Benefits. Not features.

All to often we see companies in the B2B space push their features rather than their benefits. This is understandable as the default mentality is that customers are looking to buy features. They search for who offers the features they need. No one searches for benefits. So companies in the B2B space tend to want to separate their features from their competitors' features. But by emphasizing the benefits behind those features, they can actually begin to separate themselves. This is where true differentiators are born. And this is the 'meat' of a good brand. You want customers to think of you because of the benefits you offer them. Not just the features they want from you.

Radio Interview on 570AM KLIF

Listen to mundayMorning's President/CEO Angelo Antoline, as he spends two minutes with John Criswell on 570AM KLIF's "Texas Business Update". http://bit.ly/2UlB0R

Marketing Health Care Clients

Providing marketing for health care clients can be challenging and rewarding at the same time. The reward comes from being able to create credibility and compassion as quickly as possible so that the public can make a personal connection to the facility or practice. Our health care clients have much to offer those who are in need and we take a personal interest in making sure the extraordinary services our clients offer are conveyed properly to their prospective patients. But we also enjoy the collaboration of working with the marketing directors for these facilities and their knowledge is key for a joint successful marketing plan and execution. The challenge is being up to date on all of the changes this industry is encountering and staying in front of the curve when creating the right message. I found a great blog that supports the health care industry and this could be a valuable resource for both agencies and marketing directors. http://bit.ly/Hg4D

How Important is an Agency’s Culture?

From my point of view, that is all an agency truly has, its culture. And this so-called culture changes ever so slightly over time as the agency grows, shrinks or even plateaus. The change of such culture is not a bad thing, it’s just evolution. So what exactly is your agency culture? How is it defined? Is it the dress code? Or is it the color of the walls? Is it the absence of walls? Or is it the flexible office hours? The answer is, yes. And there are plenty of other characteristics that help define your agency’s culture. But there would be no existence of culture without the actions of the employees. From upper management down to the interns, the culture is lived out everyday. And that culture only survives if the people responsible for it continue to feed it. The culture is the ‘glue’ that keeps your agency unique and your employees and co-workers connected. And that is a powerful intangible force. So, how important is an agency’s culture? Rhetorical? You bet!

Accepting Reality Should be your Strategy

It may be pride, it may be stubbornness, but not facing reality can be detrimental to your business moving forward. Business owners recognizing the challenges the business faced in the recent past and accepting what lies ahead is invaluable to any business. It is easy to assume that ‘reality’ in this economic wonderland means something negative. For some businesses, facing reality during these times might be opportunistic. This is business’ opportunity to re-evaluate the company’s employees. Are the best people in the best positions within the organization? There is a flood of talent sitting out there who would jump at the opportunity to make your business better. This is a chance to come out of these economic times as a more polished organization. If your business has been slowed outside of your control (economy) and you continue to run your business as if nothing different is happening (ignoring reality), you may suffer financial consequences too large to overcome. The quicker business owners accept that what is actually happening is real, planning ahead is easier and positive results are much more likely to occur. The downfall of most companies is when the leaders of the organization plan ahead when they are already behind.

Death from Powerpoint part 2

I am sick and tired of seeing seasoned well intentioned sales executives butcher a dialogue with a client because of their crutch, freaking Powerpoint. I swear some Business Executives really rely on it as their only way to communicate with clients. It is a drug for them. They have to have it in the room or heaven forbid they might actually have to be so prepared for the meeting that they could just talk. Remember just talking and figuring out a need, a pain point that the client has and then trying to work up a solution that would make that pain point go away?

Now that I have left the Corporate sales world and am in the Advertising space I see even a worse travesty of justice happening. Creative people, designers, Architects, Advertising pitches and Web Designers all using Powerpoint to convey a creative solution. That is like trying to show the beauty of the Grand Canyon using LightBright.

So my soapbox for the day. Put Powerpoint away. I mean it. Do not use it for the next 6 interactions you have with clients be it a small meeting or a huge presentation. Get that pad of paper out or get that Whiteboard ready and start a dialogue during the meeting. Be so prepared that you are ready to brainstorm and or show the final solution in a dynamic and innovative way. Be creative again and even the most complex problem can be figured out with the old marker and paper. I promise.

Adam and I were tasked with finding out who a new client “really was” both internally and externally. Who were they? What did they stand for? What made them stand out in the marketplace? After over 25 interviews and over 130 pages of notes we simply began white-boarding everything we heard. We drew it out and looked for the parallels. 18 large whiteboards full of information later we saw the “Ah-Ha” moment. We saw who they were.

So try it. Push away the latest template with the headlines and 3 bullet points per slide. Draw it up and talk through it. You will be free my friend!

Death from Powerpoint

What happens when the business guy doodles on the computer!

Cooking versus Baking

One of my true passions in my life is cooking. I don’t mean fu-fu food either. I love cooking real food really well. I have four different grills in the backyard chosen carefully for what they can do differently from each other. I have an industrial fryer in the kitchen along with enough equipment and doo-dad tools to stock a good ole’boy diner.

When I cook it is Army cooking. I don’t know how to cook in small quantities. No one has ever left my house hungry. In fact my friends now know to come over with containers to carry an abundance of leftovers home. My wife rolls her eyes whenever I ask, “do you think we have enough?” It is never going to be enough in my head.

So my wife and I were talking about how I love to cook and she loves to bake. It led to an interesting conversation in the difference between inventing something versus following instructions to make something. When you bake you have to follow precise measurements or it will never come out properly. Sorry to all the bakers out there but BORING! My rib recipe has never been the same twice because I do not follow any “rules”.

There are times in business when you have to follow the rules. You need to follow a precisely measured out sequence of events to accomplish the task. But accomplishing tasks is never good enough for me. I live for those moments in business that transform. Times when paradigms shift and something completely new is created is what gets me out of bed in the morning. I work with clients that love to cook. I want the clients who take a look at the recipe book and then they toss it to the other side of the room and say “lets do this.”

So, who is ready for some ribs?

My new title: Dad²

Becoming a father changes you forever! I might have waited until my mid 30’s to become a father but it doesn’t really matter what age you are. Well, I guess being too old to help out with the 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. feedings (yes, feedings, plural because we had twins) would take something away from it, not to mention my wife would put me in a choke hold in my sleep (what sleep?).

The best way I can describe becoming a Dad is it’s the best day of your life but also the scariest. It is the greatest challenge but the best challenge. My sons Trevor and Caleb were born on May 5th, yes, Cinco de Mayo. At least we’ll have festive birthday parties and we can use the same decorations year after year and not worry about different party themes. And it gives me a great excuse to rent the ever-so-wanted margarita machine!

Becoming a father is nothing short of a miracle and the experience changed my life forever in a split second. Very few things have brought me to my knees in life but when you hear that first cry (or cries in my situation) – you can’t help but feel the jello in your knees.

I have a whole new respect for all mothers and fathers out there. I’m thrilled to be part of the “club” now. And the respect I have for my wife is untouchable. She is a miracle. I’m truly a blessed husband and a proud papa. It gives you a whole new purpose in life when you have children.

My Top 10 lessons and learns for the first week of being a father, and husband:
1. You quickly learn how to hold a baby and try to keep one hand free at all times
2. Stick to a feeding schedule as long as you can
3. Eat when you can – or it is a good diet the first two weeks
4. Sleep when they sleep
5. Do whatever your wife asks of you, no questions…she has been through way more than you
6. Pay someone to do your lawn and grab a cold beer instead
7. Get Pampers instead of Huggies and you can tear the wipes in half to conserve
8. Take a lot of pictures and get a FlipVideo camera ($100-$150 on Amazon)
9. If you don’t have one - get an iPhone before the birth for emailing quick photos
10. There is nothing better in life than having your baby sleep on your chest!!!
*Bonus learn: Changing a boys diaper can be challenging…”the fountain”

Congratulations to Ernest Health! – Hospitals named Top 10% in the U.S.

Congratulations to Ernest Health's (EHI) inpatient rehabilitation facilities - Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern New Mexico (RHSNM), Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital (NCRH), South Texas Rehabilitation Hospital (STRH), Mountain Valley Regional Rehabilitation Hospital (MVRRH), Greenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital (GRRH) and Elkhorn Valley Rehabilitation Hospital (EVRH) - for being ranked in the top 10% of 813 inpatient rehabilitation facilities in the IRF database of Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSMR) in 2008.

For the third consecutive year, Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern New Mexico (RHSNM), Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital (NCRH) and South Texas Rehabilitation Hospital (STRH) were cited for care that is effective, efficient, timely and patient-centered. Mountain Valley Regional Rehabilitation Hospital (MVRRH) has been recognized for the past two years and, EHI's newest facilities, Greenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital (GRRH) and Elkhorn Valley Rehabilitation Hospital (EVRH) were both recognized during their first year of operation.

Congratulations to the dedicated staff of all facilities for achieving this recognition!

So, Did I Hear You Correctly?

In the past three days I’ve had two clients tell me horror stories of agencies not listening to them. This really got me thinking about the art of listening. We here at mundayMorning tout that we listen, we approach every client and project with a blank sheet and that our Discovery & Analysis process sets us apart. That is great and I take great pride in touting that part of our personality but it is not the process so much as the art. The art of listening is where so many people go wrong.

Now do not get me wrong, some people just flat out suck at listening period. Three years ago, I was tasked by my wife to buy the family a mini-van. After fighting this idea and the last move to try and domesticate me forever, I finally gave in to the “request.” She knew exactly what she wanted and had done every bit of investigation and research one human can do on this topic. She was the Albert Einstein of mini-van knowledge. This was a no brainer for me. Even I could not screw this up. I walked in, sat with a New Car Sales Representative and said to the man, “Sir, this is going to be the easiest sale you will make today. I need a Honda Odyssey Touring Edition with Black exterior, Tan interior, a DVD system and Navigation.” The man listened and then said back to me, “Jeff, lets go over the features of the Odyssey and figure out what you really want.” Dude! Did you not just hear the specific list of exactly what my wife told me to come here and buy? I just handed it you on a silver platter. I simply got out of my chair and walked out.

The art of listening is more than regurgitation. It is more than trying to say, “I hear you.” It is hearing what lies beneath. Why is this client telling me this? What is the real pain point they are asking me to solve? What is their real vision they are trying to convey to me? What are they absolutely stating to me in black and white and does not need my spin on it? Deciphering all of those things sets the listeners you want to do business with apart from the ones you just want to get out of your chair and walk out.

mundayMorning welcomes a new client

We are proud and thrilled here at mundayMorning to announce a new client Reflect Systems, Inc. Reflect came to us looking for a comprehensive brand positioning plan along with many other things. Reflect is a leading provider of digital signage software and services in the enterprise space. We are excited to be working with such an innovative company. You can learn more about Reflect Systems at www.reflectsystems.com.

Star Wars and Brand Loyalty

The art of brand loyalty was shoved into my face by my 5 year-old son while on vacation last week. We took the kids to Disney World, and all that my son cared about was that there was a Star Wars ride. You see, Star Wars holds a special place in my life as I probably saw Star Wars 100 times in the theater while I was a small tot. I acted like Han Solo (Luke whined too much for my 5-yr-old taste) and wanted to believe that Chewbacca really existed.

I grew up into an adult Star Wars nerd that loves the original 3 films, and I have tried to pass that love onto my son. Here’s where brand loyalty and my Star Wars love became hotly contested. Much to my frustration, my son loves the newest 3 Star Wars movies made by Lucas. He loves all the cool action, Anakin Skywalker turning into a young Darth Vader, and yes, he even loves Jar Jar Binks. This is blasphemy to purists like me. How could my son have wandered off the purist path so far at such a young age? While at Disney he ended up not liking the ride because none of the new “cool” characters are part of it. His brand loyalty was tested. Are you kidding me? Do you know what I would have given to virtually fly through space with C-3PO and R2-D2 when I was 5?

This is what happens with brands. There is an emotional connection that consumers have to that brand that is personal when done correctly. My connection to the Star Wars brand is the same as my son’s; the love we have developed for the movies at such young ages. Mine is now a memory or a feeling I get when watching the original movies that reminds me of my childhood. For my son it is the connection he has to them right now.

Great brands make personal connections and weave themselves into the fabric of their consumers. Those brands then consistently look for ways to connect with new generations of consumers and give the same opportunity to connect as they gave to past consumers. That might mean changing, evolving, listening and engaging more with what the new generation needs. For my son it’s wild action with lots of computer generated coolness, while for me it was some guy dressed up like an enormous Wookie and the old-fashioned illusion of another world created and put on a big screen for me to bask in its cinematic glory.

As much as it pains me to say, Disney needs to update the ride to better reflect what the brand means to the new generation and not just cater to old Star Wars Nerds like me.

Yes, I said it. Wow that hurt.

Which generation of Star Wars are you?

Client Update: AESS Logo Design

Auto Equipment Sales & Service (AESS) was looking to enhance their brand image and Website design. They didn't have a logo design that communicated the sophistication of their services and they were primarily relying on their Website to drive sales. The new ownership realized they had to do something to make them standout in their industry and create a trustworthy feel with their prospective buyers. It was important to keep in mind the target audience: mechanics, automotive shops and small family-owned brake repair shops. This logo screams their industry of course but when you catch the A and E in the bug of the logo it has that touch of smartness the client was looking for.