Apr 26, 2016
Brands, Fascination, Marketing, Charisma, Power
Summary
What makes a person charismatic? Is it natural presence? Is it learned? Is it different for different people? What does “charismatic” even mean? We’ll discuss that in our Thought of the Day. Later in our interview segment, we’ll visit with Sally Hogshead, one of the most “fascinatingly” charismatic people I know … not to mention, a woman who can teach us how to be the same. That and more on today’s show.
Bob's Thought of the Day
- We’ve all experienced being in the presence of a charismatic person. When he or she walks into a room, all eyes seem to turn on them because they radiate an energy that attracts everyone toward them. It has nothing to do with wealth, appearance, or fame; rather, there’s just “something” about them.
- One way to define “charisma” is this: “a spiritual power or personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people.” Some examples of this type of person include Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Jacqueline Kennedy.
- Why are some seemingly ordinary people so charismatic? The reason is that they have very powerfully tapped into a core part of their being in such a way that is almost broadcasts to the world that they’re on a mission you want to know about. They are a force of nature.
- These people bring to the table an energy that comes from their soul, their heart, what they’ve done, what they are now doing, and what they’re willing to do. In other words, they are in complete alignment with who they really are.
- Charisma is closely aligned with your authentic nature. So how do you tap into that? Authentic isn’t something you need to become … it’s already at your core. You simply have to embrace what’s already there. It might even mean chipping away at your outer layers, just as Michelangelo chipped away everything in the big block of marble that “wasn’t David.”
- What are your strengths, and how can you leverage and lead with them to become more influential, charismatic … and fascinating?
Interview with Sally Hogshead
- The word “fascinate” comes from the Latin fascinare, which meant “to bewitch or hold captive so the listener is powerless to resist.” The concept of fascination appears in the history of many ancient cultures.
- Sally identifies seven languages of fascination, and she addresses several of these in the interview. (You can take any message from an advertisement to a political speech and put them in one of the seven categories.) She mentions a few of the categories: innovation (showing a new way of thinking), trust (this is used by financial institutions), and power (used by companies such as Google).
- When someone is fascinated, as far as it appears to someone looking at brain activity, it looks the same as when you’re falling in love.
- You don’t necessarily need an advertising agency. The most important thing to know about your brand is what makes it different.
- The resources section contains a link to the brand fascination assessment, which will give you the marketing strategy that an ad agency would normally give. This is the process used by an ad agency, but distilled down to an hour.
- You must have certain qualities within your personality and business brand that make people remember you and talk about you. Sally gives the example of a unique business card she uses that costs $2.
- The winners are the ones who have the most memorable message, not necessarily the biggest budget. You need to find a few details that allow you to stand out, be heard, and be remembered. You have to overdeliver in one specific way so people can use it as a way to remember and describe you.
Resources
Fascinate: How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist by Sally Hogshead
BrandFascination.com (Brand Fascination Profile)