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I’ve often told people who work for me, “I don’t expect you to be perfect. We all make mistakes. It’s about how you respond to a mistake that matters.”

I had a Project Coordinator named Melissa who was my eyes and ears at the main office of an ad agency in Louisville while I ran a satellite office in Cincinnati. She was fresh out of college and made her fair share of mistakes. But she learned quickly how to respond to mistakes. She would call me and say, “OK, I really messed this up. But here is what I’ve done to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” She would follow that with a detailed account of her error, how it happened and what steps she put in place to prevent a recurrence. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently helped a client, Bridgewater Management Group, with a positioning statement.  A few hours into the positioning session, their “hook” became apparent. It’s not like it was a revolutionary new thought (after all, there is nothing new under the sun). Perhaps for me it was just a fresh perspective.

Among other offerings, Bridgewater provides information management services including records scanning and storage, process workflow improvement, etc.  When we looked at the list of their services, specifically as they relate to the healthcare industry, they had one specific characteristic in common.  These tasks were not money-makers for their clients; they were drainers.  No one dreams of going into the healthcare field so they can scan medical files and process claims.  This is a painpoint.  It is a bottleneck.  It is a distraction from their core mission.  It is a necessary evil.
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On my way home from a business trip to Cincinnati last week, I drove by my former home in northern Kentucky. While snaking my way back to I-75 on back roads, I came across this sign. What you may not be able to see here, since I snapped this photo on my phone while I was driving (yes, yes, I know), is that this company provides porta john rentals and septic services.

What impressed me about Got-A-Go’s message was that it provided value to the consumer (pardon the term) while also positioning the company as a solution to a… ur… problem. Genius!

Just goes to show that no matter what your business is, you can develop a message that is shout-worthy.

Carol Reeve, Girl on the Roof

We are interrupting our regularly scheduled blog series to bring you this story.

In its holiday series this year, my church, Crossings (www.crossingsknoxville.com), encouraged us to “Give more. Spend less.” It wasn’t about getting the best deals on the “it” gift for the holidays. It was about giving presence instead of just presents. And it was about giving things that matter.

Through this series, I was introduced to Living Water International, which helps build wells in under-developed countries so the people there can have clean water (water-borne illnesses are a leading cause of death in these countries, so this relatively simple device saves thousands of lives). I was so impressed after researching the organization that I made some monetary gifts in honor of some of my family members for the holidays. (I try to do this every year, and I think it’s starting to mean something to some of them). After Christmas morning, I didn’t give much thought to it.
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I am fortunate to have a crafty, budget-minded and ever-patient IT department at Girl on the Roof. It is comprised of my husband, who happens to be a talented corporate attorney employed by someone else (who pays him), and my treasured old friend, Greg Adkins. (Saxton Rose, a witty professional bassoon player helps out from time to time, too.)

Greg is the web designer at New Frame Media (www.newframemedia.com) who created the Girl on the Roof web site from a photo that I had taken with my iPhone of a quick sketch I had drawn with colored pencils.  Seriously.  And it was ready for my review the next day.
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Welcome to the official Girl on the Roof web site, including the From the Roof blog. My intent for this blog is to…
1) provide some marketing and strategy tips and
2) to shine light on some people and organizations who are making a difference in the lives of others.

If you have marketing-related questions, or if you have suggestions for some people/orgs to spotlight (particularly in the Knoxville and Cincinnati areas), please let me know.

I will also use the blog to make GOTR (Girl on the Roof) announcements. And, well, let’s face it, I’ll probably ramble on about this or that. In any case, you can search by topic (Strategy, Spotlight, Musings) in the menu bar on the right so you can more easily find what you’re looking for.

Thanks for visiting! Before you leave, please sign up to follow me on Twitter (I promise not to tweet the mundane details of my life). Then come back often! The view is great from the roof!