“Adventure is
worthwhile in itself.”
— Amelia Earhart

What Have You Done for Your Customers Lately?

And we don’t mean all the wonderful products and/or services that you deliver day in, day out. That’s what you get paid for. And we’re not talking about the extra effort to make the impossible happen (again). That’s something customers have come to expect from you, and it’s one big reason why they keep coming back.

If you’re like most companies, you’ve gotten pretty darn good at “answering the phone”—that is, taking care of a customer request. (Automated phone hell is a subject for a whole different article.) But beyond that, what have you really done to help your customer succeed? If you’re scratching your head about that one, here are a few thought starters for the new year:

1. Give them a new (unexpected) idea to grow their business. If you’re intimately involved in a certain aspect of your client’s business, chances are that you know as much as they do about it. Think like your client: what would you do if it were your business?

   Challenge your team to come up with some groundbreaking ideas. Then, put them into a presentation, buy some box lunches for the client and her staff, and present your ideas. Chances are, it will get a lot of people talking. And that’s very good.

2. Propose new business process ideas to improve efficiencies or reduce costs (or both). Because you have the advantage of seeing your client’s business from the outside, you can often spot inefficiencies and process improvements. Don’t be bashful or casual about mentioning these things.

   Perhaps you’ve seen another client implement a non-proprietary solution. Put your team’s thoughts on paper, attach pertinent articles or supporting documentation, and present to your client.

3. Provide valuable information that’s, perhaps, just a bit outside the box. Sometimes really valuable ideas don’t come from inside the same industry. Search for thought leadership ideas across a wide range of business segments. And, when you find something that might strike a chord with your client, pass it along, whether it’s an article, a blog, a book or a newspaper clipping. Good ideas turn great when they are applied to unexpected circumstances.

4. Invite them to a webinar or seminar on an emerging trend. Sure, everyone’s time-constrained these days. But when you hear about a webinar or seminar that sounds like it might be important and informative for your client, dig a bit deeper. If it starts to sound interesting, and appropriate, invite your client and other key people to attend.

   It generally will cost just a little, and if the information proves valuable, you will have demonstrated your desire to help them succeed by presenting them with new ideas and information.

5. Make your customer the hero. After all, they were smart enough to hire you, weren’t they?

Sustainability: Here to Stay or Just a Fad? By Tom Miller

There’s been a lot of talk in the press and blogs recently about “green fatigue.” About scientists cooking the books to support their theories on global warming (pun intended). Claims of no solid proof that CO2 emissions result in global warming. Wondering why we should even bother if China keeps polluting faster than we can reduce. The list goes on and on. And, certainly, Copenhagen in late 2009 produced mixed results and reviews.

Does this mean that all this talk about sustainability is just a fad, likely to fade away?

I wouldn’t bet on it.

No matter what business you’re in, the issues around sustainability—the use of all of the earth’s resources in such a way that future generations will not be burdened or compromised—are affecting you now, and will continue.

Here is what we know for the foreseeable future: energy costs are subject to wide swings due to unreliable sources of supply. Potable water, on a global scale, is becoming more difficult to find, and more expensive to treat. Air quality (outdoor and indoor) in much of the world creates unhealthy environments that cost untold amounts in human illness and disease. Even much of the food we eat is suspect—for example, many of the worlds’ dwindling supply of fish stocks are overfished, tainted with high levels of mercury or both.

These costs and impacts are real. At home, you watch your energy costs rise. You purchase water filtration to remove harmful substances from your family’s drinking water. Increasingly, you may look for organic, hormone-free food sources at the grocery.

We are experiencing a time of extreme volatility in certain aspects of our lives, and most certainly in the prices for basic commodities: oil and other energy sources; extractive materials like coal, metals and ore. Water, at least in the U.S., doesn’t feel expensive, but it is in short supply in many parts of the country—and the costs of purification for use in industry and for human consumption continues to escalate as it becomes more contaminated.

So, how do we feel: the optimist or the pessimist?

I cast my lot with the optimists, without a doubt.

Why? Because so much good has already happened. Products are being designed with the environment in mind, right from the beginning. Recycling has become a profit center for companies and communities (note: in 2008, Walmart made $160 million recycling plastic). Homes and all manner of commercial buildings are being built—and retrofitted—to be more energy and water efficient.

We’re not there yet. In fact, we need to kick our efforts up quite a few notches. But, we are changing. For a better, more sustainable future. It sure feels good, and it doesn’t feel one bit like a fad.

Making a Difference: Cook for the Cure 2009.

At our Eighth Annual Cook for the Cure Event on Friday, October 16th, Miller Brooks made a difference in the fight against breast cancer and topped our own fundraising record—while enjoying a delectable variety of employee-created food on a stick.

More than 200 attendees, including employees, clients and business friends, rallied to donate more than $10,000 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Indianapolis Affiliate. The money was raised through bids on amazing silent auction items, raffle tickets for a KitchenAid^® stand mixer, in addition to straightforward donations.

Our creative chefs concocted delicious selections from Voodoo Beef to Sauerkraut Balls and even cupcakes. All on a stick. And thankfully not a deep-fried Twinkie in the mix. Account Manager Eric Milkereit’s Bacon-Wrapped Dates won the coveted first prize—surely not influenced at all by ruthless campaigning.

Through this agency tradition, we’ve donated more than $65,000 to Susan G. Komen over the past eight years. Beyond the benefits of raising money for a worthy cause, we’ve also found that it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to build relationships with clients, our many business friends—and each other—while working together toward a common goal.

To thank all who participated—cooks, attendees and those who donated—we’ve gathered the recipes from the event. For a free copy of our 2009 Cook for the Cure Food on a Stick recipe book, contact us at cookforthecure@millerbrooks.com.

Check out the video of this year’s event.

Music by M. Sommers at mediumFUSION.

New Faces.

Lisa Miller, Interactive Media Planner

She may be a small town girl at heart, but Lisa Miller (nope, no connection to Tom) brings big media experience to Miller Brooks. After graduating from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with two degrees—Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Spanish—she started out as a media research analyst, and then an assistant media planner in Detroit. She soon moved to Chicago, where she focused exclusively on online media as assistant and then interactive media planner on accounts like Boeing, Dow Chemical and Hampton Inn. The stress of Chicago living drove her to Indianapolis, and Miller Brooks. Despite her big city experience, she’ll always love her small town roots. Charlevoix, Michigan is a small resort town of 3,000 that blossoms to 30,000 during the summer months. She grew up there with her two sisters, and returns whenever she gets a chance. Her boyfriend, Ricardo, happened to run a race through her town, and they’ve been together ever since. When not planning online media strategies, Lisa loves to run, read (she’s breezed through the Twilight series), baking and decorating baked goods, and volunteering for her boyfriend’s track and field team, the Indiana Invaders.