Listening to the Band Yes To Learn How To Succeed

I have success on the mind again (actually, I do that a lot). Now, before you stop reading this post because I'm about to talk quite a bit about music (not that that should be a surprise), realize that what I'm about to say applies to all businesses. So, read on.

I'm listening to "Yours Is No Disgrace" by Yes (which may actually be long enough to be the only song I hear while I write this post), and I got to thinking about what it is that allows Yes to keep going as a band. To the best of my knowledge, they haven't had a large selling album since the 1980's ("Big Generator"), yet they continue to sell out large concert venues every time they tour.

And it's not just them. Jimmy Buffet does that every time he tours. Rush does that (okay, so their albums still go gold when they come out). The Grateful Dead did it for years (and the remaining members are doing it again going out on tour as The Dead).

What do these bands all do that so few musicians do nowadays? They focus on the service aspect of their business. They use the hard product (recorded music and video) as a way to get people interested enough to experience the live performance. And they make a good living, touring every 4-10 years (depending on which band we're referring to).

How do you apply this to your business/work? Simple: realize that the finished product may be the attractor initially, but it will be the service and the experience that will bring people back over and over and over.

Next time you go to a restaurant where the average entree costs $20, $30, $50, $100 or more that their food costs are roughly the same as your average fast food chain. But the experience is so much better. And are you unhappy about paying more for that experience? Not if they do it well. It is soooooo worth it.

So, think about how you can bring a great experience to people doing business with you, whether it is becoming known as a person who keeps their word, a person of utmost integrity, or whether it is the little bonus things that you throw in with your finished product that people buy from you.

The service is a key. Go serve somebody. :-)

- John

Currently listening to:
Yours Is No Disgrace - Yes
Follow Me - P.O.D.
Wade Into The Water - Alabama 3 / A3 (thanks, Greg!)
I Need Love - Sam Phillips

The Timing of Success

I just read a short biography of Koko Taylor, "The Queen of Blues." She'll be missed.

One thing that struck me about that bio is the mention that her first big hit, "Wang Dang Doodle," became a major hit in 1966. It sold a million copies, a very big deal. She was born in 1928. That means she was 37 or 38 when she had the hit, much too old by the standard of our youth-infatuated culture here in the U.S.

This makes me think that if your work and your success is primarily based on chasing fads, possibly your success (if you have any) is dependent on those who are infatuated with youth (in the case of music) and newness. But, if you want long-term success, a career, if you will, then it makes more sense to follow your own star, and be yourself. In music terms, create your own sound, be yourself, and connect with like-minded people with whom your work resonates. They'll appreciate you for being you, instead of being infatuated by the facade and then moving on to the next pretty thing when they tire of the facade.

This also makes me think that age isn't a factor in real success (no matter how you measure it). You have areas of your life that you can be successful in regardless of your age, whether it is business, financially, relationships, artistically (some would say, in my case, autistically ;-).

Stop trying to be someone else. Be you, and connect with people who love you for being you; chances are, you'll love them for who they are, too. :-)

- John

Currently listening to:
Mudhouse - Black Eyed Sceva
Rome - F for Fake
Utopia - Tony Levin
Beautiful Sound - Newsboys