A brand isn’t what you say about yourself, Sunshine. Your brand is built on your actions. Your performance. And the performance of your products.

— Poobah, Be Like Amazon, Even a Lemonade Stand Can Do It

I was talking to my mate Trent Yesberg about the importance of values in business. How your business is a reflection of you.

I explained to Trent, how as a marketing strategist you spend much of your time studying people. The things they do. The things they don’t do. They way they treat other people. What they say. What they don’t say.

You learn much about a business by observation.

A marketing strategist does this consciously.

Customers do this unconsciously.

For the last 16 years, I have been the business partner of Roy H. Williams, aka The Wizard of Ads. Roy is a good friend. Roy is like the wise big brother I never had.

As a Wizard of Ads Partner, you have access to the best marketing training on the planet. Much of which we share with you. But today I am going to share some unsaid lessons. Some observations.

5 Lessons From Observing Roy

1. Be Generous.

Restaurant wait staff remember Roy. Why? Because Roy always over tips. They go home feeling a little bit better than when they arrived at work. Attend a class at Wizard Academy, and you’ll experience amazing and original content. You’ll also have an endless supply of wine. The good stuff. Unique beers. The best food from Austin restaurants. Much more than you can eat. Nothing ever runs out at Wizard Academy.

Business Application. Generous makes you memorable long after your product or service has faded. Generous is giving customers what they don’t expect. Generous is like planting a seed. Generous creates word of mouth. But generous is not something you talk up in your advertising. Then it becomes an expected part of the transaction.

Generous does not need to be money or things. It can be time. It can be words.

2. Work While Others Sleep.

I was staying with Roy and Pennie for a few nights last October. It was about 2:30 am. I got up to visit the bathroom. I noticed the line of light under Roy’s office door. I discovered Roy gets up every day sometime between 2 am and 3 am. He starts work. He writes. That same day at 9 am Roy said good morning to a packed Magical Worlds class. He was ready to teach for the next 8hours.

Business Application: No gold medal-winning athlete stood on the dais because they worked 9 to 5. You don’t create a big profitable and lasting business by working 9 to 5.

We all get 24hours a day. You need to decide how you will use your hours best. Ask yourself the question, “Is this the highest and best use of my time?”

3. Find the Good in Everyone.

Roy mixes with a diverse group of people. Different religious backgrounds. From Nobel prize winners to high school dropouts. From rich to poor. From corporate giants to one-man bands. From the conservative to the wild and woolly.

I’ve heard people say, “What does Roy see in me?” I have thought the same thing myself. Roy sees talent in people long before they see it themselves. It makes you feel good when someone believes in you. It gives you the strength to do what is hard but necessary.

Business Application: Business is all about people. Customers and staff and suppliers and associates. The better you are with people, the more successful your business will be. Naturally, we don’t get on with everyone. So you need to step up. To find the good with some people is easy. With others, you’ll need to dig deep to find a speck. Dig, and you will find it. Concentrate on the good, not the dirt. The more good you find, the more people you can help. Helping creates loyalty. And the more loyal your customers, staff and suppliers, the more successful your business will become.

4. Carry No Emotional Luggage.

The Princess of Australia and I were on shaky ground. I visited Austin to get perspective. Roy and I had a heart to heart. We were sitting in his truck. When the conversation ended, Roy slapped me hard on the leg. He said, “Now that’s settled we’ll never talk about it again. Let’s go to the Salt Lick and drink beer.”

Business Application: Missed business opportunities. Lost customers. Lost staff. If only. What if. Mistakes. Learn from the event and then move on. Leave the emotional luggage behind. Slap yourself on the leg. Then drink beer.

5. Commit and Deliver.

Roy’s Monday Morning Memo goes out every Monday morning. The memo goes out no matter what. It started life as a fax. It was content marketing before the term was invented. It is Roy’s sword in the stone. That commitment turned into 3 best-selling business books. That commitment helped build the Worldwide Wizard of Ads Marketing group. That commitment built Wizard Academy. If Roy says he is going to do something, you can be sure he’ll do it.

Business Application: Be sure to deliver all you promise. Fail to do so, and you erode your brand. Your marketing should be made up of things you can do and deliver consistently. No on and off again. Momentum comes when you keep doing. Business growth comes from you consistently delivering.

Bonus Observation.

Roy is not perfect. I’m not perfect. You’re not perfect. Your staff are not perfect. Your customers are not perfect. Understand this and then move on.

Until next week
Work hard. Have fun.

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