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Brainstorming

What is brainstorming?

Brainstorming is a method of generating ideas and sharing knowledge to solve a particular commercial or technical problem, in which participants are encouraged to think without interruption. Brainstorming is a group activity where each participant shares their ideas as soon as they come to mind.

The Best Brainstorming:

Nine Ways To Be A Great Brainstorm Lead

(1) Frame The Problem
Before you send meeting invitations or begin writing an agenda, first make sure you’ve clearly defined what needs to be solved.
Think of framing like the frame of a picture. It defines what is in the scene and crops out what is not included.

(2) Clearly Define The Meeting Outcome
Let your participants know what we need to have when the meeting has finished. In our example… We will have three viable ideas to put to test for our new, ready to drink, tea-based refreshment beverage. Put this in the pre-meeting agenda. (You do send pre-meeting agendas, don’t you?)

(3) Create Bite-Sized Chunks
In the RTD tea example above, you wouldn’t simply sit down and try to squeeze out new tea ideas. You’ll want to break the meeting into chunks… a series of exercises each with a specific focus. For our tea meeting, a chunk for each: competitor review/sampling, existing tea flavors in the market, what does/does not mix with tea, what makes a beverage “refreshing?” And so on…

(4) Stretch Before You Run
Similar to stretching muscles before a run, you want to get brains warmed up before making new ideas. There are loads of books and online tips for facilitators with suggested activities. If you spend a few minutes pulling together something fun and stimulating – it will pay off with a more engaged group of participants.

If your collection of participants are unfamiliar to each other, include some type of ‘get to know you’ component in the ice breaker.

Not only will this allow people to “get into the groove” of creative thought, it’s a good way to flush minds free from the baggage they had before your meeting. Just like the way sorbet cleanses the palate between meal courses.

(5) Ideas, Not Decisions
It is kitschy to start a brainstorming session with the declaration, “There are no bad ideas in brainstorming.”

Hogwash! There are truckloads of bad ideas. The point is, brainstorming is not the time to worry about the quality of an idea, just the quantity. This isn’t decision making time. We’re not going to allocate resources, time, or spend money now.

Tell the participants not to worry about good or bad. Bad ideas often lead to great ones.

(6) Don’t Get Hung Up. Use A “Parking Lot”
If your team gets bogged down with a controversial idea or sidebar conversation, write the issue down on it’s own flip chart page – a parking lot – where it is clearly visible… And get back on track.

This keeps the issue “out there” but allows you to stick to your objectives. It also shows you respect the discussion. If people are swirling about a topic, it is obviously important, and probably needs to be figured out. This meeting probably isn’t the right time or place.
(Be sure to note this conversation in your re-cap notes as a reminder to help drive resolution).

(7) Filter Before Your Finish
Don’t end your brainstorming with flip charts and sticky notes full of ideas. All too often these pages get rolled up and tucked under someone’s desk. Poof! Gone forever…

Instead, get closer to a plan and action by selecting ideas that best meet original objectives – your frame.

With clients I’ll do a simple ranking and plotting using key filters. “Filters” may include:

• cost,
• speed to market,
• time investment,
• ROI,
• uniqueness of concept,
• remarkability,
• brand appropriateness, etc.

Have the group pick a some of the “best” ideas… Perhaps 5 or 10 that really pop out. Then rank them using two or more of these filters. Perhaps the best ideas are those that are filtered with “inexpensive to implement” and “don’t require new training.” Plot these on an X-Y grid.
Now the entire team can leave with ALL the ideas of the day, but also the two or three that may end up as THE big idea. A better sense of accomplishment is had by all.

(8) Read Your Audience
Sessions rarely (if ever) follow the strict agenda you may outline. People may work much faster or slower through a particular “chunk” or exercise.

Leading a brainstorm session is like delivering stand-up comedy… You may have 45-minutes of material prepared… however – if the audience isn’t receptive or responding – you need to jump to some other material or try a different approach.

Check in on a regular basis to make sure they’re still with you, get where they’re going, understand the assignment, or perhaps simply need a pee break!

(9) Follow-Up
After the meeting, thank your participants. Send individual emails or hand-written Thank You notes. Let them know you appreciate them loaning their brain to you. Sincere appreciation is always well received.

Also, let the team know what you plan to do next… and… why not let them know the outcome once ideas are or are not put into place.

Nothing more satisfying to know you’ve been part of fixing, changing, improving, or creating something new and successful.

Call Center Process

World Tamil Conference

The great land of Tamil Nadu has stood the test of time and is still young at heart. It has withstood the tsumani, floods over time and has shown its resilience for all to see. The logo just depicts what the land is all about. The waves that fall at the feet of Saint Thiruvalluvar provide just the right background and beauty.

The statue of Thiruvalluvar has been designed keeping in mind the basic tenets of sculpting with three fingers extended and two folded altogether painting a saintly picture. The three fingers in his hand signifies not any esoteric doctrines but the three main division in his great work Thirukural i.e., righteousness, wealth and love life.

We also see symbols of the Indus valley one of the oldest among the world civilzations around Thiruvalluvar. Indus valley as we all know is more than 5000 years old and more importantly an urban civilzation. It was at its peak for around 700 years and it extened over an area of 1500 acres.

What is a matter of pride is that Indus valley civilization is now widely accepted as an offshoot of Dravidian culture. The excavations in Sulur near Kovai, Kezhavazhai near Vizhupuram and Mayiladuthurai, Sembiam and Kandiyur of erstwhile Chola Kingdom only provide further evidence to the fact.

The sea faring ways of the Tamizhs and the history of their commerce and trade across the seas are brought out by the boats and ships. Simply put it communicates the essence of the ancient proverb "Thiraikadal odiyum thiraviam thedu". The bull stands of the agricultural prowess of the Tamizh and also depicts youth.

The logo has 7 different features. The number 7 is an important one for Tamizhs and this has also been taken into account while creating the logo. The 7 days of the week, 7 thinais of Akam and 7 thinas of Puram show the importance of 7. Even more, 133 Chapters of Kural, 34 chapters in Righteousness with exception of Payeeraviyal (prologue). 70 chapters of wealth management, 25 chapters in lovelife all add up to seven. It can also show the importance of the word “Arise” and the culmination of world life at 70 and means "Arise to achieve your goal".

The motto of this Conference is "Pirappokkum Ella Uyirkkum". This means everyone is equal by birth. This is an ancient maxim in Tamizh and it being the motto of the Conference can be considered the gift from Tamizhs to mankind all over the world.

The most important thing in the times we live is peace - peace across race, religion and creed. For peace, we need a world that does not discriminate that does not tolerate inequality. It was gifted to the world almost 2000 years ago by out Tamil literature.

Official Website : http://www.wctc2010.org/
Video Presentation :


If possible please use it as wallpaper :

Make More Sales (MMS)

Master These 6 Skills & You'll Make More Sales

Here are 6 ideas to keep in mind when you are gathering information on your prospects and clients:

1. Learn the Power of Silence. You probably have a list of strategic questions to ask along with clarifying questions that you will use as the need arises. After you've asked a question, be silent and let the other party speak. On far too many occasions, I have heard sales people answer their own questions. I have heard sales reps drag out their questions in order to fill a silent gap. I have heard other members of the sales team jump in with their versions of the answer to show off their prowess and knowledge. In any conceivable scenario involving two people communicating with each other, the same rule of thumb applies--the person that is asking the questions is directing the conversation. If your team is doing all of the talking, then your prospect or client is directing the conversation. Learn to be silent and listen.

2. Use Vocal Control to Direct the Conversation. Back in the early '90s, I picked up a series of educational sales tapes by Zig Ziglar. On one of those tapes, Ziglar ran through an exercise that highlighted the importance of vocal intonation. By taking a single statement, like "I did not say he stole the money," and applying emphasis on the different words, he showed how we could give this one simple statement seven meanings. A question like, "What do you do here" can also have several meanings with the appropriate verbal markings. Asking, "What do you do here?" can be taken as a generic question referring to your contact's company. On the other hand, asking, "What do you do here?" places the focus on the individual you are speaking with. Moreover, asking, "What do you do here?" references the current location over everything else. Again, by verbally marking certain words in your questions and statements, you can better structure your consultations to carry more impact and meaning.

3. Ask for Clarification. If you are unsure of a statement or a question that your prospect has put on the table, do not be afraid to ask clarifying questions. As human beings trying to communicate with one another, we sometimes forget that everyone has different experiences, which gives everyone a unique and different perspective. If we communicate using vague instructions and concepts while assuming that everyone is familiar with what's in our heads, we can count on a certain level of misunderstanding to take place. If a client or prospect says that they have problems with employee engagement, ask them for examples and scenarios that clarify what employee engagement means to them. Then, once you have concrete examples of what they mean, recap to the best of your understanding to check if both of you are on the same page. If yes, then you can move forward with the sales process. If not, go back and gather more examples. The last thing you want to do is to expend resources solving something that your prospect does not consider a problem because you misunderstood what they were saying.

4. Maintain Mental Awareness. If you have asked a question and your client is speaking about their challenges or their environment, you have an opportunity to focus and understand their statements and combine ideas to design a solution. You can also focus on the fact that your numbers are down and how much you really need to make this sale. Or, you can even drift off to how much you are looking forward to your "date night" and you can't wait for 5:30 to arrive. Even after you have mastered the skill of asking questions and you are adept with letting your prospect talk, you need to maintain mental awareness and stay focused on what your prospect is saying. We talk a lot about the dwindling attention span of our prospects and how little time we have to get their attention. Attention deficit is not something that only our prospects suffer from. Sales people suffer from the same challenge. To listen effectively, we need to exercise our will to keep our attention focused on what our prospects are saying. Don't stray and think about your shopping list or date night. Stay focused on the conversation and take notes on the discussion at hand. Not only will you create a viable solution, but your prospects will appreciate the attention.

5. Take Your Ego Out of the Picture. Sometimes it is hard to take the emphasis off of us. We want to appear knowledgeable and we want to make a good impression. We want to position our presence in our client's minds as the top dog with all of the answers, or at least more answers than our competitors. At this point, the sale becomes all about us and how we can look good, sound good and feel good. When this happens, our perception is clouded and our goals become murky. The reason we are there at the client site becomes "we want to look good." Remember that the best way to make a lasting impression with a client or prospect is to pay attention to them and show them some appreciation. Put your ego on the sideline until after the sale is complete.

6. Leverage All of Your Informational Resources. You will always need to do your research before you show up at your prospect's door. However, their website is not going to tell you everything. Your greatest source of information is your network of contacts inside and outside of the company. Become a skilled investigator, adept at asking questions to gather relevant information and assemble that information to create a credible picture of their environment. Social networking sites like LinkedIn will let you see which of your contacts are networked with a possible prospect company. And you can always ask questions about a particular company using the Manta network. What you gather will affect your view of their situation and your ability to construct a viable solution for them. Get as much information from as many sources at your disposal to gain a more complete picture of your prospect's situation and create a solution that will turn them into raving fans.

History of Marketing

The History of Marketing Thought' categorised the development of marketing theory decade by decade from the beginning of the 20th century thus:

* 1900s: discovery of basic concepts and their exploration
* 1910s: conceptualisation, classification and definition of terms
* 1920s: integration on the basis of principles
* 1930s: development of specialisation and variation in theory
* 1940s: reappraisal in the light of new demands and a more scientific approach
* 1950s: reconceptualisation in the light of managerialism, social development and quantitative approaches
* 1960s: differentiation on bases such as managerialism, holism, environmentalism, systems, and internationalism
* 1970s: socialisation; the adaptation of marketing to social change