Draper Inc - Aug. 1, 2017 - Terry Coffey: Can a company’s approach to success in the AV industry have a lot in common with everyone’s favorite young wizard? We believe so. But we’ll let you make the call.
Yesterday (July 31) was Harry Potter’s birthday. While Draper has celebrated a few more birthdays than J.K. Rowling’s lightning-scarred, tousle-headed schoolboy, there are several lessons that we seem to share. According to the Harry Potter fan site pottermore.com, there are eight important lessons learned from the Potter series, and we feel a particular connection with at least five of them.
True friendship can get you through anything.
Our relationship with our dealers isn’t just a one-way street. It’s a partnership. We’re in it together. We realize that, should a solution not be successful, it isn’t just our reputation on the line—it’s the dealer’s as well. That’s why you can rely on our custom design expertise to get you out of sticky situations. We’ll work hard to ensure on-time delivery of innovate solutions at a fair price. And if something does go wrong, we make it right—whatever that entails.
You can count on Draper to be there for you, just like Harry can always count on his friends, Ron and Hermione.
Bravery comes in many forms.
Throughout the Potter series, Harry and his friends face many scary situations and personal crises. In the end, they stand up for what is right. Not only is that a difficult attitude for young wizards, it can also be hard to come by in today’s business climate. For example, Draper repeatedly tests and re-tests our TecVision line of premium viewing surfaces, and we publish those results. If the results are outside our acceptable tolerances, we don’t use the material. Period. It’s the right thing to do. Unfortunately, that hasn’t seemed to hold true for competitive products we’ve tested.
It’s okay to ask for help.
One thing you need to know about Harry Potter—he hates asking for help. But he learns that sometimes it’s necessary.
We encourage dealers and designers who are stumped for a solution to ask us. Our engineers can work with you to design the solution you need. But we aren’t afraid of asking for help ourselves. In the past, we’ve asked for dealer input on several occasions. Our recent rebranding efforts and products, such as the StageScreen® are examples of what happens when you get a little help—or at least advice—from your friends.
Money isn’t everything.
This one may seem strange for a business to mention, but it’s important. Harry has money, but misses his parents. His friend, Ron, has no money but he has a large, loving family. Both are somewhat jealous of what the other has.
While Draper has to make money to stay in business, our dealers are more than just dollar signs. They are partners in providing solutions that make people’s lives better. Sometimes the best solution isn’t the most expensive one. If it isn’t, we’ll say so. A single job will come and go. The relationship with our dealers and customers, however, will be there for a long time.
Face your fears.
What frightens you? Is it specifying the right projection screen based on the light levels and other characteristics of the room? Figuring out which window shade will do the best job in a given space? Or finding a way to get a large rear screen into a finished building?
Harry and friends faced some pretty scary things throughout the series. But with help from one another, and personal grit, of course, they made it through. Despite all the changes in the way screens and AV equipment are specified and used today, Draper is there to help you make sense of it all, and navigate the changing world of projection technology.