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Today’s PrideNomad™ Quiz:

In today’s email:

Up Front: Why your message matters…This one make me cry (sob, actually)

Passport News: Where does your country rank?

Nomad News: Fanboy Love Story Part 2…with lessons!

UP FRONT:

It Made Me Cry…does that make me a wimp?

By now, you may have realized that I’m a big fan of the theatre. I travel the world to attend theatre and cabaret festivals, and I binge when I get there (you’ll get my Edinburgh Fringe final report below in today’s newsletter).

A few days ago, I scored discount rush tickets to see Your Lie in April, a musical based on the Japanese Manga of the same name, with music by the amazing Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, Victor/Victoria, and more).

It’s a beautiful story about a young piano prodigy who loses his ability to play after the death of his mother, and the young lady who inspires him to get his groove back.

Of course, with any romantic musical, there are twists, turns, and a surprise ending that left me sobbing (quietly).

Why did it affect me so deeply? Because it connected with me on a personal level. And that, my friend, is engagement in its purest form.

Connecting with Your Audience: The Heart of Engagement

Your marketplace—whatever market you’re in—is no doubt flooded with multiple competitors, each offering different messages, offers, and price points. Many of them, in their quest to scale and grow, have lost the personal touch. This is where your biggest opportunity lies.

It’s that personal touch, that unexpected connection, that can power you past your competitors.

Take VirginActive Fitness, for example. They’ve implemented “Surprise and Delight” moments in their gyms—spontaneous acts that bring people together and create lasting memories.

Or consider cabaret performer Rueben Kaye, who starts his shows by welcoming each audience member with a heartfelt “Welcome Home.” This simple gesture transforms his audience into raving fans, all because they feel personally acknowledged.

Earlier today, I visited an exhibition of Princess Diana’s photographs. It was a stunning experience that reinforced this lesson: Touching the hearts of your audience endears you to them for a lifetime (or until you screw things up—DON’T screw things up!). 

Diana, known for some pretty amazing hats, famously refused to wear a hat when greeting children, because she wanted nothing to come between her and a warm embrace.

Leaving the exhibition, I felt the grief of losing her all over again. Now that’s lasting influence.

How Can You Create These Connections?

The operative question is: How can you create an experience where your clients, customers, coworkers—everyone around you—feels special?

When you make it about them, you’ll make a far greater impact than when it’s about yourself.

Here are some ways to start:

• Consider personal welcome calls to new clients or follow-up calls to existing ones.

• Send a surprise greeting card. For example, PrideNomad Casey Eberhart is known for sending “Half Birthday” cards (sent six months before or after your actual birthday). It’s unique and keeps him top of mind.

Remember, these actions shouldn’t be about getting another order. Additional sales will happen organically—either through repeat business or referrals.

If you’re simply looking for sales, people will see right through you, and you’ll defeat the purpose of the exercise.

Celebrate your clients and customers because you genuinely want to help them reach their goals—whatever they may be. Surprise them by doing what your competition isn’t willing or able to do.

Then, they can’t help but fall in love with you. And that’s worth a fortune!

Here at PrideNomad, we want to celebrate YOU and tell YOUR stories. We want YOU to shine, so every issue we ask you to keep in touch and share your stories.

Sooner or later (sooner, we hope!), you’ll feel comfortable enough to share. And we’ll celebrate you!

LATEST PASSPORT NEWS:

Singapore Takes Top Honors This Year…

Ever dream of having a passport that opens nearly every door in the world? Singapore now holds that honor, with visa-free access to 195 destinations according to the latest Henley Passport Index.

For PrideNomads, a powerful passport is essential, offering the us freedom to travel smoothly and in full compliance with local laws.

The index, which has been ranking passports for nearly two decades, places Japan, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain in second place, with access to 192 destinations.

Meanwhile, the U.S. passport has slipped to eighth place, granting entry to 186 countries without a visa. It’s a reminder of how vital it is for us to stay informed and prepared.

For our community, these rankings aren’t just statistics—they impact how we navigate the world.

Here’s a quick look at the top passports for 2024:

1. Singapore (195 destinations)

2. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain (192)

3. Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden (191)

4. Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom (190)

5. Australia, Portugal (189)

6. Greece, Poland (188)

7. Canada, Czechia, Hungary, Malta (187)

8. United States (186)

9. Estonia, Lithuania, United Arab Emirates (185)

10. Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (184)

NOMAD NEWS:

A Fringe Fanboy’s Love Story, Part 2

Last week I shared some experiences from this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This week, I’ll continue with some highlights. The full story of all the shows I reviewed is posted in the PrideNomad Blog.

The Fringe has such an abundance of performances that it’s easy to be overwhelmed. It’s also easy to “overeat” at the buffet of culture.

When you do, it can give you cultural indigestion…for real!

My biggest day had me seeing EIGHT performances. That’s a LOT!

The business lesson here is that while you may want to give your audience/client/customer tons of value and content, they may not be able to digest it all, and you may only confuse them and drive AWAY a potential sale!

Quick story—In my early speaking days, I was delivering my popular 3-day real estate investor training at the Holiday Inn in San Francisco. I was having so much fun with the audience that I continued to teach for an extra couple of hours, thinking that I was adding all sorts of value.

Quite the contrary! The next morning I had to teach it all over again, because the students were so overwhelmed with content, they had no means of processing it.

So instead of creating value, I created confusion. Giving “more” was actually giving less!

Lesson learned: Deliver your message in bite-sized pieces!

Let’s dive into some of the final fringe highlights (there’s still plenty of time to get to Edinburgh to see some of these amazing performances!)

BiCurious George: Queer Planet

What a creative hoot of a performance! Award-winning drag king and London's loveable nature boy, Bi-Curious George gave us a raucous celebration of queerness and the animal kingdom. This was a highlight of my fringe adventure, and certainly a must see!

It’s another example of how you can take what might be considered boring content and turning it into an entertaining and engaging experience.

Aunty Ginger: Finding Splashman

Is it poetic justice when they have a drag queen performing in a parking garage?? Aunty Ginger taught us glory hole etiquette and much more, and her Ann Landers-style advice was terrific. She found a way to turn drag into more than just cheesy camp. Put her on your list and park your butt in her garage!

An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo

Definitely a must see! I was lucky enough to meet Lizzie Hawke, the producer, who convinced me and my friend Ryan to come see it. I’m so glad we did. This boarding school tale was well-acted and had us completely engaged from the first moment until the last. Do yourself a favor and put this on your list.

Afrique En Cirque ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (yes, that’s more than 5 stars!)

I think we need to either add another category, or I’ll have to go and downgrade many of the other shows, because this performance was the perfect way to end my Fringe adventure this year. OMG, the talent was off the charts. The music, the drumming, the humor, the acrobatics, the set, and the connection with the audience were fantastic.  Created by Yamoussa Bangoura, it was inspired by daily life in Guinea. This performance shares the beauty, youth, and artistry of African culture, and you simply must see it as a gift that you deserve!

See you next week!

Quiz Answer

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