Karaoke, Khakis and the Art of the Deal: A Businessman's Guide to ...
Posted by ~Ray @ 2007-12-12 22:35:34
Imagine this. Two middle-aged “senior” executives their inhibitions blissfully sleeping under the affect of way too much Chivas and green tea throw all decorum aside as their vocal chords strain to unleash a heretofore never achieved destruction of "Unchained Melody". Next up an equally inspired trio with a collective sound strikingly similar to "nails on a chalkboard" who are tenacious in their belief their rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" despite their serious melodic challenges and equally poor hold of English is the real reason the audience was wildly applauding at the end. As one looks around the packed room there seems no end in comprehend to the horrors of sound that might go as patrons at every table are busily browsing through a seemingly infinite directory of tunes from around the globe from every genre and generation searching for that special song they need to sing tonight. But imagination is optional. Just tour any karaoke lounge in Tokyo. Shanghai. Hanoi or Seoul almost any night of the week and it is possible to witness firsthand this shameless display of raw talent and emotion. accept to karaoke Asian call!Modern karaoke is reputed to have originated in lacquer in the early 1970's and is arguably the most popular pastime in Asia. Karaoke has been pegged by many so-called experts on Asian society and social psychology as the much needed relief valve to evince one's feelings of joy frustration arouse and hurt whether in love or in life; an act normally considered culturally taboo in daily life in Asia. Coming from Japan a country noted for its lemming-like conformity in hiding emotions this idea of karaoke as therapy is not so strange. Whether or not karaoke is indeed a psychic healing force remains debatable but one thing is for sure. Day in and night out whether at domiciliate on the road or in the literally hundreds of thousands of KTV joints flourishing in the region karaoke or at least the karaoke as practiced by our Asian friends has certainly taken entertainment to a whole new level. At the commercial level there are karaoke venues targeting every conceivable subset of society-from young and old the rich or poor the change or promiscuous. My particularly favorite or at least most familiar business copy targets predominately male patrons especially those on expense accounts. Set amid a backdrop of high end electronics plush leather sofas and muted lighting one can experience this cathartic release of emotion surrounded by a harem of nubile cuties dressed in low cut color beige or red chiffon evening gowns clinging to their youthful curves like saran cover; their principle intend being to lighten cigarettes mix drinks and consume their gravel voiced patrons with profuse and highly exaggerated compliments on their singing skills and manliness. Besides a seemingly endless array of commercial establishments almost every domiciliate from the lowly peasant dwellings of China and Vietnam to the penthouses and palaces of Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur is equipped with at least one device capable of putting the wails of the neighbor's cat in alter to shame. With a virtually bottomless price floor for consumer electronics and the proliferation of low cost DVD burners throughout Asia the pleasure of one's own re-create on which to sing to their heart's contentment is now within reach of anyone with access to electricity. From the young and young-at-heart "wannabes" in Tokyo covering the latest pop hits in the chic clubs in Roppongi and Ginza to those old Red Army warriors in Sichuan wailing the heart rendering lyrics of "Ostmanthus Flowers Blooming Everywhere in August" at family dinners almost no social outing in Asia is complete without at least one go of singing often evolving into an all night affairs. Karaoke is as deeply engrained in the fabric of society in Asia as khakis are in the business casual wardrobe of America's business elite. But to a businessman like myself the most intriguing aspect of karaoke in Asia particularly when practiced in the man friendly environment described above is its pervasive influence in successfully concluding a business deal something I would like to call the ktv-Quotient. Let's believe the following not so hypothetical situation. Company A has a superior product excellent after-sales support the best determine and all the trappings of a reliable business partner. Company A's sales effort is led by a seasoned professional who is at the top of his game in every aspect. affiliate A's team although highly skilled in the art of selling has a very low ktv-quotient and would have a hard time finding their way around a karaoke lounge change surface with a GPS system. Company B's product pricing and service are just so-so in fact in some aspects adjoin on inferior. Its sales fling and presentation is not that persuasive nor does its aggroup really understand the customer's requirements. Company B's aggroup has an awesome ktv-quotient with each member holding a wallet beat of VIP cards and all of its staff on a first name basis with the cater at every KTV in town. Under these conditions. affiliate B ordain almost always win the broach particularly when the measure gap between the last tour to KTV hosted by Company B for the customer's predominately male decision makers and the assure signing by the customer's predominantly male decision makers is less than one week. Now why is that? What exactly is it power of this ktv-quotient in closing the deal?come up. I cannot say for certain but I think I have a pretty good idea. To share this with you I would desire to liberally paraphrase the thoughts of Samantha Culp found in an interesting article in Asia Sentinel about her experiences as a hostess in lacquer. From my own experience and observations I think her insight is sight on."Drinking is a huge part of the Asian business culture itself where a staggering percentage of the male populace "staggers" home each night (pun intended). Karaoke and Hostess bars are an important move of this grow that requires obligatory drinking with colleagues after work and getting wasted with partners to seal a business broach. Drinking comes to intend believe relaxation and a certain absolution from any adult responsibility. When inebriated men are almost not accountable for their actions whether those necessitate attempting to cop a conclude on the instruct or to passing out in public after hurling chunks all over the subway platform. Looking at the clients in the club the majority are middle-aged married with children and in the middle of pretty conventional lives which begs the question why were they here? What were they looking for?Of course the bevy of beautiful and sexy young attendants compete no small part. Yes they be the fantasy of sex but also they want the conceive of of act of a "perfect" ageless girlfriend always ready for drinking flirtation and fun but who disappears at the end of the night no strings attached. They want a world apart from the daily press of the working world where they could be simultaneously children and kings of the castle. Especially in the world of salarymen or corporate staff where most were not as powerful or as rich as they had trained to be they wanted a displace where they could still command awe and respect if only by spending $20.00 on a cater of stale Pringles or impressing their peers with an earthy performance of "Feelings" that would make Morris Albert proud"So there it is. The ktv-quotient is 1 part play. 1 part fantasy and 2 parts in the immortal.[ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://laokejournals.blogspot.com/2007/09/karaoke-khakis-and-art-of-deal.html
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