"The only thing that matters is how you touch people. Have I given anyone insight? That’s what I want to have done. Insight lasts; theories don’t." – Peter Drucker

Positioning – the battle for your mind -

Al Ries & Jack Trout - Published by Warner Books

www.levison.com

The Levison Letter is a great source of Action Ideas for better Direct Mail, E-mail, Websites and Advertising.

Florists around the world have been saying "say it with flowers" for decades.

Say what with flowers? Well, virtually everything.

For weddings, birthdays, and other festive occasions, flowers celebrate joy and happiness. For bereavements, sickness and more sombre events, flowers help brighten up the day and instill a sense of hope for the future. There is something about the message of fresh flowers that cannot be replicated by any other means.

As such, it has always surprised me how few businesses include flowers as a component part of their business ‘culture’. In a couple of professional offices that I frequent, a bunch of fresh flowers, replaced daily, forms the centrepiece of their reception area. Many hotel foyers are also decked out with varying flower arrangements. However these examples are the exception rather than the rule.

Flowers are a very powerful medium that can, and I believe should, be used to great effect in business. As is often said about gifts, it’s not the present that’s important, but rather it’s the thought that counts. And so it is with flowers. It’s the thought behind the flowers that gives power to their message.

Fresh flowers in a reception area communicate a feeling of welcome. They communicate the sense of pride that a business has in its place of business and also demonstrate management’s regard for providing a welcoming and cheerful environment for customers and staff.

One business owner I know insists upon each of his office staff having a single fresh flower in a vase on their desks. This single flower is his way of consistently reminding his staff that he appreciates them and that he wants working for his firm to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. The staff delight in being treated this way. He delights in his morning ritual of choosing the flower of the day.

Now of course there are the cynics who naturally, true to their negative form, say "but what about the cost. Do you know how much fresh flowers cost these days?"

The Chinese symbol for opportunity is exactly the same as it is for crisis. How could that be? Because everything in life always has two sides. How you look at something determines what you see. If you look upon providing fresh flowers as an unnecessary cost, then that is exactly what it will be. However, if you look upon fresh flowers as an investment in the future success of your business and a tangible way of daily demonstrating how much you care about your customers and staff, then that is precisely the outcome you will achieve.

There are very few things as universal as fresh flowers. Why not go out and buy, or better still pick, some fresh flowers? It might just brighten up your day as well.

Many happy customer returns!

Graham Harvey APS

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