Wizard Wisdom

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Dear Scott, What people say they do, and what they actually do, can differ significantly. "I've always enjoyed meeting business people for the first time in restaurants. The way they treat the wait staff tells volumes about their character and their view of the world. It predicts the way they treat other people in business dealings." - Chuck McKay, Wizard of Ads Partner When we go into a new client's business to do an Uncovery, we watch and study what people do. We dig and probe. We come to our own conclusions. Reason being we need to tell our client's story to the world. So we need to tell the truth. And if we find flaws or leaks in the customer experience, they need to be fixed, before we start advertising. Our Uncovery process plus the strategy and implementation that flow from that process, is what helps increase our client's gross sales. So in this issue we are concentrating on one part of that process... The Sword in the Stone. Enjoy. Wizard Words... The Sword in the Stone At Wizard of Ads we never develop a marketing strategy, recommend media, build a website, or write persuasive copy for a client without first doing an Uncovery. Our partners at Future Now Inc explain the importance of Uncovery this way... "You cannot have successful marketing without strategic planning. You cannot have successful strategic planning without successful Uncovery. There’s a reason why we call it “Uncovery.” Some companies believe marketing is about being creative and making something up – that’s what agencies are for. Smart companies realize successful marketing conveys something that is real or true. The purpose of Uncovery is to make visible, uncover, or disclose important truths about your company and your customers." And the most important part of Uncovery is... the Sword in the Stone. I'll let founding Wizard Partner Roy H. Williams explain... The Sword in the Stone, Excalibur, was the symbol of everything Camelot stood for. It was the axis around which every decision revolved and it embodied all the values the people held dear. And no one could remove the sword from its place except Arthur, the true and rightful king. In business, a true and rightful king is the person with unconditional authority to say "absolutely yes" without first having to check with someone else. Don't confuse a company's Sword in the Stone with their "unique selling proposition" or "mission statement." It's much mightier than either of those. Unique Selling Propositions and Mission Statements are notoriously limp, missing the mark every time by asking, "What's true of our product that isn't true of our competitor's?" and "What is our mission?" A person with his hand on the Sword in the Stone isn't likely to ask silly questions at all, but rather say... "This is who we are and what we stand for. You can like it, you can lump it, or you can take it down the road and dump it, but we will forever remain who we truly are." Sounds like a great way to live, doesn't it? (Unless, of course, you have the backbone of a rabbit; then it sounds just plain scary. But then everything sounds scary to a rabbit.) But I digress. Advertisers rarely abandon campaigns that revolve around their Swords in the Stone. And sword campaigns tend to perform much better than those built merely upon clever ideas. A company's Sword in the Stone embodies its core values and defines its essence, and from these flow their non-negotiable standards and their customers' positive experiences. Does your company have non-negotiable standards? Do your employees and your customers know exactly what you stand for... and stand against? If your answers are yes, yes, yes, and yes, you may possibly have the ingredients to erect a powerful and iconic Brand. Superficiality is never attractive. Customers are attracted to the genuine, the authentic, the real. In the words of Robert Frost, "We love the things we love for what they are." Likewise, employees take strength, stamina and joy from knowing what their company stands for. "Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying." - Studs Terkel What unusual policies does your company have that revolve around your Sword in the Stone? And in what Stone is your sword securely planted? PS Did you notice the beginning of this post stated one of the Wizard of Ads non-negotiable standards? Another is, we only ever deal with the true and rightful king of a business. Grow your business, subscribe to The Wizard Chronicle. It's our free gift to you. Previous stories, just in case you missed them: One Way to Build a Successful Business Why the Rule of Resemblance Fails Delivery First... Words Second 4 Things Never to Do When Writing Ads Cost Cutting...Should it be an Ongoing Process or an Event? A Closing Thought "In the end all you really own is your story." - Hugh Jackman's character from the upcoming movie Australia. Are you making sure your story is a good one? See you next week. Craig Arthur Wizard of Ads PS. Need help to attract more customers and grow your business? Australia Call (07) 4728 4866 or email craigarthur@wizardofads.com North America Call 308-254-2732 or email daveyoung@wizardofads.com Call 440-610-9746 or email tomwanek@wizardofads.com We will never try and sell you. You may punch us in the arm really, really hard if we do. Call or email to book a FREE alignment meeting. No obligation. No pressure. It is at this meeting we both decide if there is a fit between our 2 companies. It is only then can we explore your options. We will never try to sell you. Call (07) 4728 4866.

Wizard Partners Australia. Call Us: (07) 4728 4866

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