Your World Series2Win

On the first night of November (which did seem weird), the Houston Astros captured their first-ever baseball World Series Championship. Just four years ago they were the laughingstock of the baseball world and had lost over 100 games – a near record for futility.

How did this magical turnaround happen? How did the Astros end up beating the high-powered Los Angeles Dodgers and my poor brother’s favorite team for about 50 years now?

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It’s not a sports question, actually. It’s more of a thought-starter for everyone in commerce.

Talent4The Long Run

The Astros’ rise to the championship started a few years ago with a plan to acquire talent. In business, like sports, talent is the supreme commodity.

Because the Astros had played so poorly in the past, they got to pick the new players first. That happens a lot, but this Houston-based team picked really well by building a foundation that would be both competitive and affordable. Homegrown talent was the most efficient way to get from bad to really good. Later, when the time was right, they dug deep into their wallet and paid bigger money to get a few select veterans and traded a few extra pieces to get even more talent. This move took them from really good to great.

In other words, the Astros mixed training and recruiting to create a supremely talented team. It’s a good formula and one your organization can certainly adopt. Talent drives the best results.

Interestingly enough, on the morning after the Houston Astros won their championship, I noticed a headline in a Virginia magazine noting that unemployment in metro areas in our state is almost a non-issue. Pretty much everyone that wants to work is working, but that also means keeping your talent is harder than ever.

Do you have a plan to recruit, train, and retain your employees? It seems basic, but it’s a foundational element that is often overlooked by busy leaders. Take a moment – today – to evaluate your company’s situation and be mindful of the talent around you and how to get more of it on board.

Motivate2Produce

Money is a great motivator.

Generally we can all agree on that concept and, as the holidays and the end-of-year bonus season approaches, it’s worth noting that most everyone is motivated by mo’ money, mo’ money, mo’ money. (That’s a 90’s comedy sketch reference for those not as old as I am.)

As important as a generous compensation package may be, there are other ways to encourage success and drive the results you most want to see in your organization. I’m not saying this will only work in sales departments, but I can tell you my background is in that world and I absolutely saw a pattern.

The other day I passed a fellow business owner on Kirk Avenue in downtown Roanoke. He was carrying an old trophy he had picked up somewhere. It reminded me of “Flo”. Before the hugely successful Progressive Insurance campaign, Flo was the name of an old bowling trophy we gave to outstanding performers at WLAJ in Lansing, Michigan. Awarded once a week, Flo congratulated sellers with recognition and rewards, like rights to the prime parking space just outside the door of the TV station (a prize that was particularly valuable during Michigan’s winters – believe me).

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This type of acknowledgement continued in Toledo, Ohio when I discovered an Asian figurine in storage at WTVG. We had a name for that masterpiece as well and it came with a fortune cookie and other fun stuff. At WNWO, we used a fancy sports medal. It was always healthy competition – usually the team encouraged one another and acknowledged each other’s success; unifying, fun, and a great way to recap a busy week.

A Marketing Reminder4Us

Celebrate your successes – together. Whether you are in sales, production, healthcare, support, marketing, or some other department, it’s a common way to change a culture. People are motivated by money, yes, but they also like to have fun, enjoy friendly competition, and appreciate the recognition. Sharing the tasks and successes as a team is one of the most important things you can do to build it.

So, you see? Bowling trophies, figurines, fortune cookies, and parking spaces can prove invaluable.

B2C Enterprises is an award-winning advertising, marketing, and business development firm. If you’d like to talk about how we can help you motivate your team, or see some examples of our work, just call 540.904.1229.

We Need2Look Ahead

In the marketing world, we tend to be heavily focused on the next month, quarter, or year. A lot of business is like that – forecasting sales, production, and the sort. You’re wondering what you’re going to need, how your supplies will meet your demands, when you’ll see an increase in patient flow. Everything has to work together.

If you’re in leadership, you will generally find that you’re looking ahead even more often than others. Not only are you out in front thinking about that next campaign, budget, trend, or outlook, but you’re also expected to lead your group in the right direction.

Wherever you fall in your business’s lineup, it’s almost second nature to be thinking about the coming seasons and years. (And that’s all before you even attempt to do your “Five Year Strategic Plan”, right?)

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Joy4You in the Journey

The tendency is to be so focused on what’s coming that you can easily miss the opportunity to rest where you are – even momentarily – and appreciate what is happening around you at that particular time.

There’s a reason some wise soul encouraged a young marketing guy somewhere to “stop and smell the roses”.

Perspective is gained during those periods of reflection and reflection is really hard to gather when you’re racing off to the next quarter or year. If you’re like so many – you’re on the go too much. It feels like there is no time to pull over and take a big whiff. In all reality, there isn’t time. You have to make your pause a priority or you’ll never stop going.

Of course, we encourage you to also be forward-thinking and wise in the tool gathering and planning for your time away. While you’re at it, be sure to take a moment along the way to intentionally enjoy what you are doing and bask in the great things that are happening around you.

B2C Enterprises is an award-winning advertising, marketing, and business development firm. If you’d like to talk about how we can help you with your marketing, or see some examples of our work, just call 540.904.1229.

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A Rhyme4You

Sorry. I’m not going to produce this month’s B2Seed in poetry.

Like many of you, I grew up hearing nursery rhymes and, while I may not know why the itsy-bitsy spider crawled up the water spout, I can tell you one thing: Most anything that is universally familiar can become fodder for successful advertising.

Three or four years ago I had a client tell me they wanted something different than the normal, usual advertising so we tossed around a wide range of ideas and creative concepts as a team. One of the possibilities we liked a lot was involving stories familiar to most of us – tales like Goldilocks (“this _____ was just right”) or even Peter Piper. You get the idea. It seemed promising, but as we pulled it together it became obvious the concept was too far outside of that client’s comfort zone.

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Oh well.

We moved along to the next round of creative concepts and only rarely thought of how much fun that campaign would have been to produce. Until, that is, I saw Geico Insurance using a similar approach in one of their far-out television commercials. They caught the attention of their audience with the first lines of childhood favorites, like Humpty Dumpty and Little Miss Muppet, and then changed the endings to convey the importance of having homeowners and renters insurance. Brilliant.

The Connection2You

People love to toss around the “out of the box” terminology, but frequently don’t want the discomfort that comes with implementing or executing that way-out-thereconcept. And that doesn’t just apply to advertising or marketing. It is a common challenge with all kinds of business solutions. People think they want something new or different – until they are exposed to the new or different idea and see the risk associated with it.

To go forward you may just have to embrace something as crazy as a fable or a nursery rhyme. Just ask Geico.

B2C Enterprises is an award-winning advertising, marketing, and business development firm. If you’d like to talk about how we can help you with your marketing, or see some examples of our work, just call 540.904.1229.

Driven2Distraction

There’s nothing like a county fair to distract the average teenager. Besides the bright colors, neon lights, rides, games, and girls (or boys), there is the food and drink. So much to capture one’s attention and, when you’re 15, it’s obvious you have limited amounts of attention to pay.

Earlier this month I picked up my son and his friend from the nearby event. Almost immediately I heard one of them say, “I’m hungry.” Naturally, I wondered why since I had sent them off with some money earlier in the evening. My young friend quickly shared his tale. “I was distracted by the Strawberry-Lemonade.” If you haven’t been to a fair lately, that’s $5 right there. The refill was shortly after and it was another $4 bucks or so. Later on he was tempted by the Watermelon-Lemonade and maybe one game and there you have it. No money left for dinner.

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As I was practicing my short-order cooking skills at midnight – I reflected.

A Marketing Reminder4Us

Have you determined the core drivers in your marketing plan? Most of you have or, if pressed, could likely list them. Yet, I’m guessing that newest gadget, social media channel, or fad is distracting you from improving your core strengths. Facebook is a prime example.

For some businesses it is critical, for others I see an awful lot of energy put into a platform that tamps down your ability to communicate with your fans and followers. It’s a fun place and certainly business is done there (especially for some categories), but it’s a time suck for many humans and equally so for a lot of businesses.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t spend time there, I’m suggesting you make sure your marketing pillars are steady and in place first. Then give some attention to those neon lights and order your Strawberry-Lemonade refreshment.

Engagement2Break

While waiting for my son’s video game console to be fixed at our local GameStop, I overheard a conversation nearby. The sales clerk was speaking with the next person in his line and, instead of asking the all too familiar question “Did you find everything okay today?”, he had a different approach.

“Is there a game you’re looking forward to getting?” he asked.

Great question.

My son’s PS4 was in bad shape, so I was able to listen as he asked three different customers the same question. Interestingly enough, two of the three gave him very specific answers. One ended up taking action by signing up to pre-order their highly-anticipated game. All three seemed to appreciate the thought behind the employee’s question and replied in some sort of significant way.

Success – he had broken the retail pattern.

Interruptions4Good

There are patterns in every part of commerce. It’s easier to be robotically repetitive and as businesspeople, shoppers, or office workers, we tend to continue doing what we’re most comfortable with. If you’re going to do the same thing every time, though, you may as well see if your pattern makes sense and is helpful to your goals.

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This GameStop sales clerk’s pattern worked. Sales increased, sure. But, more than that, he was also having much more interesting conversations with his prospects and creating a positive energy. That’s powerful stuff.

I was still hanging around (told you that PS4 was in bad shape) when there was a break in his line. I mentioned what a good approach he had and how effective it seemed to be. The clerk quickly pointed to his manager and said “It’s all him.” The whole staff had trained and practiced engaging with customers using these open-ended questions. The clerk told me he was still learning, but it was clear he had figured out a few things already.

Perhaps we could learn a little by taking a closer look at our patterns.

Is there anything you’re looking forward to learning about these days?