When Chuck Oxford and I met at a local networking breakfast, I was immediately taken by his personable style and gracious way of contributing to the conversation. It turns out he is the owner of Lakeside Collision Center of Bellevue. Within weeks of meeting him for the first time, he was named Eastside Small Business of the Year by the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce. I shared a few ideas to help him leverage his good news, and he took action on just about every suggestion.
- He noted his award win on his website.
- He revised his radio advertising message to showcase his award win.
- He finally got around to sitting for a professional head shot.
- He decided to share his story with both the local business journal and the community newspaper by preparing customized story pitches for each publication — with a little help from yours truly.
Last Friday, a wonderful story about his company debuted in the “Growing Your Business” section of the Puget Sound Business Journal. Today, he is being interviewed by a writer from The Bellevue Reporter. And, I got word last week that a pitch I made on Chuck's behalf from a lead from Reporter Connection is slated to appear within the pages of Success magazine. This magazine enjoys national readership. The query asked for tips to build your brand in your own backyard, and winning an award is certainly a great way to get known for excellence.
Now, Chuck is sending out an email to his best customers and colleagues to share his good news. He is requesting a professional reprint from Scoop Reprint Source so he can showcase his fabulous press within every new client bid his team makes, and he is sharing his good news across the social networks to which he belongs.
Just a few weeks ago, Chuck Oxford was feeling like a well-kept secret. Now, he is carving out his own slice of the spotlight. Chuck tells me his phone has been ringing with calls of congratulations for his good press. No doubt, requests for collision repairs are forthcoming. As he states so graciously in his Puget Sound Business Journal article, “Our customers drive home our reputation.” And some good press adds some timely magic to the mix, as well.
