Rush at Red Rocks
After an amazing day meeting with the team at Net-Results, and learning more about the great things that are happening - large new clients coming on board and game changing new features being added - I had the opportunity to see the iconic Rush, live at probably the greatest venue in North America: Red Rock Amphitheatre. It truly was amazing. This is a band, which for more than 30 years has not been afraid to do what they wanted, without any concern about the critics might say. Their willingness to try new things and think outside the box has provided inspiration for many of today's hottest bands and has made them the #3 selling band of all time.
The members of Rush have themselves noted that people "either love Rush or hate Rush", resulting in strong detractors and an intensely loyal fan base. As I watched the 9,500 screaming, mostly male, fans just go nuts about how great the “holy triumvirate” is, it reminded me that to be truly great, to be iconic, you can’t be afraid of controversy.
I am not saying that you need to go out and stir up controversy for the sake of building a brand. What I am saying is sure your brand has a strong definitive voice. Many, many companies, even as they enter the world of blogging and social media, play it safe. They worry too much about not wanting to offend anyone that their content becomes too vanilla. Would you rather have 100 passionate fans or 100,000 people who will not remember you 5 seconds after reading your content?
That is the point that many companies miss. They are not thinking about being authentic and letting their prospects and customers know exactly who they are and what they stand for. Instead, they are holding on to the dream that one day, with enough vanilla content, prospect may buy from them. You need to say what you think and think about what you say. Is your
message adding value to your prospects? Is it making them think? Or does it sit in that same place that everyone else does and allows them to pass on by without causing them to think twice?
Love it or hate it you must make them think. If they are thinking, then they are starting the process of engaging with you. The more engagement you can develop, the greater your brand. A brand is not about how pretty you look, or what nice colors you have. A brand is what mental image you prospects and clients conjure when they hear your name. If you don't make them think, they will not even remember you.
When I was 5 years old, I spent summers in Quebec to learn French. One year when I was flying by myself from Quebec City to Toronto, the attendants let me sit right in first class in the seat beside Ray Daniels (manager of Rush). Not only did I get to meet Rush but also met Gowan. For me this was a memory I will never forget and really could not fully appreciate at the time. Seeing them live for the first time at the amazing Red Rocks was an event I will cherish for many years. I do so appreciate the opportunity the Net-Results team provided me and consider them a valued partner, not only to Inbound Sales, I am but also proud to call them friends. Michael, Matt, Lindsey, Correy and the whole team at Net-Results go out of their way to make their clients are happy, and as an agency, what more could I ask for? I have had the opportunity to work with many email and marketing automation providers over the years, and the way Net-Results makes clients feel like part of the family and well-looked after is second to none. They are truly the best in the business.