Firms selling services in this market have learned how to
keep up by being connected to institutions and developing relationships with
leaders. Hospitals have gone through
acquisitions and mergers during this time.
These changes alone have made it difficult to stay on top of who is in
charge of what.
The oil industry is one of the biggest change agent
industries in the world. They make
multi-billion dollar investments on exploration that will not pay back for 20
years. They use a method called scenario
planning. Yet, there are firms in our
industry that stay connected despite the constant changes in oil and energy
markets.
Of course, there is volatility in other markets as well.
But, the examples listed above should suffice for the purposes of this
article. The butterfly affect in weather
explains how even the flapping of butterfly wings thousands of miles away can cause
disruptions in weather patterns here at home. What can cause disruptions in your firm and your firm's clients?
Marketing services professionals respond to thousands of
clients requests each year. In a world
of constant change, they need to understand how and why those requests have
come to them. To be successful in this
climate, you need to understand the competitive nature of the markets your firm
works in, the corporate culture of the clients you want to work with and
internal strengths and weaknesses of your firm.
In other words, you need to be connected.
Questions that need to be answered in order for you to be
really connected include: Can you see patterns in a story your client is
telling you? What is your firm’s mission
and how do you find common ground in your role as marketing services
professional? There is a cause and effect. What if everyone in your firm is not on the
same page? Some people in your firm
might not be clear about your purpose. We
are hard wired to have a need to have a purpose. You are the change agents
connecting your people to clients and often management to frontline staff. You must build bridges.
When was the last time you thought of yourself as a bridge
builder. Bridges make life better when there are connections between two shores
with a body of water flowing underneath. What gives you the power and edge is the
ability to build bridges between people, people and clients, clients and
vendors and even clients and clients. The
world in turmoil flows underneath the bridges built by marketing services
professionals. When the dots have been jumbled by change, it is your ability to
connect the dots that will bring success to your career and your firm.
In addition to bridge builder, you must be seen as an
advocate, seeker, counselor, interrogator and communicator.
When you give clients perspective and guidance, you are also
giving them hope. Not the simple hope
that tomorrow will be a better day but the realistic hope that the project they
are planning will be a success with your firm at the helm. Do you look at yourself as someone who can
bring stability to your clients when things are changing all around them?
When you work strategically with a client are you prepared to
ask, “What if and if then?” Vince
Lombardi is often misquoted as saying, “Winning isn’t everything, it is the
only thing,” when he actually said, “Preparing to win is everything.”
In a world of change, preparation is the key to success for
every marketing services professional.
Improving how you connect with everyone will integrate preparation into
all of your actions. Integrated preparation with true connections
will build client trust and acceptance of your firm’s superior ability to
complete their project. That is an outcome everyone is looking for, even in a
world of change.
