I'd just received an email from a gallery I'd known forever that they were celebrating their GRAND REOPENING, having just undergone a significant remodel. They had a new gallery show focused on particularly large scale work that previously wouldn't have fit in the gallery.
They'd been in the same location for the last 20 years and had weathered the economic ups and downs with great customer service, savvy marketing, and quality original artwork.
The same day, when I went to pick up my snail mail from the UPS store, I saw an oversize postcard announcing the GOING OUT OF BUSINESS of one of my favorite long time rug resources.
They'd been in the same location for the last 20 years and had weathered the economic ups and downs but not as effectively. At one time, they spread themselves too thin with opening a second store only to have to shutter it a few years later. Their customer service was a bit uneven, and they hadn't kept up with the changes in technology and marketing. They also offered product that ultimately could be found just about anywhere on the web.
It was kind of fascinating to receive, all in one day, one notice electronically announcing a positive change (let's face facts, the gallery was using email the wave of today for their marketing) and another by old fashioned snail mail. That only served to highlight the handwriting on the wall for my rug vendor.
You can't control the economy or tech changes. You can control how you approach them. Great service never goes out of style. Staying current with marketing methods and strategy is essential for long term success. And, lastly, ensure that what you are marketing, product or service, has originality to it, or you've found a key point of differentiation.
