Signs4gotten

There’s a new brewery in downtown Roanoke. In fact, there are like six new breweries in our hip, small city.

We’re the up-and-coming craft brewing mecca of the east coast with local and regional artisan beer-serving rooms here for Deschutes, Ballast Point, Big Lick, Soaring Ridge, Starr Hill, and Parkway. There’s even one called A Few Old Goats Brewing.

Another new joint opened this fall at the busiest corner in town, yet a lot of people haven’t caught on to it. I think one of the main reasons for the slow roll-out is there’s no sign to point the way for tourists and locals who may be interested. I’m not involved with this business, so it’s possible there is another reason why the sign isn’t up. My guess is that there was a miscalculation on how long it would take to have the signage completed and installed – that is a frequent occurrence.

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Plan Ahead2Make It Work

Long before the doors to a business open, the building design or renovation is planned out. The zoning and blue prints are mapped. There is typically a public relations and marketing soft launch plan – sometimes even advertising is a part of that. While many marketing and communications projects can be turned pretty quickly, it’s important to note that some parts of the grand opening plan can take a bit longer.

Signs are one of the main setbacks.

To start with, sign companies seem very busy – at least around this part of Virginia. Then there’s the design and approval process which can take quite some time. There are also zoning approvals that can eat up a chunk of time too. Then pieces have to be ordered and production has to be done and all of that is before you even schedule installation.

Signs, signs, everywhere signs.

Man it can be a drag when you want to open that new location and have to wait on your signs.

We’re not a sign company – let me make that clear. We do, however, help a lot of clients with their signage needs and coordinate those efforts with sign companies. We’ve found there is one thing you can absolutely count on when it comes to signage – the process always takes longer than you think it should.

So, if you are involved in any type of business that is expanding, moving, or relocating, start the sign process early and let that point your way to opening success.

Collaborate4the Best Performance

Everyone there was in attendance to see Branford Marsalis. The famed musician was the main attraction for the night and his mere presence dominated the Jefferson Center stage. It was an amazing show and everyone in attendance seemed to appreciate the performance. Marsalis is one of the giants of jazz and in that room there was grandeur and magic.

What a night. One I’ll remember for a long time. But I remember something else about that evening’s concert.

Marsalis played as part of a band that evening and, while everyone knew when the sax master was center stage, he knew the right times to step back and let others move to the forefront.

Helps You2Improve

Most of us love watching the supremely talented do what they do. It’s inspiring and rewarding to see greats excel. There are also some memorable leadership lessons to be gleaned from them. In the case of Marsalis, he knew when to share the stage. He’d occasionally move to a less noticeable space amongst the group and admire the other band members’ performances. As he looked on with appreciation, it encouraged the audience to do the same. I watched him enjoy their solos.

Then, I watched him step back in and effectively take over the spotlight again.

It was a powerful reminder of the power of team and the beauty of collaboration.

The audience had the opportunity to experience a leader sharing the glory, and the stage, and the accolades. Whether he actually used the words, or it was merely the recollection of the night, I remember feeling like he didn’t care who got the credit. He just wanted to put on an incredible show. That’s exactly how we should work in business – in concert.

Something You Simply Had2Notice

For years now, my creative team has been inserting clever images or photographs into my blogs as a way to get the attention of our readers, amplify a point, or possibly even to make (a lot of) fun of me. This time, the photo is the main point of my monthly missive.

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Sometime back in 2018, I wandered into a fast food joint in Maryland. I remember exactly where it was because whenever I pass by that exit in Frederick, I think about what I saw.

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The headline on the poster says “Quality Is Our Recipe” and, as you can see, there is subtext and some photography to support the statement. I’m not actually sure what the copy says because something else about the poster took all of my attention.

Pay Attention4Good Execution

The poster had obviously not been set in a UV-protected frame and mounting. And, after years in the sun (or maybe months, I’m not sure), every image in the design had faded. Sometimes sepia tones work well as part of an advertising campaign – just not when the focus is on food. No one wants to see a gray hamburger or washed out tomatoes, or the faded bubbles of what should be a fresh carbonated soft drink.

Yuck.

No matter the artist’s intention or the agency’s design, if no one at the store bothers to look at the finished product and make a local decision that “hey, this doesn’t look right”, the project won’t end up with the right execution. It’s likely that people at the store looked at this every single day and hopefully cleaned it or at least wiped it down at least once a week. No one bothered to really look at it. In the end, that poor execution became an ironic example of “Quality is Our Recipe”.

So in that instance, I used the restroom, bought a soft drink, and hit the road. I never bothered to stop back in to eat and I had lost my appetite for a burger that day for sure.

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Nomenclature4Your Consideration

Little things can make a big difference though – especially in commerce.

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One of the first questions I ask a new client is how they refer to the people with whom they do business. The labels you put on your interactions can be significant and often share a deeper meaning. Are your business relationships with patients, customers, clients, students, visitors, guests, users, or buyers?

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Obviously in anything related to the medical world you’d want to address the people who visit you as patients.

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If you’re in the hospitality industry, it’s likely you refer to them as guests, visitors, or customers. They are staying with you, in from out of town, or eating and drinking at your establishment. You can likely surmise the proper label to use and apply.

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But what about those of you in more varied professions? Do you call the people in your day-to-day dealings clients or customers?

Some Thinking2Do

There’s a bit of a value assessment placed with the language you choose. While everyone may not agree with me, it feels like a customer is someone with whom a transaction takes place. A client label, however, implies a deeper, more collaborative relationship - perhaps ongoing in nature. It says more than “transaction”. It says we’re “your people” and we’ll be here for you over time.

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We intentionally have clients.

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That’s the business we are in. It may not be the same in your situation, but it is worth a review and your deeper thought. Not only should you be mindful of what you call your customers or clients, but if you’re in the sales or service providing business, be aware of how the people with whom you do business refer to their end users. It’s pretty awkward to speak to a medical practice about their customers (when you mean patients). That’s a fast way to lose some credibility.

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In the end, the small labels you choose actually are a pretty big deal.

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Painful News2Hear

It was late in January – four years ago – when my adopted hometown got news that was about as bad as people could imagine. It was a real gut punch to hear the railroad – Norfolk Southern – was leaving Roanoke and in its wake an empty ten-story building in the heart of our blossoming downtown. After all, the railroad had built the economy of our hip, small city.

People were obviously scared. It was devastating news and the local reporters beat on about all the people who would be leaving, the lost jobs for our area, and how bad things were going to be for our city when all of this happened.

The way things had always been was clearly not going to continue. The time had come to adapt.

A New Way to Look at Things4Your Business

A group of local business leaders decided to band together to rebound from the bad news. They bought the building and retrofit it so a handful of companies could share the beautiful space and take advantage of a great downtown Roanoke address. Instead of relying on one corporate giant, these ingenious and daring new owners split things up and in a matter of a few short years they’ve continued work to fill the space.

It was the same shell of a building, but inside everything was different.

How many times are we hit with devastating news in business or life only to quickly figure out it’s actually a new opportunity for us? Now, we’re forced to find a new way to do things. Instead of feeling sorry about a major loss, these investors took a risk, found a new path, and fueled some of the continued growth here in town.

It was impressive work. And is a good reminder for us.

There is a new way to accomplish your mission and it starts with taking a fresh look at the situation. Maybe you can try that the next time seemingly bad news crosses your desk.

Airplanes Landing2Teach

Around 15 years ago I spent a day in Northern New Jersey making sales calls with a consultant. I like new places and, while I had driven through the region, I had never really spent any time there.

I noticed the area was similar to so many places I had been – small towns, lots of trees, and actually very friendly people. I also noticed two other things – Manhattan was off in the distance, but always in sight. The other thing in sight was a constant stream of airplanes landing at Newark Liberty International, one of the busiest airports in the United States. On this day, the airport had two runways operating at the same time in order to keep flights moving as scheduled.

It was pretty flat there so you could see multiple aircrafts in different stages of landing: appearing from the clouds, nearing the airport, lining up with the runway, and touching down. At least three planes were in sight to for each runway at any given time. They were in a perpetual landing pattern and it got me thinking.

The Application4Us as Producers

Our business lives mirror those of the air traffic controller – especially in the sales world.

We have to safely land that sale that is right in front of us while helping those late in the process move toward the logical conclusion. Meanwhile, we have presentations to make to newer prospects, and the obvious importance of getting clients in the business development line into the landing pattern.

It’s a busy job and it’s not for the faint of heart or the fearful.

It’s easy to lose track of those prospects as we work to finalize arrangements on the pending sale. It’s typical to forget to call on those “way out in the future” potential clients when we are busy with presentations to those who have already expressed interest and are making “now” decisions. Simply put – it’s a lot to watch.

Yet watch you must. The best sellers understand the value of all of these steps and watch all their clients and prospects simultaneously – just like the team in the tower at Newark.