Tom Asacker

On passion and compassion

"All humanity is passion, without passion, religion, history, novels, art would be ineffectual. - Honore de Balzac

"The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all a part of one another." - Thomas Merton

I believe that I may have discovered the answer to a marketing question that I’ve been pondering for a long, long time. And I found it, of all places, at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Here's how it transpired.

I gave a speech in Cleveland to a large financial services company and had a little over an hour to kill before my flight home, so I ventured down to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. It was a fateful trip.

As I wandered the floors watching video clips of greats like Chuck Berry, James Brown, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, etc. and experiencing the stage clothes of the Stones, ZZ Top, Al Green, The Supremes, Rage Against the Machine, Lenny Kravitz, Destiny’s Child, and on and on, something hit me like a ton of saxophones.

I have always wondered which attribute was more important to success in business: passion or compassion? I’ve gone back and forth on this one for years. But I’m finally done flip-flopping. Here is what I discovered from the emotion-filled, twisted faces and colorful outfits of the early blues shouters through the most current teen idols: passion sells! Passion not only sells, it creates! It busts paradigms; it inspires; it attracts; it stirs; it rejuvenates.

Does that mean that passion wins out in my intellectual sparing match? Not at all. What I’ve finally realized is that passion and compassion are simply opposite sides of a successful business coin. It works like this: when communicating one-to-many, passion rules! When communicating one-to-one, compassion rules!

This rule applies to everything from advertising, selling, PR, speeches, customer service, employee communication, negotiation, etc. Think about it. And then let me know what you think. And by all means . . . stay passionate!

Konrad von Gesner on thanksgiving

"Best of all is it to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and for every breath a song"

Amen. And here's a link to an oldy, but goody. Click here.

Peace my friends. I'll see you on the blogosphere next week.

Holiday inspiration from Forbes.com

The World’s Worst Disease by Rich Karlgaard

It is not AIDS or Avian Flu.

It is a monstrously flawed idea.

The sickest thinking and the source of human misery throughout the ages is based on a belief that:

1. The earth is running out of resources
2. People consume more than they contribute
3. Wealth is a zero sum distribution game

History overwhelmingly refutes these ideas, or else humankind would still be living in caves, sharpening its spears for the hunt. Our lives would be brutal and short, lasting on average about 30 years. We’d enjoy no books, movies or iPods; we’d drive no cars to visit grandma on Thanksgiving; we’d enjoy no pumpkin pie if the economic pie had not been growing all along.

Yet most politicians, economists and journalists act is if growth is a mirage and wealth is zero sum. What else accounts for today’s headlines screaming GM’s cut of 30,000 jobs? Does the creation of 30,000 jobs get equal treatment? Why not? That’s about how many jobs are born every week in the United States.

What causes some to take the zero-sum view?

Politicians, even the best and brightest, I think, become zero-sum thinkers over time because they occupy a zero-sum world. Only one person can be U.S. president. Only 50 can be governors. Only 100 can be Senators. The most creative entrepreneur in the world can’t change these facts. Politicians live in a world where one person’s gain is another’s loss.

Journalists at MSM organizations also live in a zero-sum world. There can be only one evening TV anchor, one top editor at a newspaper or magazine, a fixed number of columnists on the op-ed page . . . and thus the MSM puts out alarming stories about GM job cuts, trade and fiscal deficits, global warming, oil going to $100 a barrel and so on. Why does the MSM love environmentalists? Both share a zero-sum view of the world.

Meanwhile, the most energetic, original and positive writing has been migrating to the Web and to blogs. No surprise here. Anybody who creates a blog is: (a) an entrepreneur and thus probably NOT a zero-sum thinker; (b) a producer first and a consumer second. These two attributes alone guarantee that the blogger probably has a more accurate view of the world, and how it really works, than does the zero-sum thinker toiling away at his MSM position.

Economists and professors compete for a limited number of tenured university spots. This warps their view toward zero-sum thinking. It is no surprise that the top business mind of the last 50 years – Peter Drucker – by and large operated outside of the university system. Drucker, who escaped Germany in 1937, was no Pollyanna or stranger to evil. But he saw that evil had its roots in a belief system of limits; in the Nazi’s case, a belief that there was room on the planet for one ideology and race.

As we approach Thanksgiving, let us give thanks to our divinely created bountiful world . . . and to ordinary people, who by their daily optimism and creative actions, add to the world’s abundance.

Napoleon Hill on one's feelings

"One must marry one's feelings to one's beliefs and ideas. That is probably the only way to achieve a measure of harmony in one's life."

Here's a question I received (via email from a third party) after one of my most recent speaking engagements:

"I find a lot of truth in the power of connecting with people feelings, however I wonder how this is applicable in B2B marketing where you don't talk directly to end-consumers. I guess the principles are the same but have you tried talking about feelings with a senior buyer?"

I've heard this question enough times that I believe it requires a considered response. So here goes.  I think people may be confusing connecting with people's feelings with being touchy-feely and nice. And although I like nice people, being nice is a terrible marketing strategy (despite books like The Likeability Factor, Love is the Killer App, et al.).

Do you think the most likeable people are sitting at the top of the corporate food chain? The most likeable companies at the top of the S&P? How 'bout successful entrepreneurs? Are they, in general, an emotionally tuned-in group? Not from what I've observed. But what they do have is a knack for understanding and appealing to other people's feelings?

Feelings are not the same thing as emotions. Feelings are a kind of value judgment. People are exposed to something and they develop a feeling of "like" or "dislike." Feelings evaluate. It's a cognitive process, albeit rapid and subconscious in many cases.  And when I say "like" or "dislike," I am not referring to your company, your sales people, your ads, logos, colors or anything else that defines you.

What people are developing a like or dislike for - what they're evaluating - is how and what you offer makes - or will make - them feel about themselves and their decisions. And that's what makes B-to-B marketing so challenging. For unlike B-to-C and C-to-C (e.g. EBay), B-to-B decisions typically involve a chain of "customers" who are directly or indirectly involved in the purchase decision. The person who "pays" for the product or service may differ from the one who implements it. And the person who actually uses it may also be a different person.

These people frequently have very different feelings about the value of your offering. The purchasing agent may desire a feeling of being an innovator or tough negotiator. Someone who is doing the company right by discovering a new and superior offering, or by getting the best deal possible. The person responsible for implementation may desire a feeling of competence. The person using it may desire efficacy. The person cleaning it ease and efficiency.

So if you're a B-to-B marketer, you must visualize your product or service on all levels of its functionality and recognize the feelings of each "customer" in the chain. Identify the relevant people, and create scenarios to gain insights into their feelings for your marketplace offering. And then proactively design your product or service and your communications to provide a compellingly high experience for all involved (note: expected experience = feelings).

I hope that clears things up, even if only a little.

Sign on cubicle wall

"What we're doing today is important because we're paying for it with a day of our life. Make it worthwhile, because the price is high."

Amen to that!

Bertrand Russell on public opinion

"One should as a rule respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny, and is likely to interfere with happiness in all kinds of ways."

This has got to be the most difficult mind game an entrepreneur must play. On the one hand, you must follow your well-honed instincts. On the other hand, you must respect public opinion, in so far as it is required to remain solvent. But I've noticed lately that rather than create a brand that some people absolutely love, most people are trying to create brands that nobody hates. Big mistake!

Awhile back a friend was bemoaning the less than stellar rating he had received from an attendee at one of his seminars. One a scale of 1 - 5, he had received a lowly 1.

"What's so bad about that?" I asked.
"It was a damn 1!" he replied. "That sucks."
"No it doesn't," I assured him. "What sucks is receiving a whole bunch of 3's."

Today, you want to be either loved or hated. A "5" or a "1." You must discover who YOUR audience truly is and be a protagonist for something which THEY believe in and feel passionately about. And as far as the rest . . . kindly thank them for their opinions and then ignore them. As Bill Cosby once opined: "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."

Antoine de Saint-Exupery on love

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction."

I'm often reluctant to use the word "love" in the same breath as commerce. But in this case, Saint-Exupery's insight is perfect for today's sales and marketing professionals. Your job is no longer to sell stuff and close deals by watching intently for subtle shifts in your clients' behavior. Rather, it's to open up new worlds and new possibilities to them.

Forget your agenda! Give up your need to control and start looking together towards the horizon . . . towards a creative and mutually rewarding, long-term relationship.

Peter Drucker on communication

"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said."

About seven years ago I was contacted by the Peter F. Drucker Foundation inquiring if I would consult with his wife on bringing a new product to market. Me? Consult with Peter Drucker's wife? Wow! I asked the guy on the phone why Mr. Drucker wasn't helping her. He replied that Mr. Drucker doesn't do this stuff, he simply writes about it.

I loved that brutally honest statement. And that's why I loved Drucker. He was a smart, honest and humble guru (despite the fact that he hated being called one). I don't know about you, but I rarely run into people like him in today's business world of pseudo celebrities and raging egos. I'll miss Mr. Drucker.

For a limited time, McKinsey is offering articles inspired by Drucker from the McKinsey Quarterly archive about knowledge workers and how companies can maximize the benefits from their in-house knowledge. Normally reserved for premium members, these articles are available to all site members until November 21. Do yourself a favor and sign up and read them (free this week only):

• Best practice and beyond: Knowledge strategies 1998 Number 1
• Managing the knowledge manager 2001 Number 3
• Do you know who your experts are? 2003 Number 4
• Making a market in knowledge 2004 Number 3
• The 21st-century organization 2005 Number 3

If you're interested in hearing the man himself, click here.

Mike Myers on Canada

"Canada is the essence of not being. Not English, not American. It is the mathematic of not being. And a subtle flavour - we're more like celery as a flavour."

I'm presently in Canada giving a presentation. I love it here. And I love the people. For kicks, I thought I'd link to this promotion for the NBA featuring Ali G and the great Canadian basketball star, Steve Nash. Check it out: click here.

Eugene Ionesco on ideologies

"Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together."

What comes first in your business: ideology or information? This is a tough one (or perhaps not). Your company culture and unique industry outlook are part of your collective consciousness. So what happens when information about your customers' desires conflict with your ideology? Or worse, when your customers' desires conflict with their own well-being?

Here are a few examples:

1. Marketing "experts" advise us to treat customers with respect by asking them for permission to communicate with them, and then by not repeating, repeating, repeating with indistinguishable direct mail, email and phone calls. Instead we should make the product, service or event remarkable and they'll simply beat a path to our doors (or websites). But take a look around . . . at reality. Marketers continue to ignore that sage advice, because the information tells them otherwise. It tells them that if they ignore that little bit of marketing ideology, they can make their "numbers"  and . . . get this . . . customers will even come back for more.
2. The same "experts" advise marketers to do what's in the best interest of potential customers. For example, restaurants should develop and market healthy meals. The only problem with that ideology is that customers don't want healthy meals. They simply think that they do. That's why marketers promote chicken on salads for lunch (Wendy's Homestyle Chicken Strips Salad, eaten with one pack of ranch dressing, contains a whopping 670 calories and 45 grams of fat. More than any burger on the menu). Or they simple say "b.s." and create the Enormous Omelet Sandwich, which features three bacon strips, a sausage patty, two eggs, two slices of cheese, and 730 calories!
3. This is my personal favorite (because I'm enmeshed in it). Marketing experts continue to advise getting rid of the hype and, instead, providing more depth. For example, if you're running a business event or meeting, give people content. That's what they want: content and connections, which will help them improve their businesses and their lives. But the information says otherwise. That's why the highest fees go to the biggest celebrities, and not to the most insightful presenters. Don't believe me? Look it up. Halley Berry receives $100 -$500k for corporate appearances. Wal-Mart paid her six figures to appear at its 2004 shareholders meeting. Trying to get paid attendees to your next event? Who do you think will draw more people, the Desperate Housewives or Peter Senge? Be honest.
4. And last, but not least, this sage piece of advise: tell the truth. Be authentic. It makes the best business sense. So riddle me this? Why has Kevin Trudeau's book of lies, Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know, sold nearly 6 million copies at $29.95 each? This from a guy who spent two years in prison for credit card fraud, and who recently settled a false advertising charge with the FTC for $2 million and is permanently banned from using infomercials to sell his products.

So what's my point? Am I advising you to dump ideology in favor of information? Never! Selling out will suck the passion from your veins. I'm simply asking a question. If we want corporate marketers to change their ideologies (and thus their approach to us as customers), doesn't the responsibility ultimately fall on us? As long as we help them achieve their goals (by responding to their offerings), shouldn't they continue on their ROI ways; especially in this age of relentless pressure on the bottom line? How about it? And you experts? Why should marketers listen to you, if they get better results by not listening to you? I look forward to your insights. And please . . . try to be a tiny bit pragmatic.