Don't stop movin'

It’s not just one of the best ever tracks by S Club 7, or indeed one of the best dance tracks e-ve-r to get you up on the dancefloor , it’s also a really important sentiment in business.

There’s no time to stop. We need forward momentum - always.

We need to be pushing and thinking, and driving and rethinking, and adapting and evolving and all those lovely words that end in ing.

The minute we get comfy and stop, we are at risk of complacency and reverse motion, with decline as the obvious outcome.

There’s a persistence needed to be a brilliant agency person. And that persistence manifests itself in continual action in pursuit of solving problems for clients – and making the client feel like you’ve got nothing else to do but just that.

The phrase being “on it” worked so well to describe this at ORB and certainly works doubly for me. We need every client to understand that we don’t rest until we've done all they asked – and all they didn’t ask (just because that magic is what really counts).

By keeping looking ahead, you’re thinking of not just what needs ideated, delivered, completed in the near future … you’re also thinking about what you will do next that will make the client smile, laugh, cheer and, ultimately, be more successful in their role.

We can’t stop movin’ because our clients don’t. They have continual pressures of targets to hit and resources that are constrained, not to mention deadlines that seem undo-able.  They have stakeholders to manage and business cases to write and, when they are supported by us (agencies) then they can do this and ensure they are part of a bright future for their marketing team and ensure the business values their contribution appropriately.

That’s harder these days. In fact, there’s a lot been written recently about how many senior marketers are losing their roles as budgets get cut within our volatile economic and political climate. Lose senior experienced heads and that can create problems not least in the amount of work that might be delivered by the team left behind (as well as the potential that it becomes far more tactical – and far less strategic – in nature). The result? Forward momentum and the ability to move the organization in the right direction (by acquiring and retaining customers more effectively and cost-efficiently) can end up stalling. The dial stops moving.

But let’s end on a positive. The very best people in this industry (both agency and client side) are restless 24/7 to be better every day, to work together smartly and to produce great work. We never stop movin’.  

And I’m pretty sure that’s what Rachel, Bradley, Jo, Hannah Tina, Jon and Paul (RIP) would have wanted.