A colleague and friend recently reached out to me with a question about connecting marketing efforts with the “essence” of an organization. Could organizations, as they worked with him to construct their brand and story, also develop who they were as a company and why they did what they do.
Of course, this allowed me to get back up on a ‘thesis’ that I’ve been mulling around for the past 12 years. Through marketing firms, leadership development companies, managing a chamber and watching 400+ businesses do what they do, I’ve had this itch around marketing and organizational truth.
Thesis: If you don't know who you are, where you're going (or want to take other people like your customers) or why you're doing this (the business), no amount of marketing in the world will help you create a great, lasting company, product or service. The story you share with your customers and could-be customers has to be true, authentic, passionate and align with your internal self (as a business).
Perhaps not earth-shattering and probably thought up by others. However, I do think a self-discovery expedition can bear great fruit for not only your internal organization, but for your marketing team.
The Mission, Values and Vision of an organization can often be seen as “too simple” and “old-school” and at the worst, scoffed at by many for being “redundant and repetitive.” But, every time I bring an organization through the actual process to define their mission or purpose, define their values and create a compelling vision or aspiration, they are always amazed by what they create, touched by how much it means to them, and passionate to begin the work.
Here is some of what I bring a company through and where I directed my friend to start to work with clients to define who they are, where they’re going and why they’re in business.
MISSION
The mission answers what we do, how we do it, for whom we do it for and most importantly, why we do it:
What: What needs is the organization attempting to fulfill? Define in terms of customer needs rather than the products and services provided. Spend time discussing how broadly or narrowly to define the answer to the “what” question. Also ask: what quality or attribute sets the organization apart from its competitors?
How: How will the organization achieve its goal such as being a low-cost producer, providing innovative products, offering electronic shopping, etc.? How is the organization different from others?
For Whom: Which market or segment of the market is being served by the organization?
Why: Why does the organization perform the function that it does? Simon Sinek "Start With Why"
When completed, use this checklist to be certain you have a quality mission statement:
Gives the organization an identity
Defines the purpose and explains why we exist
States the principle aim
Reflects what is important to the organization
Inspires and gives meaning to what we do
Is clear and understandable
Is brief enough to keep in mind
Provides flexibility for growth
VALUES
Values define how you expect to regard your customers, community and suppliers, how you want to behave toward each other; and what will have priority, the lines you will and will not cross.
Values reflect our assumptions and beliefs, especially about our relationships with employees, customers, and the corporate culture. Values serve as a decision-making guide and a source of energy for the organization.
Values shape the behavior of the people in an organization. They determine how people treat each other, how they approach their work and how they interact with others. Remember Johnson and Johnson’s quick response to the Tylenol scare? It was their Credo (values) that guided their actionsWhat are some of the major decisions the organization has made that have had a positive consequence? What values are expressed in these decisions?
Questions to think about when talking about values:
What is the ideal version of what the organization might be?
What principles and key values did our founders have?
What are we willing to “die” for, lose, and risk?
What do we spend considerable time and money on? What have we spent the most money on?
Who are people important to the organization and what do they value?
Are the current emerging values cherished beliefs of the organization?
Do we like the values that have emerged? Do we expect these values?
Do we see a pattern where the same values emerge in different circumstances?
Do any of our values pose a problem for any constituency within the organization?
What have we done to promote our values?
Do we show interest in our values through our people, training, etc.?
How much time does the organization spend on each value in any given month?
Have we identified the core behaviors that connect to each of our values?
VISION:
A vision is a picture or description of the future the organization wants to create. It shows where the organization wants to go, how it will get there, and what it will be like when it gets there:
What are the beliefs and assumptions in the organization that are congruent with the vision?
How can we create structures that will be consistent with those beliefs?
What patterns of behavior do we want the structure to produce?
Can we describe tangible events that would indicate that the vision has been achieved?
A clear and compelling Vision can be easily captured and communicated by using the 5 Ps: Purpose, Picture, Plan, Performance Measure and Part. When these are all put together into 5 sentences they can frame your elevator speech to “sell” the Vision.
Purpose: Creating that “case for change” or vision for why we need to change is a critical first step. It might sound like this: “To become a regionally recognized Chamber for membership growth and assistance, operational and leadership excellence, and a catalyst for Southern Vermont economic development.”
Picture: People remember visuals more than they do words. So our next step is to create a metaphor or example that sticks with the person after we’re gone. “Our vision of becoming a regional chamber will look like a net or umbrella from one end of the county to the other providing services throughout the region including travel and tourism efforts, advocacy, small business development and economic expansion.”
Plan: People generally can only remember clusters of three or four concepts at a time. So, we need to keep our plan simple and memorable. “Our first step will be to educate people on what a regional chamber means, then create some opportunities to showcase our products and services and finally, rebrand the look, tone and feel of the Chamber, logo and all.
Performance Measure: It’s important that our elevator speech let people know what success will look like. “We will measure success based on membership in the Northshire, partnerships throughout the region, earned media and greater public awareness, acquiring ongoing feedback through multiple avenues, and investing in the Chamber and the rebrand by the end of 2020.”
Part: Here is the most critical piece of the elevator speech. We need to give the person a specific task that they can do that will help move the quality change along. “So, we're wondering if you could be a "Chamber Champion" when it comes to our work to regionalize. Here's how you can help..."
Marketing is asking someone to change what they currently have and to try something new:
The secret to change isn’t really a secret at all; it is however, systematic and constant, and requires diligence on the part of the person wanting someone to change. Think back to the last time you tried to implement a change. Once you were convinced the change was appropriate, how much time did you spend planning the change – what it would look like, how it would be rolled out, or who was going to coordinate it, before you started convincing others? There have probably been a number of times where someone has responded to one of your questions with, “Well this is something new and we’re not quite sure what to expect. We’ll need to wait and see.”
One flaw many of us make when implementing change is to immediately jump in headfirst, without giving thought to what’s below. We must start with the belief that there is a significant amount of work to be done on the part of the change implementer before the first words of change are ever spoken in order to ensure a successful implementation – but where to begin?
Beckhard and Gliecher believed that three things had to be present for meaningful change to occur, and that without these three components change initiatives were inherently flawed and at risk of failing. They combined these three things into what is known as the change formula: D x V x F > R
D = Dissatisfaction with Status Quo: The ‘D’, which is the first step in our change process, stands for Dissatisfaction with Status Quo. In essence, we must be able to articulate why it is unsafe to stay where we are (or in marketing, why the consumer must change products/services to yours). We can do this by creating a "Case for Change"
A Case for Change answers:
What is the background for the change? What has led up to this need to change?
What challenges or problems are we facing in the current situation that will cripple us if we don’t begin addressing them today? What is the impact of these challenges?
What will happen if we stay the same? Why should we act now?
What are we going to have to let go of and why?
What will the change require? What will it cost us to change? What will it cost us if we don’t change?
How will we know when we have succeeded?
V = The Compelling Vision: Once we’ve developed a clear case for change, we must share our vision of where we’d like to get to. In this case the ‘V’ stands for Compelling Vision - check out the Vision section above.
F = First Steps: Next in our sequence is the ‘F’ or First Steps. This is typically where we slip up. We started ‘talking’ change before we’re ready to implement, and just talking about it is considered a first step. It is the act of initiating the change that classifies as a first step and because we’ve set the ball in motion, we’ve opened ourselves up to resistance. When at the right time and appropriate, we can start to move forward with First Steps like a strategic plan, committees, marketing plan, hiring an executive director, etc.
There is a lot there, but I believe that if you take the time to really work on your mission (who you are, what you do, for whom you do it for, and why you do it), your values (how do you make decisions and why), and your vision (where are you going), you will transform not only your marketing, but your life.