Ai yi yi! This was Embarrassing…

interview

When Dr. Ruth Allan asked me during a podcast interview to, “tell us about an embarrassing thing that happened to you,” I didn’t hesitate.


I’ve deposited piles of embarrassments in my memory bank. But Ruth was interviewing me during the first week in May, so I had to trot out the story of…

My humiliating Cinco De Mayo Mishap 


The year was 1992. I was living in Washington, D.C., out with my friends on a Tuesday night. 


It was Cinco de Mayo. 


In Mexico, they were celebrating their country’s glorious victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla. 


In D.C., we were celebrating discounted margarita pitchers for $5.99. 


By the time the fifth pitcher reached the table, I began to wonder, “How am I going to make it to work tomorrow.” 


I was a reporter at a weekly newspaper, and tomorrow was deadline day.


I had interviews to conduct, articles to write. 


As I filled my glass to the brim with more margarita, I thought, “I can’t be hungover tomorrow.” 


Why did it have to be Tuesday? 


The Pilgrims got it right. Celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday. Take Friday off. Sleep in. Digest that turkey and stuffing. Eat some leftover pie for breakfast. Go shopping. 


But no such luck with CInco de Mayo. I would wake on Wednesday, drag myself from bed – dry-mouthed and head-achy – and mope my way to the newsroom. 


And that had me madder than a Mexican hornet. 


“Hey!” I barked. 


My pals fell silent. I had the floor. 


“Why does Cinco de Mayo fall on the first TUESDAY of May?” I asked. “It oughta be on the first THURSDAY. Or better yet, the first FRIDAY.” 


And then, for good effect, I nodded and refilled my margarita glass. 


I waited for all my pals to cheer and declare, “Right on, Tom. Great idea!” 


Instead, my pal Mark said, “Pardon me?” 


I repeated it, more slowly this time for my dimwitted friends, “Why… do… they… celebrate… Cinco… de… Mayo… on… the… first… TUESDAY? Why… not… the… first… FRIDAY.”


“Ummmm,” Mark said. “It’s CINCO… de… Mayo. The FIFTH of May. It falls on whatever day of the week it falls, dude.” 


(Mark only called me “dude” when he was lecturing me.) 


I let it sink in. CINCO. I began to remember now. I learned how to count in Spanish on the grade school playground. A faded memory. 


I ran it through my brain: “Oooo-no, dose, trace, kwat-tro, sink-oh. Hmmmmm. I repeated it in my head, this time ticking the numbers off on my fingers. ‘Sink-oh’ was the fifth number.” 


I nibbled on a tortilla chip. Salsa dripped from my chin. 


A giggle – check that, a snicker – pierced the silence. 


Someone said under their breath, “Muy estúpido.” 


My girlfriend (soon to be my wife), Melissa, shook her head slowly and stared at me with pity. 


I tried to recover. “Of course,” I said. “May 5th. I knew that.” 


But it didn’t fly. 


And I’ve never forgotten. 


Maybe that’s why I love Rosetta Stone’s “hardworking farmboy” advertisement. The language learning company’s ad is a classic. Among the best print ads EVER. 


It’s all about the emotional transformation you experience when mastering a foreign language. 


That’s what great story-powered ads do. They evoke a journey. They promise an emotional transformation. 


On Monday (Nueve de Mayo), I’m hosting a one-hour storytelling workshop (on Zoom). I’ll break down that ad and reveal…


How to Build Emotional Bonds with Prospects So They’ll Choose to Buy from You

We’ll start at 10:30 a.m. CDT, 8:30 a.m. PDT. and leave plenty of time for Q&A. This workshop won’t be recorded so tune in live if you don’t want to miss out. 


This workshop will be muy bueno!

So click the button below to register.

Don't go away yet..

p.s. Coaches, authors, and consultants hire me to power-up their creative content and storytelling to captivate prospects, stand-out and book more business.

Whenever you're ready, here are several ways I can help you become a storytelling stand-out so you'll land more clients without pitching and prodding:

1) Get the Story Power Profit Pack -- 52 Strategies, Tips, and Tactics  to Transform Your Content from Ignored to Adored.

2) Watch the free, 7-minute Micro-Training: “The 3 Most Important Storytelling Keys to Captivate Prospects and Inspire Them to Act -- Without Pitching and Prodding.”

3) Become a Story Power VIP: Master how to discover, assemble, and deliver business-building stories. Twice-monthly live masterclasses. Members-only content. One-on-one feedback and consulting sessions. And more… If you'd like to learn more about our VIP program, just reply to this email and put "Story Power VIP" in the subject line. I’ll contact you with more details.

4) Work with me one-on-one: If you’re interested in working directly with me -- to discover, assemble, and deliver powerful, business-building stories -- simply reply to this email and change the subject line to "Private Client." Tell me a little about yourself, your business, and what you'd like to accomplish, and I'll reply to discuss options.

5) Invite me to speak at an event: I can tailor a presentation that meets the specific needs of your organization. Informative. Entertaining. Virtual or live. Potential for continuing education credits when applicable for your group. If interested, reply to this email and change the subject line to “Speaking Engagement.” I’ll circle back to discuss the possibilities.

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Tom Ruwitch

Tom Ruwitch is the founder and CEO of Story Power Marketing. For more than 30 years, he has helped businesses grow by delivering powerful stories using a variety of different media.