Rex and the Junkyard
Just a while ago I chanced down a road I had not seen in years, and not much had changed. Except the junkyard. The old junkyard, a dark legendary horror-show of a place with rusty hulks, piles of old tires, sketchy and decayed steel barrels, and of course, the proverbial junkyard dog.
The junkyard was no more, at least in the literal sense. Something else had taken its place. Same owners, probably the same dog, but now all behind an elegant fence and a new sign. It was no longer a junkyard, it was now a “Recycling Depot”. Junkyards are blights on the face of the planet, but Recycling Depots are places of hope for the future. By the stroke of a pen, the brownfield had become green. Sketchy no more, the junkyard was no longer part of the problem, it was part of the solution.
The junkyard dog, once a mangy, ill-tempered beast on a short chain, has become “Rex, our Canine Assistant.” And Rex even has his own page on the Recycling Depot website where you can click to buy him a treat.
Funny thing what a name change will do for you. Not to say that a new no-visibility fence isn’t a great idea, but it seems that just a dash of paint and a fresh branding can give you a second wind in the race of life. Getting on the right side of history never hurts.
The truth is that most of us, and most of our offerings, are complex and nuanced, and there’s a smart way and a not-so-smart way of holding yourself out to your world. A good deal of what I do with professionals has little to do with changing them and everything to do with re-examining who they really are and what they offer which is unique and valuable. And then telling the story in a fresh and more helpful fashion.
After that, everything falls into place.
Even for Rex.