Guy Kawasakis 5-Step Guide to Becoming an Enchanting Authority
You might have already bought it.
Maybe you loved it. Maybe you hated it. Maybe you listened to the great Copyblogger radio show about it.
What is it? Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. Its Guy Kawasakis most recent book, and it was a smash hit.
But this post is not about that book. Sorry, Guy.
Instead, this is a post about the myriad triggers that lead readers to pick up a copy of Enchantment and about the strategies Guy Kawasaki has used to make himself one of the most likable authorities around.
This is a post about how you can make a little bit of that Kawasaki magic work for you and it all starts with creating a stamp of approval.
Why you need a stamp of approval
Guy Kawasakis ventures carry a stamp of approval that catapults his books to bestseller lists before theyre even released.
Get your hands on that magic stamp, and you can catapult your own work your blog, your product or service, your business to heights youve never seen before.
Im not going to lie to you. This takes time. Guys first books didnt jump to #77 on Amazon.com pre-sale like his latest did, and neither will your book, blog, or business.
Theres no magic formula, but there is a formula. Its up to you to make the results magical.
Lets break it down now.
Guys (unofficial) 5 steps to gaining your own stamp of approval from readers and customers:
1. Validation
One of the quickest ways to gain an audience is to tell them what they want to hear, how they want to hear it but all in a fresh way.
Believe it or not, this is the quick! est step to master, because theres only one person who can put your spin on whatever you do, and thats you.
For the most part, readers are not looking for Earth-shattering new facts or stunningly profound insights. They want answers they can jump on-board with easily, answers that already make sense to them.
They want bite-sized thoughts, and they want you to dig deeper only occasionally. They want to absorb your ideas right away, and only take the full PhD when they feel like it.
[Guy's] exuberant writing is addictive because he makes us feel good about ourselves, and inspires us to follow his method to guide others whether in business, online, or every day to think the same way about us.
~ Suzette Valle, Mamarazzi Knows Best
2. Prognostication
People have always looked for fortune-tellers, and they always will.
Sometimes youll get it wrong (though I have still got a lion in my pocket). People generally forget those times, thank goodness. Sometimes youll get it right. Sometimes you might even help to create the future in the way youve predicted it.
Just ask Seth. Or Brian. Or Darren.
Why should you tell readers and buyers about a future they may be scared to face head-on?
Because in being the one wholl stare far ahead, you gain a reputation as a leader. Because in sticking your neck out, you teach others to view the world just as boldly as you.
Because when you jump to the stage and announce that you see things in a new way, you get your best chance to sweep others up in your vision.
Who knows, you might even ch ange the world.
Insight Connecting the dots many people understand A, and even B, and can talk about A & B all night long, but they cant see that there is a new entity, C, that was a result of A+B Understanding how constant change will manifest itself is a gift.
~ Mark Lovett, Global Patriot
3. Social proof
If youre looking for a stamp of approval that your readers and customers will buy (and keep on buying), then look no further than social proof.
The traditional definition of social proof is a bit narrow. If lots of other people like you and say so, more people will start to like you, and buy from you, or read your work.
I like you because other people like you.
Thats certainly true for Guy Kawasaki. Hes become a bestseller, and his blog posts, Tweets, and books are read by tens of thousands of people, who tell tens of thousands more. Its a beautiful word-of-mouth cycle.
But theres more to social proof than big numbers.
Today we buy Guy because thousands of other people buy Guy. But before there were thousands, there was Steve.
Steve Jobs bought Guy he made him Chief Evangelist for Apple back when Apple was more of a geek dream than the mega-business anti-hero that it is today.
(Okay, Apples still a geek dream.)
People first got caught up in Guys enthusiasm because a smart dude at a little company believed in him, and then that little company took off.
You may or may not have that kind of luck, but youll never know unless you find some little companies (or bloggers, authors, or speakers) who believe in you right now.
Start showcasing the people who like you, even if its one at a time. Dont wait until there are thousands who drool at your feet.
The beauty of ! having t housands of fans is that they create a second wave of social pressure fans dont want to be left behind by not knowing about Guys latest. Fans do want to hang with the fun people, to belong to the group whos read it and put it to use and can quote their favorite lines.
If youre old enough to remember when only those cool new sneakers called Nikes would do in junior high, then you know the feeling well.
Maybe you havent invented a rockin new type of sport shoe, but you can still invoke this feeling.
Uncover whats cool about buying from you and emphasize it. Before there are thousands, imagine who theyll be, and then draw them to your in-crowd just like Guy in 1983, when Nikes were everywhere, but Apples were only a fruit you bit into.
Be your own Chief Evangelist.
As a past Mac-head I learned to love this Apple Chief Evangelist way, way back like 20+ years ago and Ive followed his career mostly because anyone that Jobs hired, had to be good!
~ Jim Rudnick, Canuck SEO
4. Past performance
Past performance is related to social proof, but takes your work a step further.
Social proof is other people convincing new folks to give you a try. But past performance a demonstrated history of showing up and being remarkable over time clinches the deal.
Past performance helps people convince themselves because despite what those financial disclaimers say, past performance very often is an indicator of future worth.
In other words, if youve done good work before, youre probably going to do good work going forward. Crowing (humbly) about your past removes risk from your potential new customers mind.
Now theres no doubt about it, consistency over time is going to take time. There is no sneaky way around that. Guy began the part of his career that we usually hear about at Apple. He moved o! n to bec ome an entrepreneur, a successful venture capitalist, an in-demand speaker, and the author of ten books.
If Guy wants to convince us that were taking very little risk in buying a copy of Enchantment, he can point to that long history. Hes not some random dude, hes a known quantity.
His successes in guiding others convince us that hell provide great guidance once again with this book. When he writes about the many businesses hes helped to launch, fund, or grow, its legit for him to refer to his Golden Touch.
We buy the past performance, we buy the man with the Golden Touch, we rush to order the book.
As you develop your history, go ahead and crow about it. Theres an old saying that every success guarantees the next.
Write about your successes, and your audience will look for a little of that success to rub off on them.
Guy has been on the front line Real knowledge comes from doing it, owning it, admitting failure, and being able to express it in human terms.~ Mark Lovett
5. Personality
You could say I saved the best for last after all, youve got one, Ive got one, and Guys got one.
A personality. No sweat, right?
For some folks, thats true. Some people have no problem writing, speaking, and selling with plenty of authentic verve and personality. But for many, letting that unique personality out in a natural way will be a project that will take them months or years.
And this is where Guy Kawasaki shines.
Of all the things people have mentioned about Guy, this was #1. If there were magic that I could bottle up for you, Id be offering Kawasaki-Personality-by-the-Ounce.
Its not magic, though. Its comfort in his own skin. Its an incredibly positive outlook (though Johnny Truant might say that a signature bite of strategic crankiness can work as well).
Its dri! ve and a sense of humor.
Its being you. You, out loud. Simple, and difficult, as that.
Let people gravitate toward you. Let people hate you. Let people believe in you, argue with you, fall for you, grind their teeth when they hear about you. Be outspoken. Be a connector.
Word spreads fast about people with that kind of confidence, because we want to be near it and we all want to have it ourselves.
The biggest reason I think we buy Guy is because hes an approachable authority. Lots of people are authorities in their niche, but it takes a special blend of authority, authenticity, and personality to be one of the guys without sacrificing your authority. I believe Guy has accomplished this. Hes clearly an authority on his topic, yet is still willing to engage with his audience, respond to e-mails, and build relationships.
~ Logan Zanelli
One more note on personality dont discount the smile.
Smile, and the world tries to give you a smile in return. Its one more reason for your audience to stay glued to you!
Can this stuff really work for you?
Maybe Guys story seems a bit larger-than-life. Would you like to be able to see down the road and imagine your own results in a shorter time frame?
Well, once upon a time I started a little business. Helped out a few small businesspeople like yourself. Then, I wrote a blog about the work I do with your business and others for 3 and a half years.
I made close friends and warm acquaintances among writers, colleagues, and clients. I reached out, I tried to surprise people, I had fun with it. And I kept it kind of low-key, because that suits me best.
Then one day I had a hankering to write a little post and when I got halfway through, I knew it was a gift for you. I asked my friend ! Sonia wh at she thought, and she liked the idea.
I asked all sorts of folks I know, who know Guy and have written about Enchantment, if theyd offer a few words or a sentence on my quickie interview. I asked some folks I dont know, too, and I hoped that Id built up enough of a reputation over time that they might volunteer some great ideas.
They overwhelmed me with their amazing insights (thanks, everyone!), and today I get to give some tips on getting a little of Guy Kawasakis magic.
Sure theres magic in his personality, but each of us has a little of our own magic.
~ BL Ochman
This post isnt really about Guy Kawasaki, or about Enchantment. Its about you about the step youre going to take today to create the stamp of approval needed so people will buy you.
So which step appeals to you to start with? Let us know in the comments.
About the Author: Kelly Erickson is your intrepid Experience Designer, providing website audits, user testing, strategic planning and writing, and complete Experience revamps. She is also the author of the Maximum Customer Experience blog, one of the webs longest-running sources for Customer Experience tips and tricks.
Take WordPress Further
The Genesis Framework from our StudioPress division empowers you to quickly and easily build incredible websites with WordPress.
With search-optimized code and functions, 37 turn-key designs, and unlimited support, updates, and websites you can build, Mashable calls Genesis the best of the best among premium WordPress theme frameworks. Its no wonder ov! er
Whether youre a novice or advanced developer, Genesis provides the secure and search-engine-optimized foundation that takes WordPress places you never thought it could go.
Find out more about StudioPress here.
Comments