The Fast Track to Brand Destruction
Make it all about you and your customers will walk
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
Early in my career, I worked as the advertising manager for a global manufacturer of agricultural machinery. It was a great period in my life and I thoroughly enjoyed working with the farmers and ranchers who feed the world. As part of my job, I attended numerous trade shows and conventions where I observed the business style of companies such as John Deere, Pioneer and Monsanto. Most are masters who passionately live and protect their long-earned brand positions. There were others though, which amazed the industry with their arrogance and stupidity. One in particular, which I will not name, stands out in my memory.
We are…
Founded in the 1950’s, this company was the dream of a man with a unique idea, a passion for customer service and a huge heart. Like the proverbial “better mousetrap,” his product was a piece of tillage equipment which did a much better job of turning soil than most competitive products. That wasn’t the whole story, though. This man was a brilliant marketer and cheerleader. His sales and customer service team, calling on farm machinery dealers, was trained not only on the features and benefits of the product; they were also taught his artful style of growing relationships.
Dealers and farmers were not just customers to him, they were friends who were honored and cherished. The product price, a bit higher than competitors, was never an issue. Quality, customer service and the company’s stellar brand image made it the product to own.
The company team, including sales people, engineers, factory workers and customer service folks, was taught that “we” included everyone who touched the product, including the dealers and customers. The message was that “We’re all in this together.” The company’s advertising and brochures were brilliantly conceived. Not only did they effectively tell the product story, they almost always included images of the farmer, dealer and company representative, strongly supporting the service and support message.
Over the years, the company grew and its brand was the envy of the tillage equipment industry.
I am…
In the late 1970’s, something changed. On one fateful day, the founder and owner suffered a fatal heart attack while working at his desk. Although his leadership had been skillfully conceived and executed, he had made one very serious mistake. He thought he would live forever and failed to develop a transition plan that would protect his company and legacy. As a result, the company was suddenly under the control of his young inexperienced son, a thirty-something playboy who loved to party and enjoy his father’s financial success. His personal reputation was as a spoiled and arrogant brat.
In an attempt to shore up industry confidence, Junior (he really was a Junior) hit the road, attending every trade show and conference in order to reassure farmers and dealers that all was well because he was in charge. However, his flamboyant lifestyle and big ego did not play well. He was nothing like his father and he quickly showed that he loved to be the center of attention rather than directing attention to the entire team and their loyal customers.
In a poorly-conceived move, he directed their ad agency to produce a series of magazine ads featuring his photo. His goal was to transfer his father’s personal brand to himself and to show customers that the family was still at the helm. In his photo, he was dressed in a three-piece suit and groomed to the hilt. He looked nothing like his customers who were people of the soil; hard-working and modest. Customers immediately began making comparisons. “He’s sure not like his Dad.” The agency had warned him that this was a bad move. They suggested that reassurance would come from ads that showed a continuation of the values and customer service they had come to expect.
Like this agency, the Brand Acceleration team works alongside our clients, carefully considering how each move will affect their brand. The key is to not only consider what our client has to offer but to carefully craft a message that reflects the desires of the audience. Like the ads featuring Junior, if the message is not believable, the brand will be harmed. In these days of iPads, social media and clever web sites, it’s very easy to lose sight of audience expectations, focusing instead on the beautiful package rather than the all-important content.
Over the course of three years, Junior made a series of desperate errors, from poor product direction and downgrades in quality to several deadly financial moves. At the end of it all, he eventually sold the struggling company to a large conglomerate which was on a spree, buying up weakened companies like his. Junior still managed to walkway a millionaire but his father’s dream was over. The factory was shut down and the production of products was moved to another state. Over two hundred people lost their jobs and the small community was severely harmed for several years to come.
What’s the point?
What Junior was never taught was that even though his family’s name was on the letterhead, it was not the family that made it great. It was his father’s overwhelming passion for conveying a vision of excellence through his team and to the customers. That was the fuel that grew it from a dream to a raging success.
It’s not about you!
Through good times and bad, company owners and managers must remember that their success is not about them. Their only chance for long-term success and survival is through a gut-wrenching, agonizing, passionate focus on the one thing that makes a company great, customers!
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction and real estate.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Lost Art of Appreciation
A simple “thank you” makes all the difference
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
As we approach Thanksgiving 2010, I can’t help but consider the many people whom have played an important part in what has been a very good year for me and Brand Acceleration. Like most of us though, I am often lax when it comes to expressing my appreciation.
As parents, we teach our children to always say “please,” “thank you” and “you’re welcome,” but I sometimes think we do a poor job of teaching them to truly understand and appreciate the importance of others.
When I was a child, it was very common for people to write thank-you cards and notes whenever someone did something nice. Of course, that was a time when letter writing was the norm. I remember watching my mother sit down to write letters to her friends and family members. It gave her and them great joy. Today, things are quite different. In the fast-paced, 140 character society in which we live, we’ve eliminated many of these formalities. A heart-felt thank-you letter has given way to a text or FaceBook message saying, simply, “THX.”
None of us succeeds in business or life entirely of our own doing. We get ahead as a team, not as individuals. In my life, I can easily identify the sources of my joy, and I am so grateful for what has been a wonderful year. To our employees, customers, families, vendors and many friends, I say thank you.
You are my blessings.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction and real estate.
A simple “thank you” makes all the difference
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
As we approach Thanksgiving 2010, I can’t help but consider the many people whom have played an important part in what has been a very good year for me and Brand Acceleration. Like most of us though, I am often lax when it comes to expressing my appreciation.
As parents, we teach our children to always say “please,” “thank you” and “you’re welcome,” but I sometimes think we do a poor job of teaching them to truly understand and appreciate the importance of others.
When I was a child, it was very common for people to write thank-you cards and notes whenever someone did something nice. Of course, that was a time when letter writing was the norm. I remember watching my mother sit down to write letters to her friends and family members. It gave her and them great joy. Today, things are quite different. In the fast-paced, 140 character society in which we live, we’ve eliminated many of these formalities. A heart-felt thank-you letter has given way to a text or FaceBook message saying, simply, “THX.”
None of us succeeds in business or life entirely of our own doing. We get ahead as a team, not as individuals. In my life, I can easily identify the sources of my joy, and I am so grateful for what has been a wonderful year. To our employees, customers, families, vendors and many friends, I say thank you.
You are my blessings.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction and real estate.
Monday, November 8, 2010
How Badly Do You Want Success?
Are you fully committed?
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
I recently had lunch with a young man who wanted advice about starting a business. He’s a very talented individual with a great work ethic. He has a job working for someone else but his long-time dream is to be self employed. Many have that same dream but few really understand what goes into starting and growing a business.
As a business owner, I am often approached for such advice. I’ve started, stopped, bought, and sold several companies. I’ve been self employed nearly half my career. I guess you could call me a habitual entrepreneur. It’s just in my blood and I love the process of creating and growing a business. I’ve made many mistakes and learned countless lessons along the way.
For the sake of clarity, when I talk about self employment, I am not referring to freelancing or projects taken on to fill a financial void while searching for a job. I’m talking about a real company – full-time self employment.
Today’s challenging economy has spat a large number of very talented people onto the job market and many have considered self employment as the next step in the career path. Before starting a business, there are several questions that must be answered. Only by clearly understanding where you stand on each should you move into the world of self employment.
Why do you want to be self employed?
People start companies for several reasons but the most common is the need for a job. Big mistake! Most new companies require at least 1 ½ to 2 years to become self-sustaining. If all the owner desires is a job, he or she had better have the patience, hustle, and resources to ride out this crucial startup period.
How far are you willing to bend?
There will be times, whether you’re self employed or work for someone else, when you will have to work with people you simply don’t like. As a business owner, you have the ability to decide which employees, vendors, and clients to allow into your circle.
We once had a series of meetings with a construction industry supply company which had expressed an interest in signing Brand Acceleration as its marketing communications agency. The discussions went well until the third meeting. As is often the case, when you allow someone to speak long enough, their true personality will eventually be revealed. At that point in time, the company owner/president became belligerent, not only with us but with virtually every one of his staffers. Now, we’ve worked with difficult people before but this guy was rude, condescending, and just downright abusive to every person in the room.
When I started Brand Acceleration, I vowed to myself that I would not work with any person I didn’t like, nor would I ask anyone on my team to work with such a person. At the end of that meeting, I politely declined the business, telling the owner that it just didn’t appear to be a good fit for us. As a business owner, you need to know how far you’re willing to be pushed, even if you desperately need the business.
Are you up to managing the details?
Companies often fail because they outgrow the ability of the owner to manage the details of running a business. For example, many restaurants are started by people who consider themselves great cooks, just to die because the owner is overwhelmed by the minutia of running a business. Staffing, accounting, taxes, insurance, leasing, equipment, and other details are more than some people can handle. At some point in time, it stops being fun and the business shuts down. If you’re not up to the daily grind of business ownership, don’t jump in. You’ll regret it.
Have a passion for excellence
As a business grows, the owner needs to remain committed to providing excellent products and/or service. You must be able to do this while managing the details and growing the company. The moment you turn your back on your clients and begin cutting corners, you’re doomed to fail.
Surround yourself with great people
Over the years, my most trusted mentors, some former employers, taught me to surround myself with great people and then get out of their way. This applies not only to employees but also to suppliers and vendors. I’ve found that they make me and my company look great by providing excellent deliverables to our clients. It’s also important to swiftly remove underperformers. Regardless of how great the team is, your customers will remember the poor service resulting from the actions of the one person who dropped the ball. As the business owner, you must build, monitor, and make changes in order to protect your company brand.
Always offer and demand loyalty
The glue that holds the Brand Acceleration team together is the loyalty and caring that we share for one another. Our clients, employees, and vendors are our friends, too. We care for one another and function much as a family.
How badly do you want success?
One of the biggest things that budding business owners fail to consider is the amount of work they’ll have to do. The idea that self employment means you won’t have to work as hard is pure fantasy. You’ll work harder than you’ve ever worked in your life. As a business owner, you can forget the concept of a 40-hour work week. Sixty or eighty hours may be more realistic, especially during the startup phase. You’re going to live and breathe that business during your every waking moment.
I recently saw a YouTube video of Mr. Eric Thomas, Advantage Director at Michigan State University. In his Secrets of Success video series, he asks the question, “How bad do you want your dream?” In it, he dramatically demonstrates the importance of the passion, desire, and commitment required to succeed at anything, including self employment. This is one of several of his speeches on YouTube.
Are you fully committed?
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
I recently had lunch with a young man who wanted advice about starting a business. He’s a very talented individual with a great work ethic. He has a job working for someone else but his long-time dream is to be self employed. Many have that same dream but few really understand what goes into starting and growing a business.
As a business owner, I am often approached for such advice. I’ve started, stopped, bought, and sold several companies. I’ve been self employed nearly half my career. I guess you could call me a habitual entrepreneur. It’s just in my blood and I love the process of creating and growing a business. I’ve made many mistakes and learned countless lessons along the way.
For the sake of clarity, when I talk about self employment, I am not referring to freelancing or projects taken on to fill a financial void while searching for a job. I’m talking about a real company – full-time self employment.
Today’s challenging economy has spat a large number of very talented people onto the job market and many have considered self employment as the next step in the career path. Before starting a business, there are several questions that must be answered. Only by clearly understanding where you stand on each should you move into the world of self employment.
Why do you want to be self employed?
People start companies for several reasons but the most common is the need for a job. Big mistake! Most new companies require at least 1 ½ to 2 years to become self-sustaining. If all the owner desires is a job, he or she had better have the patience, hustle, and resources to ride out this crucial startup period.
How far are you willing to bend?
There will be times, whether you’re self employed or work for someone else, when you will have to work with people you simply don’t like. As a business owner, you have the ability to decide which employees, vendors, and clients to allow into your circle.
We once had a series of meetings with a construction industry supply company which had expressed an interest in signing Brand Acceleration as its marketing communications agency. The discussions went well until the third meeting. As is often the case, when you allow someone to speak long enough, their true personality will eventually be revealed. At that point in time, the company owner/president became belligerent, not only with us but with virtually every one of his staffers. Now, we’ve worked with difficult people before but this guy was rude, condescending, and just downright abusive to every person in the room.
When I started Brand Acceleration, I vowed to myself that I would not work with any person I didn’t like, nor would I ask anyone on my team to work with such a person. At the end of that meeting, I politely declined the business, telling the owner that it just didn’t appear to be a good fit for us. As a business owner, you need to know how far you’re willing to be pushed, even if you desperately need the business.
Are you up to managing the details?
Companies often fail because they outgrow the ability of the owner to manage the details of running a business. For example, many restaurants are started by people who consider themselves great cooks, just to die because the owner is overwhelmed by the minutia of running a business. Staffing, accounting, taxes, insurance, leasing, equipment, and other details are more than some people can handle. At some point in time, it stops being fun and the business shuts down. If you’re not up to the daily grind of business ownership, don’t jump in. You’ll regret it.
Have a passion for excellence
As a business grows, the owner needs to remain committed to providing excellent products and/or service. You must be able to do this while managing the details and growing the company. The moment you turn your back on your clients and begin cutting corners, you’re doomed to fail.
Surround yourself with great people
Over the years, my most trusted mentors, some former employers, taught me to surround myself with great people and then get out of their way. This applies not only to employees but also to suppliers and vendors. I’ve found that they make me and my company look great by providing excellent deliverables to our clients. It’s also important to swiftly remove underperformers. Regardless of how great the team is, your customers will remember the poor service resulting from the actions of the one person who dropped the ball. As the business owner, you must build, monitor, and make changes in order to protect your company brand.
Always offer and demand loyalty
The glue that holds the Brand Acceleration team together is the loyalty and caring that we share for one another. Our clients, employees, and vendors are our friends, too. We care for one another and function much as a family.
How badly do you want success?
One of the biggest things that budding business owners fail to consider is the amount of work they’ll have to do. The idea that self employment means you won’t have to work as hard is pure fantasy. You’ll work harder than you’ve ever worked in your life. As a business owner, you can forget the concept of a 40-hour work week. Sixty or eighty hours may be more realistic, especially during the startup phase. You’re going to live and breathe that business during your every waking moment.
I recently saw a YouTube video of Mr. Eric Thomas, Advantage Director at Michigan State University. In his Secrets of Success video series, he asks the question, “How bad do you want your dream?” In it, he dramatically demonstrates the importance of the passion, desire, and commitment required to succeed at anything, including self employment. This is one of several of his speeches on YouTube.
Click here to take a look.
To my young friend, here’s what I said: If, after considering these very serious questions, you still have a burning desire to start your own company, then you may just have what it takes to succeed. Develop a well written business plan, establish a team of advisors, get your financing together, and then go for it.
I wish you much success and personal satisfaction.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
We Don’t Need a Babysitter
Americans are demanding a new approach
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
When I was a child, my brother and I were thrilled at the idea that our mom and dad would go out and leave us at home without a babysitter. “We’ll be okay,” we would say, “We can take care of ourselves.” Part of the maturing process is a desire for independence, a chance to grow, stretch, and show what we can accomplish when given a chance.
As a parent, I remember doing everything possible to teach my daughter to be independent, to grow and take measured risks. Today, she is one of the most mature and independent young individuals I know. While she works well with others, she is also willing to step up, take the lead and be responsible for the outcome.
As we approach a very important election, it’s interesting to watch politicians and constituents wrestle with the “What are you going to do for me?” mentality. At a time when federal government spending and the national debt have grown far beyond sustainability, it seems the American people are beginning to realize that spending cuts are inevitable. They are absolutely necessary for survival. The challenge is deciding what to cut.
A dependent class
Over the decades, many have become dependent on the government to take care of them. As a result, there seems to be an inability (or unwillingness) to make even the most basic decisions without first consulting the government (law) to determine how or if something can or can’t be done. We’ve become a paralyzed and dependent class.
I recently saw a news story about an experiment that was conducted to see how people would react to an injured person in a public place. A man pretended to be injured in a railroad station, stretched out lifelessly on the platform to see how other passengers would react. Countless people walked by, looked at him, and then walked away. No one offered help. Why?
When they were asked why they did nothing, several reasons were cited. First, most people thought the railroad officials would call for help. Next, they thought it was a police issue – none of their business. Many were afraid of the liability if their actions were wrong. Finally, a few said they just didn’t have the time. The point is that we’ve become a dependent class, afraid of taking even the most basic responsibility to help ourselves or others. We expect someone else to handle just about everything.
The times, they are a changin’
Today, with a lingering recession and a federal debt that has spiraled out of control, even the dependent class has begun demanding that the federal government go on a diet. They’re saying it’s time for them to back off and stop spending money we don’t have. For the first time since the 1920’s, Americans are demanding that the federal budget be reduced, dramatically. The difficult part though, is that we’ll need to take more personal responsibility. For example, we’ll need to be smart enough to get a flu shot and cover our mouths when we cough without waiting to hear a government funded ad telling us to do so. Duh!
Just as many families, due to a job loss, have had to learn to live without restaurant dining, vacations, expanded cable television service and other luxuries, our bloated federal government is being told by voters that it, too, will have to cut back.
How will we survive?
Like an addict who struggles to break an addiction to alcohol or drugs, Americans are indicating that they are ready to break the addiction to government. I’ve been amazed to see people do whatever it takes to pay the bills, reduce their debt, and provide for themselves and their families. They’re showing that they can survive without government dependency.
Having started several businesses over my career, I’ve learned that when left alone, businesses will grow, thrive, expand, and hire. We often hear about all of the money that is sitting on the sidelines, just waiting on a sign that the economy is improving. I believe, and I think most business owners would agree, that investors and employers are waiting to see which direction our elected officials will take the country. Will they raise taxes and expand government or will they cut spending and taxes and trust the American people to jump start the economy of the greatest job producing engine ever seen on the face of the planet? Personally, if I had to choose between government babysitters or the ingenuity and work ethic of the American, people, I’d choose the latter.
Just as we did when we were children, people are saying, “We’re big boys and girls. We don’t need a babysitter. Just get out of our way.”
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Americans are demanding a new approach
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
When I was a child, my brother and I were thrilled at the idea that our mom and dad would go out and leave us at home without a babysitter. “We’ll be okay,” we would say, “We can take care of ourselves.” Part of the maturing process is a desire for independence, a chance to grow, stretch, and show what we can accomplish when given a chance.
As a parent, I remember doing everything possible to teach my daughter to be independent, to grow and take measured risks. Today, she is one of the most mature and independent young individuals I know. While she works well with others, she is also willing to step up, take the lead and be responsible for the outcome.
As we approach a very important election, it’s interesting to watch politicians and constituents wrestle with the “What are you going to do for me?” mentality. At a time when federal government spending and the national debt have grown far beyond sustainability, it seems the American people are beginning to realize that spending cuts are inevitable. They are absolutely necessary for survival. The challenge is deciding what to cut.
A dependent class
Over the decades, many have become dependent on the government to take care of them. As a result, there seems to be an inability (or unwillingness) to make even the most basic decisions without first consulting the government (law) to determine how or if something can or can’t be done. We’ve become a paralyzed and dependent class.
I recently saw a news story about an experiment that was conducted to see how people would react to an injured person in a public place. A man pretended to be injured in a railroad station, stretched out lifelessly on the platform to see how other passengers would react. Countless people walked by, looked at him, and then walked away. No one offered help. Why?
When they were asked why they did nothing, several reasons were cited. First, most people thought the railroad officials would call for help. Next, they thought it was a police issue – none of their business. Many were afraid of the liability if their actions were wrong. Finally, a few said they just didn’t have the time. The point is that we’ve become a dependent class, afraid of taking even the most basic responsibility to help ourselves or others. We expect someone else to handle just about everything.
The times, they are a changin’
Today, with a lingering recession and a federal debt that has spiraled out of control, even the dependent class has begun demanding that the federal government go on a diet. They’re saying it’s time for them to back off and stop spending money we don’t have. For the first time since the 1920’s, Americans are demanding that the federal budget be reduced, dramatically. The difficult part though, is that we’ll need to take more personal responsibility. For example, we’ll need to be smart enough to get a flu shot and cover our mouths when we cough without waiting to hear a government funded ad telling us to do so. Duh!
Just as many families, due to a job loss, have had to learn to live without restaurant dining, vacations, expanded cable television service and other luxuries, our bloated federal government is being told by voters that it, too, will have to cut back.
How will we survive?
Like an addict who struggles to break an addiction to alcohol or drugs, Americans are indicating that they are ready to break the addiction to government. I’ve been amazed to see people do whatever it takes to pay the bills, reduce their debt, and provide for themselves and their families. They’re showing that they can survive without government dependency.
Having started several businesses over my career, I’ve learned that when left alone, businesses will grow, thrive, expand, and hire. We often hear about all of the money that is sitting on the sidelines, just waiting on a sign that the economy is improving. I believe, and I think most business owners would agree, that investors and employers are waiting to see which direction our elected officials will take the country. Will they raise taxes and expand government or will they cut spending and taxes and trust the American people to jump start the economy of the greatest job producing engine ever seen on the face of the planet? Personally, if I had to choose between government babysitters or the ingenuity and work ethic of the American, people, I’d choose the latter.
Just as we did when we were children, people are saying, “We’re big boys and girls. We don’t need a babysitter. Just get out of our way.”
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Get Out of the Way, Dr. Jekyll
Or, are you Mr. Hyde?
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
Something that has often puzzled me is when a company of community spends vast time and money to hire great people or vendors and then seeks to change them. What the heck is that about?
Every organization dreams of adding a real winner to the team, a person who will outperform any and all previous records. They put the word out that they’re looking for a killer salesperson, manager, economic developer, vendor (you name it) to take them to new levels of success.
They glean resumes, scour references, and put candidates through the interview wringer in order to discover Mr. or Ms. Glorious. A winner! After a few days or weeks on the job, they discover that Mr. Glorious does things a little differently.
I once met just such a winner. He was known industry-wide for achieving incredible sales and division growth. He was young, brash, aggressive, and allowed nothing to stop him. He showed up at the office around ten, took long and expensive lunches (with clients), played golf almost daily, and soon racked up sales that were three times higher than any other salesperson. The company president loved his sales but hated his style.
The “old man” was a by-the-book traditionalist who made it his mission to reign in Mr. Glorious. He expected employees to be at their desk, working, by eight and to never, ever, leave before five. He was obsessed with getting every minute of work out of every employee. The idea of paying for unproductive time made him crazy.
The office was full of eight-to-five drones who plodded along, as expected, putting in their time, and accomplishing very little. They followed the rules, did what they were told, kept quiet about any disagreements and probably took their frustrations home to their families. You see, the company president was notorious for using his authority and strong personality to mold employees and vendors into nice, neat clones of himself. As a result, few new ideas came out of the company. Not only was the place only mildly productive, it had become boring.
Long story made short, Mr. Glorious soon moved on. His personality and work style were far too different and he wasn’t about to change. But the story didn’t end there. A few years later, the company was purchased by a larger competitor that was buying up smaller companies in a massive acquisition spree. At the helm of the buyout giant was, you guessed it, Mr. Glorious. His company was widely known as the place to work. There were few rules. The employees functioned as a team and they had fun in what was a very unique, yet functional, workplace.
It happens to vendors, too!
If you’re a regular Rants reader, you are aware of my position on brands. You can’t change them by getting a new logo. If your company or community has a bad reputation (brand), a new logo won’t change a thing. You’ll simply become a bad company or community with a new logo.
I once saw a Fortune 500 company hire a respected marketing communications firm and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for a new logo. The brand team viewed countless concepts. Some were very conservative and others were wildly unique. They wanted to modernize the company image and position it as the cutting edge leader they believed it to be.
After almost a year, a decision was made. The CEO, who had not been part of the process, chose to stay with the same logo the company had used for over a century. The brand manager, under massive pressure to explain what he was thinking when he suggested a new logo, fired the agency.
Today, the company is stuck in a rut, globally viewed as old, slow and vulnerable to takeover. It does great work but a musty cloud of age hangs over its future.
It takes a visionary!
Companies and communities want the excitement and rewards of being at the center of a flurry of success. The problem is that their leadership is often unwilling to do the things required to create that success. Leaders must be willing to take risks and break with tradition in order to create the kind of success and excitement they desire.
Wildly successful organizations are almost always led by a top executive who has a vision and courage to make bold moves. He or she is often seen as a bit odd, maybe even nutty. My experience however, is that this type of undisciplined visionary will make amazing things happen. They are willing to be different, refusing to follow the crowd.
Here are just a few business visionaries who became famous for their risk taking tendencies and courage. Each grew massive empires and created countless jobs:
Henry Ford (Ford Motors)
Sam Walton (Wal-Mart)
Oprah Winfrey (Harpo)
Bill Gates (Microsoft)
Steve Jobs (Apple)
Meg Whitman (eBay)
Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)
Jeff Bezos (Amazon)
They were not afraid to be different. They were notoriously odd. Their friends, colleagues and the business community labeled them as dreamers. They were privately and publicly scoffed. But, they didn’t stop. They sought partners and employees who were also different.
Are you such a visionary? Are you willing to be different?
When are you going to get started?
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Or, are you Mr. Hyde?
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
Something that has often puzzled me is when a company of community spends vast time and money to hire great people or vendors and then seeks to change them. What the heck is that about?
Every organization dreams of adding a real winner to the team, a person who will outperform any and all previous records. They put the word out that they’re looking for a killer salesperson, manager, economic developer, vendor (you name it) to take them to new levels of success.
They glean resumes, scour references, and put candidates through the interview wringer in order to discover Mr. or Ms. Glorious. A winner! After a few days or weeks on the job, they discover that Mr. Glorious does things a little differently.
I once met just such a winner. He was known industry-wide for achieving incredible sales and division growth. He was young, brash, aggressive, and allowed nothing to stop him. He showed up at the office around ten, took long and expensive lunches (with clients), played golf almost daily, and soon racked up sales that were three times higher than any other salesperson. The company president loved his sales but hated his style.
The “old man” was a by-the-book traditionalist who made it his mission to reign in Mr. Glorious. He expected employees to be at their desk, working, by eight and to never, ever, leave before five. He was obsessed with getting every minute of work out of every employee. The idea of paying for unproductive time made him crazy.
The office was full of eight-to-five drones who plodded along, as expected, putting in their time, and accomplishing very little. They followed the rules, did what they were told, kept quiet about any disagreements and probably took their frustrations home to their families. You see, the company president was notorious for using his authority and strong personality to mold employees and vendors into nice, neat clones of himself. As a result, few new ideas came out of the company. Not only was the place only mildly productive, it had become boring.
Long story made short, Mr. Glorious soon moved on. His personality and work style were far too different and he wasn’t about to change. But the story didn’t end there. A few years later, the company was purchased by a larger competitor that was buying up smaller companies in a massive acquisition spree. At the helm of the buyout giant was, you guessed it, Mr. Glorious. His company was widely known as the place to work. There were few rules. The employees functioned as a team and they had fun in what was a very unique, yet functional, workplace.
It happens to vendors, too!
If you’re a regular Rants reader, you are aware of my position on brands. You can’t change them by getting a new logo. If your company or community has a bad reputation (brand), a new logo won’t change a thing. You’ll simply become a bad company or community with a new logo.
I once saw a Fortune 500 company hire a respected marketing communications firm and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for a new logo. The brand team viewed countless concepts. Some were very conservative and others were wildly unique. They wanted to modernize the company image and position it as the cutting edge leader they believed it to be.
After almost a year, a decision was made. The CEO, who had not been part of the process, chose to stay with the same logo the company had used for over a century. The brand manager, under massive pressure to explain what he was thinking when he suggested a new logo, fired the agency.
Today, the company is stuck in a rut, globally viewed as old, slow and vulnerable to takeover. It does great work but a musty cloud of age hangs over its future.
It takes a visionary!
Companies and communities want the excitement and rewards of being at the center of a flurry of success. The problem is that their leadership is often unwilling to do the things required to create that success. Leaders must be willing to take risks and break with tradition in order to create the kind of success and excitement they desire.
Wildly successful organizations are almost always led by a top executive who has a vision and courage to make bold moves. He or she is often seen as a bit odd, maybe even nutty. My experience however, is that this type of undisciplined visionary will make amazing things happen. They are willing to be different, refusing to follow the crowd.
Here are just a few business visionaries who became famous for their risk taking tendencies and courage. Each grew massive empires and created countless jobs:
Henry Ford (Ford Motors)
Sam Walton (Wal-Mart)
Oprah Winfrey (Harpo)
Bill Gates (Microsoft)
Steve Jobs (Apple)
Meg Whitman (eBay)
Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)
Jeff Bezos (Amazon)
They were not afraid to be different. They were notoriously odd. Their friends, colleagues and the business community labeled them as dreamers. They were privately and publicly scoffed. But, they didn’t stop. They sought partners and employees who were also different.
Are you such a visionary? Are you willing to be different?
When are you going to get started?
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Put Your Tools to Work
Maximize the effectiveness of your brochures, web site and other marketing communications tactics.
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
When I was a child, I had a friend whose Dad was a tool fanatic. He loved to take people to his garage where he could show off his collection of tools. He had a tool for every imaginable project. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon to see him and a buddy hangin’ out in his garage, cold beer in hand, talking about – tools. He had hundreds of them and knew how to use every one. Like Tim, the Tool Man, Taylor of the 90’s sitcom, Home Improvement, he was a tinkerer. He loved to build, fix, replace, improve or overhaul just about anything.
In my business, marketing communications, we use tools, too. Such tactics as brochures, web sites, logos, videos, and presentations are just a few tools that we regularly produce for our clients. However, beautifully produced tools have limited effectiveness if not put to use in powerful ways.
Let’s explore just a few ways to maximize your investment in marketing communications tools:
Ramp up your web site
From the outset, it’s important to understand that web sites are passive. They don’t reach out to an audience, they don’t make calls, and they are only viewed if someone either has the web address or a search leads them to it.
At Brand Acceleration, we consider a web site to be a destination. Our goal, as marketing communications experts, is to counsel our clients about ways to drive visitors to their web site. There are countless ways to do that. Once a well-produced web site is in place, a series of tactics should be considered to grow brand awareness and encourage audiences to visit your web site. Advertising, direct mail, e-mail marketing and other tools, strategically planned, are very effective.
Brochures – Make them work!
Each year, we develop numerous brochures. Beautifully designed and well written, they effectively communicate key messages to highly-targeted audiences. The question we always ask clients is, “How are you going to use them?” Most often, they are to be used as a leave-behind, handed to a prospect at a meeting, or distributed at a trade show.
Consider other options, though. A schedule of direct mailings can successfully grow brand awareness, clarify your position, and drive recipients to your web site.
There’s more!
E-mail marketing is a powerful and very effective tool. In addition to being reasonably inexpensive, it is portable, meaning the recipient can read it on his or her i-Phone or BlackBerry. It can also include links that connect recipients to your web site.
When stocking your tool box with such items as those listed here, you should give serious consideration to your overall communications strategy. How they work together, how they encourage web visits, and how they position your brand are all very serious considerations.
So, go to your garage (supply closet), inventory your tools and ask yourself this very serious question:
“How can I put these to work today?”
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Maximize the effectiveness of your brochures, web site and other marketing communications tactics.
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
When I was a child, I had a friend whose Dad was a tool fanatic. He loved to take people to his garage where he could show off his collection of tools. He had a tool for every imaginable project. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon to see him and a buddy hangin’ out in his garage, cold beer in hand, talking about – tools. He had hundreds of them and knew how to use every one. Like Tim, the Tool Man, Taylor of the 90’s sitcom, Home Improvement, he was a tinkerer. He loved to build, fix, replace, improve or overhaul just about anything.
In my business, marketing communications, we use tools, too. Such tactics as brochures, web sites, logos, videos, and presentations are just a few tools that we regularly produce for our clients. However, beautifully produced tools have limited effectiveness if not put to use in powerful ways.
Let’s explore just a few ways to maximize your investment in marketing communications tools:
Ramp up your web site
From the outset, it’s important to understand that web sites are passive. They don’t reach out to an audience, they don’t make calls, and they are only viewed if someone either has the web address or a search leads them to it.
At Brand Acceleration, we consider a web site to be a destination. Our goal, as marketing communications experts, is to counsel our clients about ways to drive visitors to their web site. There are countless ways to do that. Once a well-produced web site is in place, a series of tactics should be considered to grow brand awareness and encourage audiences to visit your web site. Advertising, direct mail, e-mail marketing and other tools, strategically planned, are very effective.
Brochures – Make them work!
Each year, we develop numerous brochures. Beautifully designed and well written, they effectively communicate key messages to highly-targeted audiences. The question we always ask clients is, “How are you going to use them?” Most often, they are to be used as a leave-behind, handed to a prospect at a meeting, or distributed at a trade show.
Consider other options, though. A schedule of direct mailings can successfully grow brand awareness, clarify your position, and drive recipients to your web site.
There’s more!
E-mail marketing is a powerful and very effective tool. In addition to being reasonably inexpensive, it is portable, meaning the recipient can read it on his or her i-Phone or BlackBerry. It can also include links that connect recipients to your web site.
When stocking your tool box with such items as those listed here, you should give serious consideration to your overall communications strategy. How they work together, how they encourage web visits, and how they position your brand are all very serious considerations.
So, go to your garage (supply closet), inventory your tools and ask yourself this very serious question:
“How can I put these to work today?”
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
What is the Definition of (Your) Brand?
You might be surprised at what you learn.
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
A few years ago, I received a call from a nice lady who was inquiring about our economic development marketing communications services. She’d heard that Brand Acceleration was “the best” (her kind words) in the industry. “We don’t need a brand,” she said, “We just got a new one. What we need is someone to help take our message to market.” Huh?
Such comments never cease to amaze me. “We don’t need a brand. We just got a new one.” It was apparent that she had no idea what “brand” is.
Whether a community or company, it’s very important to not only understand the definition of “brand,” but to know what your brand represents. To be clear, “brand” represents the feelings, thoughts and emotions that people experience when they think of your community or company. Simply put, your brand is your reputation.
But, here’s the twist. Your brand is not defined by you! It’s defined by others. How you, as president, mayor, marketing director or economic developer, define your brand is only one small part of the equation.
What does your brand represent?
About ten years ago, I was an account director at another advertising agency. One of my clients was a global manufacturer of industrial parts that were used by the automotive and consumer electronics industries. While the company made great products, the leadership just couldn’t overcome their own huge egos and accept the fact that their brand was defined by the marketplace.
In our early discussions, they told me all about how wonderful they and their products were. Terms like “revolutionary,” next generation,” and “cutting edge” rolled easily off their tongues. But, when I asked how their customers and prospects would define them, they looked at me as if I were speaking another language. I was. Not knowing how to answer this question, the begrudgingly agreed to brand research that, in their minds, would confirm their beliefs.
We launched a team of people to conduct brand interviews with their staff, prospects, customers and industry leaders worldwide. What we discovered shocked them. Their brand was virtually nonexistent. You know that sound you hear when you let the air out of a balloon? I swear I heard that same sound as their massive egos deflated.
How did they respond to this vital information? They denied the validity of the research, of course. The president of the company swore at me, challenged the credibility of the agency and basically said we were incompetent. We settled the debate by offering to conduct a second round or research – a series of telephone interviews to either confirm or discredit the earlier findings. If the finding were the same, the client would pay for the entire research effort. If not, they would owe us nothing. Do you want to guess how it turned out?
What does your brand really represent?
For many, the fact is that they have a very weak or non-existent brand. This is especially true of cities and counties. Even though they may be locally known for their long history in such industries as agriculture, steel making, etc., when you travel more than a hundred miles away, nobody knows them.
Lack of brand is not always bad, though. The good news is that you may have a blank canvas, allowing you to create your own brand position, within reason. You certainly can’t try to position yourself as something you’re not. If your staff, stakeholders or residents won’t buy into the effort, it will never work. It has to be believable. If your city is best known for the dark, dingy, nasty, abandoned factory at the edge of town, it’s kind of hard to convince prospective residents and employers that it is a center of a contemporary lifestyle and high-tech industry.
Where do you start?
For us, we prefer to have a clear understanding of the current brand position. Through brand research or even a few basic interviews, we strive to gather information about a company or community’s brand from its key audiences. Utilizing a well defined set of exercises, we conduct on-line or face-to-face interviews to identify common beliefs. With this information, we can craft a message strategy that we know will be believable, powerful and effective. By the way, we never use focus groups. Want to know why? Send me an e-mail or give me a call.
Live the brand
If you really want to be known as the best, the place to begin is with the daily activities of every person on your team, from the leadership to the person on the factory floor. Everyone must live the brand, striving to be the best. A new logo won’t do it. I don’t care how beautiful your logo is, if the person who answers the phone is rude or unintelligible, that is your brand. You know what they say about first impressions.
My challenge to you is to grow a powerful brand by committing to brand excellence. From clean, beautiful entryways at the edge of town to the cheerleading company owner, always strive to be the best. If you’ll do that, you’ll make my job a lot easier.
As a marketing communications and public relations firm, we’ll proudly take that message to market.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
You might be surprised at what you learn.
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
A few years ago, I received a call from a nice lady who was inquiring about our economic development marketing communications services. She’d heard that Brand Acceleration was “the best” (her kind words) in the industry. “We don’t need a brand,” she said, “We just got a new one. What we need is someone to help take our message to market.” Huh?
Such comments never cease to amaze me. “We don’t need a brand. We just got a new one.” It was apparent that she had no idea what “brand” is.
Whether a community or company, it’s very important to not only understand the definition of “brand,” but to know what your brand represents. To be clear, “brand” represents the feelings, thoughts and emotions that people experience when they think of your community or company. Simply put, your brand is your reputation.
But, here’s the twist. Your brand is not defined by you! It’s defined by others. How you, as president, mayor, marketing director or economic developer, define your brand is only one small part of the equation.
What does your brand represent?
About ten years ago, I was an account director at another advertising agency. One of my clients was a global manufacturer of industrial parts that were used by the automotive and consumer electronics industries. While the company made great products, the leadership just couldn’t overcome their own huge egos and accept the fact that their brand was defined by the marketplace.
In our early discussions, they told me all about how wonderful they and their products were. Terms like “revolutionary,” next generation,” and “cutting edge” rolled easily off their tongues. But, when I asked how their customers and prospects would define them, they looked at me as if I were speaking another language. I was. Not knowing how to answer this question, the begrudgingly agreed to brand research that, in their minds, would confirm their beliefs.
We launched a team of people to conduct brand interviews with their staff, prospects, customers and industry leaders worldwide. What we discovered shocked them. Their brand was virtually nonexistent. You know that sound you hear when you let the air out of a balloon? I swear I heard that same sound as their massive egos deflated.
How did they respond to this vital information? They denied the validity of the research, of course. The president of the company swore at me, challenged the credibility of the agency and basically said we were incompetent. We settled the debate by offering to conduct a second round or research – a series of telephone interviews to either confirm or discredit the earlier findings. If the finding were the same, the client would pay for the entire research effort. If not, they would owe us nothing. Do you want to guess how it turned out?
What does your brand really represent?
For many, the fact is that they have a very weak or non-existent brand. This is especially true of cities and counties. Even though they may be locally known for their long history in such industries as agriculture, steel making, etc., when you travel more than a hundred miles away, nobody knows them.
Lack of brand is not always bad, though. The good news is that you may have a blank canvas, allowing you to create your own brand position, within reason. You certainly can’t try to position yourself as something you’re not. If your staff, stakeholders or residents won’t buy into the effort, it will never work. It has to be believable. If your city is best known for the dark, dingy, nasty, abandoned factory at the edge of town, it’s kind of hard to convince prospective residents and employers that it is a center of a contemporary lifestyle and high-tech industry.
Where do you start?
For us, we prefer to have a clear understanding of the current brand position. Through brand research or even a few basic interviews, we strive to gather information about a company or community’s brand from its key audiences. Utilizing a well defined set of exercises, we conduct on-line or face-to-face interviews to identify common beliefs. With this information, we can craft a message strategy that we know will be believable, powerful and effective. By the way, we never use focus groups. Want to know why? Send me an e-mail or give me a call.
Live the brand
If you really want to be known as the best, the place to begin is with the daily activities of every person on your team, from the leadership to the person on the factory floor. Everyone must live the brand, striving to be the best. A new logo won’t do it. I don’t care how beautiful your logo is, if the person who answers the phone is rude or unintelligible, that is your brand. You know what they say about first impressions.
My challenge to you is to grow a powerful brand by committing to brand excellence. From clean, beautiful entryways at the edge of town to the cheerleading company owner, always strive to be the best. If you’ll do that, you’ll make my job a lot easier.
As a marketing communications and public relations firm, we’ll proudly take that message to market.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Recommit to a Successful 2010
It’s almost autumn – resolution time
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
The other day, I was meeting with a gentleman who told me of his concern that his sales team was disheartened and feeling beat up. After a couple of tough years, some sales people are becoming dazed and confused about what to do next. Having been through several recessions, I’ve seen the symptoms before. There are no easy answers. There are, however, a few things you can do to improve your sales and your mental attitude.
It’s resolution time
Each year, many of us begin the New Year by establishing a set of resolutions (goals) to clarify our mission and to motivate ourselves. At Brand Acceleration, we go through this process and find it to be valuable. It helps us to understand what we want to accomplish and provides us fresh and exciting motivation to get even better.
Each fall, most companies begin the process of developing plans and budgets for the upcoming year. It’s also a great time to set personal goals. While developing your plans, be sure to remain focused on your desired sales and marketing numbers, establishing a monthly set of activities that will help you get there. Don’t wait for January 1. Do it now!
Crank up your sales efforts
Something that often happens during challenging economic times is that sales people lose hope and their efforts taper off. Their sales calls diminish, they set and attend fewer meetings, work fewer hours, and their overall attitude turns negative. As a result, sales numbers decline and jobs are at risk.
I remember a time when the economy was in a very significant recession and I was working for a company that published several statewide newspapers. At a companywide meeting, several sales people were going on and on about how tough things had gotten. We heard the usual litany of reasons; “My territory stinks,” “Our prices are too high,” “The competition is kicking our butt.” You name it, we heard it.
Then, after listening to the concerns of every person, our President and Publisher asked a very tough question, “What are you doing to turn things around?” Silence! Like deer caught in headlights, they each sat there and said nothing. They hadn’t considered their own responsibility to the company’s success.
Here’s what he suggested:
Change your hours: Come to work a bit earlier and stay a bit later each day. By adding thirty minutes to an hour to the beginning and end of each day, you can boost your selling time by as much as 25%. Naturally, if you make effective use of your hours, your sales will go up accordingly.
Make more calls: If you’re currently making twenty calls a day, set (and keep) a goal to increase that number to twenty five. Again, a significant increase.
Attend more meetings: “How many face-to-face meetings are you doing?” he asked. It’s not enough! Commit to yourself to pump up the number and enjoy the benefits.
Educate and motivate yourself: Whether you take classes, listen to educational and motivational audio programs; work to improve your skills and effectiveness.
Avoid naysayers: If you’re busy making calls and attending meetings, you won’t have time to hang out with co-workers whose negative attitudes only poison your own. Stay focused and positive.
The company’s commitment
He knew he couldn’t simply demand that sales people step up their efforts. He made a promise to support them along the way. Here’s how he did it:
More marketing communications: He committed that day to boost the company’s marketing communications support. He increased industry advertising, trade show participation, and association support, a move which clients, prospects and industry insiders noticed and appreciated.
More meeting budgets: Any sales reps wishing to attend more meetings in their territories were supported with added budget. The increased participation was noticed and rewarded.
More memberships: Anyone wanting to join a trade association or group that would place them in front of clients or prospects was immediately given the green light to do so. Attend and get involved.
More travel budget: If a sales person wanted to travel more, whether to his or her territory or to a conference attended by clients and/or prospects, the answer was almost always “Yes – do it!”
With 2011 just a few months away, I think my former boss’s suggestions are more appropriate than ever. Any manager, marketer or sales person wondering how to get things going should review his suggestions and set some goals for the rest of the year. For company owners and managers; don’t get so caught up in cutting expenses that you cut the very support that your team so desperately needs.
As with a new year’s resolution, now is the time to recommit, refocus and recharge.
Good selling!
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
It’s almost autumn – resolution time
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
The other day, I was meeting with a gentleman who told me of his concern that his sales team was disheartened and feeling beat up. After a couple of tough years, some sales people are becoming dazed and confused about what to do next. Having been through several recessions, I’ve seen the symptoms before. There are no easy answers. There are, however, a few things you can do to improve your sales and your mental attitude.
It’s resolution time
Each year, many of us begin the New Year by establishing a set of resolutions (goals) to clarify our mission and to motivate ourselves. At Brand Acceleration, we go through this process and find it to be valuable. It helps us to understand what we want to accomplish and provides us fresh and exciting motivation to get even better.
Each fall, most companies begin the process of developing plans and budgets for the upcoming year. It’s also a great time to set personal goals. While developing your plans, be sure to remain focused on your desired sales and marketing numbers, establishing a monthly set of activities that will help you get there. Don’t wait for January 1. Do it now!
Crank up your sales efforts
Something that often happens during challenging economic times is that sales people lose hope and their efforts taper off. Their sales calls diminish, they set and attend fewer meetings, work fewer hours, and their overall attitude turns negative. As a result, sales numbers decline and jobs are at risk.
I remember a time when the economy was in a very significant recession and I was working for a company that published several statewide newspapers. At a companywide meeting, several sales people were going on and on about how tough things had gotten. We heard the usual litany of reasons; “My territory stinks,” “Our prices are too high,” “The competition is kicking our butt.” You name it, we heard it.
Then, after listening to the concerns of every person, our President and Publisher asked a very tough question, “What are you doing to turn things around?” Silence! Like deer caught in headlights, they each sat there and said nothing. They hadn’t considered their own responsibility to the company’s success.
Here’s what he suggested:
Change your hours: Come to work a bit earlier and stay a bit later each day. By adding thirty minutes to an hour to the beginning and end of each day, you can boost your selling time by as much as 25%. Naturally, if you make effective use of your hours, your sales will go up accordingly.
Make more calls: If you’re currently making twenty calls a day, set (and keep) a goal to increase that number to twenty five. Again, a significant increase.
Attend more meetings: “How many face-to-face meetings are you doing?” he asked. It’s not enough! Commit to yourself to pump up the number and enjoy the benefits.
Educate and motivate yourself: Whether you take classes, listen to educational and motivational audio programs; work to improve your skills and effectiveness.
Avoid naysayers: If you’re busy making calls and attending meetings, you won’t have time to hang out with co-workers whose negative attitudes only poison your own. Stay focused and positive.
The company’s commitment
He knew he couldn’t simply demand that sales people step up their efforts. He made a promise to support them along the way. Here’s how he did it:
More marketing communications: He committed that day to boost the company’s marketing communications support. He increased industry advertising, trade show participation, and association support, a move which clients, prospects and industry insiders noticed and appreciated.
More meeting budgets: Any sales reps wishing to attend more meetings in their territories were supported with added budget. The increased participation was noticed and rewarded.
More memberships: Anyone wanting to join a trade association or group that would place them in front of clients or prospects was immediately given the green light to do so. Attend and get involved.
More travel budget: If a sales person wanted to travel more, whether to his or her territory or to a conference attended by clients and/or prospects, the answer was almost always “Yes – do it!”
With 2011 just a few months away, I think my former boss’s suggestions are more appropriate than ever. Any manager, marketer or sales person wondering how to get things going should review his suggestions and set some goals for the rest of the year. For company owners and managers; don’t get so caught up in cutting expenses that you cut the very support that your team so desperately needs.
As with a new year’s resolution, now is the time to recommit, refocus and recharge.
Good selling!
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Are You Going Out of Business?
Or, are you going out for business?
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
Just like you, I attend a lot of meetings and as you can imagine, I hear countless opinions about the state of the economy. The question, “How’s business?” draws widely varying responses. Some say business is showing signs of life, some say they’re busier than ever and a few tell me how awful things are.
What puzzles me is the “why” behind their comments. I usually ask what they’re doing that results in their success or lack thereof. Why does one company or community survive and thrive while others languish? The answers probably wouldn’t surprise you.
Action breeds momentum
Have you ever noticed that the companies that are already busy are the ones that seem to attract even more business? What’s with that? Maybe one of the reasons is that they are enjoying positive results because they are very actively marketing? Maybe they’re winning more business because they’re going after more business? They also reap the benefits of a talented and aggressive sales team which fights hard for every piece of business. They’re relentless winners!
You’ve probably heard the old saying, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” It’s true! I’m always amazed at how much work some people take on. It seems it’s inevitably the busiest person who steps up and says “yes” when something needs to get done.
This is especially true with marketing and sales people. They’re always working, always hustling, and always on. They’re the first to arrive and the last to leave. They work hard, play hard and almost always win. I’m in awe of how the folks on the Brand Acceleration team step up and make incredible things happen when the pressure’s on.
Stagnation breeds stagnation
Unfortunately, some communities and companies struggle. My heart goes out to them and the people who depend on them. Maybe they just don’t have the skills or assets required to thrive and survive in today’s world, but some struggle because they either lack the ability or the commitment to go get the business. One man recently told me how bad things are and then said that whenever business improves he’d like to start advertising. Huh?
One of my former employers, a man who was tough as nails marketer and manager, would tell sales people to either “get with the program or get out!” His expectations of himself and every employee were very high. He had no patience for slackers. As a result, the company was an enormous success and the envy of the industry.
Attitude breeds attitude
One of the best meeting experiences is when you’re face to face with an eternal optimist. They attract other people like honey attracts flies and their smile and positive attitude gives hope to everyone around them. Their customers are prospects are much more likely to take their call or accept their meeting request and would prefer doing business with them for the very same reason. They like them!
Unfortunately, there are also pessimists out there. They’re always down, always gloomy and always expecting the worst. For whatever reason, they just can’t find happiness. Their choices are limited and they can easily get caught in a downward spiral. Most of them just need help and encouragement. They need a hand up. Like each of us, they need a good dose of optimism. If you know someone who is in a tough situation, either employed or unemployed, give them a call and explore how you might help.
Remember Rudy
If you’re a regular Rants reader, you know I love movies that have a positive message of encouragement. One of my favorites is Rudy, the true story of Rudy Ruettiger, a young man who grew up in a steel mill town where most people ended up working, but he wanted to play football at Notre Dame instead. There were only a couple of problems. His grades were a little low, his athletic skills were poor, and he was only half the size of the other players. But he had the drive and the spirit of five people and had set his sights upon joining the team. When he finally made it into the school and onto the team, he was never given the chance to suit up and play until the final game of his senior year. You’ll have to see the movie to find out what happened, but I will share with you the words of Coach Dan Devine as the team was just about to pass through the tunnel that leads onto the football field.
“No excuses. Now go do the work.”
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Or, are you going out for business?
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
Just like you, I attend a lot of meetings and as you can imagine, I hear countless opinions about the state of the economy. The question, “How’s business?” draws widely varying responses. Some say business is showing signs of life, some say they’re busier than ever and a few tell me how awful things are.
What puzzles me is the “why” behind their comments. I usually ask what they’re doing that results in their success or lack thereof. Why does one company or community survive and thrive while others languish? The answers probably wouldn’t surprise you.
Action breeds momentum
Have you ever noticed that the companies that are already busy are the ones that seem to attract even more business? What’s with that? Maybe one of the reasons is that they are enjoying positive results because they are very actively marketing? Maybe they’re winning more business because they’re going after more business? They also reap the benefits of a talented and aggressive sales team which fights hard for every piece of business. They’re relentless winners!
You’ve probably heard the old saying, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” It’s true! I’m always amazed at how much work some people take on. It seems it’s inevitably the busiest person who steps up and says “yes” when something needs to get done.
This is especially true with marketing and sales people. They’re always working, always hustling, and always on. They’re the first to arrive and the last to leave. They work hard, play hard and almost always win. I’m in awe of how the folks on the Brand Acceleration team step up and make incredible things happen when the pressure’s on.
Stagnation breeds stagnation
Unfortunately, some communities and companies struggle. My heart goes out to them and the people who depend on them. Maybe they just don’t have the skills or assets required to thrive and survive in today’s world, but some struggle because they either lack the ability or the commitment to go get the business. One man recently told me how bad things are and then said that whenever business improves he’d like to start advertising. Huh?
One of my former employers, a man who was tough as nails marketer and manager, would tell sales people to either “get with the program or get out!” His expectations of himself and every employee were very high. He had no patience for slackers. As a result, the company was an enormous success and the envy of the industry.
Attitude breeds attitude
One of the best meeting experiences is when you’re face to face with an eternal optimist. They attract other people like honey attracts flies and their smile and positive attitude gives hope to everyone around them. Their customers are prospects are much more likely to take their call or accept their meeting request and would prefer doing business with them for the very same reason. They like them!
Unfortunately, there are also pessimists out there. They’re always down, always gloomy and always expecting the worst. For whatever reason, they just can’t find happiness. Their choices are limited and they can easily get caught in a downward spiral. Most of them just need help and encouragement. They need a hand up. Like each of us, they need a good dose of optimism. If you know someone who is in a tough situation, either employed or unemployed, give them a call and explore how you might help.
Remember Rudy
If you’re a regular Rants reader, you know I love movies that have a positive message of encouragement. One of my favorites is Rudy, the true story of Rudy Ruettiger, a young man who grew up in a steel mill town where most people ended up working, but he wanted to play football at Notre Dame instead. There were only a couple of problems. His grades were a little low, his athletic skills were poor, and he was only half the size of the other players. But he had the drive and the spirit of five people and had set his sights upon joining the team. When he finally made it into the school and onto the team, he was never given the chance to suit up and play until the final game of his senior year. You’ll have to see the movie to find out what happened, but I will share with you the words of Coach Dan Devine as the team was just about to pass through the tunnel that leads onto the football field.
“No excuses. Now go do the work.”
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Tend Your Brand Garden
Powerful brands require planning, care and nurturing
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
Several years ago, my wife and I lived in a rural home where we had a few animals and a massive vegetable garden. We grew everything from tomatoes, corn and peas to squash, carrots, beans, and just about anything else we could freeze or can for the coming year. It was a lot of work but the benefits were huge. The quality and flavor were much better than what we could buy at the grocery store.
The lessons learned from our gardening experience were great as well. A successful veggie garden requires much more than simply sticking a seed in the ground and wishful thinking. As with many life lessons, our gardening experiences are easily transferrable to what we now do every day – marketing communications and public relations.
Walton family lessons in successful gardening and marketing communications
Research
Once you develop a list of the veggies you wish to grow, you need to do a little research and planning to understand the best growing environment for each plant. Which veggies do you like? Will they grow in your location? What is their growing season? What are their specific needs?
Likewise with marketing communications, it’s very important to fully identify your target audiences, their needs and expectations, and how best to reach them in a memorable way. Notice I didn’t mention what you want to say to them. I’ll get to that next.
Preparation
A successful vegetable garden requires careful preparation. Some plants require very deep soil tillage while others will do quite well in a shallow seed bed. Plus, soil fertility needs vary from one plant to another. Preparing the soil is crucial to a successful crop year.
Similarly, successful marketing messages are prepared in order to assure that it appeals to the audience. What you want to say must be in balance with what the audience wants to hear.
Planting
Veggie gardens are designed in to take advantage of sun, shade, water and fertility. For most plants to thrive and produce, their placement in relation to one another must be well thought out. You can’t just plant anywhere. There is an art and science to gardening. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can mess up the entire garden.
At Brand Acceleration, our brand strategists and media experts, like master gardeners, very diligently consider the best places to plant our client’s message in order to successfully grow their brand in the minds of the target audience. Similarly, our public relations team works closely with writers, editors and news directors to plant a message within their stories.
Care and Nutrition
When we were tending our garden, we knew that regular feeding and watering resulted in healthier plants and more abundant yields. Too little nutrition and water resulted in poor yield and too much could harm or kill the plant.
Healthy brands require careful attention, too. If you do little or no outbound marketing communications, your brand could produce very poor results or even die. And, random efforts such as ads placed only in “special editions,” are often a waste of money. Like the tortoise and hare story, savvy marketers enjoy great success with a well thought out plan intended to grow brand awareness over time.
Harvesting
We sometimes found that we had an abundance of vegetables to pick. Even in the summer heat, we had to get out to the garden and work our back sides off in order to harvest, can and freeze everything before it rotted.
It’s also important for sales teams to capitalize on the benefits of the hard work put in by the marketing folks and the advertising and public relations agency. I’m always amazed when someone says, “we didn’t get any calls from that ad.” My response is always the same, “how many calls did you make?” You can’t place an ad and then just sit and wait for the phone to ring. It doesn’t that way. Our goal is to grow brand awareness so that when your sales people call a prospect, they find an open, aware and interested audience. That, my friend, is the harvest.
Enjoy the Bounty
Each fall and winter, we would get great enjoyment from the literal fruits of our efforts. We fully understood that the fruit and veggies that lined our pantry and filled our freezer were the direct result of our research, planning, and hard work. None of it came from procrastination, overcautious inaction or wishful thinking.
Marketing communications is exactly the same. You can research, plan, execute and enjoy, or you can wait, ponder, wish and hope. Only one approach will generate positive results.
Starting Over
At the end of the growing season, we would enjoy a piece of cherry pie (yes, we had a cherry tree) and discuss what worked well and what should be changed. We would then till the garden, fertilize and make plans for the following year.
An effective marketing communications plan needs to be reviewed, adjusted and carefully planned for the coming year. As we move toward autumn, it’s time to get the sales, marketing and executive team together to make plans and set goals for 2011. If we can ever be of service in this process, I hope you’ll give me a call. We’d love to be part of your gardening team.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Powerful brands require planning, care and nurturing
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
Several years ago, my wife and I lived in a rural home where we had a few animals and a massive vegetable garden. We grew everything from tomatoes, corn and peas to squash, carrots, beans, and just about anything else we could freeze or can for the coming year. It was a lot of work but the benefits were huge. The quality and flavor were much better than what we could buy at the grocery store.
The lessons learned from our gardening experience were great as well. A successful veggie garden requires much more than simply sticking a seed in the ground and wishful thinking. As with many life lessons, our gardening experiences are easily transferrable to what we now do every day – marketing communications and public relations.
Walton family lessons in successful gardening and marketing communications
Research
Once you develop a list of the veggies you wish to grow, you need to do a little research and planning to understand the best growing environment for each plant. Which veggies do you like? Will they grow in your location? What is their growing season? What are their specific needs?
Likewise with marketing communications, it’s very important to fully identify your target audiences, their needs and expectations, and how best to reach them in a memorable way. Notice I didn’t mention what you want to say to them. I’ll get to that next.
Preparation
A successful vegetable garden requires careful preparation. Some plants require very deep soil tillage while others will do quite well in a shallow seed bed. Plus, soil fertility needs vary from one plant to another. Preparing the soil is crucial to a successful crop year.
Similarly, successful marketing messages are prepared in order to assure that it appeals to the audience. What you want to say must be in balance with what the audience wants to hear.
Planting
Veggie gardens are designed in to take advantage of sun, shade, water and fertility. For most plants to thrive and produce, their placement in relation to one another must be well thought out. You can’t just plant anywhere. There is an art and science to gardening. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can mess up the entire garden.
At Brand Acceleration, our brand strategists and media experts, like master gardeners, very diligently consider the best places to plant our client’s message in order to successfully grow their brand in the minds of the target audience. Similarly, our public relations team works closely with writers, editors and news directors to plant a message within their stories.
Care and Nutrition
When we were tending our garden, we knew that regular feeding and watering resulted in healthier plants and more abundant yields. Too little nutrition and water resulted in poor yield and too much could harm or kill the plant.
Healthy brands require careful attention, too. If you do little or no outbound marketing communications, your brand could produce very poor results or even die. And, random efforts such as ads placed only in “special editions,” are often a waste of money. Like the tortoise and hare story, savvy marketers enjoy great success with a well thought out plan intended to grow brand awareness over time.
Harvesting
We sometimes found that we had an abundance of vegetables to pick. Even in the summer heat, we had to get out to the garden and work our back sides off in order to harvest, can and freeze everything before it rotted.
It’s also important for sales teams to capitalize on the benefits of the hard work put in by the marketing folks and the advertising and public relations agency. I’m always amazed when someone says, “we didn’t get any calls from that ad.” My response is always the same, “how many calls did you make?” You can’t place an ad and then just sit and wait for the phone to ring. It doesn’t that way. Our goal is to grow brand awareness so that when your sales people call a prospect, they find an open, aware and interested audience. That, my friend, is the harvest.
Enjoy the Bounty
Each fall and winter, we would get great enjoyment from the literal fruits of our efforts. We fully understood that the fruit and veggies that lined our pantry and filled our freezer were the direct result of our research, planning, and hard work. None of it came from procrastination, overcautious inaction or wishful thinking.
Marketing communications is exactly the same. You can research, plan, execute and enjoy, or you can wait, ponder, wish and hope. Only one approach will generate positive results.
Starting Over
At the end of the growing season, we would enjoy a piece of cherry pie (yes, we had a cherry tree) and discuss what worked well and what should be changed. We would then till the garden, fertilize and make plans for the following year.
An effective marketing communications plan needs to be reviewed, adjusted and carefully planned for the coming year. As we move toward autumn, it’s time to get the sales, marketing and executive team together to make plans and set goals for 2011. If we can ever be of service in this process, I hope you’ll give me a call. We’d love to be part of your gardening team.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
What’s it Going to Take to Jump Start the Economy?
Businesses hold the answer
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
In a week when the social media, radio and television are full of well wishes and remembrances of what made America great, we are prone to discuss the brilliance of our founders and the bravery of the armed forces. I certainly agree that these are important, but I also believe that it’s important to remember the brave entrepreneurs who fuel our economy and create jobs for millions. Risk takers all, these individuals put their reputations and often meager life savings on the line to prove the potential of an idea.
Sometimes entrepreneurs have well written business plans while most bravely fly by the proverbial seat of their pants. Some have visions of wealth and fame while others simply work to create a living for their families. No matter their motivation, America’s business visionaries have fueled what is the greatest economic model the world has ever known.
In the early 1900’s, Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company and father of the modern assembly line, revolutionized the fledgling auto industry by mass producing vehicles, making them affordable to the average person. Through hard work, smart thinking and above-average pay for his workers, Ford made his Model T and his company an instant hit. Today, the company operates under the guidance of William Ford, Jr., great grandson of the founder. It employs over 87,000 workers and has sales of over $118 billion. Faced with a struggling global economy, the company refused assistance from the federal government, contributing to its positive image and a dramatic spike in market share.
At the age of 18, Bruton Smith began promoting stock car racing in Midland, North Carolina. With very shaky financing and a troubled relationship with contractors, he built the Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1959. Today, Speedway Motorsports owns multiple race tracks around the country, resulting in countless jobs and many communities. His activities and bold risk taking have established Charlotte as the defacto home of NASCAR.
In California, Meg Whitman grew eBay from a modest 30 employee online auction company to a global institution with 15,000 employees and $8 billion in annual revenue. Now a candidate for Governor of California, she is running on a platform of fiscal restraint and job creation.
Texas native Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, wrote the company’s business plan while on a road trip from New York to Seattle where he launched the company in his garage in 1994. Started as an online book seller, the company now sells everything from software and video games to home improvement items and car engines. It enjoys revenues of over $25 billion and employs over 24,000 workers.
As a child, Tony Hulman was destined to take over the family baking soda business in Terre Haute, Indiana. His goal was to make Clabber Girl a household name in kitchens across America. After reaching this goal, he turned bought the dilapidated Indianapolis Motor Speedway from World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. Rickenbacker, famous for his many quotes, once said, “The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative, Imagination, Individuality and Independence.” Hulman epitomized these characteristics. One hundred years later, the legendary track is known worldwide as the home of the Indianapolis 500, the Brickyard 400 and the Red Bull Indianapolis GP motorcycle race.
At a time when the economy is struggling to restart and approval ratings for politicians are at an all time low, the American business person is saying, “Enough already! Get out of our way and we’ll get this thing going. We always have and we’ll do it again!” In the 1920’s, after a war and a very difficult economic period, the federal government finally woke up and cut federal spending and taxes, resulting in what was to be known as “the roaring twenties,” one of our nation’s most prosperous economic booms. Unemployment dropped to one of the lowest levels in history and new businesses were started at an astonishing pace. But a few politicians couldn’t stand the success and raised taxes and government spending, resulting in a financial collapse that was “The Great Depression.”
Time after time, history has shown that if left alone, American businesses will lead the way out of economic turmoil and create prosperity and jobs in abundance. I believe that the same thing could (will) happen this time. I regularly speak to business owners and not one has ever said to me that the answer to our economic problems is more government spending and regulation. Why are businesses not hiring? My business friends tell me they’re not going to do a thing until they figure out what the federal government is going to do next. There’s a pent up demand that is not going to emerge until politicians get out of the way and let businesses do what they do best – build things and create jobs.
Two reasons why Brand Acceleration works in the economic development and construction industries are because of our passion for creating jobs and building business. Our clients are cities, counties, regional groups and entrepreneurs who are ready, right now, to get started.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Businesses hold the answer
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
In a week when the social media, radio and television are full of well wishes and remembrances of what made America great, we are prone to discuss the brilliance of our founders and the bravery of the armed forces. I certainly agree that these are important, but I also believe that it’s important to remember the brave entrepreneurs who fuel our economy and create jobs for millions. Risk takers all, these individuals put their reputations and often meager life savings on the line to prove the potential of an idea.
Sometimes entrepreneurs have well written business plans while most bravely fly by the proverbial seat of their pants. Some have visions of wealth and fame while others simply work to create a living for their families. No matter their motivation, America’s business visionaries have fueled what is the greatest economic model the world has ever known.
In the early 1900’s, Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company and father of the modern assembly line, revolutionized the fledgling auto industry by mass producing vehicles, making them affordable to the average person. Through hard work, smart thinking and above-average pay for his workers, Ford made his Model T and his company an instant hit. Today, the company operates under the guidance of William Ford, Jr., great grandson of the founder. It employs over 87,000 workers and has sales of over $118 billion. Faced with a struggling global economy, the company refused assistance from the federal government, contributing to its positive image and a dramatic spike in market share.
At the age of 18, Bruton Smith began promoting stock car racing in Midland, North Carolina. With very shaky financing and a troubled relationship with contractors, he built the Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1959. Today, Speedway Motorsports owns multiple race tracks around the country, resulting in countless jobs and many communities. His activities and bold risk taking have established Charlotte as the defacto home of NASCAR.
In California, Meg Whitman grew eBay from a modest 30 employee online auction company to a global institution with 15,000 employees and $8 billion in annual revenue. Now a candidate for Governor of California, she is running on a platform of fiscal restraint and job creation.
Texas native Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, wrote the company’s business plan while on a road trip from New York to Seattle where he launched the company in his garage in 1994. Started as an online book seller, the company now sells everything from software and video games to home improvement items and car engines. It enjoys revenues of over $25 billion and employs over 24,000 workers.
As a child, Tony Hulman was destined to take over the family baking soda business in Terre Haute, Indiana. His goal was to make Clabber Girl a household name in kitchens across America. After reaching this goal, he turned bought the dilapidated Indianapolis Motor Speedway from World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. Rickenbacker, famous for his many quotes, once said, “The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative, Imagination, Individuality and Independence.” Hulman epitomized these characteristics. One hundred years later, the legendary track is known worldwide as the home of the Indianapolis 500, the Brickyard 400 and the Red Bull Indianapolis GP motorcycle race.
At a time when the economy is struggling to restart and approval ratings for politicians are at an all time low, the American business person is saying, “Enough already! Get out of our way and we’ll get this thing going. We always have and we’ll do it again!” In the 1920’s, after a war and a very difficult economic period, the federal government finally woke up and cut federal spending and taxes, resulting in what was to be known as “the roaring twenties,” one of our nation’s most prosperous economic booms. Unemployment dropped to one of the lowest levels in history and new businesses were started at an astonishing pace. But a few politicians couldn’t stand the success and raised taxes and government spending, resulting in a financial collapse that was “The Great Depression.”
Time after time, history has shown that if left alone, American businesses will lead the way out of economic turmoil and create prosperity and jobs in abundance. I believe that the same thing could (will) happen this time. I regularly speak to business owners and not one has ever said to me that the answer to our economic problems is more government spending and regulation. Why are businesses not hiring? My business friends tell me they’re not going to do a thing until they figure out what the federal government is going to do next. There’s a pent up demand that is not going to emerge until politicians get out of the way and let businesses do what they do best – build things and create jobs.
Two reasons why Brand Acceleration works in the economic development and construction industries are because of our passion for creating jobs and building business. Our clients are cities, counties, regional groups and entrepreneurs who are ready, right now, to get started.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
What Ever Happened to Pride in Workmanship?
It’s alive and well but you have to look for it.
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
The other day I was watching the popular HGTV program, “Holmes on Homes.” It’s the one where frustrated homeowners ask host Mike Holmes to rescue them from disasters caused by building or remodeling contractors. Of course, Mr. Holmes quickly points out the shoddy workmanship, corrects the problems and walks away the hero. I don’t believe the contractors in the show are all bad people, although some are. I do believe many are just ignorant of the correct way to perform the work.
With a little research, most customers could easily find very skilled contractors with stellar reputations for exemplary workmanship. I know many of them. Such organizations as the Better Business Bureau and Angie’s List provide an opportunity to check the reputations of just about any business. Additionally, a simple Google search will often uncover reams of information.
As I watched the program, I couldn’t help but consider my own industry, making a mental note of the sometimes poor workmanship and ignorance that exists in the marketing communications business, just as in contracting, remodeling and others.
Over the many years I’ve been in this business, I’ve seen numerous examples of individuals or firms representing themselves as advertising professionals when their background is limited to graphic design, web development or another very narrow niche. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have huge respect for trained and talented graphic designers. Some of the best are part of the Brand Acceleration team. We believe that great designers are really at their best when they’re part of a strategically focused team. A true marketing communications agency brings an entire team of professionals to an effort.
In my opinion, the most successful programs are the result of a group that includes a skilled marketing strategist, a writer who has mastered the science of marketing communications, a designer trained in the art of communicating a defined message, and a production person who knows how to make the end product really go to work.
The production person, in our case, is an expert who has many years experience in the printing and direct marketing industry. She knows more about paper, ink, printing and post office procedures than anyone I know. When it comes to web programming and search engine optimization, our guy can run circles around even the best in the industry. He understands Google, Bing!, Yahoo and the other gate keepers as well as they understand themselves. He never ceases to amaze me or our clients.
Like Mike Holmes, I occasionally hear people express disappointment when describing work done for them by people or companies that overpromised and grossly under delivered. In almost every case, it is because one or more of the skills just described was missing. Maybe it’s a web designer who knew how to use the web software but really wasn’t trained in the art of design. Or, maybe no writer was brought to the effort, leaving the client to handle the very important task of writing the copy. I’m often told of brochure projects where the files were simply handed off to a printer with no further supervision of the production process. For us, the project is not complete until it is delivered to the client.
Another thing that our clients like about us is that we won’t work for just anyone. We specialize! That’s right, we only work with clients in industries where we can bring valuable experience and counsel to our clients. Our niche industries are economic development, construction, including architecture and engineering, real estate and motorsports. Why these? Because when I started the company, I pledged to myself that I would only work in industries that I like and where I have knowledge. I also promised myself that I would only work with people I like. By following this plan, we have become experts in these fields and valued marketing partners and friends to our clients. You won’t find us working in other industries where we lack expertise and bring nothing to the client.
A few months ago, I received a call from a very nice lady who had contracted a “web designer” to create a new web site for her economic development organization. After several months and many thousands of dollars, she was delivered a beautiful web site template with no copy and no photographs. When she questioned the company representative, she was told that they are a web “design” firm, not writers or programmers. I think Mike Holms would be seriously ticked.
Just like Mr. Holmes always demonstrates, a successful project that satisfies the client is always the result of a team of skilled and experienced professionals who are passionate about producing great work that meets or exceeds client expectations. His show also shows what happens when people cut corners and do things on the cheap. Companies like mine and other skilled and honorable agencies eventually get to do the work over and do it right.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
It’s alive and well but you have to look for it.
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
The other day I was watching the popular HGTV program, “Holmes on Homes.” It’s the one where frustrated homeowners ask host Mike Holmes to rescue them from disasters caused by building or remodeling contractors. Of course, Mr. Holmes quickly points out the shoddy workmanship, corrects the problems and walks away the hero. I don’t believe the contractors in the show are all bad people, although some are. I do believe many are just ignorant of the correct way to perform the work.
With a little research, most customers could easily find very skilled contractors with stellar reputations for exemplary workmanship. I know many of them. Such organizations as the Better Business Bureau and Angie’s List provide an opportunity to check the reputations of just about any business. Additionally, a simple Google search will often uncover reams of information.
As I watched the program, I couldn’t help but consider my own industry, making a mental note of the sometimes poor workmanship and ignorance that exists in the marketing communications business, just as in contracting, remodeling and others.
Over the many years I’ve been in this business, I’ve seen numerous examples of individuals or firms representing themselves as advertising professionals when their background is limited to graphic design, web development or another very narrow niche. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have huge respect for trained and talented graphic designers. Some of the best are part of the Brand Acceleration team. We believe that great designers are really at their best when they’re part of a strategically focused team. A true marketing communications agency brings an entire team of professionals to an effort.
In my opinion, the most successful programs are the result of a group that includes a skilled marketing strategist, a writer who has mastered the science of marketing communications, a designer trained in the art of communicating a defined message, and a production person who knows how to make the end product really go to work.
The production person, in our case, is an expert who has many years experience in the printing and direct marketing industry. She knows more about paper, ink, printing and post office procedures than anyone I know. When it comes to web programming and search engine optimization, our guy can run circles around even the best in the industry. He understands Google, Bing!, Yahoo and the other gate keepers as well as they understand themselves. He never ceases to amaze me or our clients.
Like Mike Holmes, I occasionally hear people express disappointment when describing work done for them by people or companies that overpromised and grossly under delivered. In almost every case, it is because one or more of the skills just described was missing. Maybe it’s a web designer who knew how to use the web software but really wasn’t trained in the art of design. Or, maybe no writer was brought to the effort, leaving the client to handle the very important task of writing the copy. I’m often told of brochure projects where the files were simply handed off to a printer with no further supervision of the production process. For us, the project is not complete until it is delivered to the client.
Another thing that our clients like about us is that we won’t work for just anyone. We specialize! That’s right, we only work with clients in industries where we can bring valuable experience and counsel to our clients. Our niche industries are economic development, construction, including architecture and engineering, real estate and motorsports. Why these? Because when I started the company, I pledged to myself that I would only work in industries that I like and where I have knowledge. I also promised myself that I would only work with people I like. By following this plan, we have become experts in these fields and valued marketing partners and friends to our clients. You won’t find us working in other industries where we lack expertise and bring nothing to the client.
A few months ago, I received a call from a very nice lady who had contracted a “web designer” to create a new web site for her economic development organization. After several months and many thousands of dollars, she was delivered a beautiful web site template with no copy and no photographs. When she questioned the company representative, she was told that they are a web “design” firm, not writers or programmers. I think Mike Holms would be seriously ticked.
Just like Mr. Holmes always demonstrates, a successful project that satisfies the client is always the result of a team of skilled and experienced professionals who are passionate about producing great work that meets or exceeds client expectations. His show also shows what happens when people cut corners and do things on the cheap. Companies like mine and other skilled and honorable agencies eventually get to do the work over and do it right.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Three…Two…One…Wait!
Now is the time to launch your marketing communications program.
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
The other day I was watching what was supposed to be the launch of a new rocket, the next step in space exploration. As the news networks focused, the countdown began. Three…two…one….nothing! The thing just sat there. Nothing happened. For some reason the launch was put on hold.
In many ways it reminded me of marketers, all fueled up, sitting on the launch pad, waiting for someone to push the launch button. As the economy shows signs of life, marketers are facing the same burning questions; “When do we restart our marketing communications efforts?”
In the early days of the space race, many countries had to weigh the risks and rewards of space exploration. Some just couldn’t see the benefit. Others, like the United States, chose to forge ahead, jumping into the unknown.
So, as marketers, what are our options? Let’s explore our options:
Launch now!
I remember the 1962 speech when President John Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon in that decade. “because that challenge is one that we're willing to accept; one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win…” A shiver of fear and excitement went through the American people. The risks were huge, but the rewards that eventually followed were enormous. What resulted was an unparalleled leap for our nation and a level of pride that we have not experienced since.
Wait. Play it safe. Go later…maybe.
Even professional procrastinators eventually do something. Don’t they? But they often hide behind plans to get started later or when the time is right. Some are content with being in second, third or even fourth place. Well, consider this. After the recent recession, many fourth place companies are gone. However, the leader enjoys the huge brand advantages of being number one while procrastinators may risk their every existence by waiting.
In 1957, when the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, it shocked the world and scared the h*** out of the USA. Fortunately for us, it lit a fire that caused us to get off our back sides and jump start our space program. Now, fifty-three years later, other countries are just now getting serious about space exploration.
Do nothing.
Of course, doing nothing is the easiest option. Excuses are abundant. “Maybe later.” “We’re a conservative group.” “Don’t push me!” “What’s my ROI?” “The economy has still not recovered enough.” If that’s your excuse, I have a message for you; economies don’t recover on their own. They recover because leaders make things happen!
Many of the countries that chose to wait and do space exploration later ended up on the ash heap of history. While countries like the USA took risks and enjoyed the economic and leadership rewards, their economies languished, forever stuck in “follower” mode. We’ve all heard the old adage “Lead, follow or get out of the way!” As marketers ponder the future, their options are really that clear.
At Brand Acceleration, we are advising our clients to take a forward-looking posture. We suggest asking the question, “Where do we want to be in fifty years?” With vision, excitement, and courage, now is the time to push the launch button.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Now is the time to launch your marketing communications program.
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
The other day I was watching what was supposed to be the launch of a new rocket, the next step in space exploration. As the news networks focused, the countdown began. Three…two…one….nothing! The thing just sat there. Nothing happened. For some reason the launch was put on hold.
In many ways it reminded me of marketers, all fueled up, sitting on the launch pad, waiting for someone to push the launch button. As the economy shows signs of life, marketers are facing the same burning questions; “When do we restart our marketing communications efforts?”
In the early days of the space race, many countries had to weigh the risks and rewards of space exploration. Some just couldn’t see the benefit. Others, like the United States, chose to forge ahead, jumping into the unknown.
So, as marketers, what are our options? Let’s explore our options:
Launch now!
I remember the 1962 speech when President John Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon in that decade. “because that challenge is one that we're willing to accept; one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win…” A shiver of fear and excitement went through the American people. The risks were huge, but the rewards that eventually followed were enormous. What resulted was an unparalleled leap for our nation and a level of pride that we have not experienced since.
Wait. Play it safe. Go later…maybe.
Even professional procrastinators eventually do something. Don’t they? But they often hide behind plans to get started later or when the time is right. Some are content with being in second, third or even fourth place. Well, consider this. After the recent recession, many fourth place companies are gone. However, the leader enjoys the huge brand advantages of being number one while procrastinators may risk their every existence by waiting.
In 1957, when the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, it shocked the world and scared the h*** out of the USA. Fortunately for us, it lit a fire that caused us to get off our back sides and jump start our space program. Now, fifty-three years later, other countries are just now getting serious about space exploration.
Do nothing.
Of course, doing nothing is the easiest option. Excuses are abundant. “Maybe later.” “We’re a conservative group.” “Don’t push me!” “What’s my ROI?” “The economy has still not recovered enough.” If that’s your excuse, I have a message for you; economies don’t recover on their own. They recover because leaders make things happen!
Many of the countries that chose to wait and do space exploration later ended up on the ash heap of history. While countries like the USA took risks and enjoyed the economic and leadership rewards, their economies languished, forever stuck in “follower” mode. We’ve all heard the old adage “Lead, follow or get out of the way!” As marketers ponder the future, their options are really that clear.
At Brand Acceleration, we are advising our clients to take a forward-looking posture. We suggest asking the question, “Where do we want to be in fifty years?” With vision, excitement, and courage, now is the time to push the launch button.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
An Argument for Marketing Communications
What is my return on investment?
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
I’m often asked why a company or community should invest precious dollars in advertising or other marketing communication efforts. “Which tactics work?” “What’s my return on investment?” “How can I convince my boss to spend the money?” “When is the right time to get started?” These are questions that every marketer is asked at some point in his or her career.
Which tactics work?
Whenever a company or community launches an advertising program, it’s important to first have a realistic set of expectations. While advertisements sometimes generate immediate response, it’s more common that the response comes later. Powerful and sustainable efforts take time and patience.
The answer to the question is that all tactics work if they are parts of a well thought out strategic plan. Working in unison, ads, direct marketing, social media and other tactics work to grow a brand and fuel success. The old days of running an ad and counting calls are over.
What’s my return on investment?
I’ve been asked this question countless times. Once, when I was delivering a marketing presentation, a CFO asked this very question. He was used to using accepted accounting metrics to calculate the ROI of invested dollars. The problem is that when it comes to marcom, the typical ROI metrics just don’t work. There are so many forces that can impact a program’s success, that it is unfair to apply traditionally accepted principles. The competence of a salesperson can make or break a perfectly qualified lead, as can such factors as pricing, reputation, etc. If your price is too high, a perfectly good opportunity may be lost. Is that a failure of the marketing communication program? Of course not.
A more realistic measure is Return on Objectives. At Brand Acceleration, we work with our clients to establish a set of clear objectives that are real and measurable. Maybe it’s a desire to generate a specific number of qualified leads or to grow brand awareness in a targeted industry. These are all things that can be measured and attributed to a marketing effort.
How can I convince my boss to spend the money?
The challenge is to manage expectations. If your boss wants to see a direct and immediate connection between communication spending and sales, he or she might be disappointed. Old school programs where you run an ad and then count responses are just unrealistic these days. A sale is an orchestrated and sustained effort between marketing communications, the sales department, pricing and management.
Your boss needs to understand the value of a strong brand. Companies or communities with highly respected reputations are proven to be much more likely to be given consideration than those of virtual unknowns. When a salesperson calls a prospect to ask for a meeting, he or she is much more likely to get in the door if the organization is known and has a positive reputation. A well thought out marcom program can pave the way.
When is the right time to get started?
Even though the economy is a long way from what we consider normal, there are significant signs that things are beginning to improve (See my “Good News” article at the right). To use an auto racing analogy, the green flag has been waved and it’s to put the pedal to the metal. Companies and communities are racing to get the business. It’s extremely competitive out there and if you’re not on the consideration list, you’re off – and out!
Staying with the auto racing analogy, now is the time to floor it! Otherwise you could find yourself being lapped by that newcomer you’ve never heard of.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
What is my return on investment?
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
I’m often asked why a company or community should invest precious dollars in advertising or other marketing communication efforts. “Which tactics work?” “What’s my return on investment?” “How can I convince my boss to spend the money?” “When is the right time to get started?” These are questions that every marketer is asked at some point in his or her career.
Which tactics work?
Whenever a company or community launches an advertising program, it’s important to first have a realistic set of expectations. While advertisements sometimes generate immediate response, it’s more common that the response comes later. Powerful and sustainable efforts take time and patience.
The answer to the question is that all tactics work if they are parts of a well thought out strategic plan. Working in unison, ads, direct marketing, social media and other tactics work to grow a brand and fuel success. The old days of running an ad and counting calls are over.
What’s my return on investment?
I’ve been asked this question countless times. Once, when I was delivering a marketing presentation, a CFO asked this very question. He was used to using accepted accounting metrics to calculate the ROI of invested dollars. The problem is that when it comes to marcom, the typical ROI metrics just don’t work. There are so many forces that can impact a program’s success, that it is unfair to apply traditionally accepted principles. The competence of a salesperson can make or break a perfectly qualified lead, as can such factors as pricing, reputation, etc. If your price is too high, a perfectly good opportunity may be lost. Is that a failure of the marketing communication program? Of course not.
A more realistic measure is Return on Objectives. At Brand Acceleration, we work with our clients to establish a set of clear objectives that are real and measurable. Maybe it’s a desire to generate a specific number of qualified leads or to grow brand awareness in a targeted industry. These are all things that can be measured and attributed to a marketing effort.
How can I convince my boss to spend the money?
The challenge is to manage expectations. If your boss wants to see a direct and immediate connection between communication spending and sales, he or she might be disappointed. Old school programs where you run an ad and then count responses are just unrealistic these days. A sale is an orchestrated and sustained effort between marketing communications, the sales department, pricing and management.
Your boss needs to understand the value of a strong brand. Companies or communities with highly respected reputations are proven to be much more likely to be given consideration than those of virtual unknowns. When a salesperson calls a prospect to ask for a meeting, he or she is much more likely to get in the door if the organization is known and has a positive reputation. A well thought out marcom program can pave the way.
When is the right time to get started?
Even though the economy is a long way from what we consider normal, there are significant signs that things are beginning to improve (See my “Good News” article at the right). To use an auto racing analogy, the green flag has been waved and it’s to put the pedal to the metal. Companies and communities are racing to get the business. It’s extremely competitive out there and if you’re not on the consideration list, you’re off – and out!
Staying with the auto racing analogy, now is the time to floor it! Otherwise you could find yourself being lapped by that newcomer you’ve never heard of.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Where Do You Fit In? Only by understanding your client’s place in the food chain can you understand your own. By Jim Walton CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc. Indianapolis and Charlotte At a recent regional conference for the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), a higher education representative suggested that it might be a good idea for designers to interview end users for a proposed life sciences building in order to better understand their needs. By using Building Information Modeling (BIM), it was suggested that it is possible to give them a virtual walk-through before actually building the building. Their suggestion made me wonder; as marketers, just how thorough are we at understanding our target audiences and their myriad needs? A site selection consultant friend once observed how some communities are masters at attracting target industries while others are mere wishful thinkers. The more prepared economic developers fully understand the needs of their prospective clients; have researched their industries, their target audiences, trade associations, trade shows, and have matched them with the assets of their community. Their marketing efforts are very detailed, speaking specifically to the needs of the audience. This is clearly required in order to make a case for locating there. The unprepared economic developer, in my friend’s opinion, is often no more than a wishful thinker, hoping to get lucky enough to land the next big pharmaceutical manufacturing facility or auto plant. The problem is that he or she may have overlooked the research and marketing required to appropriately tell their story. Marketing is active, not passive In a slow economy, the competition can be tougher than ever. You’re not just one of five bidders anymore. You may be one of thirty or more. New competitors are coming out of the woodwork. That means you can no longer take a passive approach. Sadly, when times get tough, marketing is one of the first budget items to be cut. What to do now! So, how do you use your very limited budget to get attention in a very competitive arena? Begin with these simple steps: First, specifically identify your target. You must know just who you want to reach and why. Select the industry or industries that are your best fit. Not just the ones you want but those that are most likely to turn into business now. Next, clearly match your assets to the needs of the audience. It’s crucial that you be able to make a strong case for being selected. And finally, develop a highly-targeted plan to repeatedly reach the audience. Use your limited budget and a clear message to speak directly to your target audience. At Brand Acceleration, we are often challenged to develop a marketing communications plan that will generate results with a very limited budget. This is a challenge that we love because it gets everyone focused. Working very closely with our client, we go through the process just described and carefully select tactics that are likely to be successful. Doing nothing is not an option. Well, it is an option but the results will match the effort. In order to understand your place in the food chain, you need to thoroughly understand where you fit in. No more wishful thinking. No more hoping. In today’s economy, it’s time to get real. Do a real evaluation of your assets and skill sets and direct your marketing efforts where they will yield results. Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Treat me with Respect
and, I’ll be loyal forever
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
Schools do a great job of teaching theoretical concepts and rote facts, but some principles just have to be learned in the real world. Principles such as honesty, integrity and the importance of relationships are learned from parental teachings and through the observation of others.
I remember my first real advertising job. While still in school, I was employed as ad manager for a retail store. With my wealth of freshly-learned book knowledge, I was ready to show my stuff. What I didn’t know was that I was about to experience the harsh reality of how things work in the business world.
While the owner of the store was very open to my exuberant ideas, he often frustrated me by saying, “Go see Paul,” or “Call Mary.” I wanted to prove myself and he was always directing me to his peeps. I didn’t realize that he had relationships to honor and friends who returned his favors by looking after his interests. Wow! They didn’t tell us about this in school.
You see, not everything can be placed on a spreadsheet or plugged into a computer. The value of friendships and business relationships cannot be quantified; a fact that drives CFOs, human resources managers and legal folks crazy. Touchy feely stuff just can’t be measured.
The marketing communications and public relations business, like any business, is built on relationships. More than customers and vendors, I’m talking about friendships that are massaged, grown and honored over the years. The challenge, however, is to delicately balance one another’s business needs with the friendship.
In the mid-1990s, as the owner, promoter and manager of trade shows and conferences, I forged a relationship with the owner and management of a radio network. They agreed to promote my conferences and I put their company name all over the events, as if they were theirs. What evolved was a relationship that I cherish to this day.
Here’s why. As the conferences grew in attendance and popularity, each side constantly worked to assure that we all benefitted from the relationship. I had absolute trust that they had my best interests at heart and, in return, I looked after theirs. The relationship was a huge success because of the integrity, trust and friendship around which everything was built. They promoted the conferences and my company at every turn and I did the same for them. Even though the conferences eventually ended and I don’t see the people very often, I still view them (and the company) with eternal respect.
I belong to a number of trade associations where I build business and personal relationships. As a member I make it a point to get involved, serve on committees and support the needs of the organization. I believe that the first step toward making friends is to be a friend, both to the organization and its members. I ask for nothing in return except a little respect, loyalty and friendship.
For our clients, we show the same loyalty. It’s about more than producing a cool web site or a killer brochure. Our passion is to help our clients (friends) with strategies that generate results. If a client is unable to be a friend and have more than a client-vendor relationship with us, it probably won’t work out.
A recent example of a successful effort is the 2010 SMPS Southeastern Regional Conference held in Nashville, Tennessee. The Society for Marketing Professional Services is made up of marketing pros in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. A focus area for Brand Acceleration, we definitely wanted to be part of the event, so we jumped in.
We volunteered our services to design a logo, all advertising, direct mailers, signs and elements of the program book. In return, the planning committee allowed us to place the Brand Acceleration name discreetly on everything. There were no discussions of sponsorship levels, nor were there any contracts; just an unspoken promise to serve one another’s needs. At the conference, I was very pleased to find that our company was listed as a Gold Sponsor and that we were very well thanked for our services. These people operate with class! We have built powerful relationships that I expect to grow and last.
Are there ever misunderstandings? Of course! It’s just human nature for people to occasionally find themselves on different pages. The answer, in my opinion, is a willingness to correct the situation, forgive, forget and move forward in the spirit of friendship. Long-term friendships cannot work if either side becomes belligerent or insists on winning at the expense of the other.
I’m a very, very loyal person. Over my long career, I have developed relationships with people for whom I will now do almost anything. I love my job and love working with people of integrity. Like a great dog, if you treat me with courtesy, respect, and give me an occasional pat on the head, I’ll be your friend forever.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
and, I’ll be loyal forever
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
Schools do a great job of teaching theoretical concepts and rote facts, but some principles just have to be learned in the real world. Principles such as honesty, integrity and the importance of relationships are learned from parental teachings and through the observation of others.
I remember my first real advertising job. While still in school, I was employed as ad manager for a retail store. With my wealth of freshly-learned book knowledge, I was ready to show my stuff. What I didn’t know was that I was about to experience the harsh reality of how things work in the business world.
While the owner of the store was very open to my exuberant ideas, he often frustrated me by saying, “Go see Paul,” or “Call Mary.” I wanted to prove myself and he was always directing me to his peeps. I didn’t realize that he had relationships to honor and friends who returned his favors by looking after his interests. Wow! They didn’t tell us about this in school.
You see, not everything can be placed on a spreadsheet or plugged into a computer. The value of friendships and business relationships cannot be quantified; a fact that drives CFOs, human resources managers and legal folks crazy. Touchy feely stuff just can’t be measured.
The marketing communications and public relations business, like any business, is built on relationships. More than customers and vendors, I’m talking about friendships that are massaged, grown and honored over the years. The challenge, however, is to delicately balance one another’s business needs with the friendship.
In the mid-1990s, as the owner, promoter and manager of trade shows and conferences, I forged a relationship with the owner and management of a radio network. They agreed to promote my conferences and I put their company name all over the events, as if they were theirs. What evolved was a relationship that I cherish to this day.
Here’s why. As the conferences grew in attendance and popularity, each side constantly worked to assure that we all benefitted from the relationship. I had absolute trust that they had my best interests at heart and, in return, I looked after theirs. The relationship was a huge success because of the integrity, trust and friendship around which everything was built. They promoted the conferences and my company at every turn and I did the same for them. Even though the conferences eventually ended and I don’t see the people very often, I still view them (and the company) with eternal respect.
I belong to a number of trade associations where I build business and personal relationships. As a member I make it a point to get involved, serve on committees and support the needs of the organization. I believe that the first step toward making friends is to be a friend, both to the organization and its members. I ask for nothing in return except a little respect, loyalty and friendship.
For our clients, we show the same loyalty. It’s about more than producing a cool web site or a killer brochure. Our passion is to help our clients (friends) with strategies that generate results. If a client is unable to be a friend and have more than a client-vendor relationship with us, it probably won’t work out.
A recent example of a successful effort is the 2010 SMPS Southeastern Regional Conference held in Nashville, Tennessee. The Society for Marketing Professional Services is made up of marketing pros in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. A focus area for Brand Acceleration, we definitely wanted to be part of the event, so we jumped in.
We volunteered our services to design a logo, all advertising, direct mailers, signs and elements of the program book. In return, the planning committee allowed us to place the Brand Acceleration name discreetly on everything. There were no discussions of sponsorship levels, nor were there any contracts; just an unspoken promise to serve one another’s needs. At the conference, I was very pleased to find that our company was listed as a Gold Sponsor and that we were very well thanked for our services. These people operate with class! We have built powerful relationships that I expect to grow and last.
Are there ever misunderstandings? Of course! It’s just human nature for people to occasionally find themselves on different pages. The answer, in my opinion, is a willingness to correct the situation, forgive, forget and move forward in the spirit of friendship. Long-term friendships cannot work if either side becomes belligerent or insists on winning at the expense of the other.
I’m a very, very loyal person. Over my long career, I have developed relationships with people for whom I will now do almost anything. I love my job and love working with people of integrity. Like a great dog, if you treat me with courtesy, respect, and give me an occasional pat on the head, I’ll be your friend forever.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Outrageous Customer Service
The devil is in the details
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
Have you ever had one of those customer service experiences that just make you say “Wow?” You know what I’m talking about. The ones you can’t wait to tell the whole world about. Good or bad, customer service experiences are memorable moments. They shape your opinions and forever impact a company’s brand.
In my presentation, “Whole Brand Thinking,” I explore several examples of how everyday activities impact your brand. From the coffee served to the way your office phone is answered, a sloppy approach to seemingly minor details can do great harm to an otherwise spotless reputation. Managed well, they can impress clients, creating a “wow” moment.
Ritz-Carlton Hotels
In the hospitality industry, it’s an accepted fact that Ritz-Carlton is the hands-down leader when it comes to outstanding customer service. In fact, companies in other industries attempt to emulate the Ritz-Carlton model.
What’s their secret? Their employees and leadership are very much aligned. The Ritz-Carlton gold standards of service are reinforced by a daily line-up that occurs at the beginning of every shift, for every team, at every Ritz-Carlton hotel in the world. Employees everywhere are encouraged to ‘break away’ to serve customers. Each employee has a card containing the twenty ‘basics’ and the mantra, “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.” For example, using guest names and saying ‘good morning’ or ‘good evening’ rather than ‘hi’ supports the Ritz-Carleton brand image.
Ultimate Economic Developer Site Visit
A friend of mine is a site selection consultant. This is a person who is contracted by companies to find a new home for a company headquarters of expansion. On assignment for a company seeking a location for a new distribution center, he arranged three site visits for this client. Along with the company President and two other company representatives, they all hit the road to visit the three cities. The company had been through the process before and their pattern was to expand their sales area, build a distribution center and create 500 to 600 good paying jobs.
At city number one, the group was met at the economic development office where they were offered cookies and institutional coffee before loading into minivans for a tour of the city and a visit to the industrial park. Nothing new. Nothing outstanding.
The next day, when they arrived at city number two, their experience was much different. At the airport, they were greeted by the economic developer and Mayor who escorted the group to two stretch limousines. In the limos, they were offered freshly brewed premium coffee while being driven to the site being proposed for their new building.
At the location, the executives were greeted by a group of community leaders who were gathered under a tent where a catered lunch was served. Among the group were representatives of the city and county, promising a streamlined process, and utility companies who promised plenty of capacity. Also present was a local construction contractor, who had staked out the footprint of their most recent building, showing how the building would sit on the property. Local officials also presented a plan for a job fair, showing how they would assist with the process of hiring qualified employees.
Needless to say, company execs were blown away. So much so that they cancelled their visit to city number three and stayed another day to begin the process of making city number two the site of their next distribution center. This had clearly been a “Wow” moment for them.
Details matter
Whether it’s a big event such as a major site visit or other details such as a new brochure, stationery or web site, it’s important to manage each touch point wisely. With so much at risk, why would you risk so much by cutting corners on details that could put you at a serious disadvantage?
As a good friend and client once said to me, “Never give them a reason to diminish you.”
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
The devil is in the details
By Jim Walton
CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Indianapolis and Charlotte
Have you ever had one of those customer service experiences that just make you say “Wow?” You know what I’m talking about. The ones you can’t wait to tell the whole world about. Good or bad, customer service experiences are memorable moments. They shape your opinions and forever impact a company’s brand.
In my presentation, “Whole Brand Thinking,” I explore several examples of how everyday activities impact your brand. From the coffee served to the way your office phone is answered, a sloppy approach to seemingly minor details can do great harm to an otherwise spotless reputation. Managed well, they can impress clients, creating a “wow” moment.
Ritz-Carlton Hotels
In the hospitality industry, it’s an accepted fact that Ritz-Carlton is the hands-down leader when it comes to outstanding customer service. In fact, companies in other industries attempt to emulate the Ritz-Carlton model.
What’s their secret? Their employees and leadership are very much aligned. The Ritz-Carlton gold standards of service are reinforced by a daily line-up that occurs at the beginning of every shift, for every team, at every Ritz-Carlton hotel in the world. Employees everywhere are encouraged to ‘break away’ to serve customers. Each employee has a card containing the twenty ‘basics’ and the mantra, “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.” For example, using guest names and saying ‘good morning’ or ‘good evening’ rather than ‘hi’ supports the Ritz-Carleton brand image.
Ultimate Economic Developer Site Visit
A friend of mine is a site selection consultant. This is a person who is contracted by companies to find a new home for a company headquarters of expansion. On assignment for a company seeking a location for a new distribution center, he arranged three site visits for this client. Along with the company President and two other company representatives, they all hit the road to visit the three cities. The company had been through the process before and their pattern was to expand their sales area, build a distribution center and create 500 to 600 good paying jobs.
At city number one, the group was met at the economic development office where they were offered cookies and institutional coffee before loading into minivans for a tour of the city and a visit to the industrial park. Nothing new. Nothing outstanding.
The next day, when they arrived at city number two, their experience was much different. At the airport, they were greeted by the economic developer and Mayor who escorted the group to two stretch limousines. In the limos, they were offered freshly brewed premium coffee while being driven to the site being proposed for their new building.
At the location, the executives were greeted by a group of community leaders who were gathered under a tent where a catered lunch was served. Among the group were representatives of the city and county, promising a streamlined process, and utility companies who promised plenty of capacity. Also present was a local construction contractor, who had staked out the footprint of their most recent building, showing how the building would sit on the property. Local officials also presented a plan for a job fair, showing how they would assist with the process of hiring qualified employees.
Needless to say, company execs were blown away. So much so that they cancelled their visit to city number three and stayed another day to begin the process of making city number two the site of their next distribution center. This had clearly been a “Wow” moment for them.
Details matter
Whether it’s a big event such as a major site visit or other details such as a new brochure, stationery or web site, it’s important to manage each touch point wisely. With so much at risk, why would you risk so much by cutting corners on details that could put you at a serious disadvantage?
As a good friend and client once said to me, “Never give them a reason to diminish you.”
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Are You a Visionary or a Tactician?
Will today’s actions be remembered in a hundred years?
By Jim Walton
CEO
Brand Acceleration, Inc.
I was recently in a meeting where I met a business owner who was pitching a relationship with a large Asian company. After several discussions with junior executives in the United States, he was invited to meet with the company President in Japan. His directive was to lay out his company’s long-range business plan and to explain how the two companies would partner for their mutual success.
He diligently crunched the numbers, led countless internal planning sessions and prepared his presentation. On his flight to Japan, he reviewed his presentation until he had memorized every word. He carefully anticipated every possible question and practiced each answer. He was set! Nothing could possible surprise him.
At the company headquarters, he gave a beautiful presentation, carefully detailing every reason why the two companies should forge a relationship. As directed, he presented his company’s long-range business plan, showing how they would look in five, ten and fifteen years. Brilliant!
The Japanese gentleman listened without interruption, carefully taking in every word, and when the presentation was over, he asked one question; “Where is your long-range plan?”
In Asian culture, “long-range” often has a considerably different meaning. To them, it could mean 25, 50 or even 100 years. What my American acquaintance had apparently presented was considered nothing more than a short-term tactical plan.
Having been in the marketing communications and public relations business for 30+ years, I’m surprised at how “short-term” or tactical American business has become. In our present weakened economy, it seems to be getting worse. Many companies, communities and states are completely focused on surviving another day, let alone a century.
I often get calls from companies or communities wanting a new web site, brochure or other tactic. I’m always glad to help in any way possible, but when I bring up the topic of long-range strategic planning, I often get a response that tells me there just isn’t any planning in place beyond the next year or election cycle.
Strategic planning
Even in today’s economy, it’s important to step back and take a big-picture look at your situation. Try to look beyond next month or next year and consider how things might look once we get on the other side of this economic cycle. Maybe “long-term,” for you, really is one, three or five years. But, it’s worth trying to look further out so that you can put ideas in place your company’s or community’s future. Consider a few key questions:
- How might the world (U.S.) look in two, five or ten years?
- How will these changes affect us?
- What industry changes are emerging now that will affect our future?
- How can we best position ourselves for these changes?
- How will our brand need to evolve for the future?
Tactical planning
Assuming that you’ve considered how to best position for the future, let’s consider how to begin the process of preparing a short-term tactical plan. If your longer-range strategy requires a shift in your brand position, then your tactics need to begin that evolutionary process now. Your ads, brochures, web site and other tools must begin to convey a message that is consistent with your future vision.
If your tools are entirely backward-looking, telling the story of who you are and where you’ve been, you risk being perceived as “stuck in the past.” Not a good position at all, especially if you have an up-and-coming competitor that is growing a brand position as a forward-looking leader.
Will it matter in 100 years?
Several years ago, I had a co-worker who always seemed to be unfazed by the daily challenges of life’s challenges. Whenever someone in the office was panicking or upset with a situation, he would look them in the eye and say, “In a hundred years, will anyone remember this moment?” He was so right, and his attitude encouraged me to be more focused on the big picture.
Visionary thinking
I love being in the presence of visionaries. I’ve met several in my lifetime. They have an incredible ability to see things that others don’t, usually because they are able to look beyond the minutia of the day and see far into the future. They’re sometimes seen as a little weird. The other skill they have is that they can convey their vision to the rest of their team, setting in motion a very powerful and influential future.
What is your vision?
Something that really excites me is the visioning process. Whether with one of our construction industry (a/e/c) clients or a team of economic development leaders, I love working with people to help look into their future.
I’d love to do that with you, too. Please feel free to contact me any time and we can have a forward-looking discussion. Who knows – maybe in a hundred years, future generations will still be talking about what was done back in 2010.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency'f focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Will today’s actions be remembered in a hundred years?
By Jim Walton
CEO
Brand Acceleration, Inc.
I was recently in a meeting where I met a business owner who was pitching a relationship with a large Asian company. After several discussions with junior executives in the United States, he was invited to meet with the company President in Japan. His directive was to lay out his company’s long-range business plan and to explain how the two companies would partner for their mutual success.
He diligently crunched the numbers, led countless internal planning sessions and prepared his presentation. On his flight to Japan, he reviewed his presentation until he had memorized every word. He carefully anticipated every possible question and practiced each answer. He was set! Nothing could possible surprise him.
At the company headquarters, he gave a beautiful presentation, carefully detailing every reason why the two companies should forge a relationship. As directed, he presented his company’s long-range business plan, showing how they would look in five, ten and fifteen years. Brilliant!
The Japanese gentleman listened without interruption, carefully taking in every word, and when the presentation was over, he asked one question; “Where is your long-range plan?”
In Asian culture, “long-range” often has a considerably different meaning. To them, it could mean 25, 50 or even 100 years. What my American acquaintance had apparently presented was considered nothing more than a short-term tactical plan.
Having been in the marketing communications and public relations business for 30+ years, I’m surprised at how “short-term” or tactical American business has become. In our present weakened economy, it seems to be getting worse. Many companies, communities and states are completely focused on surviving another day, let alone a century.
I often get calls from companies or communities wanting a new web site, brochure or other tactic. I’m always glad to help in any way possible, but when I bring up the topic of long-range strategic planning, I often get a response that tells me there just isn’t any planning in place beyond the next year or election cycle.
Strategic planning
Even in today’s economy, it’s important to step back and take a big-picture look at your situation. Try to look beyond next month or next year and consider how things might look once we get on the other side of this economic cycle. Maybe “long-term,” for you, really is one, three or five years. But, it’s worth trying to look further out so that you can put ideas in place your company’s or community’s future. Consider a few key questions:
- How might the world (U.S.) look in two, five or ten years?
- How will these changes affect us?
- What industry changes are emerging now that will affect our future?
- How can we best position ourselves for these changes?
- How will our brand need to evolve for the future?
Tactical planning
Assuming that you’ve considered how to best position for the future, let’s consider how to begin the process of preparing a short-term tactical plan. If your longer-range strategy requires a shift in your brand position, then your tactics need to begin that evolutionary process now. Your ads, brochures, web site and other tools must begin to convey a message that is consistent with your future vision.
If your tools are entirely backward-looking, telling the story of who you are and where you’ve been, you risk being perceived as “stuck in the past.” Not a good position at all, especially if you have an up-and-coming competitor that is growing a brand position as a forward-looking leader.
Will it matter in 100 years?
Several years ago, I had a co-worker who always seemed to be unfazed by the daily challenges of life’s challenges. Whenever someone in the office was panicking or upset with a situation, he would look them in the eye and say, “In a hundred years, will anyone remember this moment?” He was so right, and his attitude encouraged me to be more focused on the big picture.
Visionary thinking
I love being in the presence of visionaries. I’ve met several in my lifetime. They have an incredible ability to see things that others don’t, usually because they are able to look beyond the minutia of the day and see far into the future. They’re sometimes seen as a little weird. The other skill they have is that they can convey their vision to the rest of their team, setting in motion a very powerful and influential future.
What is your vision?
Something that really excites me is the visioning process. Whether with one of our construction industry (a/e/c) clients or a team of economic development leaders, I love working with people to help look into their future.
I’d love to do that with you, too. Please feel free to contact me any time and we can have a forward-looking discussion. Who knows – maybe in a hundred years, future generations will still be talking about what was done back in 2010.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency'f focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Protect Your Brand
Avoid brand-killing mistakes.
By Jim Walton
President & CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
“Take a deep breath and count to ten.” This is a phrase often uttered by one parent to another when a child becomes unruly. It’s also a thought that crosses your mind when your boss, or co-worker or customer really ticks you off. It’s also good advice when making business decisions. Whether times are good or bad, it’s always a good idea to step back, take a breath and consider the long-range consequences of your decisions.
Tough times – Tough decisions
Things are really difficult in the construction industry. It’s more competitive than anyone can remember. It used to be commonplace for three to five bidders to respond to an RFP. Companies were busy and only responded to opportunities that were very desirable and a perfect fit.
Things are different these days. When an RFP is issued, it’s not uncommon for twenty or thirty companies to respond. Many are bidding on work that they would have historically considered much too small, or large, or far away, or just a bad fit. When it comes to pricing, margins are so thin that some bidders put themselves at risk of financial failure by accepting the work.
Short-term decisions – Long-term impact
How do such decisions impact the long-range brand position of a company? A company that has a reputation for outstanding work as a builder of hospitals may risk permanent harm to its brand position by chasing a very small project in an industry they would never have considered. When the economy improves, however, their customers may be confused about who they are. As the old saying goes, you can’t unpeel an onion.” Clients and prospects may be wondering if the builder is still a high-end specialist or a does-all generalist. If they’re looking for a high-end specialist, they may find themselves off the bid list.
Don’t get me wrong. I know that tough times require tough decisions and you have to do whatever is necessary to make ends meet. I’m just suggesting that before making brand-altering decisions, you step back, take a deep breath and look down the road a few years. What will this decision mean to your company’s future?
You see, with every business decision comes the need to consider its brand impact. Even the small ones can have long-lasting consequences. Do you lower prices and risk being viewed as a discounter? Do you cut staff and risk being seen as understaffed or “in trouble?” Do you expand or add new services and risk losing your core focus?
As marketing communications and public relations counselors, we often work closely with clients who are facing such decisions. Our job, as we see it, is to take an unemotional, long-range look and offer a fresh view of how today’s actions might impact the future of the brand.
Whatever the circumstances, it’s good advice to allow time for serious consideration before making a decision that could change your business and your life.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Avoid brand-killing mistakes.
By Jim Walton
President & CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
“Take a deep breath and count to ten.” This is a phrase often uttered by one parent to another when a child becomes unruly. It’s also a thought that crosses your mind when your boss, or co-worker or customer really ticks you off. It’s also good advice when making business decisions. Whether times are good or bad, it’s always a good idea to step back, take a breath and consider the long-range consequences of your decisions.
Tough times – Tough decisions
Things are really difficult in the construction industry. It’s more competitive than anyone can remember. It used to be commonplace for three to five bidders to respond to an RFP. Companies were busy and only responded to opportunities that were very desirable and a perfect fit.
Things are different these days. When an RFP is issued, it’s not uncommon for twenty or thirty companies to respond. Many are bidding on work that they would have historically considered much too small, or large, or far away, or just a bad fit. When it comes to pricing, margins are so thin that some bidders put themselves at risk of financial failure by accepting the work.
Short-term decisions – Long-term impact
How do such decisions impact the long-range brand position of a company? A company that has a reputation for outstanding work as a builder of hospitals may risk permanent harm to its brand position by chasing a very small project in an industry they would never have considered. When the economy improves, however, their customers may be confused about who they are. As the old saying goes, you can’t unpeel an onion.” Clients and prospects may be wondering if the builder is still a high-end specialist or a does-all generalist. If they’re looking for a high-end specialist, they may find themselves off the bid list.
Don’t get me wrong. I know that tough times require tough decisions and you have to do whatever is necessary to make ends meet. I’m just suggesting that before making brand-altering decisions, you step back, take a deep breath and look down the road a few years. What will this decision mean to your company’s future?
You see, with every business decision comes the need to consider its brand impact. Even the small ones can have long-lasting consequences. Do you lower prices and risk being viewed as a discounter? Do you cut staff and risk being seen as understaffed or “in trouble?” Do you expand or add new services and risk losing your core focus?
As marketing communications and public relations counselors, we often work closely with clients who are facing such decisions. Our job, as we see it, is to take an unemotional, long-range look and offer a fresh view of how today’s actions might impact the future of the brand.
Whatever the circumstances, it’s good advice to allow time for serious consideration before making a decision that could change your business and your life.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Encourage Failure!
Or settle for mediocrity
By Jim Walton
President & CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
When I was just starting my career, I was an advertising manager at a retail business which was owned by a husband and wife whose personalities could not have been any different. As the young, new ad guy, I desperately wanted to demonstrate my abilities and often brought the owners new and unique ideas. The way they responded set the tone for my three-year tenure with their company.
His approach
A young business owner, this guy was a natural-born salesman. With a short attention span and a line of bull about four miles long, he was one of those people who could make everyone love him in an instant. He really didn’t want to deal with the minutia of business ownership but he loved working with me on the advertising. Whenever I took him an idea, he would ask a few clarification questions and then ask, “How is this going to make me money?” If I could give him a clear and logical answer, he would say, “Do it!” A natural risk-taker, he would quickly measure risk versus reward and then make a decision. He clearly understood that higher risk usually meant higher reward and he just loved the game. If my idea succeeded, he publicly gave me praise. If it was less than successful, he would ask how we could change the effort and then encourage me to keep trying.
He dealt with vendors in the same positive manner. In his eyes, they were friends and business partners from whom he could learn and benefit. He treated them with respect and reverence. They returned his friendship with great ideas, great service and great deals. This guy was a relationship master.
Her approach
An equal owner in the business, she saw her husband as being too nice to employees and vendors. As a “boss,” she thought it was her responsibility to be as tough as nails and to micromanage every detail. The result was that employees feared her and rarely took ideas her way. On the rare occasion that they did take her an idea, she typically picked it apart in an abusive and humiliating way. In her mind, if she could diminish the minions, she elevated herself. If the idea actually was used, it was only after she tweaked and twisted it to the point where she could call it her own.
Vendors feared and despised her. She was unbelievably demanding, verbally abusive and reaped the seeds she sewed. They avoided her like the plague and offered her no special level of customer service. What would be the point?
Henry Ford once said, “Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” A brilliant inventor of motorized vehicles and the father of the assembly line, Ford repeatedly tried and failed before eventually creating the Quadricycle in 1896.
Ford’s good friend and fellow inventor, Thomas Edison, reportedly tried and failed more than 10,000 times before successfully inventing the filament light bulb. In his famous Invention Factory Edison employed an entire team of inventors whose job was to try, fail, and try again until they developed something of value. As a result, Edison eventually held 1,093 patents for such inventions as the alkaline storage battery, recorded music, motion pictures and many other products far too numerous to mention.
Today, the auto industry is swirling with news of Toyota’s problems with sticking gas pedals. As unfortunate as it is, my gut feeling is that Toyota will come through the turmoil with an even stronger and more respected brand. Why? Because this is a company that has made countless deposits into its bank of brand respect. Not only do they have a history of building great products, they also have a very strong reputation as a great company. Now, in a time of difficulty, their customers and consumers around the globe are very likely to forgive their mistake because of the power of their highly respected brand. Toyota’s approach, as I would expect, is to admit their error, ask for forgiveness, make the problem right, learn from the mistake and improve their product and service.
I recently saw a very interesting video from another auto industry giant, Honda. Entitled “Failure: The Secret to Success,” it is an encouraging testament to the philosophy that we can all learn from our mistakes. It’s only eight minutes and I would encourage you to click this link to view it for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiaPNlR5A4I
Do you encourage failure?
How are mistakes viewed in your workplace? Are they seen as unforgivable failures or as opportunities to learn and improve? I see the art of management much the same as parenting. A child should be encouraged to try new things, take risks and make a few mistakes. That’s the only way they’ll ever have the courage and desire to take risks and become successful in the workplace. If employees and vendors, like children, are micromanaged, protected and put down for their failures, they, and your organization, may be forever doomed to mediocrity.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
Or settle for mediocrity
By Jim Walton
President & CEO, Brand Acceleration, Inc.
When I was just starting my career, I was an advertising manager at a retail business which was owned by a husband and wife whose personalities could not have been any different. As the young, new ad guy, I desperately wanted to demonstrate my abilities and often brought the owners new and unique ideas. The way they responded set the tone for my three-year tenure with their company.
His approach
A young business owner, this guy was a natural-born salesman. With a short attention span and a line of bull about four miles long, he was one of those people who could make everyone love him in an instant. He really didn’t want to deal with the minutia of business ownership but he loved working with me on the advertising. Whenever I took him an idea, he would ask a few clarification questions and then ask, “How is this going to make me money?” If I could give him a clear and logical answer, he would say, “Do it!” A natural risk-taker, he would quickly measure risk versus reward and then make a decision. He clearly understood that higher risk usually meant higher reward and he just loved the game. If my idea succeeded, he publicly gave me praise. If it was less than successful, he would ask how we could change the effort and then encourage me to keep trying.
He dealt with vendors in the same positive manner. In his eyes, they were friends and business partners from whom he could learn and benefit. He treated them with respect and reverence. They returned his friendship with great ideas, great service and great deals. This guy was a relationship master.
Her approach
An equal owner in the business, she saw her husband as being too nice to employees and vendors. As a “boss,” she thought it was her responsibility to be as tough as nails and to micromanage every detail. The result was that employees feared her and rarely took ideas her way. On the rare occasion that they did take her an idea, she typically picked it apart in an abusive and humiliating way. In her mind, if she could diminish the minions, she elevated herself. If the idea actually was used, it was only after she tweaked and twisted it to the point where she could call it her own.
Vendors feared and despised her. She was unbelievably demanding, verbally abusive and reaped the seeds she sewed. They avoided her like the plague and offered her no special level of customer service. What would be the point?
Henry Ford once said, “Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” A brilliant inventor of motorized vehicles and the father of the assembly line, Ford repeatedly tried and failed before eventually creating the Quadricycle in 1896.
Ford’s good friend and fellow inventor, Thomas Edison, reportedly tried and failed more than 10,000 times before successfully inventing the filament light bulb. In his famous Invention Factory Edison employed an entire team of inventors whose job was to try, fail, and try again until they developed something of value. As a result, Edison eventually held 1,093 patents for such inventions as the alkaline storage battery, recorded music, motion pictures and many other products far too numerous to mention.
Today, the auto industry is swirling with news of Toyota’s problems with sticking gas pedals. As unfortunate as it is, my gut feeling is that Toyota will come through the turmoil with an even stronger and more respected brand. Why? Because this is a company that has made countless deposits into its bank of brand respect. Not only do they have a history of building great products, they also have a very strong reputation as a great company. Now, in a time of difficulty, their customers and consumers around the globe are very likely to forgive their mistake because of the power of their highly respected brand. Toyota’s approach, as I would expect, is to admit their error, ask for forgiveness, make the problem right, learn from the mistake and improve their product and service.
I recently saw a very interesting video from another auto industry giant, Honda. Entitled “Failure: The Secret to Success,” it is an encouraging testament to the philosophy that we can all learn from our mistakes. It’s only eight minutes and I would encourage you to click this link to view it for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiaPNlR5A4I
Do you encourage failure?
How are mistakes viewed in your workplace? Are they seen as unforgivable failures or as opportunities to learn and improve? I see the art of management much the same as parenting. A child should be encouraged to try new things, take risks and make a few mistakes. That’s the only way they’ll ever have the courage and desire to take risks and become successful in the workplace. If employees and vendors, like children, are micromanaged, protected and put down for their failures, they, and your organization, may be forever doomed to mediocrity.
Brand Acceleration is a full-service advertising, brand management and public relations firm operating from Indianapolis, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency’s focus is on economic development, architecture/engineering/construction, real estate and motorsports.
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