We all respond to clever things. So when we see something that hits home as clever, we make a mental note for possible future use. After all, successful businesses don’t try to reinvent the wheel but, rather, adapt something that exists. Here are three examples.

1. We live in a mandatory evacuation area of St. Petersburg, Fla., so as Hurricane Milton approached last week, we headed to the Panhandle to hunker down near the Florida-Alabama line. After Milton passed, traffic was heavy with people like us heading home on Route 19. As we passed through Perry, Fla., I spotted a sign along the roadside for Wilson’s Bait & Tackle. As I glanced over at the storefront, there it was and unmistakably bold: “TAKE A KID FISHING!”

Wilson’s is operated by the third generation of Wilson Coxwell, who founded the store more than 60 years ago. His daughter, Sandra, and her daughter, Kristi, are among the family members who still serve anglers at Wilson’s. They recognize what Wilson knew, that the future of the business was in giving youngsters a chance to experience fishing.

The “TAKE A KID FISHING” sign has been there since Wilson opened shop in 1957. In truth, it originally read: “TAKE A BOY FISHING.” But girls, even back in the ’50s, kept telling Wilson that they fished, too. He got their message, and the sign was changed. And it’s a dealer’s responsibility now to raise up the next generation of anglers and boat buyers.

This got me thinking about other ideas for signage:

• Take a Kid Boating

• Invite a Family Aboard

• Show Others the Boating Life

• Boating is Pleasure

And if a dealer sells primarily fishing boats, repeating the Wilson’s slogan on signs and literature makes obvious sense.

2. My wife, Kay, recently brought home a pair of DJNY jeans. I suppose I have known they are the “original slimming down jeans.” And I must say that denim fit is hot! What equally impressed me was a sticker on the jeans that called attention to DJNY’s “lift-tuck technology”:

“NYDJ cannot be held responsible for any positive consequences that may arise due to your fabulous appearance when wearing our apparel.”

Voila! My marketing mind immediately twisted into the idea that the builder could have easily put a tag at the helm of our Pursuit reading:

“Please hold our employees totally responsible for the great times you will have every day you take this helm.”

Or something like that. Because when it comes down to it, doesn’t every dealer sell products specifically designed to give our customers positive consequences every time they climb aboard? Nothing wrong with claiming it.

3. It comes from Seth Godin, a best-selling author and blogger whose thought-provoking posts I read daily. Last week he penned this:

“Here’s a sign I’ve never seen hanging in a corporate office, a mechanic’s garage or a politician’s headquarters: ‘We have an unfair advantage: We care more!’ ”

It’s easy to promise to care more and difficult to do. More than any other skill or attitude, this is what keeps me (and people like me) coming back.

So my mind’s eye can see that statement on the dealership’s front door or on the business card of every team member from sales to service to clerical. But most important, genuinely caring to meet the hopes and expectations of each customer calls for walking the walk, not just talking the talk. It must be the corporate philosophy if the dealership is to realize its “unfair advantage.”

No matter where you are, looking to pick up clever ideas from others and adapting them is always worth time and consideration.