Listening Without Interrupting

Be fully present and let other people finish their thoughts before you jump in.

It makes others feel heard and . . . it helps you learn more.

Admitting When You're Wrong

Own up to your own mistakes.

Shows humility (and courage) and build team respect.

Show that you value growth.

Giving Credit Where It's Due

Celebrate your team's wins and recognize the individual and the group efforts. 

Sharing success motivates others and makes them feel valued.

Making Decisions Without Overthinking

Don't get stuck chasing perfection. 

Act on the best information you have and adapt as needed.

Over time you can make the good better, and the better best.

Give Honest Feedback With Compassion

Tough feedback doesn't have to hurt.

Put the problem into a helpful context. 

Lead with empathy so people can learn, grow, and improve.

Saying "No" to Protect Focus

Prioritize what matters most.

Saying no to distractions helps your team stay on track, time and budget.

Defending Your Team

Stand up for your people, even when it's tough. 

It builds trust, loyalty, and a stronger, more confident team.

Last week I went to three restaurants; one was an old haunt that my wife and I love. The other two were higher end restaurants that we had not been to before. Because of my fascination with customer service, I found myself reflecting on how each establishment made me feel. Here are some qualities that are fundamental to a great customer experience – regardless of what business you’re in.

Empathy. Great service teams sense what state their customers or prospects are in and adjust their own tone and manner to pace that of the client. Whether the vibes are positive or negative, great service teams know just what to do – because they also know how to improvise.

Enthusiasm. We all need enthusiasm to be great at customer service – especially on the days when customers aren’t so nice. Enthusiasm for what I do is my “emotional tow truck” that, with Charlie, remind me to save some of the great day energy to pull me through the tough times. Enthusiastic customer service people get the job done faster, simpler, and with a touch of class.

Responsibility. Most people who have a product or service issue to resolve REALLY DO NOT want to steal you blind. They’re looking for some fair and reasonable options to their product or service dilemma. Sending them to a different department, or to your boss invariable adds to the time and frustration they feel – and will want to take out on you.

Empower your front line to solve your customers’ problems. Period.

Objectivity. Contrary to what most of you believe, it’s not about you. You just took the call or the customer on the floor or at the counter. They are not here to talk to “you”, they are here to talk to a “brand ambassador” who can and will help them out of their dilemma. See Empathy – above and Ownership below.

Ownership. Those who see themselves as part of the “problem” – think empowered brand ambassador, not helpless Jr. customer service counter person – come up with much better, further reaching solutions. They recognize that “if I’m part of the problem, I can also be part of a better solution!”

Integrity. People with integrity ensure they understand the customer’s needs before arriving at any conclusions. They are able to explain their employer’s position objectively (rather than defensively) to help themselves and customer understand the alternate paths to realistic resolutions. That groundwork enables them to say “yes” and “no” to various options with respect and authority. Integrity “floats the boat”. Bullshit sinks it.

Adaptability. Because there are so many variables (beyond your control) that go into any given situation, most events do not play out exactly as planned. On balance and in hindsight some turn out better, some worse. And that’s why it’s called “life” – not “vacation”.

Culture. When you hire people who are a good fit for your brand and the customers it serves you spend MUCH less on training and enforcement because they work together as one team, towards one goal; make the customer experience memorable.

Philosophy.

One team. One Goal.

All we say and all we do, helps our customers believe that they have come to the right place, or the wrong place. 

Enjoy the day and the journey wherever it takes you.

When President Kennedy gave this address to our Canadian Parliament on May 17, 1961, I was six years old and our close friends, also post-war German immigrants, had just moved to the U.S. "Why aren't we moving there as well?" I wondered.  

When I was twelve, I went to visit them with my sister and parents in Stuart, FLA.

Wow.

In 1971 and 1972, when I was sixteen and seventeen, I was a member of our high-school choir and got to go on music exchange tours with schools in West-Chester, Pennsylvania.

Amazing.

Since then, I've been to The United States, at least twenty times, for business and pleasure.

I looked forward to each trip because I was going to see my neighbour and friend.

President Kennedy’s vision, expressed and framed over 60 years ago, had become my frame of reference for our two countries as well.

I suppose I took it all for granted.

Despite these turbulent times, I pray that, in the long run, President Kennedy’s vision will prevail.

Geography has made us neighbours. 

History has made us friends. 

Economics has made us partners. 

And necessity has made us allies.

John F. Kennedy’s Address to Canadian Parliament.

May 17, 1961.

Source: JFK Library

My mentors encouraged me to Keep It Simple Stupid.

And edit, edit and edit.

That was fourty years ago.

Source: The Economist, January 2024

Measuring the success of an ad depends on the goal that you have set for your ad. Different goals require different metrics to evaluate the performance of your ad. Here are some common goals and metrics that you can use to measure the success of an ad:

• Brand awareness: This goal is to increase the recognition and recall of your brand among your target audience. Some metrics that you can use to measure brand awareness are impressions, reach, frequency, and brand lift. Impressions are the number of times your ad is shown to your audience. Reach is the number of unique people who see your ad. Frequency is the average number of times your ad is shown to each person. Brand lift is the increase in brand awareness, preference, or intent among your audience after seeing your ad.
• Lead generation: This goal is to collect information from potential customers who are interested in your product or service. Some metrics that you can use to measure lead generation are clicks, conversions, cost per lead, and lead quality. Clicks are the number of times your audience clicks on your ad or call to action. Conversions are the number of times your audience completes a desired action on your landing page, such as filling out a form or downloading a file. Cost per lead is the amount of money you spend on your ad divided by the number of leads you generate. Lead quality is the relevance and value of the leads you generate for your business.
• Sales: This goal is to increase the revenue or profit from your product or service. Some metrics that you can use to measure sales are sales volume, sales value, return on ad spend, and customer lifetime value. Sales volume is the number of units or items that you sell as a result of your ad. Sales value is the amount of money that you earn from the sales that you make as a result of your ad. Return on ad spend is the ratio of revenue to cost from your ad campaign. Customer lifetime value is the estimated net profit that you can expect from a customer over their entire relationship with your business.

These are some of the many ways that you can measure the success of an ad based on your brand's goals.

There are many other factors that can affect the success of an ad such as the quality, creativity, timing, and placement of your ad. You also need to consider the context and behavior of your audience and how they respond to your ad. 

You can also use tools such as Google Analytics, Facebook Ad Manager, or HubSpot to collect and analyze data about your ads and optimize them for better results.

You can also use that data to inform the design of surveys and focus groups to help refine the campaign effectiveness off and on line.

The most important lessons I learned from my time working with American Express and Oglivy & Mather Advertising. 

• Employ a marketing team that believes in ongoing ad variation testing - and retesting - over time. 10-20-30 years. Not a few weeks.
• Use many different (online and offline) tools to help you define your brand's [dynamic] marketing terrain and your brand's position on it.
• Explore corroborating research findings as well as the anomalies. The latter will teach you more than the former. 
• Remain humble and curious.  
• If you're not having fun - move on and hand the brand building role to those that are.