Technology


5 marketing books that are perfect for the cottage W


e're halfway through summer and many of us are booking weekends (or weeks, if you're lucky) off to catch some much needed rest and relaxa-


tion. If you're in Winnipeg, like I am, then it's likely that you're enjoying your time off at a cottage or cabin, hopefully near a big body of water that's perfect for swimming, hiking, boating, fishing, and catching up on some sleep. While getting a sunburn and over-indulg-


ing on BBQed meat is a staple of the cottage experience, I love using my "unplugged" time away from wifi and screens to catch up on a few good reads to get me back in the "marketing mindset" when I’m back at my desk. Looking for a few good reads to sink your


teeth into and get that creativity flowing? Check out these must-read marketing books that pair perfectly with a sunny dock and a cold beer: 1. Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide


Social Media Alyson Shane


to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley Good marketing is driven by good content, and to cre-


ate really good content you need the copywriting skills necessary to convey your ideas in a compelling and inter- esting way. In Everybody Writes, marketing dynamo Ann Handley offers thoughtful advice and guidance for writers of all skill levels on how to level-up their writing chops and deliver copy that gets attention and delivers results. Whether you're new to the concept of content mar-


keting, or are a seasoned content marketing looking to sharpen their teeth on some innovative concepts, this book is a must-read for any writers and content market- ers out there. 2. UnBranding: 100 Branding Lessons for the Age of


Disruption by Scott Stratten Scott Stratten has been dissecting how we communicate


for years. In addition to his hilarious and long-running podcast, he's also a branding expert with a key eye for detecting B.S. in the marketing industry. Unbranding is a collection of stories that showcase how


branding is just as important as ever, and provides clear and actionable advice to apply lessons learned from the examples in our changing digital marketing landscape. From dealing with criticism on social media, to building and maintaining trust, to cutting through the "noise" online: it's all in this swift little read. 3. PRE-SUASION: A Revolutionary Way to Influence


Portage and Main debate consuming more attention than it deserves


and Persuade by Robert Caldini If you studied marketing in university then it's


likely that you've already encountered Robert Caldini's seminal work: Influence: Te Psychology of Persuasion, which was released in 1984. Pre-Suasion acts as a follow-up to this


book and goes much deeper into the sub- titles of areas like: place, identity, shared action, attention and importance, the sub- tleties of persuasion, and much more. Tis info-packed read will not only help you per- suade your colleagues and the executives you work for you support your marketing initiatives, but will also help you persuade customers to take the action you want. 4. Exactly What to Say: Te Magic Words


for Influence and Impact by Phil M. Jones Someone's decision to work with you


often comes down to what you say and how you say it, and that's true in sales, market- ing, and life in general. Tis fantastic read by Phil M. Jones, one of the world's most


respected sales trainers, digs deep into the power of the words we say, and offers a fascinating look on the art of responsive, thoughtful, and engaging conversation to achieve the results you want. Sure, a book like this can help your sales team close


more deals, but it can help you state your case more persuasively, present your ideas with more confidence, and become a more powerful speaker both in and out- side the boardroom. 5. Marketing: A Love Story, How to Matter to Your


Customers by Bernadette Jiwa Tis book is all about how to matter to your customers,


and how to build the emotional connection necessary so you continue to matter to them for years to come. What we love about this book is its unusual structure: it's adapted from a series of blog posts written by the author, but at 81 pages is doesn't really matter because every page is packed with thought-provoking points that apply to marketers and entrepreneurs working in both the B2B and B2C spaces. If your business has struggled to inject emotion into


your sales and marketing copy, then this read will give you insight, inspiration, and steps to think about how to sell your story, not your product. What are you reading this summer? Drop me a line


at www.starling.social/get-in-touch or tweet at me @ alysonshane on Twitter!


First impressions rarely secure you a job, but can often rule you out of one


C


andidates often wonder why they struggle to re- ceive positive feedback from potential employers on their applications. As Albert Einstein said, "the


definition of insanity is trying the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results." Below are some quick tips that will help lead employ- ers to call you back. A first impression will rarely secure can-


didates a position but will often rule them out. A cover letter, and sometimes just a resume can have an application dismissed within seconds. Cover letters should show the recruiter or hiring manager an excite- ment for the opportunity and a quick note on the value that the candidate’s experi- ence and personality brings to position. Te average recruiter will know in five


seconds or less if they are going to consider a candidate's resume, making it very im- portant for resumes to really draw in the recruiter’s attention. A modern resume is more skills-based in comparison to older style resumes that focus on roles and responsibilities. What really draws attention is highlighting major ac- complishments under each role. It is always enticing to see that a salesperson was the top rep in their company, or that an executive was able to significantly increase revenues or decrease costs through implementing in- novative new ideas. When formatting a resume, make sure that is comes off easy to read. Something to try is to put yourself in


September 2018


the recruiter’s shoes and spend ten seconds reading through the resume. See in that ten seconds what information would be enough to get the recruiter to want to hear more. A resume does not need to describe every duty that the candidate has ever had. Te purpose of the resume is to entice the recruiter to calling and asking more questions. One follow-up email or call is never a


Human Resources Graeme Burke


bad idea when applying, but it is important to do this respectfully and strategically. If you are able to do some digging, and find out who this position reports to, calling the decision maker directly can be a good way get your name in the ears of the right person. When following up, it is important not to criticize the recruiter for not calling. Rather than this, let the recruiter know that you wanted to follow up as you are very in- terested in this position and the company and look forward to the opportunity to discuss your experience in further detail.


If the initial follow-up does not work, there is no reason and continually follow-up, as this may annoy the hiring manager and close the door on your application when it may be just a matter of time before your call. Next month I will talk about how many employers are


breaking employment legislation to take advantage of their employees. Graeme Burke is Recruitment Consultant at Te Head- hunters. You can contact him at gburke@theheadhunters.ca


www.manitobapost.com


Building Trades Sudhir Sandhu


A


s Winnipeg approaches civic elections in 2018, the city has seen an intense debate about opening Portage and Main to pedestrian traffic. Rather than


making a decision, Mayor Brian Bowman and his Council colleagues have deferred the decision to a referendum to be held concurrent with the civic election. To a certain extent, it is under-


standable that Council passed this hot potato issue back to the public’s court. But fundamen- tally, the decision is inherently flawed. A city cannot prosper if its leaders decline to make dif- ficult decisions. A city cannot succeed and sustain its prosper- ity if it leaves critical planning and design decisions to public referenda. We elect leaders to lead and to make difficult deci- sions that require research and thoughtful decision making that we as citizens, often do not have time for. Yet that is exactly what Council has done. Tere are other conse-


quences of its decision. Winnipeg is now at risk of letting popularism dictate what happens to Portage and Main. Rather than making a decision (to open or not), and laying out the rationale to educate us, Council has risked having the wrong decision imposed by voters who may never had all of the pertinent information in its hands. If we are going to resort to referenda, let us open up the


question of infrastructure spending priorities entirely. Let citizens decide where we spend all our infrastructure dollars. Why was bus rapid transit (BRT), which is yet to prove its utility, approved without a referendum? Right or wrong, our leaders acted and the project is well under way. Mayor Glen Murray’s Council was ridiculed for building Esplanade Riel. Today, it features prominently in every iconic image of our City. Te referendum will also serve as a distraction. Critics of


opening Portage and Main often point to the state of Win- nipeg’s infrastructure in recommending against incurring the cost of opening Portage and Main. Te singular focus on a referendum question hardly allows for consideration of other priorities. Te fate of Portage and Main will consume more atten-


tion than it deserves. It will push other important issues to the background. Te state of our city and many of its citizens deserves debate and as citizens, the civic election should hold a forum where we can participate in a vigor- ous debate and hear from aspiring leaders as to their plans for our city’s future. Instead, we may end up with a circus sideshow focussed on one issue. Successful cities carefully consider how their citizens


live, work, play and engage with each other. Winnipeg is still a collection of individual neighbourhoods that isolate residents within the locale and their interaction with other neighbourhoods is mostly limited to driving through them. With a growing population, we will face future transporta- tion and land use issues that need to be accounted for now. Winnipeg is yet to meaningfully start that exercise. Successful cities of the future will depend on smart in-


frastructure. While Winnipeg claims to be a global smart city, it is still in the dark ages and any such designation (self-conferred or granted by others) is an embarrassing overstatement. As compared to Winnipeg, real smart cities facilitate the horizontal and vertical flow and integration of data and information to promote economic, social and environmental sustainability. Winnipeg has not even managed to deploy a fully integrated traffic management system. Smart infrastructure deserves far more discussion than what we do with Portage and Main. Te state of our economically disadvantaged citizens and


the neighbourhood they are concentrated in also deserves significant discussion and debate. While we recognize that equitably shared prosperity is essential for economic and social sustainability, we may not get a chance to mean- ingfully discuss and debate alternatives to achieve more success. Te list of significant and important issues is long. Te


civic campaign and the opportunity to debate these issues is short. Portage and Main has long captured our atten- tion and imagination. Te issue is not unimportant. City Council ought to have made a thoughtful decision so we could move on to more important issues that will need our attention during the upcoming campaign. Unless we the citizens decline to be distracted and ask


more important questions, the referendum will result in a generational decision on Portage and Main. Let’s make sure a decade into the future, we can say that this election solved more important problems than just removing or keeping the barricades at our signature intersection.


Manitoba Post 11


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