The Truth About Idearc

Distressed Reality

2008-01-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

I wanted to respond to a comment our GM made in a recent Solutions at Hand meeting regarding a statement one of our sales guys made (paraphrased)… ”it’s just another way to make money…” His response was, “Yeah, well… that is what we do here… (paralanguage) duh…” Although this “make money” assertion on the surface may have seemed somewhat naïve, I wanted to dig beneath the surface a bit and attempt to derive some meaning that may not be readily apparent to managers / management.

As we bring about this migration from a Yellow Pages company to a multi platform / media company, a general perception exists that instead of focusing on core competencies, we are grabbing at straws motivated solely by profitability and “appearances” for Wall Street. The adage pump and dump, with speculation that the end-game is to sell off different units of the business – with the Queen Bee and her Drones getting rewarded generously… as we worker bees, impotent, can do nothing but sit and stare and wonder what happened to the company we had worked for. True or not, this is the buzz around the hive.

In the process of the pump… before the dump, we run a couple of risks. The first is the jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none syndrome. Beg the question; salespeople carry too many products - in the time that we have to talk to clients about them. Second, (as we break out of yellow-page-guy-only mode) we give the appearance of what was alluded to in the first place… just another way to extract dollars from an existing, warm client - which they can smell from a mile away.

Add to this the fact that we do no positioning of what we offer relative to a total marketing mix - fulfilling a role that would be truly consultative. We have no idea of the pricing of newspaper, radio, direct mail or other magazine advertising to effectively position any NEW product, let alone the ones we currently have.

Similarly, with the “multiple ads under the same heading” initiative we are being asked to push, the perception here too, is an attempt to extract dollars from the customer, juxtaposed to enhancing the bottom line sales of the customer. For some it may have merit. For most, it is ludicrous folly.

Combine all of this with the fact that the company is now in the mode of wanting to pay us less to drive these initiatives, and a managerial conundrum becomes readily apparent. Therefore, to frame our GM’s discussion a bit more succinctly, “It is just another way for the company to make money as salespeople see less of the earnings pie – demonstrably stating the intent to pay us less while asking us to make the company more.” And managers don’t seem to “get” the palpable resentment for what we are being asked to sell?

Saran Wrap is both plastic and transparent. My concern is that it is an apt metaphor that will become a fitting corporate moniker for the new Idearc. Plastic values, transparent motives and cling sealed to keep out the truth. We will continue to show up daily and hold on to our collective security – all the while neither trusting nor respecting those for whom we work.

It is a distressing reality.

Management, Morals & Money

2007-12-18T19:44:00.000-08:00

Institutionalized Larceny
If all we have is rules, then why do we need people?

I have written similar letters in the past, and when sharing with colleagues prior to submission, I have been admonished to not do so with the advice, “It doesn’t matter, nothing will change”, and one person stating, “You know Richard, the nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered.” This writing deals (in general terms) with our current strategy for new business acquisition at the end of a campaign. This is when we scramble for new business with the “open market” model... a veritable free-for-all. This affected me directly. Here, I convey a specific negative personal experience.

It may be useful to provide a quick thumbnail of who I am. I have been with the company just over two years in the Senior Tel Channel in Warwick, RI. I do an excellent job with pacing, and for the customers that will take the time to get into a conversation, understand and strategize, I do great work. I have a Master’s degree in Organizational Behavior and Staff Development and have publicly “bumped heads” with the “system” on a few previous occasions which leads me to this writing. I view myself as more mercenary than pro-union. My primary allegiance is to my own paycheck, to fortitude and to right thinking.

My issue is not with the “open market” per se, but with playing under rules that no one knows about going in. In my case, new business was secured, and “the rules” took precedence over common sense, decency and any sense of fairness. Another salesperson benefited from business I secured I was lied to by a Manager who benefited from the business. For my efforts, I received nothing. The rhetoric I pose in regard to this, “If all we have is rules, then why do we need people?” As well, the following scenario describes what I term “Institutionalized Larceny”. It speaks to new business acquisition, but has specific implications regarding corporate values and how decisions are made within our organization.

At the end of the Providence campaign with the “open market” model, I was calling accounts off of a win-back list. When checking VAST I noted that Commercial Heating had money in the Taunton and Fall River books. I asked my supervisor if I could sell into the Providence cluster making it clear that there was money in other books. In error, he responded affirmatively. At that juncture, I called the account, secured an appointment who requested a premise visit and noted in VAST that I had set the appointment.

Subsequently, I visited with the account, secured the business and came back to the office and requested that the remaining accounts on the card be assigned to me. This of course, was not possible, due to “the rules”. The account was assigned to Adam Sagesse, whom I thought was a Junior Tel in Middleton. When I saw that the account had been assigned to Stephen Alongi on the following Tuesday, I called DSM Brain Donahue and asked why the account had been transferred. He stated that Adam had been promoted to Senior Tel on the previous Friday. I was absent on that Friday and was told that this was the last day Adam could have handled the account in the Jr. Tel channel, so the account was being handled by Stephen.

My question is that in the interim period, when Adam could no longer handle the account and re-assignment was imminent, why the account could have not been assigned to me – the only person who had any investment in the process of securing the business in the first place? I return to my rhetoric, “If all we have is rules, then why do we need people?” If there were any sense of fair play, I would have thought something along the lines, “Richard is the only one with any skin in the game. This business would not have been secured without his efforts. It is only fair that Richard secured the business and he should benefit from the business.” This, of course, is not what has happened.

In the transition to Idearc, there was significant emphasis on “values” and “shared values” driving decision-making. My situation is not an isolated incident and I could readily share colleagues’ stories where apparently the “values” of decency and fair play are nowhere on the radar screen. Salespeople are getting routinely short-changed because of the lack of managerial fortitude to step up and “do the right thing” on a case-by-case basis. Rules exist as a frame of reference. When they are used as absolute dogma, this is a true statement of values - and without consideration for the disincentive (punch in the stomach of morale) it creates. [Disincentive: something that prevents or discourages action; a deterrent; a negative motivational influence.]

When “rules” rule the day, and people do not intervene to interpret these rules with a moral compass, and the “system” does not accommodate individual discretion, we continue to slide into the abyss where morale suffers, individuals’ health suffers, and the schism between management and labor widens. A cloak of distrust characterizes our “organizational culture”. If the values dictate that all we can do is follow the rules, I circle back to my rhetoric, “if all we have is rules, then why do we need people?”

In my case, an initial informational error set in motion a whole sequence of events. This error results in a net gain for the company and a salesperson who had nothing to do with business and for the person who secured the business; I am left with nothing other than being told, “that’s the way it is, that’s the way it has always been done, that’s the way the game is played…”

There will be no convincing me that I have not been wronged. The system should be changed to accommodate individual managerial discretion to address many issues where policy and rules prevail, and the “values” of fairness, decency the fundamental notion of right and wrong are not lost, or swept under the rug by institutional inertia. I secured the business from Commercial Heating. I should be the one to benefit from it both in regard to compensation and production.

One last issue should be explained. I understand the implications of saying that a manager lied to me as per the corporate Code of Conduct and the values we purportedly subscribe to. In the process of transitioning the account to Adam Sagasse, Adam initially very sterilely stuck to company policy in stating the account was his and that it was a very matter-of-fact open and closed situation. In speaking with him over the course of a couple of days he said he would “take care of me” on a gentleman’s agreement basis. He mentioned everything up to and including providing the entire commission to me.

When reassigning the account and seeing that the account had been assigned to Steve Alongi, Brain Donahue repeatedly admonished me to not put anything in writing via e-mail. In retrospect, I see this now as not creating a paper trail. In a phone conversation Brian assured me that any arrangement I had with Adam would remain with Stephen. When communicating this to Stephen he continuously ran a smoke screen saying that he had not yet been paid on the business and he was looking for direction from Brian Donahue on how to deal with the situation.

Whether gentlemen’s agreements of this kind are outside of established protocol and therefore not under the purview of the corporation, is not really my concern. My concern is the moral issue between two men and a lie being told.

Steve Alongi quit his job, and I never saw a dime. Brian did a great job of obfuscating and did a masterful job of placating me to keep me at bay.

The bottom line is this: Brian Donahue is a liar. He epitomizes and is the poster child for what is wrong with the Idearc corporate culture. Sad to say, The Code of Conduct is meaningless.

IMPOSED MEDIOCRITY

2007-12-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

Ideas offered to exhort change –
Their response and my assertions thus:

Theoretical versus practical,
Pontificate versus plead,

Being told to relent, & –
Get back to work, as

Effort of one, is layered upon
The same of another.

Plying more effort in shoveling
Sand piles from here to there.

All the while knowing bulldozers sit
Idling, and if used, would mitigate

Onerous, unrealistic expectations,
Punctuated by monotonous, moot exercise -

Without regard to the toll
On vitality and enthusiasm, while;

Antiquated methods and their masters
Sneering at fresh ideas, exemplify

Lack of resolve, or brains or motivation,
To forge an intelligent new path -

Notwithstanding a competitive environment
Beckoning for, and requiring change.

Grunt and grind versus available technology.
Prudence versus transparent arrogance.

Pence wise / pound foolish.
Yesterday versus tomorrow.

While today we toil in
Imposed mediocrity.

Idearc Defined in Rhetoric

2007-08-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

I share this list of questions which I have condensed from articles I have written or e-mails I have sent. It has been sitting idle for a while so I decided to dust it off and give it another whirl this morning.

So, here you go… feel free to respond and add your own questions… I would love to have new ideas to write about…

If all we have is rules, then why do we need people? How many times have you seen “the rules” trump fairness, decency and the simple proposition of doing the right thing?

Wall Street take note: With a potential minimum monthly spend of $55 for a Pay for Call, what accounting magic is taking place when we put it on the books for $400? Pump and dump?

Do you think common sense and practicality will ever take precedence over officious, redundant, bureaucratic nonsense?

Is it my imagination… do we work for an advertising company that does no advertising that is of direct benefit to sales? Good $30M campaign to please investors, though.

When was the last time someone asked you about our Scratch and Win penetration numbers? In RI, the highest per capita gambling state, what are we really measuring?

Anyone else think that our current model for pursuing new business is an abomination in the new corporate era of creating efficiencies?

Do you think shareholders (Wall Street) connect(s) the dots between corporate culture, employee satisfaction and the dispassionate performance of money? They will.

The ultimate morale booster for a job well done: Is it fair to have a senior tel rep successfully serve 3 years probation, get promoted and serve another 18 months probation as a premise rep… and then as the ultimate slap-to-the-back-of-the-head, not have your bonus gate numbers go with you? Start over schmuck, you’ve earned it.

Do the people in credit services actually work for our company? We are a team. Yeah, right.

When was the last time you advocated for a customer and were made to feel you were committing high treason?

Which do you think is top-of-mind for the CEO, shareholder value or executive compensation?

Isn’t it interesting that we don’t collect data on other advertising media and position our products in the context of an entire marketing mix? Yes, we are consultants. Say it enough times until you believe it.

How many managers do you know that fit the adage, those who can’t do, teach?

Would anyone define what Idearc marketing does - as marketing?

How much do you think we spend with CRM Associates on an annual basis, to justify a fresh perspective on a reinvented wheel? If content is now king, have we been erroneously selling size for 50 years?

What will we do when someone wants to put 6 ads under one heading when we are cutting them off at 5?

Who is sick of seeing spreadsheets as the only measure of performance? Does quality count for anything?

Who would agree that a 70% standards plan says everything you need to know about Idearc? Here’s the formula: grind to a pulp, keep morale low and expect optimal performance. The epitome of cutting edge management in the 21^st Century.

For Sale: My Incentive Prize - Two Owner Stainless Steel Rolex

Who thinks Frank Gatto (VP Sales) offers 1000% more value to the company than the average senior tel rep? ($75K vs $750K)

Should longevity with the company automatically translate to competence and credibility?

Do you ever feel a twinge of discomfort when saying you are affiliated with Verizon… the customer service heroes. This branding and legacy is a good thing?

Isn’t it a travesty that we no longer boast of our company as a great place to work?

Managers, Morals & Money: The Unseemly Truth

Most of these 'topics" will be covered in future posts. Please feel free to reply with any of your own "questions" or rhetoric.

Death of a Great Sales Job

2007-08-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

When I arrived at the Verizon Yellow Pages a few years ago I was told by some of the older guys how the glory days had passed. Being new to my career I casually dismissed their regular rants about how the new leadership (primarily from Texas) had maintained profitability by cutting expenses and implementing cost controls. I didn’t really grasp (in those early days) how dire many of those guys must have been feeling. Now that I am a quasi-one-of-them, my head too is about to explode - and this is the best way I know to keep my brains off of the walls.

When Bell Atlantic and GTE got together in July of 2000 to form Verizon, the Bell Atlantic contingent in the northeast took somewhat of a whack when corporate operations landed in Dallas and the GTE leadership began calling the shots in terms of corporate strategy and day-to-day decision-making. For all intents and purposes this marked the beginning of the end of “The Golden Age” for what was once known as “the best sales job in America”.

With spreadsheets in hand in a declining print market, and with added pressures from print competitors and the internet, the Texans started the job of wielding the ax at items like labor contracts and support staff, instituting back door personnel culling practices in the form of unattainable performance standards, and holding performance for shareholders as the pinnacle in a hierarchy of values. Employee satisfaction and happiness as cultural mandates vanished.

Somewhere lost in this formula was the fundamental reality that the Verizon Yellow Pages (now Idearc Media Corp) had ceased to be a great place to work. As a relative newcomer, I am not nearly as invested (financially or emotionally) as many of the people with 15-20 years of service. However in speaking with them, their angst is palpable. It is a travesty to have been in love with your career and to have your affect for it skewered like a pig. It is more than distressing.

In a past area sales meeting, the company had the audacity to hire a speaker / sales trainer whose message was “work is not supposed to be fun… that’s why they call it work”. That sent a shockwave… We surmise she didn’t understand the concept of passion for doing a great job, aspiring to exceed customer expectations and providing value that goes beyond schlepping ads in a book. I don’t remember her name, but in retrospect, she was the perfect prognosticator for how my time with Idearc would evolve. Work is not fun. Goal accomplished.

I have a list of topics that I have written about that deal with corporate culture, decision-making, managers and management style… the transparency of values postured and their rub with the reality of working day-to-day… I encourage you to come back or subscribe to my RSS feed and get a real sense of what is going on with Idearc – employees, prospective employees, investors and casual observers alike. (will be up soon)

We are witnessing the demise of a once great selling enterprise. Now, as a self-proclaimed second-rate sales organization, we collectively show up every day to hold on to our security – tentative as it may be. Very few are optimistic as most mumble, “there must be a better way to make a living”. In the interim, we are stuck - held hostage by the necessity of health benefits and the crunch of mortgage payments.

We persevere. Why, many cannot articulate other than the inertia of the river continuing to sweep us downstream. And somehow every day we wake up and go “do it again” in a passionless culture for which we have supreme contempt. The reason for this contempt is very straightforward…

They killed a great job.