When I've arrived | Swell Season

This is a great story.

If you don't know the Swell Season, they're the unlikely band that formed after doing the movie Once together. Its great music, so check 'em out.

My wife and I went to a Swell Season concert here in Atlanta a few weeks back. It was a great performance, not just because of the music, but also due to all the stories the band shared. They had an ongoing dialog with the audience throughout the concert.

During a Pixies cover they played - Levitate - Glen Hansard (the lead) started telling one of these stories about and experience he had with the Pixies growing up. He was a huge fan, and talked about getting the chance to see them in a small Irish pub before they hit it big. A year later, after they had become a household name, he went to another Pixies concert that was held in a much larger venue. He was disappointed. It just wasn't the same.

But why have me just write about this story when you can listen yourself? Check out this very song and story I heard Glen tell at that concert that night by clicking here to download and listen to the mp3. If you want to skip straight to the story Glen told, go to 3:05 on the track.

My favorite part of this story Glen told is when he realizes that he's actually in the same position the Pixies were in when he found himself disappointed at their concert. He could see, happening right there before him, that his band had arrived at that same place of success. He also recognized that he needed to work that much harder to connect with his audience now that he was playing to such a large venue. A goal I'd say he accomplished.

The lesson here for us as MMs is to not forget to give our customers that personal one-on-one time and attention, even if we're busy or in demand. Just like Glen, we all want to feel connected, and our customers need to feel that connection with us and our companies in a very similar way. Don't play to the masses, play to individuals.