Ep 028: A business lesson from The (Ultimate) Boss

with show host Rachael Jansen

I’ve seen God, and he plays guitar.

This spiritual experience I speak of was seeing Bruce Springsteen in concert on his most recent Aussie tour. His Born in the USA album played a big part of my teen years, so to see him in person was pretty amazing. As a consequence, I do gush a little through this episode. Couldn’t help it – it was Bruce freakin’ Springsteen!

Aside from the private moment though, The Boss delivered more than just an awesome concert – he delivered two huge lessons relevant to being in business and turning customers into raving fans.

Boss Lesson 1: Joy for what you do is infectious

There was no mistaking that Bruce and the band members were so grateful to be doing what they were doing.

They were so incredibly enthusiastic and committed to the audience, and you could see that performing was pure joy for them. Even after all these decades of shows, they LOVED what they were doing as if it was their first concert.

When somebody loves what they do that much, you cannot help but want to enjoy it with them.

The band’s enjoyment was infectious. The audience responded to their enthusiasm – there was a clear adoration on both sides of the stage.

So, if you can go out to your paying customers with enthusiasm and joy for what you do, they will be enthusiastic about it too.

Boss Lesson 2: Over-deliver and the cost doesn’t matter

These guys gave so much – they absolutely over-deliver. Bruce has a reputation of three, four hour concerts and just giving his all every time, and the reputation is deserved from what I saw.

So even though the tickets cost us $500 for a night out, which is a lot for us, I don’t begrudge paying for it – it was worth every cent. It was just such great value and I can see why people pay for these tickets again and again.

The lesson for us is, if you over-deliver, if you truly just want to give great value for money, how can people not love you for that?

Wanting to give your customers or clients more than they expect is what will turn them from a buyer to a raving fan, just like Bruce’s raving fans.