The Teich Group

The Power of Customer Evangelism

Annie — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:44:11 +0000

This past week I was privileged to spend a few days with a client and their customer evangelists at the company’s annual User’s Conference. More than most companies who usually pay only lip service to listening to their customers, this company actually walks that talk. The result is a unique partnership between a company and it’s user community.

There was a tangible feeling of shared ownership in the product as well as the relationships between company and users. The users were there to learn more about the product and to give their input into the company’s strategic goals and objectives.

Not only did the company listen, but they created multiple opportunities (formal and non-formal) to listen to the advice of their customers and to thank them. What is remarkable is that the company is so open to having difficult as well as positive conversations with their customers. They really want to know when they get things right and when they get things wrong. (more…)

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Video Friday: Shift Happens 2.0

Annie — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:40:59 +0000

Originally, the video posted below was a presentation for high school students. Since it’s first showing in 2006, it has been seen by millions of people around the world thanks to the viral nature of video sharing. The new version updated last year has been seen by several million people as well and both versions continue to circulate on the Internet.

It is thought-provoking, awe-inspiring and a little bit scary. This 2.0 version is 2 minutes longer than the original but there is no fluff. Among other things, it puts the impact of rapidly growing technology in easy-to-understand terms. Whether you are a K-12 publisher, a K-12 educator or just an interested party, there is plenty to chew on here.

After you watch the video, check out the Shift Happens website wiki for some excellent follow up questions. These are terrific questions that can apply to work teams, strategic planning, education reform, curriculum design, municipal green initiatives, you name it.

We talk a lot about teaching students 21st century skills. These skills are more than just technology skills. The ability to think critically and work collaboratively on a business or social problem will be part of a citizen’s basic toolkit moving forward. Watch this video and you’ll understand why.

What do you think should be in a 21st century toolkit?

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What K-12 Publishers Can Learn from Trade Publishers

Annie — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:55:38 +0000

The K-12 publishing market has different drivers than the trade market, no question, but as trade book publishers have been struggling for some time with dramatic shifts in their sales channels, in some ways they are well ahead of education publishers in learning how to best communicate with their readers online.

In a recent post at Booksquare, a blog about the book industry, Kassua Krozser has this to say on one our favorite topics - why publishers should add blogs to their websites:

While there is no way for publishers to control the message about their books — the discussion is happening in too many places on too many levels — publishers can participate in more proactive ways. Rather than worrying about the future of reading, why not use today’s technology to entice readers and remind yourselves why you joined this business in the first place?

In educational publishing, the quality most of us share whether publisher or educator is a fundamental excitement about helping kids learn. Perhaps one way to overcome any reluctance about blogging as a K-12 publisher is to push beyond the discussion of the product to the reasons why we do what we do for a living and check our view of the world from a higher altitiude.

We all believe that in some small way we are contributing to the educational journey of teachers and students in this country. What gets you up every morning?

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Does Online Learning Break Down Traditional Educational Structures?

Annie — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:26:38 +0000

The National American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) defines online learning as: instruction and content delivered primarily over the Internet.

A newly released survey of 232,781 K-12 students, 21, 272 teachers, and 15,316 parents conducted by Project Tomorrow and sponsored by Blackboard, states that one in five students in grade 6-12 have taken an online course at school or on their own and one in three students chose online classes as a part of their ideal school. The report states:

As online learning becomes more integrated into day-to-day instruction, the compartmentalization of education breaks down. Everyone becomes a learner and an expert with opportunties to seek and share what they know, critique what they learn, and become more engaged and involved with the global community. (more…)

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Book Review: Naked Conversations - How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers

Annie — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:50:33 +0000

Co-written by technology evangelists Robert Scoble from Microsoft and Shel Israel, a Silicon Valley tech guru, this book is a primer for those interested in understanding how blogs are changing the conversation between producers and consumers.

Fundamentally, blogging interferes with traditional corporate communications in that it is no longer possible for a company to ‘control’ their message. The book shares many examples of how this happens and presents case studies of companies who have handled the change well and those who haven’t. And then there are those who have been standing on the sidelines waiting to see if blogging just goes away.

Well, it’s not going away and the faster companies realize this and adapt to it, the stronger they will be. One of the key points of Naked Conversations is that customers and prospects now have a potentially global audience and will talk about you whether you participate or not. (more…)

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Five Guiding Principles for Great Sales Presentations

Annie — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:27:31 +0000

I ran across this article today at Speechworks and it reminded me of the same essential points I use in training sales people. Since this article echoes my own experience, I share it with you here. If you adhere to these five guiding principles, you will walk away with the order more often than not. Even if you’re “just” pitching your ideas to company colleagues, these principles apply.

Begin your presentation with a focus on your prospect’s problem and how it can be solved. It’s all about them, not you.
The power of making three major points. Beginning, middle, end. There is a magic in this number as human beings begin to lose focus with more.
If you sell with passion, people will buy what you’re selling. If you don’t have passion, why should your prospect care?
Make it interactive. People don’t like lectures. Ask your prospects questions and listen to the answers. Make it a conversation.
Be ready. Act like a professional. Practice and rehearse.

There are many sales’ best practices, but if you concentrate on doing these five well, in addition to getting the sale, you’ll build a valuable relationship.

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PBS Leads the Way as PBS Teachers Launches New Social Networking Site for Educators

Annie — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:15:53 +0000

We have been talking about building online communities around specific websites where educators can share their teaching experiences and resources. Yesterday, PBS Teachers took this concept to a whole new level when it unveiled a new online community that has the functionality of many of the popular social networking sites.

PBS Teachers Connect describes it this way:
“PBS Teachers Connect is an online community of teachers exchanging ideas, resources and instructional strategies on the integration of digital media and technology.”

In many ways it is a blueprint for what K-12 publishers can and should do to build vibrant, purpose-filled online communities. (more…)

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The 10 +1 Lessons from the TeacherTech Blog Interview

Annie — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:20:52 +0000

Before we leave behind the interview with Scott Walker of TeacherTechBlog, let’s review some blog best practices that he shared with us. If you missed our two-part interview with Scott, then take a few minutes and read it at the two inks below. We’ll wait.

How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 1

How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 2

So, what are some of the takeaways for the rest of us to learn from Scott?

1. He has accomplished one of the primary goals of blogging in that he has established himself as a credible authority on educational technology and other educators look to him for guidance and insight.

2. He confirms the commitment of time required, but also sees that time as an investment in building a high-value experience for his readers.

3. Scott’s readership growth in one year from launch to 10,000 means that his tech tips were successfully viral as he has achieved exponential readership growth in one year.

4. He has built readership by reaching out to others in the blogosphere tackling similar topics and now has readers in 103 different countries. That is an impressive metric for one year’s work.

5. Blogging has become an integral part of his own professional life.

6. Even though he is not eliciting lots of comments on his blog (something that many bloggers focus on), that was not a part of his intention which was to share his technical expertise with other educators and so Scott has built a community of people who look to him for thought leadership and practical advice. (more…)

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How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 2

Annie — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:15:23 +0000

Last week we talked about finding and listening in on conversations that your customers and prospects are having on the web. This week we’re hearing from an avid teacher-blogger about his experience in sharing technology tips with his fellow K-12 educators. Here is part 2 of our interview wtih Scott Walker of TeacherTechBlog.

6. What is the absolute best part of this [blogging] experience for you?
The best part about blogging has to be the networking that comes with it. I have made several incredible friends/colleagues that I never would have. People from complete opposite ends of the earth have given me useful help, ideas, and insights that have not only helped my strategies but have also been an incredible encouragement.

Some of these connections have taken me places that I never would have been. One of my first big experiences that I can remember was getting invited to FETC in Orlando to blog as a member of the press. I can’t even begin to say how remarkable an experience that was, and how many great opportunities happened because of it.

7. What are the top three (or five) things you would share with another educator about the benefits of blogging?
Blog about what you know and love, even if you think other people won’t care about what you have to say. It is one of the few opportunities where you can filter out everything except what you passionately love about what you do. (more…)

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How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 1

Annie — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:03:28 +0000

What better way to find out what educators are talking about on the web than to talk to one who is using some of the new social media tools. Today I have the privilege of introducing an avid teacher blogger, Scott Walker.

Scott blogs at TeacherTechBlog where he helps other educators better understand how to incorporate technology into their classrooms.

Scott graciously answered a series of questions that allows us a peek into not only the types of technology teachers are incorporating into their classrooms but how social networking facilitates the distribution of that information . This will be a two-part series. (more…)

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