FIR Podcast Network

Marketers. Love them or hate them, they serve a purpose and often are the backbone of growth within your organization. They have an innate ability to get down and dirty in understanding how and why people purchase products and services. By asking the right questions at the right time and providing the right tone and candor, they can take a relational conversational to transactional with ease. Marketers are creative problem solvers but often have a big problem – they struggle with communicating their value add and the impact on the pipeline.

In this episode of AMP UP Your Digital Marketing we meet Ken Pratt, a former educator turned Vice President of Marketing for Frontline Education. He takes us through how he and his team learned how to deliver their value, while generating a marketing pipeline that actually aided in the closing of about 38% of their closed/won business. As an organization he got really comfortable with knowing what the company needed and the problems they were solving. This lead to their three solid elements that helped his department communicate overall value.

 

 

Transcript:

Glenn: Welcome back to the show. Today we’re speaking with Ken Pratt. Ken, welcome to the show.

Ken: Hey, Glenn, nice being here, thanks for having me.

Glenn: Ken, could you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

Ken: So, I’m the Vice President of Marketing for an educational technology company called Frontline Education. I manage a pretty substantial team that focuses on digital marketing, content marketing, product marketing, event marketing, creative and design. And we are storming the education world.

Glenn: I always like to ask people who are in senior marketing positions, did you kind of grow up in a certain discipline within marketing or have you done the whole kit and caboodle?

Ken: I have a strange path into this world. So, I was a teacher, I studied history and then I taught English. And I will later say that I think my history degree was probably the greatest impact on my marketing interest because I had to think globally and historically about things. And it’s actually what I do in the marketplace. I think in that same way. I sort of chunk things the way I chunk history. There are bits and pieces and there’s the big picture and then there are the smaller pieces that make up the bigger picture. And I think my proclivity to marketing strategy probably follows that trajectory.

Glenn: Now, I know one of the things you and I talk about just before the podcast was a challenge that I certainly seen through my career and I think others have seen it is, sometimes that companies themselves, or at least marketing departments themselves, don’t always know how to describe the value-add that they’re providing to the company? Have you experienced that and how have you approached that?

Ken: Yeah, you bet. In many companies that I’ve worked with I was always often asking the question, you know, what is our value to the company? And how do we show that? And I think mostly that came from the fact that I was pretty sure that leadership didn’t value us or they certainly didn’t value my piece of the pie at the time. And yet, I started recognizing, in the early 2000s, as digital tools came along, that empowered marketers to do way more and to get way more personal with their prospects and their clients. That there started to sort of form this notion that there is an actual value proposition that companies recognize.

And so, I’ve been toying with that thought for years now. And I don’t think until this position that I’m in now, have I been able to actually crystalize it quite to the degree. I think at one point I crystalized as the value proposition as content...

You can certainly go it alone as an agency owner, but it can quickly get pretty lonely. On this week’s episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast, Chip and Gini talk about how coaching can help agency owners get more from their businesses.

Of course, Chip and Gini both provide coaching and advisory services for agency owners, but this episode covers a range of approaches that are available — well beyond the border of just their two businesses.

The co-hosts explore a range of benefits from coaching, including accountability, second opinions, useful insights, a shoulder to lean on, and more.

RESOURCES

* Get Gini’s help: Spin Sucks Coaching

* Get Chip’s help: Agency Business Checkup or Advisory & Coaching Services

* Vistage

* YPO

[read the transcript]

The February episode of “The Hobson & Holtz Report” features Neville and Shel discussing these topics:

* The Houston Astros’ owner hosts a clinic on how not to deliver an organizational apology

* Oracle workers are the latest to engage in employee activism

* Facebook has way more users than Instagram but Instagram is number one in some important metrics

* An IPO filing lists the company’s influencers as a potential threat

* How brands should handle communications during the coronavirus epidemic

* Twitter has changed the face of journalism (for the better)

* Dan York reports on resources to help you speed up your website, the Internet Society’s new “Open Standards Everywhere” project, job openings at the Internet Society, and how Google redraws its map’s borders depending on where you are

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog.

The next episode of For Immediate Release will be posted on Monday, March 23.

Links from This Week’s Episode

* Breaking Down the Astros’ Latest Public Relations Meltdown

* What to make of Houston Astros owner Jim Crane’s public (non-)apology

* Some Oracle Employees Stop Work in Protest of Larry Ellison’s Politics

* Employees for Ethics

* Change.org petition: Uphold Company Ethics

* Kickstarter has unionized, becoming the first tech company to do so as workers organize across the industry

* Instagram overtakes Facebook in audience of top 50 brands, study says

* Instagram brings in more than a quarter of Facebook sales

* Which Instagram Story Formats Really Engage Viewers [New Research]

* Instagram Is Adding a New Way to Find and Share Stories that Mention Your Profile

* How to Use Instagram Stories in Your Sales Funnel

* Instagram prototypes ‘Latest Posts’ feature

* Bad influence: When a brand’s social media stars repel consumers

* Companies Are Stealing Influencers’ Faces

* How should brands handle comms during the coronavirus crisis?

* How Businesses Should Handle the Coronavirus Outbreak

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Refine your service offerings and approach with proven strategies that will enable you to meet your growth targets. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert, Andy Goldstrom (https://aha.pub/AndyGoldstrom), Managing Partner at Midcourse Advisors, TechStars Atlanta Mentor and a university instructor.  Based on his background as a two time Inc. 500 entrepreneur and executive, he has learned how to exploit opportunities and minimize costly errors.  From these experiences, he developed a proprietary system called Business OffenseTM that gives business leaders the blueprint to accelerate success.

One of Andy’s recent success stories involved repositioning a real estate firm’s value proposition that enabled them to win two multi-million dollar accounts within 90 days. Andy is a strategic thinker, a detailed leader and a consummate professional.

If you are a leader of a service-based business and experiencing challenges that prevent growth and success, consider reaching out to Andy Goldstrom by visiting his website http://midcourseadvisors.com/ and going to https://aha.pub/AndyGoldstrom.

Here are a few AHA messages from this episode:

* Service-based business leaders who are struggling to achieve their goals, overcome issues and mistakes and finding themselves stuck should reach out to Andy Goldstrom. #GrowthStrategy https://aha.pub/AndyGoldstrom

* If you are questioning your strategic direction and want an actionable plan that will work, I can help you drive the right path to elevate your business. #GrowthStrategy #StrategicPlanning http://midcourseadvisors.com/

* Is your team struggling to reach your targets? My role is to guide you to develop the right solutions that address problems customers need and target, focus and win business through proper targeting and sales execution. #GrowthStrategy #SalesEffectiveness http://midcourseadvisors.com/

* I can evaluate your operations by quickly assessing challenges and effectively implementing tactical priorities to ensure success in your business. #GrowthStrategy #operational excellence http://midcourseadvisors.com/

* Do you wonder how to best manage your cash flow and invest in the right opportunities? I can help you determine the highest impact, easiest implementable investments.  #GrowthStrategy #FinancialManagement https://aha.pub/AndyGoldstrom

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, visit https://thoughtleaderlife.com/.

Find clarity and perspective through leadership coaching. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert Marcia Reynolds (http://aha.pub/MarciaReynolds), the president of Covisioning, a leadership coaching and training firm. She has provided coaching and training in 41 countries and is recognized by global gurus as the number-three coach in the world.

Through speaking, training, and coaching, Marcia helps senior executives, leaders, and coaches hold powerful and effective conversations that change people’s minds, hearts, and behavior. She can help you increase emotional intelligence, engagement, and results.

If you need clarity and perspective so you can figure out what you need to move forward as a leader, consider reaching out to Marcia Reynolds by visiting her website, https://covisioning.com, and going to http://aha.pub/MarciaReynolds.

Here are a couple of AHA messages from this episode:

* Senior executives who need clarity and perspective so they can figure out what they need and want should reach out to Marcia Reynolds. #LeadershipCoaching https://covisioning.com @MarciaReynolds

* Many executives have so much going on in their lives. Their heads are full and they can’t see their way forward. I can be your #LeadershipCoach and help clarify the decisions right for you and your business. https://covisioning.com @MarciaReynolds

* You have goals to achieve but are unable to move forward.  I can help you figure out the issues that are blocking you and how to resolve them. #LeadershipCoaching https://covisioning.com @MarciaReynolds

* Senior executives want positive results from all interactions. Employees want to be dealt with in an engaging way. I can help you hold powerful and effective conversations that can change employee behavior. #LeadershipCoaching https://covisioning.com @MarciaReynolds

* Being one of the first in the world to earn the designation of Master Certified Coach and having a doctorate in organizational psychology gives me the experience to help you gain clarity and perspective as a leader. #LeadershipCoaching http://aha.pub/MarciaReynolds

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, visit: https://thoughtleaderlife.com/.

Manage employee problems through an objective HR lens. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert, Cornelia Gamlem https://aha.pub/CorneliaGamlem, who has years of experience working with a Fortune 500 company at the operations and corporate level as well as with small businesses. She is skilled in human resource and business practices, policy and management development in a variety of firms and industries including privately held firms and nonprofits.

Cornelia co-authored The Manager’s Answer Book, The Big Book of HR, The Conflict Resolution Phrase Book and The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook. Those are all great resources for managers, business owners and HR professionals. She is passionate about helping CEOs and HR professionals with issues such as diversity awareness, workplace harassment, conflict management, performance management, effective interviews, team building and affirmative action.

If you are trying to manage employee problems, and are not being successful, you should consider reaching out to Cornelia Gamlem by visiting her website http://www.bigbookofhr.com and going to https://aha.pub/CorneliaGamlem.

Here are a few AHA messages from this episode:

* CEOs and HR professionals who are trying to manage employee problems, and are not being successful, should reach out to Cornelia Gamlem. #HRManagement http://www.bigbookofhr.com @bigbookofhr

* If employee behavior is less than desirable in the workplace, how do you get to the bottom of it? Finding the root cause may require interviewing people and discovering the background of what the issue is. #HRManagement http://www.bigbookofhr.com @bigbookofhr

* When dealing with employee problems, you need to bring somebody in from the outside. I have no preconceived notion of what is going on in your org and I can help you look at your employee behavior objectively. #HRManagement https://aha.pub/CorneliaGamlem

* Behavioral problems can be very disruptive and can affect everyone. The root cause is not always apparent. This is where Cornelia comes in with an objective lens. She can help you find a solution to manage your employee problems. #HRManagement https://aha.pub/CorneliaGamlem

* Many times, employee problems can be prevented by policies that make sense to everyone in the org. I can help make sure that your policies and practices are aligned with your company’s mission and culture. #HRManagement https://aha.pub/CorneliaGamlem

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, visit: https://thoughtleaderlife.com/.

As higher education faces increasing pressure to not just educate students but better prepare them for gainful employment after graduation, the student-run PR agency model provides some useful lessons.

Boston University’s PRLab is the longest-running such program in the United States, and co-director Amy Shanler joined Chip on this episode to talk about what it is and how it works. She explains how the students handle not just client service, but also the business and operations side of running an agency.

This show includes valuable lessons — whether you’re a student yourself or an experienced agency owner.

RESOURCES

* PRLab

* Amy on Twitter

ABOUT AMY SHANLER

Amy Pavel Shanler has 25 years of experience managing communications activities for multiple organizations and industries, including retail, technology, business, health care, and entertainment. As co-director of PRLab, the nation’s longest-running student-managed public relations agency and a cornerstone of Boston University’s College of Communication PR curriculum, Amy oversees a working, profitable and award-winning student-run PR agency. In addition, Amy teaches courses on media relations, principles of public relations, and crisis communications.

[read the transcript]

Learning how to spot — and handle — red flags can make a big difference in your agency business. Knowing what to look for, what not to ignore, and what action to take can mean the difference between getting saddled with a difficult client, bad hire, or otherwise challenging situation.

Chip talks with Gini about an article she recently wrote for Spin Sucks that explored red flags in new business conversations. The co-hosts then looked at other situations that might generate red flags and offered some practical advice for agency leaders in addressing them.

RESOURCES

* How to Spot Red Flags In New Business Relationships (Spin Sucks)

[read the transcript]

The Internet: A platform where people can connect to thrive. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert, Mei Lin Fung https://aha.pub/MeiLinFung, who co-founded the People Centered Internet with Vint Cerf so that everyone can have access to the opportunities that are made possible when people are connected. Mei Lin is a technology pioneer working to ensure that technology works for humanity in future generations.

Mei Lin specializes in working with people in communities to form learning networks in order to visualize, voice, take action and make their dreams come true. Her goal is to set up trading posts on the Internet frontier where people from different networks can exchange experiences and knowledge and find friends and fellow travelers.

If you are concerned about the direction of the Internet and want to do something to make sure it fulfills its promise, consider reaching out to Mei Lin Fung by visiting her website https://peoplecentered.net and going to https://aha.pub/MeiLinFung.

Here are a few AHA messages from this episode:

* People who are concerned about the direction of the #Internet and want to do something to make sure it fulfills its promise, should reach out to Mei Lin Fung. https://peoplecentered.net @MeiLinFung

* The #Internet is being used for all kinds of purposes. Oftentimes, it is used in a negative way. But do you realize that we have a great potential for changing this direction to a positive? https://peoplecentered.net @MeiLinFung

* I helped to invent CRM back in the early 1990s. I believe in using the #Internet and #Technology to help businesses understand their customers better and to build stronger relationships. https://aha.pub/MeiLinFung

* I studied under two Nobel Prize winners in addition to the inventor of the Black-Scholes options pricing model. This gives me the perceived credibility to help my clients do something about the direction of the #Internet and #Technology. https://aha.pub/MeiLinFung

* I feel I have a responsibility to speak up about changing the direction of the #Internet and #Technology. I am determined to use my intellect, voice, and heart to make sure that the world is a better place for future generations. https://aha.pub/MeiLinFung

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, visit: https://thoughtleaderlife.com/.

Improve yourself in the workplace through change management. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert Bernadette Boas (http://aha.pub/BernadetteBoas), founder and CEO at Ball of Fire Consulting.

Bernadette conducts change management consulting to members of a team or organization who are highly productive but are struggling with their peers and how they get along with other people in the workplace. She has over 25 years of experience helping people overcome personality challenges, as well as her own story of how she became a better version of herself, both professionally and personally.

If you recognize someone in your organization who is highly productive yet happens to be toxic to others and needs to undergo #ChangeManagement, consider reaching out to Bernadette Boas at http://balloffireconsulting.com/ or http://aha.pub/BernadetteBoas.

Here are a couple of AHA messages from this episode:

* HR and direct managers who need help with a team member who is highly productive but struggles with communication, teaming, and delegation should look at the work of Bernadette Boas. #ChangeManagement http://balloffireconsulting.com/ @BernadetteBoas

* Those who have undeniably great potential at work but irritate the people around them, who are then unwilling to work with them, should undergo a rehabilitation program. #ChangeManagement http://balloffireconsulting.com/ @BernadetteBoas

* HR and direct managers will see that the investment in rehabilitating their team members is worth it once they transcend from what they were to become a highly productive person. #ChangeManagement http://balloffireconsulting.com/ @BernadetteBoas

* In order to find the right program for them, I assess people on where they are and how they perceive themselves, followed by a series of more questions. It is a process that came out of my own experience. #ChangeManagement http://balloffireconsulting.com/ @BernadetteBoas

* Assessing people by asking deep questions can get take the convo to both a comfortable & uncomfortable degree. But I always start with a foundation of trust, confidentiality & support to help them become better. #ChangeManagement http://balloffireconsulting.com/ @BernadetteBoas

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, visit: https://thoughtleaderlife.com/.