Festival Of The Arts Not So Festive!!!!!!

 I have always said that you never know who you may be speaking with so you may want to consider the idea to treat everyone with respect and allow them to shine their light as you never know what pull they may have in the community.  I ventured out to The Coral Springs Festival Of The Arts on March 15, 2014 with the intention of collecting donations for The American Cancer Society Relay For Life and to recruit guest for my TV Show, The Anything Bucket, which airs on www.wrpbitv.com on Tuesday at 6:30 PM EDT. It is always my intention to put people in a positive light by utilizing my many platforms to be of service and value to them. I arrived at The Coral Springs Festival of The Arts and began to ask for donations things were going well many people were very receptive, a former commissioner saw me and asked me what I was doing he said great let me take you to the main stage and you can make an announcement. The entertainment chairman allowed me to make an announcement and then asked for my business card, The mayor saw me and wished me luck, many on the committee saw me and said keep up the great work, one of the vendors a local chiropractor donated $20, then the experience went from festive to  melancholy as The President of The Festival Approached me and said I wasn’t allowed to collect donations as this was  not allowed. I simply said okay and she continued to go on and on. I took a deep breath and said I am leaving but before I go do you want good or bad publicity. This struck a nerve and she asked am I threatening her. I simply said no but you get better results with kindness and I walked away. As I went to my care I realized that in business there will be those who get it and those who don’t.

 In the president of the festival  not having the ability to see the forest beyond the trees she lost out on a golden opportunity to create an advocate and an ally who writes two blogs, has over 2500 Facebook Friends, over 1600 Twitter followers, and over 5000 connections on Linked In, not to mention his own TV Show and Radio Show, plus an excellent media and public relations specialist.  This made me think how many opportunities are you missing in your business by not being open to receive. Everyone that you come in contact has the potential to  help you in some form and until you peel back the onion and open your eyes you never know what they can do for you.

 I was giving all those I came in contact with a chance to have their voice heard. It was great opportunity for people to get together and be of service and value to one another. What was interesting is that no one but The President of The Festival had an issue with what I was doing.  I have always said if you have a platform to have your voice heard to use it and this blog is a platform for me to have my voice heard. I wish The Coral Springs Festival Of The Arts much success as it is a great event.  The lesson learned here is that every encounter you have with someone should be a positive interaction with all parties benefitting and thus having your voice heard. Think how many times have you said I am not interested and the person you shut down could have been a huge help to your business.  One of the key elements in business is to understand that everyone who emails you, calls you, walks into your store, or interacts with you can be  benefit from what you offer and you can benefit by just listening and being kind. An example is of the chiropractor who donated $20, he did it from his heart not looking for anything in return, however me being a believer of being of service and value I already promoted him on my Facebook, on My Linked In, and on my Twitter, and if someone asks me about chiropractic care I will say visit www.heronlakeschiropractic.com and make an appointment because that is what I do. I have become known as someone who can maximize your message.  The Coral Springs Festival Of The Arts does fine without me and probably won’t be affected in any way from this entry however the point is not to harm the festival but to point out to any business or organization that you never know how someone can be of service and value to you.

 To avoid having a festive situation go from festive to melancholy be open to receive in your business and you will find that with new ideas and new perspectives you grow.  The key is to go and share your message and if told you can’t look for other avenues that will allow you to create brand awareness and recognition. In being open to new ways of doing things you will grow your brand and increase your revenue.  By being of service and value to all you interact with you will create more advocates and thus create the positive buzz to exceed your goals and objectives. had I been allowed to stay and collect this article would have taken on a more positive spin.  Think about it I know a lot of people and when they ask me about The Coral Springs Festival of The Arts and The President of Festival what do you think my reaction is going to be?

 The key message here is to be open to receive and interact with people and if they are collecting for a recognized charity and have a track record of success to support them as you never know what added value they are bringing to the table. If you are struggling with your business or your project look at how you are interacting and treating people.  Many times it is understanding that perhaps the way you treat people is affecting your business.  In closing I did manage to collect $62 in donations in the 2 hours that I was at The Coral Springs Festival of The Arts and I was able to be of service and value by inviting people to be on  my TV Show. This week as you continue to grow personally and professionally seek ways to be open to receive so you don’t turn a festive good interaction into a negative one. Again you never know who you may be speaking with.