How to Use Music in Your Business
Over the weekend I went to a lovely little event at Lemon Laine, here in Nashville. It started at 10AM on Saturday morning. As I walked into their gorgeously-decorated and inspiring space, I was still a little bleary eyed and had my coffee desperately in hand. But I was hit by a different sense as soon as I opened the door; it wasn’t the decor, and it wasn’t the taste of my coffee. It was welcoming, good morning-y music.
That music set the tone for the event. The store felt even lovelier than usual, and I couldn’t get the sensation out of my head. A few hours later, I had the MOST BRILLIANT idea. Ready?
Whenever our friends and family visit, we’ll take them to our local vinyl store and ask them to pick out a record. During their visit we’ll play their musical selection over and over again, and then we’ll remember the music as the soundtrack of their visit. This is how we’ll build our record collection: as a musical memory book of our loved ones’ visits.
Don’t you want to come visit me now? đ
Focus, Julie.
I am going somewhere with this… some ideas for how to use music in your business:
1. Curate a company soundtrack.
Several years ago, Annmarie made a soundtrack for our then-company’s annual kick-off meeting. She played tracks from it between speakers and distributed burned CDs to the hundred-plus people who attended. There were a lot of pump-you-up songs. Also, we were launching the London business that I had built, so I remember that London Calling was one of the tracks too.
2. Have everyone share her power song.
I’ve written about what a power song is and how to find yours. But if you’re a business owner, leader, or manager, wouldn’t it be a vulnerable and powerful exercise to have your team members share their power song with each other? This could be an incredible support tool. That way, when a member has an intimidating presentation coming up or is feeling down about something, someone else can show support by pumping her up with her special song.
3. Make a musical memory book of your clients.
The same exact thing that I describe with our visitors could be done for your clients. What if your clients all picked out an album (maybe even containing their power song)? And each time they come to your office, you have their selection playing. If you were your own client, wouldn’t that feel special?
And not for nothing, but my guess is that it’d put everyone in a great mood and make for a positive and productive meeting. Then, when you have client appreciation events, you can have selections from everyone’s favorites playing. It’ll bring great energy and wonderful conversation starters!
It’s no surprise that people here in Music City are crazy about their, well… music. In fact, nearly everyone you meet has a day job with a side of song writing and singing. Personally, I’m pretty lazy when it comes to music, so I’m making small steps to tap more into this creative medium. I’m convinced that I should be using music to enhance the overall feel of my life and my work, and I’m energized to make an effort now!
