by Areti Vassou
For the best gift
The best gift ever is my Team!
In Digital Marketing Industry it is very difficult to meet people that are willing to try something that is less trendy or out of “the safe zone”. Despite the fact that by definition, digital + marketing are promoting innovating ideas, people are not so open to this constantly changing world… you would be surprised by the denial level in our industry. Well, to be honest accepting all this wave of rapid transformation, it’s easier said than done!
Healthy business teams are in a position to digest the incoming new information and smoothly add them to their everyday workflow. Great teams can insert all new elements with grace and productive friendly noise.
Taking the next step on this, a person should feel blessed if she/he is surrounded by active and restless minds that are capable to form opinions on their own, without needing to agree or follow your ways. A productive and challenging disagreement worths a million! We as humans can push forward our elevation only if we are under the pressure and need of changing the way we do things. Exactly the same happens in the business world. You must Change to Play!
Embrace Disagreements
Avoid “yes-to-all” people around you. Embrace voices that want to be heard. Hear them out!
Turn your head to the lion hearts, which are ready to take the risk of trying the less traveled path. Trust the new generation and the different way of thinking. Respect those that have the courage to show you any pitfalls. Being bold shows character. Being open to feedback shows Ethos and Pathos. Morality and Passion to improve.
Do what’s right, not what it’s easy brings great results. Excellent teams can do exactly that. Can disagree with the chief or with the strategy of a project. They can bring the house down and shake the industry rules, just because they are open to inspiration for every single project. And that is a blissful process of creation!
My team is the best thing that ever happened to me. They know how to hug the unknown in front of us and they enjoy the ride into all unmapped waters. We don’t do meetings, we cook our future with hard work, joy and passion – especially when we are in the non-meeting-room.
Stay Curious
Protect your passion and inspiration. Start your day with “Why”
This works for me the last 20 years. I start every new day with this attitude: “Why should I do that in this particular X way? Why not trying Y way for a change?” …. ” Let’s give it a try!”
Sometimes it is a disaster, but some other times it is amazingly successful. Ok, success puts food on the table but failure is what makes us experienced and unique. Knowing what to avoid or how to maneuver when the situation is out of hand, is priceless.
Honesty & Generosity Pay off
Two years ago a company approached Ideadeco for rebranding and redesigning their website. It was a huge global project, but… our entire digital marketing team said the same thing: the client didn’t need rebranding or a new website, but fresh content and a solid digital marketing strategy. So at the next appointment with the client, he opened the dossier and found a blank page. “Sorry, we will not offer this service to your company”, I said with a calm voice. “Why? Well, that’s a first!” he replied in an angry tone…”What do you mean by that?”
Me: “We won’t offer this service to your company because you don’t need it. Your website is magnificent and your brand is well established. But the lack of fresh content is killing your website and it could use a solid digital marketing strategy for social media and email marketing. Are you interested?”
[5 minutes pause]
Client: “Ok, tell me more! I am interested to hear more!”
The result? It is still a successful and ongoing digital project that generated 4 new ones, so far.
Stay Informed
New digital tools and trends rise every 4 hours. Try to stay informed but keep your feet on earth. Just because something is a trend doesn’t mean that is good for your business. Try before you judge and test before you sell it.
Merry Christmas!
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
Would love to read what was the best gift for you, which broke the ephemeral first excitement and increased in value over time.
For me, still the moment I got my first bicycle stands as the best gift ever. And everything after that compares to that everlasting excitement and joy that something is as precious and adventurous as that: The thrill of the ride!
What’s yours?
