Personality

There’s an old adage that in order to win business, you have to "match" your client.

Dress like them, talk like them...... think like them.

I disagree.

Clients don’t expect to spend their day feeling like they’re looking in a mirror.

They want you to be like yourself.

No client expects you to know everything about their business.

They need you to know about your business

They’re coming to you for some fresh thinking.

A new perspective.

Rather than “How much are they like me?”

They’re thinking “How much do I like them?”

So it’s great that the board of Jack Morton has such a cheeky, quick-witted sense of humour.

They’re great fun to be around.

That kind of behaviour is contagious.

It makes clients want to work with us.

And it gives everyone in the business the freedom to be themselves.

Let’s Give Them Something To Talk About

I’ve said before how much I enjoy talking about Jack Morton.
It’s so easy to tell stories of the great clients and the talented people who deliver campaigns for them.
But at the back end of last year I started to find it a bit of struggle.
Maybe it was the world economy
Maybe it was me
It felt like I was repeating myself a lot
A lot.
I've just realised.
(I've been busy OK!)
That's not so this year.
The projects are fascinating.
The clients are engaged.
The teams are inspired.
Best of all, we have a differentiated position that helps us stand out from the crowd.
It all makes the life of a storyteller that much easier.
And we all lived happily ever after.

The Big Man On Campus

It’s a while since I’ve mentioned our MD Julian Pullan.

So this one’s for him.

Well, it’s about him anyway.

Last week he and I went to a meeting with a new client.

Ordinarily, taking your MD to a meeting can sometimes feel a bit like ‘Bring Your Boss To Work Day’.

Stick them in a corner, keep them amused and hope they don’t get into mischief.

Thankfully, Julian’s not that kind of a boss.

Most importantly, he never feels the need to point out that he IS the boss.

He’s just one of the team.

He rolls up his sleeves.

He gets involved.

And he listens.

He’s also happy to defer to the most junior person in the room, if they have a great idea.

Leadership should be based on actions, not ego.

Unfortunately, I doubt too many people can say the same thing about their leader.

Don't Be Afraid To Let Go

Attachments are easy to make.
We all hold onto things far longer than we need to.
It's comforting to be surrounded by the familiar.
Sir Walter Raleigh's widow kept his decapitated head with her in a velvet bag for almost 30 years.
OK, so that's an extreme example, but there’s a point.
Let me ask you a question - how long have you been in your current job?
A year, two, three, five?
Assuming it's a good couple of years, when did you last look at anything that's gathering dust on your desk?
Probably not since you put it there.
Say it with me

"It's just junk. I don't need it. It's not the source of my powers."
Then clear your desk (and your mind) of all that clutter.
Do it now
Thank me later.

A Day To Remember

Today I'm saying farewell to Paul Travers.
Always full of life and now, sadly, full of death.
A friend and confidante for quarter of a century.
I mourn his passing, but celebrate his memory.

I’ve Built It... So Where Is Everybody?

Who doesn’t love ‘Field of Dreams’?

There’s no better feelgood movie for a wet Sunday afternoon.

Even if you haven’t seen it, I bet you still feel like you know it.

Because of that one line “If you build it, they will come.”

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard someone say that.

The problem is, some people believe it really is that easy to create interest.

Yesterday, Paul Barrett from County Durham was prosecuted for bidding against himself on eBay to drive up the price of items he was selling.

It’s called ‘shill bidding’ and it creates a false sense of how popular an item is.

Admittedly, trying to raise interest by fudging the facts is nothing new.

But it’s as ineffective now as it ever was.

Enthusiasm and excitement can’t be engineered.

Popularity doesn’t come about by telling people that you’re popular.

Focus on getting the right idea to the right audience, and you won’t go far wrong.