Marketing the Brand - "You"

Anecdotes, make for valuable lessons. People who share their life stories mentor us fortuitously. It is over one such conversation I was told that, in personal and professional life you always get what you negotiate for, not what you deserve. Well, the original thought was Chester L Karrass'  “In business as in life, you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.” However, what made it meaningful, was the narrative that followed. Needless to say, I had been subject to deft demonstration of negotiating capabilities.

On my drive back, I thought to myself that great negotiators would be rather capable in the craft of persuasion. A skill, I assume, we all would love to bargain in favor of.

Persuade means:

to prevail on (a person) to do something, as by advising or urging:

to induce to believe by appealing to reason or understanding; convince:

Thesaurus, can be quite a tool for learning. I don’t mean it from a "replace with a tougher word" perspective, alone. Look up, persuasive. Dwell on and internalize each of these synonyms.

Influential | Effective | Alluring | Cogent | Compelling | Conclusive | Convincing | Credible | Eloquent | Energetic | Forceful | Impressive | Inspiring | Logical | Plausible | Potent | Powerful | Valid | Seductive | Smooth| Actuating | Convective | Effectual | Efficacious | Forcible | Impelling | Stimulating | Moving | Inducing | Strong | Winning

Three thought bubbles popped in my head. First, how the often cited mechanisms of being persuasiveness were really not tactics, but aspects. Second, how advertising and politics had thrived on this expertise. Lastly, individuals are brands that need marketing.

Juxtapose the exploits of marketing and the aspects above, and the result is how  the brand "You", can get people to do things that are in their own best interest, that also benefits you.

Be Purposeful:

• Self-Awareness: Understand your power and use it sparingly and knowingly. Refrain from brand dilution.
• Argue and advocate less often. If you don’t stand up for something you will fall for everything.
• See the larger picture, win the war: be willing to sacrifice

Listen, actively

• Articulating your stance is just the half way mark. Know the other side of the argument. Dialogue over monologue
• Assess how receptive people are to your idea. Build audience insights.
• What are and potentially can be their objections. Know your customer. Know your competition.
• What could be their moments of agreement. Know their BATNA (Best Alternate to negotiated agreement). Why would they switch?

Connect, Localize & Personalize

• Establish a common ground- an emotional bond. Uncover similarities
• Be likeable | Influence the subconscious | Empathize 
• Have a sense of humor
• Compliment- genuinely: Charm and disarm- "Because you are worth it"
• Example: by body language, mirroring, interests, life events, political views, social beliefs. This is used very well in the direct selling model like Tupperware

Acknowledge Credibility:

• Don’t argue facts. Don’t live in your world- get out there.
• Everyone is entitled to an opinion, make peace with it. Run research but remember it’s not sacrosanct.
• World is grey. Don’t be dismissive. Competition is everywhere. Create an opportunity. Create a need.

Shut up

• Don’t constantly berate people with verbal barrage. You are never big enough
• Step back. Look within. Look without.
• Whenever you ask a closing question, shut up. The first person who speaks, loses."
• Give space and time for your idea to be absorbed and take root. Don’t give up.

Persuade the persuadable

• Identify the low hanging fruit. People that at a given time are persuadable to your point of view and focus your energy and attention on them.  Fine tune the Target Audience. Example: Identifying vote bank during elections
• Everyone can be persuaded, given the right timing and context, but not necessarily in the short term. Diffusion of innovation-Early adopter>early majority> late majority>laggards

Lend a context

• It creates a standard for what is acceptable. 
• Lend it a situation.
• Stanford prisoner experiment demonstrates the power of authority and situational attribution of behavior over dis-positional behavior

Time it

• Wishes and wants are a function of time. Example you want a hatchback when riding a bike and then a sedan when driving a hatchback
• Be an opportunist: Thank then ask. Example: Upgrades, Cross Sell.
• Spot the mood: Examples Festivals, Cricket, Budget

Inculcate the interest

• Keep the channels of communication open. You can't persuade someone who is not willing to be persuaded. Find the window.
• Seduce | Bewitch | Charm | Serenade

Reciprocate:

• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
• Invest. Create leverage

Be Logical

• Use rationale, facts and figures. 
• Power of asking questions
• “You cannot reason people out of a position that they did not reason themselves into.

Be Consistent

• Build predictability. Build Credibility

Be persistent:

• Winners don't quit. Quitters don’t win. Example: Abraham Lincoln.

Set expectations:

• Don’t over-commit. Example Warranty, Guarantee, SLA

Don’t assume:

• Don’t judge. Don’t be biased. Example: Leapfrogging
• Give yourself and them a fair chance and choice

Create scarcity:

• It's in the mind.
• Take back approach: your offering and yourself.
• Say no, to get a yes.
• Lost opportunity
• Example: Value based pricing. By invitation only, Exclusivity

Create Urgency:

• Not desperation.
• Establish value of time, opportunity cost.
• Motivation to act in present

Lend a visual:

• Choose the location
• Tell a story. Make it vivid with emotions. Pain or pleasure.
• Seed imagination
• Example: Movies. Bollywood!

Show the mirror

• Tell them the truth.
• Call a spade a spade.
• Example: Satyamev Jayate, Jaago Re, Before and After (Weight loss)

Be Flexible

• Flexibility not power lends control
• Example: Children. Pester power. They are willing to do anything to persuade- howl, charm, bargain, plead!

Bring good energy

• Motivate & Invigorate
• Heightened appeal to senses: touch, sight, emotion, speech

Observe:

• The practicing artists & scientists of persuasions: Competitions. Learns from the successful and those who failed.

Be Prepared

• Know your subject ( pun intended)

Conflict management

• Be calm, detached and unemotional
• Evoke trust
• Example: Feedback, Customer Satisfaction

Transparency

• Build the trust and faith
• Accept limitations

Use anger purposefully

• Sparingly.
• Not emotionally or due to lack of self-control
• Put your foot down

Believe

• Be confident. Be certain.

Start:

• Begin a job and seek help. Its leading by example.
• Example: Very handy for chores at home. Get your partner to help.

Over ask to compromise

• It's difficult to refuse, consistently. What more, there is a sense of relief in giving in to a lesser ask/evil.
• Children do this rather well. Can we at least go play?

Be Inclusive:

• Use we. Have skin in the game.

Find Testimonials

• Showcase adoption by others. Their point of view.
• Seek recommendation. LinkedIn
• Example: News- quotes , Research: Paper citation

From "Marketing the Brand- You" to "Brands Marketing to You" The story telling will continue...