Does Your Business
Need a Face Lift?

An indoor water fountain etched with your company logo might just be the splash of distinction you've been looking for.

In the competitive world of insurance especially being in a small town, Phil struggled with ideas to keep his small brokerage on the forefront of potential clients minds. His office front was in a high traffic area in a fairly busy street, but despite the traffic volume of people walking by the store there were not enough people coming to purchase their policies and he knew he needed to make some changes. The idea crossed his mind to hire some kid to wander around with a message board or even a mascot costume promoting his business, but he knew that the real money was in the larger clients that would be repulsed by a big animal promoting his insurance brokerage.

As per his usual Fridays after work he left the office 45 minutes early to meet Tom for a beer to welcome in the weekend. Tom also operated a successful small business, a beauty salon 2 doors down. The gentlemen formed this Friday afternoon habit several years ago and both found it refreshing to sit back, unwind and discuss the issues they faced in business with another business owner. Despite the fact that they worked in very different industries they realized that principles and issues they discussed related to both businesses.

As Phil turned the corner to pull up to their usual watering hole he met the detour sign forcing him to continue on. A water main break flooded Oak street. He cursed under his breath as he contemplated his options, then the cell rang. Tom was a few blocks further and was questioning if they should forfeit their weekly gathering this time. "Come on", was how Phil responded, "a beer is a beer, we can sit in different chairs and still have a good time. Let's try something new." This seemed like a role reversal for an insurance guy to suggest something new to an owner of a beauty salon, but Tom responded favorably and indicated there was a pub 3 blocks ahead to the left.

The place had a sophisticated air to it. It was classy and inviting and really gave a much better first impression than their usual stop. It was only after Phil was well into the first drink that it hit him. "That's it!" "What's it?" was all Tom said in response to the odd phrase after several moments of silence. "Do you think it cost a fortune?" Tom was still completely lost and Phil quickly shared his thought. Behind the bar was an impressive mirrored glass wall waterfall backdrop behind the bottles and glasses sporting the logo of the drinking establishment. After a short discussion with the owner, Phil was convinced that a similar attention getter would be perfect and what he was looking for.

Well, first he needed a logo. He didn't really have a logo or image that separated him from the rest and he knew if he was going to spend the money on a custom wall mounted waterfall fountain featuring his company he needed a logo that matched the backdrop. He 'freelanced' the project through a fantastic online service, Elance, a play on words with the term free lance. This online service allows business owners like Phil to outsource the skills of professionals around the globe for almost any business task or project. The face lift on the logo cost half of what he was expecting.

His new look really took shape with the slate waterfall with copper trim mounted on the wall along side his entrance. A fresh coat of paint along with the new feature definitely gave him a distinct look. The sounds of cascading water through the open door also helped to grab people's attention.

It was surprising, yet not really. After 2 months with the new look, sales were up. Not a lot, but 2% can be substantial for a smaller business. The idea of the water feature incorporating his logo definitely had an impact. It was appealing to the right crowd. It definitely gave him a different image to potential clients, an image of a sophisticated brokerage that dealt with upper end business clients. It grabbed the attention of an owner of several vehicle dealerships. He had been shopping around for a new carrier and he definitely walked into Phil's office confident that this place was a thriving, progressive brokerage that would do a great job. The entrance definitely impressed him and Phil lived up to his expectations. It would have been a shame that just 2 months earlier he would have disregarded the office because of the 'drab' entrance.

"It's going to work and it will be done next Thursday." Tom said as he took his third sip. "It'll be hot." After seeing the face lift that Phil did with a few thousand dollars Tom did some exploring and discovered that it would be possible to incorporate flowing water with a product display for his salon products. He had already incorporated several smaller desk top water fountains at a number of the beauty stations in the salon. They added a relaxing ambiance to the salon and the response from clients was noticeable.

It was rather remarkable. Through their experience they realized that the little things in business can make a difference. Customers and clients do judge your company or business based on your physical presence. In the case of Phil, he was now seen as a bigger player because he looked like a bigger player, simply because he incorporated a display that resembled the look of the larger big players in the industry. He now understood the importance in creating a logo and look that portrayed what you as a business really are. The image must reflect the level of service you provide.

Secondly it reminded them both that it is important not to disregard the smaller details of the business. It is important to keep an open mind to new ideas, to think outside the box. They had both heard the importance of branding and a business image many times before, but only now had they really closely examined their situation. The bar owner put the bug in their ear after he shared how economical a custom wall water fountain can really be.

Thirdly it helped flip a switch in their brain. They both noticed a change in how they entered their businesses in the morning. They felt inspired and were challenged to live up to and run a business that fit their new look and image. The motivation and challenge brought life and felt good. They wanted to live up to the image that their business was now projecting.

"Just think," Tom said as he handed his credit card to the bartender to close the tab, "it all started with a little water on the street." The truth was it simply took some water on the street, to force them into a new pub which planted some new ideas that were definitely paying off. "Let's just call it water under the bridge," Phil replied as the started for the door. And that is almost what it was. It opened their minds to have water running at the door, to bring people in the door and that worked just fine for both of them.

Garth has been fascinated by moving water since his childhood. Premium Indoor Fountains.com is the uniting of his entrepreneurial spirit and fascination of moving water.
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Indoor Water Fountains Make a Unique Office Statement