So what do a legendary rock band and one of America's all time favorite candy have to do with job success? A lot actually!
Musicians are famous for asking for bizarre stuff in their concert riders. The Smoking Gun - http://www.thesmokinggun.com - because famous for posting these documents. Van Halen's rider became infamous in 1982 when it included the class "NO Brown M&M's!" Was this just an outlandish demand by spoiled multi-millionaires or something more? After all, why not just ask for all GREEN M&Ms!
Turns out Van Halen's management were pretty savvy. The point to the no brown M&M's clause was to see if the promoters actually read the document. If the band shows up to their dressing room and found a bowl of M&Ms which included the brown ones, it meant the rider wasn't read very well and warning bells went off. If they couldn't get a simply candy request right, maybe they didn't read about the lighting or sound requirements.
The analogy is simple...listening to what people want or need is the key to success. When I am selling training or consulting services and someone states a desire for SQL help, I am not going to try and sell them Server training. If a potential employer states they need someone with "X" skills, you don't talk up your "Y" skills.
Selling is pretty simple...whether it's IT services or selling yourself in a job interview. LISTEN to what your audience wants and find a way to get it to them.
Happy Selling!
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