Fred Rogers was an American television personality, known for his enlightening factory tours on various products. Executive creative directors for Godfrey, Cliff and Scott both grew up watching Mr Rogers show audiences how crayons, teddy bears and macaroni were made. Because their job is all about selling to manufacturers, the two started talking a lot about Mr Rogers’ tours and realised what an inspiring person he truly was.
Cliff says: “We actually started to realise that Fred was not only inspiring, but was also the ideal role for anybody working in the field of B2B marketing communications.”
Here are some of the reasons why.
1) Keep that sense of wonder
Anyone who is familiar with Fred Rogers knows that he believed in a sense of wonder about the world. He approached the entire world with a disposition and never showed a condescending attitude towards anyone. This sense of wonder was very much implemented on those factory tours.
Scott says: “Every one of those segments that he created was an exercise in eliminating the wonders of the world that surrounds every single one of us.”
It didn’t matter what the product was, Fred was always bringing a profound sense of wonder, which made Scott and Cliff realise they could do the same exact thing in their own space.
2) Find the people behind the machine
Scott and Cliff have toured dozens of manufacturing facilities, and for them, it never gets old. Before Covid-19, they would typically encourage people to visit their production facilities, ask for a tour, and find out how much care goes into the products.
By doing so, you get a chance to find out why people buy their products and also who their customers are. If it’s a service that you’re selling, you can find out what it’s like for someone to really benefit from that service. Ask for their stories, and you’ll reap the benefits.
No matter what the situation was, Mr Rogers always managed to consider the human realities behind all of the technology. In fact, this is how he approached the production of every single episode of his television programme.
Fred had once said: “When I was a boy, and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
So, as a B2B marketer, take a moment and try to see the helpers in your industry by seeing the person behind the machine.
3) Listen closely
Fred always paid attention to the needs of his audience by reading and responding to letters. But Fred didn’t just keep correspondence with kids, he became a legend for the enduring friendships that he built throughout his career – the most famous being his friendship with journalist Tom Junod.
When Fred and Tom met each other for an Esquire interview, Fred became an important figure in Tom’s life. After Fred passed away, Tom discovered that Fred had been keeping notes on Tom about their conversations, his family and even the minute details. For Tom, it didn’t feel weird, he was moved by Fred’s attentive nature.
Scott says: “While we don’t necessarily have to keep files on every person we meet, we can decide to pay better attention. We have so much technology at our disposal, to store reminders, stay in touch with people. We’re not gifted with an innate ability to catalogue all of that information. Great leaders just have these unintentional habitual actions. It’s really about leveraging the tools that you have to ensure the connections that you care about.”
The lesson Fred shows here is to listen to your team. Don’t listen passively, listen with a purpose and follow up on the insights you get. It’s going to ultimately create a simpler and more caring relationship with those people on your team.
4) Exercise simplicity
The B2B world is a very complex line of work. Godfrey sells products and services that often involve a great complexity; however, as a communicator, simplicity is still the stocking trade. It has to move the message and ideas about industries from one mind to another in the clearest way possible.
Fred was so clear in his communication patterns, that his team had created a guide for his communication style. The rule in his guide was to express as clearly as possible in terms that even preschoolers could comprehend.
Simplicity isn’t easy; it takes work, especially when the subject matter that you’re dealing with is complex. But it shouldn’t keep us from trying.
Cliff says: “At our agency, we commit ourselves to that kind of simplicity. And we do it through guidelines that we set for our use of language. We have a style guide of our own, and we use that inside our organisation to put a stake in the ground about what we consider clear, consistent simple communication in writing, and we use it to combat complex language.”
5) Be your honest self
The last and final piece of advice boils down to being your true self, which everyone can agree Fred did effortlessly.
Cliff and Scott mention that some of the most unkind people in the world are often the ones who brag about their honesty. That is not the kind of honesty that they’re talking about.
Being your honest self is about giving more to the people around you. Fred had said the greatest gift you can ever give is your authentic self. Honesty, today, is so important because when you present your honest self, you’re presenting more of yourself.
