Frankly, An Editorial
If you are one of those who are 'kinda embarrassed' telling your friends that you listen to Rush Limbaugh's radio program, it might pay you to listen up.
Starting the 27th year is wonderful for ANY business, let alone being a radio program. Shoot, many of us don't even like the same music, revere the same business guru, or even like the same food we did 26 years ago, right?
While I have not had the time luxury to listen to all the three hours of one of Rush's programs for years, or even snippets of it for weeks at a time, there are some take-aways in business that we can take to heart.
Find What You Love to Do and You'll Never Work a Day In Your Life
You've heard this statement before--probably from a wise parent--if not from a favorite business mentor. It is true nonetheless.
If you've followed Rush's career even lightly, you'll know that he is fond of saying that he 'knew what he wanted to do' in life when he was 16 years of age--have something to do with radio. It was his love of country and truly wanting the best for all US citizens that gave him his thoughtful opinions that he turned into parody to communicate those opinions.
As a marketer, Limbaugh is quite at home with the concept of niche marketing. When he was at a single radio station in Sacramento, California, he came to the conclusion that there was a large swath of conservative thought in America. He needed to be on many stations across the USA in order to capture that audience.
He convinced his initial investors to fund a nationwide syndication in 1988 and the rest, as they say, is history.
While he started out as a lone voice in the conservative movement, there were scores of both local and national conservative talk shows that launched in his wake. Yet he has remained THE #1 talk show (not just conservative talk show) in the media for 26 years.
Some radio executives even say Rush Limbaugh saved AM radio. If you remember the late 1980s, FM radio was 'the' thing. And AM radio stations were dying and going bankrupt. Their advertising sales were in the pits. And then Limbaugh came along.
We have several radio stations right here in our Quad State footprint that owe their success to the Limbaugh program. However, as one owner told me in the late 1990s, he knows of other owners who say the same thing. However, he said they would NEVER admit the fact due to the so-called 'polarizing' impact of Limbaugh, no matter how true it was.
What is amazing to me is Limbaugh's shrugging off oftentimes cutting criticism. I've been amazed that there seems to be SO many in the media, whether they have a vindictive agenda or they simply are intellectually lazy, consistently mistake or lie about Limbaugh's opinions. I've witnessed this with my own ears.
What Ever Your Hand Finds To Do, Do It Heartily
We all have different work habits. Some of us work fast in short 1-2-hour bursts and do an 'editing' job on our efforts or leave that to others.
Others work methodically over long stretches of time. I've known business writers and even business owners with an idea for a new business spent 8-10 hours or more straight.
The watch-word in business, no matter what your working style is to always work as if you have a deadline. If you remember your high school or collegiate athletics, you've probably had a coach that told you to 'leave 100% out on the field.' My own football coach told us if you still have any spring in your step after a game, he will assign laps!
The great pains with which Limbaugh documents his opinions is also amazing. In fact, Tom Sullivan, president of the national opinion research firm The Sullivan Group, has been given complete access to both the live radio broadcast and the printed document of every word uttered on the program documents every statement.
As a result Limbaugh's opinions measured against the documented truth about a topic--not just polls or public opinion--Limbaugh has enjoyed being 99.8% accurate in his pronouncements.
Whatever Your Hand Finds To Do, Do It With All Confidence
I'm reminded of the book of Joshua in the Bible, first chapter, in fact occurring many times in the chapter, "only be strong and very courageous" in carry out your assignment.
The one thing in business, whether we sell a product or a service, is to know what we know and realize that we have the best service/product that our customers will have the pleasure of experiencing. We are going to make them glad they talked to us!
Limbaugh could be a good pitchman...maybe not only the order of Ed McMahon (the old Johnny Carson Tonight Show) or Billy Mays (of infomercial fame), but he takes on advertisers very carefully. He's got to believe in the product/service just as the advertisers do.
And as those in the audience witnessed, advertisers who questioned Limbaugh's pronouncements, take pronouncements during the Sandra Fluke controversy, and succumbed to boycott threats--and then tried to get back on the show after the boycott was proven phony--were politely told to find another advertising medium.
Confidence In Knowing What You Believe and Why You Believe
Having confidence means that you have confidence in your ideas--both on and off the field of business. It means having thought through what and why you believe--about your product or service, your employees, your market, and your life.
Having confidence doesn't mean necessarily that you blab it all over the place and thus become obnoxious to be around. No way. But it does mean that you will not shy away from giving your opinion--about business, markets or even life--when someone asks.
I could launch into a very touching dissertation as to one reason why I feel that those of us in the business world lose out is due to a lack of confidence and all--but I won't!
This Writer's Personal Encounter with The Rush Limbaugh Show In our Quad State Region
It was 1994 and I was working with one of my local clients who had purchased a business about a year earlier. If you remember, Limbaugh had been on the air nationally about six years at that time. And was just coming to the end of a bunch of public appearances.
I just love to work with family businesses. And I really enjoyed this client. My client's father and all three of his sons had their own businesses. (Personally, while I love to watch a husband-wife work together on their one business, I think that in this case, it was the fact that what helped them develop, was because they each had INDIVIDUAL businesses.)
Anyway, my client was creating a new division with new products and services. My job was to develop 'everything that had to do with marketing and promotion.' (Just love that type of assignment!)
I was listening to Limbaugh's program when I was travelling a ways in the car. Rush told the audience that while he really enjoyed going around the country and meeting listeners, he said he had made up his mind to do only one more public appearance.
As he had not stated where that final appearance was to be, I called Rush's Chief of Staff, Kit Carson. Kit told me that the criteria for the 'last Rush Limbaugh appearance' was NOT going to be in or even near any major city, but somewhere in the hinterlands.
I thought "Wow, we have a lot of hinterlands in our Quad State region--away from Washington, DC and major cities. I called Kit back and asked him if I could ask my client to sponsor it." After all my client would not have to put out any money for Limbaugh, but just accommodate listeners in the area coming to the event.
I thought that although my client had an in-town location, he did have a large parking lot. And there was plenty of parking nearby.
When I asked my client and he thought it would be interesting. Especially as the dates were pretty flexible. And that he could see my tie-in to his new division that he was just launching. I was excited.
I was deflated when he said, "We just don't have room, ask my brother" His brother's business was out in the country, yet along a main road. Lots more room for people and for parking. It was perfect.
I sat in front of his brother whom I had known previously. He asked me to come back a couple of times. He had a fast-growing business and wanted he got all the information so that he could make an informed decision.
I was excited once again. I made another call to Rush's 'H.R.' Kit Carson. He looked up the new location and he was excited.
But alas, my client's brother said no also-. Sigh! And he was a HUGE Rush Limbaugh fan. He didn't say as much but my guess was that as he was going to be running for office in a couple years, he didn't want to have any 'lightening rod.' Really sad.
Well, I just re-lived that point. And I'm upset again. Ha! It could have been SO GOOD for our Quad State region if he would have said yes.
The point here is to never miss an opportunity to give your business a voice in your noisy marketplace--you may not have another chance!
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Article first appeared in www.QuadStateBusinessJournal.com
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