Interview with Suzi Williams, BT

Suzi Williams, BT’s group marketing and brand director, was awarded Fellowship of The Marketing Society at our party of all parties at the very top of The Gherkin. Suzi talked to Elen Lewis about the language of business, having reasons to care, and finding the perfect balance of Tigger and Eeyore.

What should all marketers know about successful internal communications?

A wise man once said ‘emotion leads to action whilst logic just leads to conclusions’: You have to inspire people to do their best for the business by giving them a reason to care. Tell them all about the strategy and targets, by all means. But don’t expect your people to go through walls for you unless you’ve really touched their hearts as well as their brains.

Businesses are very good at brains – not so good at hearts. The language of business doesn’t help. It’s usually dry, technical and dull. Business-talk might work wonders for the analysts and opinion formers, but it’s likely to leave your employees cold. Invest time in the ‘how’ as well as the ‘what’. The right tone of voice for your business can be seriously transformational and I’ve seen it work wonders, first at Orange and most recently here at BT.

What’s the secret to bold, marketing leadership?

Don’t rely too much on yesterday to help predict tomorrow. Be curious and listen. Seek inspiration and insight from diverse places and people. Then build a great team around you, inspire them and be prepared to take some risks. Sounds like a cliché, I know, but often you have to trust your instincts, place your bets and then throw everything behind them. Concentrate your firepower. Because a few massive things done well are so much more effective than hundreds of smaller things done averagely.

What’s the biggest mistake you made in business and what did you learn from it?

To be honest there isn’t one single thing. If we are learning and pushing for excellence we all make mistakes every day. The trick is to fail fast, learn the lesson and keep moving forward with conviction and positivity. As a bit of a Tigger, the biggest mistakes I make are mostly to do with over-estimating individuals or organisations. So these days I’ve learned to balance my Tigger with an Eeyore side. I still demand and hope for the best but I’m always prepared for the worst.

What advice would you give your 17-year-old self?

Buy shares in Microsoft!