The Ultimate Question

I sat in on a very interesting presentation last week at the Wasatch Online Marketers Association (WOMA) by Ryan Davies of Progrexion, a multi-disciplinary marketing and marketing research firm with offices in San Francisco and Utah.

One of Progrexions house specialties is customer satisfaction surveys, one of the more dreary (if necessary) parts of marketing research. You know what I mean if youve ever been subjected to a customer satisfaction survey that runs 4 pages single-spaced in about 9-point type. Completing those surveys can be like that scene in the Dustin Hoffman movie Marathon Man when Sir Lawrence Olivier plays the Mengele-like ex-Nazi dentist Dr. Christian Szell who extracts information along with teeth.

But Progrexion draws from the work of author and Bain consultant Fred Reichheld to come up with a much more streamlined and painless approach. Reichheld wrote the 2006 book The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth.

Reichheld maintains that under pressure to meet growth targets modern corporate managers are going after the wrong customers and doing so badly. Hence the implicit statement in the books title that profits can be bad and growth wrong.

Whats the ultimate question? Well hold your breath because its all of eight words: would you recommend this business to a friend?

How people answer that question and a few more carefully selected questions are used to calculate something called the Net Promoter Score. The Net Promoter scores are based on a 0-10 scale and the measure the degree to which someone is genuinely pleased with your product, company or service and why.

Heres the scale:

9-10 Net Promoter
7-8 Neutral
0-6 Detractor

Fine and dandy, youre saying, but what does this have to do with cause marketing?

Certainly the Ultimate Question and the Net Promoter score could be used gauge the success and lasting power of a cause marketing campaign or program. Want to know if your paper icon campaign is actually costing you money (even while raising money)? Ask the Ultimate Question.

But theres another possible use.

Progrexion uses the Ultimate Question as a lead generator. Theyre currently helping a presidential candidate identify potential donors. (Guess who the candidate is? Bear in mind that Progrexion was founded by an ex-Bain consultant and that Fred Reichheld still works for Bain Consulting. Remember also that among the field of contenders for the presidency theres exactly one candidate who started and ran Bain Capital before taking the helm at the 2002 Winter Olympics).

In effect, the Ultimate Question and the Net Promoter Score is a way of identifying salesmen and mavens, to use Malcolm Gladwells terms.

And what cause marketing campaign couldnt use more of both?

Paul Jones is the principal of Alden Keene & Associates, a consultancy specializing in integrating marketing and communications, market research, and internal and external communications. One of Alden Keenes especialidads de la casa is cause-related marketing. That is, helping businesses and nonprofits come together in ways that profit both. Check his blog at http://causerelatedmarketing.blogspot.com Copyright 2007 Alden Keene & Associates.

How Do I Puppy Proof My Home?

If there's one lesson that I've learned well as a dog owner, it's this: Before bringing that new puppy home, you want to puppy proof your home.

Here's how you can do just that.

Identify and remove any toxic plants that could effect your puppy

Many plants that are common to our gardens and homes (including the dead leaves) can be poisonous to our dogs. Here is the ASPCA listing which is an excellent listing and resource: Toxic Plants

Think about toxic human foods the yummy things that can kill your puppy!

There are human foods that are very toxic to dogs. Chief among them are onions, chocolate, grapes and raisins. It is very important that you make any children in your house AND neighborhood aware of this. For a complete list go to: Bad Food List

Third, here are ten things to do the day before that new bundle of fir arrives.

Close doors or set up baby gates to rooms you don't want the puppy to get into. Puppies are naturally curious and will explore. It is best to keep them confined to one room or part of a room, and gradually increase their range.

Get all plant, small pets (gerbils, guinea pigs, fish, lizards, etc.), electrical cords and curtain/shade pulls out of puppy range. Covers for electrical cords are advisable.

Keep kids' toys picked up and out of puppy reach. Puppies do not know the difference between their toys and your daughter's brand new Barbie doll.

Remote controls and video game equipment (which are often used and left on the floor) needs to be put in a secure location away from a curious puppy.

Lift up your wastebaskets! Gross as it sounds, dogs love dirty tissues and other nasty things that are put in wastebaskets! It is like their own disgusting, nose level buffet. My adult dogs are five and ten years old and will still occasionally sneak things out of the wastebaskets.

Check your fencing make sure it goes completely to the ground. You would be amazed at how small a gap a puppy can fit through! In fact, I recommend keeping puppies tethered, even if the backyard is fenced, until they are fairly reliable on the recall.

The game of 'Catch the Puppy' is not a good game to be playing with your young puppy. You need to stay in control as much as possible.

Keep all medications and chemicals securely hidden. Dogs can counter cruise and a simple bottle of pain reliever consumed by a curious pup can have fatal consequences.

Remember, your puppy is going to grow! What may pass for puppy-proof today may not be adequate in another month or two. Be aware of your pup's ever increasing range and curiosity.

Bottom line is you have to be watching your puppy constantly. Any thing other than food that they chew and swallow has the potential to make them sick or, worse yet, kill them.

Don't forget the tail. Not all puppy damage is done by puppy chewing. Make sure all breakable items are above tail level. One good swipe with a happy tail and grandma's crystal vase is shattered.

Finally, have Poison Control Center information handy

If you think your puppy has been poisoned Call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center The telephone number is (888) 426-4435. There is a consultation fee for this service.

Use the ideas presented here to prepare your home for your new puppy.

This article is part of a chapter in Edie MacKenzie's ebook "Your Doodle Puppy's First Year Made Easy." For more great tips on how to raise a healthy, fun loving, well-behaved dog, go to http://www.labradoodle-guide.com/LdoodPuppy.htm