Sleek Machine

Confessions of a strategist: The world is kinder than you think. One of the first lessons we learn as kids is how to share. Caregivers on playgrounds around the world are teaching kids the virtues of sharing at this very moment. Maybe it's our competitive nature or maybe it's our lack of confidence, but as we grow in our careers we are often less willing to share and ask for help. But help and sharing are still alive and well. Linda Calabria, a GTM expert in the world of orthotics and prosthetics, offers "complimentary gut check conversations" to her clients and followers. An opportunity to freely share ideas and receive feedback. Let's normalize that. Recently, Deborah Scaramastra, a leadership and productivity specialist, noted that asking for and giving someone "a spot" is an integral part of gym culture and suggested that it should be that easy to ask for help in the business world. Let's normalize that. Harry Joiner, the foremost e-commerce recruiter, posts provocative questions and compelling anecdotes daily to provide insight and perspective to both job seekers and hiring managers. The content and comments are incredibly valuable and inspiring for people that are often in the midst of a grueling job search. Sharing expertise for those that don't know where to begin. Let's normalize that. So here's my reminder: There is a reason we were taught to share before we could speak or walk. We have a lot to offer and a lot to learn from this world. Engage in gut check conversations. Ask for a spot when you need it. Share your expertise when you can. Photo: My son, Xander, sharing his frog. Vermont 2021. #strategy #sharing #help #business #confessions

Confessions of a strategist: Things change. The LA Lakers were my heroes throughout the 80s and 90s. I could not imagine basketball getting any better than that '86-'87 Showtime team. Over the past 20 years living in New England, I have changed. I became a husband and father. I became and entrepreneur and a strategist. And unexpectedly, I have become a Celtics fan. When I joined Sleek Machine, the Celtics were already a client of ours. Tatum and Brown were finding their game as individuals and teammates. In a league filled with stars and drama, the Celtics coaches and players have all serious business, putting in the hard work and improving step-by-step, year-over-year. Watching the playoffs this year, I appreciated the championship-caliber basketball the Celtics played. But being able to watch it through the eyes and excitement of my kids was extra special. The '23-'24 Celtics might be the team my kids and I are talking about for decades into the future. So here's my reminder: Change is inevitable. Change is good. Appreciate the past, but enjoy the moment you're living in. If you're open to it, you can try new things and enjoy new perspectives. And these things might make today better than yesterday. Congratulations to the NBA Champions, Boston Celtics! Photos: 2020 NBA All-Star Voting Campaign for JT + JB #basketball #strategy #champions #business #life #change

Confessions of a strategist: Relentlessly fuel the fire or put out the fire. We get 2 kinds of requests: Help us "thrive" or help us "survive". When companies are on an upward trajectory, they are in "thrive" mode. We're asked to help take the trend and scale it. We take each component that is driving success and find new opportunities to build on the growth -- new audiences, new products, new processes, new partners, and new stories. When you're winning, you want to invest in keeping the momentum going. When companies are losing profitability or marketshare, they are in "survive" mode. We are asked to help stem the losses and turn the trend around. We take each component that is dragging the business and look to improve or eliminate them. We look to shed new light on audiences, products, processes, partners, and create stories to support the new direction. When you're down, you want to change course as quickly as possible. As you can see, the process to survive and thrive are very similar. But the client's morale and available resources are usually very different. So here's my reminder: A-B-C. Always. Be. Changing. Aggressively play the hand you're dealt. Have a sense of purpose and urgency whether you're trending positively or negatively. Because the difference between growth and turnaround is waiting too long to change. #change #surviveandthrive #strategy #storytelling #branding Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Confessions of a strategist: Meet your clients where they are. Every CMO is different. Every CEO is different. Every brand is at a different point in its lifecycle and the challenges are different. Start-up. Growth. Turnaround. New Audiences. New Products. On any given day, a CMO faces different challenges: they may be dealing with downtrending business while being understaffed and trapped in back-to-back meetings while nursing a feverish child at home. The struggle is real and that last thing they need is an agency team that does not get them. At Sleek, our clients hire us as a resource to help them reach their objectives in a dynamic market. We help them tell and deliver their story with efficiency and impact. We love the work we do, but we're extremely proud of how we do it -- as partners that understand the business and the people behind it. So here's my reminder: Build better relationships. Be empathetic, dependable, and impactful with your clients. Get to know their business priorities and objectives, but also get to know their passions and concerns. And help them fix problems and win. #strategy #CMO #partnership #accountmanagement Image from the set of Pulp Fiction, 1993.

Nope. Advertising isn't dead. It's just personalized. Across many more platforms. As a consumer, I think it's better. You should get relevant messages based on your behavior. As an ad guy? Yep, it's better. Media + entertainment companies like Netflix, retailers like Walmart, and airlines like United Airlines offer targeted communication platforms supported by significant customer data to help us reach the right customer with the best message. But there's the rub. Many brands are still "dumbing down" the message to the least common denominator. In an effort to keep campaign consistency, brands end up saying the same thing to all people. Wasted data. Wasted opportunities. Wasted media dollars. The trick is making relevant and creative messages for each of your key audience segments. It requires understanding why each segment chooses you. It requires appreciating the strength of each medium. It requires approaching your campaign and budget differently. It requires putting your customers ahead of your products or services. Advertising is alive and well. What's dying are the marketers that refuse to adapt and change. #strategy #creative #branding #communications #evolution https://lnkd.in/em_Vaz2s

Confessions of a strategist: Strategy is nothing without engagement. Our clients come to us for: Unique insight. Inspiring Ideas. And Impact. Significant Impact. Sometimes the assignment is to engage in a marketshare battle (like Black Friday/Cyber Week). Sometimes we have to help a company survive and orchestrate a turnaround. Sometimes we have to help them thrive by fueling the trajectory they are on. The tricky part is when you have to protect sales and marketshare while changing the long-term direction of the business and the brand. So that's when you have to ask and clearly define: What does success look like? For this event? This quarter? This year? For your brand? For your audience? For your product roadmap? Or your sales pipeline? For your company? And for you personally? So here's my reminder: Always make sure you and your team are aligned on what success looks like. This isn't a "set it and forget it" exercise. It may evolve over time. And you must keep score along your journey -- because if it isn't making an impact, why are you doing it? #strategy #impact #survive #thrive #storytelling Photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash