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New Blog For Neal-Prince

As a dynamic, progressive and knowledgeable architecture firm with great esteem in the Southeast, Neal-Prince Architects needed a forum on its site to express just what makes it an amazing organization.

Coupled in with a larger web-development project, we just launched this blog for Neal-Prince (pictured).

In addition to the blog, we updated the front page with a live blog feed and a section that showcases the new “about” section.

What’s Your Black Napkin?

I met Billy Watson last night at the G Magazine fall issue launch party. Billy is the event specialist for Larkins on the River and a pretty smart fellow.

Napkins have nothing to do with the food but everything to do with the little details that make the Larkin's experience something special.

Business is humming at Larkins.

That’s a bit of a surprise given the economy. But Larkin’s has done a great job of connecting with their customers and creating an enthusiastic following. Naturally, I asked Billy what’s their secret. “We make a point of doing unexpected things to surprise and delight our customers.”

For instance?

“We have both black and white cloth napkins. The last thing a person in a dark suit or dress wants is white lint on their lap when they get up to leave after a great meal. It’s a little thing, but it gets people talking.”

Sure does.

Seems like all really remarkable businesses have their own “black napkins.” What’s yours?

Opportunity Is Out There.

I recently changed my LinkedIn status content to reflect what I’m feeling as a “subtle and positive shift in the minds of business owners toward the economy, marketing and the possibility for growth.” Our friend Mark Burris commented that decision makers are in a “reset” mode. We’re probably saying about the same thing.

No one is expecting robust growth anytime soon. But NOT to grow is to fall backwards. For most businesses there is no middle ground. To survive you have to grow. That’s because ten to twenty percent of your customer base will be out of business (or close to it) by year’s end.

Opportunity is out there. But much of it is destined for those willing to make fundamental changes in the way they approach business.

Since spring, Harrison Kohn has added six new clients. Five of the six engaged HK specifically to help them more effectively align their critical points of difference to a marketplace that’s become very choosy about where and when it spends its money. Every discussion is about what specifically makes you a better value right now. It’s forcing a lot of businesses to take a long look in the mirror.

At the heart of each communication is the reality that the market can continue NOT buying anything. So the challenge isn’t JUST making the case that you’re better than your competitors. It’s also an issue of giving your prospect a compelling reason to buy.

All this is making us rethink our mission, and ultimately making HK a more valuable resource. We hope the same for you.