Return on Intelligence
By Jim Gilbert
About Jim
Jim Gilbert has been creating direct marketing programs that drive superior ROI for almost 30 years. Fluent in consumer or B-to-B, creative, operations, and analytics, he marries the strategic and tactical sides of direct and social media marketing in a seamless fashion that gets results. He's CEO of a multidiscipline direct marketing agency, Gilbert Direct Marketing, Inc., which focuses on direct mail, catalogs, DRTV, telemarketing, print, alternative direct marketing media and social media marketing.
Jim has been involved in start-ups, expansions and turnarounds, and is an expert in helping multichannel marketers get to the "next level." He's a former adjunct professor, teaching direct marketing at Miami International University, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Direct Marketing Association. Jim loves to talk direct marketing, and has done many lectures on direct and social media marketing.
Retail Rants & Raves
How Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Saved a Customer
Aug 23, 2010Talk about valuing your customers and providing exceptional customer service! It's no wonder that GMCR is one of the fastest...
Merchandising Musings
The Art of Double Meanings
Aug 23, 2010How can your brand infuse its products with double benefits? Double meanings? What would it take to accomplish something even...
Dear Dr. pROfIt
Getting Senior Management to Buy Into Mobile
Aug 23, 2010New purchase channels can achieve success if marketing and merchandising are aligned to the interests of customers.
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Creating Positive Customer Experiences
What Your Business Can Learn From the JetBlue Flight Attendant's Meltdown
Aug 30, 2010How can you use the Slidin’ Slater incident to start a lively dialog in your company about how working conditions...
Who Said I Couldnt Multitask ... A Cautionary Tale
The other day I was sitting at my desk getting some work done. At the same time, I was watching tweets pop up on TweetDeck (retweeting ones that I like, of course) and instant messaging a client on AIM, when the phone rang. So I take the phone call, start talking and a text message pops up on my phone. All the while I’m sitting in front of Excel crunching some numbers.
And my wife tells me I’m horrible at multitasking!
These days I sit in meetings and never get to look someone in the eyes. Why? People are always looking down at their BlackBerrys and iPhones. Let’s call it “the smartphone stoop.”
The other night my wife, 10-year-old son and I jump in bed to watch TV. Two minutes later, I look over and my wife's on her BlackBerry, my son is on his DSi and I’m responding to an email on my iPhone. The picture of the modern family, I guess.
I can’t believe how much has changed in the way we communicate. Ten years ago I didn’t carry a cell phone. Now, I have a whole office in my pocket!
It’s bad enough that my office follows me into my car and bedroom, but it even follows me into the bathroom! (Sorry, let those calls and texts go to voice mail.)
Sometimes I wish none of this technology ever existed. Our world moves too fast. Heck, I move too fast.
Everything we do today on high speed (and sometimes on autopilot) has an effect. Mistakes happen with all this multitasking, for instance. And sometimes those mistakes play themselves out with your employees, bosses, clients and customers. Other times mistakes — seemingly harmless at the time — wind up on the internet, being reviewed millions of times on social media sites.
Just a thought; back to business next week.
Jim Gilbert is president of Gilbert Direct Marketing Inc., a full-service catalog, direct marketing and social media agency. His LinkedIn profile can be viewed at www.linkedin.com/in/jimwgilbert. You can email him at jimdirect@aol.com, follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gilbertdirect or read his blog at gilbertdirectmarketing.wordpress.com/.
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Hi Jim,
Your sentiments are exactly on target. Excessive use of multitasking of electronic devised puts ALL executives at risk for 1) dropping the ball 2) completing assignments that are rapidly finished and not necessarily well thought-out 3) being a recipient of ?open mouth-insert foot? syndrome and 4) coming across as aloof and lacking social graces.
I serve on a philanthropic board, and recently attended a 6:30 pm board meeting with approximately 35 board members in attendance (both men and women). The CEO of the organization was behind the podium, and when I tell you that 75% of the eyes in the boardroom were not looking upon the CEO, but rather were staring down at their Palms and Blackberry?s.
I agree with you, this is not a good balance.