{"id":34937,"date":"2019-06-19T13:12:42","date_gmt":"2019-06-19T20:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=34937"},"modified":"2019-06-19T20:38:06","modified_gmt":"2019-06-20T03:38:06","slug":"difference-maker-keven-ellison-personifies-what-the-power-of-marketing-can-do-for-a-dealership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2019\/06\/difference-maker-keven-ellison-personifies-what-the-power-of-marketing-can-do-for-a-dealership\/","title":{"rendered":"AIS Difference Maker Keven Ellison Personifies What the Power of Marketing Can Do for a Dealership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Keven Ellison, Vice President of Marketing, AIS-Las Vegas<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Having enjoyed a successful 25-plus year career in the world\nof marketing across a variety of businesses, Keven Ellison was contacted by a\nbusiness associate from AIS of Las Vegas. She told Ellison about AIS\u2019 corporate\nculture and felt that he would fit into the organization like a glove. There\nwas only one catch\u2014AIS did not have a marketing department. But the dealer had\nan opening in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not many professionals would consider such a change so deep\ninto their career. But two things intrigued Ellison: he wanted a chance to see\nhow a successful business operates without a marketing division. But he also\nknew what impact a marketing division could have on AIS. Thus, Ellison kept an\nopen mind to the possibilities ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love the people and the opportunity of demonstrating how\nmarketing can lead in a sales-driven industry,\u201d said Ellison, a 2019 ENX Magazine<\/em> Difference Maker. \u201c(AIS\nPresident) Gary Harouff and the management team\nare dedicated to creating a great work environment to attract high-performance\ntalent that breeds success. I hop out of bed every morning knowing that we are\ngoing to make a difference in marketing, whether that\u2019s learning something new,\nteaching something new or on capitalizing on something we created that\u2019s new.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AIS was doing\ninbound marketing but didn\u2019t truly have a dedicated marketing professional.\nEllison took the reins as vice president of marketing in September of 2017,\nshortly after joining the firm, and made his presence immediately felt. A\ngraduate of Cal State-Long Beach, Ellison helped devise a content strategy that\nentailed marketing literature and videos to reap organic traffic to their\nwebsite and increase sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediate Results<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leveraging those 25-plus years of sales, Ellison and AIS saw\nvirtually immediate results. Within 16 months, AIS saw nine times more monthly\ntraffic to the website. First-page Google search results soared, and AIS reaped\n$250,000 in new equipment proposals and $500,000 in new contract revenue for\nequipment. For his efforts, Ellison was named the AIS Executive of the Year at\nthe company\u2019s 2019 annual Kick Off Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I am doing anything special,\u201d Ellison\nremarked. \u201cI always felt that I should share any knowledge and experience that\nI have in my 25-plus years in marketing. If that\u2019s setting the bar higher for\nthe industry as a whole or helping educate others, it makes us all better\nmarketers. I believe that all my peers have something to share or to teach us\nand I am open to learning what they all have to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harouff has proven to be a great influence on Ellison in a\nshort amount of time. Ellison noted that Harouff laid the groundwork for\nmarketing by recognizing the changing consumer\/decision maker. In buying into\nthe inbound marketing philosophy, Harouff paved the way for Ellison to execute\non his strategy. In addition, Harouff turned Ellison on to the writing of\nMarcus Sheridan, author of \u201cThey Ask, You Answer,\u201d which has proven to be a\ntreasure trove of knowledge and insight into consumer behavior and their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A former diver for the U.S. national team in the early\n1980s, Ellison had the good fortune to work with an Olympic coach for several\nyears who shared the notion that in order to motivate and teach individuals, it\nrequires a customized approach. Ellison has borrowed this philosophy in\ncrafting a marketing team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith every hire and team member, you need to consider (a\ncustomized approach) when supporting them to reach their short- and long-term\ngoals,\u201d he said. \u201cA \u2018one-size-fits-all\u2019 approach never works.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marks of Excellence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

AIS\u2019 marketing efforts have drawn quick attention. In addition to Ellison being named the \u201cGeary\u201d Executive of the Year by AIS, his marketing team was presented the 2019 inbound marketing award by its agency, IMPACT, for exceeding its goals. That has set the bar high moving forward. AIS has doubled its revenue goals from 2018 to 2019 for marketing to generate, and there are several key performance indicators the team wants to build upon. AIS is also looking to leverage its membership in the Copier Dealer Association to grow and learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe that we need to keep setting higher goals,\nprovide the support and resources needed for our team to thrive and celebrate\nthe wins while learning from the losses,\u201d Ellison noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Southern California native and given his competitive\nbackground, Ellison is naturally drawn to water-based activities, both above\nand below. Living in Las Vegas, he enjoys spending time in the pool when not\nstealing away to California\u2019s southern shores. An avid golfer and tech\naficionado, Ellison has a son and daughter in college. His daughter is pursuing\nher master\u2019s degree while his son is completing work toward a bachelor\u2019s\ndegree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Having enjoyed a successful 25-plus year career in the world of marketing across a variety of businesses, Keven Ellison was contacted by a business associate from AIS of Las Vegas. She told Ellison about AIS\u2019 corporate culture and felt that he would fit into the organization like a glove. There was only one catch\u2014AIS did not have a marketing department. But the dealer had an opening in sales. Not many professionals would consider such a change so deep into their career. But two things intrigued Ellison: he wanted a chance to see how a successful business operates without a marketing division. But he also knew what impact a marketing division could have on AIS. Thus, Ellison kept an open mind to the possibilities ahead. \u201cI love the people and the opportunity of demonstrating how marketing can lead in a sales-driven industry,\u201d said Ellison, a 2019 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. \u201c(AIS President) Gary Harouff and the management team are dedicated to creating a great work environment to attract high-performance talent that breeds success. I hop out of bed every morning knowing that we are going to make a difference in marketing, whether that\u2019s learning something new, teaching something new or on capitalizing on something we created that\u2019s new.\u201d AIS was doing inbound marketing but didn\u2019t truly have a dedicated marketing professional. Ellison took the reins as vice president of marketing in September of 2017, shortly after joining the firm, and made his presence immediately felt. A graduate of Cal State-Long Beach, Ellison helped devise a content strategy that entailed marketing literature and videos to reap organic traffic to their website and increase sales. Immediate Results Leveraging those 25-plus years of sales, Ellison and AIS saw virtually immediate results. Within 16 months, AIS saw nine times more monthly traffic to the website. First-page Google search results soared, and AIS reaped $250,000 in new equipment proposals and $500,000 in new contract revenue for equipment. For his efforts, Ellison was named the AIS Executive of the Year at the company\u2019s 2019 annual Kick Off Awards. \u201cI don\u2019t think I am doing anything special,\u201d Ellison remarked. \u201cI always felt that I should share any knowledge and experience that I have in my 25-plus years in marketing. If that\u2019s setting the bar higher for the industry as a whole or helping educate others, it makes us all better marketers. I believe that all my peers have something to share or to teach us and I am open to learning what they all have to offer.\u201d Harouff has proven to be a great influence on Ellison in a short amount of time. Ellison noted that Harouff laid the groundwork for marketing by recognizing the changing consumer\/decision maker. In buying into the inbound marketing philosophy, Harouff paved the way for Ellison to execute on his strategy. In addition, Harouff turned Ellison on to the writing of Marcus Sheridan, author of \u201cThey Ask, You Answer,\u201d which has proven to be a treasure trove of knowledge and insight into consumer behavior and their needs. A former diver for the U.S. national team in the early 1980s, Ellison had the good fortune to work with an Olympic coach for several years who shared the notion that in order to motivate and teach individuals, it requires a customized approach. Ellison has borrowed this philosophy in crafting a marketing team. \u201cWith every hire and team member, you need to consider (a customized approach) when supporting them to reach their short- and long-term goals,\u201d he said. \u201cA \u2018one-size-fits-all\u2019 approach never works.\u201d Marks of Excellence AIS\u2019 marketing efforts have drawn quick attention. In addition to Ellison being named the \u201cGeary\u201d Executive of the Year by AIS, his marketing team was presented the 2019 inbound marketing award by its agency, IMPACT, for exceeding its goals. That has set the bar high moving forward. AIS has doubled its revenue goals from 2018 to 2019 for marketing to generate, and there are several key performance indicators the team wants to build upon. AIS is also looking to leverage its membership in the Copier Dealer Association to grow and learn. \u201cI believe that we need to keep setting higher goals, provide the support and resources needed for our team to thrive and celebrate the wins while learning from the losses,\u201d Ellison noted. As a Southern California native and given his competitive background, Ellison is naturally drawn to water-based activities, both above and below. Living in Las Vegas, he enjoys spending time in the pool when not stealing away to California\u2019s southern shores. An avid golfer and tech aficionado, Ellison has a son and daughter in college. His daughter is pursuing her master\u2019s degree while his son is completing work toward a bachelor\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":34062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3626,80,1650,82,84,1638],"tags":[3572,3665],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34937"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34937"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34953,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34937\/revisions\/34953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}