By Megan Crane
On Monday morning, I was talking with a hairstylist in East Cobb about hair extensions. By lunchtime, I was on the phone with a woman in New York talking about how she got professional runners to show up for events in her community. I hung up thinking, Gosh, I love what I get to do.
And honestly, a lot of what I love happens before we ever open up Squarespace or start planning social posts.
My favorite part is getting to ask all the questions
The stylist I talked with has been doing hair for about 36 years. She wants to bring in new clients, get more people asking about extensions, and introduce a product they can use at home. So we got into how all of that actually works. How does someone new find her in East Cobb? What do they need to see before they feel ready to book? And how do we help them understand what the product does and why she recommends it?
I love getting into those little details. Someone looking for a new stylist might be ready to book as soon as they find her. Someone considering extensions might want to see her work and understand what upkeep looks like first. Those are two different conversations, and both should have a place in her marketing.
Then came the running conversation. This woman had already brought professional runners and local fans together through pop-ups and events. A lot of it grew through relationships and word of mouth, and she’d been figuring out promotion and funding as she went. We talked about what it could look like to give those events a home online, make it easy for people to register, and give potential sponsors a clear picture of what she’s building.
Two calls in one morning, and I got to learn how two completely different businesses work. I could do that all day.
A plan that fits the way you do business
I love hearing how people got started, but I also want to know what their Tuesday afternoon actually looks like. Where are their customers coming from? What questions do they answer over and over? Where do people get stuck between being interested and actually booking, buying, or signing up? And what does the owner have time to keep up with once the day gets busy?
That’s what helps me and my team figure out where to start. For one business, it might be making the booking process easier to find. For another, it might be giving every upcoming event one clear place to send people. Once we understand how someone goes from hearing about you to working with you, we can build a plan that helps them take that next step.
This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the people who let us into the messy middle of running their businesses. They tell us what’s working, what’s frustrating, and what they’re excited to try next. There’s a lot of trust in those conversations, and I’m grateful I get to have them.
Happy Thanksgiving from me and the Crane Design Co. team!
Let’s talk about what would work for your business
If you’re trying to figure out how to bring in more bookings, sell a new offer, or get people to show up for something you’re building, book a 30-minute consultation with Crane Design Co. Tell me how customers find you now and where you’d like to see things change. We’ll talk through what makes sense to tackle first.
