Consultative marketing and sales support for lonely-at-the-top executives

"We try to recommend only programs we're confident will work well for you," I assured the prospect. "Our reputation matters, and that reputation is based virtually only on how well we perform for clients."

For a quarter century, we've worked with entrepreneurs or top management of companies (of all sizes) who have both the privilege and the burden of being in charge. They may have gotten where they are because they invented or improved a product line, because they are financially savvy, because they are outstanding in understanding technology of one type or another, or any of so many reasons. Many times, the leader's expertise is not in marketing. What's more, now, many older marketing maps might as well be torn up and thrown away today.

"You can't get there from here" if you don't know the new rules.

It follows that upstream consultative marketing and sales support have become key van Schouwen Associates offerings. Rather than getting a call when a company president or marketing VP knows what he or she wants to say or do, we often start out at the business strategy level. That is as it should be.

Our clients will always understand their own products and services intimately and will know where they want to take their businesses. Our marketing expertise lets us be valuable at the very next step: drawing the road map for marketing. Sure, we can just drive the car and follow a route mapped out by the client, but that's not generally going to yield the most successful trip. In fact, the more a good marketing firm and its client work together at the inception of planning, the better and less lonely the trip will be.

A few tips for "starting at the very beginning" with a marketing partner:

-Find a good partner with experience in where you are going right now. Maybe you can work with a marketing firm you already know or trust. But maybe you have outgrown them. If so, get recommendations for a new partner from businesses that have done something similar to what you are undertaking now (be it product launch, new vertical market entry, repositioning, or even salvaging a troubled brand).

-Start yesterday. The right marketing firm can provide sound counsel much earlier than you might think. We've worked on product launches even while the product is still in early engineering. We've helped firms change focus just as they were first seeing the black clouds on the horizon themselves.

-Don't worry about the medium. You don't need to decide how to use the Web, advertising, public relations or whatever quite yet - not until you get the message right. Until, in fact, you get the premise behind the message right. Then and only then is it time to talk about how to conduct that outreach.

 

 

Should we be working together?

Ask me that question 26-plus years ago (when we were starting this marketing firm) and I would have said YES! Pretty much no matter what, assuming you could pay your bills, that is.

15 years ago, there would still have been a 89 percent chance of that same resounding YES.

What a change. We're saying 'no thank you' more often, whether to a client or to a project that doesn't fit, and suggesting other resources when we do. We're not going after business where we think we won't click.

Serious competition and a roller-coaster economy have, rather than influencing van Schouwen Associates to go with the "any port in a storm" method of business acquisition, inspired us to hone our focus. I noticed today, for perhaps the six-hundredth time, that we are not alone. A scan of the marketing and advertising firms that made this year's Inc. 5000 fastest growing small companies reveals some pretty amazing discipline in pinpointing and promoting expertise. From companies that serve payday loan clients, to specialists in marketing passion brands (sports and entertainment) to firms that (not surprisingly) focus on SEO, or on outdoor advertising, the best of "Marketing 2012" is a far cry from the 1980s-style ad agency that wanted to secure all-the-clients-in-the-world, including a fashion brand, a car manufacturer, a politician, and an insurance carrier... AND then insisted they could "do it all" for pretty much anyone.

Here in the otherwise peaceful Longmeadow offices of van Schouwen Associates, we've taken a long and piercing look at ourselves and revamped our messaging to say what is real today. Honing a focus is painful at times - sadly, there will be no high-end lipstick samples for us, and few meetings with rock stars (although I hasten to add that we are not ruling that out).

But let's face it -- as difficult as self-knowledge is for a marketing firm, it is no less challenging for our clients to give up cherished but flawed concepts about their own brands to focus on what really works.

Which brings us to our final point for today. If we expect our clients to come to know themselves and market accordingly, don't we owe it to ourselves to do the same?

 

(For those who care, here is an excerpt from the van Schouwen Associates website, telling the world who we are and what we do best.)

We have particularly deep expertise in several key arenas: manufacturing and related business-to-business marketing, financial services, health care and medical manufacturing, non-profits, and specialized technology products and offerings. Drilling still deeper, vSA intimately understands fire and security, facility development and management, architectural and design products and services, power and utility, safety products and services, building products, green marketing for business, products for industrial and hazardous environments, and insurance and banking.

 

 

Partnering and outsourcing... successfully.

What percentage of marriages fail?

Given that, just imagine the percentage of business partnerships and outsourcing arrangements that bite the dust.

Without the children to care for and a house about which to argue, the temptation to walk away from business arrangements can be great. Often, there are good reasons to do just that. But how can you plan and implement partnering and outsourcing relationships that last, if not forever, at least well beyond any honeymoon phase?

The ability to partner successfully has become increasingly important in many business endeavors. The need to focus on key areas of expertise, tightened finances and shrinking staffs are just a few of the reasons a businesses increasingly need to use hired guns or partner with other firms to accomplish tasks that might otherwise go undone (or be done poorly).

-Know your partner: In a company or an individual, character matters. It is arguable that more partnerships break down because of interpersonal conflicts or character flaws than because of lack of ability. But also...

-Know your partner's abilities, strengths and weaknesses: It is tempting - for an individual or a company - to stretch the limits and to "go for" new capabilities and areas of expertise. When choosing a partner, tread carefully. How expert and how experienced is your potential partner at what you need to do together? If you select a less expert partner, carefully think through the impact that choice may have on your work together. Enthusiasm can sometime trump experience - but learning curves typically cost time and money. Who will pay for that learning curve?

-Take one step at a time: A hard-learned lesson in taking on complex projects with partners is the need to phase them. Call it what you will, but an exploratory phase is a great way to test a project or a relationship. Phasing a project with a partner allows many check-points and permits you to more clearly see factors including the need for change in course, project expansion or retracting. It also allows you to see mission creep, a sometimes fatal blight for big projects. This doesn't mean you can't enter into a long-term partnership arrangement, just that you need frequent directional checks, most of which should be done as a team.

-Have some respect: When you pick the right partner and make the right arrangements, that partner will bring real expertise to the table and will become invested in working with you. Build mutual respect and always remember that "any job looks easy to the person who doesn't have to do it himself." You don't have to be blind or foolish - but be a good partner.

-Make the right arrangements: Good fences build good neighbors. Dual sinks in the master bathroom keep couples happier. (?) Solid contracts facilitate better business partnerships. Take the time to build a clear, mutually agreeable, beneficial contract.

-Win-win beats win-lose: At least in partnerships, win-win is best. Quash the impulse to triumph at the unfair expense of others. You'll enjoy stronger and longer partnering arrangements. You may sleep better at night, too.

 

The new face of face time

Do you need to have face-to-face time to do meaningful business?

The definitive answer is... sometimes.

Certainly not always. The demand for face-to-face meetings has not disappeared, but a number of factors have challenged the need for frequent in-person discussions. Among these...

• The economy: Always a handy scapegoat, the economy nonetheless has quashed some business travel during and since the recession that began in 2008.

• Time pressure: These days, staffing tends to be thinner, ongoing demands higher and competition fiercer. (And you spent how many days in airports?)

• Tech options: Web conferencing, mobile technology, social media, and email all bring immediacy and a certain amount of ease to non-traditional meetings.

• Global business: It is one thing to meet with the customer two towns or two hours away, another to travel to China or Brazil.

• Changing business culture: You have certainly heard the truism "People do business with people they like." This phrase should (and often does) begin with, "All things being equal". Because often all things are NOT equal. People also do business with the most highly skilled, the least expensive, the fastest, or the most technologically advanced person or company... even if they do not especially like them. This is especially true in today's fast-paced business culture. We don't always spend much time together, so the importance of "liking" may in some cases be reduced. And hence the demand for face time is reduced as well.

Genuine face time is still important. A smart executive makes the effort to build relationships and, when appropriate, to meet with the people with whom he or she will transact business. However, this same smart executive will find fresh ways to build business relationships using tools ranging from calls and emails to LinkedIn and business social media. He or she will build a reputation that can be tracked online, will strategically attend events and trade shows at which to hold several meetings during one trip and will keep in touch using faster, easier methods than physically "being there".

And, when all is said and done, it will at some point be time for that quarterly or annual face-to-face, so the executive will don comfortable slip-on shoes, charge up the tablet or laptop and head for the airport. We're only human, and once in a while, we need to sit down, play golf, enjoy a meal, or share an experience with our associates... in person. Even if they work on the other side of the planet.

 

B2B direct attack marketing - what if it happens to you?

In business-to-business (B2B), frontal assault marketing doesn't happen every day. Why not? Well, as the name implies, frontal assault is a military tactic, and in any military engagement, the initiator stands a good chance of suffering counter-attack, which can be damaging or even fatal.

At vSA, we're not military strategists, but we know a thing or two about B2B marketing. So when one of our clients is directly attacked, we're ready.

First, we know that, when a competitor lodges a direct attack on our client, it is in some way a compliment. Clearly, our client is "the one to watch out for." On the other hand, we must pause and determine whether the attacker has found (just to keep the military talk going) a chink in our client's armor. This is entirely possible. Likely, in fact. But it doesn't mean that the competitors' product or service is better overall - just that the competitor may have sunk its teeth into our client's weak spot.

Classic direct attack marketing example: Bill Bernbach (think: the real Don Draper!) and his famous Avis line, "We're number 2, so we try harder." It was honest - and it was an attack on Hertz  (number 1 and not trying so hard).

New examples: Recently, Microsoft has launched direct attack ads against Google Docs - and Google has held off on making a too-quick response. Apple, likewise, has been ridiculing "nerdy" PCs  for ages. Both Microsoft and Apple have taken a "ha ha, we're just making fun" approach to soften their blows.

Does direct attack marketing work? It can - but it's risky as well. A direct assault incites counter-attack, and in addition, direct attack marketing can be ugly and thus backfire.

Should you sit there and take it? Need you ask? If your company starts out as the attackee rather than the attacker, you must think fast and then act only when you have a strategy mapped out.

Must you respond directly to the accusations made? Depends on the credibility and visibility of the source and the content of their direct attack marketing. Typically, you do need to respond in your own way, unless the attack is so incredible and so unbelievable, in the literal sense, that it disarms itself. But don't take this for granted.

How should you respond? Never be a sore loser. Be funny, be wise, and/or be the adult in the room. Be very visible. Use lots of media – from trades to social media to trade shows to – you name it. And never let 'em see you sweat.

For how long should you respond? For as long as it takes.

What makes sense in terms of messaging? The truth. Your benefits. The reason for your approach - if it's a good one. Or, the reason you are changing now, if indeed change is needed. (Attackers are not always wrong.)

Be glad you're in B2B. While competitive, B2B is typically not as personally vicious as politics. We'll be seeing plenty of direct attack ads this year (in some states, you're seeing plenty of them already). If you Google "attack ads", it's the political ones that come up first. Is that because politicians have to act fast and take no prisoners? Or that no one ever taught them the saying, "If you live in a glass house..."? OR – sigh – because attack marketing can work? Anyway, John Geer's Attack Ad Hall of Fame is a great place to start a tour of cringe-worthy attack ads.

But let's get back to your company. Are you under attack? Do you need to become more aggressive? vSA would enjoy hearing from you. We're always ready for a rumble.

Cause marketing: Consider the merits

Today on the van Schouwen Associates Facebook page, we linked to a Harvard Business Review article by Tony Schwartz. We liked the article because it touched down at the intersection of business and personal... and thus touched a nerve. The article is Turning 60: The Twelve Most Important Lessons I've Learned So Far, and one of the lessons was "Add more value in the world than you're using up."

Which brings us to cause marketing. Cause marketing meets at the intersection of doing good business and, well... doing good.

Wikipedia describes cause marketing as " involving the cooperative efforts of a 'for profit' business and a non-profit organization for mutual benefit." You see cause marketing everywhere: think pink ribbons on nearly every product imaginable, to support breast cancer awareness. But many companies are involved in less prominent efforts as well.

At its best, cause marketing is a win-win. Cause marketing should benefit the philanthropic cause and the company.

It should be sincere and well-intentioned. Efforts to exploit a cause tend to become transparent and to backfire. Pink ribbons come to mind again – but this time, they are on a bucket of KFC, not exactly a food high on the breast cancer prevention list. Both company and non-profit cause need to commit to a mutually beneficial team effort, and to agree on what that means.

It should be relevant to the company's offerings and mission. vSA client Excel Dryer provides an excellent example, putting its muscle (and its energy efficient, resource-saving high-speed hand dryers) into causes that matter, including The Green Schoolhouse Series, which is building environmentally sustainable Green Schoolhouses at Title I, low-income public schools.

It should be a cause that the company's prospects, customers and stakeholders can appreciate, not resent. After all, this is marketing. Choosing to cause market for a hot-button issue? First think of the old adage "don't talk sex, politics or religion at the dinner table" and consider who's at your table, marketing-wise.

Cause marketing requires commitment. Are you ready for a serious marketing program? Just as you should not get a puppy unless you are prepared to love a dog... well, you get it. Prepare to be involved for a reasonable period of time and to commit appropriate resources to your cause marketing program.

Cause marketing has its proponents (it works! it benefits company and cause!) and its detractors (it's self serving!). Follow the guidelines above and plan your approach carefully, and you are likely to become an advocate.

 

 

Take the night off - and read about thinking

A book that nudges you into thinking in a whole different way... in this case, about thinking itself ... is a great way to get those synapses firing.

Treat yourself to an evening (or two) with Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman; the preceding link goes to a review I particularly liked, so I'm not going to attempt to improve on it here. A friend recommended Thinking, Fast and Slow via Facebook, saying it caused a "paradigm shift" in his own thinking. I am particularly taken by the concept of the systematic mistakes and non-logical thought processes to which most of us succumb. Just one example: Test subjects are more likely to opt for surgery if told that the “survival” rate is 90 percent, rather than that the mortality rate is 10 percent. Mind you, not all of us fall for this one – but as you read, I imagine you'll find yourself nodding ruefully at times!

Kahneman explores the strengths and (more important) the limitations of heuristics (experience-based techniques for problem solving) and reveals some of the limitations on our "System 1" or "nearly automatic" thinking. While it is imperative not to have to rethink everything from the ground up, it became apparent to me as I read that taking care not to over-assume and speed to resolution on problems might serve a purpose professionally and personally.

I'd enjoy hearing your take. Me? I'm questioning my snap assumptions... that is, when I remember to take the time to do so.