COMMON GOALS. A candid conversation with Tim Connor, President of The Shamrock Companies.

Interviewer:

What has shaped your business philosophy?

TC:

Before I came to Shamrock, right after college, I worked a little over two years for a large corporation. I was green; didn't know much about business. Luckily, it was an organization that believed in staying focused on quality and service, and expected me to follow that path, too. That has been my mantra from the start: "Provide customers with quality, service and deliver plus one."

Interviewer:

Would you say that your prior experience helped you get a job at Shamrock?

TC:

No doubt. I've been at Shamrock for 20 years, and it's the entrepreneurial spirit of this company that's kept me here.

Interviewer:

What motivates you to come to work every morning?

TC:

What first attracted me to Shamrock, and what keeps me here is the goal to always put the customer first. And it's not just something written on a mission statement; we truly live through customer service. I saw from my first day on the job that the people at Shamrock live, die and breathe for our clients. It's much more evident here than in larger, less family-oriented businesses.

Interviewer:

Did you come to Shamrock with a Customer First philosophy?

TC:

I guess that philosophy came through in my first interview, and it's probably what got me in the door. But I honed this skill from the master. Bob Troop, our CEO, has always conducted business with a trained eye to keep customer needs as our top priority. If that means staying at the office late to complete a job or staying abreast of technology that will serve our customers' best interest, we have all been trained to, as the saying goes, "Just do it!" Or, as Bob always says, "Just figure it out," which, to me, means you've got to be able to roll up your sleeves to take care of the client. That's the goal for each person who works at Shamrock.

Interviewer:

How is Shamrock using technology to help customers?

TC:

We are focused on data and data analytics. This means different things to different people, but at Shamrock we view it as a way to examine all the details of a customer's campaign. We help customers analyze their data in order to become smarter and more profitable marketers; ensure that they not only make money, but save money, while squeezing the best and most positive results out of every campaign. We help build brands by delivering their marketing message through different channels, including print, email, social media and other resources, and then determine which is working best. Each customer is different, so there's no cookie-cutter approach to what we do.  

Interviewer:

Why does Shamrock place such great emphasis on technology?

TC:

The utilization of technology helps us with the ability to understand our customers' business better. It will always be true that new, emerging technologies will drive business for us -- and for our customers. Shamrock has always been able to adapt and incorporate new technology into the marketing mix. Helping customers grow their business is our mission and we instill this in every employee. We continue to evolve and remain innovative to serve our customers' needs. We don't stop until we see that we can take part in helping their business grow.

Interviewer:

How has the economic downturn affected your ability to deliver for customers?

TC:

Our customers have become smarter about utilizing marketing dollars. For example, before the downturn a customer might spend $100,000 on a program. The downturn made that nearly impossible. Now, I see customers willing to spend $50,000 or $100,000, but they want to do it wisely. The difference today is that, while customers are coming back to spending $100,000, they're being smarter about allocating their dollars. They tell us, "If I'm going to spend $50,000 or $100,000, I want to be able to measure the data and look at my ROI." There's a demand for culpability. That's where data analytics plays a big part. Since the downturn, we're much more methodical with our strategic marketing and planning. Our goal is to help customers be smarter, and new technology plays a big part in that.