I am going to start this column off with an admission – I spend a fair amount of my time standing outside women’s clothing shops. There you go, I have said it and got it out in the open.

Now then, before anyone goes jumping to conclusions, let me put some context around this. Very often my wife and I will take a trip to neighbouring towns, cities, places of interest etc, just for a day out, and invariably those trips end up with a wander through the local shopping centre. In the early days of these ventures, I would find myself traipsing around the various racks and carousels in women’s clothes shops, literally following the exact footsteps of my other half, safe in the knowledge that any opinion that I was asked to provide needed to be carefully considered before imparting it. I quickly came to the conclusion that I would be far better off standing outside of these stores doing a bit of people watching, and for many a year that is exactly what I have done.

There is a point to sharing this with you and it centres around a recent trip to the lovely old city of Bath. Usual routine, right in the centre of the main shopping area with me stood outside a shop. Just in front of me there was a busker with a small audience in attendance, clearly enjoying his offering. As an ex musician, I can tell you that this guy was very, very good. I noticed that he had an upturned cap that, literally, had only a few coins in it, which I thought was a bit odd. Having moved to a slightly better vantage point, I noticed that he also had a sign inviting people to ‘tap here to donate £3.’ Call me old fashioned, but I am used to putting my hand in my pocket, pulling out a load of shrapnel, cobbling coins together to the value of around 50p, and then popping it in the buskers receptacle. This time I couldn’t do that because I didn’t have a pocket full of change, in fact I didn’t have any change and haven’t done so for the last couple of years.

I watched a few people tap their card in appreciation and it really got me thinking. Here is a guy that has had to change tact and diversify to some degree. He knows that for each card tap that he gets, it is the equivalent to 6 of me walking by and popping 50p in his cap. He also knows that the average person is only going to make one card tap during their visit, so he has to ensure that he maximises his chances against the competition and, believe me, there were numerous other buskers in the area.

This guy had clearly got up early to make sure that he had the best, and probably most lucrative, pitch available. He was able to adapt his set to suit whatever age group happened to be in the area which, I know, means regularly learning new material and adding to his repertoire. He used a backing track and played over the top of it to give himself a fuller sound. He knew, as other buskers do, I am sure, that people are not carrying cash like they used to, so offered an alternative option. He made sure that he did everything he could to adapt his overall offering and receive as many £3 card taps as he possibly could.

As I watched, I knew that I had a smile on my face. Only a couple of weeks before, I had the privilege of compering the closing keynote panel session at Dealer Support Live and the theme was - Diversifying to thrive, not just survive. For those of you who were there, you will know that we had a very well respected panel of people who were able to share their own thoughts and experiences on how, as an industry, we should look to diversify, adapt, and enrich our offerings. There were some extremely good and thought provoking pieces of advice given.

In my humble opinion, we always have been very adaptable in our industry and, I have no doubt, will continue to diversify, and thrive because that is the way we are. For any businesses out there, that need a leg up, this is where your own dealer group can help and is one of the main reasons that we are there. We know that it can be a little daunting, stepping into a product area or service that you have very little knowledge about, which is why we are able to give you all the help and support that you need. There is an old saying – If you are not in it, you can’t win it.

Watching that busker perform, there was a very simple reason that I had a smile on my face. Every thought, idea or piece of inspiration that came from the keynote panel had already been adapted, in some small way, shape or form by that guy. And if he can do it………….

I think I might have to give the drum kit a quick dust down and take it on the next day trip and see how many taps I get. Knowing my luck, it will be a tap on the shoulder from the local constable suggesting I move on.



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