Nike's 'Just Do It', the origin

Nike’s iconic “Just Do It” slogan was described as one of the best taglines of the 20th century, but the man behind its creation has just revealed that it was inspired by an infamous murderer’s last words.

The slogan was pitched almost three decades ago by advertising executive Dan Wieden, who admitted in a recent interview with Dezeen magazine that it was inspired by Utah killer Gary Gilmore, who was sentenced to death in 1977 for robbing and murdering two men. The condemned man reportedly said “let’s do this” as he faced a firing squad. 

In a conference in Cape Town last month Mr Wieden said that in 1988 he recalled Gilmore’s last words and decided to suggest a slightly altered version as the slogan, which first appeared in a Nike advert in the same year featuring 80-year-old runner Walt Stack.

Mr Wieden then expanded on the background of the iconic phrase, as he told Dezeen that at first Nike hated the idea, but then he won them around with the slogan successfully debuting in that TV ad. It marked a new era for the brand.

Wieden described how at the time he was worried that an upcoming series of five TV adverts lacked cohesion because they all had a different feel to them. So he thought that “Just Do It” would become the tagline to tie them all together. And well, the rest is history.

“We came up with five different 30 second spots. The night before [a meeting with Nike] I got concerned because… there wasn't an overlying sensibility to them all. Some were funny, some were solemn. So I thought…’we need a tagline to pull this stuff together’,” he said.

“I wrote about four or five ideas. I narrowed it down to the last one, which was “Just do it”. The reason I did that one was funny because I was recalling a man in Portland… He murdered a man and a woman, and was put before a firing squad. And they asked him if he had any final thoughts and he said: ‘Let's do it.’ And for some reason I went: ‘Now damn. How do you ask for an ultimate challenge that you are probably going to lose, but you call it in?’ So I thought, well, I didn't like ‘Let’s do it’ so I just changed it to ‘Just do it’.”

In the eighties Nike was locked in a war with Reebok for control of the sneakers market. It was Wieden, co-founder of advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy, who managed to resonate across the sporting world with their work for the brand; from women to men, from casual runners, to professional athletes. The slogan helped Nike counter-attack its main rival, who at the time had just announced bigger profits.

Almost 30 years later, the sportswear giant still uses the slogan that changed its history.

Business Intelligence, the new buzz word?

Lately, I have been approached to conduct programs on Business Intelligence.  During the interviews with two of my clients in order to help me to prepare my proposal, I found that they had a misplaced interpretation of the term used, just like some would think that 'marketing' is 'selling'.

So, let me re-cap ... what is Business Intelligence?

The term business intelligence (BI) represents the tools and systems that play a key role in the strategic planning process of the corporation. These systems allow a company to gather, store, access and analyze corporate data to aid in decision-making.

Generally these systems will illustrate business intelligence in the areas of customer profiling, customer support, market research, market segmentation, product profitability, statistical analysis, and inventory and distribution analysis to name a few.

Most companies collect a large amount of data from their business operations. To keep track of that information, a business and would need to use a wide range of software programs, such as Excel, Access and different database applications for various departments throughout their organization. Using multiple software programs makes it difficult to retrieve information in a timely manner and to perform analysis of the data.

Indeed, Business Intelligence is not Market Research which is the initial phase of BI.  It must complete by the usage of the data obtained to formulate strategies for the business.

Now, this is what I called 'Salesmanship'.

A young guy from North Dakota moves to Florida and goes to a big "under one roof" department store looking for a job.

The Manager says, "Do you have any sales experience?"

The kid says, "Yeah, I was a vacuum salesman back in North Dakota."

Well, the boss was unsure, but he liked the kid and figured he'd give him a shot, so he gave him the job.  "You start tomorrow.  I'll come down after we close and see how you did."

His first day on the job was rough, but he got through it.  After the store was locked up, the boss came down to the sales floor.  "How many customers bought something from you today?"

The kid frowns and looks at the floor and mutters, "One."

The boss says, "Just one?!!?  Our sales people average sales to 20 to 30 customers a day.  That will have to change, and soon, if you'd like to continue your employment here.  We have very strict standards for our sales force here in Florida.  One sale a day might have been acceptable in North Dakota, but you're not on the farm anymore, son."

The kid took his beating, but continued to look at his shoes, so the boss felt kinda bad for chewing him out on his first day.  He asked (semi-sarcastically), "So, how much was your one sale for?"

The kid looks up at his boss and says, "$101,237.65."

The boss, astonished, says, "$101,237.65?!  What the heck did you sell?"

The kid says, "Well, first, I sold him some new fish hooks.  Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast, so I told him he was going to need a boat.  We then went down to the boat department and I sold him a twin engine Chris Craft.  Then, he said, he didn't think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive and sold him that 4 X 4 Expedition."

The boss said, "The guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and a TRUCK!?"

The kid says, "No, the guy came in here to buy tampons for his wife, and I said, 'Dude, your weekend's shot.  You should go fishing.'"

Seven questions and answers in selecting candidates from an interview

First, I must apologise for being away from this blog for quite a while now due to my pre-occupation elsewhere.  Well, today I am back and look forward to active blogging again.

This is just about the time of the year when companies will be looking for new staff as some of the old staff would have left after collecting their year-end bonuses and head for greener pastures.

During interviews, many interviewers failed to ask the write questions to derive the right answers from the candidates.  As a result, more often is the case, the wrong candidate is recruited.  Here are seven questions for the interviewer and seven answers for the candidate to derive the best result from the interview, be they in marketing, sales or customer service.

7 Most Common Interview Questions

Here are seven of the most common interview questions, what the hiring manager is really asking, and how you should respond:

1. “Tell Me About Yourself.”

What the hiring manager is really asking…

“How do your education, work history, and professional aspirations relate to the open job?”

How to respond: Select key work and education information that shows the hiring manager why you are a perfect fit for the job and for the company.

For example, a recent grad might say something like, “I went to X University where I majored in Y and completed an internship at Z Company. During my internship, I did this and that (name achievements that match the job description), which really solidified my passion for this line of work.”

1. “Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years?”

What the hiring manager is really asking…

“Does this position fit into your long-term career goals? Do you even have long-term career goals?”

How to respond: Do NOT say you don’t know (even if you don’t) and do not focus on your personal life (it’s nice that you want to get married, but it’s not relevant). Show the employer you’ve thought about your career path and that your professional goals align with the job.

1. “What’s Your Greatest Weakness?”

What the hiring manager is really asking…

“Are you self-aware? Do you know where you could stand to improve and are you proactive about getting better?”

How to respond: A good way to answer this is with real-life feedback that you received in the past. For instance, maybe a former boss told you that you needed to work on your presentation skills.

Note that fact, then tell the employer how you’ve been proactively improving. Avoid any deal breakers (“I don’t like working with other people.”) or cliché answers (“I’m a perfectionist and I work too hard.”).

1. “What Motivates You To Perform?”

What the hiring manager is really asking…

“Are you a hard worker? Am I going to have to force you to produce quality work?”

How to respond: Ideal employees are motivated internally, so tell the hiring manager that you find motivation when working toward a goal, contributing to a team effort, and/or developing your skills. Provide a specific example that supports your response.

Finally, even if it’s true, do not tell an employer that you’re motivated by bragging rights, material things, or the fear of being disciplined.

1. “Tell Me About A Time That You Failed.”

What the hiring manager is really asking…

“How do you respond to failure? Do you learn from your mistakes? Are you resilient?”

How to respond: Similar to the “greatest weakness” question, you need to demonstrate how you’ve turned a negative experience into a learning experience.

To do this, acknowledge one of your failures, take responsibility for it, and explain how you improved as a result. Don’t say you’ve never failed (Delusional, much?), don’t play the blame game, and don’t bring up something that’s a deal breaker (“I failed a drug test once…”)

1. “Why Do You Want To Work Here?”

What the hiring manager is really asking…

“Are you genuinely interested in the job? Are you a good fit for the company?”

How to respond: Your goal for this response is to demonstrate why you and the company are a great match in terms of philosophy and skill. Discuss what you’ve learned about them, noting how you align with their mission, company culture, and reputation.

Next, highlight how you would benefit professionally from the job and how the company would benefit professionally from you.

1. “How Many Couches Are There In Malaysia?”

What the hiring manager is really asking…

“Can you think on your feet? Can you handle pressure? Can you think critically?”

How to respond: When faced with a seemingly absurd question like this (there are many variations – just ask anyone who interviewed at Google before December), it’s important you not be caught off guard.

Resist your urge to tell the interviewer the question is stupid and irrelevant, and instead walk him through your problem-solving thought process. For this particular question, you would talk about how many people are in the U.S., where couches are found (homes, hotels, furniture stores), etc.

As with other parts of the job application process, it’s a good idea to solicit feedback from family, friends, and former colleagues. Try out your answers to each of these questions on at least two people, then revise based on their feedback.

What is Need-based Selling?

Recently, some of my friends in the sales fraternity have asked me what is need-based selling, as selling is already selling, which is to meet the needs of the customer.  Let me explain.

Many sales organizations have found a needs based selling method to be highly effective in increasing sales and improving customer satisfaction. The sales representatives who employ this approach will usually see improvement in their job performance and in the ease of closing accounts. They are able to distinguish themselves as sales professionals who are valuable consultants for their clients.

Here are the steps to successfully using a needs based selling approach on a sales call:

1. SET THE AGENDA. It is essential that any sales call begin with an agenda. Whether it is an existing client or a potential new one, the sales professional should state an agenda. A good standard opening is, "Mr. customer, what I'd like to do today is to first talk about you - ask a few questions about your business and find out what is happening with you, then tell you about me and what is happening at my company, and then we can determine whether we have a reason to work together. How does that sound?" The key here is to get agreement from the customer to continue the sales call. Once they agree, the next step is the needs analysis or questioning stage.

2. NEEDS ANALYSIS. Asking questions about the client's business should be a conversation where the client gets to talk more than the sales person. Good listening skills are very important in any sales call, but especially in this process where the customer is revealing information about themselves and their business. It is critical that the sales person NOT TRY TO SELL during the needs analysis. Resisting the urge to sell may be difficult for some sales people, but the order that was set at the beginning must be followed, and here we are letting the customer tell us about them. The goal is to uncover problems, concerns,or issues that the customer is having. Again, no selling should occur before the client's needs are uncovered. When needs or concerns are identified, the next step is to qualify or determine how important or critical the issue is to the customer. Ask the customer what it would mean to the business if the situation they identified could be corrected. If they respond with emotion or with great interest in how that could be accomplished, the sales person who can provide a solution will most likely get the sale. If the issue is not that important or if the customer is not seeing the situation as a pressing issue, then it does not qualify as a need and should not be pursued. Once the pressing need or needs are identified, a good question to ask the customer is, "can you and I agree to work together on finding a solution to this (or these) concerns?" The answer to this question will determine the level of buy in and interest from the customer.

3. Summarize. When the customer is finished telling about themselves, there should be one or more needs that have been uncovered. By recapping or summarizing what those needs were, the client will know that they were listened to and will give the sales person more credibility because they heard and understood what was said. Also, by gaining agreement from the client that these needs exist, the sales person can begin to plan a recommendation to answer the needs or solve the problem.

4. Transition. After the needs are revealed and agreed upon by the customer, the sales professional should set the table for the recommendation step. If this will involve a second sales call, set up the next appointment where specific plans to solve the concerns will be revealed and a recommendation made. An easy way to do this is to say, "if I had a way to help your business resolve this issue, would you be interested in hearing about it?" If the client says yes, you are on the way to a sale!

5. Recommendation. Based on the needs that were uncovered, the recommendation can be prepared and delivered. If the customer has agreed that the need is there, and if your product or service will solve the issue, then closing the sale will be much more of a probability.

In communication, remember this ....