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Dr. Harry Cohen is the president and co-founder of Be the Sun. His latest book, Be the Sun, Not the Salt, distills his life learnings into a holistic book that can be useful for individuals and high-profile executives. A psychologist by training, Cohen has been working as an executive coach for several executives, helping them hone their leadership skills. Cohen is also a successful business owner; he runs the Black Pearl, a restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Recently, Julie Roehm invited Cohen on her podcast, 'The Conversational'. Roehm is a marketing and customer experience expert. She has built a reputation as a respected marketer, having worked in various leadership roles at Party City, Ford, SAP, and Daimler Chrysler.
Her podcast is a platform where she invites individuals with inspiring stories, hoping to impart important life lessons to her listeners.
The conversation with Cohen focused on various subjects of importance. The two engaged in a discussion about Cohen's childhood and how that impacted his adulthood, from dropping out of pre-med at Cornell to gaining a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. Cohen talked about a pivotal moment in his life, initiated by the realization that instead of being a shrink who only saw pathology in the people he worked with, Cohen wanted to be a coach.
In this article, we outline the wisdom shared by Cohen during the podcast on how his teachings can be applied to the ever-evolving marketing industry. This article ends with some key insights and takeaways from the podcast.
Before Cohen entered his professional life, his father had imparted a crucial lesson about marketing, "Be good with people and have a marketable skill." This simple instruction laid down the basis of a customer-centric approach that led to Cohen's enviable success in all he has done.
A father of twins, Cohen quickly realized that no two people were the same. Though his sons were raised in the same household, they had developed different personalities, affirming the need to create unique customer experiences.
"The woman who wrote the forward to my book, Mindy Holman, manages a $6 billion privately owned company and they operate by doing what I try and do, which is take care of their people, take care of their customers, take care of the community, and do the next right thing," Cohen told Roehm.
Roehm couldn't agree more. As a successful marketer, she has long preached the importance of a customer-centric marketing model. Her marketing strategy is conceptualized as what she calls the "omnichannel strategy". Her strategy is designed to remove communication barriers to provide customers with a seamless experience. This can simply be achieved by providing customers with a single platform.
Roehm advocates for this approach, especially in the wake of the pandemic, which caused a massive shift in consumer behavior. Her omnichannel strategy allows businesses to reach their customers conveniently and safely.
Roehm's omnichannel strategy is the result of one key trait, adaptability. Adaptability becomes a marketing professional's most important asset in a rapidly evolving landscape. Adapting to change is not difficult. It can be achieved by simply learning how market leaders are operating, shared Cohen.
Cohen practices what he preaches. He quickly saw that the current model of psychology needed to be adapted to the evolving needs of people. "I'm going to go in, flip the model on what this means and what we can do," said Cohen. By deciding to approach his patients as a coach, he revolutionized how people approached psychiatry. And in doing so, he created a world of change for his clients.
One of the most influential and reliable tools for ushering in change is technology. In 2020, one month after Roehm joined Party City, a party supplies company, she created a digital tool that was based on the roadmap of how customers interacted with the company's website.
"These digital tools allow people to create their own bespoke experiences for something meaningful to them and their particular situation and making it local," Roehm told Yahoo. And so, Roehm created a customer-centric model by successfully deploying digital tools.
The podcast was full of insightful feedback based on Cohen and Roehm's life experiences and careers. The entire podcast can be distilled into four key takeaways.
"Don't be afraid to experiment," said Cohen. As a serial entrepreneur, he is proud to say that he'll roll the dice on almost anything.
When he was asked if he was interested in investing in a restaurant, Cohen, who didn't know the first thing about restaurants, said, "Well, I'll learn no matter what. My kids will be busboys and they'll learn customer service. I know about people and maybe I can make it a successful business, but either way, I'll learn a ton." And though there were obstacles, Cohen was able to leverage his life's learning into setting up a leading restaurant.
If there is a key takeaway from Cohen's book, "Be the Sun, Not the Salt", one should focus on building up others, not breaking them down. However, Cohen recommends doing it in a way that is most authentic to oneself. This simple principle can also be applied to marketing. Everyone is unique, so coming up with out-of-the-box ideas only requires being true to oneself, and the rest will follow.
The one key piece of advice for anyone wanting to build a career in marketing and advertising is to try to make the life of the customer easier and pay attention to the basics. Once these two things are nailed down, reverse engineer strategies from there. You will wow yourself with the results.
The biggest challenge to traditional marketing has come from the emergence of online sellers, which has greatly impacted brick-and-mortar operations. Brands that leveraged Roehm's omnichannel strategy sailed through the pandemic with certainty, principally because they relied on incorporating digital tools. Technology allows you to create holistic experiences for your clients, which keeps them coming back for more.
Overall, Julie Roehm's interview with Henry Cohen is a valuable resource for anyone looking to build a successful career in marketing and advertising. By taking risks, staying true to oneself, and building strong relationships with clients and colleagues, readers can learn from the insights shared in this interview and apply them to their careers.
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