MIP 2020

End of Session 1 of 3

Communication and Marketing

1. Previous day update
   1. Individual Project instructions were handed out.
   2. Topic must be identified by the time we return for Unit B Nov 10 – 21.
   3. One past person did one on an Organizational Technology Plan
2. Communication and Marketing Day7 Presentation
   1. 1. Jody Severson
3. The goal of a communication program/plan is to win permission.
4. Should be directly linked to whatever has the CEO wanting to drink.
5. For us, I’m not really sure what the top 5 are (page 3) so I think that speaks to not having a communication plan
6. 7 value propositions page 4
7. Good customer service is about 1/3 of customer satisfaction
8. If you don’t do top three well, the rest don’t matter
9. Inoculation strategy; figure out who is going to flip out, proactively target that group.
10. The goal here is TARGETED communication
11.  POLLING
    1. Jack @ Sulfer Springs Electric coop in Arizona (CIO) https://www.ssvec.org/
12. 1. Junk data is more dangerous than no data.
    2. Reading Poll Data
       1. It’s a description, we need to create a prescription. (pg 14)
       2. Positives should be in 80 % and negatives to 15% – on service related
       3. Employee ratings – should be 90% and single digit negatives preferably 5 or less
       4. Rates, charges questions; look at pos/neg RATIO
          1. 66% positive and 33% neg is 2:1 = rates are not the main problem.
          2. As that ratio tips, gets to 52/38 means ACTION not words.
          3. Neg over positives = 4 alarm fire. Think hostile takeover.
       5. Three top priorities, and why
       6. Question 6 small rural more people up to 70% will know member not customer, as you get more suburban, it drops and people think they’re a customer.
       7. People who consider themselves a member give the coop a LOT more trust. More favor, support, approval.
       8. Goal is not to “win them all” but rather “win the right ones”
       9. Under 75 people in a column, it’s suspect, under 25 it’s junk (not enough to trust)
    3. Sometimes a charge unanswered is a charge admitted. Judgement call.
    4. Community engagement committee. Staff picks them not board, pay a little bit 75.00.  twice a year, term limit to one year. Pick community leaders. You’re basically training advocates. Recommended over social media. Try to keep Directors out of the meeting to not intimidate anyone.
    5. Facts don’t matter; what matters is how often they heard the story.
    6. Magic word; LOCAL; we are local, local jobs, local money, local employer
    7. Rules of thumb
       1. 3 hits to get message in head
       2. 7-8 hits before it begins to affect behavior
       3. 13-15 hits no additional improvement, possible irritation
    8. Letters to Editor LTE
       1. Scan letters to the editor.
       2. Send to Evernote
       3. Datamine them. Learn who the writers are
       4. I would rather have him inside the tent pissing out than vice versa. Lyndon Johnson during civil rights fights.
    9. Social Media / written policy
       1. Include vetting job applicants
    10. Sample Social Media Policy
    11. You are guilty until proven innocent.
    12. Strategies
        1. Focus on the consumer benefits
        2. Stay future oriented
        3. Give tangible examples
    13. The language that YOU use in the business sets the tone for what’s appropriate.

Action Items:

• Organizational Technology Plan (Gary mentioned)
• Vassil – leaders have open meeting at restaurant / bar to listen (offsite)
• NRECA Communication Planning Toolkit https://www.cooperative.com/programs-services/communications/toolkits-and-samples/Pages/default.aspx
• Shadow generation – (TROY) when you have renewables, you need the alternative generation for  when renewables aren’t producing (peakers, etc.)
• Mainly talking about PHONE surveys. Most professional companies have a dial in number.
• NISC will let you add a blurb with graphics to the bill right from the invoicing product. Can Cayenta do that?
• BOOKS
• 101 ways to promote your website Author = Susan Sweeney
• Don’t Make Me Think Author = Steve Krug
• The LEXICON project; https://www.cooperative.com/conferences-education/web-based-learning/the-lexicon-project/Pages/default.aspx

• PESTEL Analysis (Political environmental, technological, economic etc) Pg 3
• We Own IT https://weown.it
• Amery Lovins; Rocky Mountain Institute
  • When you go buy a drill, all you want is a hole
• 990 finder; http://foundationcenter.org/find-funding/990-finder
• Maggie McVay – if organizational strategy is not explicitly formulated, then events control the destiny of the organization rather than the organization controlling the destiny of events.
  • Strategic planning definition
  • Strategic – intentional action
  • Planning – looking ahead
  • A process for envisioning the desired organizational future and determine the actions require to achieve it.
• Kaplan / Norton created balanced scorecard concept.
  • Balanced performance scorecard
  • Bricklayer strategy is to lay bricks vs. building a school
  • PESTLE analysis = outside analysis, SWOT = internal analysis
  • PESTLE
  • ACSI satisfaction scores
  • Cooperative.com touchstone link including how to get an ACSI score

ToDo

• DER (Distributed Energy Resources)  – research
• https://rmi.org/people/amory-lovins/ – research
• Touchstone Energy strategy execution planning process / class? – obtain ACSI

• Link to presentation; http://bit.ly/2Z8nK7K
• Colorado United Power coop battery bank project.
• Carrington Event 
• DER Definition; DERs are physical and virtual assets that are deployed across…