Last night, Tammy and I had the opportunity to attend the taping of “The Late Show with David Letterman.” What an experience!

One of the fascinating things to me about the show is the precision with which it is executed. While it seems “off-the-cuff” in many situations to the viewer, in fact it is a very well-oiled machine.

Everything from the comedian warming up the crowd while we waited in line to enter the theater, to the funny videos displayed on flat panel television screens during the commercial breaks, there is an amazing and intense focus upon keeping the audience engaged.

During the “warm up”, the comedian emphasized the importance of the energy of the audience. “If you find it funny,” he said, “the audience at home will find it funny. If you don’t like it, they won’t like it. You are vitally important to the success of our show!”

Therein lies the lesson for all of us. Have we strategically encouraged members of our audiences – customers and employees – to be so enthusiastic about what we do that it becomes a constant “warm up” for our prospects — to the point they become excited about dealing with us?

I’m in Overland Park, Kansas today with the Old Mutual Road Shows series I’m doing for life insurance agents. I noticed a meeting across the hall from ours and a banner proclaimed the corporate theme for the gathering — and it may have been the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard an organization promote to its associates.

There it was in big capital letters: “SALES CURES EVERYTHING!”

I wanted to stand in the hallway and shout inside — “NO, it DOES NOT!!”

If you have terrible service, does sales cure that? I don’t think so.

If your product lacks in quality, does sales cure that? Absolutely not.

If your organization’s leadership fails to provide vision and direction, does sales cure that? NO!

There is only one single thing that more sales cures: Poor sales.

If you aren’t differentiated, if you aren’t creating compelling experiences for your customers, if you aren’t making a discernible difference in the marketplace, sales simply accelerates the rate at which your colleagues and clients think that you suck!

Yesterday, Starbucks announced they were lowering their expectations for revenue and profit in the coming quarter.

As you might imagine, this announcement was met with great concern by the financial “experts” who commentate throughout business media. They appeared on various talk shows and have written in the last several hours of their consternation regarding Starbucks’ future.

I believe that these so-called experts are looking at this issue completely backwards.

In a changing and challenging economic situation, all businesses will be impacted. I noticed today that Wendy’s hamburger chain is going to be acquired by Arby’s. The primary reason behind the takeover is that during this time when fewer people are eating steak, and more people would theoretically be eating hamburgers, Wendy’s is failing to achieve growth.

The differentiation and distinction that Starbucks has attained in the marketplace – rather than eroding – is, in fact, more or less a “corporate vaccine.” In other words, what Starbucks has done is to create such a distinctive position in the market that while they may not be growing as rapidly as they once were – or while they may not be selling as much coffee as they did in the previous quarter – they are in fact secure in their position as a distinctive marketplace leader.

I would much rather be in Starbucks’ situation than to be one of their competitors right now. You might be buying a smaller cup of coffee than you did when gas was cheaper and you had more money in your pocket, but while that will only dent Starbucks, it can put the competition out of business.

Therefore, the primary question for you is: What are YOU doing to differentiate yourself with your customers so that you, too, are creating a “business vaccine”?

One month ago, I wrote with “slack-jawed amazement” that almost 2000 people had viewed the clip of my story about “Taxi Terry” on YouTube.

After my last post about John McCain knowing his audience, I thought I would check on the latest count.

I’m still amazed! Another 850 views in a month!

I know that’s not much for crazy videos of the type that get hits in the hundreds of thousands — however, for a six and a half minute story about business…well, it is pretty wonderful!

If YOU haven’t hit on “Taxi Terry” yet…here is the link. And…thanks!

As I am writing this from a hotel just outside of Philadelphia, the election returns from the Pennsylvania Presidential Primary are just beginning to be reported. FOX News Channel has called the race for Hillary Clinton — CNN has yet to project a winner.

However, I WILL project the clear winner — of last night’s television!

All three of the major candidates — Obama and Clinton for the Democrats; McCain for the Republicans — appeared on “Monday Night RAW!”, the weekly USA Network program from World Wrestling Entertainment! Yes, on the weekly Vince McMahon extravaganza, the three politicians vying for the title of President of the United States (does the winner get a big, shiny belt like wrestlers do?) made taped appearances to appeal for votes.

Without question, the winner was John McCain. (I’m NOT saying this because we share the same last name, even if he spells it wrong! And, I am NOT making a political commentary here!)

McCain customized his talk for his audience of millions (”…and MILLIONS!…”) of wrestling fans who watch “RAW” on a weekly basis. Every one of his catchphrases either was the same as a WWE Superstar (”And that’s the bottom line…because John McCain said so”)…or, a tie-in to a favorite star (”I’m going to introduce Osama bin Laden to ‘The Undertaker!”).

The result — MILLIONS of positive posts from wrestling fans and tons of raves from bloggers.

Whatever your business — whatever your message — understand the fundamental rule that John McCain executed last night: “Know thy audience.”

If you’d like to watch McCain’s performance, here’s the link from YouTube.

This is going to be a busy week of speeches. I have programs this week in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and western New Jersey. Since I am rapidly approaching the deadline for submitting my to book to my publisher (Nelson Business), I decided to once again charter a bus from our Pyramid Coach division of Obsidian Enterprises and spend my time writing and riding.

It’s pretty amazing how looking at the world going by through your windshield can stimulate creativity. I have come to the conclusion that if all you’re doing is flying from point to point, you miss a great deal of what is really going on in the country.

Since my degree is in political science, election years always hold a unique fascination for me. I must admit that I used to believe that requiring our candidates to slog across the country, busting their tails in small town hamlets from one end of the nation to the other, was not necessarily the optimal way to pick a leader of the free world.

I have changed my mind.

Let’s face it, what these candidates are doing is exactly the same thing that I am encouraging every business to which I speak and consult to do.

They are getting closer to the customer.

For the politician, the voter is the customer. For the elected official, the citizen is the client. By requiring our candidates – our future elected officials – to get out where the “real people” live, our system requires that they get close to you and me. After all, we are the customers of the political system.

So, my question for you is simply this: when was the last time that you got out of your office and went on the road to get really close to the customer?

If you haven’t lately, right now is a pretty good time to start! You see, every day is election day in business!

As I mentioned in the previous post, as I’m speaking this week in — among other locations — Charlotte, Atlanta and Chicago, my family and I are traveling this Spring Break week in one of the celebrity coaches that we own with Obsidian Enterprises via our Pyramid Coach subsidiary. Little did I realize when we started how fortunate we would be to do so…

I’ve talked with several people today stranded in airports because American Airlines has cancelled somewhere over 1000 flights because of safety concerns regarding the wiring on their MD-80 planes. One news report states that over 100,000 people have been impacted by these cancellations.

This same report says that American officials contend that safety was never compromised. They suggest they’re just the victim of “suddenly stepped-up scrutiny by federal regulators.” American’s executive vice president Daniel Garton said that the FAA used to give airlines “latitude” in interpreting safety regulations, but no longer.

If you’ve read “What Customers REALLY Want” or heard one of my presentations, you know that I believe that customers want us to GET it right…not MAKE it right. There are three levels at which you interact with your customers — and Level One is Processing.

Expecting you can get “latitude” from a federal regulator regarding safety is NOT conducting yourself properly at Level One. Putting 100,000 of your customers in a horribly inconvenient situation is NOT executing Level One as you should!

When TWA Flight 800 exploded and killed 230 people, the blame was placed on faulty wiring — just like the kind the FAA is insisting American re-inspect. According to a Purdue University expert, American had plenty of time to perform the inspections within the regulator’s demands without canceling a single flight — and that even an untrained mechanic could spot the wiring problem, which has now been discovered on 15 of the first 19 planes inspected!

Let’s face it — many passengers just take safety for granted when it comes to flying. When you buy a ticket and become a customer, you presume that the airline is going to at least get you to your destination alive! All the talk about the need to improve customer service on airlines pales when you consider how vital it is that the airlines execute Level One!

Here’s a cautionary tale for ALL of us — will you re-examine what you and your organization are doing at Level One? How do you improve on your ability to execute processing in a manner that is flawless? How do you ensure that your customers have a smoothly delivered experience by doing business with you?

To do less is to become what American Airlines has demonstrated itself to be today: A company unable or unwilling to do what is right and ethical for the very customers who have kept it in business.

From the Bahamas…

I love that grouping of words: “Crazy…busy…nuts.” That’s the title of a speech by a good friend of mine, Victoria Labalme…and what better describes the world in which we are working and living?

In the seven day span in which I am current in, I will do speeches in Houston, Grand Exuma in the Bahamas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago and Las Vegas! AND, it’s Spring Break so Tammy and the boys (Corbin & Faron) are traveling along, too!

So…expect some more blogs and observations in the next few days — we’re going to be traveling the Charlotte - Atlanta - Chicago - Indy route on one of our celebrity buses from Pyramid Coach! I’ll be sure to submit some pictures from the road!

However — a quick point — it’s frankly IMPOSSIBLE to be successful with all of these demands without being clear about both: 1) who you are; and, 2) what is important.

At the Houston meeting sponsored by my friends from Old Mutual with many of the city’s top Merrill Lynch financial advisors, we discussed the important aspect of Clarity — one of the main points of my upcoming book. I’ll have more on this for you later, but suffice it to say it turned out to be the primary topic of our morning together at our conference.

You see — having Clarity means you not only know who you are as a professional — it also means you are clear about what you will say “no” to! If you don’t know who you would turn away as a customer — or as a personal acquaintance or friend — then you aren’t really clear about what you want for yourself, your career and your family.

See…I can deal with “Crazy…busy…nuts!” here in this intensely demanding period for one simple reason: I’m doing what I am clear that I REALLY want to do. It’s something that I have chosen — and that my family has bought into.

I not only desire the same for you — I want to help by being a resource that can assist you in achieving it!

Keep checking back for more….

Look, I realize that some videos on YouTube.com get hundreds of thousands of hits. However, it just knocks me out that the “Taxi Terry” story I tell has been watched by OVER TWO THOUSAND viewers!

If you haven’t watched it yet, here is the: YouTube link.

After family stuff on Saturday and early Sunday, I’m off to Orlando as a guest of Old Mutual at the Tavistock Cup golf event, where I have the honor of being one of a select few to walk the golf course for two days with Tiger Woods and Ernie Els. WOW! I can’t wait!!

Hope you and yours have a great holiday weekend!!

A significant segment of our business at McKain Performance Group comes from the financial services industry. And, as you might imagine, with the markets going crazy right now it is a volatile time for those in that business.

As I am working on my new book, I’m also doing a series of consulting assignments with multi-million dollar producers who are affiliated with the largest financial service brokerage in the country. In conjunction with the research developed by my good friend, Dr. Rick Jensen of the Performance Center located at PGA National Resort in Parkland, Florida, we know that the highest performing financial advisors have developed highly specialized practices where they have extraordinary clarity regarding their points of distinction in the marketplace.

In eight separate meetings I conducted yesterday as a part of this effort, I asked the question, “What differentiates your practice from those of other financial advisors?” Six times I received the response, “We provide great client service.” Twice, the answer was, “I don’t know.”

Consider that for a moment – these are successful professionals! Yet, somehow they have missed the point that if they want to achieve higher levels of success and profitability, the most important step they can take is to make their practice differentiated from the scores of others in the same business.

Do they really think that “great client service” is a differentiator? Does that mean that everyone else is saying they provide “pretty awful client service” to their investors? I doubt it!

I then asked them to describe a profile of what their “best client” or “most likely prospect.” Some said, “surgeons,” other said “corporate executives,” or other positions of affluence. However, when I asked the advisors who stated that “surgeons” were the targets and specialty of their practice if they would also accept as a client a corporate CEO who wanted to invest $250,000, they ALL responded, “Well…we are that, too!”

The problem is, you cannot be “that, too!” and become differentiated and distinct in your field! The top financial advisors I have worked with are highly specialized. They only work with surgeons – I’ve even known one that works with only polo players – and another that only worked with PGA golfers! If you had a million dollars, but don’t play polo, they would refer you to someone else! Their view is that they cannot provide the kind of clarity and intense differentiation required for ultimate success if your focus is diluted.

Why should you focus to such a significant degree on being VERY clear about who you are — both as an organization and an individual professional? Obviously, one reason is to create the differentiation that every organization and professional desires – but, here’s another: You simply do not have enough time or energy to create highly distinctive customer experiences for a widely varied assembly of wildly diverse customers!