What's it really like inside an Advertising Agency? Well...drinking for starters. That was my first impression at my first Agency when 10 minutes into my interview, the VP asked if I wanted a drink. And he wasn't offering water!
The truth about what goes on inside an Advertising Agency is somewhat more mundane. It's a business first: It produces advertising at a cost (communication marketing 'stuff') and sells at a markup with enough profit to keep the shareholders happy. On the surface it looks glamorous. Until you're 3 days into a location shoot with costs spiraling and the client is freaking out.
Back in the day 'The Agency' was the keeper of the Strategy. We asked the questions, analyzed the data from both quantitative and qualitative research, came up with brand positioning and developed marketing, communication and advertising plans. And of course the advertising. Even within the world of 'Digital', not much has changed. Maybe the players have but the song remains the same...
Until next time...
Chris Morales
One of the most frustrating things about listening is when we list to respond, not to learn! In my Professional Selling class at George Brown College we talk about 'active listening'. This is where we ask questions to learn and turn off the response urge. It takes practice. I share stories of times when I've listened to respond versus listening to learn and the results of each. In almost all cases when I've listened to learn, I come up with better solutions because my mind isn't working to formulate a response. I'm not a psychologist and don't know the science behind this I just know it works!
Listening to learn involves asking better questions. The ones that get the person talking about their needs. Questions with yes/no answers...go nowhere...no good!
A business conversation is not a social conversation! No matter how much you and your prospect/customer want to talk about family and the kids (and yes there is a time and place for that), these are business questions: What are you looking for in the product or service?; How will this improve your process?; How will this reduce cost? These are they types of questions that elicit detailed responses...they tell you what your prospect values most...what's most beneficial to them.
At the end of the day, people buy solutions that work for them. Actively listening to learn what those are is what we should practice doing.
Until next time...
Chris Morales
Back in the day as a newbie account guy a really smart Creative Director sat me down for a lesson on Marketing: "You've got to get the consumer to become aware of you before they will consider you...only then will they grow to prefer you". Great advice then and even more critical today with the myriad ways that consumers learn about new products. Here's a great way to look at the process:
At the end of the day brands are looking for ways to keep a customer coming back for more...all while telling their friends...and so on...
Until next time...
Chris Morales
We sure love the pros: Easy to have an opinion, even easier to comment on someone else's post. The cons are a drag though: Every post becomes the most important post in the world, People pile on just to be seen as being part of the story. Still though, for business owners the pros outweigh the cons: Social Media Marketing is a cost-effective way to promote and grow your business. Just keep in mind some of these cons:
Until next time...
Chris Morales
