KEY POINTS:
It was an epiphany. Those 15 minutes completely changed my business perspective. Let me take you back to to what I saw on TV at 10.30pm, Wednesday, November 21, and share how it can help you.
I never win the war of the remote control. It's my husband Steve's intrinsic right to flick when he wants, as often as he wants, no matter who's watching TV with him.
So imagine my delight when I was able to stop the clicking progression for those 15 life-changing minutes. Steve paused on C4, which was showing Justin Timberlake in concert at Madison Square Garden. I don't know about you - but beyond his Sexy Back song, which I love, I've never paid Justin a second's attention. Steve made a snide comment and started to change the channel. "No, honey please - I want to watch a second."
We came in at the very beginning of his penultimate song. He played a few chords, said "one, two, three" and with absolute precision, Justin, dancers and musicians launched in to Sexy Back. The stage opened and Timbaland rose up to join Justin in song. Both men moved, sang and danced in tight synchronicity. Laptop in hand, I went straight to Ticketek and bought three tickets for his Friday performance. Had to take my daughters, didn't I?
The terrible last-minute tickets turned out to be utterly fabulous. We had a close view of everything on and behind the stage. His penultimate song was performed exactly the same way as the one on TV two days earlier, down to the, "Are you ready New Zealand?" substituted for "New York". Minus Timbaland, of course.
During the past year, I've been to concerts by the Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Pink. But they weren't of the same calibre.
Now I know what you're thinking. What's life-changing about this? Is she one of those baby boomer women wanting to stay young? Well, yes to the latter; however, I assure you the interest was purely professional. By the time the song ended on TV it became crystal clear. Like the dawning of a new day, I knew what I had been doing correctly and what I had to do to evolve my speaking career and business to a higher level. Namely:
Practise until perfect
There is no way that the precision of sound and movement among so many people could have been executed so flawlessly if it hadn't been practised. And practised. And practised again.
Most comedians will repeat the same act to different audiences for months, until they have honed and perfected every word and nuance for the maximum laughs. Jerry Seinfield said he would work on a line for over an hour to nut it down from eight words to five.
There is no substitute for repetition and hard work. It breeds perfection. You must put in the work to go from good to spectacular. Apply this concept to customer service (build and document processes and routines) or sales presentations.
Bend ideas to suit
It was serendipity and Qantas that sat me next to the tour's media manager on the way to Sydney the following Tuesday.
Not only did I meet her and many of the musicians and the entourage, I got inside information too.
I commented on how cool the large semi-transparent drapes they used to project close-ups to the audience were, compared with the usual flat screens; she said: "That was Justin's idea. He saw something like that at Cirque du Soleil."
"Having a bar area on the edge of the stage and selling bar stool tickets is novel. It creates a party zone and eliminates the mosh pit," I said.
"That's another idea of Justin's," was her reply.
Take an idea and bend it to suit your circumstances to go from good to spectacular.
Innovate. Just because it hasn't been done before doesn't mean it can't be done. Be the leader of the pack.
Get help
Justin Timberlake can dance. And sing. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have help. He has choreographers. Music producers. Personal trainers.
You go from good to spectacular when you hone your skills. When you get coaching and assistance.
You can get a business coach. A personal trainer too - peak health helps peak performance.
Upskill and learn with courses, books, podcasts or tapes. Sales training. Customer service. Marketing. Computer tricks. Management. Negotiating.
Be entertaining
People expect and want to be entertained, especially Generation Y and younger. They've been brought up on snippets. You go from good to spectacular when you become more of an entertainer. Improving your storytelling skills makes you more memorable and persuasive in sales, management, leadership, customer service, even hiring and retaining staff. Not funny? Learn how to add a bit of humour into your work and life. If you're in sales, you can even take acting classes to learn how to add dramatic impact and presentation skills.
Abundance
Justin had a richness of sound with the duplication of similar instruments. He had visual stimulation with a contingent of superb dancers. You go from good to spectacular when you have this generosity of spirit. When you give more than you get, you have a caring attitude about staff and/or customers.
Music motivates
There is no doubt that music is a motivator. Use it to your advantage to create a positive and happy atmosphere. Have you ever thought of playing something to open and close meetings? You can always pick up the dvd or perhaps find the Madison Square Garden segment on YouTube if you'd like to see what I found so motivating.
However, with your eyes wide open, you'll see examples all around you of excellent execution, innovation and ideas to show you how to be more fun and entertaining in business.
* Debbie Mayo-Smith is an author and international speaker.
www.debbiespeaks.co.nz
