Being The Chief Executive Optimist

Not long ago, I had my official company title changed to Chief Executive Optimist.  I change my title a lot.  Granted, when you run your own business, changing your ‘official’ title is as simple as updating your LinkedIn profile.  No lobbying your boss, no office politics, no HR department to sign off.   And, unfortunately, no raise.

Recently, one of our photographers lost a new project for a large US financial client.  No big deal – we lose jobs on a monthly basis and have lost hundreds over the years – it’s part of the business.  We’ve built up a healthy tolerance to the bad news, and have lost jobs for every conceivable reason.  One time, we even lost a telecom lifestyle project to a conceptual still life shooter because, according to the ad agency, “the client loves being on location with XYZ – he tells the best stories at the wrap dinners”.  Just goes to show you the power of relationships in advertising – but that’s a story for another blog post.

This project was different, though, and really put my new title to the test.  We had been working with this client on various estimates for almost a year, without an award, but with numerous affirmations that “the client loves your photographer and can’t wait to work with him soon”.  Again, no problem – we just moved on and looked forward to the next opportunity.   But on the ensuing project, this client really worked us hard. We were told repeatedly that we were the ‘creative choice’.  We worked diligently to come within their budget.  We did multiple revisions to the estimate – each bid due more quickly than the last.  The client even asked if the photographer could re-schedule another project around theirs – something we rarely do but were able to accommodate them.  All of this was done willingly and graciously, and into the weekend, as this is the nature of our crazy business. Unfortunately, after all this, and weeks of time and effort (notice I didn’t say ‘wasted’) the project was awarded to a different photographer. Again.

Fortunately, I had my new title to fall back on – I was the newly appointed Chief Executive Optimist goddammit!  I had an obligation to my new moniker.  I felt like I had a giant CEO on my chest.  I couldn’t worry about something as commonplace as a lost project, no matter how disappointing.  Where many would have thrown in the towel on this potential client, I focused on the bright side – another chink in an agency’s protective armor, another stepping stone in securing a client relationship  … another reason to work even harder.

I can tell you this – if we were not Diehard Optimists, there would be no Gren Group today.  In a business where relationships take years to develop, where trust and credibility are earned over time, where the sales cycle is measured in years not quarters, not to mention having to survive two severe recessions … only the D.O.s could survive. You have to take positives out of every seemingly negative situation.  You can’t be bitter, you can’t sulk (at least not for more than 24 hours!) – you need to have a short memory and a thick skin!  We composed a grateful ‘thank you note’ for being considered.

As difficult as it can be, especially in a creative field, it’s important to be analytical about your business, and not let emotions overcome your thinking.  You need to understand your particular industry and realize that all businesses are a dynamic thing.  The faster you can adjust to your your changing business environment, the better your chances of maintaining a competitive advantage. If issues in your business continue to happen repeatedly, that might be the new normal – you need to recognize that and prepare to make changes.

In our creative industry, with layers of decision makers, a subjective decision making process, various degrees of risk tolerance, and so many reasons for clients NOT to hire you, you have to give them every reason to continue reaching out.  Clients are so difficult (and costly) to attract, you have to treat each of them like gold.  Chances are, you’ve spent thousands of dollars getting the attention of clients – whether in trade advertising, face to face meetings, direct mail, email campaigns, whatever.  And to get them to act on that interest by requesting a bid or estimate, is a great feat.  Simply losing a couple of projects is no reason to throw away such an important investment.  A lost project can be a gained opportunity to develop a more solid relationship with a prospect who thinks highly enough of you to include you in the bidding process.

Understand also that, in our business, many times, the final decision is completely out of your control.  As long as you have put your best foot forward in your estimate, there is little you can do to influence the decision after that.  In the commercial advertising world, the final decision maker is usually several people removed from your initial contact.  Rarely does that person have influence over the final creative decision on which photographer is chosen.  Use rejection to your advantage, to fuel you.  Ask yourself tough questions.  Can I improve the presentation on my website?  Can I work on creating better treatments or creative briefs?  Can I streamline my productions to reduce costs?  Do I need more projects in the pipeline?  Can I do a better job communicating my vision to the client?

Being an optimist also means managing expectations on the front end.  Almost every commercial advertising project is a triple-bid, and many estimates are subject to scrutiny by in-house cost controllers.  Right off the bat, assume you have only a 33% probability of getting a particular project, no matter how good you’ve been made to feel about your chances.  Add to that the probability that jobs get cancelled or postponed, and you’re lucky to get one of every five estimates, just a 20% chance.  So, don’t discourage if you lose 4, 5 or 6 bids in a row, there’s a great chance that everything will even out in the long run.  A little bit like playing poker, just remember that the house will always win.

These are teaching moments.  It just so happens that, being a sole proprietor, you are the teacher AND the student.  Again, there’s a high probability that none of these things would have made a difference on THIS particular project.  Maybe you think your business is perfect and needs no changing (if you believe that, then you’re in real trouble!)  But you can still make some changes to your business in anticipation of increasing your chances on the next opportunity.  And being a pessimist is very counter productive – there’s really no point.   If anything, negativity and cynicism can become a self fulfilling prophecy – thinking and acting like you won’t get a project can actually make it so.  A gloomy attitude can come through even subtly in your communications with the client.

Admittedly, I’m an optimist by nature.  I think it’s genetic.  When I was young, I saw my 84 year old grandmother fall, fracture her hip and require a good number of stitches.  I still remember her calmly advising the paramedics all she needed was a butterfly bandage and a Manhattan straight up – now that’s a positive outlook.  Optimism is also great for things like youth sports, which I coach a lot of … I’m definitely a champion of ‘everyone gets a medal for participating’.  Seven and eight year olds are like the entrepreneur in all of us – exploring things that they’re good at, learning by their mistakes and growing stronger with every battle.  I can’t begin to tell you how many times these words have come out of my mouth, “Nice try Ryan, you almost got your glove on that one” or “Don’t worry Jack, just keep practicing and one day you’ll make that layup” or “It’s not your fault Emma, we’ll definitely get it next time”.

Got that people?  CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD – WE’LL GET IT NEXT TIME!!