Last night, I went to a concert for a band you’ve probably never heard of…
I’ve seen these guys 15ish times over the last 20 years. They never fail to put on a great show.
They’re called Less Than Jake, a ska/punk group from Gainesville, Florida.
So when we heard they were touring… and the first night of the tour would be in Dallas… and it was the first concert we’d be able to attend since the world went sideways with the ‘rona 18 months ago… I rallied the troops.(Tickle your earholes here)
Both my brothers, my 2 best friends and me. The 5 horsemen. Going to see a band we’d seen a bunch of times… play all the same songs… again.
The show was everything we hoped it would be. Loud guitars, a blaring brass section (they’re a ska band, which means they have horn players), confetti, balloons, bad jokes, the whole 9 yards.
Once they concluded their final song and the drummer tossed me one of his sticks (which still gives me a thrill), we decided to head to the back of the venue, rehydrate and regroup.
My friend Jason turned to me and said, “Dude, for the first night of the tour, they were on point! They always put on such an incredible show. It seems like they’re having just as much fun on stage as we’re having in the crowd.”
And THAT LAST LINE, my friends, is essential to building an extraordinary practice.
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We’ve all dealt with businesses and employees who clearly don’t enjoy their jobs. Scowls on their faces, monotones to their words. They just want to get you “handled” and move on to the next thing.
Unfortunately, this is the case with most business interactions. Going back to the Customer Service essays I shared a few weeks ago (which you can find here), it’s pretty common for people to “go through the motions” at their jobs.
I’m not telling you anything you don’t know – you’ll experience this very thing multiple times today.
Keeping with the theme, here’s another concert example to illustrate the point:
I remember seeing the band Kings of Leon at Lollapalooza about 10ish years ago.
There’s a much better chance you’ve heard of Kings of Leon vs. Less Than Jake. And back in the early 2010s, Kings of Leon was blowing up. They were all over the radio, had a bunch of big hits, and were one of the headlining acts for the massive Lollapalooza festival that year.
We decided we had to check out their show. But 2 songs into their set, we’re all looking at each other wondering… why is the energy so low?
They were going through the motions. Which doesn’t mean they sounded bad… quite the contrary. They sounded exactly like their albums. The sound was incredible.
But the presentation – the show, the passion, the enjoyment of what they were doing – it wasn’t there.
Maybe that’s their schtick as a band. I’m not judging them. All I can tell you is everyone in our small group felt the exact same way – “Well, this is pretty mediocre.”
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There’s something to be said for people who truly have a passion for what they do (or at least appear to).
Because you’ve had interactions with those people well. They’re rare, but awesome.
One of my boys (Caden Brave aka CB) takes ukulele lessons.
Susan and I are like, “Wow, this lady is REALLY into her music lessons.” And it gave us a great feeling.When Susan was looking for an instructor, she called the local music school. The woman who runs the place was so excited about what they do, so passionate about teaching music, so eager to meet my son and give him a great experience.
Her passion and energy showed how much she cared. Cared about providing a great service… cared about my son’s experience.… cared about us spending our hard-earned money with them.
These are the same beneficial by-product feelings you create in your prospects and patients when you exude energy and passion for what you do.
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What’s Less Than Jake’s recipe for sustaining a 30-year music career with die-hard fans all over the globe? It comes down to 2 things:
- They have a great product.
- They exude a passion, energy and love for what they do.
It’s the same formula you can use to stand out from the other practices in your area. They’re boring. They don’t love what they do. They’re going through the motions.
You’re different. You’re passionate. You’re excited. You’re eager to help. You want to put on a great show – that is, to create a great experience – for your patients.
Do that, and your practice can rock for 30+ years too. (And you’ll make a whole lot more moola than a ska-punk band from Florida, I promise you).
– Troy “Rock On” Cole
PS – To stay excited and energetic and passionate about what you do… isn’t always easy for your team.
If you want to hear some practical rhythms we teach on this very subject, shoot me a message and I’m happy to share.