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It Was 25 Years Ago Today …

June 17, 1985. At about 7:10 that Monday morning, Mark Burris unlocked a door on the top floor of a High Point, North Carolina office building. Burris Creech & Tuttle was born. Mark had taken a career diversion, leaving Thomasville Furniture, where he was regarded as something of a wunderkind, to start a small advertising agency. I remember the Sunday full-page ad in the High Point Enterprise that announced our opening: “WE STARTED WITH A FEW PROBLEMS. NOW WE WANT YOURS.”

I was 30, and had been drafted by Mark to move away from Greenville and join a crackerjack team of creative problem-solvers. On June 17, twenty-five years ago today, we were officially in “the business.” If not exactly on top of the world, we were seven stories above Main Street, with a nice view of Pilot Mtn. in the distance. Man, we were fab.

Mark Burris (left) and Mike Harrison. From a BCT newsletter gag, circa 1987.

Mark was, and will always be my mentor. He introduced me to Springsteen and Poco, two-handed backhands, Porsche 914s (2.0L), B&O speakers, Tar Heel basketball, voting for a Democrat, an appreciation for literature and the concept of punctuality (which I have still yet to master). Mark inspired me to think outside the box, before box-thinking became fashionable. He convinced me that I could write solid creative copy. Most of all, he gave me the confidence that I could be really good in this business.

He still does.

Years ago, I realized this was not an especially great business if your goal was to make a lot of money. I know so many fellows who live a much grander lifestyle than I. But few enjoy what they do like I do. Few feel the energy rush of a great idea or a well-crafted paragraph that has the potential to change everything. I owe so much of this contentment to Mark.

I’m one of hundreds who’s had the privilege of working for and with Mark over these 25 years. I believe most of us shine a little brighter, laugh a little longer, play a little harder and work a little smarter. In a way, probably a subconscious effort to be just a little like Mark.

Happy Anniversary, my Friend. Got you on my mind.

Measure Everything

Last week I interviewed Scott Millwood and Michael Elliott for a newsletter piece I’m writing for our client, wealth management firm Nachman Norwood & Parrott. Scott and Michael are founders of Greenville-based Customer Effective. In collaboration with Microsoft, Customer Effective has become a rising star in Customer Relationship Management consulting and solutions implementation, with an emphasis on the financial sector.

The two spoke about the importance of creating measurable performance metrics, not only for their clients, but for their own business, as well. According to Scott, “there’s not one aspect of Customer Effective that we don’t have metrics established to track our performance.”

It’s certainly possible to attribute some of Customer Effective’s success to being at the right place at the right time. But others have had access to Microsoft’s technology platforms, and have nothing like the client base Scott and Michael have built in less than ten years.

A lot of businesses (Harrison Kohn included) track only basic financial data and little else. Meanwhile, Customer Effective creates a robust dashboard of performance metrics that touches every associate within the company. And it’s monitored every week to be sure each little building block is getting done … and to reward the appropriate individual for his/her accomplishment.

Frustrated with the economy? Feeling anxiety because you’re stagnating? Learn from two gentlemen behind one of South Carolina’s most remarkable companies.

Measure everything!

Sobering News

It’s been a sobering week, highlighted by the news of the takeover of The South Financial Group (parent company of Carolina First) by TD Bank. A lot of reasons for the demise of this once-proud institution. Real estate is at or near the top of the list.

It reminds me of Conor Dougherty’s piece in the Wall Street Journal from last week. According to Dougherty, the construction industry is running 13% below its year-ago level, and 25% below the boom-year peak. About 2.1 million construction related jobs have been lost since spring 2007. With the glut of housing, offices and retail space, don’t expect those jobs to come back soon.

Adding to the problem, homeowners aren’t able to borrow as much due to declining home values. Same is true for small business, where almost half of business owners secure loans with suddenly devalued commercial real estate.

Real estate and construction have typically helped to lead America out of past recessions. If that’s the case with the current one, we can’t realistically expect a full rebound any time soon.

We wish our friends at Carolina First well. We hope for brighter days ahead for Greenville, for South Carolina and for the U.S. economy. We need it.

Nordstrom & Dollar General: Lessons Learned

On consecutive pages in today’s Wall Street Journal, we read of Nordstrom’s 44% Q1 profit and Dollar General’s decision to add 600 new stores in 2010.

It would seem that upmarket consumers are tired of doing without and returning to Nordstrom in droves. Well almost. According to the story, fueling a lot of the Seattle-based retailer’s growth is a smart move to “accessible luxury” items … code for a wider assortment of budget-friendly merchandise.

Meanwhile, at Dollar General, CEO Rick Dreiling reported that the combination of value and convenience is driving sales. “Value means more today than it did two years ago, and no CEO thinks it is going to be like it was. We’re in a new spending norm,” Dreiling is quoted in the Journal. Interestingly, Dollar General is upgrading its non-consumable offerings by bringing in L’Oreal cosmetics and Hanes underwear.

These days, the most dangerous place to be is middle-market. No matter what your business, if there’s not a clear value message that’s understood by your core customer, your days may be numbered.

The Problem with Problems

Ran into our friend Tim Justice, president of Rescom Construction. Rescom is hands down the best in the Upstate at office upfits, renovations, etc. Fresh from a year serving as chairman of the Greenville Chamber, Tim continues to give a lot of energy and leadership to the local business community.

We spoke about the current state of mind of  business owners, and agreed that many have dispensed with serious efforts to build/maintain a strong brand. Instead, as Tim put it, the average business owner is “completely focused on short-term problems, usually at the expense of long-term vision. Do that long enough and it’ll confuse your customer base and your own workforce.”

We agree. It’s hard to think strategically when your marketing plan is being held together with duct tape. But the true survivors will always attack immediate business opportunities with one eye focused on their long-term mission and vision.

The Beauty of Hand-Holding

Earlier this month, Carolina Payment Solutions became the newest Harrison Kohn client. Appropriately enough (given our work for the Select soccer brand,) the relationship began on a soccer field, as Guy Kohn befriended fellow soccer-dad and CPS president Larry Feniger.

An experienced retail banker, Larry saw an opportunity to bring a more relationship-driven approach to a decidedly commodity service: merchant credit card processing. According to Larry, “most business owners and bookkeepers have no idea how to read their monthly transaction statements. Worse, they have no idea who to talk to about it. They desperately need a hand to hold. So far, that one thing has been the key to our success.”

Innovation is critical to success. But innovation without empathy is like tea without the sugar. It doesn’t sell very well on this side of the Mason Dixon line.

Turning a Workforce Into a Sales Force

When Spartanburg-based Clarkson Industries came to Harrison Kohn in late 2009, they recognized the potential of their supervisors in working directly with their customers in helping to identify and develop new business.

A longstanding brand with a 60-year legacy in millwright, over the years Clarkson has added other trades, including electrical, mechanical and general contracting. Often a customer will engage Clarkson for one specialty, and not realize the company’s proficiency in another area.

Project engineers and project managers typically know about future jobs that might be coming up for bid. So it makes sense for Clarkson’s supervisors to “educate” their contacts about the scope of the company’s expertise.

After months of interviewing Clarkson senior managers, project supervisors and employees, as well as PMs

The new Clarkson mantra creates company pride and a sense of personal responsibility.

and PEs from a half-dozen customers, we heard a sentence that just clicked in our minds: “Clarkson is MY company.”

Though mentioned by a customer in explaining the unique relationship he has with Clarkson, the line captured the essence of what makes the company so resilient after all these years: There’s a real sense of personal and corporate pride here. A mission to bring value and expertise to every customer, every hour and every day.

It’s such a simple line. But at its core, there is something very profound.

We often tell prospects that Harrison Kohn doesn’t “create” brands. The true brand is already there, for better or worse. Our job is to see it, hear it, shape it, energize it and reveal it. I think we’ve done a good job with Clarkson, and look forward to the next steps with this terrific company.

Pele Through the Lens of Walter Iooss

While my son hunted a new Ranger’s Apprentice book this afternoon at B&N, I was browsing the Sports shelves. A coffee-table book entitled Athlete caught my eye. A quick glance and I knew why: It’s a fascinating compendium of the work of Walter Iooss, maybe the most celebrated sports photographer of our generation.

As the copywriter on the Umbro relationship back in the late 80s while working with The Burris Agency, I was fortunate to meet Pelé (then an endorser for the brand in the U.S.). I actually wrote a few ads to commemorate the greatest to ever lace up the boots. On and off the field, Pelé was one of a kind.

Pelé from the Walter Iooss book "Athlete."

Iooss earned Pelé’s respect, and the two combined for many great shots that would buoy the Umbro brand. So it was natural for me to fast-forward through the book to see if one of the shots from a Pelé session made the cut.

And there it was. Not just Pelé, but the legend with sweat pouring down his face, caressing an Umbro Ultra. Twenty years later, the image still resonates, showing Pelé’s love for the “Beautiful Game.” I couldn’t resist buying the book.

I cheated a bit and snapped a picture on my iPhone to give you a “frame” of reference (pardon that). Hope you enjoy and will consider the book for your own coffee table.

Lessons From Vail

What a rewarding week it’s been! On Wednesday, Jared Ray and I flew to Denver and shuttled to Vail for three days to learn about (and document in notes, video and photography) Howard Head Sports Medicine (affiliated with our client Proaxis Therapy). Come June, we’ll launch a new website for HHSM, one of world’s most highly regarded physical therapy practices.

The best part of being in business of branding is hearing highly successful people share their stories. You realize that at the heart of every strong brand is a nucleus of exceptional people with quiet passion, clear vision and run-through-a-brick-wall drive.

John Feagin, flanked by Mike Harrison and Bob Leonard. Recognized as one of the world's authorities on cruciate ligaments, Dr. Feagin's deep values have enriched this renowned community of surgical and therapy professionals.

Guided by this kind of commitment, Vail Valley Medical Center, The Steadman Clinic and Howard Head Sports Medicine have established a reputation for innovative procedures that brings in elite level professional athletes from all over the world. Gold Medal alpine skier Lindsey Vonn and English soccer icon Michael Owen are two of hundreds who have been treated and rehabbed right here.

What strikes you about the Vail experience is the intense passion this medical team brings to athletes, who are equally passionate about their sport. The physicians and therapists don’t view their role as simply to mend what’s broken. Their mission is to develop better and better ways to help each individual perform at the highest possible level. That goes for every patient, not just the ones we see on television.

Hearing this from the hearts of Howard Head founders Topper Hagerman and John Atkins, as well as renowned surgeon John Feagin, was really gets the energy flowing. If every business could take time to reassess its own vision, mission and passion, imagine the difference it would make.

An Exceptional Mission Statement

Heard of Buca di Beppo?

I hadn’t, but when it comes to restaurant selection at a tradeshow, you tend to go with the flow. And so it was for Andrew and me as we joined our client Select Soccer at the National Soccer Coaches convention in Philadelphia. Reservations were made for Friday night at the Italian family style restaurant.

The little lobby as you enter Buca … in fact, every square foot of wall space … was some framed bit of Italian memorabilia. From the Pope to Sinatra to Juventus and Inter Milan (great soccer clubs), this place was a shrine to Italy.

As we were escourted through the kitchen staging area to our table, I noticed a bright red poster with the Buca mission statement and pulled out the iPhone to snap a quick shot. It talks about creating a “Celebratory Experience.” I thought it was one of the best I’d ever read and want to share it with you.

The food, the servers and the atmosphere at Buca never fell short of what was written on the kitchen wall. We enjoyed a great meal and a memorable experience.

At Harrison Kohn, we believe in the importance of a thoughtfully crafted mission statement to guide a company forward and galvanize the associates.