Th e M a r k e t i n g M a g a z i n e f o r E n t r e p r e n e u r s , Bu s i n e s s L e a d e r s , a n d I d e a - M a k e r s
Issue #36
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Winter 2017
Loyalty Points A DAZZLING EXPERIENCE is the key element in cultivating a rock-solid client base. p. 12 Lights, Camera, MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Improv-savvy leadership coach and author Peter Margaritis. p. 7
Living the
GOOD LIFE Luxury entrepreneur Brandon Vallorani on business, publishing, and the importance of embracing life’s MANDOLIN MOMENTS p. 10
With the launch of , the future of business publishing is now. p. 8
$4.99
advantagearrivals Title
Author
Going the Distance
Marc Bérubé
God Bless Crime
Raymond Boyd
Just Change
Tynesia Boyea-Robinson
The Man Behind the Baton
Dr. William Patrick Foster
Stress-Testing Your Savings
Keith R. Gebert
Outsmarting V.U.C.A.
Dr. Don Gilman
The Power of Persistent Planning
Douglas B. Gross
Stress-Test Your Retirement
Matt Gulbransen
Career 180s
Mike Harris
Be Powerful
Liz Hilliard
People of Memorial Park
Stacy Holden
The Caring Warrior
T.J. Jones
Authentic Negotiation
Corey Kupfer
Ceramique
Jean Larocque
The S.N.O.B. Experience
Frank Lee
Kurt D. Lloyd on Jury Selection
Kurt Lloyd
Uncopyable
Steve Miller
Building a Solid Foundation for Truewealth
Steven Hugh Minnich, MAEd
Protecting Your Retirement Nest Egg
Marvin Mitchell
Testosterone
Dr. Charles Mok
Honouring Our Kids
Nola Peacock
Improve Your Smile, Transform Your Life
Dr. Leslie Pitner
disTRACKted The Crisis of Disengagement Tech Success Building a Brilliant Tomorrow The Transformation Book Transforming Your Company's Retirement Plan from Good to Great
2 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | A D V A N T A G E F A M I L Y . C O M
Jonathon Schultheiss, CRPS®, AIF®, PPC® Andrew Sherman Trevor Strudley, CFP® & Heather Stiles, CRPC® T.J. Kanczuzewski Justin Yule, BS, CPT, MTE, FMSC & Janell Yule, BS, FDN-P, CPT Marc Zimmerman, C(k)P
OWTH COMPANY
in this issue... 8 |ForbesBooks
Monthly Features
Advantage and Forbes announced the launch of ForbesBooks, the first book-publishing
2 |Advantage Arrivals
imprint for the global media company.
New releases from the fourth quarter of 2016.
THE ADVANTAGE 5 |Noise Makers
4 |Adam’s Advantage
A look at recent print, radio, and digital media hits for Advantage Members.
How life planning can take you above and beyond in the year ahead | ADAM WITTY
9 |You Asked, We Answered Our Member Experience Manager discusses new initiatives to look out for in 2017 | BEN COPPEL
12|Making Members Matter
6 |Team Member Profile Welcome one of our newest Team Members to the family!
Exceptional customer service builds trust, relationships, and credibility | BEN COPPEL
AUTHORITY FIGURES 6 |Connecting the Dots of Life CEO and Advantage Member discusses quality of life and taming the turnover tiger | DOUG ECKLUND
7 |Putting the Comedy in CPA Advantage Member and speaker reveals how using improv made him the Authority in his field | PETER MARGARITIS
10 |Q&Authority A risk taker shares how fighting life's wolves can bring about "mandolin moments" | BRANDON VALLORANI
843.414.5600 THE BUSINESS GROWTH COMPANY
We help busy professionals and their business become the authority in their field.
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Follow: f t l
/advantagemediagroup /advantagefamily /company/advantage-media-group
14 |Advantage People The fourth quarter of 2016 brought about big and exciting changes for the Advantage family.
CEO
Marketi ng Edi tor
Desi gn Manager
Art Director
Copy Editor
Marketing
Adam Witty Katie Biondo
Advantage Magazine Issue 36 Winter 2017 © Advantage Media Group. All rights reserved. Trademarks used by permission.
Emily Fisher Nate Best
George Stevens
Photogra phy
Tony Ferguson www.to ny l f erg uson. c om
Courtney Little
W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 3
adam’sadvantage As entrepreneurs, we spend hours planning for our business, but many of us simply leave our personal lives to chance."
K A R S O N P H OTO G R A PH Y
Scaling Up for the New Year and New You
H
appy New Year! I have a question for you as we cross the threshold into 2017. What will you do to make this year your best year yet—personally and professionally? On the personal side, I am a big believer in "life planning." Many years ago my good friend Michael Simmons shared with me his life plan. I looked at him perplexed. He said, "Adam, every business has a business plan. It seems to me that every person should have a life plan." I want you to stop and think about that for a minute. He is right! As entrepreneurs, we spend hours planning for our business, but many of us simply leave our personal lives to chance. My life plan is thirty-two pages long. Not to worry, I've added to and modified it over a ten-year span. My life plan includes my personal mission statement; my goals in six categories: (1) Family & Personal, (2) Health & Wellness, (3) Personal & Professional Development, (4) Career & Business, (5) Material & Financial, (6) Spiritual & Philanthropic; my bucket list; my Top 50 relationship list; and my future eulogy. Advantage's business plan is just as robust. We utilize the framework outlined in Advantage Member Verne Harnish's best-selling book Scaling Up to guide us. We invested in hiring a "Scaling Up Coach" who meets with our entire company one day per quarter to facilitate our quarterly planning as well as our annual planning. Our plan includes (1) a three-to-five-year plan, (2) an annual plan, and (3) a quarterly plan. In addition, we use a software tool called Align (aligntoday.com) where every Team Member monitors their three top quarterly priorities for all in the company to see. We ensure that Team Member priorities align with company quarterly priorities, which align with company annual priorities, which align with company three-to-five-year priorities. 4 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | A D V A N T A G E F A M I L Y . C O M
To bring our planning to life, we host an annual kickoff each January in which the company's annual plan is fully shared and discussed. We rent a ballroom at a local hotel and take all Team Members out of the office to build consensus and understanding around what we need to do as a team to make the year our best yet. In July, we do the same all over again...this time it is a two-day, mid-year review which includes professional development, adjusting plan, and changing priorities (if necessary) based upon what we learned and accomplished in the first six months. We call this two-day event "Advantagestock." On page 8, we dive deep into our newly formed joint venture with Forbes Media in the creation of ForbesBooks. On page 9, we give you a peek behind the curtain on what we are doing to enhance member experience at Advantage and raise our Net Promoter Score (NPS). Both of these are integral to making 2017 our best year yet. It has been said that one hour of planning saves ten hours of execution. I hope there is something you can learn from our planning process. Likewise, I'm certain we can learn from YOUR planning process. Please drop me a line at awitty@advantageww.com to share your best practices. Thank you for being a part of the Advantage Family.
Adam D. Witty, Founder & Chief Executive Officer awitty@advantageww.com
noisemakers | Advantage Members in the headlines Al Zdenek Al’s article, "A CPA Explains the Top 5 Money Mistakes Even Successful People Make, and How You Can Avoid Them" was featured on BusinessInsider.com in November.
Dr. George M. Arnold George was featured in Fox News Health’s article “9 Things Men Should Know About Testosterone Replacement Therapy.”
David Marquet David Marquet became a regular contributor to Forbes.com.
Patrick Renn Patrick was quoted in U.S. News & World Report’s article “How to Give to Charity and Pay Less in Taxes."
Dr. Michael Burgdorf Dr. Michael Burgdorf appeared on the Doctors TV show to surprise one of their guests with free plastic surgery for a confidence boost.
Have you been making noise in local, regional, or national media? Let us know, and we’ll feature you in next issue’s Noise Makers! E-mail: bcoppel@advantageww.com
advantage team | Advantage Team Member Profile
Arthur McKey Account Manager
Arthur McKey has visited five continents and lived on three; and his marketing experience is just as diverse. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, and raised in Dublin, Ireland, McKey received a Fulbright Scholarship following his academic participation at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. As an Account Manager for the Advantage marketing team, Arthur McKey designs marketing plans and strategies for our Members and acts as a point-person to implement these strategies, while managing the publishing process as well. A lover of Harry Potter and horses, McKey holds the keys to your Authority Marketing success. W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 5
member spotlight
| Doug Ecklund
Connecting the Dots of Life
E
Taming the Turnover Tiger mployee turnover sucks. What many entrepreneurs and business owners miss is something that is even worse—the employee who has quit but stays. We’re not just talking about quitting work mentally but also:
•
Someone who has quit on life
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Someone who doesn’t think that their future can be any better than their past
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Someone who is just reacting to what life throws at them
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Someone who has a hard time seeing why they come to work every day
These are the ones that can take down a store or department in your organization. How can you get those who are possibly quitting on life to actually pursue it? By helping them connect the dots between their personal lives and their work lives. If we could provide the tools to help our employees connect the dots between what they want in life and why they come to work, what could happen? Our company, Cellular Advantage, Inc., decided to embrace this fact. Here’s a peek at what we did: We started at why. A purpose statement was built around enriching the quality of life of our own. From there the question was formed, “Why would someone expect to get anything of value out of an employee without first putting something of value in?”
The Process: Think like a kid. Ask employees to go back in time and think about the things they were naturally drawn to as a kid. What did they want to be? What did they want to learn how to do? What were they naturally good at? These questions can generate a lot of energy!
Share the story of the “jumping fleas.” Help people understand that while there were a lot of dreams and desires in childhood, it is common for many of these dreams to have never been acted on. Most of us have been told by someone close to us that we shouldn’t or can’t do something. Even though the ability and interest are there, these comments and life experiences can leave us concussed and discouraged.
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Provide tools to move people from reacting to life to pursuing life. Help employees create a “Want to” list and corresponding “Wheel of Life” to help prioritize the list. The “Want to” list is the list of those things they were interested in and excited about when they were younger added to current interests and wants. The categories include: •
I want to do…
•
I want to be…
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I want to have…
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I want to help…
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I want to enjoy…
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I want to leave…
Once the list is compiled, we use the Wheel of Life to help people get a clear vision on what should come first, second, third, etc. The Wheel of Life is a self-assessment tool for helping people create more balance and success in their life and a great foundation for goal-setting.
"Invest in your employees and their dreams; they’ll turn around and invest in your company’s future." Implementing and tracking change The implementation of a change is always the most challenging. Helping our staff really understand the process of successfully implementing and tracking a change is the final piece of the process.
What happened? We have found that getting people to move from reacting to pursuing things personally has always positively impacted the work side. The energy is contagious when people are checking things off their lists. People have got out of debt, ran marathons, paid cash for engagement rings, went back to school, purchased homes, recorded music, and lost loads of weight! This has created a culture where employees are much more willing to go the extra mile for us since we have put the time and effort into investing in them. Ultimately, they feel valued and continued on page 7... appreciated.
member spotlight | Peter Margaritis Putting the Comedy in CPA
A
Advantage Member Peter Margaritis talks numbers, jokes, and growth
dvantage Member Peter Margaritis, CPA, knows that business savvy is no laughing matter. Margaritis approached us in Summer 2014 with a unique book concept that combines elements of improvisational comedy with the best practices for communication and leadership. In his early days as an accountant, Margaritis had a brief stint as an improv comic arming him with invaluable skills that would improve his approach to business and help other business professionals around the world.
But that's not all; he also created the Improv Is No Joke podcast in
Published by Advantage in April 2015, Improv Is No Joke: Using Improvisation to Create Positive Results in Leadership and Life brought Margaritis’ vision to life. Since becoming a published author, Margaritis signed on as a Member of our Authority Marketing System to achieve maximum growth and results from his completed book project. The Advantage Team immediately got to work, creating a book landing page and personal brand website and strategically building Peter's online presence. Our social media efforts grew his LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook networks substantially.
twenty-nine episodes later! Margaritis is a prime example of how be-
June 2016 to further connect with his audience and share thoughtprovoking interviews with business leaders to develop them as effective communicators. “Advantage Marketing Services
"Advantage Marketing Services helped raise my authority status which translated into increased revenue."
Articles that Advantage crafted for Margaritis were published in several CPA chapter magazines. Margaritis also embraced his inner performer and spoke to the Hawaii Society of CPAs in December 2016. Through the generation of blogs, articles, and newsletter content, Margaritis’ book website page views have increased 140 percent with visitor traffic increasing by 247 percent.
—Peter Margaritis
taught me the importance of content marketing to my business. They helped raise my authority status which translated into increased revenue,” raves Margaritis.
The podcast has been a tremendous success and is still going strong coming a published author can elevate your authority status and generate a return that's no joke!
Peter A. Margaritis, CPA, is a speaker, educator, trainer, humorist, and self-proclaimed Chief Edutainment Officer for The Accidental Accountant™. His firm helps accountants and other business leaders to increase their profitability by strengthening their business success skills and improving morale through better communication. He is a member of the Ohio Society of CPAs, Georgia Society of CPAs, National Speakers Association, and the American Institute of CPAs. Margaritis is also the Author of Improv Is No Joke: Using Improvisation to Create Positive Results in Leadership and Life. For more information on Peter Margaritis, visit his website at www. petermargaritis.com
continued from page 6...
Retaining Talent Turnover in the retail industry is traditionally one of the highest. Ours was no different. Annual turnover was at 86 percent in our Iowa market before implementing the process highlighted previously. Turnover dropped to 26 percent in those same stores after implementation. With a cost of just over $7,000 to replace a good retail sales person with a new one, the savings were nearly $500,000 in these stores alone. By taming the turnover tiger, any business can save thousands of dollars on costs and also create an environment where employees feel appreciated and
valued. The fact of the matter is simple; if you invest in your employees and their dreams, they’ll turn around and invest in your company’s future—by not leaving. Doug is cofounder and CEO of Cellular Advantage, Inc., a retailer known for its unique culture of investing into its team, helping people pursue life, and having a blast while doing it. His Book, The 9 A.M. Meeting, has opened many eyes to the idea of a bigger “why” behind being in business. He is a long-time member of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), enjoys being outdoors, and loves spending time with his family. W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 7
advantage news
Forbes and Advantage Media Group Partner to Launch ForbesBooks First-ever ForbesBooks Publishing Imprint to Provide Top Business Leaders a Multi-Platform Publishing Solution with Innovative Speed-to-Market Model
A
dvantage Media Group and Forbes announced in November the launch of ForbesBooks, the first book-publishing imprint for the global media company. “We see adding a book imprint to our business as a unique growth opportunity in the marketplace, and it’s in line with our strategy to diversify revenue streams and expand our global reach,” says Mike Federle, President and COO of Forbes Media. “We chose to partner with Advantage because its team brings experience and insight, along with an innovative, speed-to-market model unencumbered by traditional book publishing cycles. Advantage also offers a suite of services designed to strategically and tactically support our authors and promote their expertise.” The distinct advantages ForbesBooks will provide its authors include the following: • Speed-to-market – the benefit of a proven process and tools that cut the typical book publishing timeline in half • Supportive marketing services – a focused effort to promote the book and its author • Author retained copyright – unlike typical book deals, ForbesBooks’ authors retain ownership of the rights to their work 8 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | A D V A N T A G E F A M I L Y . C O M
Adam Witty and Forbes Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing & Business Development Nina LaFrance pose after popping champagne with a personalized saber in honor of the ForbesBooks launch.
• Multi-platform reach – via the opportunity to submit original articles for publication in a ForbesBooks Authors’ group blog on Forbes.com • Enhanced reputation – resulting from the author’s content presented in a professionally produced book under the imprint of a respected media brand “We are excited to partner with Forbes to create a forward-thinking business book imprint that will move quicker, provide a high-touch author experience and, perhaps most importantly, expand the reach of the content beyond the book through the opportunity to publish across Forbes’s many platforms,” said Adam Witty, Founder and CEO of Advantage. “Forbes is the most respected business media brand in the world and we believe having a book published by that brand gives an author more influence and business growth potential than they can get from any other book publisher.”
THE BEST IN BUSINESS
TM
The ForbesBooks editorial team will consider a variety of factors in the submission process before extending an invitation to publish, including the authors’ experiences and credentials, the uniqueness of their message and the resonance of the content to the Forbes brand and the expectations of Forbes’ audience. To apply to become a ForbesBooks author, visit ForbesBooks.com.
vOICe of the member | Ben Coppel You Asked, We Answered
T
Our Member Experience Manager discusses initiatives to look for in 2017
here is nothing more important in my role here at Advantage than celebrating and acting on the voice of our Members. In the hundred-plus conversations I've had since starting as Member Experience Manager last April, there has been a great deal of feedback that we have received and acted on. I wanted to fill our readers in on some of the feedback that we have gotten so far.
Member: As a first-time author, Advantage has been there for me from the beginning to outline and guide me through the process. I have been well informed and well supported throughout my project. Ben Coppel: With many of our Members being first-time authors, it's important to educate them about the process and what we do as a company. That's why we've created a Member Promise document outlining our core proficiencies and the type of Members we work with as a company. Setting expectations up front puts us on the same page as our Members and sets the tone for our entire partnership. In addition to our Member Promise document, we've also added comprehensive internal guidelines to ensure the Members we work with align with our company culture and our core service competencies. For 2017, we are exploring the addition of a Member Buddy Program, pairing published, more seasoned Advantage Authors with first-time Authors to help prepare and offer guidance throughout the experience.
Member: So far, you folks have done everything we expected and have done it in the time frame that was presented. It's a lot more work than you realize when you are thinking about writing a book. Advantage does a good job. Ben: Earlier in the year, we implemented account teams and divided Members into smaller groups for better service and more individualized attention. With this new structure, there is one clear point of contact managing and communicating your project deadlines and deliverables. We have also implemented a Member "What to Expect" binder complete with Advantage Team Member pictures and bios so you can get to know the rest of your team and their individual project responsibilities.
Member: I have been very impressed with the work done to date, regularity of updates, promptness of scheduled calls,
and friendliness and flexibility of the team. Ben: To enhance Member experience, we've created and implemented customized project plan timelines for both publishing and marketing to let our Members know where things stand. These timelines show and describe our entire process from start to finish, contain "start" and "actual" completion dates for each deliverable to help hold both parties accountable, and act as a "living document" that can be adjusted by either the Member or Advantage. With project plans in use, our Members can depend on full program visibility and consistency with on-time deliverables, which makes everyone happy!
Member: I appreciate Advantage's willingness to solicit feedback and take action. Not many companies take the time to listen to their customers and want to get better. Ben: Totally agree! Our Members are at the forefront of our business and everything we do here at Advantage. In mid-November, we launched Net Promoter Score to collect feedback regularly, assign a score to Member loyalty, and measure us against other elite service-forward companies in the world. Based on Member feedback, NPS will also allow us to identify both highs and lows in our service model to make the "highs" even better and make the "lows" not so bad. The survey will go out to all active Advantage Members on or around the 15th of each month, so please be sure to participate and let us know how we're doing! Please keep the feedback coming in 2017 and thank you for being a valued member of our Advantage Family! You can send any questions, concerns, or feedback directly to my email at bcoppel@ advantageww.com or give me a call at 843.377.2685. W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 9
An entrepreneur, a brand builder, a purveyor of luxury products. To put it simply?
Brandon Vallorani is a
risk taker. N V
ever one to settle for day-to-day administration, he prefers growing a business. His first book, The Wolves and the Mandolin, will be released in February 2017. He shared with Advantage Magazine his thoughts on the authority that results from publishing and how fighting life's wolves can bring about “mandolin moments.�
1 0 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | A D V A N T A G E F A M I L Y . C O M
V
BRANDON VALLORANI: My career began when I worked for my dad at his business throughout my high school and college years. Little did I know how much I would learn sitting in on business meetings and handling odd jobs like cleaning the sales teams’ cars or designing and planting the landscaping. After I graduated from West Virginia University in 1996, my summer internship with the University Printing Service called me back for employment. But I soon found myself itching to move on to a place where I could do more, increase my skills, and create a long-term legacy career. I found myself at a nonprofit organization, where I quickly moved through the graphic design department, became director of media, and finally became the executive vice president. During this time, I also earned my MBA from Thomas More College. When I transitioned to a second nonprofit organization in 2004, some people thought I was committing career suicide as I was moving from a large, multi-million dollar budget organization with a large national audience to a smaller budget, smaller reach organization. Nothing is more exciting to me than watching an idea form into an action and then that action builds upon itself exponentially. That drive to make something grow is ultimately what prompted me to find success as an entrepreneur, with the formation of a media conglomerate in 2007 that has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for five consecutive years. More recently, I have begun developing my brand Vallorani Estates, a luxury collection of products hand-curated to celebrate life’s privileges. As Marcus
AM: What made you want to decide to author a book?
Nothing quite says “I know what I'm talking about"
like a book with
your name on the cover.
BV: Writing The Wolves and the Mandolin has been a life goal, and when I was introduced to Advantage Media Group that goal became a reality. As a (very) busy entrepreneur, the idea of being able to talk a book and have them work through the “nitty-gritty” of grammar and layout was appealing. Advantage allowed me to put the legend-worthy stories of my Italian immigrant ancestors to paper and express what I’ve learned through my business experiences for others to consider. Additionally, this book will serve as a business card for my brand. Now I can demonstrate further authority in my marketing with an extra bonus, an autographed copy of a luxurious hardback book. Without Advantage, it would likely have been years before I could sit down, write it all out, and then work through the editing and layout process. Engaging with Advantage has been like having an entire publishing department available for me. It’s been great! AM: What tips do you have for other authors looking to advance their career with a book?
BV: Nothing quite says “I know what I’m talking about” like a published book with your name on the cover. Dan Kennedy was one of the first business greats of our time to recommend the concept of Authority Marketing. Adam Witty has taken Authority Marketing to the next level with Advantage Media Group. Companies devote a lot of time and energy to developing the story of their brand: what makes them stand out, why you should listen to their message, who they are going to be for you. Executives, entrepreneurs, and anyone who aspires to be an influencer should look at themselves as a brand, with the same objective as any company would. Life is marketing. What does your marketing say about you? AM: Your book has an attention-grabbing title! What’s the goal with your book? BV: I’m looking forward to sharing my book The Wolves and the Mandolin: Celebrating Life’s Privileges in a Harsh World. My ultimate goal is to discuss that, yes, life is hard. There are many kinds of wolves seeking to bar our pathway forward, but among the hardships, there are moments we must seek and find that make fighting the wolves worthwhile and these are what I refer to as “mandolin moments.” Using a story from my family history, I demonstrate that despite wolves attacking, keeping us tired all night, savagely biting at our heels, we can still enjoy the starlit sky, the fresh, clear air, and the sweet strain of the mandolin playing a melodious tune. Life is a privilege. How are you going to celebrate that privilege?
Q&Authority
ADVANTAGE MAGAZINE: Tell us about yourself and your professional career. How did you get where you are today?
Aurelius urged, every morning when we awake, we should think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive: to think, to breathe, to love, to enjoy.
W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 1 1
MAKING
MEMBERS MATTER Building Loyalty One Member at a Time
Why does a customer choose your business over another? Member experience initiatives are the intangible benefits of conducting business with one company over the other. According to SuperOffice, a CRM software company, “If you want your customers to stay loyal, you have to invest in the experience,” they say. “As a result, Gartner predicts that by 2018, more than 50 percent of organizations will redirect their investments to customer experience innovations.” Exceptional customer service builds trust, relationships, and credibility.
Here at Advantage, we have an incredibly diverse product sweep from a six-month publishing process to a one-year, renewable marketing program. With an array of services, it’s important to maintain, foster, and cultivate our customer relationships to bring about the best results from working together as possible. Establishing a solid member experience program is key at Advantage to ensure that each and every Member is taken care of throughout their journey, whether it be publishing their book or crafting stellar marketing services for their brand. We want each Member to feel valued and a part of our family, so that’s why we’re taking matters into our own hands.
Why Do Advantage Members Matter? At Advantage, we want for our Members to have the best customer experience possible. That’s where Ben Coppel comes in. As a Member Experience Manager at Advantage, Coppel choreographs world-class customer service initiatives for our Members to create lasting memories and build enduring relationships. “Advantage is committed to creating an engaging, vibrant community for our members. We believe that a dedicated Member Experience Manager will drive an enjoyable, fulfilling, and prosperous experience for all,” explains Jenn Ash, Vice President of Operations at Advantage. Coppel joined the Advantage Team in April 2016 from Mercedes-Benz, where he acted as the Product Concierge at the flagship store in New York City. There, he would walk customers through a one-on-one overview and personal tutorial of the car they purchased, core features, technology, integration, and personalization. Prior to that, he worked in consumer-focused marketing events for other automotive manufacturers, such as Toyota, Kia, Cadillac, Hyundai, FIAT, Lincoln, and many more. Coppel knows cars, but he knows people better. He takes his piles of knowledge in creating a luxury experience for new car owners to the world of Authority Marketing and publishing as he acts as their tour guide throughout the entire process. “Our Members are taking a long journey with us, so to the degree that we can enhance and maximize touch points,” says Coppel, “these individualized interactions, such as giving a personal gift and celebrating milestones, are really important. They keep the Member engaged and make it a fun experience.” By having an excellent Member experience relationship, we organically create internal marketing and promoting on our behalf because we bring top-tier service. When it comes to retaining our Members, this philosophy is just as important as gaining new ones. 1 2 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | A D V A N T A G E F A M I L Y . C O M
“This is a really unique, powerful, and special culture so we're incredibly protective of it, not only when we hire new Team Members into our family but when we accept new Members into our family as well,” explains Coppel.
Give ‘Em What They Want How do you even begin to create a Member experience initiative? Ask the people what they want! From Coppel’s initial talks with Advantage Members from his first few months of research here, they ask for three main things. The first is setting expectations and clarifying what our core products and services are, including who we focus on and who we serve, and setting those expectations up front to make sure there’s clarity on both sides. We’re making sure we’re the right fit for a Member just as much as they’re the right fit for our family. “Setting expectations also comes down to navigating the process, so being that proactive voice, or the guiding light, to have the confidence and authority to make thoughtful and poignant recommendations with each individual program and their program is all part of it,” states Coppel. Members are also asking for clear communication, so we’re regularly communicating with each Member throughout their book project and their AMS program and whatever style works best for them. “Some people work better over email or sometimes it’s over the phone,” Coppel says. “All of those intricacies in communications and the vehicle for it should be vetted out so we’re meeting and exceeding members’ needs and interacting with them in a way that’s comfortable at all times.” Finally, consistency is extremely important. Great member experience programs—no matter what business you’re in—always start with being on time and keeping your promises. It sounds so fundamentally simple, just doing what you say you’re going to do, but in a heavily involved process when multiple people are delivering work into a finished product, it's not as easy as you think. Just ask Michael Sciortino financial advisor and author of Gratitude Marketing: How You Can Create Clients for Life by Using 33 Simple Secrets from Successful Financial Advisors.
ceptional examples. From Apple’s “Think Different” slogan, to Geico’s “15 minutes or less can save you 15 percent or more on car insurance,” some of the best companies have kept the promise, which also happens to be their slogan. “A brand promise is nothing if it’s not followed through with action,” states Kevin Leifer of StellaService, a company growth service. “The one thing strong retailers do well is deliver on their brand promises consistently. You can make a commitment to your customers, and if you don’t deliver, you’ll lose them.” Advantage also implemented mandatory weekly updates, sent out to all of our marketing and publishing Members so communication is consistent and everyone knows where things stand, what they’ve done, what’s ahead of them, and what the next step deliverable looks like for both parties. All of these steps support the consistency we’re striving for. As we strive to keep our promise, the final step to that puzzle is to, well, keep our promise! We’re making sure deliverables are coming through in an organized fashion and on time based on a strategic approach to time management.
Net Promoter Score To track their effectiveness, Advantage has peppered in a globally recognized technique—Net Promoter Score. Net Promoter Scores are used at any large company with a service-oriented component and are a universal benchmark for measuring customer rapport. Southwest Airlines, Macy’s, American Express, Lego, DirecTV, and many more corporations all implement the NPS system.
Exceptional customer service builds trust, relationships, and credibility.
In the book and in his day-to-day business, Sciortino emphasizes the use of his coined term Gratitude Marketing™: a dynamic, client-centered strategy designed primarily to narrow your focus and maximize the relationships you have already cultivated. Gratitude marketing is a consistent program that appreciates clients openly and often and produces dramatic results for you. It boils down to something really simple: when clients feel appreciated and valued, it becomes easier to gain their trust, which is the foundation for long-term relationships. “Gratitude Marketing is a change of mind-set,” explains Michael. “It is a strategy in which your clients go from being sold something to being prescribed something. It allows you to go from just making money for your clients to making a meaningful difference in their lives.”
Keeping the Promise Promises are meant to be kept and fulfilled, and there are dozens of ex-
Advantage has recently implemented this scoring system, which allows for a monthly recurring survey for active Members where they can leave feedback in a quick, informal, and easy way. Advantage asks one question: “Based on your most recent experience with us, how likely are you to recommend Advantage to a friend?” This question is sent to all Members that have an active or ongoing project with us on a monthly basis. Then there’s a section underneath where they can elaborate on their answer. “The NPS allows a fantastic opportunity to understand why the detractors rated us the way they did and then we can offer up a phone call or something else that will help turn things around to make their experience better,” says Coppel. Member experience matters. By creating an excellent relationship with your clients and customers, you can organically create internal marketing and promotions that cost you little to nothing—just top-tier service. Having that reputation can only increase your growth as you continue to venture into 2017. We’re taking all of these steps to ensure the Advantage Family is happy and continues to grow, day by day. W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 1 3
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4 CHEERS TO THE NEW YEAR:
5 1: CEO & Founder Adam Witty with Charleston Mayor
John Tecklenburg and his wife at the ForbesBooks launch on November 30, 2016. 2: Account Manager Kirby Andersen, VP of Authority Marketing Mitch Broderick, and Graphic Designer Katie Biondo enjoy cookies from T.J. Kanczuzewski and Inovateus Solar! 3: Business Systems Manager Brian Kreutz was our sixth-ever
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winner of our Dream On initiative. Adam granted his dream of traveling across the globe as he continues to work for Advantage remotely. 4: Austin Team Members dressed to the nines to celebrate Halloween. 5: Team Members before heading out to deliver Thanksgiving baskets to local families for the Charleston Basket Brigade. 6: Charleston Team Members looked spooktacular for their costume contest and Halloween festivities. 7: Content Marketing Manager Anthony Aguilar was one of the latest recipients of our Dream On initiative, a fly fishing trip with his dad in Colorado! 8: Smiles all around at the Charleston office after our yearly gift exchange! 9: Team Members in Austin had some very special visitors in their office.
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Advantage Media Group is proud to announce their exclusive relationship with Forbes through their publishing imprint.
exclusive webinar offer
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