Whose Team Are You On?

This is the story of two marketers.

Suzy Marketer was the co-founder and marketing consultant of Suzy Marketing Services, L.L.P. A hard worker, go-getter, and experienced marketer, Suzy managed the accounts of several prestigious clients, and earned a respectable income for herself in the process.

Sally Marketer was the co-founder and marketing consultant of Sally Marketing Services, L.L.P. An equally hard worker, go-getter, and experienced marketer, Sally also managed the accounts of several prestigious clients, and earned a respectable income for herself in the process.

But Suzy's and Sally's marketing services were as different as different could be.

Suzy approached her work as an outside consultant. She saw herself as a service provider hired by clients who were utterly unable to market themselves on their own. Her clients hired her to analyze their company, their business model, their products, and their market niche, to tell them how to market themselves, and to execute their marketing for them. The prestige of the clients who hired her was proof that Suzy did her job expertly.

When Suzy landed a new client, she would spend days researching them: poring over their website, their search results on Google, their Facebook presence, and the chatter about them on Twitter; examining their products, testing their services, and analyzing their annual reports. Then she would spend a day interviewing their marketing team and execs to conduct analyses of the brand, their market position, and their goals.

Back at her office, Suzy would develop key messages and a marketing strategy, then hold a brief meeting with the client to present her plan and to convince the client that her plan was best. Once everyone was in agreement with the plan, Suzy would return to her office, and put her team to work at executing the marketing plan. She would call, email, and occasionally visit her client's employees when she needed information, payment, or approval for the next marketing tactic.

Sally, on the other hand, approached her work as a teammate of her client. She knew that her clients were experts on their brand, their industry, and their market, but hired an outside marketing consultant so that they could focus their resources on making great products and serving customers well. She knew that her clients trusted her to learn from them, to adopt their culture, and to partner with them in serving their customers.

When Sally landed a new client, she would spend a day researching the brand online, among customers, and in stores. Then she would spend several days with the client, visiting headquarters, touring the plant, observing their work processes, meeting with each department, building relationships, browsing their corporate history, and absorbing all that the execs, marketing team, and other employees said about their mission, values, goals, culture, brand, products, customers, and previous marketing strategy.

Back at her office, Sally would do more research to see if customers' views of the brand matched the client's view of their brand. Where they didn't, Sally brainstormed ways that her client could serve customers better and communicate with them better. After drafting key messages and marketing strategy based on what she had learned from her client and their customers, she met with the client to adjust her plan. When Sally and the client agreed on a plan that best fit the client and their customers, she and the client planned how to work together to achieve those marketing goals. When she returned to her office, Sally worked in constant communication with her new teammates at the client's headquarters to ensure that her efforts were coordinated with theirs.

Both Suzy and Sally were experts at marketing. Both could analyze, strategize, and actualize marketing communications flawlessly. And both had prestigious clients and generous paychecks to show it.

But somehow Sally's clients always ended up with deeper customer loyalty and a more favorable brand image; Suzy's didn't. Somehow Sally's clients always felt like Sally understood them, like she was part of the gang; Suzy's didn't. Somehow Sally always enjoyed her time with her clients; Suzy, didn't. Somehow Sally managed to maintain long-lasting relationships with a handful of valued clients; Suzy's list of clients was constantly changing.

Sally was part of her clients' team; her view was, "we're all working together."

Suzy was part of her own team; her view was, "I'm working with them."

Whose team are you on? Your customers'? Your clients'? Your company's? Or your own?

"If I Ran the Office" - a story in rhyme

"I love my new job," the new graduate said.
"And not just because it is keeping me fed.
I love it because of the things that I do,
Like design ads, write copy, and have meetings, too.

And the people I work with are simply quite grand.
They like to include me in things they have planned.
They're nice to each other, and nice to me, too.
I think that, together, we're quite a great crew!

Unlimited coffee is another great thing
We have in supply while we are working.
I didn't drink it so much before, but, you see,
The coffee we have in our office is free!
And getting more coffee is an excuse I have found
For leaving my desk some, and walking around.

Yes, I love my new job," the young graduate said,
"but every day after work, I am ready for bed.
I think the caffeine crash is zapping my powers,
Or maybe it's the staring at a computer for hours.

Whatever the reason, the caffeine or screen,
The tiredness I feel after five is obscene.
But I've noticed a few little things I would change,
If I ran the office, to make me not feel so strange.

For one, I would insert a full beverage bar
Right next to the coffee; that's not going too far.
With waters, and juices, and nice decaf tea -
Things that won't start a great big caffeine spree.

And instead of just chocolates on each desk in a dish,
Some healthier snacks are some things that I'd wish.
Popcorn, and pretzels, and yummy trail mix,
Dried fruits and Fig Newtons might be just the tricks.

And for a break from the screen, to give one's eyes a rest,
A modest solarium, I think, would be best.
With benches and trees and green, leafy plants,
Closed in from the rain and the wind and the ants.

And to refresh at the times when the work can be draining,
Employees should have something that's quite entertaining.
But it ought to be something that requires some thinking,
Not mindless tv that makes brain cells start shrinking.

There ought to be rooms full of creative fun,
A place you can go when your mind feels undone.
One room full of Legos, for the construction geek;
Folks can work on a sculpture - a new one each week.
One room should be filled with play-dough and paint
So the staff can be artists when they're feeling faint.

And a room full of exercise balls would be neat,
For folks to use them - and not chairs - for their seats.
They could sit there and balance and bounce while they talk;
It's almost as healthy as taking a walk.

And whiteboards with markers would be great fun for all;
That's something to hang on the walls of each hall.
On the whiteboards, co-workers could generate fame
For their riddles, jokes, puzzles, and collaborative games.

Artistic folks, at the bit, would be gnawing
To use the whiteboards to do some quick drawing.
Others could scribble some words in thought bubbles,
Giving speech to cartoons like Flintstone and Rubble.

The whiteboards would also be a wonderful way
To start new traditions, like the "Joke of the Day."
Or to get folks' opinions on serious stuff,
Like which ice cream goes best with marshmallow fluff.

Co-workers could use the whiteboards to compete,
To see who can best do a mind-bending feat,
Like solving, the quickest, an expert Sudoku
Or figuring the speed at which Hindenburg's smoke flew.

These things would be great for when folks need a break
From the quite intense work that makes the mind ache.
'Cause the mind, like the body, sometimes needs a stretch,
Like the fun, friendly dogs that enjoy playing fetch.

Creative spaces like these are what we need, so I say,
To refresh the mind in a few minutes a day.
Quick breaks such as these will produce better work;
It isn't my job that I'm trying to shirk.

These will wake up the brain so much better than coffee,
Or YouTube, or Halo, or bowls full of toffee.

And so," the grad said, "that would be just my plan,
If I were the one through whom the office ran."