Life Changing Advice From Behind the Wheel of A Giant Hotdog

The most important thing I learned while driving a 30 foot hot dog around the country is this: good thing I packed an anchor.

No, not an anchor for a boat - an anchor for my voice. Why? Everyone you meet is a virtual reporter, especially if they are passionate about hot dogs and carry a cellphone.

In other words, you are always on. Anything you say or do is representative of your personal and professional brand. Sound like a lot of pressure? It is. So it pays to be prepared.  In fact, the best way to protect reputation is to develop a statement that literally becomes your anchor. An anchor statement is the most important idea you want to teach and is always there for you, even in life’s most difficult moments.  

So back to the 30 foot hotdog. Yes, I spent a year driving the beloved Oscar Mayer Wienermobile around the country. I was proud to represent an iconic brand in more than 30 states. As a brand ambassador I was constantly answering questions, being videotaped and managing crisis situations. I was interviewed on Good Morning America and in news markets large and small. But the toughest questions of all came from citizen reporters - everyone from the hotel manager to the concerned young mom at an event to the mayor of a small town.

The problem we see in our communication training at Goudie Media and The Headliners is that too many people depend only on message points. Message points have a role in the infrastructure of your story, but you don’t memorize message points before going to a dinner party. If you did, you might be a pretty strange guest. For truly authentic communication, you want to share ideas and use powerful opening anchor statements to shift the conversation. That is how you advance the story in the most trustful way, just like a teacher in the classroom. It is all in how you start, how you anchor.

My anchor for much of my time on the road was about our mission to bring miles of smiles to people in cities large and small. A bit of joy that creates legendary memories. Here is how I used that in a variety of situations on the road.

• When I had someone come up to me and say: Do you sleep in the back of that thing? I replied with this: “Actually, it is  not a ‘weeniebago.’ The Wienermobile gives us a chance to spread miles of smiles to people from Portland to Pittsburgh”.
• When I was live on Good Morning America, the earnest host pushed me on the environmental impact of the Wienermobile. Instead of rambling I said:  “You might be happy to know that this vehicle was designed to be efficient. In fact, we smile when we tell people that it is as fuel efficient as any modern SUV in Times Square.”
• One time we were quickly packing up one event to be on time for the next stop on our journey. Suddenly, a family ran up to us and were very upset to think they missed a photo op with us. We safely stopped the vehicle, and said:  “We always have a smile for anyone who works as hard as you did to get here today. Let’s grab a photo so you have a great memory of this day.”

Please think about your anchor statement the next time you fasten your seat belt and strike up a conversation with the person next to you on your flight. The person in seat 12A might be your next big business opportunity. At the very least, they might love hotdogs as much as you do.