Archive for the ‘music industry’ Category

wanted to pass along great advice from tony phillips of little rock, arkansas. i played football against the guy several times, and he was always a great competitor. “waiting for things to get better before taking action? things won’t get better until you go ahead and get yourself moving forward. the best time to start is always now. no matter what the outside circumstances may be, the most effective strategy is to get your inner strength revved up and rolling right away. if you’re waiting for things to be perfect, then you could wait forever. instead, grab hold of what is here and now. make positive use of it. excuses for delaying may be reasonable and impressive, but those excuses won’t move you forward. circumstances will improve when you make the effort to improve them. even the smallest effort is better than doing nothing. small efforts that bring results motivate you to take bigger, more effective steps. you know from experience that you can do what you set your mind to do. set your mind on the best of what can be. savor the challenge of making it happen.”

yesterday, i closed my post on “service more important than ever to venues” with the notion that customers also need to do the right thing. we’re in it together, i argued (speaking to the unstable state of our economy and the fragile relationship of producers and consumers in it). well, check out the below video. shared by fellow splashkit expert kara allan.

at a time in virginia where patrons are far more scarce (it’s winter, there are new no smoking laws in effect, the economy remains a jumble, etc.) i am amazed that any venue can cut corners on service. if you treat customers indifferently or poorly when they’re already struggling to justify a night on the town, then you’re asking to take a hit revenue-wise. it shouldn’t be too difficult to replace poor performers with so many out of work and hungry for additional income. you may even be able to hire someone who provides more productivity for less than you’re accustomed to spending. on the flip side, customers should do their part by being a little forgiving when it comes to a business they frequent that’s facing challenges. look around. ask questions. is there anything you can do to help a bad situation for a venue you like? after all, we’re all in this together.

lightning rods are personalities that attract others to your business. people respect and emulate them. they want to know about their whims, stories and advice. lightning rods reinforce your brand — your values and offering. they loosen sales inertia because people want to buy from those they like. they are not the same as your “talent” in that some of those people have personalities that don’t project as dynamically on behalf of your business. so…who are your lightning rods, and what are you doing to keep them happy? if you don’t have any on your side — it’s time to investigate why!