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Here’s My Chance

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Posted on 27th May 2010 by Jade Handy in Persuasion

Hear me out. I know most of you would like to have a chance of a lifetime to sit down face to face with your mentor and ask whatever you have always wanted to know about what makes them successful. Am I right?

If you’re asking what I would do? First I’d get them warmed up to me with small talk, honest compliments, and asking questions like, What’s it like for you to be a mentor? What good experiences have you had? How do you know when the person in front of you is someone you really want to take under your wing? These questions and others like them are just to attach good feelings to this interaction.

So, what would you say? Maybe not say, but ask? Asking would probably get you further. Here’s what I would ask after researching their work heavily so as to not waste their time, or mine.

How did you know this was the right path for you to take? How did you get started? How would you recommend I get started today? How do you know when it’s time to shift gears and do something different?

What’s made you successful up to this point? What are some decision points along the way or some “aha”s that set you apart from your competition. (relevant in just about all work environments, BTW) What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to do/overcome?

Who have you had to become along the way that’s different than when you started? Who did you model or take advice from? Who should I pay attention to?

Where did you really set yourself apart in the early stages in breaking from the pack, per say? Where is the area of most opportunity? Where are you going from here?

Why have you chosen to stay on this path or chosen to switch paths when you have?

And then, I’d sit, listen, watch and soak in everything in. Everything. Their words, their voice tone, their body language, their choice of answers. Most importantly, I’d notice when these things shifted.

Basically, you want to get to the point in knowing them well-enough, or employing their strategy enough to where you could ask yourself, “what would they do?” and act confidently on it. Sure, sometimes you may miss the mark, but thinking from a broader perspective, either scope or time, you are better off utilizing their strategy and see how the marbles fall.

Much like being taught to bake a cake (I have never,) you want to follow the recipe line for line, see how it turns out, and then and only then adjust the recipe to get a better result. (notice I didn’t say ‘to fit your personality)

Oh, and make sure you thank them.

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Every kid needs a mentor. Everybody needs a mentor. -Donovan Bailey #anaphora

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvverde/210386910/

Swing a Dead Cat

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Posted on 26th May 2010 by Jade Handy in Persuasion

You can’t swing a dead cat anymore without hitting someone who’ll tell you, “you can’t say that.”  But, I just did, didn’t you hear me?  I feel like I’m living on the edge just typing that idiom! 

“Who kicked the dog?”  That’s another one.  Big trouble for that one.

You’re hair looks like a rat’s nest.  That’s a double no-no.  Insulting the rats, on top of the person.  Twice as bad.

Look what the cat dragged in.  Stereotyping cats as scavengers, how dare I?

A pig fell in the mud.  Now I’m just being silly.  That’s not really a dirty joke!  It’s just a trick.

No animals were actually injured (other than a possible personal injury claim) during the writing of this blog post. 

Here’s a news flash, people identify with animal metaphors.  I didn’t come up with the concept, I’m just passing it on.

Here’s something interesting.  A bit of a conundrum.  Apparently, animal metaphors have a history of being used for social control.  I didn’t know they were that powerful!  If they are that powerful, maybe we should be using them for the greater good.  Like using utilizing animal metaphors to incite change in your organization? click here for a pdf not from me.  I’m just sharing it.

In organizations, I can’t tell you how often I have heard “a hungry dog runs faster.”  True story, when I was a freshman in high school, I worked stocking grocery store shelves in a small Midwest town before school started in the morning.  Being we were smack dab in the middle of farmville, it should come as no surprise that the stock supervisor would march up and down the aisles yelling, “Get in their like a biting sow.”  We all new it meant open cases, and stock the shelves with intensity and as if your job depended on doing more than the stock clerk next to you. 

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Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this.  - Anonymous  #paraprosdokian

Dogs have owners, cats have staff.  - Anonymous  #parallelism  #isocolon

A dog maybe a man’s best friend but a horse made history…  – Anonymous  #reformcliche

A Horse! A Horse! my kingdom for a horse!  - Shakespeare

Photo Credit:  apocs on Flickr

3 Points 1 Post

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Posted on 24th May 2010 by Jade Handy in Persuasion

One of the greatest things when your starting out writing is that no one is reading.   Well, no one meaning not thousands, I guess, now that I think about it.

The following points may seem random (random is somehow derogatory most of the time, apparently, but I like the thought of it) unless you read the post these thoughts originated from (yes, I know I’m not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition, but I’m going to hide behind my poet’s license.)

Siddhartha Herdegen’s Do People Really Get Happier With Age is a great post.  Better if you learn from it.

So, what can we learn from it? 

1.  Be happy for no reason at all.   You don’t have to be old or wise to do this.   Thanks for the Schulz quote, “My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy.  I can’t figure it out.”  -Charles Schulz

2.  I love the correlation, causation point, as well.  There are many examples of when correlation and causation aren’t related.  The presupposition that comes across when have to say, “does not mean…” pretty much points out that if you make a correlation, it causes causation to occur, in the mind, at least.  There, again, is a key to persuasion.  And an important one.  Studies show merely putting words consecutively or within close proximity will induce this association.  If you don’t believe me, try being at the scene of a crime and not be at the scene of the trial!

3.  “So, while I believe it’s perfectly okay to point out flaws without offering a solution it is generally futile to do so.”  Yet another great point, Siddartha.  Of course there is that “sucker born every minute” thing that keeps rearing its ugly head.  I, personally, (and professionally) make every effort to not fall victim to this one.  I applaud your congruence of message to actions by providing a solution.

“That is, as we get further away from the event we remember it more positively.”  So, one final take-a-way, spend time in your future thinking about today as your past and you’ll have the best of both worlds, youth and wisdom!

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NEW POLL SHOWS CORRELATION IS CAUSATION  – khg@devpsy.org

Correlation vs. Causality: The Cartoon Version – STEVEN D. LEVITT

Photo Credit:  jonrawlinson on Flickr

Drill, Baby, Drill

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Posted on 18th May 2010 by Jade Handy in Marketing/PR |Persuasion |Selling Language

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I should have waited to write Fun Making Job Search Fun until today, because I came across several “real-world” examples to show you how this pattern plays out in several contexts.  I like to show multiple contexts for persuasion patterns because if a pattern isn’t applicable to most, if not all contexts, then I ignore it until it pops up in multiple contexts or I decide that it’s not a relevant pattern of persuasion.

I should have waited, but I didn’t.  But, I decided you shouldn’t be punished for my proactiveness and unwillingness to wait for perfection before I get started writing about something.

As we have previously learned, tying two things together is sometimes as simple as using the same words, consecutively.  Unfortunately, the pattern is neutral, it’s the person using it that makes it bad or good.

I came across this first example this morning in this May 16th news story, “A 7-year-old Detroit girl sleeping on a couch was shot and killed early Sunday after a Detroit police officer’s weapon went off while he was searching for a homicide suspect, police said.”  And, assistant Police Chief Ralph Godbee had this to say,

“This is any parent’s worst nightmare. It also is any police officer’s worst nightmare,”

Way to tie those to considerations together.  I’m sure the family of the victim appreciates you elevating an innocent child’s death to the level of a policeman’s guilt.

For a more neutral example, yesterday morning, I was watching the Today Show.  During a commercial for Bank of America, they started each bullet point with

“what if X…, what if Y…, what if Z…”  Then, remarkably, the next commercial was for Jackie Chan’s new movie.  Unexpectedly, the first words of the commercial script were “what if …” something about what if someone was somebody or something or other.

The X, Y, and Zs of this are of no consequence since it’s the pattern is what we’re after here, not the content.

Now, I’m sure there’s no way that advertising creative excutives would plot this into the script and be able to tie two consecutive commercials together to get your unconscious mind to connect fraudulent-bank feelings about Bank of America to a “Cool!” feeling that a good portion of the country has towards Jackie Chan, but nonetheless, I can continue to conspire to think so.

And, finally, during the Today Show, in a newsworthy interview regarding the Gulf oil disaster and, specifically, the underwater oil problem, an underwater oil worker said,

“most people are concerned with the oil on the surface, we’re concerned with the oil under the surface.”

Or something to that effect.  Again, you’ll notice the repeated words and phrases used to link the two concepts.  This helps to instill the idea so that you remember it and are influenced to believe that they are concerned.  Now, to be fair, I don’t think he was coached to say this (I’m actually not a conspiracy theorist).  He probably believes it to be true and honestly wants to communicate this message to those concerned.

But, this just goes to show that these patterns occur naturally during moments of persuasive communication.  Which, BTW, means you can, too, use them to the same end.

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Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.
Napoleon Hill

It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.
Muhammad Ali

You affect your subconscious mind by verbal repetition.
W. Clement Stone

Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex.
Norman Vincent Peale

Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality.
Earl Nightingale

It is not the simple statement of facts that ushers in freedom; it is the constant repetition of them that has this liberating effect. Tolerance is the result not of enlightenment, but of boredom.
Quentin Crisp

Constant repetition carries conviction.
Robert Collier

The ear tends to be lazy, craves the familiar and is shocked by the unexpected; the eye, on the other hand, tends to be impatient, craves the novel and is bored by repetition.
W. H. Auden

This is the lesson that history teaches: repetition.
Gertrude Stein

Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffgresh/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Three Ways To Improve Your Next Presentation

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Posted on 14th May 2010 by Jade Handy in Let's Talk About Language |Persuasion |Selling Language

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Steve Roesler has posted an excellent post on Three Ways to Improve Your Next Presentation.  I’m a big fan.  And, I’m going to take each of the 3 a little further for you to apply even more easily. 

1. Don’t let “the facts” speak for themselves.  Interpret them for them.  Here’s what I recommend.  Interpret them into the WIIFM using the Feature Advantage Benefit format.  e.g.  “Our numbers are down 10%.  That means when we bring them back to where they usually are, you’ll see 20% more in your pocket.”  

2. Use two kinds of numbers.  The lesson here is know what you want, e.g. credible and memorable, pay attention to the response you get, and then, as always (and especially when writing), adjust accordingly.  

3. Capitalize on the Legitimacy of the Printed Word.  I strongly agree, especially when any type of negotiations might take place, that you benefit when you present information on paper.  Even non-financial situations benefit from the printed word, e.g. “Don’t feed the animals.”  A recent hospital room I was in visiting had, “No food or drink allowed.”  I stopped drinking my coffee and asked the nurse if the sign applied to coffee.  Might sound like an obvious “yes.”  But, come to find out, it actually means “without permission.”  Apparently, guests often bring contraband in to “soothe” the patients.  None the less, it put me in the awkward and uncomfortable position of not being in the power position.  

  

All three of Steve’s suggestions have a common thread – credibility.  Credibility is vital for any persuasive communication.  Establish it early and often throughout your interactions.  Remember to pay attention to what works and adjust accordingly. 

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Add Credibility With Excerpts, Quotes and Statistics 

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.  -multiple authors attributed #antimetabole 

For every credibility gap there is a gullibility gap.  -Richard Cobden  #epistrophe 

You don’t want your credibility banana to turn brown, but you do want to speak out about what you believe in.  -Bradley Whitford 

Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/wili/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Fun Making Job Search Fun

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Posted on 13th May 2010 by Jade Handy in Let's Talk About Language |Marketing/PR |Persuasion |Selling Language

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RT @jasonfried Very clever way to get a job interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FRwCs99DWg

When Alec Brownstein set out to land a job in the very creative field of advertising, he knew he had to be creative. 

Repetition and creative may sound contradictory, but they certainly aren’t in this application.  Alec set out to get a great job with a great company by contacting great leaders. Did he go about it in the most predictable way?  No.  Of course not.  That wouldn’t be congruent with creative.

When Ian Reichenthal, an advertising creative director, Googled himself, he noticed the ad at the top of the page.  It got his attention, to say the least. The ad read, “Hey, Ian Reichenthal.  Gooogling yourself is a lot of fun.  Hiring me is fun, too.”  Now, that’s creative!  Let’s take a close look at this ad and the wording used. 

Gooogling.  Gooogling, not Googling. Why 3 “o”s?  Ooooo, I don’t know, but it sure does stand out, doesn’t it. 

Googling yourself.  Now we’re getting somewhere.  Is this message for his staff?  No.  Is it for everyone searching for Ian?  No.  Is it for Ian and Ian, only?  Yes. 

Is a lot of fun.  Isn’t that why we do it?  Who hasn’t Googled themselves?  I know I have.  I love to see my name in backlights.  Maybe this is how Alec could predict with pretty good accuracy that Ian would be doing it and having fun at it. 

Hiring me.  Let’s not beat around the bush here.  I’m guessing a high level executive in New York City likes to cut to the chase.  Yeah? 

Is a lot of fun, too.  Hey!  I feel like I’ve been had.  Sure, using “fun” is what Alec would like Ian’s experience of hiring Alec be indicative of, but I think there’s more to this “fun”.  Namely, he didn’t say, “enjoyable,” “joyful,” “exciting,” or any other word associated with “fun”.  Alec didn’t say, “worthwhile,” “smart,” “good decision-making,” or any other word associated with “hiring”.  He said, “fun.”  Again.  He said, “fun.”  He said, “fun” because if Ian has an internal “yes” response to “Gooogling yourself is fun,” then describing hiring Alec as “fun” will likely re-associate that “yes” response to hiring him even with out ending it with “too”.  GENIUS!  And, creative.

I know most people don’t associate Ivan Pavlov’s work to linguistic repetition.  But Pavlov didn’t start out in psychology either, so we can bridge it’s use to persuasion via the Archimedes Principle.  It’s the modern usage if you’re creative enough.

Repeating words isn’t just a rhetorical anaphora, epistrophe, alliteration, rhyme or other device used to evoke rhythm and emphasis, it also serves to associate two unrelated thoughts. 

Ever wondered how you could get your prospects to associate buying your products to achieving their business objectives?

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Repetition is a form of change.  -@Oblique_Chirps

What we do in dreams, we also do when we are awake: we invent and fabricate the person with whom we associate – and immediately forget we have done so.  -Frederich Nietzsche 

Does Pavlov’s dogs ring a bell?  -bad joke, good example

I don’t think most people associate me with leeches or hot to get them off.  But I know how to get them off.  I’m an expert at it.  -Nancy Reagan < They will now, Nancy, they will now!

On the other hand, the concept owes its meaning and its justification exclusively to the totality of the sense impressions with which we associate with it.  -Albert Einstein 

An associate producer is the only guy in Hollywood who will associate with a producer.  -Fred Allen  #antistasis  #homonymicpun

If I had to associate myself with one song, it would probably be Let Love Rule. It’s so simple and to the point. It speaks for itself.  -Lenny Kravitz

People just kind of associate me with kicking some ass.  -Yancy Butler  < I know how you feel, Yancy.

Maybe Coffee is in Our Future

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Posted on 12th May 2010 by Jade Handy in Let's Talk About Language |Persuasion

RT @MitchGroup Maybe coffee is in our future

I received this via Twitter after meeting Doug at a networking event.  This immediately caught me eye.

Have you ever played that thinking game where you have to count the number of squares inside a block of squares within squares?  That’s the same magic I discovered behind this request.

Let’s take it word by word.

Maybe.  Probabilities scale says this isn’t likely, but that’s not how it’s being used here.  It’s a softener. A Softener is a word or phrase used to cushion a call to action.  Other softeners often used are “I’m wondering if, “Would it be possible,” “Could you,” as well as numerous others.

Coffee.  Sounds pretty straight forward, but it’s not.  “Coffee” as it’s being used here really is a linguistic symbol for spending some time together getting to know each other better on a platonic level most likely for business.  Thanks for using it this way.  No really.  I touched on this when I wrote Say One Thing Mean Another.

Is.  Not pulling a Clinton on this. Let’s move on shall we?

In our future.  Hey, now that’s rhetorical if I ever saw it.  And, effective persuasion involves some future action, does it not?  Why not put it there? Linguistically, I mean.  Which translates to mentally, anyway.

Side note:  How does a person, like me, get to a point in life where I’m analyzing every word and phrase!?  There has to be a support group for this.

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A girl in a bikini is like having a loaded pistol on your coffee table – There’s nothing wrong with them, but it’s hard to stop thinking about it.  -Garrison Keillor #simile

Coffee is a beverage that puts one to sleep when not drank.  -Alphonse Allais

Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?  -Steven Wright

Eating rice cakes is like chewing on a foam coffee cup, only less filling.  -Dave Barry #paraprosdokian #ruleof3

Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.  -Anne Morrow Lindbergh #paraprosdokian #antapodosis

Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/giara/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Language as a Filter

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Posted on 12th May 2010 by Jade Handy in Let's Talk About Language |Marketing/PR |Persuasion

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RT @copyblogger Why Is Business Writing So Awful?

Click.

Takes me to Inc.com. And, Jason Fried has written an article so good, I had to blog it up.  Normally, I would stick to non-mainstream blogs, but I couldn’t resist.

Depending on how you count them, I was 13 paragraphs in (11 if you don’t count the block quotes) when I found this quote, “The company uses language as a filter.”  This was following, “It’s kind of kidding and kind of not. Some people may be offended, but big deal. Woot [woot.com] isn’t trying to sell to every customer. It’s trying to sell to the customers that can laugh along. Those are the people who understand what Woot is about.”  This was following this block quote from Woot’s FAQ page

No. Well, not really. If you buy something you don’t end up liking or you have what marketing people call “buyer’s remorse,” sell it on eBay. It’s likely you’ll make money doing this and save everyone a hassle.

How many of us are trying to do what Woot isn’t?  Sell everyone, that is.

I know you don’t do this same thing in all areas of your life, or you’d never get anything accomplished.  When you’re talking to strangers, don’t you sometimes talk in a fashion that will weed them out?  Talking down to them, talking over their head, or turning your head to ignore them.  When you’re talking to the opposite sex, aren’t you posing things certain ways in order to reel in your catch?

Comedies are full of victims of unwanted advances exaggerating something about themselves in an attempt to apppear undesirable.  I guess it works both ways.

You probably even do this with your significant other, don’t you.  I do.  She does.  It’s unavoidable.  e.g. “Honey, I’m going to be busy working on that big project tonight.”  You probably know what kind of response this will elicit without having to be explicit.

Top persuaders do something similar in their professional contexts.  “We’re interested in companies that are looking for the next big thing and have the ability to act on it before their competition does.”  Are you going to get “early adopters” or a laggard?

What I like about “language as a filter” is it clarifies by illustrating a more specific example of qualifying your customers.  Most companies are qualifying customers by asking well-targeted questions like “What are you looking for in you next vehicle?” and targeting their first impression through branding efforts.

I especially like how Jason Fried practices what he preaches by using several recognizable rhetorical figures to lighten up the tone of the article.  From the first two rhetorical questions to “What’s bad, boring, and barely read all over?” which is classic alliteration with a touch of color to his rapid fire questions “Who writes this stuff? Worse, who reads it and approves it? What does it say when tens of thousands of companies are saying the same things about themselves?” which amplify his point instead of just saying one of them banaly.

So, with this in mind, what is the language you’re using and what is it saying?

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Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.  -Abraham Lincoln

Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/squintlog/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Call, Don’t Fall

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Posted on 7th May 2010 by Jade Handy in Let's Talk About Language |Marketing/PR |Persuasion |Selling Language |Sports and Athletes

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Couldn’t have framed this moment better. When I first thought about this sign in a hospital room, I thought, “that’s a sign I should blog.” So, I am.
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Now, before you get on me about the sign’s true intention, I’m nitpicking, or this, that or another thing, let me start by saying I realize all of those things. I could have just passed by the sign and passed on the opportunity to pass the lesson on to you, but, that wouldn’t teach you anything (other than #antistasis.)
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When I saw the sign, my mind went immediately to “how could I have made this better?” And, that’s what you’ll have to do if you have this kind of language posted in your room. The way this is written is what I would post in someone’s room that I secretly hated. Why?
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1st of all, the trailing thought is “fall.” Remember what I said in the second paragraph about objecting based on intention. I realize they don’t want me to fall, but that’s not what the sign says to me, let alone someone who’s in a hospital trance and even more receptive to subliminal messages.
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Let’s take this into different contexts for a change. Imagine a salesperson saying to a prospect “buy, don’t leave.” Sales people starve when they communicate this way. Or, a teacher saying “remember, don’t forget.” Students remember, not, this way. Or a police officer saying “freeze, don’t move.” People get shot. I don’t know about you, but I want those messages clean and clear.
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2nd issue is “don’t.” I thought everyone knew the power of positive talk, by now; and that negatives aren’t processed by the unconscious mind, especially when your conscious mind is distracted (like thinking of how your life might change after leaving the hospital.) Your mind makes these subtle connections, even if you don’t.
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Back to the sign. Now, I did have the thoughts “happens all the time with signs” & “probably not indicative of anything.”
You know, those types of justification giving them the benefit of the doubt. But it turns out, it’s the modus operandi of the entire department, or at least the staff I observed first hand.
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Doctors don’t see an immediate cause-effect like salespeople do, or do they. Can you not, using your sensory acuity, pick up on the patient’s response to what you’re saying?
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The staff didn’t impress me with comments like “when you get home, don’t be falling down and be falling down steps” and “you’re going to be prone to dropping stuff, y, and z” (I don’t remember all the specific injury causing actions,) “I just don’t want to see you on the news. I don’t like to see my patients on the news” (side note: that’s a horrible presupposition of their post-discharge history) and believe it or not “I don’t want the next one to be worse.” Not one positive suggestion. Not one.
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The closest was “…so you’re not hung out to dry.” Not very positive, is it?
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Positive suggestions are using, “so you land on your feet,” or even, “so you hit the ground running when you do get back to work,” or “so you come out of this forgetting it ever happened,” or best, “never mind that, you’ll be fine in due time (what never happened?)” or even, “come out of this standing on your on two feet,” or, “get your bearings,” “keep your financial standing,” “maintain your lifestyle,” or anything that keeps patients moving forward and thinking of the future.
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How about just “When You Need Help, Just Call.” Even my 2 year old uses this language structure.
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Which of these would you rather have used on you? Or would you like your patients to enjoy?
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Hell isn’t merely paved with good intentions; it’s walled and roofed with them. Yes, and furnished too. -Aldous Huxley  #reformingcliche
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It has been more wittily than charitably said that hell is paved with good intentions; they have their place in heaven also. -Robert Southey  #reformingcliche
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My hatred is a thousand times more powerful than all your good intentions. -Jim Goad (OK, maybe not that much!)
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Photo Credit: Jade Handy’s cell phone

Just Enough Different

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Posted on 4th May 2010 by Jade Handy in Let's Talk About Language |Marketing/PR |Persuasion |Selling Language

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It’s been said that fortunes are built around products just 10% different than whatever else is out there.  No need to totally reinvent the wheel. 

Sometimes things can be too new.  Who knew?

As far as just 10% different, though, think diesel engines, SUVs, crossovers, and convertables.  Also, bell-bottom, faded, stone-washed and skorts.

Other times, it’s helpful to have something totally new.  Like Presidents!

Car companies try to have their cake and eat it too, with “The All New Such and Such.”  So it’s just enough of what you’re familiar with and just enough different so you notice.  How about “equal to 10% fruit.”  Whatever that is!

Persuasion is all about when to match and when not to match what the person in front of you is displaying.

Hint: match the stuff you want and mismatch the stuff you don’t want. 

You can start with the individual aspects of personality types.  Personality types are great for learning new things to pay attention to, but waaaaaayy overgeneralize.  So, stick with the individual aspects of each until you notice certain patterns emerging for yourself. 

Then, blend these aspects with even more specifics having to do with body language.  Have fun!

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Choosing a name that is easy to distinguish from other words may help the dog learn it more quickly.  -Twitter RT @BeDogSavvy

It’s impossible to differentiate without being at least a little different.  -Jade Handy #sbns

 Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/santifc/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Circus Level Tension

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Posted on 3rd May 2010 by Jade Handy in Persuasion |Relationships

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Starting with the excited anticipation and ending with the last act of walking out. 

Well heck, even before the show started, I found out a very close relative was in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.  I know, sad, right?  Very.  I should have told him to hold off a day as he was making me feel guilty for going to the circus.  But, it was our own fault.  Going to the circus, that is, not putting him in the hospital.  We could have went the day before, had we planned better.  Go figure.

It was the first time, for my wife and I, taking our children to the circus.  You know how when you first walk into something you haven’t walked into before, it’s always a little bit of “oooo” what’s about to happen along with a whole lot of WTF is going on?  People left and right just looking out for themselves.  Seems like total chaos. 

Luckily, there were a bunch of clowns there clowning around and lightening up the mood.  I guess that’s what they do, though.

I have to say, it was interesting noticing the cast being crew, too.  When I was young, I didn’t notice this, of course.  You could tell they weren’t happy about it.  The most pretty of the cast was taking money at the elephant ride.  Clearly she thought this was beneath her as she was just so annoyed by the whole idea of her having to not be just a pretty face. 

Realize that everyone in an organization sells.

The first stunt of the evening was the trapeze.  This had everyone on the edge of their seat.  High flying aerialists tumbling through the air in death-defying tricks that make your heart stop until they grab onto each other “safely,” again, and landing on the platform.

Then came the bears.  Real life bears.  Not wild bears, tamed bears.  But, bears, none the less.  Of course, you’re just waiting for one of them to snap like you see on YouTube and treat it’s trainer like a honey pot.  What ever that means, but it ain’t good, that’s for sure.  On the other hand, how cute and adorable is an eight foot teddy bear walking on it’s hind legs and waddling around like a Weeble Wobble until it sits upright on a bike and rides it around as funny as a clown on a unicycle.

Finally, intermission.  Time for a break from the emotional roller coaster.  Our children ride the elephant, ponies, and do other fun rare picture-perfect stuff memories are made of. 

After that, back to stunt elephants and clown levitatants. 

What’s the pattern here?  Well, believe it or not, there’s a method to this madness they call a circus.  Circus science if you will.  Admission/intermission.  Cast and crew.  Tension - release.  Tension – release, go figure, the circus (and this post) has a theme behind it and it’s not just rhyme or alliteration.  I wasn’t expecting a clown act between every stunt, so that’s how it was so glaringly obvious what they are doing. 

What a roller coaster of emotions.  What a way to keep attention, too. 

Application to sales and business?  Remember Prospect-Demo-Close?  Underpromise/overdeliver?  Challenge, achieve. 

If you’re in the dating game; keeping them guessing by being open to being chased, getting caught, being chased, getting caught.  Hey, that’s the rhythm of life, right?

No pressure, no diamonds.  And, as far as my younger brother in the hospital?  Well, I’m still waiting for release…

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Life is like a roller coaster; you have your ups and downs, unless you fall off.  -Unknown  #ruleof3  #paraprosdokian

I always feel like I’m on a roller coaster, but I never want to get off!  There’s a certain high you’re always on.  -Leonardo DiCaprio

To me, clowns aren’t funny. In fact, they’re kind of scary. I’ve wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad.  -Jack Handey  #paraprosdokian

Time is a circus, always packing up and moving away.  -Ben Hecht  #simile

Every country gets the circus it deserves. Spain gets bullfights. Italy gets the Catholic Church. America gets Hollywood.  -Erica Jong  #ruleof3

Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/dirkscircusimages/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

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