Figmentations

When you attend a multi-day conference, how do you choose “the most important thing you’ve learned?”  How do you even remember everything that’s been covered?

At the very least, choosing one thing is a place to start.  So, setting aside lack of commitment, over-analysis, and debilitating perfectionism, I plan to share with you the most important thing I learned at a recent conference I’ve attended. 

Let me back up a bit by briefly telling you about the conference I’m referring to here. I just attended “Persuasion Mastery Live 2011” with Dave Lakhani (along with other speakers such as: Kevin Kullander, Blaine and Honey Parker, and Rachna Jain).

You may be wondering why I chose to attend a business development course like Persuasion when I don’t even have a business idea in mind yet.  Or, you might also be thinking that Persuasion might be something kind of shady, too.  So, let me clarify.

Topics covered included: Cognitive Biases in Decision-Making; “Story Selling”; The Science of Mindshare; Defining What a Brand is; The Art of the Comeback; and the Sales Process, (along with some Health topics, since our businesses are healthier when we are healthier.)

So, these topics should show that Persuasion is not just about selling, though it is that, too.  The following description should also show that Persuasion is not about doing anything negatively manipulative or unethical either.

To paraphrase:  By understanding persuasion (and people’s cognitive biases), we learn how people are controlling the decisions we make every day.  As an example, we learn that while you can’t force someone to make money (or to be healthy), you can persuade them if you have their individual attention and their best interest at heart.

So, if you are like me and you what to develop a business on the side, see if the following points don’t help in your quest for what to be about: 

What’s your story? What do you love to do and why do you love it? Why does what you love matter to others? How do you want your customer to feel when leaving your business?

Know Your Footprints: What got you to where you are today? Teach the footprints you have walked through. If you don’t like your footprints, change the shoes you are wearing.

Be One Thing: What’s the one thing you want to be known for (that defines you, so you are recognizable, memorable, and relevant)? “Be One Thing,” because your customer can only care about one thing at a time.

Simple is Hard:  Simple thoughts are hard to come by; the process of culling it down and seeing where the essence is takes time to get it right.

Take Action: It takes just as much time to be lazy as it does to start doing something. It’s about consistency of action and planning on making a comeback whenever there is a setback.  Anyone can do this, but most won’t.

(P.S.  Okay, I know I’ve listed more than one important thing here, so please forgive me; maybe consider this short list as one set of things instead.)

Either way, as you can see, “becoming one thing” takes time; it’s a journey, not necessarily a destination. And, as Dave Lakhani is known for saying:   “Implementation is everything. Money follows action.”

What part of your journey can you begin implementing today, even if you don’t have everything fully figured out yet?

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For a list of all posts in this series go to: Finding Purpose (actual links will be posted as each post becomes live.)