During the 2009 Track and Field World Championship the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, was called for a false start in the 100-meter dash.
Leading up to the race, Bolt was the handicappers favorite. He was the current world record holder in the event, thanks to his time of 9.69 seconds at the previous Olympics in Beijing in 2008.
Fortunately for Bolt, this wasn’t the Olympics. Because of what is often referred to as the “cruelest rule in sports” his one fault would have disqualified Bolt from the race had this been Beijing!
But the rules during the World Championship of 2009 allowed for one mistake. And so Bolt toed the blocks for a second time.
It took Bolt just 9.58 seconds to run the 100-meter dash that day. In doing so he broke his own world record set at those Olympics a year earlier. A world record which still stands, 11-years later. His run for the ages was clearly, meant to be run.
About the only thing that I can do in 9.58 seconds is piss my fiancée Guy off!
In fact, I’ve done it in far less! Though there is no medal in that event!
And since Guy and I are still together, that means Usain and I have something in common: We like to make the best of second chances!
I don’t love the term “second chance” for its implication that something went so wrong in the first chance that the effort needed to be abandoned.
But Usain and I know: shit happens! So no matter how it starts, we are prepared to run our best race, until we cross the finish line.
Recently, my race has been web sites and e-ecommerce for independent paint dealers. After a “false start” caused by questions of naming and ownership, I am re-toeing the blocks, renaming my work and introducing it again.
Welcome to THE Revolution!
Revolutions bring freedom and opportunity and this revolution will be no different! The web site and e-commerce platforms of THE Revolution bring freedom for dealers to rip off the chains which define the current boundaries of their stand-alone brick and mortar locations.
And opportunity.
Opportunity for independents to market their single greatest advantage; locally owned stores which are easy to navigate and appeal to consumers who in a post-Covid world no longer seek out the crowded boxes.
Home Depot, Lowe’s and Sherwin-Williams continue to dominate our industry nationally, but they are not selling paint out of their corporate headquarters! Their paint primarily gets sold out of their local stores or online which ships locally or gets picked-up curbside and so their success is national as much as the result of thousands of wins in local markets.
Right in our neighborhoods.
But the advantages the nationals have of size and wealth don’t translate well locally, creating a lifetime’s best opportunity for retailers looking to grow! Retailers willing to invest in the right musket and powder will find themselves like the Minutemen made famous in the War for Independence: Possessing a defined strategy which allows David to beat Goliath!
Small local victories!
This War for Independents will end the same as the first; FREEDOM! But only for dealers who bear the right arms.
The biggest advantage which the national chains have in the rapidly growing $5bil online paint market is this: they’re in it! Until recently, independent paint retailers have forsworn the space as too expensive, too complicated or not important enough to get into. With no one addressing dealer’s needs as a segment, each dealer looking to put up a robust web site or e-commerce would have had the daunting task of reinventing every wheel.
Until now!
THE Revolution's content and feature rich web sites with e-commerce smoothly integrated in should be the dealer’s weapon of choice in the War for Independents! THE Revolution’s pages are ready to inspire your DIY consumers while also bringing the shopping efficiencies your professional customers will continue to demand.
It’s more than just e-commerce!
These sites are ready to be infused with locally generated content which you and the local digital marketing team you (must) hire, will create. With those simple efforts, these sites will drive business in a way that local advertising and media never could. Some of that business will be driven to THE Revolution’s well-integrated e-commerce.
The rest will be driven to your exiting brick and mortar stores!
And you’ll get better results to buy local marketing….well……locally! You’ll get better SEO, better social media and therefore more local traffic on your site. It’s what’s best and the reason why my program will not be offering any digital marketing services.
Leaving you independent! As it should be.
Of course, I’ll be blogging and will do a podcast on what dealers should be looking for when they hire local digital marketing firms.
Better results; while we practice what we preach! Keep your money local with locally owned independent agencies. Just like we ask our consumers to do!
I had a dealer considering the system ask me if changing the name was a setback?
A bit, about a week.
What do dealers get for waiting that week?
The only web site and e-commerce package designed by, built by, and built exclusively for independent paint retailers.
Built by mo over 50-years behind the counter in paint stores just like ones you own and manage. And built after 30-years studying dealers and their consumers both individually and as a segment; in a way that few others have.
Join THE Revolution, and get the PREMIUM web site and e-commerce solution built exclusively for independent paint retailers.
If it’s not built for you, then it’s built for somebody else.
THE Revolution fights your personal War for Independents!
