Several years ago, I had the opportunity to be an artist’s representative for the Bose Corporation. It was my job to use and demonstrate the new line of Bose speakers for musicians. I have always been a fan of the company, and it was a great experience for me to work closely with some of the staff inside the Bose Corporation. One of the philosophies of the company is “the demo makes the sale.” I had not heard that approach before and, the more I thought about it, I began to see the applications of this idea in my own business.
I began to look at every performance of Party On The Moon® and all of our National Party Bands™ as a chance to demo the bands to potential clients. I took it another step, and began to look at sound check as a chance to demo the bands, as well.
The concept worked. Most of the shows our bands book are referrals from clients who have seen the products, or heard about the bands from someone else who has seen the products. The agents and planners who book our bands are the ones that get the most referrals. This approach has made it easier to sell the bands as time goes on.
I remember when Party On The Moon performed a wedding in Memphis, Tennessee. After the show, a gentleman came up to me and said, “When I get married, you’re playing my wedding reception.” The gentleman was Eli Manning. And, about a year later, Party On The Moon did perform at Eli’s wedding reception. This was a reminder to me that you never know who might be in the audience during a show.
No matter what business you find yourself in when you’re working, that’s your demo. Stay focused on giving the best product and service you can to your customers, and the sales will come.
Dennis
