IFEG7 September 2000

Your future in your hands:

Working Smarter not Harder - marketing your services

Sheila Pantry, OBE, BA, FLA, FIInf Sci.Information Management Consultant

Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd

85 The Meadows, Todwick, Sheffield S26 1JG, UKTel:+44 (0)1909 771024 Fax: +44 (0)1909 772829 email: SheilaPantry@compuserve.comweb sites: www.hspublishing.com/hsworld

http://panizzi.shef.ac.uk/training/manage.html www.shebuyersguide.com

Avoiding “If only I had known”………...• Scene setting….. Changing Roles …………

and the Challenges

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Changing Roles……Scene setting

- technological advancements- higher bandwidth information- high-speed transmission- lower costs- organisations needs are changing- customer expectations are different- time and place ….. Irrelevant- no longer jobs for life.. Now portfolio jobs -

implications for you and the customers

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Challenges …… to be

- able to work in fast moving information industry

- flexible

- able to offer the right set of skills

- able to see how different skills will be needed in future scenarios

- able TO KEEP UP WITH DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING (CPD)

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The Opportunities

- the potential impact of new digital technologies

- technological and cultural change

- information poor and information rich divide in your organisation

- use of electronic mail > new services

- more data sources>>>>>>

MORE CAN BE LESS FOR SOME!

- IDENTIFYING validated and authoritative data- trying out different types of services 5

Rapid changes and some problems

- keep your eye on the changes

- global village….. Dot com

- customers are short of time

- customers often don’t know what they want

- customers not always IT or information literate

- you need to understand the customer’s work

- help them also to develop their “personal” as well as management skills… training opportunities

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Your interpersonal skills ……... Communication skills

• Telephoning skills - be prepared before you talk - list your points for discussion - don’t waste other people’s time - persuasion - smile 7

Interpersonal skills ……Communication skills

Meetings skills - be prepared - “cold” meeting - first time, first impressions - short time for impact - arranged meetings - formal with agenda and chairman and your actions - where you sit and why 8

• Interpersonal skills ……Communication skills

Presentation Skills…….- how you look- the do(s) and don’t(s) - be prepared - know your subject - state what you are going to talk about - tell the audience when questions can be asked

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• Interpersonal Skills………

• good listening skills - being able to stop talking and start to listen

• ensure that you really do understand what is being said

• negotiate services and Service Level Agreements

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• Presentation Skills…….

• Writing skills- remember short attention span

of reader - the one page report A4 bullet

points - the executive summary 3/4 page - the progress report - the investigation report - the full report and contents 11

•Presentation Skills…….

• Writing skills continued - electronic mail - electronic services, e.g. SCANS - web sites - brochures and other advertising (remember costly & Memorable) - journals and newsletters

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Time Management (TM)Skills….. - be punctual… other people’s time - prioritise work - avoid major time wasters - make use of regular strategic planning - cope with meetings - delegate and learn to say “NO”

- deal with paperwork

- use the tools of TM: diaries, planners and daily task lists

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• Management Skills….. - planning services n.b. Developing a Successful

Service Plan - financial skills and costing skills - organising new services - project management

• Knowledge Management - advantage position within an organisation ( know what is where and with whom) - advantage - possessing information skills and technology skills to organise, manage, produce and maintain information systems 14

•Information Professionals need marketing and publicity skills………

• to be able promote their skills

• to ensure that clients/customers will want to employ them again & again

• to be one step ahead of the competition from either inside or outside the organisation

• look constantly for opportunities to market the services 15

• Being an Intrapreneur…someone who works within an organisation but acts in an entrepreneurial manner...other terms include:• internal entrepreneur

social entrepreneur risk taker

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• Characteristics of an Intrapreneur include:

- vision- long term thinking- management skills -

delegation, organisation, resource allocation

- team working skills - motivation, team development

• (source: Boyett and Findlay, 1993) 17

• The organisation and the Intrapreneur

• Find out what and who makes the organisation tick - the movers & shakers

• Information Audit- true cost/value of information- need for, and cost of information that should be acquired- training needs of staff to be able to most effectively use the information- the need for a comprehensive, holistic

system 18

• KEEPING ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE CUSTOMER & MARKETING SERVICES

• Essential for information team to keep up-to-date

• Customer expectations & give the answers before the questions are asked

• Further ways: SCANS inc daily news, training, induction courses, updating sessions especially when new services are offered, Internet/Intranet training and services, creating databases/CD-ROMS, e-SDI, e-linking to journals & full-text 19

• KEEPING ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE CUSTOMER…in Marketing your services

• Ensure quality

• Provide and Enhance access to information

• Imaginative use of the technologies

• Turn information into value-added services

• Keep the information team in creative mode

• Make new partnerships …. Remember work smarter not harder

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•Successful Information Providers

• will need to constantly keep up to date,

• be in the right place at the right time

• market their information services >>> Work smarter not harder <<<<

AND HAVE LOTS OF LUCK…… 21

•The Commercial ….further Reading1. Your Successful LIS career: planning your career, CVs,Interviews and Self-Promotion, by Sheila Pantry and Peter Griffiths LA Publishing, London ISBN 185604 329 0

2. The Complete Guide to Preparing and Implementing Service Level Agreements, by Sheila Pantry and Peter Griffiths LA Publishing, London ISBN 185604239 1

3. Developing a Successful Service Plan, by Sheila Pantry and Peter Griffiths LA Publishing London ISBN 185604 392 4

4. Becoming a Successful Intrapreneur, by Sheila Pantry and Peter Griffiths LA Publishing London ISBN 185604 292 8

Available from BookPoint Ltd 39 Milton Road, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4TD, UK Tel: 01235 400 400 Fax: 01235 832 068

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