Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:38:41 -0800WeeblyMon, 31 May 2010 23:49:22 -0800http://www.whatareyoupassionateabout.com/1/post/2010/05/memorial-day-meaning-birthdays-and-remembering-jackie.html Remembering Jackie

The kids are finally asleep and my daughter is curled up at the foot of our bed with our cat Hobbes, both snoring so softly and rythmically it shouldn’t be called snoring - maybe snuffling. Today was Amelia’s 6th birthday party, and I’ve finally turned on my computer after a day of Luau and poolside splashing, Tiki beach and coconut monkey.

So, there was this moment, I was far enough away (literal and metaphor) from the hijinx in the water, and I was just looking at Amelia play with her friends in the pool – her eyes caught mine, brightened wide, and she begun the kind of smile that triggers…

I cry once a year. On Mothers Day. This year it's Memorial Day and Dad is visiting - memories flood too. Mom’s war was against an unknowable and unrelenting cancer. Not quite as ghostly, pointless and Faithless as a war against fellow humans – but my mom lost her war against cancer 6 years ago. Something to remember at a 6th birthday party. And everything I am today was influenced by my mom.

Where my dad has always been a believer and unquestioned supporter despite my failures (actually I think because of them), my mom was the Teacher. She was a skeptic deep down, she was the voice of some reason, but charged and toned with emotion. 

Where Dad taught Todd and I Wonder and What If, Mom was focused on the links that connected us: math and music, art and ideas. 

For me personally, Mom taught me that in the right sequence these links could form a chain – one so strong that it could brighten a child’s day, or one so shackling it could destroy a civilization. 

And which is more important. 

She planted these seeds and I hope she can somehow see the trees they’ve become, and under whose shade her grandchildren now sit and enjoy. My hope is that my children end up seeing me the same way I only lately have come to see my Mom and Dad. 

It’s what I thought I saw in Amelia’s eyes this afternoon.

Thank you Mom for that warmth, the world is a little colder without. I wrote a poem for the invitation to Mom’s “Remembering Jackie” party six years ago. I can’t seem to find it now, and I certainly no longer have the computer on which it was written. If anyone does have it, please send. So Thankful.

Another year, the breeze pauses and then picks up again, a little cooler still. And, for me, Mom’s voice too is a little quieter: “Stephen, put your jacket on”. Yes, Mom, I did.

]]>Wed, 12 May 2010 08:02:36 -0800http://www.whatareyoupassionateabout.com/1/post/2010/05/the-zen-of-sales-surfing.htmlAs a select group of my Google/DCLK sales colleagues go off to for a 2 day offsite to sharpen up their value-based sales skills, I'm reminded that this type of training is super necessary, but more important - not sufficient - to win/earn your customer's business, and to win broadly in your product or company's competitive category.

What also matters?

1. Selling the Solution's Value, and also the Vision. Every sales person in online media and technology sales has been introduced to, and most practice, a probing customer needs analysis followed by the differentiated solution that exactly matches their needs, solves their problems, and helps them achieve their business objectives: How do we grow our business, how do we save costs, how do we bring more to the bottom line, how do we execute against our business plan faster & more efficiently, and perhaps most strategically: how do we gain share, defend share, and define new market spaces in the minds of our current and future customers.
2. Value, and vision more so, are not about feature and functionality parity. "Their pixel does backflips". "They have real-time API bidding with 8 of the 9 agency conglomerate trading desks". "They took our business 'cause our path to conversion reporting is inane" We hear these kinds of things regularly. Some things are important, some things are even more important. That's why high-level enterprise technology adoption sales require teams, teams not cowboys, to be successful. Yes, the customer's Manager of Online Customer Acquisition wants to know about the incremental uplift on viewthrough conversions. But more essentially, most salespeople and sales teams are not having the correspondingly appropriate conversations in the C-Suite. Those folks don't give a hoot about viewthrough attribution. They care about the Big Game of Chess. CMO's and CEO's don't know that they can demand more than "here are the game pieces, you go do the checkmate thingy". There are strategies. And they are looking for strategists and experts, not just technologies. If I go in and lay out how our technology can assist in double checking, forking or even skewering, pinning and zwischenzug - NOW, we've got game play. The result is I'm not going to ask them for a $50K test budget after that. I've got a partner: I'm going to earn their $1 or $2 million.
3. Sales is like surfing. Huh? Exactly. On the front page of yesterday's SF Chronicle is a quote from 16 year old Noah Wegrich that gave me chills. First, he's goofy like me. Second, he's got a wicked backside off-the-lip (the dominant photo on the front page), very unlike me at my age. Third, Google should hire him - but he's 16 so his high GPA from an Elite or Top Tier is at least 5 years in the future (not 15 years in the past, like mine). So, on the front page, Noah, captain of the Los Aptos High surf team, is call-out quoted in support of an article on the rules and strategy that define the "game" (not contest) of high school surfing: "You're not surfing in a lineup, battling for position, trying to out-snake people. It's more fun as a team sport".
   

Amen. The Zen of Sales is like the Zen of surfing. Meditate a bit on this and the next time you lunch with a client, or whip out the powerpoint in their boardroom, remember: features, functionality, tests, budgets may be what's on their minds and on their lips, but those are but small moves in the grander Game of Chess.
]]>Sun, 09 May 2010 10:53:09 -0800http://www.whatareyoupassionateabout.com/1/post/2010/05/go-daddys-16-steps-for-success-in-love-life-and-business.html1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone.   I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone.  I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security."  My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up.   Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted.  Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work.  It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it.  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think.   There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true.  It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.   Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences."  My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen.   Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time.   No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment.  You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward.   Never stop investing.  Never stop improving.  Never stop doing something new.  (Ok, that's like 4, maybe this should have been a list of 20)  The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die.  Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way.  Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen.  Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide.   Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance.   I swear this is true.  Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.   If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while.  I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing.   When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around.   In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair.   Life isn't fair.  You make your own breaks.  You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems.   You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge.  Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others."  There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently.  It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously.   Lighten up.  Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile.   Find it.  After all, you're really lucky just to be alive.  Life is short.  More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!"

Referenced from GoDaddy CEO's 16 Rules.
]]>Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:47:17 -0800http://www.whatareyoupassionateabout.com/1/post/2010/03/facebook-the-face-of-the-internet.htmlLook, the more I think about this, the clearer, more obvious, and indeed inevitable the following appears.


Re-posted from TechCrunch: http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/25/facebook-to-release-a-like-button-for-the-whole-darn-internet/


Steve Thommes - March 27th, 2010 at 12:20 am UTC

Seriously?

Look, whenever I read a comment that goes something like “uh, how are they going to make money on this…” I sort of smile and shudder at the same time.

I work for Google, and I love Google, more than most: I wear Google socks for chrissakes. Officially, I don’t have an opinion one way or the other regarding Facebook even though everyone knows “social networking is not competitive with paid search”.

My 7 year old does have an opinion: he can’t wait to be a 13 year old. Because. he. wants. to. Facebook.

When he’s 13, for all practical purposes, and for most people on the planet, Facebook may not only be the Face of the Internet. It. will. be. the. Internet. It’s already 7% now.

And today when I look around the dual computer screens inside the Googleplex, I sure see a lot of Facebook.

]]>Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:55:18 -0800http://www.whatareyoupassionateabout.com/1/post/2010/03/the-anti-metrics-manifesto-why-banner-ads-are-way-more-important-than-you-think.html The
More-Than-metrics
manifesto
Why Brand and Banners Count
by @sthommes

 
Disclaimer: this post is my personal opinion only and in no way (I hope maybe part way) reflects the views of my employer.

“Not everything that can be counted counts, not everything that counts can be counted” – Einstein

I love Banners. And you should too. Yes. Banner ads. B-A-Double-N-E-R. Display. And online advertising using richer media like expandables or in-stream video, widgets, wadgets and mastheads. Why? Because of story. They tell a story. They build your brand.

No. Not search, not retargeting, not behavioral, not audience aggregation and real time bidding using enhanced third party targeting data on a demand side platform.

So, how can I utter such circa-1995-2003 blasphemy? Let me tell you –this- story: I've been on the road quite a bit lately. I love being on the road because it means I'm face to face with my customers rather than on the phone. It does make a huge difference. And we've been talking about a lot.

A lot is about online marketing. Online strategy. Business objectives. Online customer acquisition. Fun stuff that always finds the conversation coming back to a few key ideas: ROI. Incrementality (I do love this made up word - thank you Awesome Retailer). Attribution. Efficient media spend allocation. Optimization. Upper vs. lower funnel, cross-channel visibility, social media (or conversational marketing). On and on and on. So, before we get into it, let me say that I used to believe in these ideas. I sold (and still sell) these ideas. These resonate with my customers. But - and this is the truth-opinion-fact - there is way more to this story.

Google vs. Quinstreet

Let me again preface: this is not the view of my employer. And also, I love Quinstreet. I really do. The people there are ridiculously smart. The company has a stellar reputation (like NexTag) of incubating elite online marketing talent who in turn spread their wings in key digital marketing roles across the Bay Area. But, their IPO hasn't taken off. And I wonder why (you, maybe haven’t). You've heard of them if you're Industry, but I asked the Starbucks girl this morning (a Starbucks that Quinstreet employees likely patronize) and she directed me to the "Quin Street Shopping Mall". Awesome. By the way, notice I didn't pay $5 a cup at Great Coffee Place (.com).

For a variety of arcane reasons, I'm interested in big picture. I'm pretty good at my job because of this. You want a .16% (in finance we call that 16 basis points (shouldn’t we use basis points in online metrics too, sounds better, bigger…but I digress) click rate to impress your boss? Check. An up-lift over baseline conversions attributed to view through? I got that tool too. But...wait for it...the big picture is way, way more important.

I work at Google. Think that's a baby toy? Of course not, not since 1998. Because people know Google. People love Google. I met someone who has a Google tattoo on her thigh. But, and this is really important (if just an opinion) Google is beloved because Larry and Sergey are really smart. And, consequently, they stumbled on two key pieces early on. First, Page Rank - an algo that translates to great, relevant search results. Delighted users. Check.

Second, a useful twist on the Generalized Second Price auction. Flashback Googler conversation circa, I don't know, 2000-2001 or so:

"Ok, let's do DoubleClick, and put leaderboards on the home page of Google.com". 

"Hmmm. Do you think that will affect the user experience (more authentic: read "post-Javascript DOM page load"

"What about these GoTo, I mean Overture guys? That auction-y thing seems to be working, according to their 10K. Someday we should call our internal shortcuts “goto” just for giggles.

"Now you're on to something. But what if X10 bids the most for every keyword? If we're charging per click, we'll never make any money.

"Wait a minute, Craig, oh, this is genius like you...what if we make it more relevant to our (more delighted) users by factoring in the click rate as well. A great, relevant and useful ad with a lower bid but higher click rate will trump. And we make way more money."

"Nice!"

A ridiculously profitable business model. Check.

My modus operandi in sales is to never say anything about the other great participants in our ecosystem. The reality is you don't need a Decision Engine. Ding! That's right - You - in the mirror - are the decision engine. You -  just want the best information to use as the basis for making the best decision. Google and decide yourself. But a keyword doesn’t tell the whole story. Quinstreet helps people make decisions by inserting their sites as a filter, guiding users down-funnel, and converting traffic to leads. Useful certainly. A good business. Definitely. But Quinstreet, the brand, is invisible to users and not impressing (like ad impression) their millions of users to embrace and love them.

Everyday, a brand’s influence and resonance comes from great products and delighted customers. And, this is important, them knowing your story. You can also point this out, impress upon them, and tell your story with advertising. TV Advertising. A Super Bowl Ad about Paris. Print advertising. Display Advertising. Yes. Banners.

Now I'm simplifying a bit; but, the bottom line is that Google is Google because we delight our users, exceed their expectations and blow their minds. Ironically, you don't get that in a keyword. Or by picking one of 41 shades of blue.

But online ads? Isn't that the 21st century version of selling "sugar water"? The way I think of it: we make the ENTIRE INTERNET mostly free to users. So, online advertising is necessary, useful and even noble when looked at through that lens. And finally, metrics do count. But not as much as, in our Industry, they do. So I, for one, have added more to my arsenal than just metrics. I believe in and am ridiculously passionate about banner ads.

That’s my story. Print your story. Take it to Kinkos – now known as Fed Ex Office unfortunately  -  laminate it, buy a dry erase marker, and then sit down face to face with your customers. Cross out the word ROI and talk to them about their brand, their story and how they're going to win in a noisy market and a noisy world. How are they going to be beloved? 

So, change the conversation. As Jeff Hayzlett, the ridiculously smart, and funny, and imaginative CMO of Kodak waives his arms and proclaims: “ROI? Tell me this smarty pants: what's your Return on Ignoring?". Or for that matter, what's your company's Return on Imagination? 

P.S. That Awesome Retailer? They'd be a lot less awesome if –that– was their name. Instead, they have a brand. One of the best, because they are beloved.

 ]]>Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:31:24 -0800http://www.whatareyoupassionateabout.com/1/post/2010/01/what-is-made-for-adsense-this-is-not-it.htmlSo, a colleague of mine asked if this was a spam or "made for adsense" site. While it lacks some of the design polish, it's really just, how shall I say it, "authentic" - Sales people (especially good ones) aren't web designers. I assure you it's made by me, and isn't spam. 

While we're at it, a couple of new changes: 1) it's now white, and easier on the eye, and you can actually read the text in the hover callouts 2) responding to popular demand, if you'd like to give attribution to your post, please add your name or user name in parentheses after the title, like (anonymous) or (username) or (your name). E.g. Three Favorite Bloggers (Steve Thommes). Here are few more title ideas that have been brought up: Date Night Activities, Best 2005 Vintage, Wine to Drink This Year, Top Secret Cooking Tips and Sales Skills for Superstars. Cool stuff!

Lastly, one of my New Years Resolutions was to "nurture my network". Already a lot of you have reached out, commented, made suggestions, and even re-kindled a an old ad-serving opportunity. Nice! and Thank you! Get the conversation going and share What Are You Passionate About? with your friends, family and colleagues!]]>Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:24:04 -0800http://www.whatareyoupassionateabout.com/1/post/2010/01/why-the-long-domain.htmlSo, I was asked, why the long domain name? For one thing, Passion.com is taken, and looks to be successful all on its own. 

But more importantly, the way people use the Web has changed. Looking at Google Analytics (I can't wait to try ChartBeat), it looks like no one is typing in the domain name ("direct navigation" in industry parlance) - more and more this also applies to generic, niche, short domains as well (like CreditCards.com). Instead, all of the visits are coming from social media interactions: Google, Twitter, Facebook. Where does most of your traffic come from, and do you feel like there's a fundamental shift happening from Google search traffic to Facebook and Twitter-linked traffic?]]>Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:13:48 -0800http://www.whatareyoupassionateabout.com/1/post/2010/01/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit.htmlToday, Monday, 1/4/2010, is for most of us our first day back in the office. Back on the phone and visiting prospects. How can I empower their success? The Holiday has been a time of reflection. January is named after the Roman god Janus, the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings, and is often depicted as having two faces, one which looks backward and the other gazing forward. 

2009 was a tremendous success. And even as I closed an important deal on New Years Eve, I'm looking forward even more to 2010. Careerwise, what are you passionate about in 2010?

]]>Sun, 03 Jan 2010 15:20:46 -0800http://www.whatareyoupassionateabout.com/1/post/2010/01/first-post.htmlWelcome to 2010! We're 3 days in, and today you can post at WAYPA? 


What is WAYPA? It's a place where people can think about, list, prioritize and discuss what's most important. 


So it is 2010 and what are you going to do different? Better. How are you going to impact other people's lives? For the Better. For now, and as a start, just answer a simple question: What Are You Passionate About?]]>