Lucero at the Handlebar

At the STRONG urging of a friend, I went to see Lucero at a local venue last week. The only exposure I had up to that point was listening to some of their music on their MySpace page. But Jamie and Leslie know their music, so off I went. I honestly had no idea what to expect, but I wasn’t disappointed. The doors open to a crowded room of folks I’d never seen in the Greenvegas before. And as I immersed myself into the music, I noticed that ever-present group of people at the front of the stage. You know the ones. They know all the lyrics. They know every guitar riff. And you can always see the silhouette of their hands up in the air. Twirling and moving and shaking through the entire set.

So, as these types of things tend to do, it got me thinking. Those folks are the true handraisers. They aren’t your typical customer. But they will come from far and wide to support their own. Because they feel ownership. They feel pride. And they aren’t afraid to let loose and lose themselves in the experience. And by doing that, they allow others around them to get into the experience as well. Make no mistake about it, this goes far beyond bands. It goes for your company, too.

There are handraisers for hire and then there are true handraisers. One takes more time and effort to identify, approach and have conversations with. But that group will always be there for you. They will always show up to support that thing that makes them feel a part of something bigger than themselves. And as long as you never forget that, then they’ll never forget you.