Getting To Grips

And so begins week two in my new office. Already I've got a diary full of meetings to look forward to. After a few weeks of peace and quiet, it's nice to feel like I'm back where I belong. Somewhere busy. Always moving. I've spent the last few days learning the basics. Where things are and where they belong. Anything new and different can always be a bit of a trial. So imagine how your clients must feel. When pitch time rolls around and they have to think about appointing a new agency. Scary, right? All the archives of knowledge are gone in an instant. The relationships. The friendly voice who always used to be there to solve your problems. I realise now just what a daunting prospect that must be. So, think about that next time you're pitching. What are you going to do to help them feel more at home? Make the transition a little easier for them?

Apple For The Teacher

It's that time of year again when exams are looming on the horizon.
Not for me - I'm a little past all that.
But it's my kids.
One's doing GCSEs, the other is at AS Level.
I've been doing my best to motivate and inspire them.
OK, nagging them.
For the last couple of years I've been saying:
"You pass your exams in the class room, you turn up to collect your grades at the examination."
The same rules apply to us in the business world.
You win the pitch in the run-up, when you're doing the hard work.
By the time you're ready to present, you're turning up to collect your prize.
So if you rock up expecting to pull a rabbit out of the hat on the day, you're going to fail.
And this is one that you don't get to re-sit.

Pastures New

You've probably noticed from my changing profile and new email address that I'm embarking on a new phase in my career.
I've left Jack Morton and am joining George P Johnson.
But it would be remiss of me to move on without paying tribute to the incredible people at JMW.
Talented, knowledgable and incredible.
All of them.
I wrote a couple of years ago on this very blog that every internal meeting is full of people who make me want to raise my own game.
Although I'm an expert in many things, I learned something every day in the last four years.
As a result, I've loved every minute.
Even the not so good bits.
Of course, I'm hungry for the road ahead.
But I know I'll never forget the people and places I leave behind.
Thanks guys, for everything.

Standing Out

Yeah, yeah, I know.
A bit of time off work and I get sucked into a vortex of trash TV.
But learning is every where.
For instance, I've been enjoying Paddy McGuinness on Take Me Out for the last three weeks.
If anyone asks, I just tell them that the kids like it.
But watching it, week in week out, I noticed a distinct pattern emerging.
Let me bring you up to speed, just in case you have better things to do on a Saturday evening.
The show features 30 girls who stand behind an illuminated plinth.
A single guy enters the arena, and over the next three rounds, the girls switch off their lights if they're not interested in him.
As the host says, "No likey, no lighty".
It's highbrow stuff.
So, here's my point.
Once the girls have played, it's the boys' turn.
He gets to choose from any of the ladies with their lights still on.
During the previous part of the show, Paddy has picked a few girls at random for a bit of chat and banter.
Funnily enough, when the guy makes his final selection, it's always one of the people Paddy has already spoken to.
It just goes to show, even when you're faced with an army of competition, there's a way to stand out. Make sure that, when crunch time comes, you get picked.
And sometimes, it has nothing to do with the way you play the game.
So what are you gonna do to make sure the decision maker remembers you?

With Friends Like These...

Sometime around 400 BC, Chinese general Sun-tzu gave a piece of advice that people still repeat today.
He said “Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.”
Well, what do you expect from a military strategist - a group hug?
Time and time again, people trot out the same old epithet, assuming that it’s good advice.
As the saying goes, a billion Chinese people can’t be wrong.
But I think it’s a load of old dim sum.
The modern version?
Keep your friends close, and your good friends even closer.
OK, so it’s a little touchy-feely.
But in our hyper-connected world, we thrive on relationships and connections.
And we need to cherish them.
The closer the better.
Oh, and if you worry about what to do with your enemies, don’t.
If you have any enemies at all, you’re already doing something wrong.

The Vanessa Show Has Moved To The Afternoon

When you spend time at home, these things become important.
So anyway, I was watching the show the other day.
Mostly because Vanessa's co-host Ben is a old friend of mine.
Anywho, Shirley, from Pepsi and Shirley, was a guest (try Wikipedia).
She was on the show to plug their new comeback tour.
Listening to her talking about her time out of the spotlight,
I realised just how cyclical our world is.
The saying "what goes around, comes around" isn't just a threat.
It's a guarantee.
Everything revolves regularly.
We're just rotisserie chickens in the oven of life.
Take the 'modern' phenomenon of social media, for example.
The concept is nothing new.
We used to socialise based on geography.
Within our region, we still connected to a group with whom we had things in common.
We still seek out people who share the same interests.
It's just a bigger playing field.
Bog snorkelling. Spelunking. Judy Garland.
There are thousands of other people out there who feel the same.
We all want to belong.
That's why experience marketing is key to growing brands.
Unpacking the detail to give consumers something they can get involved in.
That's how you create a sense of belonging.
So I guess I'll be seeing you on the front row at Pepsi and Shirley then?

Don't Be What They Want You To Be

One of my friends has a great way of calming down the control freaks in his business.
When he feels the pressure building, he sends people an email.
He explains the situation and tells them to be a little less "pendantic".
Guess what - they all write back and correct his spelling.
His reply?
"Thanks for making my point."
Wry smiles all round, and tension diffused.
When he told me about this, I wondered what it meant.
We all like to think of ourselves and independent creatures.
Capable of surprises at every turn.
And then someone sets a trap that we walk right into.
Because they've had the chance to observe how we behave.
The kind of traits that are hard to leave behind.
They know that we'll be difficult.
They know we'll be a pushover.
They know we'll spend most of our time complaining.
They know we'll sit on the fence.
They know we'll make a weak joke (OK, that one's me).
So it's up to us to get out of the river that we've made for ourselves.
The theory of consequential action posits that if we change one thing, everything else will follow.
Change the news feeds you read.
Change your breakfast cereal.
Break from the old routine.
Change it up.
Mix it up.
You won't believe the difference it makes.
Funny
I knew you'd say that.