Welcome to Part 2 of the 7 Days of counting down to the CT Business Expo!
Yesterday's Post: Tweetameter revealed! (click)
Today's Artistic Tweetameter:
To tweet or not 2 tweet is the NEW question – Be the Rock Star of Your Profession - Read da next Lesson
Now, as promised, here's the 1st of 5 secrets of how Successful Businesses…
use the same skills as Successful Rap Stars…
make customers feel the same way Rock Stars make feverishly fanatical fans feel…
and get customers to view each product/service as a Priceless Master piece
Everyone loves to get a round of applause or a standing ovation, right?
During my performance last night at the Charter Oak Cultural Center it felt great to be in front of a packed crowd clapping and screaming enthusiastically, but...
the reason it felt great was, because I know they were responding to my lyrics. What if I'd just announced that my friend got fired from their job, or my family member just became gravely ill, and THEN the crowd started clapping and screaming enthusiastically?
... that would've been awkward right?
Unlike amateur business people (and amateur artists), who are desperate to get a round of applause (or a press review, or more clients, etc.), Business Rock Stars practice a Success Secret that you'll observe within all of their performances/products/services...
Namely, we understand that a RESULT is a response to a PERFORMANCE.
While an amateur asks, "How can I get a press review?"; the Rock Star asks, "What would make the best journalists in the world want to write about me?"
While an amateur asks, "How can I get more clients?"; the Rock Star asks, "What would make the highest paying most devoted customers in the world commit to being my life-long fans?"
To put it simply:
we get better RESULTS, because we focus on giving a better PERFORMANCE!
And more simply:
Do the RIGHT THING at the RIGHT TIME!
Simplest of all:
First thing's First
Although we truly do appreciate all the fans, customers, press reviews, and purchases...
Successful artists that I've worked with always tell me the same basic perspective,
I'd rather have 10 really enthusiastic fans in the audience, who I know will love and support my business for life; than 10,000 strangers who are just there for one show, but aren't really listening or caring about what I'm saying or how I'm saying it.
Now let me give you some examples of how this works in a restaurant (the artist/performer in this case is the waitress):
A hungry customer comes in, enticed by the aroma of gourmet cuisine.
The waitress sees him, but decides to call her friend and discuss politics.
After 15 minutes of keeping the customer waiting, the waitress approaches the customer...
with a bill for $1,099.95!
As ridiculous as this sounds, we see similar things happen every day. A business person (or artist) wants to charge customers before they've earned compensation by delivering a valuable service or product.
Note 1: In the above scenario, even if the customer does pay $1,099.95 just to be ignored for 15 minutes and leave hungry, what kind of word of mouth promotion can they give to their friends, "ummm it's a great restaurant, it's a little pricey, but waiting for 15 minutes and getting nothing to eat is worth it!?"
Note 2: The above scenario plays out more frequently in these ways:
A. The waitress takes the customer's order and then tells the customer, "We don't have any food left today, sorry!" Now that would actually be fine IF the waitress mentioned this BEFORE making the customer wait for 15 minutes.
Sometimes I have to perform with a broken microphone, or with a DJ missing, or a speaker that stops working, but instead of making the crowd wait without an explanation, I usually tell them went went wrong, and then perform regardless. This usually makes the crowd enjoy they show EVEN MORE, because I TOLD them why the service would be different than expected, and they APPRECIATE that I'm going out of my normal comfort zone to please them. But if I just started performing with no music, before telling them what was wrong, the RESULT would be horrible.
B. The waitress doesn't make the customer wait 15 minutes, but immediately asks, "Are you ready for dessert?" Now that's not so bad, especially if it tastes great and comes at a reasonable price (not $1099.95), but... she would've gotten more (and higher paying) business if she offered an entree BEFORE dessert. Business would be even better if she offered an appetizer BEFORE the entree, a drink WHILE WAITING for the appetizer, and a choice of seats BEFORE the customer decides how long they would be comfortable staying (and paying) to eat at the restaurant.
When I sell my album, I also tell people about the clothes I have for sale BEFORE I complete the transaction. When I perform live, I make sure the crowd learns the chorus BEFORE I sing it. When the next performer is running late, I ask the crowd if they'd like to hear another song WHILE WAITING.
These decisions of WHEN to offer more value, WHEN to close the transaction, WHEN to ask for compensation, and WHEN to expect press reviews... are considered in a different ORDER by BUSINESS ROCK STARS than by amateurs (who often don't consider them at all)!
Whether you sing, rap, paint, sell cars, waitress, manage the restaurant's waitresses, or own the whole restaurant chain; the best way to "ask" for better RESULTS is to deliver a better PERFORMANCE beforehand. I hope you've gotten better at getting tips than you were before reading this post.
To Summarize the first Success Secret of BUSINESS ROCK STARS:
RESULTS come AFTER (and are relative to) PERFORMANCE, so...
Don't just ask for RESULTS; Deliver a PERFORMANCE that compels them!
We get better RESULTS, because we focus on giving a better PERFORMANCE!
Do the RIGHT THING at the RIGHT TIME!
First thing's First
Stay tuned for the 2nd of 5 secrets of how Successful Businesses…
use the same skills as Successful Rap Stars…
make customers feel the same 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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