-Deacon WardlowRugby is one of the most brutal, bloody and beautiful sports I’ve experienced. The sport reminds me of what I imagine American Football must’ve been like when it first started out. A bunch of men out in the field with with almost nothing protecting them but their fellow teammates. If you’re unfamiliar with “the scrum” (scrummage) or Rugby, you should checkout the description here. While not necessary to follow this thread, it’s a cool concept overall.
Basically, a scrum is where a group of people (6-8 players) interlink to form a stable force to push forward and take possession of the ball away from the opposing ‘scrum.’ The stronger the scrum, the more stable they are and the more likely they are to achieve their goal. What does this have to do with the ideal partnership? A lot.
Just as the ideal scrum is comprised of various people coming together to form a solid core; your business needs the seemingly disparate elements (product, support, partnership) to come together to be fully supported.
Everywhere you look these days, someone is trying to get your business. This has held true for quite sometime, but with LED message centers (and digital signage overall), where there used to be a few big players and some cheaper options, there are several “big players” and a flood of cheap options and sometimes it’s hard to tell one from the other.
When I first started learning about Digital Signage Solutions, it was all really confusing. I found it difficult to get a straight answer from anyone and of course everyone I spoke to had ‘the solution’ which would best suit ALL my needs. The truth is there is no single solution. In many cases no single vendor will be able to help you on every job out there (sometimes you’ll have to get a special mount or some weird control system from a custom specialist).
It didn’t take long to realize I needed RESOURCES, not just sources for digital signage. I needed partners who would listen to my needs and help me find a solution (sometimes that solution wasn’t their product, but they helped me nonetheless and that’s made a HUGE difference). The scrum is your team of support. It’s the business partner(s) who help you succeed. Sometimes you get the trifecta (great support, awesome product, excellent partner/resource) and sometimes you have to put that mix together yourself.
When looking around at what you need, make sure the business(es) you’ve chosen meets your needs.
I love Digital Signage because it’s constantly shifting, changing, evolving and bringing new opportunities for innovation to the forefront. I would find it really difficult to succeed if it weren’t for the key relationships I’ve chosen through the years which help me find solutions. In the end, the company who sells a cheap product has a place, but it’s not with me. Too many times what I’ve saved in price, I’ve paid for with headaches, troubleshooting and after-service issues with little/no support on the product. I’ve found the ones who are worth it, are the ones who actively work towards the success of their clients. Ask yourself this one question when looking at your potential options, “What is missing from my scrum?”
*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!
**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.
No comments:
Post a Comment