If you’re an advent follower of the Pulse Marketing “Inside The Agency Blog”, you may be confused. After all, just last month I wrote all about the importance of analytics, numbers, and reporting. Yet here I sit, just weeks later, telling you it’s not all about the numbers! Am I hypocrite, a liar, or am I just plain mad like King Aerys Targaryen of Game of Thrones fame? Let’s dive a little deeper and find out...

As an analytical financially driven thinker, my first instinct is to look at the numbers. Is the company generating enough profit? Are we saving enough money to allow us to float comfortably during slower months? Are we using our time efficiently and cost effectively? While these are all important questions and metrics to ask ourselves, they do not tell the whole story. Instead let’s take a more holistic approach and look at the bigger picture.

Why

One of the first questions we should ask ourselves is why do we do what we do? What measurements can we look at to be sure we are hitting that target? At Pulse Marketing our “why” is to do extraordinary things, serve others before ourselves, and to invest in people. How do we hit that mark? Among many other things: by taking bold risks in the creative and marketing realm and doing extraordinary things, donating our services and time to non-profits, and building incredible relationships among the team and our clients. We can measure this in our client’s success, our donated time, and customer satisfaction surveys.

Core Values

At Pulse we have seven core values (these are the short versions): Creativity, Purpose, Experience, Solutions, Learning, Servants, and Teamwork. We measure these in how we seize each day, stay passionate, make every experience great for clients and our team, find solutions to problems, constant learning and reading, volunteer hours, and working together as a team. These core values shape our company and culture and are the heart of what makes us who we are.

Consequences

How do we measure the consequences of our actions, decisions and words as a company? Are we staying conscious and aware of these behaviors? One of my favorite mottos (which I fall short on all the time) is “pause, pray, proceed”. By pausing before acting or speaking we get a moment to really reflect on what the result may be – good, bad, or indifferent. It allows for a moment of personal reflection to decide whether the result can potentially be positive or negative, instead of simply reacting.

Ethics

How can we as a company be sure we’re doing business in an ethical manner? Simple – do the right thing, even when no one is looking. By having every team member take ownership for every client, project, and task, we each have a vested value in seeing our company and client’s success. I’m proud to treat every client and project like I’m doing work for my own family or friend – ethically and with passion.

Safety

What can we do to make sure we insure a safe place and environment for not only our team - but for our peers, clients, and ourselves? This dimensions ties greatly into all the rest. If we are thinking about the why, living by our core values, thinking of consequences, and acting ethically - then we create a safe place to grow, thrive, and bring great results for our team and for our clients.