This week Zac and Ben head over to the Art Mission Theater located at 61 Prospect Ave in downtown Binghamton, NY. We snoop around and get all the dirt on what makes this place a theater and what makes it artsy. Turns out they nailed both attributes. Thanks for watching!

Ben goes on vacation this week while Zac puts in some serious face time at the German Club (218 Loughlin Road, Binghamton, NY – Out near Industrial Park). He gives us the full run down from music to bratwurst, from dancing to authentic sauerkraut. The German-American club has it all and is a great organization full of individuals that know how to have a good time. Hope you enjoy and thanks for watching!

Amazing episode ‘on tap’ for you guys this week as Zac and I venture over to the west side of Binghamton and visit with Brett Martin and Jay Maslar, the fellas behind Black Heart Brewery. They show us their cutting edge brew system, their amazing workspace and most importantly their freshly brewed craft beer. You can follow their progress on their website at www.blackheartbrewery.com or on twitter at @Blackheartbrew. Enjoy and thanks for watching!

This week we meet up with Brendan Flannagan, Jeremy Finn and crew to talk about a new organization they are heading up: Project Ignite. The project focuses on giving youth in the area a chance to learn about biking and bike maintenance, it also gives them a chance to go out and shred on the trails with cool guys like Brendan. Chenango Point Cycles (Park Ave, Binghamton) is also pitching in to help out this great cause. In fact, if you’re looking to get involved stop by their shop or give them a call.Enjoy and thanks for watching!

We knew we had a great organization here and we wanted to design a look for them that was hip and made a big statement about the project. We also wanted it to be memorable and fit into the biking theme. After a few revisions the project team and our team decided on this for the organization’s logo.

We are very excited at how the project is moving along and are now going to be developing a website to help draw much deserved attention to the work this group is doing.

Zac and I head over to the “Dome” on airport road, or as it’s officially known – The Greater Binghamton Sports Complex. Let me tell you, this thing is insane, and it should be as it’s the largest dome in the country (yes, thats right). The GBSC also runs a ton of local sports leagues year round for people of all ages. Check out their website for more info. Enjoy and thanks for watching!

This week Zac and I head down to downtown bingo to meet up with Doug, Laura, Ginny and the whole SBDC crew. They are here to help people of all ages and industries begin or grow a business in Binghamton and the Southern Tier. Enjoy and thanks for watching!

The Setup

Lately, we have been working on getting some new businesses interested in doing Small Business Friday interviews. We have gone through mostly personal and business networks so far, which has been great. People are very receptive to the idea and have been referred to us or know us and trust that we are acting in their best interests. However, as the list of our connections around here beings to thin out we have had to transition into talking to businesses that we have no connection to.

The Sale

So yes, at the root of it all we are “selling” something to these businesses, we are selling the chance to do a small business friday video segment. And while our product is free and could give our customer(?) more exposure in the Binghamton area it’s insane to see how people react when you being to talk to them about it. You might as well be trying to undermine their whole business structure or sell them a $100M life insurance policy.

The Shutdown

Literally walked into a small retail store yesterday, went right up to the owner of the store and said “Hey, my name is Ben Giordano, we do a video interview featuring a different small business each week…” at this point I was cut off by the owner who said “yes we dont have time for this so…” and motioned his hand towards the door, as if to say, “get out, like now.”

The Lesson Learned

My first instinct was to be angry and upset that this guy can’t see how we are going to add a ton of value to his marketing efforts and not charge him a single dime. But after I had a few minutes to think I realized that I could not blame him for his feelings or actions. In fact, if I were him and a guy walked in with some pitch about a video that will help his business I would feel the exact same way. I would most likely have been a bit kinder in the way I dismissed the ‘salesman’ but inside I would have wanted to react almost exactly as he did.

This is such a great illustration of what we as advertisers and marketers have done to ourselves. We have forcefully inserted ourselves into the lives of so many consumers that when they see us coming they run for the hills (or send us to the hills!). I truly felt that the walk-in direct salesman has almost no place in current-day marketing programs. It was a big time wake up call and one that I think a lot of businesses owners need to have.

This week Zac and I take a little vacation break from shooting a new episode. But not to fear, we are going to be replaying one of our favorites for those of you who might have missed it before. Head on over to nuwaka on the Vestal parkway with Ben and Zac as we take a look at what makes this place tick. The founder and current owner Brian Cupp shows us around and even hooks us up with our very own Small Business Friday shirts! Thanks for watching!

Good morning Ben!

I was wondering if I could get your thoughts as a marketing expert! I’m working with a web designer who is very opinionated when it comes to drop down menus and user experience. Without going in to too much detail, I was wondering if you had any insight on this topic. Do you think they are beneficial or do they take away from the experience?

Perhaps this could be a new blog post for you!

Thank you,
Nicole

My Response

Hey Nicole,

hmmmmmmmmmm…it really depends on what the project is all about. There are sites that I would never design with drop downs and others where they work well. In general I think it depends on how much is needed to explain the site’s concept to visitors. I try as hard as I can to keep the explanation to a minimum, most of the time people go WAY overboard with their explanation.

I hope this helps!

Ben