New Year Resolution: Make Your Agency Better

6.5 Percent Unemployment, Surge In The Housing Market, Affordable Healthcare, Unicorns & Glitter

Unicorns & Glitter to the rescue!

Read on, trust me, I will get to what this means to your agency. . .

I’ve been traveling a lot lately and therefore watching a whole bunch of cable news. I go everywhere from Lean Forward to Fair and Balanced, with PBS sprinkled in.

I know first-hand that the sub-head I wrote is a whole ton of crap. Yes, even the part about Unicorns & Glitter, sadly. And the stark reality wasn't mentioned on cable news.

I live in Las Vegas, Nevada. The giant sinkhole of the Last Great Boom.

The reality is that the U-6 rate (actual unemployment including those who have quit looking) is 21.4 percent.

The reality is that the surge in the housing market is driven by, once again, speculators. That $600,000 home next door to me, that has foreclosed at least three times in five years, sold for less than $200,000 to a company that has a goal of 5,000 rental units.

The reality is . . . Affordable healthcare – the single greatest oxymoron ever. The bills get paid somehow, and whether it’s on the backs of the 20-somethings, or through higher average premiums (or taxes) for all, none of it really makes sense. Who does it make sense to? Perhaps the 12,745 individuals out of the 118,000 anticipated, who have signed up in Nevada as of the December 30 deadline.

The purpose isn’t to leave 2013 on a bad note. It is to enter 2014 on better note.

All of this ‘news’ points to one thing: get your act together.

Your agency. Your marketing department.

Stop all the waste that makes (or should make) you crazy.

• Eliminate the extraordinary overages in client hours (that you can’t bill)
• Communicate within – effectively and efficiently (get the documentation process out of email!)
• Know where every project is at any moment (and who’s working on it)

When your house is in order, you will have time to do stunning creative, attract more clients and hire amazing talent.

Be brutally honest with yourself about your agency or department, because those bullet points are the distractions that will keep you mired in 2013. 

It's such mundane stuff I'm amazed I have to point it out. But then again, you're probably so used to it, you just assume it's part of being in advertising. 

I’m not here to tell you how to do great creative. I’m here to tell you how to organize so you can.

So, by getting organized, you can affect change: reduce the U-6 rate: hire people so they can buy a house; and when you're more profitable, you can offer better healthcare than what's offered on the public exchange - another great way to attract top talent.

As for Nevada? A prosperous 2014. We get drones!

Pass The Kool Aid®

How sad, the very first entry on Google. When a brand is linked to tragedy.

What a shame that something that (for us who were allowed to drink stuff with sugar and fake color a long time ago) was so iconic and happy, has such a sad legacy.

So it goes with your agency.

Drinking the Kool Aid®

I see it every day. I hear it all the time. If you’re in Advertising and you have a pulse, can hear or read, then you know that digital Is Where It’s At. 

Digital is exciting. And it’s given a wide berth, both in consumption of client dollars and in agency resources.

The Adcontrarian calls out the questionable data, and the folks who worship it like the latest markdown at Filene’s Basement.

I agree with the Adcontrarian, because I too hear it every day and find it remarkable that intelligent folks actually buy in - hook, line and click-through - that because what they do is so important that following rules isn't for them.

I see it on the operational side, and it makes me wince.

I believe in the power of digital, mobile, viral – but advertising, whatever form (channel) used – it still has to sell stuff (eyeballs aren't conversions). And agencies that produce it have to make money so they can keep their doors open.

Your clients have to make money so they can pay you. If your digital wizardry doesn't work for them, then they go on to the next bestest Rainmaker. Basic business.

But digital is different, you say.

Yeah, and so are the people who do digital.

They run faster and jump higher than your average (traditional) ad team.

They have metrics, optics, engagement, conversations, insights, Big Data, on and on. (Frankly I can’t keep up with the language of digital.)

But what I can keep up with is this: you still have to run your agency as a business.

Yes you can have great strategy, planning, creative, execution and whatever else. But you have to know where things are at any given time; how much that project you just finished cost your agency (and you’re only worried about metrics for the client); how much more work you can bring on – and why you can do that.

I don’t usually drink Kool Aid®, but when I do, I drink cherry.

Now go forth, and create a profitable legacy.

Leading The Horse To Water

It’s true, you can’t make them drink.

It takes magical thinking and a sparkly unicorn to assume that all the best efforts to help an agency make changes – will actually work without the head honchos on board.

Best efforts require the support – and participation – of management.

You, guys and gals, are not exempt.

I do this for a living. Go into an agency, determine what’s wrong, and deliver the (often) brutal reality.

I don’t assume anything, but I do have expectations.

I can deliver, but it’s up to you to make change successful.

You're already successful? OK, let's see of you can translate your creative success to truly managing your business successfully.

Making enough to pay the bills and your employees; or keep the CFO off your back until you figure a way to cut back (or worse hide) staggering out-sourcing costs, isn't being successful. It's just survival.

Having fun? (If you are, then you are clueless and doomed to fail - sorry.)

Everyone – from the kid who picks up food for the all-nighter, to the Awesome Creative Strategists who dream the impossible, to the workers who get it done – have a part in making the whole thing work.

They are all part of the solution – and that means understanding and adopting how process works, defined roles create clear responsibilities, and new systems make things easier.

Even culture will improve.

Agencies who hire me* are making an investment in working better: creating efficiencies, understanding where they’re making a buck, getting their people to whine less.

This isn’t rocket science, or brain surgery, or anything remotely complicated.

It’s simply the realization that things could be better, hiring someone who will review, assist and guide you through the icky stuff you don’t want to think about – and make it happen.

However, it doesn’t really happen unless you – Principal, Partner, Owner, VP, CEO (or your favorite trendy title) – support the changes needed so you have fewer headaches, make your department more functional, and actually make a little more money for you and your company.

Bottom line: If you want to do all that magnificent creative, get your house in order and be a part of keeping it tidy.

Imagine that. Sparkly.

*email me your greatest headache: charlotte@charlotteblauer.com

I Am The Greatest

That is true for Muhammad Ali.

It is not true for software.

That goes for claiming that a specific software solution is the only one that does X.

I guarantee there is something out there that is similar.

Therefore, when you’re looking for a software solution for your agency, (yeah, definitely not as cool as Ali) forget the hype and look at functionality. How it will fit in with your agency workflow (you have that mapped, right?).

And for crying out loud, you do not need it to look like facebook®.

It does need to be user-friendly, integrated, and provide the reports you need to manage your work, your staff and your agency (aka get stuff done and make money).

It takes some research – and do interrogate your sales rep. They may say anything to make a sale, and they’ll give you a super-shiny demo. Give them specifics and have them demonstrate how their software will solve your problem. 

(I know you are looking at (perhaps new) software because you have a problem.)

And once you sign on the dotted line, be sure to set up the software to suit your agency’s specific needs; get someone who will shepherd the implementation process; train everyone who will be using it; and get everyone on board.

Including management. They can’t just push this stuff down and expect compliance without being part of the solution.

Ali trained his talent

Ask The People Doing The Work

If I’ve seen it once, I’ve seen it a thousand times. C-suite, Veeps, Directors, Managers – all making decisions on solutions based on their vast knowledge of how stuff gets done in an agency.

Bet they didn’t ask the people who are actually doing the work.

I know, because I’ve been there.

Something is awry. Throw something at the problem. Like software. Or a New Process.

Layers upon layers of awesome solutions thrown at problems – often at a significant cost to the agency – and always at a significant cost of employee time. Time spent to figure out what the heck to do with that new, awesome solution.

So the people doing the work find ways to make that solution work. To fix things. That’s what solutions are supposed to do.

But without a deep understanding or even a simple evaluation of what’s going on, those solutions become problems themselves.

How do we use this new thing? Who is actually going to figure it out? Is there a standard for how we’re going to roll it out? Was everyone even notified that this was comin’?

I can speak from my own experience, and from the experience I experience whenever I work with a client that has to fix something that is just plain screwed up.

The powers that be are considering new tools or processes. When it reaches the point where the blame game is being played out every day, you have to talk to the people doing the work to find out what is wrong.

Problems, issues, complaints rise to the surface faster than bubbles on that frosty microbrew at 4pm on Friday. You have to get to the bottom of the issue before you throw a solution at a problem.

Your staff is the greatest resource to solving problems – and evaluating solutions.

Start there. It’s so much faster.

And by the way. I love the complaint department. Don't ignore them.

They have laser vision when it comes to problems.

Cloud vs Client Server…Or Relying On Your ISP

I have worked in agencies and in-house marketing departments at a time when things weren’t going well. Unimaginable, I know.

Nobody knew where anything was. Projects late or over budget, or more commonly – both. The blame game. Endless complaining to partners, VPs, each other.

So we looked for ways to fix the problem. That’s where I came in. Figure it out. Find a solution. Implement it. Take the blame – thankyouverymuch.

Then
In the early days, we didn’t have the Cloud, but we did have an intranet. So we usually built a system for opening jobs, preparing budgets and schedules, and shared access – usually using FileMaker Pro, FoxPro, or some database program that someone customized. A proprietary system. Oy.

Later came the designed-for-agencies software like Advantage, Creative Manager Pro and others.

Then came Cloud offerings. Then came apps. The evolution of Agency Management Tools in a nutshell.

Now
Advantage and CMP (now Workamajig) now offer Cloud Versions of their software. Nice because you don’t need to invest in hardware or software upgrades (well, Windows 95® won’t do) and you can access it from anywhere your privileges allow.

Then there’s BaseCamp, which many think is an agency management solution. Nope. It’s a collaborative tool. And yes, you can buy all kinds of apps that will link. And if you want to manage your agency in bits and pieces, Be My Guest. Good luck with that.

Cloud is great.

But a couple weeks ago, my internet service provider, CenturyLink, had a 22-state outage. That meant, had I needed to access my agency data, I was S.O.L. The very nice person I spoke to at CenturyLink Customer Service said they were ‘working on the problem’ and ‘didn’t have an ETA on repair’. When I say she was nice, I mean it. Super friendly and super busy. Props for Good Customer Service.

By the way I live in Nevada. My daughter, in Medford, Oregon works in a supermarket. Their entire POS system was down during the outage. Imagine not being able to use your debit card for milk, eggs and Cherios®.

Most of us seldom lose internet service. But when we do, everything comes to a grinding halt. And it wreaks havoc. Everyone pops up – Hey, can you get on the internet? Try a different browser. Click, Click, Click.

I know this is how we do business now, but do give thoughtful consideration when investing in, and relying upon Cloud solutions to run your agency. Well, heck, this goes for any business.

Your source, whether it’s enterprise or an app, may rarely be down, but everything else in-between is vulnerable.

We are living and dying by the data we can gather and share immediately. When going to the Cloud, consider your provider, speed, and security.

No, this isn't an episode of Doomsday Preppers.

Now, where’s my typewriter and carbon paper.

Underwear and Deferred Maintenance and Your Agency

This story in MarketWatch caught my eye: Buy stocks when men buy socks – Socks and underwear sales may be an economic bellwether.

Ok correlation does not imply causation. You learned that in school. I suggest that sales are going up because of deferred maintenance.

I should create the underwear index and base all my plans on the economic bellwether of men’s underwear sales.

OMG! Too late. Wow, and Alan Greenspan followed this index. There’s food for thought.

To look back on the efficacy of this idea, take a look at this article from the Washington Post written in 2009, it states:

“The growth in sales of men's underwear began to slow last year as the recession took hold, according to Mintel, another research firm. This year, Mintel expects sales to fall 2.3 percent, the first drop since the company started collecting data in 2003.

But the men's underwear index -- or, conveniently, MUI -- may also have a silver lining. Mintel predicts that next year, men's underwear sales will fall by 0.5 percent, and as with many economic indicators, a slowing of a decline can be welcomed as a step in the right direction. Retailers are reporting encouraging signs in the men's underwear department. Sears spokeswoman Amy Dimond said stores are beginning to see more sales. At Target, spokeswoman Jana O'Leary said sales of men's underwear have been stronger over the past two months and multi-pair packs are moving.”

That – was 2009. Four years ago. Multi-pair packs. Sears. Target. How are things going now?

Oddly (to me), this is the Men’s Underwear Index. Do women cherish their unmentionables more and are willing to put rent money into a new thong or two? If we included women’s underwear-buying-habits would that skew the data?

I don’t necessarily see this as an upturn. I’m not a pessimist, I’m being realistic. I live in Las Vegas. The turnaround here is s – l – o – w.  A 12% up-tick in socks at American Apparel doesn't say anything to me about the economy. It’s conjecture. I place my bets on actually seeing people getting back to work.

In my enlightened opinion, it’s due to the fact that it is simply deferred maintenance – at some point you just have to buy new stuff.

That knock in the engine, the leak in the laundry room, the stomach ache that won’t go away. Or that mix of old and new – now redundant systems in your agency, that you haven’t realized, are too much work and producing very little data or efficiency. (See – I did get agency matters in there.)

No matter how well – or poorly – we’re doing, sometimes we just have to get a repair, fix a leak or go to the doctor, even if we don’t have insurance (yeah I know about Obamacare) – or search out a stellar system for getting your agency under control. (Did it again)

I think that the economy has been in a rut long enough; people have been un- or under-employed long enough that they just have to buy a new pair of socks.

Your agency is in a rut too, if you haven’t reviewed your processes, tools, and staffing (that includes a healthy review of ROLES) in a long time.

Keeping your head down and working is a good thing. But have you given any thought to the fact that all that mind-numbing stuff in-between – the forms, schedules, estimates, collaboration tools, email, spreadsheets, all that stuff – should be reviewed?

It’s 2013, Spring is here, time to face that deferred maintenance. Take a look in your sock drawer, organize and toss out the old, worn, and mis-matched.

If you can’t face the idea of throwing anything away, old socks, a bad process – call me. I’ll be happy to help.