The Big Why of EMM

If you’ve ever worked at a mid to large company (or a company trying to become one of those) you’ve probably heard phrases like “mission statements” , “vision statements”, “core competencies” , “corporate culture”, “core values” blah, blah, blah.  To be honest, before I ran my own company, or, to be strictly accurate, before I took the management of my company seriously, I didn’t really pay attention to any of these phrases and thought they are all mindless corporate speak.  In truth, I think there is some validity to that view; a lot of nice fancy words that really don’t mean a whole lot, especially when customer service or the product or service doesn’t live up to the high minded words.

However, in learning to articulate more clearly about my business and how we operate, and why we do the things we do, I’ve come to understand the fundamental issue these types of statements/lingo are trying to address.  There are usually dozens or hundreds of companies in any given field of operation, so how do you separate your company of all the others that offer similar products or services?  Besides the differences in products or services that are offered, the most impactful way to distinguish your company from others in your field is to actually run your company in a way the creates a culture and level of customer service and expertise that really shines through and makes a clear statement of the value of your company’s offerings to their customers.  It's not just about corporate speak to fool the general public into thinking positively about your company, (that’s what the marketing department is for :)) it's about creating a movement and expectations within the company itself that will then make its way into every aspect of the business and how it operates.

So, do these kinds of things matter in the music preparation/engraving/printing industry.. Well, yes and no.  In a sense, it's very obvious when composers, arrangers, orchestrators, music librarians, publishing companies, etc, etc, aren’t getting the service and results they need and will quickly change companies.  A company’s values are on display very prominently in this industry since there aren’t marketing departments to spin things.  It would seem that what you stand for is understood, and doesn’t really need to be stated.

Then again, I would contend that is just as important to state and live up your mission statement in this industry as it is in any other.  Most of the companies doing music preparation are really just one person and occasionally a few other people when the deadlines are really tight.  Why would you need to write a statement on “corporate values” when the entire company is just one person?!  The reason is that creating these statements, like writing down personal New Year’s resolutions, is that they keep you focused, they keep you consistent, they keep you mindful of the goals and they keep you honest.  By honest, I don’t necessarily mean not cheating your clients (but that’s always a good idea not to do that), but I mean being honest with yourself and what your company has set out to do and not getting distracted.

Now, you’re probably all salivating for the big reveal of Engraver’s Mark Music mission statement and corporate values and what not.  Ok, here goes: (insert trumpet fanfare here)

Mission Statement:

Engraver’s Mark Music exists to create value to all our clients, by making the highest quality sheet music available to everyone by creating streamlined, consistent, accurate and repeatable systems that bring the best of music engraving practices to every project, regardless of size or scope.

Vision Statement:

Changing the perception of music engraving and creating new outlets for expression for all musicians.

So,..... now what?!  Does this change anything about your opinion of Engraver’s Mark Music?  Maybe not, but I hope that by reading this, its becomes clear what the “soul” of this company stands for, what we hope to accomplish with our products and services, and what you should expect from us.  Our view of value and success at Engraver’s Mark Music is determined by the success of each project and, by extension, each company, or composer or whomever we work with. When you can’t imagine accomplishing a given project without the help of Engraver’s Mark Music, no matter how small the portion, than we have achieved our goal of value.
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I invite you to try us out, see our dedication to your company, your art, your music, and see the value that it brings.