Tangible Tears

Mar 05

I’m not an overly emotional guy, but I am a sucker for a good under-dog story. Earlier this week I had the pleasure of speaking with Tom and Angi who own and operate RelyLocal in the Prescott, AZ area. Originally, I set up the call to chat about some of their great marketing strategies to help some of our newest partners across the country do some brainstorming. Little did I know that the conversation would put a new spring in my step and restore my passion for what RelyLocal is all about – communities and the people who make them up.

Angi relayed a story about a well known local carpet cleaner in the area who on the verge of collapse, planning on shutting his doors for good unless a miracle occurred. Knowing that he was truly unable to afford any of their services, they made a quick post to their hundreds of loyal Facebook fans, relaying his predicament. Within minutes the replies started rolling in with pledges to rally around their struggling neighbor. That’s powerful!

Tom went on to tell me about a cafe in town who was having trouble breaking-even on Sundays. So, Tom and Angi convinced the owner (against their will) to add a simple “10% Off” coupon to the site that Thursday. That Sunday they had four family groups visit the restaurant for the first time, ordering full meals, and tipping their waitresses well. The cafe was able to pay for an entire year of RelyLocal’s services with the results of their first coupon. That’s effective!

At the end of the call, I tried to retell the stories to our staff. I couldn’t. I was too happy, too proud, too excited! I’d be lying if I said I didn’t break down a little bit, completely losing the effectiveness of my short-planned motivational speech. We are making a difference in people’s lives!

If it sounds like I’m being boastful or tooting my own horn, well, I am. To be frank, it is an extremely gratifying roller coaster to put your nose to the grindstone with the best of intentions and end up lucky enough to witness the fantastic and tangible results first-hand. Yes, I am a thankful and proud papa. I am honored to already be working with dozens of creative and professional people across the country who are united by a common cause – making a difference in their communities.

Thank you, my friends! Great work!
– Steve Ramsey

If you have any stories you’d like to share of how RelyLocal is making a difference in your community, your business, or your life – please send them to stories@relylocal.com.

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