Where Ad Sales And Harleys Converge

Aug 23, 2023

When it comes to accomplishments, and making a difference, and getting things done, or just taking action, then taking a certain amount of risk is frequently essential. Meticulous plans are fine, but as the old saying goes, plans never survive first contact with the enemy. No one embodies that get-it-done style more than Marlys Fox, founder and CEO of Fox Associates, the publisher of this newsletter.

Marlys was recently inspired to articulate her approach—and that of her company—in getting the job done for clients and clients’ clients. And metaphorically, it all starts with a motorcycle—of which Marlys is an avid rider. Here, in Marlys’ own words, she describes the Fox philosophy.

Marlys Fox.

When we talk about leading a team, a business team, a sales team, we need a slogan to shout out to team members when we want to get them going—and fast!

For those who know me, you know I’m from small-town Iowa, even though I’ve melded into a real Chicago girl for quite some time now. Well you might imagine that we choose the slogan to “Get on your horse and ride!”

Nope, that’s not it. Instead, it’s “Get on your Harley and ride!”

Get your helmet on—it’s dangerous out there in the business world. You could get injured. No, not from falling off your Harley, as I admittedly did once, but from the roughness of the economy hurting marketers badly. And they, in turn, take it out on you!

Rev that engine! Vroom vroom, you gotta let ’em know yer comin,’ and yer comin’ FAST!

So now get on down that road and reach the destination we all prefer: F2F (face to face) with that client of ours, so that we can collaborate with each other and build the best integrated media assets that will do the best job for everyone.

If we both do our jobs right, the buyer and the seller, then we have excelled at what we do.

Now, if you are a Harley person or even just a motorcycle person, then give me a shout out and we can hit the road together, “get on down the road,” together, and have some fun in this business. We all deserve that. It’s rough out there. So let’s do our jobs together and then let’s celebrate—together!