Welcome to Part 5 of the
7 Days of counting down to the
CT Business Expo!
Yesterday's Post: Be Proactive <- click
Today's Artistic Tweetameter:
"Your pitch sounds
good - like rap stars over MUSIC -
The only thing better than that - is when U PROVE IT!"
Now, as promised, here's the 4th of 5
Secrets of How Successful Businesses…
use the same skills as Successful Rap Stars…
make customers feel the way Rock Stars make feverishly fanatical fans feel…
and get customers to view each product/service as a Priceless Master piece!
RapOet coaching his youth leadership rap team (right before they won)
Would you like to be one of the top experts in your field of business?
As the lead instructor of the RapOetry Workshop, I can tell you that being an expert isn’t as difficult as it might seem:
- Make sure you give your best performance when called upon
- Pay attention and acknowledge others, as they strive to improve
- Proactively find ways to be a little bit better every day
- This one’s a little bit trickier…
Don’t be Boring!
I know you might be thinking that last one is easier said than done, right? You can’t just click your heels 3 times and become charismatic can you? Well, truthfully there IS a very simple secret to having fun…
But first let me ask you a few questions:
1. Would you like to be the top expert in a field you weren’t interested in?
2. Would you spend your life doing jobs that you would never do for free?
Probably not. And yet, on a regular basis, you’ll find people who are not enjoying the schools, jobs, cities, or relationships which they once felt so fortunate to get into. On the other hand, someone like Mike Rowe will do all the scariest, most dangerous, dirty jobs he can find – while making us laugh the whole time.
So would you like to know how to “not be boring”?
If you said yes, I have good (great, really!) news for you… you’re already half way there. Since you’re wondering if you might be a boring person, you probably aren’t, because…
Boring people HARDLY EVER consider THEMSELVES to be boring!
Now just because you’re not boring doesn’t mean you have to be some kind of funny comedian. You might just be really passionate about what you do, or who you do it for, or what IDEALS you represent when you are at work.
There’s a simple truth that boring businesses (and boring artists) are unable to grasp… The most important part of any job is the PERSON doing it. One athlete plays completely different than another – in the same sport; one chef cooks completely different than another – in the same kitchen; one teacher’s techniques are completely different than another’s – in the same school… which brings us to the next point about being the top expert in your field.
Every rock star business person will tell you that marketing is just a form of education. The best sales people are really good at helping prospective customers understand how their business can improve the customer’s life. So yes, every business person is a Rock Star to some degree, AND a Coach, AND a Teacher! I know… that’s a lot of hats to wear right? With so much to do, how can we ever become bored?
We can’t! Ha ha ha! :)
So customers see right through so-called experts (and boring artists) who claim to be bored with their co-workers, their wardrobe, the weather and so on. On some level (even if it’s unconscious) customers intuitively know that if a player doesn’t like a game she can play differently; if a chef doesn’t like the kitchen he can rearrange it; if a photographer doesn’t like the lighting he can change it. There’s no time to get bored…
Unless you just really don’t think you should be doing what you’re doing.
So essentially:
Business people (and artists) who are bored/critical of [fill in the blank] are indirectly sending the message that they should not be in that profession (they may be skilled, but they're not experts).
Of course, as an MC, when I’m performing on stage in front of a packed crowd, I can’t be bored if I expect the crowd to enjoy themselves. But it’s the same way for any business. No matter how talented you are, people will not trust a business that always finds time to criticize and gossip about their profession/peers/affiliates/competitors.
BORED people are BORING!
EXPERTS are EDUCATORS!
One hit wonders assume that they can never be boring, while speaking condescendingly about anyone who doesn’t understand them. Business Rock Stars become Experts by constantly asking, “How can I make my business more easily understood and less boring for people who still don’t totally get it?”
So the phrase of the day is:
BE A BETTER EXAMPLE!
“C. PAiNt” stands before one of his paintings (while wearing it!)
In the above photo, my RockMikes.com collaborator “C. PAiNt” (Corey Pane) stands before one of his original paintings (inspired by an environmental activist), while wearing a shirt baring a print of the same. Corey is an expert, who sometimes works on a piece for 12 hours straight! The concept of Corey being bored when looking at a blank canvas is laughable to say the least. He appreciates a blank canvas, and a colorless brush – maybe, because he knows what he can do with them.
If he isn’t satisfied with a painting, he continues to improve it
If he thinks someone might misunderstand a design, he revises it
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he’s one of the coolest people I know
Corey is definitely a Business Rock Star, but...
let’s get back to the One Hit Wonders for a moment:
In the Hip-Hop community, we use the term “hater” to describe someone who’s always bored or critical of others. They are so reluctant to show appreciation for others that we start to realize they are going out of their way to seem unimpressed. We realize that they see other people’s success as a threat to their own lack of ability, and ultimately we see that their condescending tone towards us betrays a lack of confidence in their own self.
Experts perform well, but so can amateurs…
Experts pay attention to others, but so can amateurs…
Experts proactively improve their performance, and so can amateurs…
Experts guide and acknowledge peers as they get better;
Amateurs give you lists of what’s wrong, but rarely point out what’s right
BE A BETTER EXAMPLE!
Business Rock Stars can get bored (and even be boring) sometimes; and can even be critical of their competitors or customers, but THAT’S NOT WHAT THEY’RE KNOW FOR. Business Rock Stars are dedicated to becoming the top experts of their profession, so they can help MORE people succeed. Experts don’t have a lot of time or energy to criticize others, because…
If you’re an expert:
1. you’re busy HELPING people who aren’t experts
2. you’re busy SHOWING people who aren’t experts a better technique
3. you’re busy TELLING people who aren’t experts what they need to know
4. you’re HUMBLED whenever you can’t seem to pass on your expertise
5. you realize that any desire to criticize other people’s lack of expertise comes from your own frustration with BEING UNABLE to show, tell, or give it to them
A waiter asks two chefs to “pass me that plate”
The amateur chef screams at the waiter, “There’s no plate!”
The expert chef passes him a bowl, knowing what was meant by “plate”
A singer asks two engineers to “turn up the speakers”
The amateur yells at the singer, “There’s no speakers!”
The expert turns up the monitors, knowing what was meant by “speakers”
Business Rock Stars learn what people mean: educating themselves.
One Hit Wonders criticize what people do: missing opportunities to teach.
Stay tuned for the 5th of 5
Secrets of How Successful Businesses…
use the same skills as Successful Rap Stars…
make customers feel the way Rock Stars make feverishly fanatical fans feel…
and get customers to view each product/service as a Priceless Master piece!
Follow us on Twitter:
Greater Hartford Arts Council @grHartfordArts
CT Business Exp @ctbexpo
RapOet @rapoet
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