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Sharon Goldmacher with communications 21

May 4, 2021 by angishields

GWBC Radio

Sharon Goldmacher with communications 21

00:00 /

Sharon L. Goldmacher is a veteran in the marketing and public relations industry, beginning her career in Atlanta in 1987. She develops integrated, results-focused marketing, PR and digital campaigns for clients in real estate, community improvement districts, food/beverage, professional services, sports, nonprofits and technology.

Competitive by nature, she created communications 21 in 1992, at the naïve age of 28, to see if she could do it. Within the first two years, she won the DeKalb Chamber’s Stargazer award for “Small Business Start-Up of the Year” and the Young Advertising Professional Award presented by the Atlanta Ad Club. In 2013, she won Business to Business Magazine’s Woman of Excellence award. Over the next 25 years, the company has garnered 80 awards for its award-winning campaigns.

While often accused of telling long stories, Sharon enjoys presenting and has spoken on marketing, PR and digital strategies and tactics to various organizations such as the Association of Public Gardens, the American Marketing Association’s Annual Summit, the Exhibit Design and Producers Association, NewComm (Society for New Communications Research conference), MBA Conclave Curriculum and Teaching Conference, PRSA chapters in Washington, D.C., and Florida and more.

Corporate responsibility is part of c21’s company culture, and Sharon volunteers on a number of industry and community boards, including the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, the past presidents’ council of the American Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter, the Hospitality Business Network Foundation and The Blue Horse Association.

In addition, she volunteered for Georgia Support The Vote, a nonpartisan organization focused on helping businesses to inform, encourage and enable their employees to vote. She is a graduate of Leadership Buckhead, and served on the board for several years, in addition to holding volunteer positions with the Green Chamber of the South, Literacy Volunteers of America and Hands On Atlanta. Sharon also served as the executive director of the Atlanta Local Organizing Committee for the planning and execution of the 2013 NCAA® Men’s Final Four® held in Atlanta.

Sharon attended college in “The Big Easy” (a.k.a. New Orleans), graduating cum laude from Newcomb College/Tulane University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and communications (and almost a dance minor). During school, she worked at the NBC affiliate, WDSU-TV, which convinced her to choose a different career path.

While a love-hate relationship, golf is a passion, and her favorite golf saying is “fairway-play is for sissies.” In the past few years, she’s taken up cycling, and can be found on the Silver Comet Trail or huffing and puffing around the hills in her neighborhood!

Follow communications 21 on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Success and failures – lessons learned
Digital marketing and PR tactics for large and small businesses
Social media marketing success

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open for Business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of GWBC Open for Business, and this is going to be a good one. Today, we have Sharon Goldmacher with Communications 21. Welcome, Sharon.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:00:29] Hi, Lee. It’s nice to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:30] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about Communications 21, how are you serving folks?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:00:36] We are a digital marketing and public relations agency. We are based in Atlanta, actually, Inman Park, right near the BeltLine. And we have been in business since 1992. Our focus is on remarkable service and real results.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:53] Now, did you start out in PR and then kind of added digital marketing? Or did you start out in digital marketing and added PR? Was that kind of always a two-pronged approach since the beginning?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:01:05] It was actually a two-pronged approach. We always did marketing and public relations and design. And then, probably, you know, as things started to turn towards digital and we did started to do websites, and then social media came bursting on the scene, we started to really shift a little bit more towards digital.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:30] So, now, how have you seen kind of that marriage between marketing, advertising, PR, digital, print, non-digital, billboards? Like, it’s all kind of morphing together into one where previously there might have been more distinct kind of darker lines between them.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:01:49] Absolutely. There were stronger divisions than there are now. We really never did what I would consider to be traditional advertising, and that’s in part because we’re very focused on metrics and analytics. I am the daughter of an engineer, and so I was kind of taught that there’s a process to things. But, also, if you don’t measure the outcome of your effort, then, really, what was it for and how does it help a client increase their brand awareness or sell a product?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:02:28] So, I think the beauty of digital and the reason why there is definitely more blurred lines is because most of clients today demand, you know, analytics and demand measurement to understand how their money is being spent, if it is actually resulting in meeting their goals and objectives. And I think that is why you see more blurred lines.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:02:54] But, ultimately, and you hear this a lot these days, it’s about telling stories. People want to resonate with a brand. They just won’t see an ad anymore and go, “Oh, I saw that so it must be true.” People really need that connection. And that’s where storytelling and what, in essence, I believe, public relations and marketing can really help to tell that brand story, especially if you’ve got a client who’s got a great story to tell. On the opposite side, I also think that if a brand or a company doesn’t have a great story to tell, that may come out as well and it could, in fact, negatively impact their sales.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:41] Now, when you’re working with your clients, how do you kind of help them really understand that? Because that sounds like a little bit of different approach than some other firms are taking. When I started, I started out in marketing and advertising and there was a saying – I don’t know if it’s still true today – that, “50 percent of your advertising is kind of wasted. You just don’t know which 50 percent.” And you mentioned the importance of metrics, how do you kind of help your client understand that certain metrics matter more than other metrics? And just because you can count something, doesn’t mean that it’s something valuable?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:04:24] Absolutely. Again, you are very correct. Typically, when we’re working with a client, especially with a new client, we will sit down and, together, understand what are the key performance indicators that are important to that client. So, for one client, it might be sales. For another client, it might be identifying people within their district who they need to market to. So, it could be as simple as database management or it could be I want to make $10 million more this year than last year. If we’re not at the outset understanding what the KPIs are or those key performance indicators, then we don’t know what 50 percent is working or not working, to your point.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:05:15] If we can set those metrics at the beginning and then we will, each month, come back around and measure, did we move the needle on ultimately what that goal is, then we can look at our subtasks and say this one outperformed this one ultimately to get back to that initial goal. So, we added 300 members to our database, but we cleaned out 400 people that were no longer relevant. So, it may be a negative in terms of growth, but it’s a much more targeted list of people who are engaged who want that client’s information.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:05:55] So, ultimately, I think it may win in the end in terms of what their goal is, but it may not on paper. To your point earlier, it may not have been the the ultimate increase, but certainly a better target and a better target audience that’s more engaged is a win for any client.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:15] Well, I’ll tell you what I’m hearing from you is certainly refreshing. And I’m sure as you know, but maybe your clients don’t know or prospective clients don’t know, that this is not kind of a normal conversation that folks have with marketing or advertising or PR agencies. A lot of agencies focus in, to me we call them, cost metrics on metrics that look good or might impress somebody. But it may not really be the thing that, like you said, moves the needle in your business. You know, collecting likes or followers just for the sake of doing that, it’s not as difficult as it seems. But getting an engaged group of people is a little trickier and harder. So, I’m glad you’re holding everything to a higher standard than you are focusing on the results that matter and the metrics that really move the needle.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:07:05] We hope so. We hope so. I’ve been in business since 1992 and have seen a lot of changes, and I’m sure there will be a lot more in a much more compressed timeframe than the past 30 years. But, ultimately, I think we keep our clients because we are focused on what their end goal is and not necessarily what our goal is. We’ve won our fair share of awards. I’m not going to say we haven’t. But I think it’s because we’re helping our clients meet their goals. So, ultimately, that is the win-win.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:40] Right. I mean, and another thing I learned when I was in this industry back in the day was, it’s not creative unless it sells. You know, unless you’re really moving the needle for your client, creativity, just for the sake of creativity, isn’t really what we should be doing.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:07:56] Right. Although they can be entertaining.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:00] Right. As long as it’s moving the needle, I don’t care. But just because you came up with something clever that makes you laugh and everybody thinks is hilarious, but if they don’t connect it with your brand or it isn’t really impacting anything in your business, then, to me, that’s kind of for art’s sake. And that’s not really why they hired you.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:08:19] Yes. Agreed.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:21] Now, in your business, when you’re working with these folks, we talked a lot about kind of the mechanics of getting the metrics right and what we’re going to measure correct. Now, here’s where the art part comes into the art and science of this business, once you have those processes right, there still is a lot of kind of trial and error in getting the creative right in order to tell those right stories and to get the message resonating with the right people.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:08:51] Yes. And, unfortunately, that’s a little less process oriented. So, that is where I think people who want to get into this industry think every day is creative brainstorming and amazing ideas and campaigns that will go viral. And that is definitely a piece of it, but it is the hard work that gets you there. I think it’s the less sexy part of what we do in this industry. And there are some incredibly creative people. My team, I’m blessed to have a great team here, and I’m amazed every day of the ideas that they come up with.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:09:37] But I think, ultimately, again, keeping those metrics in mind and doing the research, competitor research, really kind of diving in and digging in where you help then to see that path where you can help a client zig where everyone else is zagging. And usually if you do the work, then the creative gets even a little bit easier. When we’re developing brands, for example, we don’t just go off in a room and come up with brand ideas. We have done that legwork, the kick off meeting with the client. We have done the research. We have looked at what their competitor colors are, what their taglines are, what has been successful in terms of campaigns for both the current client and their competitors. And from there, I think we create a creative brief.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:10:38] But then, we used to come up with our creative and brainstorm. So, for example, we’re working with a client who what they do is really interesting, but it’s not very sexy in terms of an industry. So, they help get goods and services and, oftentimes, hard to find supplies to people living in the Caribbean. And so, they’re a logistics company, they’re a shipping company, and they wanted to change their name, change their brand, create a tag line. And we got to the name. And then, in the tag line process, we were just listing things on sticky notes and boards around our conference room.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:11:32] And I am very proud to say that our then intern and now account manager came up with “From Land to Sand Overnight.” And it was brilliant. It was great. And she’s 23. And, you know, it’s just those types of inspirational moments that happen that they say capture lightning in a bottle. The client just went crazy for it because their previous tagline was like three sentences. It was really long trying to explain everything they did and this simplified it and they use it now in everything. And it really does help to explain what they do.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:16] And kudos to you for having a culture that allowed that to happen, that allowed somebody to contribute to that level, and be open, and to hear it until safe enough to do that. Because you shouldn’t take that for granted. That is a very important component to this. And that allows you to get that kind of lightning in a bottle result because you have a culture that allows that to occur.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:12:41] I hope so. I probably don’t think about that enough. But it’s a safe environment where everybody feels like they can contribute. My dad was a great mentor for me. And he said to me, you know, it’s good to run your company with the pie truck theory, where if I was hit by a pie truck tomorrow, the company could go on. And the reason that he said that is because this is larger than just any one person. I mean, it’s a small business. It’s a boutique agency. But you have to kind of think of it as it can go on. Hopefully, it could go on.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:13:27] And so, everybody in here, we call it C21 University, essentially goes through an onboarding process where everybody knows how to do everything. They may not love to do everything that we do in terms of services we offer. Someone makes a sale at video versus someone makes a sale at digital marketing, where someone else may be great at getting stories placed. But everyone knows how to do everything. And so, if I was hit by a pie truck tomorrow, they would know how to keep this going. And I think that environment empowers people, but also provides them with a safe space to throw out ideas that someone may say, “Oh, my God. That’s amazing.”

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:14:17] And then, we reward those as a result on the back end of those as well. So, people that go above and beyond, or do something amazing, or take something off someone else’s plate, we give little spot awards for that, you know, every month so that folks know that, “Hey, I can do that.” Or, “I could take that on.” Or, “I have a really good idea for that. I’ll share that with my teammates.”

Lee Kantor: [00:14:44] Now, let’s give a little tactical and maybe share some advice for the listener. I don’t know if you want to do this as one and maybe do it separately, but any kind of digital marketing or PR tips for that either large or small business out there? There’s some low hanging fruit that maybe they could be doing on their own that can, at least, help them move the needle a little bit in their business.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:15:08] Yeah. Here’s an interesting tip we just shared recently with a client of ours. They are capital market investors, so they’ll invest in projects for multifamily, to single family rentals, to mixed use, and they look for partners, et cetera. And they don’t do a ton of deals every year. But what they do are pretty high impact. And they always put skin in the game. So, they won’t do a deal unless they’re personally involved, which makes them very different from other capital investment companies.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:15:51] And we were talking about LinkedIn and that they hadn’t really had enough news that we’d been posting on LinkedIn. And we had recommended that we increase or try to increase our amount of postings. And a client said, “Well, I don’t really have that many followers on our business page, you know, versus my personal. So, I’ll just post personally.”

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:16:16] And so, LinkedIn has a feature where you can invite people to follow your business page. You can send out 100 invites a month for free to just grow your followers and engagement on LinkedIn. Which, for businesses, typically outweighs, for example, the power that Facebook has, despite the fact that it has billions of followers. But from a business perspective, use that tool where you’re inviting people to really grow your network because LinkedIn has that incredible power. And, yes, there’s LinkedIn Premium and you can pay for certain things, but why would you if you don’t have to. For small businesses and large businesses, people should be doing that. That’s just a small tip.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:05] Well, that’s a big tip. That’s a good one. Now, kind of you mentioned earlier that lightning in a bottle tagline, is there any kind of story that you can share that you helped a client get to a new level, that you’re kind of was rewarding, or that was meaningful to you or your team?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:17:26] Oh, gosh. That one’s a tough one. There’s so many clients and so many years, and I’m so old, and it’s a Monday. I will say, me, personally, not necessarily a client, but a personal achievement that I was very proud of was in 2007, I volunteered to help with the NCAA Final Four that was in Atlanta. And I did the marketing and PR and didn’t really know what I was getting into. And I had asked the previous city if they had a plan or something that they could share. And the person said, “We sent four press releases.” And I said, “Okay. We’re going to do more than that.” So, I put together a plan.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:18:24] And NCAA at the time was kind of like, “We’ve never seen anything like this.” I’m like, “Well, it’s not that complicated, but I think we can do more than four press releases.” So, from there, I worked on the bid, so the city hired C21 to work on the bid to try and get the Final Four back. And I really wanted the 75th Anniversary year. And everybody told me, “That wasn’t going to happen because that was going to be in Indianapolis and that is where they’re headquartered.” And so, I, again, kind of said, “Well, let’s go for it anyway.” And put in ideas around 75th Anniversary and it’s a diamond anniversary, and so we kind of used that theme throughout.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:19:14] And then, we were going to have some people pitch it and we were going to get a female executive from Coca-Cola and some other people who are sponsors. She ended up not being able to do it. They asked if I would do it. And I’m a nobody. So, it was weird. But we did pitch it and we did win it, and we won the 75th Anniversary and it was really great.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:19:42] And then, I was asked by the organizers who should be the executive director. And so, I gave them some names of folks that I thought would be amazing. And about a month later they came back and said, “We’d like you to do it.” And I said, “I have a job, but thank you.” And they kind of convinced me that I can do both, and I did. So, I became the executive director of the Local Organizing Committee for the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2013 and also ran my company, and that was a very long 18 months. But it was one of the most successful Final Fours that had been held. We had the highest attendance of any Final Four and some of the highest attendance of any Final Four’s ancillary events, like their fun runs and what was then called Bracket Town, all that. And that was a very proud moment for my company and for me personally. Great memory.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:46] I think that speaks, again, to the culture that you’ve developed and your own, I guess, personal values and philosophy in not just doing what was done or not just checking boxes. You can probably connect the dots to that to the fact that you didn’t say, “Let’s just run four press releases. Let’s go above and beyond because that’s what this project needs. And let’s just not kind of go through the motions.” You wanted to really serve the client and really do what you felt was right. And because of that, that may be what caused those dominos to fall in the way they did to get you to that point.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:21:27] I’m extremely competitive, unfortunately. I love winning. I’m not so great at losing. I’m a gracious loser, but it’s a much better feeling to win.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:39] Right. I mean, I think that it stems from that kind of work ethic, and the philosophy, and the values that you have that helped you win probably as often as you do.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:21:49] You are probably right, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:51] Now, let’s talk a little bit about GWBC, why was it important for you to get involved with that organization?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:21:59] I think anything that empowers women is something that I want to be involved with. And they’re a great organization in terms of helping businesses, like myself, to be certified. I think it is always helpful in RFPs and responses to be able to say that you are a certified woman-owned business. Right now, we are actually all women in here. So, I think they’re an organization that supports my personal mission, which is to empower women. And so, that’s why, I think, we’ve probably been certified the last, I don’t know, 15, 20 years. It was something that when I found out about it, I said, yes, let’s make sure that we’re certified and we keep it up every year.

Lee Kantor: [00:22:50] Now, you mentioned that you’re a member of that organization and you’ve been a member of a variety of other industry and community organizations. But you don’t just kind of join, you tend to kind of lean in and take leadership roles. Can you share maybe for the young people listening why that’s so important to, not just kind of join something just to check a box that you’ve joined it, but to really kind of lean in and volunteer and take leadership positions, how that can help you and grow your career.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:23:25] We do that with our team here in terms of encouraging them to, as you said, lean in, in part because we are a small agency and it does expose younger people to both a variety of potential mentors, potential connections, both from a career journey perspective, but also from a possible business development perspective. So, it’s important.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:24:03] I tend to be a borderline introvert extrovert, so when I have a role to play, I’m very much of an extrovert. I can walk up to somebody and say hello to them and explain how I’m involved in the organization. If I am not involved, then I tend to just say hello to either person on either side of me at the lunch table and that’s it. Maybe an exchange of cards. And I don’t really engage. So, from my personal perspective, I have found that if I’m involved, I am more extroverted in my ability to network and make better connections is improved. From my team’s perspective, I think, if you’re new to a role or you’re new to a group, that by joining and by becoming an invested volunteer, you really can achieve so much more in your career.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:25:05] So, I had a former team member who recently left – who we miss a lot, but we wish her really well. She got involved. She was involved with PRSA, which is the Public Relations Society of America. She joined a committee, then she chaired a committee, and she also got to understand from a management perspective what it’s like to manage volunteers, which is a whole another level of involvement than managing people that you work with who are being paid. People who aren’t being paid will say, “I’ll do that.” And then, sometimes work gets in the way or life gets in the way and they don’t get their volunteer work done. And it does open your eyes to other management experiences.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:25:51] And through all of her work, she got great accolades within the organization, which, again, are just great things to try and obtain in your career if you’re trying to succeed and really go far. So, I think volunteering, leaning in, are really important to doing all of that in terms of a career journey.

Lee Kantor: [00:26:13] Now, in your work, who is the ideal client? Do you have a niche that you serve? Is it B2B, B2C? Do you prefer certain industries? Is there kind of a profile of a good fit client for you?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:26:27] Sadly, my answer is clients that pay. We love clients that pay. No, we do not have a nation. That is the hardest part about explaining Communications 21, because we are really, truly a generalist firm. We work with non-profits. We work with technology, sports and entertainment, food and beverage. We are really across the board. That probably goes back to my self-diagnosed ADD, but I love learning. And at the very basis of what I do, if I can learn something new every day, whether that’s some digital marketing tactic which literally changes every day to a client industry, I just love what I do, but it makes me love what I do even more.

Lee Kantor: [00:27:19] Now, is there a pain that a typical client or prospective client is having where C21 is the right kind of solution?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:27:31] Every pain we can solve. We do focus, I would say, on organizations that either don’t have a marketing department or marketing person or may have one person who’s stretched very thin. So, we can literally come in and take over email marketing, social media management, website development and maintenance, public relations. Most people don’t really know how to talk to media or aren’t interested in talking to media, so we can kind of slide in and help with all those things.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:28:16] Some clients hire us for, “Hey, we’ve got an anniversary coming up and we want to plan events. And we want to make sure people are aware of our anniversary.” Those are great opportunities for us because, oftentimes, once we get our foot in the door on a project, people will really see, “Wow. You guys are valuable and are really helping us in terms of letting us focus on our day-to-day business and operations and growth.” And offloading all the painful things like, “Wow. You haven’t posted on social media in about five months. That’s probably not great. So, let us help you with that and we’ll get consistent.”

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:28:58] So, a lot of times, our clients just are so busy that their marketing tactics become very inconsistent. Which, when economies change – which we have seen over the past year with COVID – consistency is really key. And it’s always a struggle when economies take a dive that – as you may know, Lee, from your past history – advertising and marketing oftentimes are the first things to get cut because they’re not seen as essential. Well, of course, we see that as essential, because if people forget who you are, they just move on. There are so many other companies and competitors out there that it’s hard to find a unique service these days. And so, they’ll just move on to the next shiny bright toy. So, marketing is, in our minds, very essential in terms of keeping brand awareness so people think of you top of mind.

Lee Kantor: [00:30:03] Now, if there’s a firm out there that wants to learn more and have more substantive conversation with you or somebody on your team, what’s the website?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:30:10] Our website is c21pr.com, and that’s C21 Public Relations dot com. And they can go there and find out everything they need, hopefully. At least a taste and some case studies and then give me a call.

Lee Kantor: [00:30:28] That’s the letter C, the number 2, 1, PR dot com. Well, Sharon, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:30:38] Thank you, Lee. You’re a great interviewer.

Lee Kantor: [00:30:40] Thank you. All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on GWBC Open for Business.

About GWBC

The Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC®) is at the forefront of redefining women business enterprises (WBEs). An increasing focus on supplier diversity means major corporations are viewing our WBEs as innovative, flexible and competitive solutions. The number of women-owned businesses is rising to reflect an increasingly diverse consumer base of women making a majority of buying decision for herself, her family and her business.

GWBC^® has partnered with dozens of major companies who are committed to providing a sustainable foundation through our guiding principles to bring education, training and the standardization of national certification to women businesses in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

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About David Brown

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Before coming to the PETA Foundation, Smith practiced commercial litigation at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York City, where he also handled pro bono cases on behalf of same-sex couples seeking to vindicate their constitutional rights and public housing tenants, among other clients.

He graduated from Yale Law School.

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Sean O'Grady with Exoteric Group

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Sean O’Grady is the Owner and Lead Instructor of Exoteric Group. Exoteric Group is a veteran owned and operated firearms education company that provides high-caliber instruction and training. They offer courses that cover all ability levels; from first time shooters interested in learning how to safely and comfortably operate a firearm, to experienced shooters interested in adding to their arsenal of knowledge and skill.

Their staff is comprised of passionate, professional, highly-trained, qualified and certified instructors with decades of experience, and the ability to effectively communicate the material being presented in a relatable and easily retainable way. They are focused on the fundamentals and building confidence by offering a low-stress and casually-paced atmosphere in which to learn.

Follow Exoteric Group on Facebook.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

About firearms education and why it’s important
The spike in firearms and ammunition sales as a result of 2020
Giving back to the community and law enforcement

About Our Sponsor

OnPay’s payroll services and HR software give you more time to focus on what’s most important. Rated “Excellent” by PC Magazine, we make it easy to pay employees fast, we automate all payroll taxes, and we even keep all your HR and benefits organized and compliant.

Our award-winning customer service includes an accuracy guarantee, deep integrations with popular accounting software, and we’ll even enter all your employee information for you — whether you have five employees or 500. Take a closer look to see all the ways we can save you time and money in the back office.

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

Mark Barlow with Fidelity Investments

May 3, 2021 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Mark Barlow with Fidelity Investments

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Mark Barlow is a senior vice president for Fidelity Investments. As a senior leader, Mark helps lead and grow a team of more than 1,200 financial professionals who provide Fidelity clients with clarity, confidence and results in helping them live the lives they want. He also is a key leader in Fidelity’s new approach to hire 1,000 remote licensed financial planners in 20+ markets across the country, including Atlanta, Miami, Detroit and Seattle.

Mark has been with Fidelity since 1991 – a proven leader with expertise in guiding teams through incredible change and transformation. To this day, he continues to feel grateful for the opportunity to help customers with some of their most important goals in their lives, such as buying a home, getting married or planning for retirement, among others. He graduated from Westminster College with a Bachelor of Business Administration.

For Mark, life first means being there for his high school sweetheart and wife of 26 years, Kimberly, and their three children, now spread across three continents. Mark enjoys most sports, is a die-hard Utah Jazz fan, and especially loves to play basketball and golf.

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

What positions Fidelity Investments has available right now in the Atlanta area, and the ideal skills and experience job candidates need
A day in the life of a Fidelity employee
Why Fidelity is expanding its workforce in areas like Atlanta
What makes Fidelity a great place to work

About Our Sponsor

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

Christine Hilgert and Cori Bokath with H2U Fine Water

April 30, 2021 by angishields

Christine-Hilgert-Cori-Bokath-H2U-Fine-Water

Atlanta Business Radio

Christine Hilgert and Cori Bokath with H2U Fine Water

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Christine Hilgert, Water Sommelier with H2U Fine Water, is a graduate of Florida State University, with a focus on Hospitality Management. Her career began in the private club industry where managed special events and food & beverage. She then fell into the meeting and association management industry, where she has been for over 20 years.

She loves to “fill her glass” with many activities from becoming a certified high school fencing referee to paddleboarding any chance she gets. After participating in a water tasting, she had a quench to try something new and showcase the opportunities water can provide.

In her free time she enjoys working out, finding new waters and restaurants and of course has a love for travel.

Cori Bokath is a graduate of Mercer University, with a degree in both Communications and Spanish.

Cori is currently the director of a meeting planning company in the Atlanta area. She has worked in the meetings and events industry for over 20 years and has worked with a variety of clients.

She has been married to her husband Brett for 11 years and has one daughter. In her free time, she spends it searching and trying out new waters, discovering new restaurants, gardening, and entertaining friends and family.

Follow H2U Fine Water on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

If water is just water
Why Christine and Cori became sommeliers
What makes H2U Fine water unique

About Our Sponsor

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

Customer Experience Radio Welcomes: Matthew S. Harrison with Jackson Healthcare and Amy Otto with VirtualMed Staff

April 30, 2021 by angishields

Customer-Experience-Matthew Harrison-Amy-Otto-Feature

Customer Experience Radio

Customer Experience Radio Welcomes: Matthew S. Harrison with Jackson Healthcare and Amy Otto with VirtualMed Staff

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Matthew S. Harrison, PhD currently works at Jackson Healthcare as Senior Vice President, Talent & Development.

In this role he provides executive leadership and direction in the establishment and execution of strategies and solutions that drive performance, acquire and retain talent, develop employees and leaders, and shape the overall culture for various Jackson Healthcare companies.

He leads delivery in the areas of: talent management/acquisition, learning & development, performance management, organizational development, change management, job & compensation analysis, and diversity, equity & inclusion.

Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn.

Amy Otto, Director of Client Experience at Virtual Medical Staff, has a diverse background in healthcare ranging from genomic and esoteric testing to health insurance, wellness and telemedicine. She is a true thought leader with over 30 years of sales experience.

Amy attributes her success to building deep and meaningful relationships.

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:01] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, it’s time for Customer Experience Radio. Brought to you by Heineck and Company, real estate advisors specialized in corporate relocation. Now, here’s your host, Jill Heineck.

Jill Heineck: [00:00:17] Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to another special edition of Customer Experience Radio. I’m Jill Heineck, your host. And I’m a business owner, real estate adviser, and customer experience enthusiast.

Jill Heineck: [00:00:32] Today’s episode is going to be very interesting. We are highlighting a couple of experts in the health care field. We have Amy Otto and Matthew Harrison joining us from Jackson Healthcare. Amy is the Director of Client Experience for VirtualMed Staff at Jackson Healthcare Company. And has a diverse background in health care, ranging from genomic and esoteric testing to health insurance, wellness, and telemedicine.

Jill Heineck: [00:00:58] And then, Matthew Harrison is SVP of Talent and Development at Jackson Healtchare. And in his role, he leads delivery in the areas of talent management and acquisition, learning and development, performance management, organizational development, change management – wow, this is exhausting – job and compensation analysis, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. All areas that impact the end user’s experience. I want to welcome you both to the show.

Amy Otto: [00:01:25] Thank you, Jill.

Matthew Harrison: [00:01:27] Thank you.

Amy Otto: [00:01:27] So, when you introduced Matthew and you go through all those credentials, you’d think he’d be like 80 years old. But he’s really young and it’s even more impressive.

Jill Heineck: [00:01:38] So, I understand 40 Under 40.

Matthew Harrison: [00:01:40] Thank you.

Jill Heineck: [00:01:40] He made the 40 Under 40?

Amy Otto: [00:01:44] He probably —

Matthew Harrison: [00:01:44] Yeah, I did. I, literally, just celebrated my 39th birthday just on Monday. So, I barely —

Jill Heineck: [00:01:57] By the hair you’re still under 40. Good for you. Happy birthday. Enjoy it.

Matthew Harrison: [00:02:04] Thank you. Thank you.

Jill Heineck: [00:02:07] Well, I wanted to start and talk a little bit about your backgrounds and how it led you to where you are now. So, Amy, do you want to give us a little bit on where you started and how it’s led you to VirtualMed?

Amy Otto: [00:02:22] Sure. So, I’ve had over — selling experience, everything from — to genomic and esoteric testing to, now, telemedicine. So, my background is diverse, but always in sales. And I think I was born a salesperson because I always had a lemonade stand even when I was a kid. I just loved selling. But really at the heart of selling, I think I’ve enjoyed the most is the relationships. I’m definitely a relationship-based salesperson.

Amy Otto: [00:03:01] Actually, how I got to Jackson Healthcare, I’ll let Matt talk a little bit more about the recruiting process. But I had been eyeing Jackson Healthcare since 2009. I was on a — and one of the other guests was the H.R. Director or the VP of H.R. at Jackson Healthcare, Mike Hiffa or Hiffa. And he invited me to Jackson Healthcare to have lunch. And I — away. And this is in 2009, just all the amazing amenities they had and how incredible they treated the employees.

Amy Otto: [00:03:34] For – gosh – a decade almost, I had been going to their website, seeing what popped up. And it was in research in mental health, actually, that I found my current position. I had lost six friends in seven months due to mental health related deaths of suicide and overdose. And I was researching, I’m like, “My gosh, this is such a big problem.” And I stumbled across Virtual Medical Staff and their telepsychiatry programs. And then, I clicked on their website and I was like, “Oh, my gosh. It’s a Jackson Healthcare company.” Like, all roads lead to what I’ve been looking to do, which is be part of their culture, which is just amazing. So, that’s where I am today.

Jill Heineck: [00:04:21] That’s fantastic. I love that story. Matt, in your short career, why don’t you tell us how you landed –

Matthew Harrison: [00:04:31] Thanks, Jill. Yes. So, I’m actually an industrial organizational psychologist by training. I went to graduate school at the University of Georgia. And so, after graduating from UGA, I entered into the field of human resources. And so, I started immediately doing work around organizational development, organizational effectiveness, talent management. And I initially started with Cox Automotive, a division of Cox Enterprises here in Atlanta. I eventually moved and worked at McKesson for a few years. I went on to a position at the Weather Channel and then to Comcast. I mean, I worked in a myriad of different industries. You know, working in H.R., it’s good because you obviously can kind of, you know, go between different industries. You don’t have to be in a specific one.

Matthew Harrison: [00:05:15] I ended up being brought over to Jackson Healthcare by someone that I had worked with previously. So, a prior leader that had worked with me at the Weather Channel told me about an open position they had in the H.R. Department at Jackson Healthcare. Unlike Amy, I actually hadn’t heard of Jackson Healthcare. But I mean, quickly, when I came in and visited, like Amy talked about, the culture that was so just apparent really made me feel like home. And it definitely made it feel like a place where I knew I could grow and make an impact. And so, I’ve been with Jackson Healthcare since February of 2018.

Jill Heineck: [00:05:50] Excellent. Wow. So, yeah, I know that in my travels in the H.R. circles, I’ve heard what a culture has been really grown over at Jackson Healthcare. And I used to know a lot of the recruiting staff over there years ago, back probably in 2009 and ’10. And it carries over still to this day how much people love working there and being a part of that environment. So, Amy, why don’t you talk a little bit about what your role as director of customer experience entails?

Amy Otto: [00:06:25] Sure. So, I was a director of business development, and about 18 months ago, I asked if I could revise my title to director of client experience. Because what I found is that as I grew my relationships with my clients, like, the word business development to me meant a salesperson and not a consultant. And so, it’s in delivering this client experience that — sales. But at the same time, it is truly showing that I have — in what they’re doing. And it’s more of a partnership rather than a sales job.

Amy Otto: [00:07:05] So, what I currently do is, I develop relationships and try to — service lines nationally. So, we do telepsychiatry and teleneurology. So, I’m really just trying to expand. We have some large hospital systems and people buy from people they trust and like. And so, that takes a while to build those relationships. And especially during COVID, that’s been a little bit challenging for me. But I’ve overcome it and have really — as a way to strengthen some of these relationships. But what I do currently is basically manage relationships for some of our current clients and help to grow that business.

Jill Heineck: [00:07:47] So, in terms of developing those relationships and making them deeper and then, ultimately, improving or expanding upon the customer experience, client experience, working with your company, is there a particular blueprint that you follow or certain guidelines that you want to make sure that you touch on when you’re kind of checking in with a client to find out how things are going? And is there any milestones that are set out for each client?

Amy Otto: [00:08:20] Great question. Yeah, really good question. So, it’s a little bit complex because not only am I managing the relationship with the key stakeholders, the CEO, chief nursing officer, that type of person, I’m also managing the relationship with the nurses that are presenting the patients to the doctor. So, it’s just very multifaceted. But one common theme through all of the relationship management has been to kind of categorize these relationships as to where I am.

Amy Otto: [00:08:50] If I’m in the process of creating the relationship, different touch points, am I an advocate, an educator, a peacemaker, a sounding board, a strategist, a strategic member of their team. So, when I look at the customer journey map, it’s multifaceted. I’m in the process right now, actually, of creating one for a company. It’s a new role and a new way of looking at things. And so, I try to categorize these touch points in areas of validation with functional teams that we have and putting the pieces of the puzzle together to create the customer journey map.

Jill Heineck: [00:09:33] Well, that’s the answer I was looking for.

Amy Otto: [00:09:36] A little bit, probably, scattered and more creative.

Jill Heineck: [00:09:39] No. It’s perfect.

Amy Otto: [00:09:42] But — notes. But we’re getting there. And, you know, part of that is celebrating milestones both with our clients and internally. But celebrating with the physician when they’ve seen their five — patients via telepsychiatry. Or ribbon — things with our new clients, and press releases, and celebrating when — able to reduce their wait time for strokes, those types of things. Just really trying to find key points along the way that we can standardize and — with our current clients.

Jill Heineck: [00:10:13] I love it. That’s exactly what we do in our business as well. Matt, why don’t you talk a little bit about how finding the right talent does impact how it leads to great customer service and then, ultimately, client experience.

Matthew Harrison: [00:10:32] Yeah. Sure. I mean, I think one of the things that my TA team does is partner with the business on the front end to really create, you know, the candidate profile that they know is going to ultimately be the best fit for all the roles at Jackson Healthcare. And so, looking specifically at those positions that are client facing, it’s really important that we look at what are those core competencies that we want those associates to have that we know will ultimately translate into them being effective in working with and engaging with ultimately our clients. And so, these things around, obviously, being effective communicators, having tenacity, being conscientious, making sure that they’re following up, and always really just kind of putting the customer first.

Matthew Harrison: [00:11:17] And I think the way we go about doing that is really encouraging our managers to use the behavioral interviewing at the approach that they use to kind of get insight into how have those candidates previously approached specific situations and tasks that get it, how they worked with clients and customers in the past. Typically, past behavior is a pretty good predictor of what future behavior is going to be like. And so, you know, in asking those questions and getting really good insight into how a candidate has approached a situation in the past, it allows us to see to what extent then does their approach align to what we’re looking for in our associates, particularly ones that will be client facing.

Jill Heineck: [00:12:00] Excellent. I think that makes all the sense in the world. And I think that the more that we are focused on selecting the right talent, the better off we’re going to be in terms of, you know, having the right people client facing. And that just seems like that’s the way it should be, but it’s not always that way, right? Would you say in your past roles, you probably have seen they just fill the spot?

Matthew Harrison: [00:12:25] Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And I mean, what we often see, too, is when someone has an opening, a lot of times you’ll have those managers that take that approach of just dusting off that resume and filling the role based on what that old resume look like. And one of the things that I really encourage my team to do is to really use any new job opening as an opportunity to really consult with a hiring manager looking at, you know, is this role as it’s currently [inaudible] really what this person is going to do?

Matthew Harrison: [00:12:55] I mean, it’s amazing how quickly jobs and positions can transition. And when a role is open, that’s really a prime opportunity to use it as a time to kind of make sure that that job description is truly as up to date as possible. And even try to forecast, you know, is there a potential for this job to shift and change in the next 6, 12, or 18 months? And if so, let’s make sure we create a candidate profile that aligns to that. And I think in addition to that, it’s really important to kind of really get someone that’s a good culture fit within the organization. And I think that’s paramount.

Matthew Harrison: [00:13:32] So, kind of going back to what you were saying earlier, Jill, about getting someone in there who is ultimately going to stay. From a client experience perspective, clients like having a similar person or the same person that they’re engaging and interacting with. You know, one of the worst things I think a business can do is have it where a client is reaching out to Person A in April. And then, when I reach back out in June, they’re talking to somebody new. And then, they’re talking to someone yet again that’s new in September. You know, being able to establish an ongoing relationship with the same person is really important. And you’re really only able to do that if you create, again, that candidate profile where the person is going to be a good fit for both the job and the culture. And, therefore, more inclined to stay.

Jill Heineck: [00:14:16] So, on your team, is there touch points or milestones where you check in to see how that employee is doing internally and then how they’re working as they connect with the client?

Matthew Harrison: [00:14:32] Yes. I mean, I would say for my TA managers, definitely, we like to do a check in quickly at 30 days to kind of just see within this first month is the new hire that we put in place really meeting your expectations. And the thing there that’s really good to do it that quickly is because, oftentimes, there may be just small things here in there that potentially, if overlooked, could turn into bigger things later on. And so, really trying to pinpoint those things early on creates the opportunity for the manager and that new hire to go ahead and work through those things that, again, could turn into bigger things long term.

Matthew Harrison: [00:15:09] And obviously, for any new hires that are client facing, a lot of questions that we ask and focus in on are how are they doing in regards to their effectiveness in their interactions with the clients that they work with.

Jill Heineck: [00:15:23] Absolutely. So, Amy, let’s talk a little bit about what you’re doing to keep it fresh with your clients in terms of, you know, kind of staying connected with them. I know in my business and I’ll say, you know, people can find a lot of the information that I might disseminate to them anywhere. So, we’ve had to learn to be real creative to stay engaged, and still develop that relationship, and stay in front of them while still serving their needs. So, asking the right questions and still trying to provide great information without a pain and clogging up their inboxes. But, also, being able to really be a resource and someone that they can count on. So, is there anything specific that you’re doing in that space?

Amy Otto: [00:16:13] Yes. So, over COVID, it became very evident that a lot of my clients just needed someone to talk to. I mean, the last 14 months have been so stressful for healthcare workers and anyone hospital affiliated, just so much unknown and just so much trauma. And so, I really just checked in with my clients on a weekly basis and said, “How are you doing? How are you holding up? What can we help with? Can we send you anything? Do you need masks?” And Jackson Healthcare was so good about helping so many, not only in our local community, but nationwide.

Amy Otto: [00:16:57] And so, just really letting people know that we were here and listening and being very adaptable and flexible. We had to really adjust some of our programs that we were providing. And so, I started doing lunches and sending some of my clients Uber gift cards. And just saying, “I know we can’t get together in person, but let’s have lunch or coffee.” And then, also, just trying to get to know them deeper. I mean, that’s the biggest thing for me, is going deep. You know, not the surface relationship. Just really trying to find commonalities and to go deeper in conversation and really get to know them and know their purpose, what is their why. Because it’s cultivated. It’s not just known.

Amy Otto: [00:17:46] So, you know, I enjoyed seeing their kids and their pets. And engaging video conversations. You know, just the day-to-day that I didn’t have a lens to see when, you know, I’m just popping by and having lunch in a boardroom. So, I really felt like I was able — an opportunity to get to know people a lot deeper. And, again, just really being flexible and being empathetic. I mean, empathetic leader and empathetic salesperson in the last year has been essential. So, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know people on a deeper level.

Amy Otto: [00:18:26] And going back to what Matthew said, it’s interesting when I went — process and even the onboarding, so much of what they do, you know, the “Growth, Wisdom, Others First” is their mission. So, you know, growth, wisdom, others first, you can apply that in any — life. And, you know, also like the delivery of patient care, the goal is to touch the lives and enhance the lives of all the touch. Meaning, whether it’s patient care or within the organization and then to be able to carry that with your clients.

Amy Otto: [00:19:10] Before I even started, I got a picture frame in the mail that it said, “We can already picture you as a valued employee at VirtualMed Staff.” And — it really resonated with me. So, now I’m prospecting, guess what the prospect is? A nice picture frame with, “I can already picture you as an awesome client of VirtualMed Staff.” And you know what? It sticks with people who really –

Jill Heineck: [00:19:34] I might have to steal that idea. That – fantastic.

Amy Otto: [00:19:40] You go to HomeGoods and get some really cute frames. And, you know, people love whether it’s their pets or their kids, people love to have pictures.

Jill Heineck: [00:19:51] Or you download the app where you can have a digital photo framed and sent to them.

Amy Otto: [00:20:00] There you go. Even better. Even better.

Jill Heineck: [00:20:03] I love that idea. I think it’s fantastic. And I think that’s exactly what we’re doing when COVID hit, we were doing our care calls because we really and truly cared about what was happening with the client at that point. And we were not talking about real estate at all. It inevitably came up because of virtual learning and because of working from home. So, that inevitably came up but that was not the purpose of the call. And there were a few calls that were not related at all. But, you know, I think that’s important. I think people remember that.

Jill Heineck: [00:20:36] And I still to this day, I followed up with everybody from that interception of COVID and the shutdown. And consistently through the last year have done that where, quarterly, we’re just picking up the phone and making sure they’re still okay. But I’ve had several texts from clients that have said, “You know, we really just appreciate you picking up the phone.” Even if I didn’t get to talk to them but they heard a voice on a voicemail, I think that makes an impact on your clients.

Jill Heineck: [00:21:03] So, Matthew, do you go by Matt or Matthew?

Matthew Harrison: [00:21:08] I’m fine with either.

Jill Heineck: [00:21:09] Okay. Well, I’ll go ahead with your formal name, Matthew. Tell us what you guys were doing in terms of taking care of your employees who then would in turn take care of your clients. What were you doing during COVID that was kind of taking care of them?

Matthew Harrison: [00:21:28] Oh, yeah. Great question, Jill. I think one of the biggest things we did is just make sure that we were constantly communicating with them. I think ultimately, you know, associates just want to be in the know and have their questions addressed and answered. And so, we regularly try to anticipate what the questions would be, but also made sure that there were avenues out there where if associates did have any questions, that those would be responded to and addressed.

Matthew Harrison: [00:21:56] I think another thing that we did that was quite different than a lot of other organizations is that, we actually opened our offices back up. We did it safely. Making sure that we had sanitation stations in place. We had rules in terms of the number of people that could be in elevators. We had the cleaning that was done on a regular basis. But we did that because we saw that there were a number of associates who actually wanted to come into the office.

Matthew Harrison: [00:22:18] You know, I think we have HDTV to thank for all of us now having these open concept homes where many of us don’t have doors except for our bedrooms. And so, with everyone being at home, it kind of came a little difficult to actually have meetings if your spouse or partner or whatever was in the other room having one as well. And so, we opened our offices back up to allow people, if they needed to, to have that space to come in.

Matthew Harrison: [00:22:45] Another, I think, tremendous thing that we did is, we have an onsite childcare development center. And so, we actually deployed our teachers from that center to the homes of a lot of our associates who were incredibly busy. Because, obviously, with us deploying physicians and nurses during the pandemic, a lot of our associates were the busiest than they have ever been. And so, for those associates who then in turn didn’t have childcare any longer due to COVID, we utilized the teachers that we had from our childcare center to go into their homes and assist and help them.

Jill Heineck: [00:23:18] I love that because that was what they needed the most at the time, right?

Matthew Harrison: [00:23:22] Exactly. Exactly.

Jill Heineck: [00:23:25] So, what would you say, you know, from a talent perspective, what do you do to inspire your team to deliver at a high level?

Matthew Harrison: [00:23:37] Oh, that is a great question. One, I think the easiest thing that a leader can do is to truly lead by example. And so, in everything that I do, I always try to ensure I’m doing it at the highest level of quality, dotting every I, crossing every T. Because I feel like I can’t expect or ask for that same level of service from my team if they’re not seeing me exemplify those same behaviors. And I think in doing that, the team then seeing in turn the positive feedback we get from that work, it encourages them to approach their work in that same way.

Matthew Harrison: [00:24:13] But I think, ultimately, my team gets and understands that because of the work that we do with it being, you know, directly related to the associates that we’re going to be bringing into the organization, as well as the ones that are already there. We play such a critical role in ensuring that the strong culture that we have at Jackson Healthcare stays as it is, and it’s something that we all can continue to value and really be able to, you know, have tremendous pride in. And I think that that’s something that my team really gets.

Matthew Harrison: [00:24:45] And kind of going back to what Amy was talking about earlier in terms of building those personal relationships with clients, that’s really what we encourage our team to do from an H.R. perspective, is build those personal relationships with our associates that we come into contact with. And that way, again, we get to know people outside of them just being associates or just being employees. We get to really know them as people, I think, because we have kind of created a culture where that’s the case.

Matthew Harrison: [00:25:13] I mean, I really cannot tell you, Jill, the number of times I’ve been on the elevator and people ask you about your weekend. And then, when you see them the next time, they follow up because they remembered what you really said what you did during that weekend. And so, it’s not like we do that because is this normal banter that you feel like you’re supposed to have. It’s literally because people do it because they genuinely care and remember and we’ll follow up with you about it. And I think because we’ve created a culture where we do that with our colleagues, we naturally also do that with our clients.

Jill Heineck: [00:25:42] I love that. I love that. I wanted to just pivot for a minute, Amy, if you want to kind of tell us a little bit about how do you measure or how do you know that the client is having the best experience that they can?

Amy Otto: [00:26:01] So, on a basic level, they’re expanding their services. They’re introducing me to other people within their organization. They’re giving me referrals. They want to help me. So, on a basic level, that’s how I gauge success and retention. You know, just how long have we had this client and what is their satisfaction rate, that’s one thing.

Amy Otto: [00:26:24] I think I’ve discovered over the years, people are afraid to ask how they’re doing or afraid to survey or really dig deeper with their clients, because, then, the response is something they need to improve on, then they have to improve on it. You know, like people are afraid to ask because they don’t want to know what they’re going to hear. And I think that asking as many questions as possible and making sure that you’re meeting expectations is just so important.

Amy Otto: [00:26:55] So, on a basic level, I would just say, you know, I’ve always have been a relationship seller. And when you’re doing a good job for someone saying, “Hey, I’ve done for — you. I’m hoping, is there somebody else that you know that I can also do a good job for?” Because in the medical world, too, it’s very tight knit, and so people know other people. So, it’s just a matter of really approaching things intentionally and empathetically, and then letting it evolve naturally. Building stronger relationships and more referrals, more revenue, that’s what success looks like to me in my position.

Jill Heineck: [00:27:40] I love it. So, Matt, do you want to share with us any recent win or something that has recent accolades within your team?

Matthew Harrison: [00:27:57] That’s a great question. Let’s see. A recent one, I guess, it would be our continual ability to illustrate that we truly are a best place to work. And we initially really focus our efforts on doing that kind of more at the local and state level via the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s annual lists, which we have made numerous times. In the past few years though, we’ve really tried to expand that to look at how are we doing in terms of position to companies and organizations nationally. And we’ve really targeted our efforts to be a great place to work with across the U.S. And have been great places to work, best places to work certified the last few years, have been named best to work for Biopharma, best place to work for millennials, a best place to work for women.

Matthew Harrison: [00:28:49] And I think that’s something that’s important to us, too, is us starting to even look even more deeply at the extent to which are we best places to work for a particular demographic. You know, part of my job is looking at our efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion. And, ultimately, we want to make sure that we’re are best place to work for everyone. And so, regardless of your race, gender, age, you’ll see coming to Jackson Healthcare is something that’s meaningful and adding value to you. And that’s something that’s very important to us.

Jill Heineck: [00:29:17] Well, and I think that also will tie into the type of customers that you attract. And you have people from every walk of life, diverse walk of life, serving these customers. And I think, as we know, millennials and younger, they’re looking to work with companies that serve the greater good, that serve everyone, and that are not exclusive. So, I think that’s a huge benefit to the way you guys are working your talent, your job [inaudible], don’t you think?

Amy Otto: [00:29:51] That’s so true. I mean, that’s so true, Jill. When I was considering the position at VirtualMed staff, I was very involved in just capitalism movement. And I happened to go to one of the events and I didn’t know that Shane Jackson was going to be speaking at the event. And so, I was delighted when I saw that. I mean, just that group through conscious capitalism is just such a great group of people, like serving the greater good and elevating humanity through business. You know, what a novel idea. And so, Shane Jackson spoke, as well as the CEO of Whole Foods, and the story just, you know, you realize that these are companies that aren’t just about making money. They’re about good — society. So, it is wonderful.

Jill Heineck: [00:30:48] So, before we wrap, I’d like to ask each of you to share with our listeners a takeaway, something that would impact their business or the way they do business. You know, if they took it back to their office today, what would be one thing that you would recommend that they try to do to implement into their business today?

Amy Otto: [00:31:15] Do you want to go first, Matthew?

Matthew Harrison: [00:31:18] Sure. Sure. Thanks, Amy. Thanks a lot. Gosh. I would say, I don’t think organizations or some organizations – because I feel we actually do a pretty good job of it at Jackson Healthcare – they don’t take advantage of the tremendous feedback and information their employees potentially can give them. And so, I would really encourage organizations to really utilize their employees as the subject matter experts that they are.

Matthew Harrison: [00:31:49] And really seek to not make decisions in vacuums and only bringing in the folks that are at the most senior levels within the organization. Because, oftentimes, it’s really your front line employees that are the ones that are in the trenches who really know what’s going on day-to-day. And, therefore, can have some of the most insightful information and perspectives and advice when it comes to particular decisions that the business should be making.

Matthew Harrison: [00:32:15] And so, I think a lot of organizations would be benefited by making sure that they’re checking in with their employees more regularly and getting insight and input from them on decisions that the company is intending to make in the future.

Jill Heineck: [00:32:29] I agree with that. Amy?

Amy Otto: [00:32:32] So, I would say, creating memorable moments with your clients. And that goes beyond just the everyday, is asking questions, getting to know them. When I tell memorable moments, I’m talking about small details and listening. Matthew was saying that about you’re in the elevator and somebody asked you about your weekend and they remember. I mean, go deep. Do they have dogs? Remember their names. Their kids, their names. Think about what — them and then be thoughtful about it, whether it means, you know, sending a card. Or you’re on video and you hear that — in the background playing with Legos. And the mom says, “Oh, my son loves Legos.” Send a link to the son. Send the dog bones. You know, like, things that are are a little out of the ordinary. Because people are used to getting the swag — with your logo on it.

Amy Otto: [00:33:29] But they remember those things like the picture frame, like the dog bones. And just really creating extraordinary memorable moments. And I think that not everything is always rosy. You know, there’s pits or areas for improvement. And from those areas of improvement, I would challenge anyone in a client experience role to make those pits peaks by filling them in and using that as an opportunity to grow stronger, learn, and create peaks.

Amy Otto: [00:34:03] Because, I mean, the reality of it is, they say that it takes, like, 500 percent more to acquire a new customer than — one. But yet, 18 percent of companies don’t even focus on that – or only 18 percent really focus on that. So, it’s a matter of just really thinking about the purpose. And I mean, I go back to the Jackson Healthcare vision, which is growth, wisdom, and others first. I mean, if you put others first, I really feel like you’ll win because it’s just a great way of doing business and a great way to create more memorable moments and retention with your clients.

Jill Heineck: [00:34:45] So, I have a question for you again. What would you get two German Shepherds?

Amy Otto: [00:34:52] I don’t have two German Shepherds. Matthew does.

Jill Heineck: [00:34:56] That’s what I’m saying. So, I don’t know what I would get two German shepherds. What would you get two German shepherds, Matthew?

Matthew Harrison: [00:35:08] Why did I get two German Shepherd?

Jill Heineck: [00:35:10] What would you get them? What would be the gift?

Matthew Harrison: [00:35:14] What would you get them for a gift? Oh. They definitely love these things on Bully Sticks. They love those. A ball of any kind, a tennis ball. For whatever reason, they particularly love ones that make squeaking noises that they love to get out, particularly when I’m on a Zoom call. So, yeah, I would say, a ball or those Bully Sticks are always things that they definitely would not turn away.

Jill Heineck: [00:35:45] I love it. I love it. Well, I appreciate you guys so much for joining me today and sharing your insights from your experiences inside the Jackson Healthcare and VirtualMed. I really appreciate your time. And I want to thank our listeners for tuning in. I’m proud to share this show with you as these stories prioritize the customer experience as a legit business strategy. Reminding us that no matter the business you are in, consulting health care, or real estate, the customer experience should always be the heart of the business.

About Your Host

Jill Heineck is a leading authority on corporate relocations, and is highly sought after for her real estate industry acumen and business insights. As a published author, frequent panelist and keynote speaker, Jill shares her experience and perceptions with people from around the globe.

Jill is a founding partner of Keller Williams Southeast, established in 1999, and the founder and managing partner of Heineck & Co. Her real estate practice specializes in corporate relocations, individual relocations, luxury residential, and commercial properties. Jill’s analytical approach to problem-solving, along with her expert negotiation skills and sophisticated marketing, deliver superior results to her clients. Her winning strategies and tenacious client advocacy have earned her a reputation for excellence among Atlanta’s top producers.

While Jill has received many accolades throughout her career, she is most gratified by the personal testimonials and referrals she receives from her clients. Jill’s unwavering commitment to the customer experience, and her focus on the unique needs of each client, serve as the foundation of her success.

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