The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

Well, of course we are because I didn’t re-start this blog until the middle of Jan, so what the hell do I expect?

Anyway, over the festive break – which feels years ago now – I was on one of my walks when I saw this …

Now I appreciate in the big scheme of things, it’s not much.

Let’s be honest, letting people sit at an outdoor table to eat their lunch is hardly earth-shattering … except it’s becoming that way. I cannot tell you how often I see signs either warning people to stay the fuck away or to only sit down if they have purchased something from whoever owns the table/space in question.

And while it is just a sign, it made me think a lot about generosity.

Because at a time where our industry is so protective and defensive of whatever self-important landfill we churn out [which, hilariously, we often claim as our ‘IP/Proprietary System’ when, at best, it’s often just a new name to an old or established process or viewpoint] … it’s bloody lovely to see someone be open and generous to the community they live in and serve.

Now I know a table to eat your lunch and a process you offer clients are very different things, but it was so refreshing to see behaviour drive differentiation rather than propaganda.

How amazing would it be if we all were a bit more generous rather than thinking success was all about what we can take.

Or claim.

Where so much of the industry blindly follows certain ‘best practice, marketing models’ – which, ironically, ends up making everyone look and act the same – the simple act of generosity can not only help you stand out from the competition, but enable a deeper and more valuable connection with the people you want to engage.

Or said another way, ‘generosity impacts more than media spend’.

And if more proof were needed, let’s not forget this little sign achieved what few ever thought possible: it turned me from the Grinch to Santa?