As I sit here reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s latest book “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” and his other book titled “The Thank You Economy“, I can’t help but feel these quotes need to be shared.
If you’ve never heard of Gary and you want a pep talk on communicating your message in today’s “social media” world, stop reading this and look him up now (well ok, read this first, THEN look him up!).
From “The Thank You Economy” by Gary Vaynerchuk:
“There’s only so low you can go on price. There’s only so excellent you can make your product or service. There’s only so far you can stretch your marketing budget. Your heart, though—that’s boundless.”
Are your clients going out of their way to tell their friend who just got engaged about the service you offer? Do your past clients look for opportunities to talk non-stop about the quality service they received from you? When you arrive onsite at a wedding do the parents of the bride & groom come up to you and say “We’ve heard so many great things about you! Mike and Tegan are really happy with what you’ve done for them!” The last line in the above quote explains why some DJs get these reactions quite commonly, while others are left wondering what the big deal about their DJ competition is.
“You have to be no less than a customer concierge, doing everything you can to make every one of your customers feel acknowledged, appreciated, and heard. You have to make them feel special . . . and you need to make people who aren’t your customers wish they were.”
When inquiries come in for dates on which you’re no longer available, what is the tone of voice in that of the caller? Are they saying things like “Who else does what you do?” Make every person you come into contact with (past, current & prospective clients especially) feel like a million bucks. Why not? What have you got to lose? No sir, the question should be… what have you got to win? Lots…that’s what.
From “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” by Gary Vaynerchuk:
“There is no sale without the story; no knockout without the setup.”
Don’t tell people what you do through a “point form” method. Don’t run through a checklist in your head listing off this that and everything else (that all of your competitors likely do too). Share with them your experiences, past, present and future. Do so through story that they can relate to. If you don’t know what they’ll relate to yet, then you haven’t completed your homework. A future post I’ll be writing about Mitch Taylor’s “Sales Is Solutions” workshop will help to shed light on that.
“Content is king, but context is God.”
In the context of Gary’s book, he’s referring to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, etc and to use them in the appropriate language for which they are built. While content is king when sharing your story online, if shared in the wrong context, it is useless. It will be a waste of your time and those who come across it (people will start to tune you out). I can think of many other examples (outside of social media) that this phrase refers too also though. That’s why it stands out as a favourite for me.
“Social networking sites light up people’s dopamine pathways and the pleasure centers of their brain. Your content must do the same, and it will if it looks the same, sounds the same, and provides the same value and emotional benefits people are seeking when they come to the platform in the first place.”
Make people smile. Make them feel good. Make them laugh. Make them cry. Give them something to talk about. For my company, Special Request Weddings, I’ve done this reasonably well in the past, but these days… I need to work on this part… a lot.
Check out Gary on YouTube as well, so long as you don’t mind his occasional use of “colourful” language. His passion is contagious and he’s been a great inspiration to me. I hope he’s some inspiration to you as well!
~ Dave T.
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