Color Outside The Lines

Recently I had the opportunity to serve on an industry panel to discuss the status of our business today and going forward.  You know one of those....."what are you doing to survive.....how are you keeping your current customers and how are you attracting new ones?"  Ok, that's deep right?  No actually there's nothing earth shattering going on here.  As a matter of fact it's really all about getting back to the basics.  So with that said, here's one suggestion I came up with to share.

Color Outside The Lines.

Yep, that's right....outside the lines.  I was one of those kids that always tried my very best to color inside the lines and use appropriate colors like "Goldenrod" for Barbie's hair and "Midnight Blue" for a night sky.  But the entire time there was a nagging pull inside of me that wanted to color like mad with random disregard for the lines.  So I have my chance - be creative - now is the time. 

When the economy goes south or crisis brings a downturn in business then thinking and doing things outside of the norm are required.  (I know - you operations folks are squirming right now).  But it's true, what worked yesterday may not work today.  And what works today may fall flat tomorrow. 

Be flexible, creative, thoughtful, considerate, open-minded and have a strong resolve.  Change.....challenge.....courage....OK, YES color outside the lines!

Never booked a dog show before?  Well, maybe it's time to consider the options.  Regional Specialty Shows are a good place to start and my personal experience is that they are well organized.  They usually want to maintain a good reputation with hotels so they can book future events.  They understand the process of "checking history". 

Car clubs, rare bird collectors, cross dressers,  - the list goes on and on.  Many of these types of groups are shunned by hotels because they are considered 'hard to pull-off or risky'.  But tell me, is their cash green?  Can you arrange to put them in a need date?  If you work with them, will they work with you?  Chances are Yes.  It's worth a try - again don't think about what you've always done - color outside the lines. 

Remember at the beginning of this blog, I told you there is nothing earth shattering here.  Just some things to give you a little jolt and start you thinking along different lines.  Do it.  Be bold.  Reach out into the unknown.  Go where no man has....oh wait - someone's been there before and they have the STAR reports to prove it.

Happy hunting!