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26 January 28, 2013 Arkansas Business The Ethics Floor EDITORIAL A question from one of our office wits (we’re blessed with several): If we can’t legislate morality, can we at least legislate common sense? The remark referred to Rick Watkins, a state Game & Fish commissioner charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct, but a number of other state officials could be included. We’ll mention just two: State Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson of gator-attack and campaign-fund-violation renown and State Treasurer Martha Shoffner, flouter of legislative subpoenas and target of a criminal investigation over her handling of state money. In addition to the lack of judgment exhibited by these three, they share another distinction: Each is the subject of spectacularly unflattering photos that have appeared in the media. Which, we think, brings us to the subject of ethics legislation and, in a Associate Publisher Chip Taulbee Editor Gwen Moritz Art Director Wayne DePriest EDITORIAL Managing Editor Jan Cottingham Interactive Editor Lance Turner Senior Editors Chris Bahn, Mark Friedman, George Waldon Assistant Editors Luke Jones, Kate Knable Editorial Intern Jennifer Ellis Managing Editor, Business & Sports Special Pubs Todd Traub InArkansas.com Editor Lauren James Assistant Interactive Editor Tre Baker Innovate Arkansas Editor Mark Carter Online Calendar Editor Blair Tidwell Researcher Roxanne Jones Multimedia Producer Trent Ogle SALES & MARKETING Vice President of Business Sales Bonnie Jacoby Senior Account Executives Rosemary Bruton, Rebecca Patton Account Executives Greg Churan, Neil Gray, Carrie Sublett Advertising Coordinators Bekah Caraway, Kristen Heldenbrand, Alissa Mathews Marketing Manager Allyson Pittman Marketing Coordinator Bethany Johnson Director of Marketing Jake Sligh Marketing Assistant Denise Brockinton Advertising Assistant Stacy Levy STAFF DIRECTORY SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS Editor, Little Rock Soirée Jennifer C. Pyron Managing Editor, Little Rock Soirée Amanda Hoelzeman Editor, Little Rock Family Heather Bennett Consumer Publications Editor Lindsay Irvin Consumer Publications Assistant Editor Sam Smith Database Administrator Alex Graham Sales Manager, Little Rock Soirée Graham Cobb Senior Account Executives Tasha Amos, Betsy Tilley Account Executives Haley Dearman, Luci Deere, Katie Fortenberry Peek, Michelle Foshee, Brandy Hubener, Jamie Mabry DESIGN Production Manager Tona Jolly Senior Art Director Irene Forbes Art Directors John Atkinson, Dean Wheeler, Waynette Traub Advertising Art Directors Marcus Boyce, Erin Lang Digital Operations Specialist Rebekah Eveland CIRCULATION Circulation Manager Dana Meyer Circulation Coordinator Cara Gieringer FLEX360 WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT Director Brent Birch Interactive Creative Director Mike Ortega Senior Web Designer Lance Corder Senior Web Developers Chris Earls, Jonathan Peoples Interactive Traffic Manager Zack Hill Arkansas Business Views Arkansas Business’ Opinion Page broader sense, the effort to establish an ethics “floor,” a bare minimum of ethical conduct below which, we hope, public servants do not sink. Here’s the take-away: We think solid ethics legislation is grand and solid ethics even grander. Two recent efforts in Arkansas come to mind. The first is a proposed initiated act that would limit donations to candidates from corporations and unions and bar legislators and constitutional officers from receiving lobbyists’ gifts. The second is a campaign reform bill to bar “multiple campaign contributions from corporate entities controlled by the same majority owner.” Although neither of these efforts directly addresses the problem of tacky behavior by public servants (in other words, we still might see headlines like “Wildlife official drunk, ranting, report states”), they’re steps in the right direction. n ADMINISTRATION Accounting Manager Hal Lammey Accounting Assistant Kim Clark Human Resources Bill Page Executive Assistant Christine Harris Digital Media Assistant Mary McLachclan Chairman & CEO Olivia Myers Farrell Chief Operating Officer Chuck Ballard Chief Information Officer Brent Birch Consumer Publications Publisher Rachel Bradbury Business & Sports Publications Publisher Chip Taulbee Interactive Editor Lance Turner 122 E. Second St., Little Rock, AR 72201 (501) 372-1443 Fax: (501) 375-7933 ArkansasBusiness.com ● abpg.com © Copyright 2013 Arkansas Business Limited Partnership De-Comforting and Re-Comforting Following our spate of winter weather, power outages and flu outbreaks, it seems an appropriate time to discuss discomfort. Much of marketing and sales success comes down to a company’s ability to create the right type of discomfort — and then comfort — among customers and prospects. Advertising has for decades provided vivid examples of “you shouldn’t live with this any longer.” I mean, who knew “ring around the collar” was such an issue until the makers of Wisk detergent pointed it out? Marketing messages are commonly designed to make you dissatisfied with what you make, how you look, whom (or whether) you date or how you spend your time. Those classic ads also manage to pair the message of “your status quo isn’t good enough” with a ready solution that will move you to a higher state of confidence and comfort. Check out the old Wisk TV ads on YouTube; just by buying and pouring the product on shirts you could make a seemingly intractable problem go away! You can learn from the sequence. First comes a process of unearthing a problem with today’s common situation or approach, often with an emotional hook (let’s call that “de-comforting”). Next is the path toward resolution, with the sponsor/marketer emerging as the logical and trustworthy partner for getting there (“re-comforting”). This sequence of de-comforting then re-comforting is easy to recognize yet difficult to pull off. I have seen several patterns emerge over the years when working with executive, marketing, product, service and sales teams. Some teams veer off course with their messages and tactics during the de-comforting stage. They carry the assumptions that prospects are largely ignorant, need “educating” or otherwise don’t get it. These teams feel more agitation with the status quo than do their prospective customers. Many teams unfortunately take a pass on the de-comforting step; they wait for the discomfort to come to them. They consider themselves primed and ready for the re-comforting stage (perhaps in the form of a customer request or RFP). But by that time the terms of discomfort have likely been established by someone else. While some teams fail to de-comfort effectively, others miss the mark on On Marketing Jim Karrh JimKarrh@AOL.com Arkansas Business welcomes Letters to the Editors. Letters must be signed and writers must include their hometowns and contact information so we can confi rm their identity. Letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, spelling and punctuation. Letters may be mailed to Editor Gwen Moritz, Arkansas Business, 122 E. Second St., Little Rock, AR 72201; faxed to (501) 375-7933; or e-mailed to GMoritz@ABPG.com. re-comforting. Sure, their messages are designed to establish trust and credibility — but the messages are too often so company- or feature-focused as to lose the connection to the original problem with the customer’s status quo. Your team will be effective by pushing discomfort in the right way and to the right degree, showing a practical path for correcting the problem, then making the case for why you — and not some other alternative — are the person or company to get them there. What are some good practices to follow in de-comforting? w Don’t attack a customer’s past decisions. w Don’t slam competitors or talk about yourself too much; focus on the customer’s reality. w Make sure that customers know they aren’t the only ones in this non-ideal status quo. After all, if they believe the problem is uniquely theirs, then they might assume they’re a lost cause. w Do point out the common problems in the status quo for them and peer organizations, or how common approaches diverge from practices you know would work better. w Do your homework and ask questions so that you understand the pain points of the flawed status quo. Don’t just ask prospects what their pain points are. w Don’t start proposing solutions (which is part of re-comforting) before you have explored and understood the de-comforting. Effective recomfortingpractices include: w Create with your customer or prospect a shared vision of what “problem resolution” or that “better tomorrow” looks like. w Talk about your differentiators and expertise. w Use stories and examples that feel relevant to the customer. Some companies put together case studies in a way that unfortunately fails to connect. Is your company equally adept at decomforting and re-comforting? n Jim Karrh of Little Rock is a marketing consultant, researcher, speaker and author. Visit JimKarrh.com or email him at Jim@JimKarrh.com.
Internet Vital to Arkansas’ Growth The Internet is a catalyst for job creation and an amazing accelerator for innovation. The Internet not only drives economic growth across the globe, but also increases the success of small businesses and job creators across the U.S. As our nation continues its economic recovery, Arkansas has a vested interest in protecting the Internet and its ability to bolster economic growth. Washington is often locked in partisan gridlock that is heavy on rhetoric but light on solutions. Congress can reach bipartisan solutions by supporting policies that promote a free and innovative Internet. We urge all lawmakers at every level of government — from mayors to state representatives to our federal representatives in Washington — to press for pro-Internet legislation that rewards entrepreneurs who create jobs right here in Arkansas. Elected officials from Arkansas have already taken action. When Congress attempted to censor the Internet through two misguided bills, the Arkansas congressional delegation fought back. These bills spurred an expansive grassroots movement, illustrating the importance of an innovative, free and decentralized Internet. And again, later that same year, when the United Nations attempted to expand its authority over the Internet, U.S. delegates, backed by support from Arkansas leaders and many international allies, protested by walking out of treaty talks. Sens. Mark Pryor and John Boozman have supported Internet freedom. Now, all of the members of the Arkansas congressional delegation must continue this fight to protect the Internet ecosystem. We appreciate the efforts of the Arkansas delegation and encourage all policymakers to continue working in a bipartisan manner to protect Internet freedom and promote local economic development. Internet jobs are no longer found solely in Silicon Valley; they are on Main Street America, in every state. The Internet is a critical tool for economic success as it creates jobs in Arkansas, inspires entrepreneurs of tomorrow and promotes Arkansas small businesses. It helps retailers like Gearhead, Nativ and Country Outfitters expand their businesses to markets across the country. It also helps working moms and students achieve success. For instance, a central Arkansas mother of three sells multi-med therapy skin care products across the state as an independent consultant with Rodan & Fields, an entirely e-commerce-based national direct sales company. Dental student William Wilson pays his school tuition by using profits from Ruf Nek, his dog collar startup business in northwest Arkansas. The Internet affects many of Arkansas’ economic sectors. Thanks to increased online ad campaigns and help from the online community, Arkansas’ tourism industry is booming. The state’s tourism website earned a No. 1 market share among neighboring states with website visits of more than 4.7 million last year, positioning it in the top 10 among tourism websites nationwide. The Internet also contributes to the education sector by increasing access to education and enabling the University of Arkansas’ global campus with online • Nightly Dining Prepared By Our Executive Chef • Happy Hour Nightly Before Dinner • 24 Hour Controlled Access • Large Apartments With Balconies/Patios • Scheduled Transportation Available • All Utilities Paid • Weekly Housekeeping & Linen Service Guest Column Michael Beckerman News@InternetAssociation.org undergraduate and graduate courses for anyone in the world to experience. • Small Pets Welcome • Indoor Heated Saltwater Pool & Whirlpool • Emergency Pull-Cords • Billiards & Game Room • Beauty Salon & Barber Shop • Fitness Room, Exercise Classes & Activities/Fitness Director • Close To Four Of Arkansas’ Best Medical Facilities VIEWS Arkansas Business January 28, 2013 27 Internet policy must be a priority for Arkansas. We believe that to continue to protect Arkansans — your jobs, your businesses, your Internet — we must pave the way for a free and innovative Internet. We must not stifle the Internet’s potential; rather, we must help accelerate its growth for America’s future. n Michael Beckerman is president and CEO of the Internet Association, a trade organization based in Washington, D.C., that represents the interests of the leading Internet companies, including Amazon. com, AOL, eBay, Expedia, Facebook, Google, IAC, LinkedIn and Monster Worldwide. He can be reached at News@ InternetAssociation.org.
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