What’s Your Brand?

The first time, in the early seventies, Jim Pickens, a speaker and graphic artist, asked me what my brand was I might have  told him “Lucky Strike.”  That was a cigarette brand. What Jim was asking was what was my brand as a professional speaker. I didn’t know speakers had brands. Jim explained to me that the number of professional speakers available seemed to be doubling every week and that most people in an audience do not remember speaker’s names. He suggested that we come up with a brand for me to make me stand out and he soon came up with the name “Mr. Lucky of the American Platform.”  I didn’t like the idea until he recited an old quote attributed to a philosopher named Seneca who was born in 5 B. C. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”  That sold me.  Jim then created a  wonderful brochure for me.  . I wrote a book titled “Selling Lucky.” In the attic storeroom of a fancy Tuxedo Shop on Washington Boulevard in Detroit I found a green and white plaid tuxedo jacket with black trousers. I got a fancy fluffy bib and tux shoes. The green was the color of money. Then Jim designed a “Lucky Buck” for my business card.    

I came up with a musical close where I talked about Luck and about the uniqueness of that audience and I had music from  the song People playing in the background and there were strings and harps and my close said,  “And I believe you are some of the luckiest people in the world.” It was absolutely unique. 

Mr. Lucky was launched at the World Meeting Planners annual convention in I believe it was Houston,Texas and they had what they called a Chautauqua  Tent and Bill Gove, one of the very top speakers in the business, introduced me. and everything worked . Thanks to Jim Pickens, Mr. Lucky was on his way.