The 3 Roles You Need In Your Agency

One of the most influential professional mentors I’ve ever had, George Valva, CEO of the former promotional agency DVC, once gave me some great advice on what it takes to make a successful marketing agency.  It came down to finding the balance of 3 crucial roles.  They are not official job titles but instead, personalities that you need to have in your agency.

THE FINDER:

This is that big personality that knows everyone and can sell anything.  Most likely The Finder loves his or her marketing job our business.  They’ll come back from a night of beers at a pub and will have managed to secure a spot for the agency at an upcoming pitch.  A friend of a friend of a friend of theirs owns a well funded start up who just so happens to be looking for an agency. Naturally The Finder gets the agency in.  Somehow they manage to find work everywhere. Don’t expect them to manage that business though or follow through on the nitty gritty details.  That will be a disaster.  For that you need…The Minder and The Grinder.

THE MINDER:

Give them an account to manage and it will go beautifully.  The client will like them and be very happy.  You’ll probably even get organic revenue growth from the client. The Minder will most likely will end up “friends” with the client and the client will consider them a trusted partner.  However, don’t pressure them to up-sell outside their comfort zone.  The client’s trust in The Minder will be damaged if they are perceived as constantly selling additional work. When you want to introduce new ideas and extended services, bring in additional team members like The Finder above.

THE GRINDER:This person gets sh*t done.  Often a senior PM or very detailed account person is the ideal Grinder.  They are usually pretty direct and honest and might even be considered “rough around the edges” which isn’t always the best in front of a new client.  Following process is a priority to The Grinder and they are great at hounding people for deliverables.  The Grinder is crucial to get things done.As you read this, I’m sure you can immediately think of colleagues you work with and how they fit into these roles.  There are even employees who have the characteristics of 2 of these personality groups.  However, there will be one role that they master.   Make sure your agency has the right balance of Finders, Minders and Grinders.

Greatest Facebook Status From A Friend Marking Her 1 Year Anniversary of Being Diagnosed With Cancer

This is a FB status post from my most awesome-ist friend on her one year anniversary of being diagnosed with cancer.  Most importantly she caught it quick, had surgery, proton therapy, targeted radiation and a lil' bit of chemo and is doing just fine.  And God-willing will continue doing just fine without any further issues.

"F you cancer. Exactly one year later, I’m still here. You suck and I hate you. But guess what? I was born with my glass half full. And yes, I can find something good in the horrible experience you forced me to go through. I am happier. I live every minute richer. My brain may be fuzzy at times (I am human!) but now there is a clarity to my soul that I cannot explain in words. I experience things in a way that is way more meaningful and I have ZERO patience for people and things that bring me down. All because of you, bitch. My heart beats stronger and my soul is deeper. When I close my eyes I see every detail of my children’s faces and it sends me over the moon. I understand that life is fragile, precious, beautiful, awful, scary and amazing all at the same time. I have empathy beyond empathy. So go on, shadow me if you must for the rest of my life- however long God decides that shall be. Because THAT is up to Him, not you."

Things I Think When I Watch the Walking Dead

Zombies skulls are really fragile -  I can understand a rotted zombie that's been roaming around since the start of the plague having a sensitive cranium but even "new" zombies die from head blows less severe than ones I get bumping my head in the shower.

Why don't they just fence out the zombies again?  It seemed to work for a little while at the prison and at the Governor's town and at Terminus?  Just fence off an area and plant veggies !  Why do the survivors keep choosing to roam the woods?

Does is ever rain?  or Snow?  What are Minnesotans doing during this zombie apocalypse? A frost-bitten zombie would be a great visual addition to the show.

Jawless and handless zombies worked.  Why not try again?  I miss Michonne's domesticated walkers.  Just because they died doesn't mean you can find another 2 or 64 zombies to keep on a leash to ward off the rest?

Do fat people not become zombies?  Yet again, fat people apparently don't survive either.

I guess there was one

Are people that mean?  Would the only remaining survivors of earth really be that mean to each other?  Surely there are a few people that would band together and form a new village or something without a) becoming canabals b) following a deranged dictatorial meglamaniac c) having zombie gladiator fights d) attacking former military and government figures

Apparently kids don't become zombies too often either



The creators of Walking Dead have to be wrestling fans?  Rosita? or AJ Lee? Abraham? or is it Sheamus?

AJ Rosita

Rosita Lee

Sheamus Ford

Abraham Sheamus

A Picture A Day

I almost have no business posting a blog entry about this.  At least not yet.

A little over a week ago, I decided to try something that I've seen many people start (emphasis on start) and more people including myself have probably thought about doing .  But I did it. I started posting a Picture a Day.

FOLLOW MY PHOTO OF THE DAY

Of course, let's see if I can keep it up.  So far it's much easier than posting frequent blog entries.  A picture a day, we all can do.  Just take some shot somewhere during your day.  A person, an object, anything.  I might take a pic of my kid, maybe my shoes, maybe an ant, a leaf, a smashed sub sandwich that was run over or some other dumb nonsense! Who knows.

However,  I do have criteria.  The picture has to represent the day. It has to have meaning. It has to be something that triggers a profound or meaningful thought of my day.  I always found it unbelievably rewarding, before going to bed at night, thinking about the day that just was.  What was the best part?  What did I accomplish?  Did I live the day right?  At first it seems a little heavy but it's actually the bomb. So much stuff goes by in life that is pretty amazing and damn funny. 

My other criteria are:

- Not winning any photography awards.  Just a simple honest pic from my phone or a readily available device 

- No heavy effects.  No retouching, no instagram filters, no alterations (although if simple filters become built-in with future iPhone camera app release, I may consider allowing it. 

- Flickr.  One day I logged back into Flickr for the first time in 1.5 million years.  It's a pretty cool service and seemed to be getting some great buzz through Yahoo's resurgence.  I've had an account forever and my ID actually goes back to the "Hometown Tales" days when I was regularly podcasting on urban legends, folklore, myths and more.  I miss having the time to post about those things anymore so I found it fitting that since my Flickr account is under "Hometown Tales", sharing a brief daily pic and often simple story was appropriate.  

- A Brief Write Up. Each pic I post has to have a brief explanation of why that photo.  So in a way, my picture of the day is also another mini blog entry.

I still am a fan of Instagram and use it often.  Although some pics may find themselves on both accounts, I generally use Instragram for other types of pics, perhaps more than once a day or maybe even once a week.  My Flickr "Pic a Day" set is specifically for the picture that represents my day.  Plus as a social media guy, I feel I need to spread the love on the social media channels.  Ya know because my social media clout is so influential (sarcasm is incredibly intentional).

So welcome to the Pic a Day, Photoaday, Picture of the day, whatever you want to call it.   Follow me on Flickr, enjoy and let's see how long i keep it up.  Start one yourself and let's see who continues the streak longer :)  Rock on !

UPDATE :  This was a total failure because the Flickr app on the iPhone was terrible and crashed all the time.  I really did try though.

Jump...high...in the air

I’m definitely hooked on this CrossFit thing. I’ve been doing it since last Fall but that was only outside in a park. The “box” (Crossfit term for gym location) that I belong too only officially found indoor space in January.

Today was the first day where my whole struggle was mental. I was attempting to test my first box jump height. I felt like a little kid trying to learn how to ride a bike or dive in a pool. The only thing keeping from jumping my max height was fear. Don’t let this video fool you. It took me 15 mins to do this jump. And clearly I physically could easily do it but it was a total mental block & fear.

A patient Coach Katie waited & got the final silly moment on video.

Once when feeling perplexed about life, the drama of work, money & daily life struggles, I simply blurted out a statement to my 2 year old son - “Q, (short for Quintin), What should Daddy do?” It was a general open-ended philosophical question. He turned away from watching Elmo, paused, and responded instantly, confidently and without hesitation- “Jump…(pause) high…(pause) in the air”

The kid is right. Just jump. Just leap. Reach high, take a chance. It applies figuratively and literally. You have to attempt the leap at many things in life but also sometimes just physically jumping is damn fun. Just ask any 2 year old. Jump high, have fun.

Back in Black

What is more alarming?  When I was walking down the street and some random guy on a bench, with “Back in Black” blasting on a small amplifier behind him, yelled “AC-DC, 1979 !!!” at me - or-  How quickly, without hesitation, I rebuked him and said “1980 !”  

Guest Ring Announcer and Guest Commissioner

I had the opportunity to guest Ring Announce the other evening for D2W Professional Wrestling.  These guys put on a great show.  It was a 9/11 fundraiser benefitting a classmate who lost his life during 9/11.  All proceeds go to the Friends of Marty.

But not only was I the ring announcer, I was also appointed guest Commissioner !!!

So when D2W 2-Time World Champion, William Alexander Samuel Palmer (WASP) came out and accosted me for not having him scheduled that evening, I was quick to improvise.  The Massive Fan Favorite and quite large and impressive, Jersey Devil, was also free of a match.  With my guest-commissioner super powers I made the match.  Devil vs. WASP for the title.

Unfortunately, WASP managed to get himself disqualified.  The D2W Rulebook clearly states; the title can not change hands on a DQ.  Watch out next time Mr. Palmer !!!!