We were lucky to catch up with Beth Okeon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Beth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The more we talk about good leadership the more we think good leadership practices will spread and so we’d love for you to tell us a story about the best boss you’ve had and what they were like or what they did that was so great?

No question, the best boss I ever had is a natural-born marketer named Jim Wassell. He led our marketing department when I worked at ServiceMaster. The most important assets Jim brought to work every single day included a positive attitude, a fun-loving spirit, an innovative approach to marketing, and a pinch of rebellion :). One of the best examples of his creativity occurred when there was a desire to do TV ads for one of the lesser-known brands, but it simply was not in the budget that year. Instead of accepting defeat, Jim came up with the idea to share the investment between the franchisees and corporate to make the dream a reality. The franchise owners were so proud to have their brand represented on TV – and all felt it would really be a difference-maker in their business. This taught me that, even in well-established, corporate cultures, that there is ALWAYS room for new ideas. In fact, those environments are where new ideas stand to have the biggest impact.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I always knew I wanted to be involved in marketing whether it be promoting products and services or dealing with the media. As a kid, I used to mock up packaging for products I made up and menus for restaurants that didn’t exist (yet)! I was always curious about the psychology of it all. What made a person pick up one box of cereal off the shelf vs. another? And, why don’t some very good products or services make it? The answer usually involves marketing.

I shared in a previous article about the major impact that my CLUE teacher, Mrs. Uiberall, had on me when she took me to the WMCTV Action News 5 station for an interview about “A Kid’s Guide to Memphis” – a book our class had put together about child-friendly museums and other attractions throughout our great city. Getting a behind-the-scenes look at the news room flipped a switch for me and I immediately knew I wanted to be involved with the media.

While at ServiceMaster, I worked alongside our PR agencies and saw how they managed media relations. I felt drawn to this side of the business and, in 2002, launched ABO Marketing & Communications. The firm turns 22 this year and we’re so fortunate to get to rep some of the Mid-South’s most amazing businesses and nonprofits including Campbell Clinic, Crone Law Firm, Hollywood Feed, IMC, Families Matter, Junior Achievement, LITE Memphis, Marx-Bensdorf, and Terminix! We provide them with a full suite of public relations services and support, project management and marketing consulting.

Any advice for managing a team?

Hire well, not quickly. Work with people who round out your strengths so that you can learn from each other. Ask what is valuable to your team members and work to give them more of that as they achieve goals. I’m extremely fortunate to have two talented, self-motivated people on my team who are responsive, intuitive and exhibit great judgment. Among the things they value are flexibility and creative license. Same with me, so when are afforded those, our performance reaches new heights.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Existing clients. We are so grateful that clients continue to come to us for their public relations needs. It means a great deal that they entrust us with their organizations and that they are willing to refer us to their colleagues and friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.abomarketing.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abomarketing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abomarketing
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abo-marketing-&-communications/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ABOMarketing

Image Credits
Bill Boyce Ben Couvillion Craig Thompson