Garth Brooks is a marketing genius.
I don’t care if you hate his music, the guy is brilliant when it comes to performing. (I know the Chris Gaines thing didn’t work, but we always act like Beyonce didn’t try the exact same thing with her “Sasha Fierce.”)
If you want to be a public speaker or ever engage an audience in anyway, you should watch a DVD of one of his concerts.
Here’s 3 things I learned from Garth when I saw him in concert.
1. 6 minutes matters.
Garth Brooks ended his show at 12:04AM. Why does that matter? Because Garth knows the story fans will tell. If he ends it at 11:58PM, people will say, “It was a great concert!” If he ends it 6 minute later, they will say, “It was a great show! He played passed midnight!” Those are 6 small minutes but one big impact to the story.
2. Serve the fans creatively.
I’ve been to a lot of concerts, but Garth did something I’d never seen before. He walked around at one point with just his acoustic guitar. He’d find someone in the crowd who had a song written on sign. Then he’d say, “I love that song too ma’am but tonight we probably won’t be able to get to it. Do you mind if I sing my favorite verse for you?” Cue head explosion in crowd. He did this ten times in a row, essentially performing a live mix tape of his best songs. Brilliant.
3. Know every moment.
During one of the songs, Trisha Yearwood, Garth’s wife, came out and did a few songs with him. In passing, she slapped him on the butt and the crowd went wild. What a unique moment! So unplanned. Only it wasn’t. I asked a friend who saw the same show on another night and he said the same thing happened at the same exact time. Were there unique moments at each concert? Of course. Did Garth repeat the ones that worked, even the tiny ones? You better believe it.
Why do I try to learn things from folks like Garth Brooks?
Well here’s what I’ve learned from wise people: If you want results no one else gets, you have to do things no one else does.
Guess how many other public speakers have studied Garth Brooks?