Blog Author Mellissah Smith - Page 65

"Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations." —Peter Drucker

If you look at Steve Jobs and his role as a leader and marketer at Apple Inc., it's easy to see how the two roles work closely together. Without marketing, no-one would be any the wiser about Steve Jobs role at Apple Inc nor would we have had the opportunity to be captivated by his performances each time he launched a new product. Instead, we would simply wait for a product to be on the shelves and without all the "sizzle" we probably would never have been as enticed to stand in line and buy each product the minute it was launched.

Some leaders fail to see the value in marketing, and although they may have a role in the organisation that is responsible for certain outcomes, they may see it more as a sales related function which is why it often falls under this umbrella.

Smart, insightful, charismatic, thought leaders understand the value of marketing. They use it and often abuse it to become leaders that everyone follows. Rather than focus solely on a product or service marketing campaign, they use it to elevate their position in the market with a double edge sword, by at the same time ensuring that the company brand and positioning benefits from association.

3 Ways Leaders Use Marketing 

Something was brought to my attention yesterday by two people; I am not patient. I want everything there and then, and in that lies what is possibly one of my biggest failures.

I admire people who 'wait it out' and watch, carefully understanding a situation in its entirety before making a decision. Having patience often means that you have the choice of a small reward in the short-term, or a more valuable reward in the long-term, with human nature being that most of us prefer a short-term reward over a long-term reward, despite the latter reaping greater benefits.

I am continually amazed by the number of professional services, technology, manufacturing and logistics companies that fail to see the value in communicating via social media.

The question I pose to you is "how did you find this blog?" and "how do you now know the Marketing Eye brand?" 

I know the answer - do you?

The room suddenly became silent. 

Everyone unconsciously took one step back as if to clear the way.

She had arrived. 

It's a Saturday and I am sitting in my friends living room talking business while at the same time reading emails and catching up on the latest in business news.

As we talk I realize that entrepreneurs are no different from celebrities, movie stars, singers, musicians or any other career that is centre stage.

The reality is we all have a bit of neurotic behaviour in us - whether we like it or not.  Some entrepreneurs are more neurotic than others - micro-managing, controlling, double A-Type personalities that find it hard to accept another person's way of doing things, and then others just tip the iceberg.

Many entrepreneurs have a goal, or an idea of where they want to be. They are achievement orientated and often lack discipline, needing to hire the latter in to complement their existing skill base.
 

I cannot believe my day yesterday.

Firstly, I woke up after having a decent nights sleep - something that has eluded me for the past week. Then, as I drove to work, I stopped off to grab a coffee and croissant from my favourite cafe in Melbourne. I dropped my car off at the office, and as I rushed outside the building to grab a taxi, I literally stopped in my tracks. There was so much traffic - bumper to bumper, and I had to be at the Lawyers office in 30 minutes. I panicked. 

It wasn't a great start to the day.

I am a stickler for good manners. Growing up in the country, you won't find too many men or women that don't have good basic manners. 

Men open the door for women, walk on curbside when escorting a woman down the street, sit down at the table and eat only when the host and every other person has been seated, and mostly, without a pocket full of cash, they are the first to invite someone over for dinner or to try their fresh tomatoes that they planted early on in the season. It's these good country manners and hospitality that reminds us that it isn't too hard to be kind and put our best foot forward.

There really is a lot to be learnt from country folk.

As I sit typing on my keypad, I am thinking about whether or not it is at all possible to 'have it all'. 

When I look out at some of my friends, no matter how successful they are, they still have things in their lives that they want to improve or put more effort into. Relationships usually being the staple amongst those who realize that no amount of business success will ever supercede what you can achieve personally.

I have had an amazing month in so many ways and personally, I have grown more than I could ever imagine. 

I won't deny that I want it all, but I have become more realistic in realizing that that is not possible. You can't have it all - at the same time. It's impossible and those who say that you can, are either living a short-lived fantasy or are hiding what is really going on behind closed doors.

Business has always been a challenge for me. I am not a natural people person and stress overtakes me more times than I care to admit. I worry about and analyze things that don't deserve the effort that I put into it.

I procrastinate, often leave great ideas unfulfilled and sometimes need to have a better poker face. 

It was 8pm at night and as we boarded the plane at La Guardia Airport in New York, Maikayla (#24yrold), our 24 year old President of US Operations, started a conversation about the things we are not doing as a business to get clients.

Marketing Eye Atlanta has gone from startup to multi-million dollar company in over a year of operations. The company provides SMB's with an ability to have a qualified outsourced marketing department for an investment that any business that has opened their doors can afford.

The goal post has changed from the original business plan of 1,000 clients over 5 years. Our sales targets have been moved by 2 years and now the entire team is in a spin working out how they will achieve this goal in 3 years. 

It's an ambitious task, but one that is doable and if something is too easy, then it won't be as rewarding. Stretching ourselves and pushing limits, dreaming big and opening doors, is something that will keep everyone in the game.

Maikayla's thoughts:

A few years ago, I began travelling internationally once a month. While the jet lag had me struggling to keep awake in meetings, it was only secondary to my concern of swollen ankles which eventually extended right up my leg. It would take days to go down and I started experiencing pain that wouldn't go away.

I had a problem.