Pride Goes Before the Fall – So Stay Proud!
Pride Goes Before the Fall – So Stay Proud! I’m sure you’ve heard the idiom “Pride goes before the fall” sometime in your life. You may recognize it as coming from the Bible – Proverbs 16:18, to be exact. In the original context, it is a traditional two-part warning: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” But modern English usage has shortened it to “Pride goes before the fall.” It’s generally used in the context of warning people that overconfidence and hubris often precede defeat, humiliation, or setback… usually because the excess pride led to complacency or mistakes. A stuck-up person can be blind to his or her weaknesses and fail to acknowledge his vulnerabilities. Warning people to avoid that pitfall is good advice. There is, however, another way to interpret “Pride goes before the fall,” but it requires that we split the concept “pride” into two component parts. Zenegra https://www.wolfesimonmedicalassociates.com/zenegra/ One part is hubris and haughtiness. That arrogant, overconfident element is a vice and is what the original proverb is warning against. It is about not merely elevating your perception of yourself, but diminishing others as well. It is an unloving and unwise characteristic and certainly as deadly a sin as we’ve been taught. But I believe, as have many before me, that underneath the vice, there is a virtuous element of pride, specifically, the state of being pleased or gratified with the result of good performance, whether your own or someone else’s. Even Christians are taught that we should desire to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.” That compliment is clearly intended to engender a combination of gratitude and pleasure at a job “well done.” Generic Ambien online https://www.gastonpharmacy.com/ambien.php The negative aspects of pride are, as always, a perversion of a virtue; that is, being proud to an extreme that goes beyond what is merited. Warnings against haughtiness are warranted. But it is both unreasonable and unwise to abandon the feeling of pride in true work and true value. If your work merits approval, then there is nothing wrong with being pleased that you’ve done a task well, that you’ve delivered the value expected of you, or that you’ve performed at a high level. In fact, I think that such pride in one’s work and one’s workmanship is a necessary component of a successful, prosperous society and a successful, prosperous brand. And that’s where the second interpretation comes in. When that virtuous pride is gone, your society will fall. When you stop taking pride in your work, your achievements will slow and stop. When you stop taking pride in your family, your relationships will weaken. When you stop taking pride in your community, your society will crumble. When you stop expecting others to demonstrate pride in what they do, overall quality of output will decline. When pride goes, a fall is sure to follow. It is smart to avoid hubris and arrogance. It is wise to avoid being unrealistic about your weaknesses and vulnerabilities. It takes humility to accept that you still need to improve. But in the same way you look at your shortcomings with an honest eye, you must also look at your achievements on their real merits, and take pride in doing a job well. You have a right to be proud of your brand and the things that you do to strengthen it. Enjoy your success – not in a haughty way, but in the context of building on your momentum to achieve more.
The Gratis Factor: 5 Tips for Convincing Performers to Donate Shows
The Gratis Factor: 5 Tips for Convincing Speakers or Entertainers to Donate or Discount Fees (Note: The original version of this article appeared in February 2011.) Last week I had the opportunity to be part of a wonderful tradition here in Atlanta. Bert Weiss, host of Q100’s “The Bert Show,” created a foundation (along with his wife Stacey) to help children with chronic or terminal illnesses experience a magical weekend with their families at Walt Disney World. The first trip happened in 2003, and “Bert’s Big Adventure” has been an annual event ever since. One of the most anticipated parts of the Adventure experience is the huge send-off party, staged in a ballroom at a local hotel and featuring a variety of entertainment. “The Bert Show” itself is broadcast live from the event each year. This year, I was asked to be a featured entertainer at the event, performing magic for these families and helping them create magical memories that they’ll have forever. Entertainers of all kinds and at all levels are approached constantly about donating their services for charitable purposes. Even if we could perform at a different charity event every day, we would only scratch the surface. There are literally more good causes and worthy events in the world than there are days in any performer’s entire career. The 5 Gratis Factor Tips How can you get a speaker or entertainer to consider donating a show for your cause, or discounting their fee for your organization? Consider some of these keys to unlock the door to a gratis performance. 1. A little respect goes a long way. No entertainer wants to be thought of as “and we’ll have a magician, too, or a singer, or maybe a clown or something.” Having your professional services requested for free as a disposable afterthought is discouraging. Being treated as a generic commodity who is completely interchangeable with any other performer doesn’t inspire generosity of spirit. When you call a performer, have a reason that you want that particular individual at your event. As Uncle Sam said, “I want YOU!” Demonstrate the same respect that you would show to someone who was considering donating several thousand dollars to your organization, because that is what you are asking some performers to do. 2. Quantify “exposure.” As the old saying goes, you can die from exposure. Most entertainers are promised untold heights of publicity and exposure for doing charitable events. Then the story appears in the paper or organizational newsletter saying, “… and there was also a wading pool, a petting zoo, a banjo player, and a magician.” The positive PR that comes from charitable events is a great tool for attracting a variety of companies and individuals to your cause. Don’t promise some nebulous “exposure” – give the facts on how you can really get that person’s or organization’s name out. Will their logo be included on shirts, posters, and programs? Will they be considered a sponsor at a donation level equivalent to the fee they have foregone? Will the organization include their name and web site in all promotion of the event? Will their appearance be promoted on air or on the microphone at the event? Will there be someone on hand to give a real introduction to start their show? The best way to get a performer to commit to your cause is to specify that they will be included in promotion and publicity of the event, and that you will provide specific introductions and leads to them for future paid engagements. Charitable organizations are always run by people who interact with other donors, both individuals and corporations. Those are potential clients for your entertainer; help them make those connections and you may just wind up with free shows for ALL your events! 3. Be honest about the money that is really being spent. It is, at best, a faux pas to ask one entertainer to donate performances when other providers of goods or services are being paid; at worst, it is demeaning. Is the venue itself being donated, or are they being paid – even by another donor or a sponsor? Is the food being donated, or was it bought – even at a reduced rate? If you are asking an entertainer to donate his or her services, be ready to explain why his or her livelihood is of less importance to your charity than the providers you are willing to pay for, even if the rate is reduced. There may be a real reason your organization has made that decision, but you should be willing to talk about it honestly instead of trying to hide it from the performer. 4. Help the entertainer deliver the value they have pledged to your organization. Let’s say your entertainer agrees to donate a performance for your cause, and has arrived on site. Don’t make the mistake of minimizing or undercutting the value of that donation; instead, find ways to maximize the impact they can have on your event. For example, when it’s time for the performance, don’t just send them into a crowd or onto a stage with no build-up. Give them a strong introduction, preferably by the event’s host or the charity’s top official at the event. Give the attendees a sense that what is being contributed is valuable and worth their attention; it will help your event have a greater impact on everyone present. Also – don’t interrupt a performance to place attention on another person who has arrived simply because he or she is “a celebrity.” Would you interrupt someone who was in the process of signing a check to your organization? The value of the donation is undermined when the presentation is interrupted. If the show needs to be shortened or rescheduled during the event, work it out with the performer before he or she takes the stage. A working performer almost certainly sacrificed more to be there for you than the celebrity did. Please honor that.
Turner Voted 2013 Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year: 3-Time Winner!
Joe M. Turner Voted Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year 2013 by Industry Peers Popular Corporate Speaker, Entertainer is 3-Time Winner PRLog (Press Release) – Jan. 24, 2014 – ATLANTA — Atlanta speaker, mentalist, and magician Joe M. Turner has been named 2013 Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year by the combined memberships of the Atlanta chapters of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (Ring 9) and the Society of American Magicians (Assembly 30). The award, announced at the groups’ combined awards banquet on January 18, marks the third time Turner has been voted the honor by his industry peers. Turner currently serves as International Vice President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and has served twice as president of his local chapter. He is also a member of the Society of American Magicians, the Magic Circle (London, England), the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle (Hollywood, CA), and the Fellowship of Christian Magicians, as well as the National Speakers Association and several other business and marketing associations. He has won numerous other awards, including Atlanta’s top performance awards in both close-up magic and stage magic. He was named “Best of Atlanta” for Corporate Entertainment in 2012 and 2013. Turner is a popular keynote speaker who uses magic and mentalism to share marketing, branding, and motivational messages at meetings and conferences worldwide. His book High JOEltage! encapsulates some of his work on being a high-performing individual. His signature keynote, “5 Kinds of Amazing,” uses magic to illustrate how brands can create amazing experiences for their audiences. He is in high demand as an entertainer, appearing regularly at the Magic Castle, on Crystal Cruises, and at hundreds of corporate events each year both across America and internationally. The Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year award has been presented annually since 1971 to recognize performance excellence, organizational service, artistic contribution, and charitable activities. The honor is symbolized by the Duke Stern Memorial Trophy, named after a popular vaudeville magician who eventually settled in Atlanta. The trophy, engraved with the names of all prior winners, is held by the current honoree for a year and is then passed to the next winner. Visit Joe M. Turner on Facebook at facebook.com/turnermagic, or on Twitter at @turnermagic
The December “Plus 1” Challenge
The December “Plus 1” Challenge Every day from now until Christmas, post a genuine compliment to one large brand’s and one small brand’s Google+, Twitter, or Facebook page. I’m a small business owner and a lover of small business and entrepreneurship. But I am not a fan of envy-driven activism or divisive campaigning. I’m weary of marketing that presents our buying choices as false dichotomies for the sake of sensationalizing purchases I make for myself and my family. If I choose to buy a product at a small shop or at a giant chain discount store, that’s my choice. And if my choice is a chain store on Monday, that doesn’t mean I won’t shop at the small shop on Thursday… unless I believe I’m being insulted or guilted for making my own buying decisions. My purchase of a replacement ink cartridge, or a candle, or a picture frame at a big shop is not “buying a vacation home for a rich CEO.” It is meeting my needs as a consumer. A business is not automatically good or worthy of support because it is small, nor is it automatically evil or profiteering because it is part of a large corporation. Large or small, it is the brand’s job to deliver an outstanding experience to me. It is their job to establish the context they’d like me to use in judging their performance. If they don’t want to be judged on price like a discount chain, fine. Tell me how you want to be evaluated, but you don’t have to malign another brand or entire sector of businesses to do it. That is a cop out. [su_pullquote]Every day from now until Christmas, I dare you to share a genuine compliment about a small brand AND a large brand that are delivering great experiences to you and your family.[/su_pullquote]Bigger businesses and brands are operated by people who also have families, piano lessons, church obligations, aging parents, and so on. They have bills to pay, they love their kids, and they want the same things we all want. Employees and managers and yes, even leaders and executives of large businesses do not automatically deserve to be mocked, derided, or blamed for the ills of society because a few CEOs, bank presidents or board chairmen get in the news for bad decisions or despicable behavior. Those kinds of stories make headlines, of course, but there are plenty of examples of bad eggs in all kinds of businesses. Fortunately, there are also plenty of great examples of good, solid human beings making good decisions every day, in businesses small and large. So here’s the challenge. Every day from now until Christmas, I dare you to share a genuine compliment about a small brand AND a large brand that are delivering great experiences to you and your family. Even if they have been mocked in the news. Even if your political preferences don’t align with that organization’s leadership. Even if they have dropped the ball before but did something right for you this year. I dare you to give them a “plus one” public pat on the back. You know you benefit from the work they do. You use their products and services in your home, office, church, car, or clubhouse all the time. You like their sandwiches. You drive their cars. You use their bank cards. You buy their gasoline. I love being a small businessman and an entrepreneur. I love a thriving business environment at all levels and magnitudes, from the at-home start up to the giant corporation. And I want them all to be even more successful.
Five Kinds of Amazing, Part 5: Hypersight and Vision
Five Kinds of Amazing, Part 5: Hypersight The fifth of the Five Kinds of Amazing relates to another branch of mentalism effects which I’ll group under the umbrella term “hypersight.” This category is distinct from the prior one in that while it includes apparent psychic abilities, this specific type of inexplicable knowledge is not derived from mind-to-mind telepathy, but rather from apparent knowledge at a distance without a direct telepathic connection to another mind. What kinds of effects or experiences might be included in this genre? In my own performances, I sometimes call out the serial number of a bank note volunteered from someone’s wallet or purse. This is information that wouldn’t exist in anyone’s mind, waiting to be telepathically read. The information simply exists in the environment and must be sensed through some kind of unusual remote vision. Likewise, a performer who can somehow tell you what items are in your purse, briefcase, or glove compartment would be demonstrating this kind of effect. Examples outside show business might include the “psychic detective” who somehow knows where the body is buried or where some other lost item can be recovered. (I don’t personally believe in the real-world validity of such examples, but they are common enough stories in the popular culture that they serve as a clarifying example.) There are even tales of Cold War experiments in which the concept of remote viewing was explored for the purposes of espionage. I also include in this category any apparent knowledge at a temporal distance – that is, the apparent ability to see into the future. As an example, I have frequently predicted (in the theatrical sense) local newspaper headlines or sports scores that would be reported on the day of my performances. Outside show business, figures such as Sylvia Browne, Jeane Dixon, Uri Geller, doomsday cult leaders and others have taken the prediction game to an extreme, leaving the theatrical framework aside to attempt to convince gullible or heartsick people that they really could see into the future. As a result, these and thousands if not millions of other unethical individuals have made livings and sometimes fortunes by monetizing the misplaced hope of others. It goes without saying that any skill – theatrical, technological, or otherwise – can be used for purposes either good or ill. The underlying concept of precognition or second sight, though, is a truly compelling theatrical idea. It is a startling and amazing thing to think that someone could know in advance the outcome of a crisis, challenge, contest, or any other question or endeavor. So what business competency can we develop that gives our audience this kind of experience, in a positive, inspirational, and ethical way? Vision To answer that, I go back to management consultant Peter F. Drucker’s well-known turn of phrase, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” While perhaps a bit clichéd now, this is an empowering and illuminating idea in several ways, all of which revolve around the concept of vision. First, the direction to create the future assumes a fundamental ability to create. Creativity is an invaluable asset and, while some may demonstrate it in higher degree than others, everyone has the ability to increase and improve their creative output. Once a new product, service, technique, or idea becomes accepted and embedded in the environment, the person, group, or brand that put it there will retroactively be credited with uncanny vision of the future. Second, creating the future assumes a clear goal. Does your brand define clear goals and make it clear that they have been achieved? The pattern of declaration, achievement, and celebration is convincing evidence that there is an evolving but clearly intentional vision for the future of the brand and its relationship to its audience. Third, creating the future hinges on the ability of a leader to inspire action. Whether dealing with a large organization, a small team, or even oneself, the most innovative creativity and the clearest vision are of no use until action is taken. Vision, as a corresponding competency to hypersight, relates to the ability to identify, anticipate, and create trends by innovation and thought leadership. Creativity, clarity, and leadership are the tools that allow you to amaze your audience in this mode.
Five Kinds of Amazing, Part 4: Contact
Five Kinds of Amazing, Part 4: Contact We all want our audiences to perceive our brands as “amazing,” and the “Five Kinds of Amazing” model provides a way to organize our approaches for making amazing experiences happen. In reviewing the first three elements, the magic metaphors all relate to primarily visual experiences. – Talent/Expertise: relating to open and frequent knowledge sharing – Science/Process: relating to embedding unexpected positive experiences in standard processes – Mystery/Empowerment: relating to the overt contradiction of an established process In this article and the next, we are going to shift gears a bit. In the final two categories, we’ll be referring to effects within a particular branch of illusion arts known as “mentalism.” I’ve written about mentalism before, and you may find it helpful in understanding the metaphor by reviewing that article. To summarize, though, mentalism is a branch of the illusion arts that deals with experiences that are more psychological than visual. Instead of more traditional conjuring effects such as objects appearing, floating, changing colors, or being destroyed and restored, mentalism relates to experiences of supposed ESP, mind-reading, mental influence, ability to affect the physical world through the power of the mind, and predictions of future events. Some mentalism effects or experiences relate to the concept of mind-reading. The “Contact” category corresponds to this kind of illusion, in which one person seems to be able to communicate with another person solely through mental power. The apparent ability to read minds or to influence people mentally is a powerful theatrical experience. Classic performers like Alexander and Dunninger and more modern figures like the Evasons and Max Maven have created sensations with their ability to seemingly get inside the minds of other people. Communication In business, contact equals communication. The key factor here is that there are two minds involved – someone is sending the message, and someone is receiving and, more importantly, responding to it. If someone could really read your mind – and let’s say that they can only read it to the extent that you permit them to read it – how do you think you’d feel? Let’s leave aside the possible negative aspects for a moment and just think about some of the other implications. You might feel as if there were a direct and unfiltered connection, and that the communication was practically instantaneous. Depending on how they handled that information, you might develop a deep trust. You’d certainly feel that you had their undivided attention if they were peering directly into your mind. If you want your audience to feel like you’ve made the best possible connection with them – that is, an amazing connection, then it’s up to you to make sure you communicate with them in similar ways: Regularly So that there’s an expectation that you’ll be in touch consistently. Quickly So that there’s an immediacy in the engagement. Honestly So that there’s an establishment of trust. Attentively So that there’s a clear prioritization of that communication. The faster you respond, the more amazing they’ll find that interaction. The more you share honest, useful, information with them, the more amazing they’ll find your brand. The more attentive you are to them in the moments when they are reaching out, the more amazing the story they’ll tell their own audiences. Next time, we’ll wrap up the five kinds of amazing with a look at another type of mentalism experience and how it relates to your brand’s audience!
Captain’s Log: NetFlix Customer Service Boldly Amazes!
4 Great Lessons from NetFlix’s Amazing Customer Service Interaction When I speak to conferences on how to create amazing brand experiences for their audiences, one of the key points is to create amazement within the very processes that your audience would normally consider the most boring or irritating. Tom Cheredar’s post on VentureBeat last week illustrates this in multiple ways. The story describes how a NetFlix customer service representative, Mike, did exactly that. In an online support chat session, he assumed the character of a Starfleet Captain, asking the customer for information as if he were a member of the starship crew. The customer played along, and their subsequent conversation about temporal loops and damage reports became a great example of an amazing brand experience. Make sure to read the entire post here: https://venturebeat.com/2013/10/11/awesome-netflix-customer-service-conversation/, then consider my “lessons learned” below. [spacer size=”50″] 4 Takeaways from Captain Mike and Lieutenant Norm’s Exchange “Captain Mike” is a real person, not a robot or an over-trained, over-regulated customer service android (with no offense intended to Commander Data). His choice to engage the customer in character was bold and a little risky, but he retained the power to abandon the character if the customer didn’t respond positively. The decision to make the interaction fun demonstrates point 2 of my “Five Kinds of Amazing,” namely, the Science/Process experience. This was not really a breaking or rethinking of the rules, but rather an unexpected result that was embedded within the natural processes of the business environment. (Note that while the incident demonstrates that NetFlix empowers their reps to take some liberties with customer interactions, this specific interaction did not demonstrate the Magic/Empowerment experience as it is present in my “5 Kinds” model. This is because there was no coloring outside the lines of policy to the direct benefit of the customer at some cost to the brand; there were no exceptions, extensions, refunds, etc. This doesn’t mean the experience wasn’t amazing; it just means that it was amazing for point 2, not for point 3.) This experience cost NetFlix nothing. It was a direct result of the unleashed creativity of an individual, not a policy. Individuals who act and communicate create cultural influences that lead to more of these experiences more effectively than policy edicts. As a result of the amazing experience, “Lt. Norm” didn’t just want a copy of the transcript to keep, but to share with his network. This is the real evidence of an amazing brand experience – the customer is motivated to tell others about what happened.
Remembering John Calvert
Remembering John Calvert Last Friday the world became a little less magical. John Calvert, a man who was regarded in many entertainment industry circles as “a real-life Indiana Jones,” died on September 27 at the age of 102. Mr. Calvert – despite our friendship, I could never bring myself remotely close to calling him “John” – was legendary in the magic community. He had an enormous illusion show that toured the world repeatedly in the 1940s and 50s. Mr. Calvert would fly the show on his own plane, transport it on his own yacht, and perform it for thousands of people in venues literally spanning the globe. In addition to magic, he was a Hollywood film star. He played “The Falcon” in a number of films, later producing and directing his own movie, “Dark Venture,” set in Africa. His biography, John Calvert – Magic and Adventures Around the World, is the true story of his life and career. If you track down a copy and read it, you’ll realize why I considered him the closest thing to a real-world superhero I ever knew. In July 2002, I booked the then 90-year-old John Calvert to lecture for IBM Ring 9 – The Georgia Magic Club. The lecture venue was the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church of Tucker, a suburb of Atlanta. He and his wife Tammy would arrive at the venue several hours early to load in and set up. I planned to meet them there to assist. As they traveled in a large RV, the plan was for them to simply stay in the parking lot that night before driving off to their next engagement. As was Mr. Calvert’s nature, he arrived a bit early. By the time I got to the venue, he was already in the church office charming the staff with coin tricks and his captivating personality. Nearly 91, Mr. Calvert had driven and parked that giant RV perfectly, and together we unloaded the show and loaded it into the hall. He was a racehorse of a man – tall, broad, muscular, statuesque. He seemed to lift and move heavy loads not just easily but in fact gracefully, doing it without a bit of strain, never getting a hair out of place or wrinkling his clothing. It was almost as if his mere touch caused the curtains and tables and cases and carts and boxes to get out of the RV and move themselves inside by themselves. Once inside, he and Tammy set up the curtains and other pieces of the show. Mr. Calvert took me aside and showed me a case containing about two dozen cassette tapes, each of which was cued to the next piece of music in his show. He explained how I was to play the cue, eject the tape, insert the next one, and play it on the next cue as indicated in his script. He was admittedly not an early adopter of new technology in his later years. After the show and the lecture – during which he mesmerized laymen and magicians alike – he broke down the show and we loaded out. With everything replaced in the RV, we began to settle them in for the night. Except that the power to that outlet wasn’t working. Whether it was a blown fuse or some other problem, I don’t know. But there was no way to power their air conditioner in that parking lot. In July in Atlanta, that’s a significant problem. No worries. I suggested they drive to my home and we’d plug them in there. He drove the RV into my neighborhood, parked it in front of my house, and… that wasn’t working either. The extension cords I had weren’t rated high enough to power what he needed, apparently. It powered some of the things in the RV, but not the air conditioner. So I invited them inside while I worked on a solution. It was rather late, but it was not so late that Mr. Calvert didn’t want to talk about magic. We went down into the basement where my books and props were stored. We talked about performing and traveling. We talked about the business and the art of magic. We talked about relating to audiences and interacting with people. He gifted me with notes and pictures and wisdom from his rich career. By now it was late enough that the idea of driving to a hotel was not appealing to anyone. My wife was out of town, so I suggested that the Calverts take the master suite. I would be honored to have them stay there. We had no guest room furniture at the time, so I planned to take the hide-a-bed in the sofa in our family room. Mr. Calvert, the Hollywood star and globetrotting magic legend, looked me in the eye and flatly refused. I was afraid I had offended him, but that wasn’t the case. To my amazement, he said that he and Tammy would sleep on that couch and I would sleep in my own bed. This was not an acceptable solution to me. John and Tammy Calvert… on our hide-a-bed? It seemed insulting and beneath the level of hospitality that I was determined to show them. I strenuously argued my case, but it was like arguing with a mountain. The decision was made and the subsequent conversation was nothing more than Mr. Calvert’s exercise in seeing how long it would take for me to accept it. Tammy and I made the bed in that fold-out sofa, and there they slept until morning. The next day, I resolved to overcome the previous night’s travesty and take them out to breakfast somewhere nice to give them a great send-off. It was not to be. Tammy had risen before me and had plugged in the extension cord. The power was now working, including the RV’s air conditioner. Who knows why, but everything was now in order. I came downstairs and Tammy was
Five Kinds of Amazing, Part 3: Mystery
Five Kinds of Amazing, Part 3: Mystery In our previous articles we’ve established the “5 Kinds of Amazing” model for delivering brand experiences that create audience amazement. We’ve discussed the first two pieces of the model: – Talent/Expertise: relating to open and frequent knowledge sharing – Science/Process: relating to embedding unexpected positive experiences in standard processes In this article, we continue with the third kind of amazing, the experience of Mystery and its counterpart, Empowerment. Mystery, as we use the term here, relates to the apparent contradiction of a natural law. Most traditional magic falls here – people are cut in half and put back together, or birds appear from nowhere. Even a signed card vanishing and reappearing in a wallet fits here. This is an enormous category but the characteristic of all the effects is that the laws of nature are being visibly contradicted. When an illusionist, either a magician or a mentalist, creates amazement by convincingly appearing to contradict the physical laws of nature, they will elicit a strong response. This response will be proportional to the directness and blatancy with which the law seems to be broken. Earlier this month I saw a show featuring the exceptional South Korean card magician Yu Ho Jin. He stood at the center of a large stage in Las Vegas and, using props that would fit in a lunchbox, he captivated a huge audience. Although he performed at the end of a dynamic, high-energy show full of motion and flash, he stood planted center stage, looking out at the audience with a beatific smile. He transformed a white scarf into a single playing white card. That card was transformed into a pink card, then it changed to blue, then to green. He then reached into the air repeatedly pulling fans of cards from nowhere, dropping them and instantly producing fans of other cards. In a key moment, he visibly tore a playing card lengthwise and held the barest sliver of it in his right hand. The left hand made the other, larger piece vanish completely. The music stopped. In silence, the piece he held expanded visibly, growing at his fingertips until it was a completely restored card. It was as if it were being materialized and reconstructed from the atoms in the air as we watched. That moment was a complete refutation of reality. A gasp went out from the audience. A huge stage, over a thousand people in the crowd, and the defiance of physics in a space of about six square inches caused an honest, uncontrollable emotional response. This was a beautiful experience, and it beautifully illustrates a remarkable point: the power to alter reality in ‘impossible’ ways is charged with emotional potential. So what does that look like on your stage? Empowerment and Brand Engagement In a business, your “laws of nature” are your business processes. These processes describe how your universe is supposed to work. If you choose the right moment to break one of those rules, however, you can create an unforgettably amazing moment for your audience. Most of us can think of a time when a policy was ignored, a rule was broken, or we received some other special dispensation. It makes us feel special when exceptions are made to accommodate our needs or wants. Certainly Ritz-Carlton’s work in going beyond normal expectations is legendary, with a policy that formally empowers every employee to spend up to $2,000 to solve a guest’s problem or rectify a situation. I have personally witnessed how free first class, hotel room, or rental car upgrades can change a bad travel experience into a good one almost instantaneously. Even if upgrading to first class isn’t possible, I still feel special when the flight attendant pops an extra pack of Biscoff cookies in my hand. But just as Yu Ho Jin didn’t need a full stage illusion to break through to his audience and deliver an unforgettable experience, you don’t have to have a Ritz-Carlton budget to create amazing against-the-rules moments. If free gifts aren’t in the budget, there are other ways to show the ability and willingness to color outside the lines. Extending a sale price for a day or two after a sale can create loyalty from a customer who was just price-shopping. Merely going above and beyond in the interest of service can be almost as impressive as a policy break. Earlier this summer, I was on the leadership team for a convention at a large hotel in the Southwest. One of the activities during the convention required a full-length mirror. Rather than charge us to locate or rent a mirror, one of the hotel staff offered to loan us his mirror from his own office. That was unexpected, outside the normal rules, and made a positive impression. Are your employees, managers, or other brand representatives empowered to break the rules if needed in order to ensure that your audience gets an amazing experience? The mysterious, logic-defying feeling of magic is a brand-engagement power that you don’t have to be a wizard to wield.
The Missed Opportunity
The Missed Opportunity for Sales and Branding A few weeks ago I learned firsthand the self-inflicted pain of the missed opportunity. Drawing on both my entertainment career and my formal education in science, I was asked to speak at a science museum on the subject of the relationship of science to the art of illusion. As a former physics major, this obviously sparked memories of many wonderfully mysterious physics demonstrations. There are many such experiments which, as I pointed out in an earlier blog post in the 5 Kinds of Amazing series, reveal hidden but unexpected outcomes in what seem to be predictable, normal situations. I encourage brand managers to engage their audiences by embedding unexpected moments of amazement in their regular business processes. Because amazement is sometimes produced by the unexpected, though, it’s fair to say I was amazed by the turnout for that event. Very nearly 500 people were on hand to see this lecture, which I had originally thought might draw a crowd of 50 to 80 people. Who would have thought so many adults and kids would be interested in the conservation of angular momentum? I certainly didn’t! It should be noted that the museum expected the turnout. I just didn’t do as good a job as I should have done in understanding their plan. An early discussion of the event involved a lower crowd number, but I failed to ask them whether it had grown over the months since we planned the event. They had had a few hundred at a recent event, and they were expecting 400 at this one. Flawed Assumptions Are Costly Because I made a decision based on an assumption and I failed to ask important questions, I made a poor choice that had an even poorer outcome than I expected. Because I expected maybe 75 people, I decided not to bring product to the event. At that time I had only about 20 copies of my book remaining in my personal stock, and I decided not to bother bringing them since they weren’t particularly relevant to my topic anyhow. This meant I had no product available for sale at the event, but I shrugged it off as a small loss. “How many of those 75 people would have bought anything, anyway?” Instead, I missed an opportunity to have hundreds of people leave with a tangible, branded product reminding them of me and the experience I delivered. It was, frankly, a blisteringly dumb move on the part of a brand engagement expert. I struck out looking when I was thrown a fantastic and utterly hittable pitch. I strolled to the platform and watched the train doors close. I bowled gutter balls. I jumbled metaphors with wanton disregard for taste or human decency. The truth is, though, I’m not alone. Many of us have shrugged off what seemed to be small potatoes, only to miss exceptional opportunities on which we should have capitalized. It’s one thing to be unready for an opportunity because you haven’t developed to the required level to seize upon it. It’s quite another thing to be unready because you were lazy or because you underestimated an opportunity. What are you doing to be ready for the opportunities that are already staring you in the face?
