You Can't Change Customers

Where did the Muppets go wrong?

If you saw the Muppets' latest TV outing, chances are pretty good that you were repelled. Aside from trying to turn the characters that we grew up with and loved into something that they're not - tabloid-worthy - the show failed because it tried to change us. We don't want to think of Kermit and Miss Piggy as sleazy paparazzi-bait. We want to forever believe that they represent what we really hope we are.

Buried deep in all of us is a hard-wired monkey brain that hates change. When asked what we believe and polled about what we want, we routinely lie. Our response to gun violence is a perfect example: If as many of us were against mass shootings as the polls suggest, there would already be universal background checks.

It's not what we say that matters - it's what we do.

Rod Serling understood that; the Twilight Zone was nothing if not a textbook of human behavior. All of the best storytellers have an innate grasp of what we are - Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Winston Churchill, and even Donald Trump. They lead not by trying to steer us in a certain direction, but by finding out where we want to go and pointing the way.

Any venture that contains the words "We'll get them to..." fails. The secret to selling anything, whether it's a product, an idea, a service, or a persona, is to find out where your Customers are already going and beat them there.

Do anything else, and you'll wind up alone in a cul-de-sac.

Story

What do you know about the history of Apple? That it was founded by 2 nerds in a garage? That they stood up to corporate behemoths like IBM and kicked their butt? That Apple prospered by giving people well-designed, cutting edge products? That their products reflect what people want?

Great story.

What you may or may not have heard is that, before Apple was even formed, Steve Jobs cheated Steve Wozniak out of money. Or that Wozniak was content to hang out with Apple's user groups and refine their existing computers rather than work on the Mac. Or that Jobs didn't bathe. Or that Apple has had just as many failures as successes. Or that they have a long history of treating their Customers like crap.

Because of social media, you don't have control over your message any more. It can be argued that you never did - that basic fact is just more visible now. But because of that, it is vital that you deliver content that resonates, so that your Customers become advocates. Because there's nothing people like better than a good story.

Did your company actually start in a garage? Great! Do you have photos of those days? Put'em on your press page. Got some funny anecdotes? Get those puppies out there. Remember your first big win against a bigger competitor? Tell it. What do you believe in your heart of hearts? Strip out all of the marketing-speak and say it as simply as possible.

Become a storyteller.

A great story is the difference between Apple and IBM. Do you know IBM's story? Of course not - nobody does! (And if you do, you need to get out more. Life awaits.)  But you might know Ben & Jerry's story, or Thomas Edison's, or Alexander Graham Bell's.

Granted, large parts of those stories aren't true, and there are bad sides to every tale, but that's not what people remember - give them the right ingredients, and they will believe. (Disney knows this to its bones; their whole business model is about telling this story over and over again. Only the names and costumes change.) I'm not saying lie - if you do, in this day and age, you will absolutely be found out. I'm saying deliver the ingredients that make your story sticky, so that people want to tell it:

1. Was your founder a maverick? People like underdogs. Even better if you had 2 founders who are/were pals.
2. Did your founder come up with a brilliant and original idea that was just common sense applied to a market need? The trend may be against intellectuals, but common sense sells.
3. Did your company go up against a bigger, more powerful rival and win? We all love a good fight - especially if it's long and involves hard work and sacrifice.
4. Do you employ a lot of people? If you treat your employees well, say so. People like to think of the companies that they like as big, benevolent families. If that's what your organization is, people will love you for it.

The basics don't change, of course - you still have to deliver great and timely service and communicate perfectly - but story builds goodwill, and belief can often buy you the benefit of the doubt (even if your grammar is poor).

Tell your tale. Keep it simple. Keep it concise. Keep it clear.