It’s All In Your Head

Charles VI of France, known to his friends as Charles the Mad, suffered from the bizarre delusion that he was made of glass.
So strong was his conviction that he even had iron bars sewn into his clothing, believing that this would prevent him from shattering if he was to fall.
Although he made these efforts to remedy his situation, and probably slowed himself down no end, the problem never went away because it was all in his head.
It’s so easy to confuse what’s going on in our head with reality; we do it all the time.
“I shouldn’t phone them, I’d just be disturbing them.”
“I can’t ask her out, she wouldn’t be interested.”
“I know I’m entitled to that discount, but I bet they won’t give it to me.”
So fearing the worst, we fail to do the things we should.
It doesn’t matter how in-depth these internal dialogues are, they’ll always remain internal.
If you really want to know what’s going on, you have to be prepared to make the first move.
You’d be amazed at the results if you just get out of your own way.

You Can't Handle The Truth

As Col. Nathan R. Jessup in A Few Good Men Jack Nicholson delivered one of the most memorable movie lines ever and perpetuated one of the biggest untruths (here)
That somewhere there are people who can’t handle the truth.
Your cheque’s in the post. I’ll be in touch. It happens to everyone. We’ve all heard those clichéd untruths used to spare other people’s feelings. And clients are no different – that was a great meeting, we loved your idea, we’ll call at the end of the week.
We’re grownups though.
And contrary to Colonel Jessup’s thinking, we can actually handle the truth.
In fact, it’s tremendously disempowering to protect people from the facts they need.
In most situations, as soon as the truth’s out there, people just deal with it.
So please to all of you clients out there, we’d rather hear it than be strung along in the false hope that something good will come of it.
Not all our solutions are going to be right, our mix of people may not fit, and that’s OK we know that we’re not always successful.
The point is we want to be the best and try win every pitch so much better that we get the news early, learn and move on.
We can handle it!

Time To Move On.

“I think we need to talk.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.
I think we’ve reached a point where we both want different things.
In the beginning it was so easy, but I just don’t feel the same way I did.
Don’t feel bad, you’ve done nothing wrong, we’ve just grown apart.
Look, it’s not you, it’s me.
If I’m honest, I’ve found someone else.
They understand me, they make me feel special, and I really think it could work.
We’ve had a great run for the last few years, but I think we both need a fresh start.
But let’s stay friends and keep in touch.
Maybe somewhere down the road, who knows?”
It happens to all of us, in life and at work.
Don’t lose heart though go win a new client.

The Only Bad Decision

Have you ever driven home, only to arrive and realise that you don’t recall anything about the journey?
It’s because our lives are filled with routines that we can accomplish as if we’re on autopilot.
Only when we have to make decisions do we really wake out of this stupor.
Unfortunately though, making decisions is much more challenging than simply going with the flow.
In 1973 Walter Kaufmann, professor at Princeton University, identified a condition known as decidophobia – the fear of making decisions.
He recognised the fact that, although decisions usually lie at the heart of whatever makes us successful, they can also be difficult, perplexing and nerve-wracking.
Our fear isn’t so much about making a decision as it is about making the wrong one.
The way I see it, the only truly bad decision is no decision at all.
As long as you’re moving forward, you can figure out changes to your plan along the way.
The pressure’s on so be sure to make a decision and get yourself up and running.
As Eleanor Roosevelt said, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."

Another Year Older?

Ponder on this for a second.
Nobody gets a year older on their birthday.
You’re only ever a day older than you were yesterday.
Small incremental changes that affect our lives are happening all the time
When something goes wrong, there’s no flash of lightning or crash of the cymbals.
Mistakes are made one teeny tiny step at a time.
Chaos theory starts with a butterfly flapping its wings on the other side of the world and ends with losing a pitch because you didn’t sweat the detail, time after time. .
So keep your eyes open for all the little things.

Stanislavski’s Method

Constantin Stanislavski is widely believed to be the founding father of realistic acting.
His system, known widely as ‘method acting’, has influenced the work of legendary performers such as Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino.
The key to Stanslavski’s System was to encourage actors to ‘live the part’ – tapping into their own experiences to elevate the believability of their performances.
At Jack Morton we often receive briefs that ask us to ‘create a great experience’, but that passion for experiences seldom figures in the brief itself.
So it was a genuine honour to be invited by the British Army to tour the barracks as part of the briefing process.
We, and the other agencies being briefed, got to meet officers and enlisted men. We saw where they lived and trained, we heard their combat stories, and we got a real feel for life in the military.
This kind of first-hand experience is invaluable when taking a brief.
We need to visit the factory, the shop floor, the sales desk, meet the people in front and behind the scenes.
Even use the products.
Can’t wait for the Rolls Royce pitch to come in!
See, there’s always method to my madness.

An Open And Shut Case

Alec Baldwin’s explosive rant in Glengarry Glen Ross (here) is responsible for many people’s misperceptions of salespeople.
Not least the salespeople themselves.
Say “A.B.C.” to a sales professional and chances are, they’ll chant “Always be closing” back at you. It’s become something of a sales legend now, that all energy should be focused on closing that deal.
I have a real problem with this language.
Why is a sale something to be dealt with, closed, shut down, finished.
I suppose it’s fine if you want to make a quick buck and move on, but our world is a little more complicated than that.
As I’ve said before, sales are all about relationships. They’re ongoing, long-lasting and, if they’re going to work, require regular nurturing.
This article from Marketing Wizdom (here) talks about persistence in closing the sale, and I can’t disagree with the thinking, at least in terms of tenacity and commitment.
Yes we know during the sales process you have to make a move and ask for the business but let’s try something radical.
Lets’ start seeing sales as something you open rather than close.
Because that’s the best route into a long-term relationship.

Says Who?

Paul Daniels knew what he was talking about. “You’re gonna like this... not a lot!”
He knew how to manage expectations, by selling in an idea, with a caveat that his fondness for it was in no way a guarantee of approval.
So why then, do we insist on going out there and telling prospective clients “We’ve got a great idea for you” when we present?
If they’re in any way hostile, annoyed or bored, their first response is likely to be “I’ll be the judge of that” or “prove it!”
Great ideas should sell themselves, we don’t need to tell our audience what to think or feel about them.
The moment we try, we invite them to find a reason to dislike it.
If we love what we’ve created, it should come across in the way we tell the story.
Now, for my next trick...

Evolution – Try It

When people speak out against the theory of evolution, it’s because they argue that the world is too remarkable and perfect to have been created by chance.
But that’s to miss the point of how evolution works.
Evolution isn’t simply a natural consequence of being around for a long time, you don’t evolve just by being there.
It’s a genetic lottery.
Changes occur by accident and nature determines that it’s a good thing.
The newly evolved species forges ahead, and its ancestors simply have to adapt to the changed world.
The business world is no different.
Our world changes almost daily, and there are all kinds of opportunities to take a genetic step forward.
When you find something that works, repeat it.
Leave the rest of them dragging their knuckles.

People, Who Need People...

One of my colleagues here at Jack Morton, Gareth, attended a retirement party recently for a client of his former agency, and was happy to see all his “old” clients.
During the course of the evening Gareth was surprised to learn that he was still the subject of many a conversation, despite two and a half years having elapsed since they last spoke.
This is a real demonstration of one of perhaps the best known of all sales truisms.
People buy people first.
Yes clients buy our work, our creativity or our bespoke costing and control systems.
But they buy us.
The people in the room, the chats over coffee and reassuring voice at the end of the phone line.
It’s great when a client connects with you through Linked-In, and Facebook , but it’s a hundred times more valuable to know them in the real world..

What’s My Motivation?

Richard Denny ,who I’ve known personally for over 25 years, is one of the UK's leading voices on sales, management and personal development training.
One of my favourite of Richard’s exercises is around motivation and uses a mobile phone.
Speaking to a crowded room of assorted management types, he asks who could sell 200 phones, if he was to offer them £2 for every one they sold.
Time and time again, only a couple of people raise their hand
(They’re usually the ones representing the sales department)
So he tries a different approach.
This time, he asks who can sell 200 phones if he was to offer them say ..a £5,000 bonus for selling the lot?
Every hand in the room shoots in the air.
So what’s the difference?
Motivation.
The first time you everyone worries about the task at hand; “I’m sure I could sell one to my mother, Uncle Jim will have one, Nigel at the golf club, maybe Mary in the canteen”
The second time you don’t have those internal conversation, those barriers are removed, all you think is “That’s worth having I can make that happen”
There’s a point where each of us re-evaluates our capabilities and realises that we’re capable of more than we realised.
If you can figure out what your motivation is, you’ll find it that much easier to surpass expectations.

aWARds... what are they good for

Absolutely nothing?
(My thanks to Edwin Starr)
Not quite, but it’s easy to overestimate their importance.
So here is something to think about
Think about the judging process for most awards programmes. The words consensus and committee pop up far too often to suggest that the truly innovative, daring or different will stand much of a chance.
If you’re basing judgement on consensus, you can rest assured that the victorious idea will be good but not great. It probably won’t challenge, shock or surprise.
I’m reminded of a story of how BBH used to manage the Levi’s account.
Every ad concept was rigorously tested, and the ideas that researched the "worst" were the ones that would run.
‘Safe’ and ‘familiar’ never changed the world.
It’s much better to be a leader than a follower
Say it again you all!

It’s A Small World After All

Greetings from ridiculously hot Dubai, where the hotels are so luxuriously appointed that they had to invent a new star system for rating them.
I’m here for a pitch and had a great meeting yesterday with some really engaged and interesting potential clients.
At one point, one of them asked me what I knew about the Middle East.
Now, I like those kinds of questions, because an honest answer is usually the right one.
I told them that I’d worked all over the world, in Japan, Turkey and Russia, Hong Kong (and Dubai) to name just a few. And sure, there are cultural nuances and political considerations to be aware of. But we all laugh and cry at roughly the same things, we generally all work hard and love our children.
We all have a need to connect and share with the world around us.
As my colleague Adrian said, “People make the world smaller, not bigger.”
Every time we create a new experience, whether it’s real or virtual, we’re doing our bit to make the world that little bit smaller.

Speaking of virtual experiences, if you’d like to know more, check out the latest Jack Morton white paper on the subject here

Everybody Pitches

A friend of mine (yes George it’s you) has bravely decided to remodel his entire flat, and told me that he invited three different builders to tender for the project.
Rather than simply turning up to give a quote for the work, each of the would-be contractors gave a full pitch presentation.
The contractor who gave the best presentation did end up winning the job.
The amazing thing was it wasn’t just the presentation that won it for him, he was also the one who bothered to follow-up his pitch and ask for feedback, kept in touch, suggested new materials and a cost saving.
In short he made it clear that he was passionate about the job.
I think it’s always educational for those of us in agency roles to experience a pitch from the other side of the table.
It gives you an insight into what makes a great presentation, and also shows you firsthand what it takes to win.
Remember though the presentation itself is only part of the process, don’t be afraid to follow up and do make it clear that you really want to do the work.
You’ve invested huge amounts of time and effort in the opportunity, don’t waste it by forgetting to ask for the business.

Everybody’s Equal

The equals sign was invented by Welsh physician and mathematician Robert Recorde.
He created it because he found writing ‘is equal to ’ somewhat tedious, and chose two parallel lines because “noe 2 thynges can be moare equalle”
(he may have been a great mathematician, but not a great speller).
The notion of parallel lines and equality can be applied to business partnerships – like attracts like. So a brave client will get the brave agency it deserves, and vice versa.
I’ve talked a lot about the similarities between clients and agencies, and the need to reflect shared traits and characteristics.
But like any relationship, it takes effort on both sides to make it work.
Find the qualities you have in common, and work on the ones you don’t.
Oh, and unlike parallel lines, make sure you meet often

Who’s Laughing Now?

This video has been doing the rounds recently, and has unsurprisingly proved a big hit in the agency world. (Video here)
Sure it’s funny and well-observed, but I also find it a little one sided.
Of course there are businesses and individuals out there who act like this, but sketches like this tend to perpetuate an unhealthy culture of ‘us and them’.
Anyone who works in a service role will undoubtedly have moments when a client does something frustrating or nonsensical.
But in a relationship you need to focus on the good things, rather than fixating on the short-comings. Besides which, we’ll be laughing on the other side of our face when the inevitable follow-up video emerges depicting the agency world’s foibles from the clients perspective.
And believe me, there’s a world of great material out there.

Let It Go

There’s an ancient Chinese Zen story about two monks travelling in silence.
After several days they arrive at a broken bridge, there they find a partially clothed woman unable to cross the river.
Despite their vows the older monk picks the woman up and carries her across the water.
The younger monk was unhappy with this, but kept silent. At the far side of the river, the monks parted ways with the woman and walked on.
After a few more days travelling in silence the young monk can bear it no more, and cannot keep his silence any longer and accused his companion of hypocrisy and double standards.
The old monk replies calmly. “Brother I put her down days ago, why are you still carrying her?”
We all encounter challenges and turmoil in our daily lives.
And we have two choices – we either put them down and move on, or carry them indefinitely.
My advice?
Lose the baggage, travel light and enjoy the journey

Good Better Best

Listening to the end of season football (soccer) manager interviews the other day I was really struck by one manager’s strategy.
For those of a non-footballing persuasion a quick context setting.
At the end of each season it’s a case of three up and three down – the three best teams in the Championship are promoted, whilst the three worst performers in the Premier League face relegation.
Obviously, everyone wants to be in the Premier League for their cut of the broadcasting rights, and the increased ticket revenue.
That way, they’ve got more capital for investing in new players to keep their performance up to scratch.
Needless to say, the pressure’s on, especially when it comes to be a newly promoted club and facing the enormity of playing Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.
So I was interested to hear about one of the clubs that developed a clever strategy for maintaining their premier position.
They looked at the fixtures and predicted how they thought they’d perform.
Then, they focused on converting losses into draws, and draws into wins.
By breaking down a seemingly enormous challenge into small incremental tasks, they transformed a mountain into a series of molehills.
In the Eddie Murphy movie Holy Man, Jeff Goldblum’s character Ricky Roberts convinces himself he’s good enough by chanting about ‘turning bad into good and better into best’.
Don’t blind yourself with the enormity of the task, break it down and tackle it one manageable piece at a time.

Happy Birthday To ...Everyone

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are a lot of birthdays happening at the moment.
Thankfully though, they’re not the kind that involves spending ages in Hallmark trying to find a card that doesn’t turn your stomach.
Call it the Credit Crunch factor, but after seeing so many notable high street names go under, the brands that have endured are calling consumers’ attention to how long they’ve been around. Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Persil, Lucozade and Selfridges have all celebrated very high profile birthday/anniversaries, giving them the perfect opportunity to talk about their heritage and demonstate how they’ve weathered the storms of modern life.
On the one hand, I think it’s great that we’ve got so many strong, confident and vibrant brands out there.
Jack Morton has been around since 1939 and we know that there is no time for complacency whilst revelling in history.
I know our resilience is thanks to a willingness to look to the future and adapt accordingly.
If those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it, those who fixate on it are in danger of becoming extinct.

Stick And Stones

I’m happy to say that Jack Morton is one of the most tightly-knit businesses I’ve ever worked in. The level of comfort and trust between people is something to behold, and it’s the main reason we’re so good at retaining talent.
We are not alone there, but the downside of any business with a strong culture and a well-connected team can feel a little exclusive to new starters.
We can go out of our way to make them feel welcome – show them around and introduce them to everyone – but what happens after the initial introductions have been made?
We all need a sense of place for us to feel like we fit in.
And it doesn’t matter how old we are, those first few days in the playground can be pretty tough.
So just remember to be nice to the new kids.

Charmed, I’m Sure...

Here’s one for the Trivial Pursuit players.
Did you know that the word polite comes from the jewellery trade?
It’s only once gem stones have been cut and polished to perfection that they can be described as ‘polite’.
I found this interesting because, it puts the onus of ‘politeness’ on the transmitter, rather than the recipient.
Of course, politeness is a social lubricant, but it’s also a chance to smooth off the edges and be the best you can be.
To be polite is to demonstrate your capabilities and competencies in the best possible light.
When someone’s appraising you, you want to be sure that they see all the shine and not flaws.
To paraphrase an old saying, politeness costs nothing (but it’s worth a fortune).

Who's The Boss?

Jason Dawn is an old colleague of mine who now runs a successful coaching business called Expand.
One of his favourite phrases is ‘We are all the chief executives of our own desk’
It’s a simple but powerful thought.
The principles of great leadership don’t have to be limited to people in positions of seniority. It’s easy to observe best practice behaviours and emulate them in the way we work.
Look at the leaders in your business and see how they stay connected, take responsibility and keep other people in the loop.
We’re can all be leaders, even if the seniority we enjoy is limited to our own immediate vicinity.

Say My Name, Say My Name

Unless you’re a child, and your Mum is invoking your middle name (which can only mean a telling off), everyone loves to hear their own name being used.
It’s the human condition we all want to be loved and belong.
Our clients are no different.
They are proud of the companies they work for and want to hear their brand name and see their logos used on agency proposals.
It’s a simply way of showing that we’re thinking about them and that we love their brand.
The more we do it, the more they realise that we care and there’s no-one else in our lives.
We don’t have to wait to be appointed to start speaking confidently about our relationship.
When we write proposals, let’s talk about ‘working with you’ rather than ‘working with our clients.’ And if we use ‘we’, let’s be clear that we’re including them in that.
Let’s start acting like we’re already one team.