Steve Boehler's guest appearances

Steve Boehler

Build a Better Agency Podcast

On Top of PR with Jason Mudd

Molly Eyerman

Peter Shankman

Stan Phelps

Sharon Toerek

Jamie Lieberman

Susan Baier

Drew McLellan

Matthew Pollard

Duncan Wardle

Tom Schwab

Alex Berman

Chris Prefontaine

Mitch Matthews

Rob Biesenbach

Jeff Coyle

OwlTail

Our episode guest is Steve Boehler, Founder of Mercer Island Group. He’s worked with well-known brands such as Tide, Pringles and Jif.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:Why delegation is important for a CMO.What to do before you cut the cord on an old agency or hire a new one.How to manage an already small budget for the best results.How to be ready for the role of CMO.Habits to establish in order to be a successful CMO.Quotables“And so at any given moment in time, it’s normal for a CMO to not feel like they can get it all done, or to feel confident that they even have the right roadmap in place to tackle what they need to do and to do it in the kind of prioritized way that allows them to get their job done.” — @MIG_Steve“You have to be careful to set your own boundaries because you could be putting in that many hours every week, whether you’re driving yourself to do that or your management style is driving you to do that.” — @JasonMudd9“One of the first pieces of advice we give to CMOs is to ensure that they put enough effort and enough time into building effective proxies for themselves.” — @MIG_Steve“It doesn’t mean just delegating; it means building people in a way where you’re confident that they are going to represent the company and the organization the way you need them to.” — @MIG_Steve“It’s okay for them to be fallible. It’s okay for them to not have all the answers. They need to have confidence in what they know, though, and have confidence in how they approach things.” — @MIG_SteveIf you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?About Steve BoehlerSteve Boehler has led consulting teams on behalf of clients as diverse as Nokia, HP, Microsoft, Sprint, Nintendo, Abbott Laboratories and numerous others. He founded MIG after serving as a division president in a Fortune 100 when he was only 32. Earlier in his career, Steve Boehler cut his teeth with a decade in Brand Management at Procter &amp; Gamble, leading brands like Tide, Pringles and Jif.Guest’s contact info and resources:Steve Boehler's Twitter Steve Boehler's LinkedIn Mercer Island Group's WebsiteAdditional Resources:PRSAPRSA Counselors Academy Episode recorded: Dec. 23, 2021Sponsored by:On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.On Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands and fastest-growing companies. Since 1994, he’s workSupport the show  On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands. On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews. 

Our episode guest is Steve Boehler, Founder of Mercer Island Group. He’s worked with well-known brands such as Tide, Pringles and Jif.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:<ol><li>Why delegation is important for a CMO.</li><li>What to do before you cut the cord on an old agency or hire a new one.</li><li>How to manage an already small budget for the best results.</li><li>How to be ready for the role of CMO.</li><li>Habits to establish in order to be a successful CMO.</li></ol>Quotables<ul><li>“And so at any given moment in time, it’s normal for a CMO to not feel like they can get it all done, or to feel confident that they even have the right roadmap in place to tackle what they need to do and to do it in the kind of prioritized way that allows them to get their job done.” — @MIG_Steve</li><li>“You have to be careful to set your own boundaries because you could be putting in that many hours every week, whether you’re driving yourself to do that or your management style is driving you to do that.” — @JasonMudd9</li><li>“One of the first pieces of advice we give to CMOs is to ensure that they put enough effort and enough time into building effective proxies for themselves.” — @MIG_Steve</li><li>“It doesn’t mean just delegating; it means building people in a way where you’re confident that they are going to represent the company and the organization the way you need them to.” — @MIG_Steve</li><li>“It’s okay for them to be fallible. It’s okay for them to not have all the answers. They need to have confidence in what they know, though, and have confidence in how they approach things.” — @MIG_Steve</li></ul>If you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and <a href="https://ratethispodcast.com/ontopofpr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">leave us a review</a>?About Steve BoehlerSteve Boehler has led consulting teams on behalf of clients as diverse as Nokia, HP, Microsoft, Sprint, Nintendo, Abbott Laboratories and numerous others. He founded MIG after serving as a division president in a Fortune 100 when he was only 32. Earlier in his career, Steve Boehler cut his teeth with a decade in Brand Management at Procter &amp; Gamble, leading brands like Tide, Pringles and Jif.Guest’s contact info and resources:<ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/mig_steve" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Steve Boehler's Twitter</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenboehler/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Steve Boehler's LinkedIn</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.mercerislandgroup.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mercer Island Group's Website</a></li></ul>Additional Resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.prsa.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PRSA</a></li><li><a href="https://www.prsa.org/home/get-involved/professional-interest-sections/counselors-academy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PRSA Counselors Academy </a></li></ul>Episode recorded: Dec. 23, 2021Sponsored by:<ul><li><a href="http://www.ontopofpr.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">On Top of PR</a> is produced by <a href="http://www.axiapr.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Axia Public Relations</a>, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.</li><li>On Top of PR is sponsored by <a href="https://www.reviewmaxer.com/pages/on-top-of-pr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ReviewMaxer</a>, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.</li></ul>On Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands and fastest-growing companies. Since 1994, he’s work<a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR" rel="payment nofollow" target="_blank">Support the show</a><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.ontopofpr.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">On Top of PR</a> is produced by <a href="http://www.axiapr.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Axia Public Relations</a>, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.</li> <li>On Top of PR is sponsored by <a href="https://www.reviewmaxer.com/pages/on-top-of-pr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ReviewMaxer</a>, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.</li> </ul>

How to be a great Chief Marketing Officer with Mercer Island Group’s Steve Boehler

Lindsay O’Neil

In last week’s encore interview with Robin Boehler — we talked about the biz dev practices that she and the team at Mercer Island Group see when they’re sitting on the client’s side of the room. If you listened to that episode — you heard me say that if you implement the best practices Robin shared, you’re going to see the difference in your win rate. And because I want you to be as prepared as possible as you step into 2019 — I invited Steve Boehler and Lindsay O’Neil, also from Mercer Island Group, to join me for this week’s episode. Think of this as a new biz one-two punch! There is nobody more in the fray of seeing why agencies win, lose, or how the pitch process plays out than Steve, Lindsay, and their team. And nobody is more generous in sharing what they observe. This episode will give you the inside look at how agencies present themselves (accidentally and on purpose) and the influence each nuance has on our prospects as they weigh one agency against the others. We talked about the prep work agencies need to be doing so they’re ready to make a successful pitch. My guests dove into the details like researching a prospect, building out a business profile, preparing your PowerPoint so it stands out, some best practices around rehearsing, and even how your agency should ask for a client’s business at the end. Because making the “ask” really matters. Steve and Lindsay also shared examples of case studies from agencies that won a pitch because their teams showcased the client as the hero in the work, as opposed to putting the spotlight on themselves. Whether you’re pitching a new prospect — or you’re strategically merchandising the work you did for an existing client during the last year — the case study process we discuss is worth the listen alone! I’m excited for you to listen to these two (this one and episode #163 with Robin) interviews because I know Robin, Steve, and Lindsay will help you put your best foot forward in 2019. And if you found the episodes helpful – you can get even more by spending 2-4 days learning from Robin and Steve Boehler at AMI’s Win More Business workshops this January. Learn more here.   What You Will Learn About in This Episode:  How to build a detailed dossier for your prospective client in about two hours Why learning how a prospective client talks about themselves is a valuable piece of information to uncover in your research process How to ask the right questions that uncover a prospect’s business issues while instilling confidence that you understand them and their industry Why preparing brilliant case studies like those of FIG Agency makes your client the hero — not your work How to make your client a celebrity as McCANN WORLDGROUP did for its client, State Street Advisors with “Fearless Girl” Why less is more when it comes to the written proposal and what are the key elements that must be included — and most agencies miss How to front-load your proposal and presentation so that you focus on the client and not your agency How and why you should invite your prospective client to your agency for a visit How to build and document your business issue success experience so it is at the ready for your next presentation How to let a client know at the end of the presentation that your agency wants their business without sounding schmaltzy  Ways to Contact Steve Boehler and Lindsay O’Neil:  Website: www.migroup.com Phone: 206.236.0447 

In last week’s encore interview with Robin Boehler — we talked about the biz dev practices that she and the team at Mercer Island Group see when they’re sitting on the client’s side of the room. If you listened to that episode — you heard me say that if you implement the best practices Robin shared, you’re going to see the difference in your win rate. And because I want you to be as prepared as possible as you step into 2019 — I invited Steve Boehler and Lindsay O’Neil, also from Mercer Island Group, to join me for this week’s episode. Think of this as a new biz one-two punch! There is nobody more in the fray of seeing why agencies win, lose, or how the pitch process plays out than Steve, Lindsay, and their team. And nobody is more generous in sharing what they observe. This episode will give you the inside look at how agencies present themselves (accidentally and on purpose) and the influence each nuance has on our prospects as they weigh one agency against the others. We talked about the prep work agencies need to be doing so they’re ready to make a successful pitch. My guests dove into the details like researching a prospect, building out a business profile, preparing your PowerPoint so it stands out, some best practices around rehearsing, and even how your agency should ask for a client’s business at the end. Because making the “ask” really matters. Steve and Lindsay also shared examples of case studies from agencies that won a pitch because their teams showcased the client as the hero in the work, as opposed to putting the spotlight on themselves. Whether you’re pitching a new prospect — or you’re strategically merchandising the work you did for an existing client during the last year — the case study process we discuss is worth the listen alone! I’m excited for you to listen to these two (this one and <a href="https://agencymanagementinstitute.com/podcasts/robin-boehler-encore/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">episode #163 with Robin</a>) interviews because I know Robin, Steve, and Lindsay will help you put your best foot forward in 2019. And if you found the episodes helpful – you can get even more by spending 2-4 days learning from Robin and Steve Boehler at AMI’s Win More Business workshops this January. <a href="https://agencymanagementinstitute.com/win-more-business/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Learn more here</a>.   What You Will Learn About in This Episode: <ul> <li>How to build a detailed dossier for your prospective client in about two hours</li> <li>Why learning how a prospective client talks about themselves is a valuable piece of information to uncover in your research process</li> <li>How to ask the right questions that uncover a prospect’s business issues while instilling confidence that you understand them and their industry</li> <li>Why preparing brilliant case studies like those of <a href="https://www.figagency.com/work/seabourn-takes-more-than-just-their-guests-to-extraordinary-worlds" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">FIG Agency</a> makes your client the hero — not your work</li> <li>How to make your client a celebrity as McCANN WORLDGROUP did for its client, State Street Advisors with “<a href="https://www.mccannworldgroup.com/work/fearless-girl" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Fearless Girl</a>”</li> <li>Why less is more when it comes to the written proposal and what are the key elements that must be included — and most agencies miss</li> <li>How to front-load your proposal and presentation so that you focus on the client and not your agency</li> <li>How and why you should invite your prospective client to your agency for a visit</li> <li>How to build and document your business issue success experience so it is at the ready for your next presentation</li> <li>How to let a client know at the end of the presentation that your agency wants their business without sounding schmaltzy</li> </ul> Ways to Contact Steve Boehler and Lindsay O’Neil: <ul> <li>Website: <a href="http://www.migroup.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.migroup.com</a></li> <li>Phone: 206.236.0447</li> </ul>

Episode 164: How to ask for the client’s business, with Steve Boehler and Lindsay O’Neil

Steve Boehler is a founding partner at Mercer Island Group - a strategic management and marketing consultancy. The company has three key practice areas: strategic business consulting, organization effectiveness, and client-agency relationships. They help companies and executives succeed. One of the ways they do that is by helping them better position themselves and sell more effectively by better bonding with prospects around the prospects' needs. They work with agencies of all sizes and types as well as consult to major clients in the US and across the globe like Microsoft, Ulta Beauty, PetSmart, Starbucks and many other fine firms. Steve started his career at Procter &amp; Gamble - in his decade there he was the second youngest brand manager in that venerable company's history, turned around the Pringle's business, led Jif Peanut Butter to market leadership, and turned around the Tide business.    What you’ll learn about in this episode:  Why clients likely don’t know about your agency and why you have to make yourself findable The importance of consistency with content creation Making your pitch unique so that it stands out from other agencies (and why agencies struggle with this so much) Selling and pitching: why it’s all about the prospect and their business and not about you The importance of doing your homework and actually bringing that homework into your presentation What to ask every client person in a pitch meeting to get them all involved Why you need to get prospects to agree to an agenda for a pitch meeting How getting prospects to define a problem helps to get them to buy into your solution Why you need to limit how you introduce your agency in a pitch to five slides (and what should be on those slides) What to leave with a prospect after the pitch Why you have to pitch to win  Ways to contact Steve Boehler:  Email: steveb@migroup.com Website: www.migroup.com Phone: (206) 236-0447  Resources:   Layers of Sales episode  We’re proud to announce that Hubspot is now the presenting sponsor of the Build A Better Agency podcast! Many thanks to them for their support!

Steve Boehler is a founding partner at Mercer Island Group - a strategic management and marketing consultancy. The company has three key practice areas: strategic business consulting, organization effectiveness, and client-agency relationships. They help companies and executives succeed. One of the ways they do that is by helping them better position themselves and sell more effectively by better bonding with prospects around the prospects' needs. They work with agencies of all sizes and types as well as consult to major clients in the US and across the globe like Microsoft, Ulta Beauty, PetSmart, Starbucks and many other fine firms. Steve started his career at Procter &amp; Gamble - in his decade there he was the second youngest brand manager in that venerable company's history, turned around the Pringle's business, led Jif Peanut Butter to market leadership, and turned around the Tide business.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: <ul> <li>Why clients likely don’t know about your agency and why you have to make yourself findable</li> <li>The importance of consistency with content creation</li> <li>Making your pitch unique so that it stands out from other agencies (and why agencies struggle with this so much)</li> <li>Selling and pitching: why it’s all about the prospect and their business and not about you</li> <li>The importance of doing your homework and actually bringing that homework into your presentation</li> <li>What to ask every client person in a pitch meeting to get them all involved</li> <li>Why you need to get prospects to agree to an agenda for a pitch meeting</li> <li>How getting prospects to define a problem helps to get them to buy into your solution</li> <li>Why you need to limit how you introduce your agency in a pitch to five slides (and what should be on those slides)</li> <li>What to leave with a prospect after the pitch</li> <li>Why you have to pitch to win</li> </ul> Ways to contact Steve Boehler: <ul> <li>Email: <a href="mailto:steveb@migroup.com">steveb@migroup.com</a></li> <li>Website: <a href="http://www.migroup.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.migroup.com</a></li> <li>Phone: (206) 236-0447</li> </ul> Resources: <ul> <li><a href="https://agencymanagementinstitute.com/sustaining-your-business-through-new-business-drew-mclellan/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Layers of Sales episode</a></li> </ul> We’re proud to announce that <a href="http://hubs.ly/H06PywY0" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Hubspot</a> is now the presenting sponsor of the Build A Better Agency podcast! Many thanks to them for their support!

Episode 108: How to Win Your Next Client, with Steve Boehler