We were lucky to catch up with Clark Vautier recently and have shared our conversation below.
Clark, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a customer success story with us?
I was engaged by the largest mountain guiding service in North America to advise them on their website and marketing strategy. The President of the company knew they needed a new website, and understood they could be doing a lot more with their marketing efforts, but wasn’t sure about best strategy. They had a good solid business with a good reputation but their website was outdated, unattractive and not very functional. I helped them select a web designer and oversaw a complete overhaul of their site which was a huge upgrade – much more attractive and contemporary looking plus functional and easy to navigate. The next thing I focused on was their marketing communication strategy. They had almost 20,000 past clients that they did not communicate with on a consistent basis if at all. Given the challenging physical nature of their guided trips, clients have profound shared experiences in the mountains and develop deep bonds with their guides and fellow clients. There is an obvious opportunity to maintain that relationship with ongoing communication in order to encourage repeat business and word of mouth referrals. The results of these initiatives were a significant growth in engagement and sales.
Clark, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My path to becoming a a Marketing Strategist was not linear but the culmination of a variety of work experiences in multiple industries. I started my career as a stockbroking analyst and worked for large financial institutions, small family owned businesses and as an independent contractor before deciding to hang my shingle out as a Marketing Consultant. I believe that the variety of work experiences gave me unique practical skills and perspective earned by being out in the field. This has included cross cultural experiences living and working in several countries. I have witnessed not only best practices, that can be applied to other industries, but also, probably more importantly, worst practices especially related to communication and leadership. Over time I have developed a large tool belt of tools and tactics that I can apply as and when needed depending upon the challenge at hand. I don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach but base my work on fundamental marketing principles that are timeless. I am most proud of my listening skills to really understand the customer and their needs. Every engagement begins with an assessment to understand the client’s business and their specific challenges. From there I look for opportunities to leverage the client’s existing assets for optimum growth. For example, this might include an overhaul of their website, the implementation of a promotional strategy to drive more sales or, a social media campaign to increase visibility and engagement. The marketing challenge is always in service of growing the business. I also provide value to a CEO or Founder who needs an independent advisor for objective feedback that they can’t get internally.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
The key to successfully managing a team is developing a company culture that is aligned on vision, mission and values. A strong leader knows that to maintain that alignment requires constantly checking in with their team, giving them a forum by which they can be heard and, empowering them to embody the values in their work on a daily basis. Culture eats strategy for breakfast. A strong foundation of aligned vision, mission and values leads to kinship which allows for healthy communication (read: conflict). If the team feels safe to express themselves without fear of retribution then it will allow for innovation and creativity to grow the business. People predominantly leave companies because of people not because of money or job title. By investing in the team through acknowledgment, constructive feedback, rewards, activities, shared experiences, etc. you increase the likelihood that friendships will be formed which is the glue of any team. This will ensure high morale.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
My super power is my ability to make connections. I can’t help it and it is something that I put a lot of energy into on a weekly basis. I love it when n introduction I make between 2 people leads to a connection, friendship or business opportunity. The key is that I do it without expectation of immediate reciprocity or pay back. I believe in karma. It is my commitment to adding value to other people’s lives that I believe comes back in many ways. Whenever I meet someone new I listen through the lens of what are their needs and who can I introduce them to who will add value to their journey (and vice versa). I have been the recipient of so much generosity in my lifetime that I feel an obligation to pay it back and pay it forward whenever I get the opportunity.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.clarkvautier.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vautier1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vautier
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarkvautier
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vautier
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/clarkster1