Don't Steal My Thunder!

As Jimmy Buffett has been known to tell his audience from the stage, "It's not nice to beat Jimmy to the words of his own songs".  Can't relate?  Have you ever told a joke, and had someone steal the punchline? See, it's not cool when someone steals your thunder. Well, this holds true with product presentations on TV Shopping shows.  

As a guest expert, I spend a considerable amount of time before I ever appear on TV with a product, crafting my presentation.  I carefully choose my words, the demonstrations, and the order in which they'll appear.  Just like a piece of music, the presentation needs to build slowly to a crescendo, not flop all over the place without rhyme or reason, jumping from one point to another.  But, I've seen some serious flipping and flopping on occasion because people jump the gun.  We can't help ourselves!  It's like a child knowing the answer to a question in class and just blurting it out...it's human nature.  I've experienced this as both a host, and as a guest expert.  I've seen it happen on every TV shopping network out there at one time or another. While it's not an epidemic, it certainly happens often enough to take note, especially with successful products, where everyone gets to know the pitch over time, due to the frequency of airing. So what can you do?

Be patient, wait your turn, and know your role.  Sounds simple doesn't it? But it's not.  It takes discipline to hold your tongue,  and give someone else the spotlight for a moment.  You have to be committed to your role, and revel in the fact that it's every bit as important as the person doing the presentation, telling the joke, or playing the music.  

"Remember: there are no small parts, only small actors." - Constantin Stanislavski

 So, play your part, be it show host, wingman, or straight man (or woman).  Those are important parts too, and in some cases even more important than the person talking.  Timing is everything, and in the end, someone has to react to the pitch, laugh at the joke, and applaud Jimmy Buffett's songs.  

The January Doldrums

Well, it's that time of year again. Time for all of us all to get our Christmas credit card statements and clamp down on spending like a mousetrap on a, well...mouse. Those of us in television retailing see it every year, and yet, every year we're surprised by it. Why is it so many of us in this business have such horrible sort term memory? Don't answer that. Anyway, sales these days are down across the boards, but I'm here to tell you, "don't panic!" Like I said, we go through this every year, so don't worry that your item has lost it's luster, run it's course or hit the end of the product cycle. It's the credit card bills! It's their fault! Buck up, the sun'll come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun! After all, if you think our short-term memory is bad, it's NOTHING compared to that of the general public when it comes to spending and bills.

And thank God for that;)