Classical music lovers know that violinist Joshua Bell accepted the Avery Fisher prize this past week, recognizing him as the best classical musician in America. This is a man whose talent has earned him $1,000/minute.
Then this former child prodigy did an experiment: He appeared as a street musician at the L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C. He played for 45 minutes straight to packed crowds, and suddenly, “he became invisible.”
His reaction to going unnoticed:
“It was a strange feeling, that people were actually, ah . . .”
The word doesn’t come easily.
“. . . ignoring me.”
Bell is laughing. It’s at himself.
“At a music hall, I’ll get upset if someone coughs or if someone’s cellphone goes off. But here, my expectations quickly diminished. I started to appreciate any acknowledgment, even a slight glance up. I was oddly grateful when someone threw in a dollar instead of change.”
This is from a man whose talents can command $1,000 a minute. –Washington Post
He was also stressing a little about this experiment – playing like a street musician. Since he’s played before crowned heads of Europe, why the anxiety playing at the Washington Metro?
“When you play for ticket-holders,” Bell explains, “you are already validated. I have no sense that I need to be accepted. I’m already accepted. Here, there was this thought: What if they don’t like me? What if they resent my presence . . .”
He was, in short, art without a frame. Which, it turns out, may have a lot to do with what happened — or, more precisely, what didn’t happen — on January 12…- Washington Post
Talk about finding your audience to validate your own interests and values. No one else cares – it’s just not on their radar. Bell’s audience? Ticket holders who already love classical music.
Even America’s #1 violinist became invisible to the wrong audience. 🙂
—
Learn to tell your story so you can amaze and delight your niche: Here’s a book and CD program to help. And here’s help for talking in a human voice about your business – a CD set and cribsheet .
This is the most amazing post from my perspective because I am married to a very well respected classical musician – You can check out his web site if you like at http://www.clarinetbygray.com
Gary once did the same thing in Paris, and played outside some cafes on the left bank – we collected enough money from the patrons to buy drinks for all of us afterwards but everybody thought he was just doing this as a hobby and was quite good. When you are one of the boys in the band, or even the soloist people don’t recognize you. In fact it is often interesting to see the attitude of the rich patrons who say they love music and yet they often ignore me when they see me without my husband – now I have my own business I am in their face a bit more so they at least know what I do in case they ever need a product like the ones I market or know someone who does. Juliette Gray http://arbonnejuliette.networkmarketingcentral.com
Oh, and I think that explains why CEO and large corporate presidents have the same drop out rate (my guess and experience) than the rest of us do.
So why do NM companies keep comparing their ‘opportunity’ to google and microsoft? I did buy both and made a bit of dough. But after my ‘front loading’ I didn’t have to talk to anyone to make it go up down or sideways…
And they usually justify the NM industry with Warren Buffet having bought Pampered chefs. Again I don’t think Warren had a single ‘home party’ to sell cookware… or did he?
I think it’s valuable to recognize the difference. Trump, BUffet and Kyiosaky are in a different place. Also Bob Allen and Usana does not justify me doing anything with them if I have no affinity with their products. Mr Allen is a master of direct marketing and knoww how to write and send out sales letters to his thousands of subscribers….
Can we?
yves
http://www.noPainMoGain.com
As network marketers, we experience feeling invisible too. We are street performers, easily ignored because, like Joshua, we appear out of context. Stores, ads, and commercials are what fit the paradigm of how things are sold. Alas, the result is that much talent, knowledge, and quality get left on the curb.
Thank goodness there IS a right audience, it just may not include the masses. We can still enjoy fiddling around, as long as we remember. . .”Next!”
Dianne
Good post! Makes you stop and realize you can succeed as a network marketer with the right audience.
Bell’s audience was specific “Ticket holders who love classical music”.
As network marketers we have a specific market…. we must become masters at recognizing them, and no matter how we look at it that takes time and experience.
Brenda Bunney
http://MLMSuccessBunney.com
http://BrendaBunneyMLM.com
brendabunney@yahoo.com
I love the buskers in the NYC subway – unlike in the Bell experiment subway musicians in NYC
often draw people’s attention, even though people are rushing in the subway. I also follow
the blog of one of the buskers and she posted about the Joshua Bell article but from her
unique point of view. You might find it interesting: http://www.SawLady.com/blog