Transparent Transition
Posted by: Carl Smith on Thursday February 11, 2010
A couple of months ago things weren’t feeling right in my little world, specifically with nGen Works. Our new team was going strong and had a lot of passion and dedication. As a business, we were kicking butt and could easily grow if we wanted to. All the projections showed we could stay on this path and be successful for years to come. But something else was going on that I didn’t want to look at.
Most of us hate it when an “expert” shows up and starts talking to our clients about SEO, social marketing or whatever the newest gold rush may be. For me, a client’s online presence was always the core concern and everything else was to be dealt with later. I locked myself into this belief partly because it reinforced what we were doing and partly because I was busy as hell. But if we don’t take the time to understand the core benefit of each channel and tactic, we have no right to criticize someone else who shows up and says they have the answer. What’s the client supposed to do? If there’s something that is supposed to help their business they need to try it.
Last Friday I told the nGen team that I’m ready to expand what we offer. More research, full strategy, promotion, execution, monitoring and tracking.
Three of us come from a full-service agency background so this is already in our blood. We handled national campaigns, web needs and promotions for companies like AT&T, Marriott and Energizer. Today, it’s still about connecting with people and engaging them. A big advantage is the friends we’ve made over the last seven years who are leaders in many aspects of the web. We won’t try to do everything; we’ll assemble great teams of specialists that give our clients what they need to be successful.
A big realization is we have to rise above our focus on the tactics and methods we use in creating our work. Instead, we need to make the goal continuously finding and engaging the right audience(s) for our clients. We also agreed that except for the name “nGen Works,” everything is fair game. If it doesn’t belong in the new vision of the company then it’s gone.
Stay in touch to find out about the decisions, changes, successes and failures that come with a transition like this. If you decide to keep up with what we’re doing, we hope you’ll add your insights and suggestions along the way. Thanks!
Coming up next – The Transitional Strategy Part 1 – Who Do We Think We Are?
Comment RSS Filed under: Business, Interweb, nGen News
J Cornelius
02.11.10 at 2:50pm
Congratulations Carl (and team). These are often the most difficult decisions to make and all too often are never even addressed. Best of luck to everyone there in the new age of nGen Works.
Martin Ringlein
02.11.10 at 2:53pm
Carl, I appreciate the transparency — we’re really excited to see where you guys are headed (and excited that we get to follow along).
Bruce Floyd
02.11.10 at 3:13pm
Wow. I’m looking forward to following your progress.
Anton D Peck
02.11.10 at 3:13pm
Passion. Diligence. Wisdom. Tenacity. Respect. These are things that will carry you into the future. Air in the sails, gang. Air in the sails. Anxious to see where you go with it.
stefan Hartwig
02.11.10 at 3:22pm
Great post. Looking forward to watching this unfold.
Geof Harries
02.11.10 at 4:08pm
You mention backgrounds in full service agencies: will nGen Works remain in the digital realm or do you foresee stepping out into non-digital territory as well?
Blaine Rose
02.11.10 at 5:02pm
I knew that things were going to change again at nGen when you got rid of the old crew. Are you really planning on recommending your clients to more talented competitors when it is in their best interest?
This is really going to conflict with nGen’s pretentious ego but it will be better for clients. In the name of tranparency be sure to let us know what your referral income will be for each client. 1-800-ASK-CARL for brand management. ;)
Carl Smith
02.11.10 at 5:45pm
@J Cornelius – Thank you sir, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
@Martin – Glad you’re along for the ride. Hopefully you can through in some pearls of wisdom along the way.
@Bruce – It’s gonna be a fun ride.
@Anton – I just wrote that down. I’ll keep it by my screen as we’re going through the transition. I’ll probably highlight tenacity. It’s gonna take a lot of that.
@Stefan – Glad you’re on board. We’re big Electric Pulp fans.
@Geof – Our focus is still online all the way. If there are some offline channels we can use to drive people online we’ll definitely consider them. Ultimately there’s what works and what doesn’t for that specific project.
@Blaine – Hey Blaine. We don’t see it as recommending people to more talented competitors as much as working with people we know who are more talented in certain areas our clients need. We’ll still be doing everything we currently do and more than likely add some skill sets. Clients will definitely know who they’re working with, we would never hide that. The biggest thing is getting smarter about the big picture. Sorry if we’ve seemed egotistical. Regarding Travis and Varick those guys did what was right for them and they’re both doing really well. We miss them.
Dennis Eusebio
02.11.10 at 9:23pm
Can’t wait to see what comes from all of this. With all of the great talent you guys have on board, it should be nothing short of amazing.
Carl Smith
02.12.10 at 1:35pm
Thanks Dennis. Coming from you those words mean a tremendous amount. We’re excited to start the journey!
Dylan Phillips
02.15.10 at 8:23am
I had a great time talking to you about this transition last week. Since, I’ve been thinking about what separates innovators from pundits.
For me, pundits sit on the shore imaging what lays on the other side. They announce their imaginings to the world, and for most, those imaginings become the definition of what will be found beyond. The innovators listen to the pundits, until they realize the pundits’ stories are no longer reconcilable. Rather than telling a new story, they have the courage to sail beyond the horizon.
So far there’s not much out here but an endless blue ocean. Still, I’m glad to see your sails in the distance.
Carl Smith
02.15.10 at 3:32pm
@Dylan – I had a great time too. The analogy of the pundits and innovators rings very true for me. Hopefully we’ll get to a place where more and more of us can work together. There is an amazing amount to be done, especially as we consider all of the new ways consumers can interact with companies and organizations.
Who knows what tomorrow brings, but as Alan Kay said “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”