General Patton – Director of Marketing

“A good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed at some

indefinite point in the future.”  General George Patton

In addition to being a decent military man, General George S. Patton would have been a fantastic Director of Marketing. For all of his faults, Patton was inarguably a man of action.

Patton was prepared. He would not have considered going into a battle, much less a war, without objectives, strategies and tactics. In other words, he always had a plan.

He believed fervently that his troops had to be disciplined and well-trained. He would not send them out into the field without knowing precisely what their role was.

He was intelligent and extremely well read, but Patton did not over-research a plan. With the General, there was never analysis paralysis. He knew that to reach an objective, he and his troops had to go on the offensive. He had to provide the strategy, and then the tactics would be implemented for victory.

The biggest hesitation I hear from clients is that they don’t want to invest in a plan because things could change and the plan would be obsolete.

News flash – things always change. There is not one day in your life that goes exactly according to plan.  Patton knew that every battle changed once the shells started flying.

A plan is a road map. If there’s construction, you figure out a detour. That does not mean the map has no value.

In fact, change is the reason the plan is so valuable. Without it, you would be lost.

Patton refused to lose. He always had a plan.

If you would like to discuss strategic marketing planning, please drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

What is Your Brand’s Body Language?

In one of the most-watched (almost 26 million views) TED talks of all-time, Social Psychologist Amy Cuddy said, “We’re fascinated with body language. We’re particularly interested by other people’s body language.”

People make judgments instantly about other people every day.

They do the same thing with brands. Yes, they’re judging you when you don’t even know it.

How do people see your brand’s body language? (Brandy language does not sound quite right.)

Does your logo look at them honestly? Is it simple to understand with nothing to hide? Or, is it cluttered? Badly designed? Hunched over?

Is your brand essence statement clear?

The most interesting thing I took from Amy’s TED talk is that our bodies can change our minds. It’s an internal power struggle.

That’s the key to any marketing – your internal marketing. Is it true? Is it confident? Does your team believe it?

For your body language, you can “open up” for two minutes and it will make a difference in your life. Your brand essence can “open up” your brand.

Give your brand a power pose.

If you’d like to discuss how to open up your brand and your results, drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Sales and The Imitation Game

Whenever I hear someone say they could never be in sales, I laugh. If you could never be in sales, you could never do anything.

This weekend, I saw the movie The Imitation Game. It was a WWII thriller based on the life of Alan Turing, who led the charge to break and decode the German secret code dubbed “Enigma” in WWII.

Turing was a mathematical genius who had trouble relating to people. His gift for offending people was as formidable as his gift for math. Although he was the last person you could ever imagine making a sale, he made two sales when he had to – he sold his idea to Winston Churchill and he sold his team on his process.

When he realized that the team, its goals and its leadership were off and needed fixing, Turing was originally rejected. His superior said to get the process going in his direction he’d have to go all the way to Winston Churchill to give his blessing.

What did Turing do? He wrote Churchill what must have been a very persuasive letter and was given authority to run the project his way. He immediately fired two people and offended the rest of the team, but he succeeded in getting the team to move in a new direction. Talk about an effective sales letter.

Later, when the process he was directing was taking longer than expected to produce results and crack the German code, Turing was saved from being fired when his team, who initially hated him, defended him and saved him and his ideas from their demise.

The team agreed to pool their talents and efforts and eventually succeeded. This is an outstanding example of internal marketing. If your team believes in you and the idea, you can move mountains. If not, your results will be rubble.

Sell on, players; especially if you don’t think you have to. Nobody will settle for a pale imitation.

If you want to discuss achieving sales goals and internal marketing, drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Shoot the Messenger: You Can’t Market What You Don’t Know.

How can you communicate what you don’t know? No matter how clever or creative you are, no matter how well it’s designed, if you don’t know the message, you cannot possibly deliver it.

You have to do the work. You must put in the time and research. You have to know what your brand is talking about. It sounds like a lot of effort… like you have to do the dirty work.

Here’s the beauty of it…

It’s a blast. There is nothing as much fun as learning about something and uncovering that one nugget, that one insight that makes your brand different. It’s always there and it’s usually hiding in plain sight, right under the brand’s nose.

If someone tells you to create a message without providing any background, don’t walk… run for the hills, get outta town, insert your favorite catchphrase here.

Be the brand investigator. Then, and only then, can you be the sales instigator.

If you would like to discuss uncovering brand insights, drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Where have all the characters gone?

This morning, I was working with a longtime associate who is an expert videographer, editor and producer. He mentioned that he recently worked with another editor whom I haven’t seen in twenty (ouch) years.

This long-lost (to me) editor was one of the true, funny characters I have ever met. He was creative and crazy. You never got one without the other. With every project, you knew you’d end up with a great video and end up on the floor laughing at least once in the process.

Unfortunately for me, he moved to greener pastures (swamps) in Florida. He was such a character. Where have they all gone?

The truth is, he still is a true character. I just haven’t seen him lately.

It’s true – I am older. I’m sure I’m guilty of reminiscing through a rose-colored lens. The truth is that the true characters are hiding and creating in plain sight. Don’t miss out on the true characters of today because you’re stuck looking in reverse. The rear view mirror won’t help you break new ground.

Keep moving forward. Work with characters that aren’t afraid to be themselves. They will bring your projects to life… in spite of all the danger. Your brands will not survive. They will thrive.

And you'll laugh more.

If you’d like to discuss true branding and creative character, drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

My Mom Teaches Account Service

My mom is a born Account Executive. In the marketing industry, AE stands for Account Executive. Contrary to popular belief, Account Service is not an easy job. In the good old days, people thought of the job as having drinks, three martini lunches and playing golf. That stereotype has been out-of-date for at least then years.

My mom is a good AE. She nurtures, grows and doesn’t let you stagnate. She challenges you to grow, to exceed the easy, safe expectations that you set for yourself. Mom wouldn’t let me slack or settle or plateau. She always expected more and had a way of letting you know without being negative. Don’t get me wrong, there were a few times when I was too cocky and got pinned two out of three falls on the bathroom floor.

My account is not an easy one to service. It is an ongoing process – not a one-time project.

This is true about all good AEs. Don’t underestimate their value. Hug them. Mom would.

If you want to talk about A-1 AEs, drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Branding is fluff like survival is fluff.

That’s no bluff. That rhymes with fluff but it’s true.

When everything goes wrong, how do you survive?

When a low cost competitor comes into the market, will you make it without cutting your justifiable prices?

When a recall hits you, how do you take the blow?

When someone attacks you on social media, how do you take it?

The answer to all of the above is by creating and cultivating a strong brand. Your brand is your promise. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room. Branding makes you strong.

It’s not easy.

It’s not cheap. 

It might be one fatal blow or it could be chipping away and a long, slow death.

Either way, not having a strong brand will cost you everything.

Branding is survival of the fittest... and the smartest.

If you want to build your strong brand, drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

“I can’t lift my arms” and other marketing jargon.

“I can’t lift my arms,” I texted Scott, my trainer.

“What a great feeling. Embrace it,” he shot back.

“I agree. And I would embrace it… if I could move my arms.”

Embrace it? I could barely text it. I just finished (barely) one of his grueling workouts. I was fried and I couldn’t feel better.

Scott’s a devil about developing a plan that includes cross-training and challenging you, changing it up and resting. Working on different parts of your body so that the different parts get stronger and support each other. He mixes in cardio so that you have endurance to make it through and keep getting in better shape.

Sometimes, it’s so tough that you wonder why you put yourself through it all… (I really hate burpees) until it all pays off with the results you wanted all along. The results even surprise and delight you as a client.

It sounds suspiciously like an integrated marketing plan to me. The goals sound great, even audacious. Next comes laying out the integrated plan. The plan takes expertise, creativity, and, well, planning.

Execution is next. Do it. Stick to it. No quitting.

Finally, it’s time to measure the results… for the moment. Really, there is no finish line. To stay in (marketing) shape, you have to keep pushing yourself to new and better things for your brand.

Just don’t tell Scott he’s a brand strategist. He has a big enough head already.

My dog is the greatest salesperson in the history of the world.

--> Perseverance doesn’t do him justice. Look up synonyms for the word relentless. You’ll see his picture, tail wagging in a blur. How many times have you heard that Steve Jobs said the difference between success and failure is simply perseverance?

My dog never, ever, ever quits.

If he thinks you have food, he is on you. If he hears anyone open a popcorn bag or the crackle of a belvita cracker wrapper, he pounces without hesitation. He doesn’t wait for permission or wonder if it’s okay to ask for the order.  James Altucher would love that he always chooses himself.

As Dan Waldo would say, he doesn’t stutter-step.

He doesn’t wonder if the timing is right. He goes. He is hungry. And he is on it. Hunger is often referred to in sales. My dog has it. Anthony Iannarino would love it.

Here’s the best part, the key to his unique selling proposition – he always adds value. He never fails to wag his tail. Even though I know he wants my food and not my affection, he makes me feel so good that I don’t care. That tail wag is enough to make me feel good.

We all do business with someone we like over someone we don’t like. This is even more powerful when the like becomes love.

His enthusiasm is contagious. He is genuinely glad to see me every time I walk through the door.

No wonder he always makes the sale.

Do you make anyone feel that way? If you’d like to discuss, please drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Brand Loyalty Cuts Both Ways

In many a conversation with CEOs and company presidents, a recurring goal is it to achieve brand loyalty. Everybody wants brand advocates who will stick by them no matter what. Brand advocates will do more than support a brand in which they believe… they will get active, from organizing events to defending their beloved brands when under attack on a social media channel.

Do you want brand activists?

You have to be loyal to your base. As you grow and navigate and basically write the brand story as you enter new chapters, you have to stay loyal to your core supporters.

They loved you when nobody else did. They were out front in their love for you and always had your back.

You owe. You need to be the same brand that they loved from the beginning. You need to stay true to your core values and protect those who loved you. You need to scale your brand and constantly remind yourself of what got you to the promised land.

Your brand fans. Hold them dearly and never let them go. Never miss a chance to show them the love and respect they have earned.

You, the brand, need to be brand loyal. If you remember this one thing, your brand family will always love.

Brand loyalty cuts both ways.

If you want to talk brand loyalty, drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Don’t say the same thing. Say your thing.

 What’s your thing? What’s the one thing that you do that makes you authentically great? If you don’t know, find it. If you have more than one great thing, rank them in the order of importance to your potential customers… not to you.

Don’t worry about trends or what your competitors are saying or how they’re saying it. Don’t worry about keeping up with the social channels. 

Remember how you acted in high school? Did you act like your authentic self? Why do you think so many people hate reunions. High school is the high-water mark for cringing.

Grow up. Don't go for acceptance. Go for authentic.

Don’t worry. Focus. Do.

Act. Don’t react. Redouble your efforts with singular focus.

What’s your thing?

Does your thing help people? Focus on them.

Listen. Do your thing. Say your thing.

If you do a great thing but you don’t know how to say it, don’t turn it over to your assistant. Hire a pro. It is too important. If you can help someone ease their pain but they don’t know it, you cannot help them and neither you nor your potential customer can thrive.

Do your thing… and do it great. If you need help finding the right customer with your own true voice, hire a true pro. Drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.