Rain- Thats been the prevailing climate here in New York for what feels like aan eternity! Since when did Seattle and New York have a swap that I wasn’t made aware of ?
As rain was the main topic of discussion for the majority of us Northeasterners the beginning of the Summer, it brings to mind a seminar on Branding I learned from Dr. Benjamin Mack which co-incidentally he entitled How to Be a Rainmaker.
Over the next few articles or so I will attempt to cover some of the major points of this lecture which was comprised of three primary sections: 1) Making lightning Strike, 2) How to keep the lightning striking and 3) Bottling your lightning.
For those of you not acquainted Dr. Ben Mack, he is among the foremost powers that be on Branding today in the United States. He has held positions at over 14 diverse Ad agencies over his memorable career and was a Vice President for Brand strategy for a major corporation.
In essence what that meant was he was a head strategist in charge of a ” Billion dollar account (yes, I said ” BILLION or 500 Million dollar account!). Do you think he knows what he is talking about? I certainly do, and not only has he worked magic for the corporations he worked for, he is also a Professional Magician who at age 19 was the youngest recepient of the Award of Merit given by the Academy of Magical Arts.
Do you know what a Rainmaker is? Do you want to become one? A rainmaker aside from the apparent implication of a indian shaman who using magic makes it rain, is an individual with the uncanny ability to be a magnet for customers, exploit (in a good way) political connections, and bottom line, make the business a great deal of money. However, when it rains the lightning isnt too far away! We will get more into that in a bit.
As a marketer your essential obligation is to “up sell” people on their experience or understanding of reality. In Bens book “Think Two Products Ahead” he discusses how effective branding really only happens only when people think two products ahead rather than just thinking here and now and to build a successful relationship with your clients or customers through your Brand. The section where Ben teaches how to construct your Legend Platform is worth much more than the price of the book itself!
A Brand (your brand, a Brand called YOU) is built through the use of Legends or communication that is time and time again. These tales can and should be allowed to challenge each other and shall grow with age. So, if you have to pick a story that you generate for your business to help grow your business (after all you are reading articles like this to help you become more profitable in your business arent you?) why not pick the type that grows stronger with age and you will indeed become “Legendary”.
Stay tuned for the next part in the series of articles covering Dr. Bens How to Become a Rainmaker.
