A turtle person…

A… well, you get the point. I love creatures of all shapes and sizes.

This afternoon, I have the pleasure of dog-sitting my best friend’s cocker spaniel/dachshund mix, Peyton, for a few hours.
She’s been sniffing around the office, checking everything out. She’s even stretched out on my guest chair a few times and given the beanbag a try. (And you thought it was funny watching me get out of a beanbag!)

Some employers feel that having pets in the workplace decreases employee productivity. I disagree. While I’ll admit I’ve spent a few minutes hugging Peyton today, just having her around has lifted my mood. I’ve actually been more productive.

I think our office just might need a mascot. I wonder if an otter would like our kitchen sink?

It’s not a surprise to anyone that a sexy homepage creates curb appeal for your company. One CurrentTrack® client recently landed a national account because “[they] liked [our] website.” If we all know how critical it is to your business, then my question is: why do some (a lot) of ad agencies, who are trying to help clients promote their goods and services, have confusing (even irritating) websites? I have a couple guesses as to why agency sites go out of control, but that’s not what this article is about.

Here are my top 5 web-peeves (sorry):

1.) Intro – If you give us a flash intro and include [Skip Intro] at the bottom of the page, everyone’s going to skip your introduction. If it’s not important, and can be skipped, should it even be on your site let alone the first thing visitors see?

2.) Flash – It simply doesn’t run well on computers and isn’t built for the mobile web. Apple® sold 15 million iPads over the 2011 Holiday season and I assure you not a single one of those users will be able to visit your site if it’s built in Flash. Avoid this technology.

3.) Music – Midi versions of elevator music are decidedly unhip. I provide my own music when browsing the web, you should suspect that many people do the same and avoid jarring them.

4.) Spelling and Grammar – Maybe working with a grammarian proofreader has turned me into a stickler but really, proofread your site’s content; then proofread it again.

5.) Updates – Old blog posts are sad, irrelevant and leave visitors searching for a pulse. If you’re not going to regularly update content, don’t post a blog or space for updates to go stale.

Incidentally, the Second Wind Network has put together a handy new website guide.

Agree? Disagree? Email me or comment below!

Is it fame? In my 10+ years of traffic management, I’ve never once had someone stop me on the street and say, “Dawn Travelstead? I know you! You’re the Traffic Manager everyone is talking about!”

Is it respect? While I appreciate knowing my peers value me as a member of the team, I’ve never been one to covet respect from others. After all, aren’t we in this thing called, “advertising” together?

Is it fortune? How many Traffic Managers do you know who drive a Rolls-Royce? I’ll stick with my “soccer mom” mini-van, thank you very much.

Being part of something great.

That’s what motivates me. It’s not about the accolades or material things. It’s about being part of something bigger. It’s about knowing that my actions, day-in and day-out, affect not only the people around me, but this organization as a whole; whether positively or negatively is entirely up to me.

What’s YOUR motivation?

I could set up an event in iCal to remind myself to call him. No thanks, that takes too much time and can you imagine how cluttered my calendar would look if I added every follow up call? Yikes. I’ll pass on that.

Maybe I should add a dated task to my favorite to-do list app (Wunderlist). Ok, that could possibly work, but what about the notes I have recapping my conversation? And where will the notes go when I complete that task? Pass.

How about I just jot down notes in my trusty notebook or notebook app? But that won’t remind me to call on a certain day will it? No, no, that won’t work either.

If your business development workflow includes a hodgepodge of office suites, to-do list apps, calendars and Moleskine® notebooks, perhaps it’s time to consider acquiring a CRM system for your agency.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems come in a variety of flavors, but all are designed to keep sales teams organized. Regardless of the system you choose, the guiding principals are the same — to provide a centralized place to capture all relevant information about a prospect and keep a record of associated communications. Most CRMs are structured in an Account -> Contact -> Activity hierarchy. It’s simple for me to store general information like company names, addresses, phone numbers, websites, and social media accounts in the Account record. I can also add my own fields if I’d like to capture other relevant information like industry, company size or even the lead source. The more information you capture about your prospects the better; for example, you can use this metadata to build targeted lists to share a press release detailing the results of a recent campaign.

In addition, I can track the contacts I’ve made at each prospect and record activities and events which include phone calls, emails, demonstrations, and meetings. In the case of the prospective client who wants a follow-up after the new year, I can quickly make a couple notes recapping our conversation and schedule a follow-up task for mid-January. Each morning, I log in to my CRM and get a sense of what I’m responsible for that day. It’s not dissimilar to a traffic management system like CurrentTrack®, but it’s contact- rather than project-focused. Here at Developware, we make a distinction between business acquisition efforts and traffic management — not cobbling the two together. After all, account services’ sales efforts are decidedly different from project management.

Since I prefer to access my day’s work from any location, I use a web-based CRM system, Salesforce®, but many options exist to suit any workflow. Successful business development starts with a carefully considered strategy and a CRM system to enforce it.

The traffic manager is responsible for scheduling and moving work along a Critical Path while the production manager is assigned tasks along said Path – estimating, buying and managing outside services, for example.

According to Tony Mikes, president of Second Wind Network, “The production manager is responsible for pricing all services the agency delivers, working with the various agency departments – creative, account service, public relations, media, interactive – in calculating in-house charges and requesting estimates from outside vendors.” Once gathered, the production manager compiles costs into an estimate. The estimate is then routed through the traffic manager and given to the account executive for client approval.

The traffic manager, on a daily basis, compiles a master workload schedule and talks with each employee, ensuring deadlines are met. This includes the production manager who confirms estimate, shipping and delivery dates.

The primary role of the production manager is to obtain the best possible prices from outside vendors. This requires building (and maintaining) strong business relationships and exploring unique opportunities. The traffic manager is strictly an inward-facing employee who works closely with all departments.

Now that you’ve a better feel for the separate roles of traffic and production, you can see why combining the two may not be the best option. Mikes states it best, “If the production manager is busy for most of the day, scheduling work and resolving conflicts, how can they honestly get the best possible price and delivery for the agency? If a traffic manager is not able to keep up with scheduling changes and new orders because they’re proofreading, estimating and expediting, the timelines and accuracy of the agency’s work will suffer.”

Being a small- to medium-size agency, you may not have the financial resources to divide the roles of traffic and production. You’re not alone. As your agency continues to grow, pay attention to the quality of work being produced by your traffic-production manager. If the increased work volume is impacting it, it may be time to consider a role division.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of our generational genius Steve Jobs of Apple. His contributions to the computer industry are beyond measure. Apple products, imbued with his spirit, impact our lives at work and at home in amazing ways. The gifts of his vision remain with us but the world will sorely miss this remarkable man.

Throughout the review process, I’ve been intrigued by the broad spectrum of personalities involved. Now, more than ever, I believe that knowing employees on a personal level is critical to the success of the traffic department.

We’re all unique individuals. Numerous things motivate us and we each operate differently in the work environment. If you’re a traffic manager, step back for a moment and look at each member of your team. What do you really know about them? What do they value? What do they like to do in their spare time? What type of work ethic do they display?

By getting to know employees more closely, you gain an advantage as a traffic manager. You then know how to more quickly get the work done and how to reward employees in a meaningful way. Let me give you an example.

While the traffic manager of a medium-size agency, I worked with a designer named Christian. He was a pretty laid back guy who took pride in his work. He paid attention to detail and wasn’t afraid to ask questions, although most of the time he worked quietly at his desk. On the weekends, he loved to listen to music and spend time with his family. He’d been a part of the creative industry for many years so he knew how things worked. Although certainly a team player, Christian didn’t typically go “above and beyond” to help out around the office. He would help if asked, but didn’t volunteer.

Because I knew so much about Christian, I was able to more efficiently “traffic” him. I put tasks on his list as far out as possible. I knew he’d want a lot of job details (more than other designers), so I carefully gleaned requests and talked with the account executive(s) if anything was missing. Whenever possible, I included due times for tasks because he liked knowing that information. I also knew he needed to leave promptly at 5 p.m. each day to pick up his son, so I tried to give him a heads up if I thought something was going to take longer than usual. In the middle of a busy week, I might reward him with a $5 iTunes gift card just to say, “Thanks for working so hard!” While he didn’t seek approval from anyone, he liked knowing he was appreciated and that motivated him to work even harder.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you have to park yourself at an employee’s desk and ask a barrage of questions. You already know a lot of the answers. You simply have to take the time to step back and observe. Getting to know team members on a personal level will not only help you become a better traffic manager, but you’ll also gain the respect of your peers.

Executing this concept is tough. On the one hand if a system lacks table stakes functionality the marketplace will pass on a product when they complete their feature comparison grid. On the other hand if too much is added, you might earn those check marks at the expense of usability; a cluttered, difficult-to-learn system will slow adoption and end users will hate the product. Finding the right mix is like getting the water temperature just right.

Other industries have experienced this as well. Remember when fast food chains seemed to offer an ever growing menu of options to the bewilderment of their customers? Go to Jack in the Box and you can purchase egg rolls alongside your french fries and tacos. Besides confusing the customer about what exactly defines Jack in the Box as a brand, none of the food was executed very well.  Then along came Chipotle with it’s minimal menu of just a few interchangeable ingredients. It not only enhanced their brand but it also let them focus on their core competency: delivering consistently fresh tasting food at fast food prices. They accomplished this by keeping their menu and list of ingredients “lean.”

When looking for a solution (agency management or otherwise), before getting hung up on feature comparisons, consider thinking about which system will complement and enhance your existing workflow while not disrupting your employees’ day. Select the solution that addresses your explicit needs most efficiently and cuts the clutter. While a taco with fries can be tasty, sometimes all you’re looking for is a burrito.

Embrace your role as a servant of the agency.

While the role of Traffic Manager carries with it a certain degree of “power,” it’s nonetheless a servant role. The agency doesn’t revolve around the Traffic Manager, rather s(he) is interwoven among the many people within the larger group. A Manager must think in terms of, “What can I do to help them do their jobs well?” not in terms of, “What are they doing wrong?” Being helpful may entail shifting deadlines or tracking down the estimate quantity. It may also mean physically walking from one department to another (as s(he) should already be doing) and asking, “Is there anything I can do to help you move things along?” Not only does this give the Traffic Manager insight into things that may not yet be in the system, but it also reaffirms (s)he is there to help everyone on the team.

Don’t choose sides.

It’s human nature to align oneself with individuals and groups. A Traffic Manager must remain impartial to not only people-related issues, but departments as well. While a Manager’s desk may be positioned in the creative department, for example, s(he) should dedicate an equal amount of time working with account service, media and interactive teams. If one department views the Traffic Manager as being aligned with another (i.e. “Always looking out for them,” “Protecting them from other departments,” etc.) it undermines the workflow structure and the influence of traffic.

Realize there are exceptions to the rules.

While Traffic Managers tend to be very linear in their thinking – step one, step two – they must also be flexible when it comes to the management of certain clients. A high-volume retail client, for example, may place ten different versions of an ad within a given week. It’d be nearly impossible to track each and every client-requested change (i.e. price point, locator, etc.) and enter them in the system. The Project Manager should be enabled to shepherd his/her project, in conjunction with the Traffic Manager. The Manager should allow him/her to speak directly with the artist regarding changes, for example, but ensure s(he) is made aware of the changes being routed.

Treat employees like individuals, not machines.

Happy employees are productive employees. A Traffic Manager should take a moment to ask Jason how his new dog is doing; ask Susan how the wedding plans are coming along. It’s important to establish personal connections with employees rather than constantly asking them if they’ve gotten their work done. If they know they’re respected as individuals, they’ll be much more inclined to work with traffic.

Understand employees don’t “want” to miss deadlines.

No one wakes up in the morning and thinks, “I’m going to miss three deadlines today and feel good about it.” Missed deadlines happen for a reason. It’s the Traffic Manager’s responsibility to determine why and, ultimately, preempt their being missed in the first place. S(he) must carefully monitor each employee’s workload and move deadlines – ideally, closer in not further out. Saying it’s the Manager’s job to ensure deadlines are met isn’t saying an employee(s) is absolved of any responsibility. It merely means a Traffic Manager should work with an employee(s) to ensure deadlines are met. If s(he) waits until Friday, expecting to receive copy, and finds it’s not done because the copywriter needed a phone number but didn’t take the time to ask, s(he) is as much at fault for missing the deadline.

Be proactive, not reactive.

When a Traffic Manager becomes reactive to missed deadlines, rather than proactive in avoiding them, s(he) becomes part of the problem… not the solution. It’s critical that a Manager think a project through from inception to completion, carefully analyzing what requirements the job may have (e.g. How long should I allow for a t-shirt embroidery sample? Is the delivery date going to fall on or around a holiday? How long will IT need to test the code and address any problems that may come up? Will the mailing list need to be re-formatted or edited in some way? What file type will the banner artwork have to go out in?). Thoroughly thinking a project through before building its timeline enables a Manager to be more proactive in pushing it through and eliminates future “crises.”

Don’t play “gotcha.”

It makes employees feel bad and, ultimately, can lead to their becoming even less productive – if not out of discouragement then merely to spite the Traffic Manager. S(he) will get a lot more work done by being a partner and sharing responsibility with employees than by being a hall monitor. No one likes a snitch – neither the people being “told on” nor the person hearing the complaints. Playing “gotcha” leads to an overall loss of respect for the Traffic Manager. Without the respect of peers, s(he) can’t effectively manage workflow and eventually becomes a distraction to others.