Word Marketing Blog

It's All About The Music

Audiophile is a word that comes from the Latin word audire "hear" and the Greek word philos meaning "loving". An audiophile is a person who is dedicated to achieving high fidelity in the recording and playback of music.

Travis Huff and Sam Jones are a couple of audiophiles.

They love music. They create music themselves. They listen to music on some of the world's finest equipment. Now, they make that equipment available in Missouri and the Midwest when it was previously unavailable before.

They've opened a new store in Columbia called Pure Audio.

Before the opening of Pure Audio, music enthusiasts could not easily have access to the speakers, amplifiers and equipment that Travis and Sam recommend.

Audiophiles Travis and Sam listen to music on compact discs, but they love vinyl. Turntables are abundant at Pure Audio. We were directing footage to be used for their new television ad and playing "Eagles Greatest Hits" on the turntable. That was one of the first albums I had ever owned and man, it brought back memories. It sounded awesome!

The thing I like about Travis and Sam is that they don't mind telling you what they are passionate about. They're passionate about music and about the business they are creating. They are looking for people who are passionate about music to do business with. If you live within driving distance of Columbia, you really need to experience the sound in the showroom.

You'll be immersed in sound.

Pure Audio also has televisions and systems that integrate fantastic experiences in sight as well as sound.

Travis and Sam are setting out on a grand adventure.

One that has been a individual dream and now a dream that they are sharing. The dream of providing quality audio (and visual) equipment to the passionate audiophile both locally and all points beyond. We're proud to be along for that adventure also.

As the guys say, it's all about the music.

Hey, maybe we can put on some Duke Ellington at our next meeting?

It Keeps You Runnin'

Dulsey Stewart is a Cool Friend. Our relationship goes back to when she moved to Columbia to work for the radio group that I was managing. She's very energetic about everything she does and is one of the most positive people I know. I always look forward to hearing from her. She's a frequent guest at the Strategy Center and when she stopped by recently, I had some questions.

Tony: What's your official title and position now?

Dulsey: Development and Fundraising Coordinator for Ultramax Events

Tony: How did you get interested in doing that?

Dulsey: I used to be a runner. When I met my husband, he told me that I should do a triathlon. I thought he was crazy, but after enough training, I decided to give it a go.

My husband also volunteered for Ultramax, and I thought it was a great organization and I should help too. It was a great way to spend time with him, and be involved in a great cause and fun sport all at the same time. Mark, race director extraordinaire, approached me about starting a development office for Ultramax. No one has previously done my job full time and I would be starting from scratch. I was so excited that I probably accepted the job before it was ever officially offered to me. I really enjoy it, and there isn’t many people out there who get to combine their passion and hobby with their career. I feel pretty lucky.

Tony: What’s the best part of your job?

Dulsey: The best part of my job is being able to prove that my efforts benefit a very worthy cause. When a sponsor of our events gets involved, not only do they get the benefit of the marketing and sponsorship, but they get to help people see. They get to help a 4 year old kid in daycare learn that he has lazy eye before he has ever seen his first eye doctor. They get to give the gift of sight through a cornea transplant. It is a pretty good feeling each day.

Tony: What was the transition like from the media to what you are doing now?

Dulsey: A lot of what I do now is much the same as media as far as the basic principles. I still talk demographics, number of athletes, reach and exposure…. Stuff like that. But the main difference is the cause. Before, I was selling advertising to help a business grow. Sometimes I would cross my fingers and hope it worked. In this business, I know that people give because they want to be involved and when they get extra business out of it (which most do anyway) that is just a huge bonus. Our athletes tend to be very loyal to the sponsors, which is a great perk.

Tony: At the end of the day, what are you most proud of?

Dulsey: I don’t know if it is pride so much as just gratitude, but I am blessed with a great family who is struggling through a tough time right now and still getting up every day to face it. I have a great husband and friends who keep me strong, and I know when I leave my desk each day that I worked as hard as I can to make a difference for someone else. There are so many people who have given to me lately with no hesitation. The least I can do is work hard to give to someone else.

Tony: You told me that you just got back from Las Vegas, how did that trip go?

Dulsey: The trip was fabulous! We took 140 Columbia MO residents to compete in the Club National Championship Triathlon and we took home the GOLD. We are the Division 1 Club National Champion Triathletes-right here in our own backyard. This is the 3rd time in 4 years we have won. It was a great honor to be out there with all those green jerseys just cheering and rooting people on. The best part was watching Marilyn McCreary cross the finish line. She is in her 60’s, has had a hip replacement and did an Olympic Distance Triathon (I did the shorter distance). This was a very, very difficult race and she crossed the line with 139 other CMCers cheering her all the way in. And she smiled the whole time.

Considering the last 6 miles of the bike course was straight up hill, and I averaged 8 miles an hour, just like most people… this was one tough course.We managed to visit the Vegas strip for a few days and be real tourists after that.

Tony: What’s your BHAG? (Big Hairy Audacious Goal)

Dulsey:  I have signed up for my first half iron distance triathlon May 20. Half Iron consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13 mile run. Yes, they are back to back. I feel like a slacker since my hubby has done a full distance Ironman, but I’m a little woman… and I think the half is just the right size. (They used to call me "Half-pint" growing up!)

Tony: When you were a kid, what did you want to do?

Dulsey: I remember standing in my great grandmothers kitchen thinking that a teacher was really the only profession that a women did. So I wanted to be a teacher. I was really young then. After a while I realized that I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, so I just winged it for awhile. I completely fell into marketing by accident. But I’m glad, because it has worked so far.

Tony: If someone wants to help out your projects, how can they participate?

Dulsey: There are several ways someone could help. The biggest one is by sponsoring or participating in one of our events. We are always looking to generate new athletes to this amazing and crazy sport. The next best thing is to volunteer at the events. We will never turn down good help. Lastly, I could always use someone to come do my laundry once a week. That usually is the last task I complete!

Building partners

Alignment is the adjustment of something to bring it into relation with something else. The way we use the term is how well our business fits with other businesses that we work with. We work really hard to make sure that we are as close to alignment as possible with all our customers and future customers. We even have a totally free alignment meeting with prospective customers just so we can get to know each other better before we form a working relationship.

Sometimes it's really easy.

Steve Sachs and Roger Beasley are partners at Maxum Builders and they do the same thing. Their customers love them, because they are in alignment with each other from blueprint to closing table and beyond. We first worked with them earlier this year when we did a seminar together for first time home owners. We liked 'em from the start. These guys don't have to put "you can trust us" on a sign, you know that from their actions.

Steve and Roger tell their story with passion and conviction. They tell it with precision. When they look us in the eye and tell us what they want Maxum Builders to be and how they want to treat each customer, it's as if each new potential customer is the most important person they'll ever deal with. When they say "success isn't measured by how much you put in your pocket. To us, it's about happy customers." We can tell it's heartfelt. They want to be able to see people on the street that they've dealt with and have it be a happy reunion.

Maxum Builders is getting all of Steve and Roger's heart, soul, brains, imagination, time, money and sweaty persistence, and ours too. Maxum is not just about building bricks or mortar, they are building partners.

A true craftsman

Have you seen the new ABC-TV show "Six Degrees?" It's executive produced by J.J. Abrams, the same guy who gave us Alias, Lost and this summer, the movie Mission Impossible 3. It's a show about random people in New York City who are connected to each other, some know they are connected and some don't. It's based on the theory of "Six Degrees of Separation" ...maybe you've even played the game based on this theory sometimes known as the "Kevin Bacon game." Anyway, just like all J.J. Abrams productions, the show is big in character development and storylines.  I decided to start including in our blog some of the people that we deal with, meet, become clients and friends.

Marty Overstreet is a new friend of ours and he's the owner/operator of Circle Bar T Leatherworks.

This guy is amazing. You know the difference between a person who is a "natural" at what they do and someone who is competent? A natural looks at something a little while and then does it. SImple as that. A competent person has to put forth some effort to be competent. Marty Overstreet is a true "natural" craftsman. He's just durn good. This guy "sees" designs all the time. He's been written up in major leather and gun magazines all over the world. That's no exaggeration.

Marty and I met through Dean Rapp another friend of mine, (see, there's a connection... you never know when someone is going to "connect" you to someone new) when Dean showed me a leather project that Marty had done. When I met Marty, I knew he was going to be successful. Why? Because he knows exactly what he wants. He knows the kinds of customers he wants. He knows the size of business he wants. He knows how much time he's going to invest. He just needed someone to put it all together into a plan. Marty Overstreet and Circle Bar T Leatherworks is going to be very successful.

Why?

Because Marty can envision what his success looks like and he's moving toward it at a rapid pace. Marty told me "I'm a leather crafter who's blessed and gets satisfaction from sharing my gift."

We're working on an internet web strategy for Marty and as soon as his site is ready, we'll get you a link to it and you can meet a true craftsman, too.