Carman Pirie's Blog

Conversation and who you serve

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk, You may be the head of some big TV network, You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame, You may be living in another country under another name. But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You're gonna have to serve somebody

- Bob Dylan, Gotta Serve Somebody

I spent yesterday in a series of Closer Conversations – joining one of my clients and five separate customers in conversation around a variety of business topics / issues / concerns / ideas. This is not an interview or a focus group – just good, old-fashioned conversation.

It was incredible.

Over the course of the day I witnessed new business relationships formed, others salvaged, problems solved, new products and services developed on-the-fly, and overall I saw marketers rediscovering who they serve.

A lot of people have spent a great deal of time analyzing why, exactly, businesses stop relating effectively to their customers once they reach a certain size. No need to cover that ground in this post. I’d rather spend my time discussing what to do about it.

What we’re doing here is getting out of the office and having real conversations with real customers. Lot’s of them. From there, we’ll gather together and harvest what we’ve learned and see where it leads. The fact of the matter is that we do not know where it will go – but I can tell you this: These people will be vastly better equipped to make wise decisions as a result of the work we’re doing together.

The value of rediscovering who your business serves cannot possibly be overstated. This engagement has me booked solid over the next several weeks – I’ll try to update as often as possible.

Time

This morning's Globe and Mail points us to this. Less time with family. Less time with friends. More time alone. More time at work.

Plenty of folks say this isn't sustainable. I'm not convinced of that. In some ways, it is remarkable just how adaptable we are as a species. So, rather than say it isn't sustainable, I'll just simply say that the current state of affairs isn't preferrable. There has to be a better way.

Hillary Billings of RedEnvelope has said that "in a world in which lots of people have plenty of money, what they really crave is simplicity and convenience". They also crave connection - and they're losing it daily. Simplicity, convenience and connection. Whatever you're selling, ask yourself how it can be changed to deliver these three simple things.

My guess is that it's worth spending the time necessary to figure this out.

Beavertails etc.

In our nations capital for an extended weekend - visiting with friends and enjoying Winterlude.

The most recent Closer to the Customer engagement is coming along nicely. We're scheduling 30 or so Closer Conversations around Atlantic Canada over the next 6 weeks or so. It will be interesting to see how the project evolves from Closer Immersions thru to Harvest and the actionables that result. I'll keep you posted.

I've got another project on the go that should produce a great deal of fun over the next little while. It will take me back into politics for a bit and we'll be playing with a mixture of conversations and blogging as a way of making things happen indirectly - more details as plans develop. Suffice it to say, I'm quite excited to be taking this on.

For now, it's back to Beavertails on the canal.

Sunday AM Television

I’m 20 minutes into CTV’s Question Period. Maybe 25. It’s all about the environment. Every last second. Canadians are now identifying the environment as the issue they care most about. An Inconvenient Truth really must be considered a true tipping point in every sense of the term. Amazing.

Shampoo, YouTube and a great Cabernet Sauvignon

Time and again, it’s apparent that most marketing folks just don’t get it. Sunsilk Canada succeeded in getting talked about, but have they done anything to build relevance in their brand? Look, a former life in politics taught me that the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about – I get that. But at what cost? If given the choice between introducing 2,000 people to my brand in a compelling, relevant manner while demonstrating that it plays a necessary role in their daily routine and introducing 2,000,000 people to my brand in a way that, at best, simply entertains them for a few minutes – I’ll take the former, thank you. What percentage of the 2,000,000 viewers are actually going to try Sunsilk’s product? Exactly.

As I write this, I’m drinking a glass of Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon – a great Californian cab. It costs under $19 here in Nova Scotia. A nice bargain for a fantastic wine. Did I find out about it via a foolish YouTube video featuring four wannabe actresses? No. Have I recommended it to countless friends and associates who mostly all now drink it regularly? Yes.

YouTube has a place in the marketing mix for a lot of organizations. But, do yourself a favor: Speak with authenticity about what you love in a manner that is relevant to whom you wish to speak.