Orion Marketing Consultants, Boston, MA (2026)

08/26/2021

Happy International Dog Day 🐶 from Brody, Orion’s VP of Monkey Business

08/23/2021

These companies were all household names and part of our daily lives. Were. Past tense.

They had all the elements of “success” most businesses aspire to achieve. Brand recognition, teams of talented people, massive revenues, competitive advantages, etc. Until they didn’t.

It’s easy to look back and blame technology for the demise of these companies. But technology did not destroy them, their decisions did. They decided to keep doing things as they always had. Rather than observing and listening to their customers in order to find better ways to serve them, they doubled down on the “way we’ve always done things”. They focused on WHAT they did rather than WHY they were in business and WHO they served.

This is especially ironic for Kodak, considering their iconic “Kodak Moment” marketing campaign, which spoke to the emotions of why we take photos, rather than the technical features of their film.

Author describes the new meaning of “The Kodak Moment” in this way: “It signifies the moment when a brand loses touch with how customer behaviors, preferences, and aspirations are changing.”

Change is uncomfortable and difficult, which is why we’re so slow to embrace it. But with change comes opportunity. We didn’t stop taking pictures, watching movies at home, shopping, or using smartphones. We changed HOW we did these things. When the market leaders failed to adjust, Apple, Amazon and Netflix were there to address customers' unmet needs.

The last 18 months have been extraordinarily challenging, but there are several business lessons to be learned from this period. Primarily, conditions can change dramatically and instantly. Patient/customer behavior is continually evolving in these new conditions and your business must evolve as well.

In these turbulent times, uncertainty is here to stay and we’re not going back to the way things were. Challenge the way you’ve always done things. Listen to your team and your patients. Ask “Is this still the best way?” Be more afraid of comfort and complacency than change. Focus on WHY you built your practice and WHO you serve, rather than WHAT you do.

07/21/2021

All leaders should watch this talk by .ulukaya The founder and CEO of Chobani shares his amazing journey, buying a yogurt factory considered to be nearly worthless by its then corporate owners, and transforming it into an extraordinarily successful company.

Hamdi Ulukaya’s approach to leadership and lessons from his “Anti-CEO Playbook” are absolutely applicable to your practice and could be just as impactful.

Some of my takeaways:

Put people first.

The importance and power of vision: Hamdi’s vision clearly defined what “success” meant to Chobani. I have no doubt his vision attracted and inspired the right employees to deliver this success.

Financial success is an outcome not a goal.

Little things have a big impact.

Click the link in my story to watch this important leadership lesson.

07/15/2021

With the goal of improving efficiency and lowering costs, many companies are utilizing technology for the handling of customer service functions. In order to “communicate” with most companies, we must run a gauntlet of robot phone systems, chatbots, DM’s, etc. On the rare occasion, you do reach a human, these employees are typically incentivized and measured according to how quickly they get you off the phone, not how effective they are at providing “service”.

As a customer, does this make you feel valued? Does this inspire you to remain loyal to this brand? Do these robots deliver on a company’s brand promise of providing elite levels of service or treating their customers “like family”? Do this company’s apps differentiate it from its competitors?

Zappos takes a very different approach. Despite being an online business, Zappos has invested heavily in its very human customer service team. Its representatives are trained and rewarded for exceeding customer expectations and providing extraordinary levels of service. Stories describing their efforts to achieve this are numerous and legendary.

As this quote describes, Zappos’ late CEO Tony Hseih saw the customer service team as capable of more than just addressing a customer’s immediate needs. He estimated that the average customer contacted Zappos once per year. He believed that if Zappos made that call extraordinary and memorable it would serve as a powerful branding tool and create strong customer loyalty.

Technology absolutely has a place in your aesthetic practice, however, if you’re considering the use of apps, chatbots, or software to contact your patients more efficiently, I urge you to consider Tony Hseih’s message.

Rather than seeking ways to make your patient communication more efficient, find ways to make every contact with your practice more memorable. Instead of seeing technology as an opportunity to reduce costs, see how it reduces opportunities to build human connection, strengthen your brand, and build lasting patient loyalty.

Despite the term brand loyalty, it’s actually the humans within your company who earn our loyalty. As it is in any relationship, loyalty must be earned, it can’t be aut

06/09/2021

The late John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach, amassed a record that may never be equalled. 10 NCAA Division I championships. 7 National championships in a row. 88 Consecutive victories. Over 7 seasons, between 1966 - 1973, his team lost a total of 5 games!

Yet, he never focused on winning: “you never heard me mention winning… My idea is that you can lose when you outscore somebody in a game, and you can win when you're outscored.”

He saw himself as a teacher first, emphasizing the importance of character and fundamentals to his players. He placed greater importance on practice than games, believing that if you were well prepared the results would take care of themselves. Despite working in a hyper competitive environment Coach Wooden preached patience and defined success as “...peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you're capable.”

If you shared these quotes with most business and sports executives, without attributing them to Coach Wooden, they would likely consider them to be soft, fluffy, unrealistic or quaint. Whether they were referring to championships or revenue goals, they’d tell you that in today’s fast-paced, hyper-competitive world teams need to be completely focused on growth/numbers/winning. Any employees or players who don’t get that will be left behind. Nothing personal, it’s “just business”.

If this “modern” approach to winning is so powerful, why do so many companies struggle to achieve sustained success? Why do so many leaders & coaches burn out in its pursuit? Why, when given the choice between a significant raise and a new boss, do the majority of employees choose a new boss?

If the majority of coaches embrace this hardcore approach to winning, why have none of them come close to Coach Wooden’s record?

Is it luck or coincidence that the coach who never discussed winning is the winningest coach of all time?

John Wooden’s legacy extends beyond the basketball court. His players all describe the significant impact he made on their lives and their success outside of basketball. For Coach Wooden it was never “just business”, it was always personal.

06/07/2021

Wait, every company has a “team”, don't they? If so, why doesn't every company have this competitive advantage and why is teamwork so rare?

First, a definition. Just because a group of individuals work for the same company and report to the same boss doesn't make them a team. Teamwork produces synergy, where the results exceed the talent and individual contributions of the team members.

Great teams aren’t the product of exotic compensation plans, motivational speeches or weekend retreats filled with obstacle courses and trust-fall exercises. Great teams all share the following foundational components.

Leadership: Great teams must have great leadership. These leaders see themselves as part of the team, not separate or above their teammates. They provide clear direction and lead by example. They see leadership as an act of service, not authority.

The right people in the right seats: (From Jim Collins’ Good to Great) Exceptional teams are extremely selective and uncompromising in WHO joins the team. They look for people who will compliment and contribute to the team, emphasizing the character and fit of the individual over their talent or accomplishments.

Culture: Best described as “How we do things around here.” Like a person’s reputation or a company’s brand, culture is defined by actions, not words. Great teams define, protect and celebrate their culture.

Communication: Often taken for granted or overlooked, effective communication is a key component of great teams. On great teams, everyone has a voice, everyone listens, everyone knows what’s important and why.

Purpose: Great teams are dedicated to achieving a common goal. This goal can only be achieved as a team, but each team member gains personal satisfaction and value by contributing to the pursuit of this goal.

Building an outstanding team isn’t easy. Money won’t buy it. Technology can’t produce it. That's good. There’s always someone willing to spend more and technology can be easily duplicated.

Any leader willing to invest the effort and dedication can build a great team. The result is guaranteed to give your practice a significant competitive advantage.

05/28/2021

In these hyper-competitive times, small business owners are looking for any competitive advantage. But, too many are looking to the success of “celebrity” companies like Uber in an effort to determine the secret sauce that will help them achieve their own rapid growth.

But a deeper look at these high-profile companies often reveals more lessons to avoid rather than emulate. For example, Uber has been mired in controversy and despite being valued at over $50 BIllion, has never generated a penny of profit. Ever.

I have no axe to grind with Uber. I admire their early innovation and I’m a frequent customer. But the idea that a company must completely disrupt its industry or become “the next big thing” in order to succeed is leading many small businesses away from the core fundamentals that can provide lasting, profitable success.

The true secret sauce isn't a secret. It’s just not sexy, quick or easy.

In contrast to Uber, I’ve never heard a small business owner say they wanted to become the Southwest Airlines, Zappos, or Chick-Fil-A of their industry. Yet, despite being in “boring/old economy” businesses, these companies significantly outperform their competitors, achieve tremendous profitability and have maintained their success for decades. Their success has been built upon fundamental, timeless principles, particularly when it comes to people.

Think about your own experience. Of the companies you do business with, how many claim to have cracked the code of awesomeness with their amazing, life-altering products? How many actually deliver on these promises?

Now think about how many companies make you feel as if you’re their only/most important customer? How often do you encounter engaged, energized employees? How does this impact your loyalty to those companies?

Duplicating SWA, Zappos, and Chick-Fil-A's model of treating their people like gold and providing unforgettable customer service doesn't require money, it takes leadership, effort, and commitment. As those companies have shown, the return on this investment is a significant, lasting competitive advantage. This “boring”, fundamental approach to business might be the biggest disruption of all.

05/25/2021

Even before the pandemic, the business pressure on your medical practice was increasing. To keep your practice thriving or growing, you’re being bombarded with advice such as “track more data, create more content, maximize efficiency, add new software”, etc. This well-intentioned, but excessively tactical advice is exacerbating the very problem Admiral Hopper refers to in her quote...too many doctors are spending more time and energy managing rather than leading.

The difference is much more than semantics. Excessive management leads you to spend your time fighting fires and reacting to daily minutiae rather than focusing on the big picture. This is taking more of your time, increasing your stress, and eroding employee trust. Of course, the “things” in your practice must be managed, but your focus shouldn’t be on the things themselves, but rather on leading the people who manage the things.

I know, easier said than done. But, as it is with any challenge, once you become aware of the problem and identify the obstacles, you can get to work solving it.

If you’re feeling drained or stressed by the business of your practice, take a step back and evaluate how you’re spending your time and energy. I’m willing to bet there’s an excessive amount of “thing managing”. If you feel your direct management is necessary because the team can’t be trusted to accomplish the things, then addressing that must be your top priority.

Shifting your focus to leadership and delegating effectively not only leads to improved morale and team performance, but frees your time and energy for strategic/big picture issues.

PS, if you don’t know Admiral Grace Hopper she’s an extraordinary leader with an inspiring story. Definitely worth Googling.

06/21/2020

Feeling grateful for an amazing Father’s Day. I’m so proud of the adults you’re becoming! I love you both ❤️

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads! @ The Reef - Newport RI

06/02/2020

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” -Nelson Mandela

05/25/2020

Remembering those who served and sacrificed to protect us. Thank you

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It’s not the urge to surpass others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others, at whatever cost.” -Arthur Ashe

@ Massachusetts National Cemetery

05/19/2020

I’m honored to be part of the advisory board for Looking forward to learning and reconnecting with friends at this world class event

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