By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News They are your youngest hires. They were born between 1978 and 1995, and you might think of them as juniors, newbies, kids. But they are the Millenials, and they should be taken seriously, because they are our future business leaders. When the current generations retire, they will be the ones who take over. Most companies struggle to understand these millenials. Managers and human resources professionals are puzzled by this generation, and confused by their different skills and values. They are ambitious, wanting upward mobility in a short period of time. They actively seek mentoring, […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News Today’s marketing and communications professionals face a serious challenge. New internet technologies are changing our customers’ communication styles dramatically, and failing to keep up with them is failing to prepare our businesses for the future. It used to be that the higher you went in your career, the fewer details you needed to know. Now, though, you can’t be a knowledgeable decision maker if you don’t have a hands-on understanding of what’s happening online. The best way to do that is to use these new web 2.0 social media tools yourself, so you can […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News Some years ago, companies figured out how to build quality products. In almost every sector, and in almost every cost position, you’ll find good design and quality manufacturing. However, what most companies haven’t figured out is how to provide high quality customer service. Now and into the future, service is exactly what will differentiate companies from one another. The concept is simple, but when you are looking from inside a company out, the obstacles might seem complex. Throughout the business world, managers say, “The bigger a company gets, the more complex it becomes”. This […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News In the old days, Turks preferred home-prepared food to eating out in restaurants. Today, professional couples with less time than money log onto yemeksepeti.com to order dinner after an exhausting workday.  Their lifestyle habits don’t resemble those of their parents. How many years did it take for Nike, Starbucks or Mavi to build names for themselves?  Compare their relatively long, slow growth to the meteoric rise of YouTube, the popular video-sharing site.  The company started in 2005 with the “Broadcast Yourself” slogan, and sold a mere two years later for 1.6 billion dollars. Murat, […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News Last week, many marketing and communication professionals gathered for the Marka conference at Istanbul’s Çırağan Palace. Marka is a truly inspiring event. Every year, it lifts up my spirit, it unleashes my creativity, and it ignites my passion for entrepreneurship. The conference had many great speakers, two of whom were particularly memorable. The first, Gerald Ratner, a well-known British businessman, saw his life forever changed by a communication crisis, and in rebuilding he rose above challenges that would destroy most others. The second, Ora-Ito, a French designer, changed his name so he could find […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News Starting an online business in Turkey might seem like a tough challenge. It’s tough anywhere, but especially in Turkey. Imagine telling your non-geek family and friends that you are starting a new business, and the business will not have a physical store in Nişantaşı. You think they will shower you with encouragement? More likely, they will wonder what kind of crazy scheme you are wrapped up in this time. Once you get past that reaction, you will face the daunting task of finding the resources, money, and expertise to turn your dream into a […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News “Innovate or die!” We hear that expression every day.  Today, business success depends on how innovative a company is and how quickly it can launch products. However, in difficult times, companies tend to become more conservative, focusing on protecting their assets. Even when the natural impulse is to become defensive, though, companies need to innovate.  One way to foster that creativity is to encourage intrapreneurship.  Gifford Pinchot, credited with coining the term, defines intrapreneurs as “in-house entrepreneurs,” those “dreamers who … can increase the speed and cost-effectiveness of technology transfer from R&D to the […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News I am often surprised by how many courses companies make their employees take, so they can learn their jobs better.  However, most talented people don’t lack technical skills, they lack the ability to persuade others to adopt new business practices.  Changing others’ minds is difficult, and often ends in disappointment.  How do you overcome that resistance? An experiment by Goethals and Reckman shows that persuasion sometimes happens when people least expect it.  Often, even the people whose minds changed are unaware of the change.  Since you don’t know when a person might be open […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News We like to think of ourselves as gifted individuals who can conquer the business world with good education, elaborate plans and fine strategies. Academics and experts confidently tell us everyday what works and what doesn’t. We listen to their convincing theories, and we presume that business success is predictable, just a matter of careful application of these known business principles. This approach to success causes many businesses to experience desperation at one point or another. “What more can I do to make my product sell?” cries the owner. But after countless debates and trials, […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News May 27, 2009 Last week, many marketing and communication professionals gathered in the Marka conference. For me, Marka is a truly inspiring event. I don’t go there to learn anything new, but it lifts up my spirit, unleashes my creativity and ignites my passion for entrepreneurial activity. As always, the conference had many great speakers, two of which were more memorable. One Gerald Ratner, an infamous british business man, who was a victim of a communication crises, and who could rise above all sorts of challenges that most wouldn’t be able to survive. Two, […]