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