Martha Murphy Relationship Manager

I'd been self-employed for five years when I came to The Bloom Agency. Here I found what I had given up looking for: a small, creative marketing company where hierarchy and bureaucracy are virtually nonexistent and everyone is given the freedom and encouragement to contribute their unique talents to client projects. Setting the high standard for this inspiring work environment is Art, who I admire for his integrity, commitment to excellence, and insistence that we be good stewards of our clients' money.

This job brings together the skills I've learned from everything I've ever done professionally. Early in my career I was a radio announcer/newscaster, and then an assistant producer for a film company in New York that produced TV commercials, and then a management trainee at Hill and Knowlton, a large PR firm, where I landed in the international department of the firm's New York City office doing work for the Indonesian government. More recently, I've been involved in human resources consulting and corporate communications.

I'm a mission-driven person and being the relationship manager for Forsyth Tech is ideal for me. I'm inspired by the level of excellence and leadership that exists at the college, and working to get Forsyth Tech's message out makes me feel that I'm doing something to make our community better and to raise the profile of an institution that has long been under-appreciated.

Forsyth Tech is different from some of our other clients in that it has no actual marketing director. Everybody who works or teaches there is our client. We're in the position of needing to know a little about what everybody does across all areas of the college in order to develop meaningful, effective and integrated marketing strategies.

One of our recommendations to Forsyth Tech was to make the fall registration experience a better one. Dr. Gary Green, the college president, had told us that his priorities were to increase enrollment and improve retention. A good first impression would go a long way.

I was invited to join Forsyth Tech's internal registration team, which was made up of administrators from different parts of the college. I went to weekly meetings and presented the agency's ideas for improving the student experience. Many of the actual processes involved in registration could not be changed, at least until they become automated, but we knew a customer service focus would make a big difference.

What came out of all the meetings was Registration Celebration. During the two periods of walk-in registration for the fall semester, incoming students were greeted with helpful information tents, free refreshments, signs and maps and handouts to help them find their way around, and a cadre of volunteers to answer questions and take care of any problems that might arise.

Local radio stations broadcast from the event, which added to the festive feeling. And even President Gary Green wore one of the special T-shirts that identified the Forsyth Tech campus guides who "Know It All" when it comes to enrolling. What also came out of Registration Celebration was a more positive feeling about a process that had been generally regarded as a necessary evil. Turning registration into an opportunity for increasing pride in being a student, instructor or staff member of Forsyth Tech—while also laying the foundation for affection and loyalty among new students—is what I would call a good day's work.