at and stick to it. Don't go chasing red balloons

How big is the threat of new entrants?

The trick: building a loyal following before new competition steps in for a share of your market.

How much power do your suppliers have?

Basic rule of thumb: The fewer the number of suppliers, the more sway they have.

Does the business scale?

Think service businesses, where the need for people grows along with revenues.

What price will your customers pay?

Get this answer wrong and you could leave bags of money on the table--or worse, send customers running into the arms of the competition. Do your homework before you start selling

How committed are you to making this happen?

Fair warning: If you want to run the show, get ready to give everything--and then some.

Organizing To Launch A Lead-Generating Campaign

Before launching any lead generation campaign, make sure all involved teams are on board and on the same page. The goals should be clearly defined and applicable to the different parties. The strategies should be in place to effectively be geared toward this similar goal

To start off, the campaign flow should be outlined carefully. Where does the process start and how will it end? How will you define its success or failure?

- Correlate the promotional material, collateral to be used with the goals

If the goal is to increase leads online, then the promotional material will be correlated to this goal. Most if not all efforts will then be concentrated online. You can start with search engine optimization (to enhance sign ups via the website), email campaigns, online linking campaigns and even search engine marketing if you've got enough money to play with

- Identify different response mechanisms

How do you want people to respond to your campaigns? Will there be a hotline number or d you want to course all campaign responses through your website or maybe a particular email address? These should be outlined carefully so your teams will be well-prepared to entertaian in-coming prospects and follow through on possible sales.

- Define the marketing message in line with the goal

Position the goal of your messages in the collateral in such a way that it will not be drowned by other content. Make this the focus of the entire piece. This should be the same for all pieces and for all campaigns if you're doing multiple campaigns at the same time

- Ensure that the user makes the most of your campaign

For the campaign to be effective, the user has to enjoy the experience. The campaign should be targeted enough to be appreciated by the right market. The flow of the campaign from ad to landing experience to response acceptance should be smooth and directed towards the goal.

Once these steps are properly outlined, the campaign should be able to push through without a hitch. These are macro perspectives of any campaign and not designed to sweat the small stuff. But once these are in place, the details will fit perfectly like pieces in a puzzle.

Can You Manage A Kindergarten Class?

I was a kindergarten teacher for a year and it's NOT easy. Imagine more than a dozen kids screaming and running and wanting to do other things while you try to teach. In the midst of all this chaos, you have to establish discipline and some form of learning. The good thing about children is that you will always grow attached to them. A level of responsibility, care and trust is given to a teacher by parents and this is what we try to live up to.

That's not to say managing adults would be much easier. Although more mature individuals know that they are paid to work and some people will succumb to what needs to be done because that's what the job entails, a manager should take the same responsibility for these people. As a manager, you won't always have brilliant or disciplined staff members, it will then be up to you to teach your staff not only to be better at the job they do but also as individuals.

According to "The New Dynamics of Strategy: Sensemaking is a Complex and Complicated World," from IBM Systems Journal, last 2003 by C.F. Kurtz and D. J. Snowden, one of my most admired knowledge management theorist David Snowden said that effective leaders manage chaos the way a kindergarten teacher manages her students...

"Experienced teachers allow a degree of freedom at the start of a session, then intervene to stabilize desirable patterns and destabilize undesirable ones, and when they are very clever, they seed the space so that the patterns they want are more likely to emerge."

And so my challenge to managers is just that. Can you manage a kindergarten class? Maybe you should start managing your department the way you would a kindergarten class.

(image from Strategic Talent Management)