The $800.00 Per Plate Dinner

I was sitting in my hairstylist's chair getting my monthly haircut when a customer sat down in the chair next to me. I normally don't eavesdrop on the conversations of others, but I was immediately hooked into listening right away because this customer started speaking on the topic of incredible food in San Francisco and I wanted to be tuned in immediately. I had assumed this person was a food critic or a cook at a Restaurant. He created some serious curiosity when he mentioned his trip to San Francisco and sitting at a unique restaurant with total seating availability for only 15 patrons and the cost per plate was $800.00.
From that point on my ears wanted to hear the rest of the story. He mentioned a unique restaurant and the night he was there only 10 customers were in attendance. Seating was by reservation only. He said he witnessed a number of customers walk in to eat and they were not accepted because they did not reserve their spot. WOW! Now I was hooked, I wanted to hear more. I couldn't imagine turning away 5 customers that would have meant another $4000.00 in revenue for the night. He began his methodical discussion of the treatment and preparation on the appetizer...just the appetizer.. his description just sounded so amazing.

As he explain his culinary experience he described the process by taking the top of a raw egg off and removing the raw egg and mixing it with unique spice blends, refilling the egg with the mixture which was going to be used flavor various high quality meats that were soon to be delivered to the table. While they were witnessing the appetizer preparation the waiters and waitresses would come out with one bite appetizers that he said were out of this world. One was large shrimp wrapped in prosciutto sprinkled with fresh garlic and scallions on buttered garlic toast. He said as he ate this appetizer he almost fell to the floor with the amazing aroma and flavor.
 He said I would actually fly from the East Coast to the West Coast just for one more of those appetizers. At this point, I had already started drooling, I was trying to keep my head still and focus on my stylist and continue to listen to the rest of the incredible $800.00 plate dinner story.
Unfortunately,  this tale came to an abrupt ending because his hair cut was done. I figured I would get his name from the stylist next to me. Unfortunately once again, this customer paid in cash and didn't offer his name. The stylist assumed he was a famous Chef out of New York.

If your were  to have asked me prior to getting my haircut if I would ever spend $800.00 for one dinner plate at any restaurant I would have respectfully said NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS!

Now I have the $800.00 Dinner Plate experience on my bucket list before I die. Why?
This Chef from New York opened my mind in a great way. He had me visualizing what an incredible experience this would be not only for me but for my spouse. If your in the right state of mind about pursuing life experiences money becomes irrelevant. The price of never experiencing what one intensely dreams about is costly to the human soul and mind to never achieve it. The chase of ones dreams and desires becomes the defining spirit of who we are. There is a lesson in this story for Sales Professionals and Business owners, however you have see it and find the answers and examples in this story yourself and use this as a metaphor to close more sales.
What great life experience will you add to your bucket list this month? What ever it is DO IT! Always pursue your opportunities, chances and great experiences of this life without regret.

   “The Insurance Coach”

       John P. Slosek, Jr 

   "The Insurance Coach ™"
Insurance Coach Radio Show 
Airs Every Saturday Morning 8am 

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Shake off X-Y-Z, To Find Your Own L-M-N-O-P!

Diversity is one of the most delightful aspects of life.

So why the (seemingly) increase of the “Everyone must do x-y-z! X-y-z is the best and only way, to obtain the desired results you want.” Hmmm…is it? I doubt x-y-z is the only way - not even sure it is the best way … maybe for someone else, but not me. I have different values, target market, goals, past experiences, etc.

The more I understand my personal thoughts and my physical and emotional feelings; the more I find myself stepping back from what “everyone else” is doing. Everyone else is doing x-y-z while I am involved with l-m-n-o-p; it is sometimes lonely in l-m-n-o-p land, pretty vulnerable and scary at times too! I am thankful to have found l-m-n-o-p land and would not have it any other way.

As you know from last month, I re-started my exercise regime. With exercise back in my life, eating habits naturally change. However, eating the x-y-z healthy way does not work optimally for me. Yes, it is better than eating processed and junk foods, but I do not feel “Amazing!” My intuition said dig deeper to find my l-m-n-o-p of healthy-eating. I did!

I found it in the book Eat Right For Your Blood Type by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo. The story is truly fascinating. In a nutshell different blood types came to be as “man” explored and moved into different regions of the Earth; changing the way “man” eats and interacts with nature and other human-kind. This is on a cellular / genetic level that started with our Cro-Magnon ancestors back in 40,000 B.C. The Cro-Magnon people were the first blood type-O individuals. They were hunters with very demanding physical activities to perform for survival. Note that Blood type-A did not show up until between 25,000 and 15,000 B.C. some 15,000 years later!

I am a blood type-O. I am to eat meat, fruit and veggies, with small amounts of dairy and carbs. My exercise is to be intense: weight training / running / martial arts / contact sports and such. These exercises allow my body to relieve stress that naturally builds in my muscles due to my hunting ancestors. Genetically I am setup to covert stress into a positive experience through intense physical exercise.

Now this stuff works wonders for me – it is my l-m-n-o-p. I would never tie it in a bow and sell it as the “Everyone must do x-y-z ! It will transform your life.” It may, if you are a blood type-O … but not if you are an A or B or AB.

It is the results and feelings that I experience that keep me following the eating and exercise guidelines, not the (x-y-z) guidelines themselves.

The same principal applies to marketing.

There are numerous marketing-ways to obtain your desired results / goals but that does not mean you should, or have to, follow a specific x-y-z model to do so.

Examples: You must be on Twitter and Facebook everyone is there. To get clients you should have a Wordpress or Squarespace website. How can you use anything but Constant Contact?  

Look a bit deeper – what drives you at the cellular level? What does your business truly need? It may differ from your own. What marketing techniques and platforms benefit the business AND truly excite you to the point where you enjoy the marketing process?

Your answer is where you will find your own l-m-n-o-p…and you will be so happy you separated yourself from the flock of x-y-z. Be careful…this potentially can dramatically increase business visibility and your happiness!

If you would like a consultation on finding what your marketing l-m-n-o-p is, I am a phone call 860-379-2794 or an email grow@greenhousegraphicsllc.com away!  

Until next time, happy marketing!

Chana Monahan

Greenhouse Graphics, llc. Where Ideas Grow

860-379-2974

grow@greenhousegraphicsllc.com

www.greenhousegraphicsllc.com