Leadership: What it Takes to Succeed

by | Nov 20, 2013 | Latest, Management

I started at 3H not too long ago – and during my job interview with Miriam Hara (Partner, 3H Communications), I already got the sense that she was a force to be reckoned with. I’ve worked with quite a few female executives in leadership roles over the past decade and I always observe the types of people they are and how they achieved such success.

While I’m not an expert on how to be a leader (I’ll write another post when I become one), I’ve been given fine examples to aspire to. With a particular interest in influential women, I wanted to write this post on Miriam Hara and the specific qualities she possesses that, I believe, make her as successful as she is:

 1. Client-Focused
Some people are solely business-focused (ROI, efficiencies, strategy), which are all good things, but what sets leaders apart from associate-level, is that the leader recognizes that the client IS the business – thus, everything should surround that.

 2. Innovative
Knowing the best practices in your industry is important, but knowing how to stay ahead and be an expert at what you do, is what sets you apart. Know what’s trending in popular culture; what types of activations deliver the most engagement; what is visually appealing and makes the most sense.

 3. Unrelenting
If Miriam gave up the first time something didn’t go her way, she wouldn’t be where she is today: Partner at 3H Communications, Author of 3 e-books (Marketing Understood, Branding Understood, and Social Media Understood), and a true expert of all things Marketing & Advertising.

4. Assertiveness
She doesn’t take no for an answer. She doesn’t give up when things get hard. She is right there in the trenches with her team when there is a deadline to be met. She will tell you exactly what is on her mind so that there is little left to confusion. Miriam knows what she wants and how to get it.

 5. Fostering Growth
It isn’t enough to just be great if the people working under you aren’t learning from you. It’s important to lead by example but it’s also important to be the hand that guides your employees in the right direction. Having smart and effective thinkers working for you is an excellent ROI.

Of all these qualities, though, I think the most important one is the impression and legacy that you leave behind.

Like most things, it isn’t any good to be in leadership if it doesn’t improve the quality of work or life of those around you.

There are different personalities among the employees here at 3H, but what we all have in common is: dedication and commitment to excellence – something we’ve learned from Miriam. What are some examples you might have of leadership?

Manage Projects or They’ll Manage You

by | Nov 15, 2013 | Latest, Management

Project management is the ability to manage projects, and it is a true artform.

It seems like such an easy task to do, but it isn’t. In today’s fast paced environment, staying on top of the many demands, isn’t as easy at is sounds. True, some industries are more hectic than others, however, all industries have been impacted by the speed of business. We’ve all heard how “Time is Money” – and it doesn’t make it less true just because you’ve heard it a million times.

This is especially true in a billable hours setting when reporting time-spent on work is an integral part of your business. Clients trust that a business will not undercut them and lie about how much time it took to complete a task, but they also expect that the company they hire will manage projects in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.

This is where being organized comes in: you can be smart, fast, sales-focused and all that jazz – but none of it matters if you can’t stay organized. So before getting certified as a PMP, here are some tips on how to be an excellent Project Manager and manage projects effectively, effortlessly:

1. Understand The Project Intimately:
It is crucial to truly understand the task at hand before delivering any promises to your client. There are several elements that come into play when you are organizing a successful project: budget, logistics, time, labour, suppliers, vendors, revisions, etc. Ensure that you have a grasp of what is involved in order to execute a more seamless project.

2. Create A Workback Schedule:
Working backwards seems unnatural – but when you consider the only inflexible element, the deadline of the project, then you’ll understand why everything stems from there. It will also give you a better idea of how much time you actually have for every deliverable that needs to happen before the deadline.

3. Expect The Unexpected:
Murphy’s Law had it right – if something bad can happen, it will. When you are planning a project, expect that there will be several rounds of revisions; a supplier may not deliver on time; the printer will malfunction. My point is: give yourself some wiggle room in case something (and it probably will) bad happens.

Being proactive rather than reactive is a good skill set to have when you need to manage projects. Anticipate that things will go wrong and always stay on top of every task. Project management is an integral part of being successful, regardless of your position or industry. Manage projects or they’ll manage you.

What are some of the effective methods you have used to manage projects successfully?

Client relationships: Creating Success

by | Nov 14, 2013 | Business Success, Latest

Developing successful client relationships has never been “easy” work. At 3H, we have had the privilege of  having worked with some great clients over the last 25  years. It’s always a pleasure… at least mostly!  We have had the opportunity to create successful campaigns delivering on our promise of always putting out  awesome creative and, quite frankly, it feels great. Sure, we may have bumps and challenges along the way but when everything is said and done clients are genuinely happy about the success of the job.

And when our clients are happy, we at 3H are very happy campers.

When on time and on budget does not mean success… or does it?

Conversely, we’ve probably all worked for that other type of client. The one who is never happy. For them, it’s not enough that you bring the project in on time and on budget and that you produce some awesome result.  It doesn’t matter what you do, they won’t let on that you did a great job.  But really do they need to say it?

Client Relationships and the secret to make your client happy.

There’s a secret that’s saved our sanity countless times. There is a simple way to keep your client happy and to confirm mutual success. It’s called success criteria. Success criteria is a group of objectives used to define tangible business outcomes on which the success of the project is judged. Success criteria is used to establish what makes the project completion successful and to confirm that you have met your goals. Success criteria is defined at the beginning of the job. It establishes the definition of success of the project.

Defining success criteria is simple: Be specific.

There is one simple question you must ask your client in order to define your success criteria. “When and how do we know we’ve done a great job?” It’s the answer to this one question that will tell you what it takes to make your client happy and your project a success.

That’s easy, many say  just increase sales. But that’s not good enough of an answer.  You must be able to measure success criteria. So instead, you need to quantify the statement. It must be measurable.  Agree that when you increase sales by 5% then the project is a success. But don’t stop here. Even this measure leaves you open to risk. You must include a time measurement.  Increase sales 5% by the third quarter.

Success is obvious and your client is happy.

In order to know where you stand and keep your client happy, define success criteria at the beginning of every project. At the end, you can meet with your client and both agree that your project was a success.Your client will know that you met your objectives and you will know where you stand. There is no question or doubt.

Your client is successfully happy whether they tell you or not… and that makes you happy too!

Retail Marketing: Be Seen and Heard

by | Nov 12, 2013 | Latest, Marketing

In the saturated world of retail marketing, how can you ensure that you will be seen and heard?

There has been a noticeable shift in Retail space over the past five years: a face-lift, if you will, on mass retailers such as Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), Holt Renfrew, and several other major brands. Along with the refresh in storefront appeal, a lot of these brands have also created Smartphone applications and social media fan pages to reinforce their image and sales strategies.

For these retailers, what does it mean to have new competition enter the arena? With emerging brand re-designs, it just takes that much more to stand out. This is where a succinct and detailed brand strategy and an effective social media plan can ensure a more fruitful ROI. Design an effective retail marketing strategy today:

Bonnie Brooks, President and CEO of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), has completely turned the department store into one that deserves an honorable mention. Adopting big name designers, gaining exclusivity to having Top Shop in a couple of HBC locations has already put them ahead of the game. In 5 short years, Brooks has managed to re-position the department store and make it a must-go destination when shopping.

Retail Marketing and more specifically, promotion doesn’t stop at POP banners and weekly flyers, however.

The Hudson’s Bay has a 6.5k following on Instagram. Holt Renfrew has 38k followers on Instagram.Retailers know that to expand their reach, they must turn to the Internet and create an online community to reinforce the offline one.

For a retail company, it’s arguably easier to gain a following on social media sites such as Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook – and a little more difficult for those who are marketing services (in some cases) to gain traction amongst followers. But in tandem with my previous post (communication in the social age), knowing your audience and understanding their interests and behaviour will give you a vantage point in marketing to them.

Even in social media, there must be consistency and a call-out to one’s brand image. It isn’t ever just posting for the sake of posting. Remember: everything that is viewed in the social media will lead to conclusions being drawn and will either reflect positively or negatively on your brand. Make sure you understand this before posting.

So how do smaller, specialty stores make an impact on the social community? Arguably, social media has afforded smaller brands to make a big impact simply by designing an effective communications strategy that reinforces their brand. I’m convinced that successful social media plans have less to do with the product/service they’re selling and more to do with the impression they leave with the community.

Consider for a moment Canadian fashionista Jaclyn Genovese (Owner, JacFlash, 1036 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1H7, jacflash.net). With a knack for all things fashion and trendy, she has managed to run a flagship store in Toronto as well as a successful e-commerce site. To reinforce her business, she has a substantial 7.2K following on Instagram (@jaclyngenovese) where she doesn’t only promote product but she also promotes herself as the face of JacFlash – and rightfully so, she’s gorgeous.

Running campaigns with hashtags: #fallcontest #HBCrewards, for example are effective ways to trend on sites like Twitter and Instagram. This has proven effective for more than just marketing campaigns; hashtags have been used to organize guest photos at events like weddings.

Although a lot of brands have caught on to this trend and manage excellent social media plans, there are still a lot of companies that need to get on board.

What are some of your favourite brands to follow?