Let’s marvel at a small detail that reveals a big idea…
Here’s the opening sentence of a just-received press release from the City of Mesa (AZ)…
Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC, “Santander Consumer USA”), a consumer finance company focused on vehicle finance, third-party servicing and delivering superior service to more than 2.5 million customers across the full credit spectrum, announced it will expand its operations to the Centrica project at…”
Here’s the small detail: Why does this sentence include the words, “across the full credit spectrum.” I mean, isn’t it obvious that a consumer finance company would sell its services to a diverse range of customers whose credit scores range from high to low. And don’t you expect that such a company would prefer to serve those with high scores over those with low scores?
And here’s the big idea: So I googled “Full Credit Spectrum” figuring that it must be a common and meaningless term akin to how arts organizations advertise “Fun for the Whole Family”. You can google for yourself if you want – but I was surprised and delighted to discover that the phrase seems to speak directly to the company’s unique selling proposition. CLICK HERE to read more about Santander. I’m impressed! This company isn’t just going through the motions of advertising its services to a diverse population with the expectation of serving only the top credit applicants. They have made it their business (literally) to design products and services that uniquely serve the (full credit spectrum) breadth of prospective audiences.
And here’s why you should care: Conventional wisdom directs arts & cultural organizations to “behave more like a business” – and that usually gets translated to cut expenses and focus on “core” audiences. Well-intentioned Board members, funders and stakeholders advise arts administrators to “hunker down,” “get businesslike” and “pick the low hanging fruit.” So, let’s take a moment to consider this refreshing perspective:
How would your organization behave differently if you actually proceeded from the premise that its imperative is to design and provide a family of services that provide benefits to customers “across the full … spectrum.”
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