Does your Culture attract vultures?

A poisonous organizational culture results from a disconnect between how the employees behave and what the customer is told. If the company story and the organizational culture do not align, there will be a cancer inside the company.

Tell me what you believe in and I'll tell you how to market to your customers.

I'm reminded of this because of the incident on a United Airlines plane recently.

A front line employee normally has the authority to fix problems resulting from bad situations. If an employee uses force or threatens to use force on an innocent non aggressive customer, the poisonous culture shows its disgusting head like a vulture waiting to prey on a dead animal.

Did the customer act appropriately?
Did the airline act appropriately?

A business cannot care about customers. It does not have feelings.
Only people can demonstrate caring.
The example of Dr. David Dao shows that United employees do not care about their customers.

It could have been handled so much better.
The employees did not have the values needed to accommodate a reasonable solution.

A rational person with enough authority could have gone onto the plane and explained the situation to all customers. They could have offered the maximum amount under federal aviation laws and tried to appeal to a person's sense of community.

They only needed one more volunteer.

Instead they chose force.

I would bet that the employee who made the decision to call the aviation cops is a bit of a jerk with other employees.
I bet they don't like their job.
I bet there are lots of co workers who don't like this person either.

A customer is the most important asset a business has.
Without them, a business cannot exist.
It surprises me each time I witness poor choices in customer service.
It shouldn't.
I've been watching vultures circle around businesses for years.
For some reason, they think the customers will keep coming back.

You wouldn't go into a business knowingly and willingly when this type of incident happens.
Neither would I.
As long as there is a choice.

It's in the lack of choice that causes us to gamble on the asshole business, hoping it won't happen to us.
The vultures are circling.
Businesses die when they don't pay attention to their internal culture.

Take care of employees. Employees take care of customers.
It really is that simple...

On United Airlines website, this is what they have to say about themselves:

United is focused on being the airline customers want to fly, the airline employees want to work for and the airline shareholders want to invest in...

...our iconic "Fly the Friendly Skies" tagline has been reinvented to reflect what's most important to our customers, as well as all that the word "friendly" encompasses in today’s technology-driven world. 

If the employees REALLY believed any of this crap, could they have acted the way they did.

As proven many times, words committed to paper for mission and values isn't what really happens when stress is introduced.

This would never happen on Southwest Airlines.
The culture wouldn't allow for it.
The employees would block the door and sing a song about why they need an extra volunteer.
They would offer free kisses, and hugs and lollipops.

Don't forget an important point. United breaks guitars and wouldn't accept responsibility a few years ago...
Same company...
Same values...
Different incident.

Clearly nothing has REALLY changed.

To develop corporate values, you need to start with the leaderships values. Don't look at what you want them to be. Start with what they are. Then look for people who have the same values. That's what all the great companies do. Then communicate those values in your advertising. You'll attract the customer who has the same values. To learn more about this process, contact me at ricknicholson@wizardofads.com.

Tired of waiting

Doing a marketing seminar in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, we were discussing the effectiveness and importance of "break through" marketing initiatives.

I was using multiple examples to lighten the mood, when one participant spoke up and said, "It's kind of like the Spicer Jewellers ad.

Tell me about the Spicer Jeweller ad, I said.

So the lady went into great detail about the billboard and how it had created polarizing conversations throughout the community.

The premise was simple. A lady raising her ring finger and looking a little ticked off, with the headline, "She's tired of waiting".

Within the room, a polarizing discussion took place. One side of the room thought the ad was brilliant and could get them to buy the ring if they were in market. The opposite side of the room felt the ad was degrading to women.

One woman passionately explained why she found the ad offensive. In summary she is an independent woman and doesn't need a jeweller or a MAN to give her a ring.

She told the group she had shared the disruptive ad in one of her Facebook groups. And many of her friends were commenting about the same uselessness of the ad.

"Excuse me", interrupting her rant. "Can you tell me how friends you have in this group of yours".

There are over 700 of us. And we all feel the same way. That ad is offensive and we will NEVER buy from this company.

"Did it ever occur to you that you were probably not going to buy from them anyways", I replied.
"Did it also occur to you that in your rants, you have helped spread the word for this business?", "And in doing so, you may have helped them sell MORE diamond rings?"

None of my friends will buy from this company, EVER.

"Ok. But what about the ad makes you think the ad was directed at YOU?"

Drop the imaginary microphone. She didn't know what to say. She was visibly upset. I had demonstrated that although girls who get married want diamond rings, she may never get one, or want one. Plus it wouldn't be up to her where the ring is purchased anyways. It will be up to her partner...

After the presentation, I contacted Spicer's Jewellers. They admitted that they had received mixed reviews and were worried about the negative publicity revolving around the billboards.  It was so early in the campaign they were unable to figure out if the ad had increased sales.

I suspect this ad will need at least 6 months to pull in the core customer.

The idea came from the owner, not an employee.
It is for this reason, it won't be pulled down in 4 weeks.
The owner has already bought into it.

He had tested in another market and saw huge increases in sales for diamond engagement rings.

The ad guy would have pulled it down by now if it weren't for the owner's commitment.
It takes guts to do this stuff.
For that I applaud Spicer's Jewellers.

It is nice to see people willing to take a risk with their marketing in order to make a compelling, remarkable and sharable message.

You can contact me at ricknicholson@wizardofads.com if you want ways to make your marketing initiatives memorable and effective.

I'm afraid to tell you...

Those who can act with a natural disregard for emotion are my heroes.

Giving advice to others is easy. Taking that advice is hard. Fear gets in the way. Without ownership in the results of decisions, the advisor can give logical, rational reasons to do something.

The hardest decisions require rational thinking, yet emotions creep into the thinking process. These emotions take an equity position in our decisions. We make decisions based on emotion rather than rational reasons.

Roy Williams of Wizard of Ads has seven laws of advertising.

One of them is:
"Intellect and Emotion are partners who do not speak the same language. The intellect finds logic to justify what the emotions have decided. Win the hearts of the people, their minds will follow."

This blog isn't about advertising. It's about that emotions that wander into the decision making process.

I'm no better than the next person. Fear enters my consciousness regularly.

Some say I'm fearless.
Aline will tell you that's not even close to the truth.

Some say I have an infectious confidence that everything always works out.
Although I am extremely confident to my own detriment, I also know things don't always work out as planned.

Fear works on me everyday.
Some days it wraps its slimy fingers around my throat and slips me into submission.

Those are tough days.

Other days, when I win the round with my emotions. I kick it in the groin and work through the problem.

Those days, I use my secret weapon.
The weapon has nothing to do with me and more to do with the process I use.

Tell a person to calm down when they are mad and you know what happens. They get madder or resentful.
Tell a person to not feel sad, and they start to cry.
Emotions are not logical.

When I'm emotional about an important decision that needs to be made, I use a lifeline like in the TV show "Who wants to be a millionaire".
I call the most rational, logical person I know.
I talk it out loud.
I hear myself speak the irrational thoughts as they leave my tongue.
It is those moments that wake me up from my emotional induced dream.

In my friend's logical Spock like voice, he lures me away from the cliff. He rationalizes the problem. Being unaffected by my decisions, he can look at my problem logically. He helps me see the world a little clearer.

The best way to eliminate fear is not to avoid it. It's to face it head on. It's to act despite it. And most importantly to talk to a logical left brained person who can separate the emotion from the decision.

Zig when others zag

It's my most consistent piece of advice when someone who asks, "What should I do"?

My answer: Zig when others zag.

It is important to be perceived to be different. But it's also where the greatest opportunities lie.

Conventional thought is not new, exciting or different.

Conventional thought is thought to be safe. Others have gone and beat down the path to the prize. Its beaten path removes the beauty of the journey. It waters down the fertilizer for more fruit and the tree of plenty has produced just enough for those who have already passed.

Conventional thought changes as we become more intelligent with information. 

There was a time when the world was thought to be flat.

The sun revolved around the earth.

Fire was created by an element called flogiston.

California was an island.

Conventional thought is not new, exciting or different.

To penetrate that magic place in the brain that allows for new messages to enter, you must have a product that is considered new, exciting or different.

Working like everyone else will get you possibly to a safe place. Not necessarily fun. What if what you think is afe is actually dangerous? What if there is no prize on your safe journey? What if all the berries are picked? Follow convention and you may go hungry.

Are there business practices that belong to conventional thought?

Absolutely. Paying bills, treating people right, not cheating the government is all good conventional practices.

It is dangerous to be new, different and exciting. Your business may not survive. It is actually dangerous either way.

When it comes to product, price, promotion, place or the 4 P's of marketing, there should be less convention and more thought. Marketing is a creative discipline. It it thrives on delivering Messages that penetrate the target audience's brain.

I believe there's enough time spent on thinking originally. Too much time is spent on following in someone else's footsteps.

Rick Nicholson is a partner in Wizard of Ads, the Mack daddy of unconventional thinkers. If you want to contact him, you can reach him at Ricknicholson@wizardofads.com.

Conversations with a conditional offer

Story 1:

I was getting a coffee when this coupon winked at me. 

Hey, do I know you?, I asked.
No, but I like you. Would you like to get $50 worth of free coffee?

Sure! It's free right?
Yes, sweetheart. All you have to do is rip me off the pad, take it to the local bank, sign up for a credit card. If you're accepted, we'll make sure you get the $50 gift card for free coffee.

How is that free? Isn't my time worth anything? And what about my credit? I don't need another credit card. Are you telling me that my creditworthiness and my time is the toll I have to pay to get some free coffee?

Yes, darling We like you. But we need you to do something for us. When you sign up for that card, we'll have access to your personal information like address, phone number and birthday. We can send you unsolicited mail, email and promotions if you forget to check the box that opts you out of our annoying marketing. But you'll want this stuff. Trust me... 

I don't think so. You already lied to me once.  All I wanted was a coffee. You caught my eye with your wink. But now I hate you. Leave me alone and don't call me. Oh yeah, you don't have my phone number so you won't be able to anyways. 

****************************************************************
Story 2:

I was surfing Facebook when another ad caught the glimmer of my eye.

"Buy my travel services and you'll get a deep discount to celebrate our nation's 150th birthday", said the pimp.
I don't need your services. But it looks like fun. The price is right. Maybe I can take my whole family with me at that price.

Sure, why not?
You're right. Why not? I'm making plans already in my mind. This is going to be so much fun. We just have to figure out the details.

You're the man. Your family is going to love this trip. Your family is going to love you.
What's this in the fine print?

Oh, don't worry about that, you're under 25 years old, right?
Umm, No.

Are your kids at least 12 years old?
Umm, No.

A man with your beauty must surely have a bride under 25 years old.
Umm, No.

Well we only have a few limited seats for this offer. You don't qualify so leave me alone.
Wasn't it you that was looking for my business?

I said leave me alone. You're not the person we're looking for.
Is my money any less valuable than a 25 year olds?

Well, no. But you can afford to pay full price. We still want you to book with us. Just pay full fare.
But you told me the fare is only worth $150. I'm an idiot if I pay more. I liked the original offer, but I hate your exclusion condition. Here's a condition for you: I won't use your services unless someone forces me to or if I don't have any other choice.  I wish you a long and painful death.

************************************************************


I hate offers that have conditions.

Conditional marketing is a slimy way to catch the audience off guard. It tricks the audience to believe one thing to be true, when there is an alternative motive.

Alternative motives are sneaky cream pies filled with hidden agendas, lies and exaggerations. Transactions filled with these ingredients don't allow for healthy customer conversions.

If a company wants to sell extra product by putting it on sale, they should put it on sale. They do not need to be shady in their message

These tactics are supposed to be reserved for the weasel sucking used car dealers who are looking to take advantage of innocent customers.

There's no place in business for those behaviours, used car dealers included.

If you're looking to increase your marketing efforts and you're not a weasel trying to trick customers, you can contact me at ricknicholson@wizardofads.com. I can help in the marketing process to be honest, real and most importantly believable.

No country for private men (and women)

Living in a small town reminds me of the differences between country people and city people.

The city is cold, impersonal, friendly but mostly distrusting. Even friends and neighbours are merely acquaintances. The neighbours can hear you fart in the shower. The streetlights light up the neighborhood and the same farting neighbours can see you naked through your window.

In a village, everyone knows everyone. You are so and so’s cousin, or you grew up with Jimmy’s son or daughter. You worked with my mom. You can't hide from your reputation and everyone knows the shit that kept your parents up at night. 

They even know your love interests...all of them since you were five...

If you grew up in a small town, there are few strangers. 

Those who move to town are outsiders but eventually someone nosey enough finds out who bought the Dave Johnson property.

Country folk do that. They name the property after the owner. The owner could be dead for 20 years but the house will still be referred to as the Dave Johnson property.

The newcomers are outsiders. Eventually they get indoctrinated into the community. Because there are no strangers in a community where everyone knows everyone.

I’m one of those newcomers. I come from the country but moved to a new town where I didn't grow up.  

No one knows me. 

They don't know my parents, grandparents, cousins, uncles or friends.

They don't know the shit I did when I was a youngster.

They know the house I bought. It's Sylvie's house, even though I have proof she sold it to us.

I love small towns. 

I witnessed the interactions between six people on this spring morning. We were waiting for the bank to open. Three people were giving each other hugs. They were joking, laughing, consoling and asking how each other’s parents were. The last time I witnessed something like this in the city was at Christmas. But on this April morning, it looks like this could be a daily occurrence in this small town. 

The sense of community was beautiful.

And that’s why I moved to a small town. No one sees me naked. No one hears me fart in the shower. And the sense of community inspires me to be a better person. Even though my house will always be referred to as someone else's.

Choice is all we have

Speaking with a young teen reminded me the importance of choice.

It's all we have.
Money comes and goes.
Material possessions break.
Even love wanders around like sunshine.

We choose,
Therefore we have or have not.

From the time we leave the protection of our parents,
The choices become real.

To buy or sell.
To move or stay.
To spend or save.
To walk or run.

Friends, jobs, businesses, partners.
It's all our choice.

Bad choices cause problems.
Bad choices layered on bad choices is called bad luck.
Bad choices twice layered on other bad choices warrant panic.

The life we live is ours and ours alone.
No one is responsible for our outcomes except us,
And the choices we make.

So the next time you are in a situation that isn't what you wanted,
Ask yourself what do you own in the problem?
Don't beat yourself up about poor choices.

Fix it. Find a good choice to make, then make it.
Good choices layered on a good choice is considered luck.
Good choices twice layered on good choice warrants celebration.

At the time, we don't always know what is a good choice and a bad one.
Unless we're hurting someone.

Ask yourself next time you're faced with a challenging decision, "What is the consequence of this decision on others".
If you're hurting more people than you are helping, it's probably a bad decision.

You are powerful in your choices.
Use it wisely.

Those you affect also have choices.
They have the power to hurt you too.

A selfish mentality generates turmoil as bad situations keep returning.
A selfless mentality powers happiness.

And happiness is the key to living a fulfilling life.

It's your choice: Be happy or not.