We See You
I try to be nice to other drivers, really I do.  I let them merge onto the highway in front of me when they are entering.  I signal when I’m changing lanes.  I always give them a “thank you wave” when they let me get over to the turn lane.  So it was that I was amazed and appalled recently when a van cut over in front of me without so much as a warning.  I had to slam on my brakes to avoid a collision.  “Darn fool”, I muttered under my breath (or some other appropriate phrase). Bad enough, but what was even worse was that the van was sporting the logo of a well-known, local florist shop.  POSIE’S BY PATTY it proclaimed  in full color and bold graphics.

Now what if I had been a MOB (Mother of the Bride) getting ready to choose a florist for my daughter’s wedding?  Do you think I’d be calling Patty?  Not likely.  Or, what if I was having a large party and wanted palms and stuff.  Patty?  No way.  Meanwhile, Patty is back at the shop completely unaware that instead of goodwill, her van was turning off potential customers.  The point is that once the vehicle left her  driveway, Patty had no clue.

So it is with all of our vehicles out there in consumer land.  The way our vehicles behave is a direct reflection on how we do business and this is every bit as important as the fancy graphics we are all so proud of.  And it’s not just our behavior. Appearance counts too. A dirty, rusty vehicle speaks volumes to thousands of people as we go about our daily rounds.  And let’s not stop with our vehicles.   Technicians sport our company’s name on their shirts.  One tech wearing our logo and throwing trash on the street instead of into a receptacle screams that we are not the environmentalists we profess to be.  What about milk jugs as water transport in an office?  Or a watering machine that is dinged and scratched?  Keep in mind we are under scrutiny at all times. 

Take a few minutes and review how you are doing what you are doing - the “look” of it all.  Get rid of the jugs and get a decent watering can.  Cover up the watering machine dings with a wrap around cover available from your supplier or get the tank repainted.  Have an instructional session on courteous driving.   Negative impressions have so much subliminal impact that we would be well advised to include in our manuals and training literature a few paragraphs on “Proper Behavior, Care of Vehicles, and Maintenance of Equipment, Care and Appearance”. 

Yep, we not only have to “walk the walk”, we have to “drive the drive” and “look the look”. Remember that our job is to beautify and enrich the world, not besmirch it.

 
Now go out there and get ‘em, Tiger.

 Sales Tip
Now that was a little depressing, wasn’t it?  Sorry, but if you have 5 or 6 people out there wearing your logo and driving your vans, it might be a good idea to stop and check out the appearance that is being presented to the world.  And speaking of making the world a more beautiful, restful place - (slick segue) - think TOPsiders.  Puts greenery atop cubicle and file top all to make the office environment a more productive place.  We do them in the right sizes; shapes, and finishes, ship them out promptly, and even include capmat so you can maintain at two-week intervals.  Heck, if they were any better, they’d cook dinner.

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