I got stranded in Cincinnati recently. A great, full-day meeting with our client, Cintas, ended with lightning storms grounding outbound air travelers (that’s me!) departing Cincinnati Airport. So now what?
After singing the 20th repetition of the “WKRP in Cininnati” theme song (complete with Dr. Johnny Fever’s patented head bop) I decided to listen for opportunities. If I was there for a reason, I was determined to find it.
I started by switching on the radio and quickly discovered two nighttime on-air hosts with the right personality to voice commercials for two of our advertisers.
Next, I met a woman on the hotel shuttle bus, also stranded for the night, who coincidentally was about to investigate using radio to market her company in the B-to-B marketplace. And she had a suitcase full of questions about radio and our agency.
And once I crashed in my hotel room, I cracked open Dr. Michio Kaku’s book “Physics of the Impossible” and learn all about force fields. Then I figured a way to cleverly use the concept of force fields in a radio script for an insurance company.
So an unexpected letdown (cancelled flight) led to the discovery of a potential new client, new air talent testimonials and a clever spin to present a complicated client brand message. All because I chose to listen to the moment’s opportunities, rather than listen the miserable guy next to me at the airport gate who only wanted to complain about anything and everything. It’s no coincidence that my unexpected time in Cincinnati improved the instant I decided not to stay a part of his audience.
In radio, in advertising, in LIFE, we’re constantly faced with opportunities to choose between whining about things we can’t control or adopting a patient, positive mindset that seeks the good and the opportunity in every moment. I’ve always found that the latter creates a better life experience. And better communications.
Mark Lipsky is the President and CEO of The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog “Sounding Board” by subscribing to the email or RSS links above.Visit our website TheRadioAgency.com