Welcome to Day 3 of our back to school week special focus on Corante contributor Tom Asacker's Ten Truths. Today, the countdown brings us to truths #6 and #5:

Truth Six - From Fact Telling to Storytelling

"Facts don’t persuade, feelings do. And stories are the best way to get at those feelings."

"We’re up to our eyeballs in information and sick and tired of 'Buy . . . Buy . . . Buy!' Give us an engaging and meaningful story. Something we can connect with and - heaven forbid - believe in."

"Storytelling was the original form of influence, and all through the ages great communicators have stirred people’s emotions and influenced their behavior through story. I know you know this. So why haven’t more business people embraced this powerful, persuasive form of communication? Think back to your last encounter with a salesperson. What was it like? Can you recall a recent advertisement? Describe it. Or how about your last meeting at work? My guess is that they were all fact-filled and uninspiring. What my friend Dick Orkin describes as "announcements." Which means that, by and large, they were ineffective means of influence. No engagement, no visualization. No visualization, no personal, emotional impact. No emotional significance, no change in behavior.

"(...) We believe what we internalize, what we decide for ourselves, not what we’re told. A story allows us to experience the knowledge in our minds eye and make the meaning for ourselves."

"Stories are the quickest way to communicate. They instantly transmit complex ideas; they’re a kind of cognitive shorthand. Stories are the most memorable, because they are laced with emotion. Want to be remembered? Tell a good story. Stories also put people at ease and help build relationships. And believe it or not, stories are the most believable form of communication. We are more deeply influenced by one person’s story, than we are by mounds of data. And by the way, don’t we love stories? Of course we do! Stories are embedded in our livesbusiness and personal. We love stories in song, in books, on TV, in film, and around the proverbial campfire and water cooler. We love to hear them, we love to tell them, and we love to participate in them. Stories are how we make sense of the world. We are storytelling creatures by nature. It’s in our DNA.

"So, tell me a story. Tell me a true story of someone you’ve recently helped with your products or services. That’s the first request I typically make to an executive team, prior to working with them to develop their brand. It may sound like a simple request, but I rarely hear a story. Instead, I hear all about the facts - when they started, the number of employees, their products and services, etc. But a brand is not about facts. A brand is a story. An engaging, authentic story that everyone in a company lives and tells. So, stop and ask yourself: What story does my audience conjure up in its imagination about itself when purchasing or experiencing my company or products? Do we complement and enhance that story in every single thing that we say and do? Do we even know what that story is?

"(...) Tell brand stories so people can live the experience in their own minds. So it becomes real to them, stimulates their emotions and helps them understand the ideas and behavior required to live the brand. Stop trying to change people’s minds with information or coercion. It doesn’t work. They feel manipulated. Instead, capture their imaginations with heartfelt stories so they can make their own meaning. And never - never! - stop telling those stories with conviction and passion."

Truth Five - From Branding to Bonding

"A brand is not a logo, and branding is not a communication strategy. A strong brand is a strong bond, and branding is your business."

"For the past 250 years, companies have leveraged their power to influence and - in many situations - control commerce. They’ve used various barriers to entry to curtail competition and grow significant mindshare and marketshare. The most common marketing related barrier employed was brand preference, created with mega spending on advertising and control of distribution channels. Building a strong brand was all about "top of mind awareness." I say "beer!" and you shout . . . "Budweiser!" And it's still that way in the case of habitual buying, which occurs when involvement is low and differences between brands is small. But for considered purchases - like choosing a new car or home - and ones involving a strong emotional connection - like deciding where to invest or donate hard earned money - building a brand requires much more than that. Today you’re competing for heartshare, not marketshare. Top of mind without goose bumps is a waste of money.

"Of course to those with a dated, mass-market mentality, branding is still all about image and awareness. It's about tag lines, logos, cute little animal mascots or clever jingles. It's about spending megabucks on Super Bowl commercials, hiring celebrities to sing your corporate praises, and covering cars with advertising banners. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that awareness is unimportant. (...) But, does well-known equal strong? Not any longer. The rise of the global economy, the rapid adoption of the Internet, and unprecedented access to capital, have all ignited commercial innovation, and put an end to those days forever.

"And please, don’t get hung-up on the word "brand." Schools, nonprofit groups, high-tech firms, and small businesses tend to fall into a camp that believes that branding is either too commercial, too expensive, or otherwise not appropriate or applicable to them. And that may have been true in the heydays of mass marketing, when branding conjured up ideas of spin, manipulation, and "in your face" corporate propaganda. But not any more.

Today, the word "brand" is shorthand for the gut feeling people have about something, some group, or someone. It’s a kind of Platonic Ideal, which stands for the essence of a business, school, organization, person, or even place. If you add up the tangible and intangible qualities of something - the gestalt - and wish to represent the meaning and distinctive character this greater whole conveys to its audience, today we call it . . . "brand."

"Think of your brand as a "file folder" in your audiences' minds (not a perfect metaphor, since memory is malleable, but stick with me anyway.). When they’re exposed to you (e.g., through advertising, design, a salesperson, word-of-mouth, etc.), a feeling is immediately filed away in that "brand file folder." As time passes, much of what your audience has filed away - the details - will become inaccessible. However, they will remember where they stored the folder: in the front (positive feelings) or pushed to the back (negative feelings). Given the sheer volume of brands trying to find a place in your audiences' overloaded "brand file cabinets," you must not only get their attention and be relevant (a file folder labeled with your brand name), but you must also get it placed in the front of their file cabinet (elicit strong, positive feelings of intense personal significance).

"(...) Despite what the Madison Avenue folks may tell you, the strength of your brand lies not in the fact that you own a folder with your name prominently displayed on it. Repetition does not create memories, relevance does. The strength lies in your folder's position in your audience's file cabinet (the emotions that linger in their memory). The strength lies in the bond! So make your brand about feeling, not just familiarity. Make it about shared values and trust. About honesty, vulnerability and presence. Because a brand is not simply a promise. How can it be, with everything changing at breakneck speed? A brand is a living, breathing relationship. Revel in the messy world of emotions and create a brand that’s about leadership and differentiation; about customer insight and radical innovation; and about clarity of purpose, passion and a sense of humor."

I'd love to comment on all of this, but... what's the point? I don't think I could put it any better myself.

Tomorrow, we will look at Truths #4 and #3: Reaching your audience, and (at long last) the crucial role that metaphors play in all of this marketing and business stuff we keep talking about.

Until then, have a great Wednesday, everyone. :)

Have a great Tuesday, everyone. :)

Technorati Tags: Tom Asacker, marketing, storytelling back to school, business lessons, customer service, marketing 101, corante, branding

Welcome to Day 2 of our back-to-school special feature. We're focusing on Tom Asacker's Ten Truths all week, and counting down to #1. Today, we are going to take a look at Truths #8 and #7:

Truth Eight: From Honesty to Authenticity

"People today are incredulous of marketing, institutions and the media. The only way to suspend disbelief, cut through skepticism and create trust is to act as a real human being and get to the truth. As the sages say: "Words that come from the heart can enter the heart.

"What the business world needs now is a return to the idea of amateur spirit. Now, it’s probably not the amateur spirit as you may think of it. The definition of amateur has evolved for the worse over the past few hundred years, coming to represent a dabbler or incompetent. The original spirit of amateur was a positive, noble tag to apply to someone (the Latin root for amateur is "amator," lover). An amateur pursuit was one you did for love, with a spirit of passion and authenticity. And it certainly didn't imply a lack of skill. Thomas Jefferson was an amateur writer and philosopher when he drafted the Declaration of Independence.

"Organizations - actually the people in them - must recapture this amateur spirit. Not because it is morally right, but because it's the only way to succeed in a world stunned by scandals and greed-is-good ideology. Ask yourself these simple questions: Do you want customers and employees to come to you first - and stay with you? Do you want them to recommend you to their friends and associates? Then you have to get them to do what? Trust you. And how do you go about doing that in a post-Enron economy? Certainly not by saying, "Trust me." That kind of talk immediately causes people to put up their defenses. Instead, you must get them to believe! Success today all boils down to belief. "Who should I believe? Who can I believe?" These are the critical questions. You must be believed to have any chance of success.

"But I have some bad news: No one will believe you. That’s right. In today’s court of public opinion, you are guilty until proven innocent. It’s the harsh business reality of our time. But there is a way to quickly transcend this reality. Here’s how: Within the first few seconds of meeting you or being exposed to your communications, your audience will form an impression that is easily reinforced and unlikely to change. They’ll observe your mannerisms, voice, choice of words, etc. and judge whether you are worth listening to. To cut through their innate disbelief - and very short attention span -simply push past your comfort level and be authentic! Amazingly, that’s all there is to it. Simply take off your mask - your title, your expertise, your bureaucratic language and technical jargon - and connect with them with honest, simple, and engaging language. Be on the level. Be moved to candor. Tell them what you believe and what you think. Speak the unspoken.

"(...) Say what you mean. Mean what you say. And don’t be mean when you say it. Don’t be defensive. Lighten up. Children have an inherent sense of honesty and humor that adults adore. It’s this authentic nature that you connect with. It doesn’t connect with you because it’s cute. It connects because it’s true. And you know it. So listen to your innocent, inner voice. Be childlike. Speak in a language that is natural, open, and honest. Get rid of all of the hype and toss in a dash of self-deprecating humor. State what you feel in a candid and caring, yet unapologetic way. And never - never - hide anything. People will then believe that you are being straight with them (warts and all), and as a result, you’ll be worthy of their trust.

"Daniel Boorstin wrote: "The amateur is not afraid to do something for the first time." And that's the measure of great artists, great lovers, and great entrepreneurs (not to mention children). To say, "I don't know." To ask the hard question that is on your mind (in a soft way). To take risks. To be bold. To state what you are feeling, openly. To admit your weaknesses. To adopt this amateur spirit takes courage and demonstrates your love for - and connects you on an emotional level with - your audience. They’ll believe you. It will demonstrate your trust in them, and your desire to eliminate their fears and their concerns. And it will inspire them and engender trust because it rings true."

Truth Seven: From Doing To to Doing With (and For)

"No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. And it doesn't take a genius to tell the difference between someone who listens in order to get something, and someone who listens because she cares.

"(...) Business is no longer a simple cause and effect, transactional, quota-driven environment. Now it's all about trust and involvement - relationships. And relationships are messy. Relationships are hard to quantify. Relationships take time.

"(...) We like to believe that control is a good thing - an attribute of a strong individual. In our upside-down way of thinking, we assume that by being in control, we can prevent bad surprises and get precisely what we desire out of life. We're convinced that control keeps people secure and in their places, thereby preventing us from being disappointed by them. But nothing could be further from the truth. The need for control comes from weakness or insecurity. It is fear-based, plain and simple. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of being judged by others, fear of intimacy, fear of loss, fear of not making quota. And this fear is what prevents us from discovering our true passion and purpose. It prevents us from doing what we do best and letting others do what they do best. It stifles people's growth and eventually pushes others away from us.

"(...) Control destroys relationships. Control blinds you to opportunities. Control shuts down your inner voice. Control is driven by your ego's need to serve itself. Control is an illusion you cling to primarily to alleviate your fears. Leaders give up the need to control, come to terms with their own egos, and dedicate themselves to helping others. They inspire. They embrace change. They accept the uncertainty of the future. They trust people and help them live their dreams.

"(...) As Gandhi said: "Be the change you want to see in the world." You don't have to be part of the world that emphasizes the pursuit of wealth, reputation and conventionality. Instead, be other-focused and have boundless empathy for human frustration and suffering. Stop listening to your weak, cynical and selfish inner voice that tells you that it's "their problem." You're much greater than that. Let your mind go and feel and understand with your heart and gut. Don't be quietly cynical or apathetic. Don't push or persuade. Be open, optimistic, compassionate, and kind. Help people feel better about themselves and their place in the world. Because the true measure of success is not what people think about you nor how many people know your name, but how many people's lives you've touched."

Tomorrow, we'll look at #6 and #5: Going from facts to storytelling, and from branding to bonding.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone. :)

Technorati Tags: Tom Asacker, marketing,back to school, business lessons, customer service, marketing 101, corante, branding