Sonic Boom – it’s not for everyone

by Jun 8, 2017

Oh sure, if we were solely focused on profits, it might be tempting to target the whole world and claim we’re the perfect solution for every last prospect.  But the truth is we’re not – nor would we want to be.  (And even those who say they are … are they really?)

We’re not one-size-fits-all.  We’re known for creating energized, engaging, out-of-the-box, innovative wellbeing programs.  We enjoy being creative and customizing promotional plans and communications for our partners.  And we like to set ourselves up for success by walking away from prospects we know aren’t a good match.  Here are some of the reasons we’ve walked away from potential clients on more than one occasion:

  • They’re what we affectionately refer to as “grumpus umpuses” or “GUs.” As ridiculous as that may sound, it’s key to our success.  Our Boomers are energetic, creative, and always thinking outside the box to create high-performance programs (and people) at our client sites.  If our main contacts are GUs, it “harshes our jive,” if you know what I mean.  It sucks the happy energy right out of us, and we can’t be on top of our game when that happens.  So we don’t let it happen.
  • They’re doing wellness just to check a box and say, “Yep – we have a wellness program.” Not gonna work (for us OR them).  Sonic Boom isn’t a “check-the-box” program, and if that’s what they want, they’ll tie our hands when it comes to designing stimulating activities and creating effective promotions.  We need clients to let us run free with our great ideas (and to send us some of theirs along the way).
  • The culture of their company is stodgy and they want to keep it that way. Sure, they don’t flat-out say, “Hey, Sonic Boom – we’re STODGY, and we’re proud of it.”  But we can tell.  They’re not going to let us create excitement and energy around our programs, and that’s like getting a new puppy and telling it to go sit in the corner.  (But if they want to shift their culture – now THAT’s an entirely different story.  More on that later…)
  • They want to turn off all elements of our program except biometrics and coaching. No thank you.  Biometrics and coaching alone won’t drive long-term behavior change through engagement and social connectivity.  There’s a science behind the combination of features we offer, and when everything is turned on, there’s synergy (and massive social contagion) – and that means results.
  • They’re focused only on a hard-core ROI (and they want it in a year).  Sorry, folks – but any vendor who can “prove” an ROI in wellness/wellbeing is using creative smoke-and-mirrors, talking about correlation rather than cause, and/or taking credit for reductions in healthcare that may or may not have anything to do with the wellbeing program.  What if healthcare costs go way up because there are a lot of pregnancies?  A wellness program can’t take the blame for that (although most vendors will claim they can help reduce high-risk pregnancy, and there may be some truth to that, but it’s impossible to prove).  Furthermore, you can’t measure what you prevent.  Aren’t we in the business of preventing chronic disease?  How do we measure how many heart attacks we prevented?  This isn’t to say we shouldn’t have to prove our value – we just need to focus on the true value added instead of some creative mathematics (a.k.a. malarkey).

So who IS a good match for Sonic Boom?

  • People who appreciate the fact that we’re in a RELATIONSHIP.  We don’t view our partners as clients – heck, we’re on the phone with them weekly (even daily sometimes).  They send us pictures of their new babies – we send them hand-written congratulatory cards when they’ve done something awesome (like have a new baby … or run a half-marathon).  We’re in a committed relationship for years, and we like it that way.
  • Out-of-the-box thinkers.
  • Employers with genuine excitement for the program (and not just our program, but the overall wellbeing initiative).  People often ask us what our sweet spot is … what industry, size, region, and demographic we do best with.  The answer is it doesn’t matter – none of those things do.  What determines whether or not our program will be highly successful is whether or not the people running the program on their end are excited about Sonic Boom (and shifting their culture).  If they are, they’ll let us do what we do best, and together we’ll thrive.
  • Organizations looking to create or enhance an energized, positive culture of wellbeing – maximizing engagement and encouraging social connectivity.
  • Innovative companies – ones who will support and encourage our constant pursuit of better programming, and who will offer ideas for improvement.

Want to find out if you’re a good match for “The Boom”?  The more boxes you check below, the better the match:

  • We’re doing wellness because we want to add value to our employees’ (and their dependents’) lives.
  • We would enjoy a highly energetic program.
  • Truly driving behavior/lifestyle improvement is a priority for us.
  • We’re interested in benefitting from years of experience when it comes to best practices and hands-on consultation.
  • High engagement is a priority for us.
  • We either don’t use incentives or we use them sparingly and wisely, incenting for the “right” things that drive behavior change – and using “smart” rewards that further encourage health-habit formation.
  • It would frustrate us if our people participated in the wellness program solely to get incentives.
  • We’re excited about Sonic Boom (what we know of it, at least).
  • Our culture is not stodgy (or our culture IS stodgy and we’re hoping to rev it up a bit).
  • We have top-down support and a budget for a program.
  • We realize that simplistic programs and one-time activities don’t work in changing long-term health habits.
  • We’re looking for a “holistic” approach that goes beyond physical activity and nutrition.
  • We appreciate innovative, out-of-the-box thinking.
  • We would appreciate a customized, tailored promotional plan.
  • Cookie-cutter programs do NOT appeal to us.
  • We don’t want to have to do everything ourselves when it comes to running the wellness program.
  • A program that drives engagement in other areas (e.g., the EAP we have through our health plan) would be great.
  • Tying a program into philanthropic activities would go over well here.