“I decided that I would be one of the biggest new names; and I actually had some little fancy business cards printed up to announce it, ‘Count Basie. Beware, the Count is Here.'” – William James “Count” Basie, Born Aug. 21, 1904.
When you've got the goods…
And you're here to give the goods to the good people…
In exchange for their hard-earned money…
…Then you need to tell the people of your intentions.
How are you broadcasting your intentions to the world?
How are you making your offer?
Where is it?
How are people seeing it?
Who is seeing it?
I've shared before that back when I began freelancing as a copywriter, I would go to marketing events and hand out business cards that simply said, “Colin Theriot writes awesome copy” and it had my phone number and email address on it.
The point is not to say you need a business card.
The point is that you need to know WHAT you want to do, and WHO you want to do it for, and start BOTHERING the people who need your help.
With the caveat that you MUST have the goods.
But once you have the goods, your level of success is directly tied to how well you are marketing yourself as a purveyor of those goods.
Announce yourself. Remind people who you are. Not just by SAYING. But by DOING.
Remember, the Count didn't just tell people to beware. He showed up and SLAYED THEM with the keys. He delivered on his promise.
But the promise needed to be made before anyone knew his name was a byword for “Melting Your Feet Off With This Damn Piano”.
So what? Are you doing it?
Are you aggressively pursuing your clientele and customers?
Are you aggressively serving them what they want in a better way than they get it anywhere else?
If you are, business is probably better than you dreamed it could be.
And your competition is scratching their head and wondering why you're so lucky.
How are you WARNING the world of YOUR awesomeness?
I saw count Basie and his orchestra in 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival . My friend and I had already seen Buddy Rich’s Big Band and the Tokyo Reunion Orchestra, and Basie’s band had been backed up ’till almost 10 or 11 pm If I remember correctly. I was very familiar with some of his music because I had played a lot of Sammy Nestico’s tunes that were made big by the Count. But the guys in the band looked really old and tired, and I leaned over to my friend David Litner and said, “Hey, if this gets boring, let’s leave.” They had no acoustics like all of the other bands, except for the voice microphone that Basie used to talk to the audience with. Even the guitarist, Freedy Green, had an old acoustic guitar and that’s all. As the band set up the crowd got HUGE fast. The venue was in the basement of a casino but it was quite large and we all sat in restaurant chairs with no arms on them. There was standing room only and highly decked out patrons were in the aisles waiting for the Count to emerge. Finally, he came out and the crowd roared. And then the thing I will never forget happened. That band hit the first note, and almost blew me out of my chair! I mean the power was so great I could feel it across my body. Incredible!!! Unlike all the other big bands I had seen before, Basie had a highly planned show that he used in Las Vegas all those years. I mean there wasn’t a dull moment for one second, and were musical tricks and jokes that you just didn’t want it to end. I have been to hundreds of concerts and nothing blew my mind more than that night at Montreux. Incredible!
Hi Colin – Every time I get one of your emails I get a kick in the Ass! A bit like a new booster rocket has just been deployed. Thanks again.