A few weeks ago, I told you about my date with my daughter Gina. Last night it was my eight year old son, David’s, turn.

He had literally been talking about our date for a week and was so excited to just be going out with his daddy. Of course, this made me feel great and I was really looking forward to some one on one time with my son.

As soon I picked him, he started talking…and talking…and talking. And he didn’t stop talking for the entire three hours we were together. He spoke of many things, Club Penguin, why he isn’t into superheros any more, the newest Wii game and the ill fated lemonade stand he and his sister had the previous week. (More about this later.)

We went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner (it’s both of our favorite food.). When we walked in, we were “greeted” by a woman who had a big scowl on her face and muttered, “This is to go, right?”

“Um, no. We are eating here,” I reply.

I don’t think this answer made her very happy. She escorted us to our table and then walked away without saying a word..

David already knew what he wanted, a scallion pancake (also known as “Chinese pizza”) and tofu with vegetables.

Our waitress arrived at the table and lo and behold, she too had a scowl on her face too. (I started to think that maybe it was something the waitress and the hosted both ate and wanted to make sure I didn’t order that.)

Contrast that with another Chinese restaurant David, Gina and I went to the day before for Dim Sum. When we arrived, the owner greeted us with a big smile and hello. The waitress, also very enthusiastically, greeted us and commented on how “beautiful your daughter is” and how “well behaved your son is.”

During the meal, all of the servers were super friendly (we were the only, non-Chinese folks in the restaurant – which is always a tip off that you are going to have great meal) and the owner came by our table, smiling, asking us is everything was okay and did we need anything.

The food at both restaurants was good, (although the Dim Sum restaurant was great) but which place do you think left me with a better feeling? At which restaurant did I have a better “experience”? The answer is obvious and the question you need to ask yourself is what experience are your customers having when they buy from you.

Remember, you can have the finest product or service on the planet but if your receptionist isn’t pleasant, it does not matter.

Anyway, David tells me about his lemonade stand experience. He and his sister made great lemonade, the had tattoos they were going to sell and even set up a little face painting stand. There table was set up at the top of their driveway and they were ready for business!

And they waited and waited and waited in the hot sun. Soon they discovered the problem almost all new business owners have…lack of leads or, using an Internet term they did not have any “traffic.”

My kids had fallen into the trap of “build a great business and the customers will come.” As I’ve said zillions of times, that’s not just the way it works. Having a great product is not enough. You need to let people know about your product. That is why…

It’s more important to be a master marketer than it is to be a master of your craft. (The combination of the two is deadly and virtually guarantees success.)

David and I finished our meal. I drove to my apartment and he. talked and talked and talked.

When we arrived, we immediately started in on our favorite activity, mixed martial arts fighting on my bed. The kid is tough and hits like a ton of bricks. I have a huge bruise on my arm today to prove it.

It was an epic battle but I can’t tell you much about it because “What happens in ‘Fight Club’ stays in fight club.” (Big lesson for entrepreneurs. Keep your mouth shut about what you’re doing in your business. Your competitors are listening.) I can tell you that he ended up winning the championship, three rounds to two.

After the fight, we were both sweaty and tired and decided we need a break. He got a Nestle Crunch bar (his favorite candy and definitely the food of champions) and we lied on my bed and watched “Sponge Bob” which, by the way, is very funny. Of course, even Sponge Bob didn’t stop him from chatting away.

As we both laid on the bed holding hands, I said a brief thank you prayer, for yet another perfect date with one of my kids

And was reminder of what I am really working for.

Kick butt, make mucho dee-nero,

~Dave Dee

P.S. As always, your comments are welcomed and appreciated. I really do read all of them.