ROCKS AND STONES - Part Two

Do you trust your CEO?

I recently read an interesting article on the Fast Company website that ranks how people trust. In 2009, 47% of the people surveyed trusted people like themselves while 31% of the people surveyed trusted CEOs. In 2011, the survey states that 43% of respondents trusted people like themselves while 50% said they trusted CEOs. Why the change? You would think, with all the upheavals our country has been through over the last few years, that people would have less trust in their corporate leaders.

Other than CEOs who make news because of bad behavior, perhaps, as we leave the recession behind, CEOs are trying harder to make sure their employees, their customers, and their vendors do trust them. Because, where there's trust, there is loyalty. Where there are strong values and a moral code, there is a sense of belonging. And belonging builds a sense of family.

Trust and a sense of family is the foundation that Shamrock is built on. It's why we offer each person who comes to work with us a stone, which represents a piece of "the rock". We're passing along our values, with a positive message engraved in that stone. Each message represents a code that says we're committed to treating every person with respect and building trust through actions, not mere words.

Trust is an important concept for businesses and business leaders.  How do you build trust? 

   1. Don’t lie -- ever. It breaks trust as quickly as a rusty chain breaks under pressure.

   2. Admit when you are wrong. It reinforces your humanity.

   3. Be consistent. Never waver on a decision.

   4. Support your people. Always.

   5. Communicate. Then, communicate again. Mistrust thrives on miscommunication.

I'll bet you could read these same "management tips" in a family parenting magazine. Because, after all, isn't a well-managed company a lot like a family?

ONE LAST THOUGHT

Think about this: There is no "i" in "us".

One thing that holds true for most families is how they support one another through life's ups and downs. They talk about the problem, share ideas, and focus on ways to find a solution. And they emerge stronger for their effort. Like little stones gathered together to form the strength of a rock, like a family, the people at Shamrock work together as a team -- and we can find a solution to any problem, for ourselves and for our customers.

ROCKS AND STONES - Part One

We decided to call our blog "the rock" because it's easy to remember, and  it's also a shortened version of our corporate name.

But, "the rock" symbolizes more than just a name. When I hold a rock in my hand, I see something that will last a long time, and I imagine where it's been -- its history --  and I wonder how it was formed through years of chaos, stress, and growth. That small rock reminds me of Shamrock;  how we've survived storms and upheavals. And I have to believe that we've succeeded because of our core values, which help us remain solid, even through difficult times. And, let's face it, the last couple of years have been hard on even the most resilient companies in this country.

Much of our core values, based, in part on the Gung Ho! philosophy, are part of a management theory called Gong He, a Chinese way of thinking that means work together. Gung Ho! is about good practices that  empower employees to work together, yet function as independent thinkers who are able to take initiatives that benefit them and the organization. Big words. Big thoughts. But, I'll explain how this helped forge Shamrock's strength, even during difficult economic times.

Another important part of Shamrock's work ethic is based on Fish, a philosophy that encourage fun at work and choosing to be present with a positive attitude. Gung Ho! and Fish are twin philosophies Shamrock lives by, and they helped us grow stronger as we, like many of you, muddled through the biggest challenges of the greatest economic recession this country experienced in decades. When you have some spare time, check out the award-winning, funny, and uplifting Fish video here: http://www.charthouse.com/productdetail.aspx?nodeid=24103

Here's a small sample of how these two philosophies helped us through the past couple of years: It hurt me, but in order to preserve jobs, we had to initiate furloughs a couple years ago. This put a dent in the budget of many families. We all made some sacrifices so that we could emerge stronger, with fewer layoffs. Now, we're back full time. If not for our inclusive philosophy that springs from Gung Ho! and Fish, we could easily have lost some of our best people. But, we survived intact -- and stronger than before.

ONE LAST THOUGHT

I believe if you make work about fun, family and community, and treat people with respect, your company will survive almost anything.  As part of our family, when new members  are hired, they receive a piece of "the rock". Walk through our offices and on each desk you may find a polished stone, engraved with a mindful message of our sense of community. The stone may have the phrase "Be Present, or "Make Someone's Day." Every stone is a simple reminder of a each person's unique differences and strengths, which make "the rock"  a force of nature that can withstand almost anything.

HEARD ON THE STREET - Part Two

In Part One, I shared some statistics about the ravenous appetite mobile has for gaining new followers. Here's just one more. ABI Research ( a marketing research firm in New York), estimates that mobile marketing will explode during the next five years. ABI suggests that display ad budgets will especially skyrocket, with mobile ad spend bursting from today's $313 Million to more than $1.2 Billion by 2015.

When I learned that mobile is a billion dollar growth industry, we knew this was a prime business sector for Shamrock. And last year we invested time and capital to develop a premier mobile marketing group.

Our first step was to hire an enterprising mobile marketing strategist. Ryan Workman became a steadfast mobile fan just before the birth of his son.

Using a mobile marketing strategy, a national baby retail chain targeted Ryan and sent a promotional text message. He read the message, signed up for special offers with his zip code, and he and his wife were on their way to baby shopping nirvana. They received incomparable deep discounts on furniture and accessories at a location close to their home. They were able to make a specific appointment to meet with a sales associate. They received additional discounts for inviting friends to visit the store. All from Ryan's mobile phone. No mail. No phone calls. One text message started a new relationship.

Ryan uses this technology, and other mobile strategies for several Shamrock customers today. With a customized dashboard, we can generate the appropriate age and zip code for a customer's promotion, and then duplicate that message to everyone within that same demographic in mere minutes. We also have the tools to tell you who among your target audience used the promotion and how many dollars they spent.

If you can think it, we can usually design an app that is location-based, contains new customer-driven content and functionality, and provide you with ready-to-use updates (such as, advising patrons that there are only four Saturday night reservations left at their favorite local, trendy bistro down the street). I believe that mobile is limited only by our imagination.

Looking to the future of mobile marketing, we're among a handful of companies developing a geo-targeted app that recognizes the location where the user is based and provides targeted offers. As an example, let's say a mobile user is walking down Main Street at noon. His phone will text a lunch suggestion from the restaurant 30-feet away. He walks into the restaurant, orders the item, saves $2.00 and enjoys a hearty lunch. The restaurateur is happy, and the mobile user saved two bucks.

One Last Word
If you're curious about mobile marketing, give Ryan a call at 440-250-2189. Tell him Troop sent you.

HEARD ON THE STREET - Part One

Today, heard on the street means a lot more than talk about the stock market. Walk along any street in America today, and you see people gazing into a small, handheld device and using their thumbs  in quick staccato, making a soft  tapping sound. With their heads bent and their fingers waving to a beat only they can hear , they seem like maestros of the streets.  The music these maestros are conducting is the growing beat of mobile marketing, a booming business sung to the tune of $6 Billion slated to be reached before the end of this decade. In 2010 mobile marketing generated $500 Million in sales. Certainly, music to the ears of early adopters to the mobile industry.

There's no doubt in my mind that mobile marketing is the future of enterprise growth. Mobile marketing has raised a whole new generation of business people learning  a whole new crop of words, including blue tooth transceiver (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe3lxzMo6gU&feature=related), app, QR code, geo-targeting.  Actually, I don't really care how the technology works -- I'm just excited to see what it does for business.

Recently, Ryan, a mobile marketing fan who works at Shamrock told me how easily mobile marketing  captures consumer attention -- and dollars. A gadget nut, Ryan purchased a blue tooth transceiver last year, played around enough to feel comfortable with the technology, and scheduled an appointment with one of our customers to demonstrate how mobile marketing can be used to generate profit for her business. They walked into the mall and an instant coupon for $5.00 off at the local vitamin store popped up on his phone. They walked into the store. Showed the clerk our online coupon and walked out with a good deal - for her, and the store clerk. She got $5.00 off - the clerk got a sizable new sale.

Mobile marketing should be called fast and furious marketing. Industry research shows that 90 percent of text messages are read in 4-minutes. The reason it's so timely is that most people have their cell phone on and right within reach for more than 16 hours a day -- and they respond more quickly to mobile messages.

At Shamrock we're so intrigued with mobile marketing and how it will change the way we all practice business enterprise, that we've invested hours of planning, learning and purchasing to set up a new mobile marketing division.

One Last Word

Look for the second part of this post in a few days, and I'll share some new mobile marketing ideas with you.

One Last Thought
I'd like to know if you've used mobile marketing for your company. Was the program successful? Did it meet your marketing goals? If not, why do you think it missed the mark?

UNDER THE KALEIDOSCOPE

Never thought I'd be writing a blog. Seems more like something my kids would consider. But there are some new ideas simmering at Shamrock, and I realize the best way to them, and what's new in the industry, is  a blog. Hopefully, this will give us a chance to engage in some problem-solving dialog, answer questions and talk about trends heading our way faster than a high-performance sports car at Le Mans.

A true story

Recently, I was walking through our building with a customer. He saw several kaleidoscopes on display, and asked me why I collect them.  I thought about it, and immediately realized why I'm so fond of kaleidoscopes. They're  so simply designed that, with a slight turn of the wrist, they create a pattern that pleases everyone who looks through it. A kaleidoscope really is just a simple tube with a circle of mirrors containing loose, colored objects such as beads or pebbles and bits of glass. But when the  viewer looks into one end, those pebbles and bits of glass come together to create a whole vision that is complex yet so simple in its balanced perfection. Essentially, a kaleidoscope simplifies chaos.

Aside from the complementary principles of complexity and simplicity inside a simple tube, what fascinates me about kaleidoscopes is how each particle inside this cylinder works as part of the whole to create symmetry and a uniquely perfect outcome. (Unlike my golf game, which, lately, seems to lack symmetry -- or anything close to perfection.)

Our problem-solving process is like a kaleidoscope. When a customer comes to us for help, we gather a group of smart people with individual talents. Think of this group like those small objects in a kaleidoscope, working in harmony. They may use the Raving Fans Theory, plus their combined talents and Shamrock's cutting-edge technology to create an individualized solution to a customer's problem. Not too different from the symmetry inside a kaleidoscope. 

  

One Last Word

In this era of business enterprise where solutions are defined  by  new technology, we try  to remember that it's the individuality and different talents of the team who solve the problems, to actually make  the technology work.

And One Final Thought

I've heard that the first post is the hardest.  I'd like this blog to be about you, your company and what you'd like to discuss. Anything, from innovative ways to use mobile marketing to the latest techniques in digital printing, to innovations in testing direct mail.  We'll do everything we can to get answers and share them in future posts.

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