I couldn’t stand him. He was too loud; he was rambunctious and he swore too much. I stepped onto the boat and put my fishing rods in the overhead holder. We arrived at the fishing spot and over my left shoulder, there he was, fishing right next to me. I thought, oh no, not HIM! There goes the fun for this fishing trip.

The day was interesting; he caught the most fish on the boat; he was the class clown; he took me by the hand and taught me tricks for catching King Fish; he was gracious and in earnest. A retired business executive, he finds fishing to be his release, where he can enjoy himself without inhibitions. I like him.

QUESTIONS:

Are you, like me, quick to judge on first impression? If so, will you learn the lesson I learned? Give the undesirables second and third chances to prove you wrong. Virtually all humans are redeemable. When, and only when, you see the fruit of their lives, then you can make a somewhat objective judgment of who they are.

Did education dumb you down? A child starts out with boundless creativity and imagination, then it steadily decreases as education increases. I base this assertion on over 30 years of observing business leaders and regular folk across the globe.

It is all well and good that humans grow up and cut back their wild childhood fantasies—that they no longer shade human drawings purple or green—after all, we all know that people come in black and white, with a few having a brownish or reddish tint, due to an unclean paintbrush. However, along with the decline in childhood fantasies, comes a reduction of innovation and problem solving—critical skills for success in the adult world.

This is a travesty of formal education, misunderstood and misapplied. It started with our ABCs that went in only one particular order. Then in algebra, we learned only one right answer to every question and all others were wrong—and by the way, the latter can be proven scientifically to be incorrect.

With rapid changes in science, technology and human thinking, the value of education is not its content or knowledge, but rather, the side benefit of learning how to learn—and we should never stop learning until the world stops changing.

QUESTIONS:

When last did you deliberately learn something new—not just new facts, but a new way of thinking? Without it, you could stagnate and shrink mentally; you could be the first to get laid off at work; you could resent society for not working as it should. Action: Read self-help books. Study a little philosophy for free online. Get smarter friends! 

Pepsi does not advertise dark, sweet, carbonated water. No, their ads clearly show that if you drink Pepsi, you too can be sexy or virile, free, successful and on the go. Nike does not sell foot-containers made of rubber and canvas. No, they make you fashionable, athletic and cool. What can we learn from the highly successful, multi-billion dollar marketers?

There is a reason that they are so successful. You too can experience dramatic growth, whether you sell ideas or widgets, if you are willing to redefine what you sell in the ways suggested. The thing you offer to the marketplace is not, inherently and intrinsically, what the customer desires. Instead, it is a mere conduit through which to deliver a desirable emotional experience to the customer. Widgets are commodities, interchangeable and cheap. An emotional experience is unique, inherently desirable and makes customers want to come back and buy again.

Examples:

• Home Buyers: They may need a house, but they want/desire home, safety, security, comfort and curb appeal.
• Bank Customers: They may need a loan but they desire convenience, freedom, flexibility and access.

QUESTIONS:

What do you sell? Redefine it into the emotional, experiential benefits it delivers to customers. Ask, “How can I deliver it with the best experience the person/customer could have?”

(Source: Book, Persuasion Power—Alvin Day)