Mike Sells has worked in advertising and marketing since 1985 when he was a marketing assistant at Brooks-Pollard in Little Rock. He has served in various roles in the industry and is now owner and CEO at the Sells Agency.
Sells graduated from Hendrix College in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater. He has led the Sells Agency since 1997.
What do you look for in choosing whether to take on a client? Have you ever turned down business and if so, why?
We look for a good fit in terms of a company’s approach to marketing. Our best clients are those who share our desire to achieve business goals and who are dedicated to the ongoing measurement and assessment of marketing’s influence in driving growth in sales, brand awareness and strength, market share and other key performance metrics.
Yes, we have turned down business, primarily if we don’t feel that the potential client’s view of marketing will be well aligned with our approach. Taking on a client that doesn’t share your philosophy is very challenging and ultimately won’t work out well for either party.
How does your firm’s work add value to your client’s business?
We add value by driving growth — new customers, increased sales, etc. Ultimately, if an agency isn’t driving growth, it won’t be around long. We have a great track record with helping clients grow, clients like Arvest Bank, Arkansas Tech University, Conway Regional Health System, Fayetteville Advertising & Promotion Commission and QualChoice, among others. Our average client relationship is about four times longer than the industry average because we pay attention to performance and the growth we help clients achieve.
What measurements do you look at to determine if a marketing campaign is a success?
The first measurement to look at is engagement. Good creative resonates with your target in a way that they pay attention, which is getting increasingly difficult in today’s multichannel media landscape. After that it depends upon the specific marketing goals of a campaign. Is it designed to change perceptions, generate leads, make the phone ring or create immediate online sales? Measurements depend upon marketing goals and objectives.
What is the best question a client can ask about the current media environment?
The best question to ask is, “Where can I reach my target audiences the most efficiently and effectively considering what action I want them to take?”
What was the smartest business decision you ever made? What was the worst?
The smartest decision was to take the risk of quitting a good job and joining my dad’s small PR firm in 1995. The idea was that he wanted to retire at the end of 1997 and I would try to build up the advertising and marketing side of his firm and buy him out. We agreed that if I wasn’t paying for myself within six months I would go find a job somewhere else. We got there in less than four months.
The worst business decision I ever made was in the late ‘90s when we were named a finalist for a public, taxpayer-funded advertising account. We decided to withdraw because the organization was ignoring the rules it had set in favor of one particular agency. And that was a good decision. But we went public with our withdrawal and the reason behind it, which was not really necessary. On the bright side, it taught me the old saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” applies to business, too.
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