Recently, I started working out with Paulie, a top-notch trainer.  At the end of the first session, I went over with him what I wanted and what I was expecting to get out of the next 15 weeks. I left feeling really positive about everything.  As I was driving away it struck me.  I had just had a one-way conversation.  Not once did I ask Paulie what he expected of me.  Right there, I had a major epiphany!!

Back in my days of coaching rowing, how much more effective of a coach would I have been if I told my athletes, up front, exactly what I expected of them!  I knew my adult athletes wanted to learn and some of them would eventually want to try racing.  What I didn’t articulate was what my desire for them was.  I moved ahead with my coaching techniques and plans.  Never having had this important conversation about what our expectations of each other were.  How much easier would my coaching job have been if I had only had this conversation at the very first training session??

This led me to thinking about how I interact with my clients.  I realized, when working with clients, I too was like Paulie. I have never clearly, in detail, stated what my expectations were.  Based on my presentation and previous work I assumed they were understood.  With each new job, I have in my head how I want a project to go – scheduling, process and outcome. My clients often have their own expectations and it’s my job to draw it out from them.  We often have a basic discussion and both sides walk away assuming our expectations are the same.  This is where problems can arise.  When expectations don’t match, frustrations and tension in the working relationship start to crop up.  It was a duh moment for me – if I sit down and have a detailed discussion with my clients, about both of our expectations – from the very beginning, not only will we have a great working relationship but better work will also be created!

Moving forward, I plan on having this detailed discussion with each new project, regardless of whether I working with a new client or not.  Are you clearly stating your expectations?

Back when I was first starting Jennie Sjursen Photography (it no longer exists but that’s a story for another day) every where I turned people talked about “getting a brand”.  I thought to myself “I need to get me one of those!”  Yep, you read right, I thought I needed to get one.  At the time, to me and many other people I’ve since come across, a brand is synonymous with getting a logo – literally getting branded like cattle.  You get yourself a well designed logo, put it everywhere you can possibly imagine and you have your self a brand!  I couldn’t have been more wrong.

A brand is the well crafted story of your business.  Let me explain.  When reading a really great book the writer takes you on a journey – giving you the details and pieces along the way to move the story forward.  All the details of the story are devised to support the main theme and give a more complete telling.  In a business the details of the story are the touch points.  Literally the things that touch a ‘reader’ – be it physically or emotionally – how you answer the phone, the colors you use, websites, office decor, packaging and yes logos. In the process of telling your story you give clues to your ‘reader’ on how to interact with you, what they can expect from you and what is expected of them.  However, if the book your reading has no central theme or there is a complete disconnect in the details (those times when your reading something and you have absolutely no idea why it pertains to the story) you never invest in it.  More often than not you’ll find the whole thing to confusing or hard to read, put the book down and never come back.

What is the story you or your business is trying to tell?  Does it engage your ‘reader’, bringing them in closer and giving them a better understanding of who you are and what’s expected of them?  Does it invite them to take the journey with you or does it confuse them and leave them shaking their head in bemusement?

So I appear to still have Under Armour on the brain. In a previous post I ended by saying I had some fabulous ideas on how they can connect with the rowing community. Now I have to admit to having a soft spot in my heart for the sport. I first stepped into a boat my freshman year of high school and never looked back. I’ve trained, raced and coached juniors through masters level athletes. Rowing is in my soul.

Under Armour, whether they know it or not, already have a grass roots connection to rowing. Go into any boathouse and I promise you over half of the athletes, from juniors to masters, will be wearing at least one piece of Under Armour apparel. Better yet, right in their own home town is the Baltimore Rowing Club. They can take a morning (a very early morning) and do a little field research for themselves.

Let’s take that thought a little further. Baltimore Rowing holds The Great Baltimore Burn every year. This year it will be held on Feb 6^th. It is an indoor erg race. These indoor races were originally set up to break up the monotony of winter training – painful, painful event I might add. Baltimore Rowing Club bills theirs as being named after the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 and the deep pain you feel in your legs during and after a 2k sprint – yeah barrels of fun! But my point is this is a local event. Under Armour can do some small test marketing here and see how they best connect with the rowing community. From there they can take what they’ve learned and bring it to the Crash B’s (the World Indoor Rowing Championship) and also forge a connection with Concept 2 (the makers of the erg).

Under Armour has a well planned marketing strategy of working with top high school and college teams and there is no reason this wouldn’t work in the rowing community as well. However, I’d also like them to consider a different tactic. The fastest growing segment in the sport of rowing is in the Masters Division – age 21+. Within that division it is women who are leading the way. Find away to connect with these women!

Finally I’ll end with a dream product that if Under Armour could find a way to produce I will fall at their feet!! Get a rower to talk about the shoes attached to the foot stretcher in the boat and you will hear a never ending litany of complaints – they’re to small/large, can’t keep them closed – ties/velcro are worn out, they’re just plain nasty and the list goes on and on. If Under Armour could come up with a quick release type shoe system – maybe something similar to how a bike shoe clips onto a pedal – and each rower could invest in having their own shoes in the boat – you would have rowing gold!

I would love to see Under Armour strengthen their already unofficial ties to rowing. As always I’d be thrilled to discuss any of my ideas with Under Armour in person. And for all you rowers reading this – Stay Long, Row Hard!!