With a flurry of guitar notes and crashing cymbals, the last song comes to a stop. Twenty two thousand screaming fans are illuminated by powerful blinding white lights, revealing just how massive the arena really is. The lead singer of the band, exhausted after two hours of performing, grabs the microphone one last time.

“Thank you Cleveland!”

And the audience erupts once again.

That rock ‘n’ roll cliche is repeated night after night, city after city, in venues small and large.

Most artists, no matter how big they get, are genuinely thrilled that someone is willing to spend money and time to enjoy their music. And they are usually quite happy to show it.

True Rock Stars aren’t afraid to show their gratitude.

Rock Stars – in business, life, and music – show their honest gratitude.

Sure, there are exceptions to the rule. There are divas who derive their own self-worth from their ability to be jerks and still have people worship them. But in my nearly 30 years in the music business, I can safely say they are the minority (and they are usually the least deserving of such worship!).

Bruce Springsteen can’t say thank you enough when he plays. He takes the time to acknowledge the city he’s in, often putting a local spin or angle on his personal stories.

At the only Canadian stop on his 2011 summer your, Jimmy Buffett went out of his way to play a song by Canadian Gordon Lightfoot… just to say thanks to the country he was visiting.

Despite his star status, Garth Brooks is always genuine when he thanks his fans.

Lady Gaga calls herself “the luckiest girl on earth” because she has fans.

Gratitude. It goes a long way towards building a stronger bond between your business and your customers, or fans in the case of rock stars.

But what you might not realize, is that gratitude goes a long way towards make you stronger and more productive. According to Geoffrey James, gratitude is “the true secret of success”. You can read his piece on gratitude in Inc.com. Thank you, Geoffrey, for sharing those inspiring thoughts.

Thank you, for reading… for picking up Brand Like A Rock Star and for turning the little book I wrote into a marketing and entrepreneurial movement. I promise to never stop being thankful and amazed that someone has invested their time and money in what I have to say.

I am very, very grateful.