By Patrick McNerthney
Yeah yeah yeah.
Last week you were likely bombarded by well-intentioned if not slightly vague and certainly uninvited messages from Fortune 500 companies wishing you “the best” in 2023. Especially from banks, insurance, and credit card companies, they’re the worst: “Thank you for trusting XXX-Savings & Loansharking or XXX-Insurance-Mega Corp with your financial future, etc. etc., We hope you have a Prosperous New Year. And if you’re interested in debt consolidation, our helpful professionals are ready to…etc. etc.”
The worst part is these notes can’t even be considered well-intentioned given they’re completely depersonalized (excluding the fact they used your first name in the introduction), often filled with universally appealing smiley-face emojis shudder, and only sent during the low-hanging-fruit of all marketing distribution schedules: major holidays, specifically the winter holidays…and your birthday (which, let’s face it, is even creepier).
(Birthdays should never be creepy–as this granite cake proves…)
If you were lucky enough not to be bombarded by such messages, congratulations on having a superior spam filter! If you were, I suggest sending your new friends a reply, such as:, “So what?” You know, just to see if they respond (they won’t).
Why the rant? I’m so glad I just forced you to ask. Some organizations (not MOST, some) do the hard work of earning trust over the long haul. That means showing up all the time, especially when they don’t feel like it, and not just to promote their wares. Some famous marketing writer-types call this the hospitality mindset: being OF SERVICE is not simply a tool for an organization to make profits—it’s the cornerstone of why the organization exists in the first place.
Think about that. How many companies—for profit, nonprofit, whatever—are in your life who make a brand promise that you can trust?
(Do I hear crickets? I bet I do!!)
But hopefully not, ‘cause these “good” companies are out there…even if they’re not in the majority.
The good news is it’s entirely possible to build an enterprise with a hospitality mindset— where people do work they’re proud of, with others who feel the same way. That means folks who demonstrate a tremendous amount of real empathy every day; they solve problems (even when they don’t feel like it), and create lasting connections.
Surprise! You may not know it, but that pretty much sums up your work as a caregiver. And here’s the great part: it also pretty much sums up how Fine Art Miracles (FAM) rolls. Which is why ya’ll should get together.
FAM champions creative expression as the perfect antidote to the illnesses caused by social isolation: depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. It turns out Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Drama Therapy, Drumming Exercise Therapy, Art2Go Packages (and so much more) reconnect the elderly, children with challenges, and anyone needing help with life’s daily tasks with the belief that they matter. How? It turns out the act of simply making activates parts of the brain tied to confidence, self-worth, optimism, joy, and connection. And when any of us feel that way on a daily basis, how could we NOT realize how important we are?
Too bad those mega banks/credit card companies/insurance conglomerates can’t figure this out: after all, it goes against their corporate dreams. Service over profit–that’s what FAM chooses on a daily basis. FAM is bent on being OF SERVICE to you not to pile up the profits—but because caring is the cornerstone of why FAM exists in the first place.
So what are you waiting for? Give FAM a call or drop them a note to get started. They’re happy to help anytime!
Well, it’s a new year alrighty, which means 12 brand new months for brand new rants and raves. Lucky for me there are plenty of organizations out there, just waiting to be made fun of, which means I feel GREAT about job security. But I can’t find them all by myself— next time you get a super-irritating spam message feel free to forward it to yours truly. It’s pure gold as far as I’m concerned…
