In business, as in life, we are often presented with moments of opposition or conflict when speaking up can create opportunities for improvement, growth, and new solutions. Having a foundation of trust, compassion, and confidence is essential in any working relationship, including business partnerships.
We believe that silence is marketing violence and feel a great responsibility to speak up and out when needed to best support our clients so marketing is on-brand and on-purpose.
As we guide our clients in creating and managing happy, healthy and wealthy marketing solutions, for new clients, we continually find ourselves uncovering issues or things can be done in a better way, which means we have to speak up and present solutions. Sometimes, this might ruffle feathers, but we are in the business of making things better and take radical responsibility to help our clients get marketing moving in the best direction.
When you run a business, having the best minds supporting you is essential to success. Hiring extensions of your company, like marketing advisors or managers, might be what your business needs to take things to the next level.
At Web Marketing Therapy, we are big believers in markeding® (not a typo, a mashup of the words marketing + education). markeding is the commitment we make to our clients to educate and empower them with ways to make marketing better, changes needed and sharing sustainable solutions to meet business goals.
We want our clients to feel comfortable, confident, and safe enough within our marketing relationship to be curious and challenge viewpoints, yet understand that we will push them out of their comfort zone if we feel they are a danger to themselves or the best interests of their company.
Our company amplifies the visibility, credibility, and sellability of our clients. Every member of the WMT team is encouraged to share their perspective to improve client marketing and is encouraged to speak their mind if they feel a system, situation, or approach can be improved. Speaking up opens the door to exploring solutions that might otherwise go unnoticed. It encourages teamwork, problem-solving, creativity, conversation and happier, healthier, wealthier marketing!.
WMT’s culture of encouraging assertiveness extends to our relationships with clients, it’s a two-way street. Our team has found that our best clients are those who ask questions, are open to feedback, and are not afraid to advocate for themselves and their brands, yet are open to accepting and applying expert opinions.
Knowing When to Seek Help
Marketing can be challenging. Speaking up for your business can begin by seeking help to keep things moving forward. Hitting a wall or realizing that you need direction and guidance for marketing are common growing pains for flourishing companies. Working with a firm that is solution-oriented to optimize your time and growth can be a powerful move to accelerate your goals and allow you the time to do what you do best.
Seeking expert support to identify weaknesses and optimize strengths is part of a solutions-driven approach to creating smooth systems and functional business processes.
You need marketing experts on your side who are truly your advocate.
Every business requires a unique approach to marketing and application of systems based on a wide range of criteria including the talents of existing employees and available resources. Companies that turn to one-size-fits-all marketing programs often overlook internal strengths or end up wasting money on inopportune trends.
At WMT, we don’t sell services, we offer solutions. Our detailed, five-factor success framework helps us build trust with your company and focus on specific areas that will drive your business the most by identifying usability, scalability, visibility, credibility, and sellability.
Being Open to Learning
Working with a marketing firm should feel like a healthy, positive, growth-oriented relationship. Our best clients often say, “Help me understand…” We love being able to share our knowledge and expertise while helping our great clients realize the purpose behind actionable steps. We love to educate our clients on best marketing practices so they can make informed decisions about their business direction and continue to excel.
It is common for new business owners to want to feel in control of every aspect of their business, or timid when it comes to pushing back or asking questions. Identifying partnerships that will allow you to build relationships to harmonize the growth process is important. Working with a marketing team that offers an educational approach
Growing Through Conflict
Conflict is a leading cause of change. While it is commonly considered with negative connotations, conflict, according to Webster’s Dictionary, simply means, “competitive or opposing action of incompatibles: antagonistic state or action (as of divergent ideas, interests, or persons).” Healthy conflict comes from a place of trust and compassion for what is in the best interest of the group or the other party. Speaking up to voice concerns and opinions should always be a welcome aspect of business partnerships.
WMT balances the interests of our clients with the art and science of marketing. What external conflict may look like is helping clients align their values with their goals through creative problem-solving. Internally, conflict arises from always doing what is best for the client. Opposing views can be met with open and honest communication and feedback to determine the best course of action.
There’s an art to marketing; there’s a science to marketing. But if you do it from a place of heart, everything will fall into place.
WMT understands that our clients might not always agree with our initial approach. Sometimes the situation requires additional information or education, but sometimes a draft or product simply doesn’t align with the client’s vision. Being in a partnership means we are also willing to adapt our perspective to fit feedback from our clients and fulfill their best interests.
Taking Risks
Speaking up can also be conceptualized as taking risks. Whether voicing opinions, presenting new solutions, or trusting a marketing team to advance your business to the next level, risks are pivotal for growth.
I launched WMT with an unconventional approach to marketing strategy. Instead of following the industry status quo to offer a menu of services, I went deeper to unpack marketing solutions based on wants, needs and budget to develop individualized action plans. Over 15 years ago, we had a client that catapulted our methodology. The client came to us for SEO and as we began to unpack their entire marketing puzzle, we saw huge holes and some major untapped opportunities. Instead of pursuing the traditional SEO marketing services the client wanted, I took a calculated risk to speak up about the underlying challenges and misplaced resources the company faced, telling them exactly what they needed before SEO rather than what they asked for. I could have been thrown out right then and there, but the client instead got quiet then replied, “Wow, you really care a lot….” Strategy pivoted, and the new approach transformed their business. This became the beginning of our therapeutic, tough-love approach to marketing and ignited our relationship-centric approach.
Speaking up requires strength, safety, acceptance, confidence, and self-awareness. Similarly aligned to the psychology of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, business relationships thrive when all of these needs are met, allowing clients and marketers to work collaboratively in the best interests of individualized goals.
Growth will always stem from a willingness to embrace change and guidance, and speaking up holds the power to accelerate that growth. Web Marketing Therapy is proud to continue to grow alongside our clients through relationships built on trust, compassion, and confidence.