Perpetual Interview???

By Pam Hadder

Through thick and thin, the majority of our core business has come via referral – a natural byproduct of work well done.  However, SWJ President, Wendy j., once remarked on how working in our industry is like being on an endless job interview. It is true that sometimes there is a sense of having to prove oneself, despite repeated demonstrations of ability! So, like other firms, we have been known to compete for business.  Enter the world of RFQs and proposals – oftentimes a dark-skied place of fuzzy lines, fiery hoops and highway robbers!

Sound less than appealing?  Well, truth be told, very few of the current RFQs that cross our path are properly written and administered – we are becoming increasingly wary and discriminating of any RFQ/RFP offers. Typically what unfolds is an unrealistic list of demands, at times even including the supply of our recommended strategy and creative solutions – all this without payment, and within short timelines.  Some false assumptions are at play here:  a) we work for free, even though no one else does, and b) we are willing to compromise professional standards and ethics for the almighty dollar. 

People pay us for our strategy and for our creative ideas, that’s our bread and butter!  Consider if you needed life-saving surgery, would you ask the surgeon to do a demo for you before you committed to the procedure?  What about a meal in an established restaurant known for its signature salad – would you demand the recipe?  How about electrical services – would you try and dicker with the red seal professional about his approach?  If so, you are NOT our potential client.  As a very basic first step, there needs to be a climate of trust and respect before we agree to move forward with any new client.

Maybe you’ve been “burnt” before?  We agree that our field has become over-run with posers and talkers. In one month alone we had three clients come to us, all of whom had been underwhelmed by the same web firm.  They had each spent thousands and did not yet have what they were promised – like them, we were rather astounded!  Obviously the web firm had a very effective salesperson, and a sketchy implementation process. As such, we recommend that you do your homework – ask about relevant work samples, ensure that you are clear about your budget and expectations, and don’t fall prey to the “friend-of-a friend” mentality. The bottom line is you need capability, integrity and results.

Want to work with us?  We are friendly, good-natured people with extraordinary passion and purpose in our chosen field: strategic marketing and advertising.  We will work alongside you and your team within your defined budgets and timelines to help you achieve your personal and business goals.  We can also guide you through a strategic process to define goals and priorities and/or refine existing goals. Most of all, our solutions are timely and effective – and we can demonstrate real results, proving the effectiveness and value of our strategy and tactics.

Since 1999, we have lived and breathed our corporate motto: On time. On budget. On strategy. Life is just too short for mediocrity.  We are interested in partnering with like-minded individuals to achieve meaningful, powerful business results, while opting out of futile dances with disrespectful, disengaged thinkers. From where we stand, the time for interviews is over – we’re ready to work; now how may we help you?

Eternal Summer

By Pam Hadder

It's happening, like the flip of a switch -- one morning you get up and there's a slight chill in the air, the sun is rising later, wasps are swarming and a faint scent of autumn is lingering on the breeze.  As we near the midpoint of August, there are still a few days (perhaps weeks, if we are lucky) of summer to enjoy, evidenced by delightfully scant traffic queues on the daily commute.

Living on the Canadian prairie, we learn early on in life to savour each hour of summer sunshine, because the hot days are limited and the winters have a history of being way too long and inhumanely cold.  I freely admit to my personal dream of eternal summer -- if only winter was just one month long, that would be perfect; ideally around the holiday season with just a light dusting of snow to light our way through our darkest hours. Sound good to you too?

It can be challenging to break from our cloud watching, bubble blowing, easy, dreamy summer phase and get back into the working groove for the final quarter of the calendar year.  But shifting gears is essential, particularly with the speed of transition and change in our world. We really cannot afford to be sluggish or disconnected from our living reality.  There is simply less fat on the bone and less time allowed to respond, making efficiency a vital component of our personal and working lives.

There's no need to panic if you are feeling a bit out of sorts and resistant to the changes around you. The summer to fall shift is not the only change you are up against -- our lives are layered with personal, professional and environmental changes.  There really are just two main components needed to manage these speed bumps: cultivated awareness and forward vision.

Cultivated awareness is an interesting animal because it marries the personal and professional pieces of our lives with our personality -- it requires identifying what aligns with our values and then working within that harmonious slipstream. The front-end effort is very worthwhile, as cultivated awareness is a pathway to a more efficient lifestyle. Increased efficiency, in turn, reduces stress and increases productivity.

Forward vision is a bit more complex for most of us -- we may not be accustomed to looking to far down the road, and may even be afraid to do so!  Within traditional business models, the vision comes from the top and trickles down. Individuals are not solicited to contribute to that vision, and are not encouraged to develop unique POVs. However, forward vision is the magic ingredient that makes life sparkle with appeal.

Put in simple terms, vision comes with the knowledge that opportunities and options, like change, are constant. We each shape our results with our choices and contributions, and there is an essential sense of excitement, of anticipation that is stirred up when forward vision activities are implemented. Perhaps you've met those rare individuals who share how they love their vocation so much that it doesn't feel like work?  Know that forward vision is not just for corporate moguls or political bigwigs -- it's for all of us, and the ability lies within each of us to excel within our areas of interest.

Imagine... looking forward to each new day, harnessing change like a new, wild power source; excited by the options for growth and transformation. So, maybe eternal summer is more achievable than we first thought?

Definition of Doneness

By Pam Hadder
Merriam-Webster defines "doneness" as "the condition of being cooked to the desired degree." With food preparation, this is a relatively easy assessment – visual cues, internal temperature, response to touch and time passed all provide confirmation of doneness.

In the advertising and marketing world, doneness can prove to be a tad more elusive. As marketing professionals, we understand the value of well-defined planning and implementation strategies. Superficially simple project "storefronts" often disguise complex networks of beginnings, middles and ends, all monitored and staged to achieve the desired goal.

The challenge lies in promoting the unseen value to the client – when you ask, we deliver and it all seems so effortless! Like ballerinas smiling through the pain, our job as marketing professionals is to achieve results without letting the sweat marks and blisters show. The down side of performing efficiently is the perception of "ease" – by making it look easy, our value sometimes drops in the minds of the client.

Another pitfall to "doneness" is knowing when a project is complete and when to transition to other phases or tactics. Commonly, things are under-done or over-done – and of course, anything that is done poorly is better left undone! In our volatile world economy, many companies are caught in progressive belt-tightening – to the point where new buckle holes have to be punched but you're running outta leather. Even modest budgets can be leveraged by professional marketers to maximize your message, leaving you free to concentrate on revenue generating activity.

The final word on doneness? Well, when you find yourself stretched too thin, overwhelmed by the tasks at hand and unsure of your direction, you are experiencing personal doneness. We can help!

Trust Your Gut

By Pam Hadder

Recently, SWJ was asked to respond to an RFP - not a big deal, we've responded to many RFPs and have won a number of new jobs and some long term clients in this way. What was unusual was how the process evolved into a meaningless exercise.

We should have heeded our inner alarm bells, but the referral came to us from a respected and trusted contact, so we quashed any misgivings and gave the RFP our full attention.

The good news, we over-delivered and felt great about our end result.The bad news (Part One) is that we didn't get the work. The even worse news (Part Deux) is that a publisher won the RFP! This publisher bills themselves as a "PR company" - not only is this untrue, they do not have a team with the skill-set to complete the items identified in the RFP.

Yes, a prickly situation - to be trounced by posers with no marketing campaign experience, no web development and programming ability; and with debatable understanding of PR! To say we were gob smacked by this turn of events is really an understatement.

Looking back, there were so many red flags - flaming red, actually: the group was slow to confirm the details of the RFP and delivery time lines, the meeting time was changed at the last minute; the re-scheduled meeting ran through typical lunch hours (guess who supplied a lovely lunch?); only two of the four expected guests attended the meeting, with one guest arriving late; and the latecomer had the audacity to mock our walls covered in advertising and marketing awards on his way out the door (???).

The moral of our tale - always trust your gut. Never get sucked in by the dine-and-dash crowd who ask for all of the flexibility on your part, but deliver little commitment on their end. Know your value and guard it with your life.

I think of our strategic marketing and advertising firm as a five-star restaurant with a wonderful, ever-changing menu tailored to the unique needs of our diverse clientele. Patrons of our restaurant can survey the menu prices and choose according to their preference and allotted budget. When someone orders everything on the menu and we deliver, as ordered, our expectation is that we will be paid for our work.

We are just lucky that all these pirates gobbled up was some of our time, our preliminary thoughts and a free lunch! Eyes bigger than your tum-tum, Buddy? Not a problem - we'll box it up for you in some award winning packaging "to go!"