Are you taking your customers for granted? Here’s some trivia. What wildly successful businessman said this?

“These people are supporting us! …everything that has to do with the experience when they come in should be at the highest level that we can put it at. That’s been our approach traditionally and it hasn’t failed”

CEO of Southwest Airlines? Apple? Nordstrom’s? Nope. If you don’t know I’d understand. It’s Jerry Garcia, the late guitarist for the Grateful Dead during a 1993 pre-show interview in Las Vegas. Sting opened for them. But even if you don’t give two hoots about the Dead or their music, there’s a lesson in their approach that many businesses can learn from.

This past weekend the surviving members of The Grateful Dead returned to the stage in what’s generally viewed as a very successful first show. It’s interesting that a 40+ year old band can still garner an audience of devoted fans and sell out 20 shows in short order.

What’s their secret? Music, of course. But there’s more to it than that.

Watch this fun, chatty, ten minute interview with an articulate Jerry Garcia and you’ll understand some of the reasons The Grateful Dead were pulling in over 50 million a year in touring revenue alone. Except for the 2-3 minutes he discusses his health, Jerry is always focused on the experience of the audience. Jerry Garcia and his band-mates respected their audience, viewed them as intelligent and selective, and most importantly, never took them for granted.

One of my favorite exchanges comes in the last 30 seconds:

• Interviewer: “You still get nervous?”
• Jerry Garcia: “… I wouldn’t have any emotional attachment if I didn’t. I think it’s a bad idea to take a crowd of 30 or 40 thousand people for granted, ya know what I mean?”
• Interviewer: “It just seems like they’re ready. They’re gonna accept you”
• Jerry Garcia: “I think that’s a convenient illusion”

Do you respect your audience? Ahem, excuse me, I mean your customers?