Hello again; As some of you know this isn’t just a job to me. its my passion, the reason I get up in the morning and the last thing I think about before falling asleep at night. For this reason I am always trying to find ways to get better. I feel like there is always something else I could be doing to help the people who have put their trust in me by listing their rides, games, inflatables, concessions items, etc on the midway.
One of the ways I have done this is to be an active participant in social media. I am on several sites including facebook, linked in, and twitter to name a few. I am also a member of many groups focused on business development in general and the amusement industry specifically. One of these groups is the success small business group on linked in. I join it mainly because of their first subject inviting people to introduce themselves and their businesses. As a member of this group I was alerted to a special radio show on the blog talk network. Bryan, the hammer, Jackson was planning to do a weekly show on small business owners. The producer of his show went on this group and invited people to submit their story for inclusion on the show. I have never done such a radio show before, so I was uncertain; but I finally decided this was an opportunity to promote my company. I contacted the producer and asked a lot of questions. She advised me to go on his site and listen to some past shows which I did. After doing that, I decided to be brave and give it a try. Many of the people I respect say to be successful you have to be willing to stretch yourself and step outside your comfort zone in faith. So, I emailed and told them I was in. They told me to call after 12:15 PM central time as I live in Conroe Texas near houston.
So, the day of the show came. I called in a few minutes early because I wanted to appear professional and prepared. I had charged my cell phone. I had found a room where it would be quiet with no potential distractions. I’m on hold for a few minutes, and then I’m on with Brian. I was nervous, and my cell phone was breaking up. It turns out that my carrier was having system problems on that important day. I had just gotten started telling the host and his audience about my business, when my phone dropped the call. Now, I could have quit. I could have thought this just isn’t meant to be. But instead I pressed redial. I was unaware of this, but at the same time they tried to call me back. I told myself to have courage and tried one more time. This time I got through again. The host was at first angry with me, but after I explained that I was blind and that I couldn’t see the cell phone display to know what the phone was doing or not doing; he became more friendly. We joked together, and my natural sense of humor came through. He laughed, and so did his staff. I thought I had done a horrible job on the show but a great job of persevering. But he asked me to call in again the next week.
And as the next week progressed I wondered if he was being honest or if the invitation to come back next week was just a polite thing they teach radio and tv hosts to do at the end of a segment regardless of how good or bad it went. So, I posted the link to facebook and a couple of email lists I’m subscribed to. Some of my friends took the time to listen to it and said Max he asked so be positive and believe you are truly welcome next week. I decided to take their advise. The second show was proceeded by the first sale of 2013. I sold a small indoor bumper cars for a family entertainment center in New York. I sent the show people a picture and told them I planned to mention it. I got online with the host that second friday and things went much better. My cell phone worked well if not perfectly. I wasn’t as nervous. and when i mentioned the sale, the host got excited. he was genuinely happy for me. I think that lead to me being on longer. I was asked to give out the name of the company, the website address, and my phone number twice. I was whole heartedly invited to come back next week. And after the show aired the host called me personally. I don’t know if these weekly radio appearances will lead to finding new clients, new markets, or new sales; but I do know its a way to get my name out there. It doesn’t cost me anything but a few minutes of time to prepare plus the ten or fifteen minutes I’m on air. And to think it all started by me answering a call for people to participate on one of my social media groups. And I hope this shows people out there just how far I am willing to go to find a new home for their equipment. I will put links to the show archive as well as to the individual shows at the bottom of this post. I would appreciate your opinions on my radio show appearances. And if you own a small business, I strongly encourage you to be part of next Friday’s show. I am always here to answer questions, exchange ideas, and of course work to find new homes for your amusement, concessions, and confections equipment. I hope to hear from you soon. Thanks and take care out there, Max
Brian The Hammer jackson archive page
salute to small business friday
week two salute to small business
