The initials CMO stand for Chief Marketing Officer. This corporate title is for the person with overall responsibility for an organization or business’s marketing activities. Normally the CMO reports to the CEO or COO. The CMO is on the same level as other executives including the Chief Technology Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, and so on.
Areas under the CMO’s purview include
- Product development
- Sales management
- Distribution channel marketing
- Market research
- Customer service
- Advertising.
On a day-to-day basis, the CMO may oversee employees who do analytical and technical work like programming engines for online insurance quotes or the creating a dynamic website. On the same day, she may oversee subordinates in charge of creative tasks like promotions and advertising design.
The CMO must bring together customer relation management, one-on-one marketing, and an overarching customer-focused marketing strategy across all products and geographical boundaries. Therefore, the CEO must choose a CMO with the leadership skills needed to not only oversee marketing, but measure the impact of the various marketing activities. The successful CMO must also avoid pitting marketing teams against each other.
A good CMO is able to cross-train existing employees so that the company’s marketing team has the right mix of analytical, technical, and creative skills. It may mean pulling a systems analyst into the mix or nurturing a marketing analyst who has a knack for technology skills. The best team is one without skills gaps.
When all is said and done, the CMO must have a team that aligns all the company’s brands with the core values of the corporation, so that brands are reconciled with one another. If all that sounds like a tall order, it is. A great CMO brings together a unique skills mix that can add tremendously to the success of a company.
Having the most productive employees isn’t always a matter of hiring those with the best educational pedigrees. People work together for the overall improvement of the company because they believe that they are taken seriously and have something important to offer. Next time you make your way around your office cubicles, envision each employee as a valued contributor to the success of the company. Try these three tips for helping employees become as productive as possible.
1. Walk the walk. If you as a leader practice excellence and empowerment, your managers and employees will learn from your example. If you want honest employees, be honest with them. If you want productive employees, be productive.
2. Learn to take breaks. Get yourself and your employees in the habit of taking a five minute break every hour and a half. Productivity slows to a crawl once you’ve been staring at the same task for too long. Encourage employees to have that cup of coffee or get up and stretch for a few minutes. A refreshed worker is a more productive worker.
3. Encourage trust. Increased trust in your employees’ abilities causes productivity to increase. Micromanaging employees rarely works, because employees learn not to trust their own abilities. Trust people to deliver what they’re supposed to and thank them when they do. Offer constructive criticism when necessary, but never micromanage.
A positive work environment does not depend on having game rooms and scooters like at Google headquarters. Motivated, contented employees can do excellent work in used cubicles outfitted with just the basics as long as they know they are valued as contributors to the company’s success. You can have the coolest workplace ever, but if office morale is at rock bottom, the company will suffer. Make sure employees know that they matter.
Owning rental properties can be a dream come true or a nightmare. While some landlords are able to effectively manage their own properties from the start, many more consider hiring a property manager to be a wise investment.
If you do not live close to your rental property (even if it’s only across town), having a manager makes your life much easier. A good property manager keeps an eye on your property and alerts you to problems quickly so you can address them right away. Otherwise, you could be away on vacation only to find out that your rental house needs emergency repairs because you didn’t invest in gutter guards and water pooled on the roof.
Additionally, having a property manager collect rent makes it less likely that you will be taken advantage of by the renter. Good property managers screen tenants carefully and know how to collect rent on time every time. They also help with your documentation and bookkeeping, making your (or your accountant’s) job easier at tax time.
In fact, unless you live very close to your rental property and are 100% certain you have good tenants, you’ll almost always be a more successful landlord if you hire a high-quality property manager. The best way to find one is by word of mouth from other rental property owners. They know the importance of a good property manager, and you can learn from their mistakes and successes.
Always obtain three or more references from any property manager you consider hiring, and get the answers to important questions (like how they cope with vacancies and handle non-payment) before you hire them. You may save a little money managing your properties yourself, but what you spend in time and headaches can make the cost of a manager well worthwhile.
Business travelers today have to do more with less and must be able to cope with questionable customer service, higher costs, and hassles like long lines at airports. Even if you’ve mastered the art of booking flights with cheap tickets, you still have to make the airport security trek and cope with problems like lost luggage. But there are lots of things business travelers can do to make life on the go easier. Here are three things that improve the business travel experience.
1. Tablet computer and apps. Not only are tablets like the iPad great for whiling away interminable layovers and time spent waiting on delayed flights, they also make great platforms for useful business travel apps. For example, with the latest iPad and an app called FaceTime, you can video conference from anywhere. Try a free travel app like Loopt Pulse and find out where points of interest are located at your destination, with maps and photos.
2. Slip-on shoes for the airport. Sure, it’s only a couple of minutes un-tying, removing, and re-tying your shoes, but you’ll make the whole airport security procedure a little easier if you invest in a decent looking pair of shoes that slip on and off. If nothing else, a pair of classic penny loafers works, but you can also find slip-on shoes in countless styles these days.
3. Business credit card with perks. Many credit cards aimed at business travelers help you amass points in hotel frequent guest programs, which can not only make check-in easier, but can also get you room upgrades, and sometimes freebies you would otherwise have to pay for, like in-room Wi-Fi and breakfast. Credit cards linked to the airline you fly most can also score you upgrades and waivers on certain airline fees.
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