A number of years ago when things got serious with me and Guy and it was time to meet the families, she told me I couldn’t meet her parents until she “Had some time to explain!”
It was almost two-years until I met them!
Her fears for the introduction far outstripped the reality. She shared that even though her parents had been residing in Stamford, Connecticut since they emigrated to the United States in 1970, they were in-fact still living in Italy!
Or so it would seem when I observe life up-close!
Her concerns for me meeting them were mostly based on the language barrier and the 1970’s Italian lifestyle that they still lead in their home. She didn’t need to worry! The homes of old European Jewish people sound just as strange and smell far worse!
What I remember most about Guy’s description of her parents was their size. Every time she referred to them, she would call them “cake-toppers!” I always laughed at that description; until I met them. They don’t generally dress in gowns or a tux but otherwise….she was pretty on the money! If you put one on top of the other, they’d still need a step stool to reach into the oven to pull out the pasta for Sunday dinners!
Down below you can see an example of how to hang a bathroom mirror for a pair of cake-toppers!
Over the last few months I’ve been doing a bit more than just hanging mirrors for short people! I shared with you last week that around February 15th we will release a new website for Benjamin Moore retailers: BenjaiminMooreRetailers.com. I’d love to take credit for all the creative energy spent on naming that site but Fabio beat me to it!
No, not THAT Fabio! We have our own in Montvale!
The first thing you’ll notice on our new site is the podcasting I mentioned last week. We are starting with a full-season of 40 episodes. I recorded two more last week and have three more scheduled to record in the coming 10-days. As I mentioned last week: once I have enough done and “in-the-can” to keep it going without making one every week, we’ll drop the first one and the fun begins!
But the new site will not be for podcasting alone. Preparing to drop around the same time will be a new Instagram page, exclusively for Benjamin Moore retailers! The Instagram page will share the same goals as the podcasts: educate and inform Benjamin Moore retailers.
But the Instagram format is really different than a podcast and so while it has the same goals as the pods, to educating and inform retailers, it will have a very different look and feel.
Right now you may be thinking “Instagram? What’s THAT?” Or even “Instagram? I’ve seen my daughter post enough pictures of her meals on Instagram to know I don’t need an account there!”
But you’d be wrong!
For starters, your customers are on Instagram…..EVERY DAY! As Baby-Boomer-painters with their hand-written estimates and mimeographed forms retire (you’ll have to Google “mimeograph” if you’re under 45), they are quickly being replaced by the millennials. Born with an iPhone in their hands rather than a brush, you can find millennials with their noses to the screens if you want to find them at all! They are already on Instagram posting pictures of the walls they are painting and their numbers there are growing! There is a VERY large contingent of painters, retailers and manufacturers on Instagram already, so it‘s time for us to join the fun!
But the concept will be the same on Instagram as it is on the podcasts: rip the roof off of 101 Paragon Drive in Montvale, and show dealers what’s going on inside!
But it’s going to be much more than that!
Tips on best practices, training, Benjamin Moore programming, marketing, inventory management and many more topics will all be included in the content I am posting.
Instagram-paint dealer style!
In addition to the “static” content on Instagram-pictures and text-I am trying my hand at video-making! There’s a sample of one down below! I’ve made about 25 so far with another 25+ set to be recorded this week! More than a snap-shot and less than the deep dive that a podcast gives, these one-minute videos are packed with information to help you and your stores succeed. Presented in an engaging and entertaining format (hopefully)!
So, if all you’re looking to do is learn how to hang a mirror for a couple of cake-toppers, see the picture below! But if you want to understand your stores better or improve the way you operate, watch the video! And plan on following my new Instagram page for Benjamin Moore retailers.