Steve Neiderhauser

Entertainment in business

We are entering the most enlightened era in human history. Medical science is finally accepting that nature made all the locks and nature holds all the keys.

-- Dr Michael Colgan

Think back to the last time a vendor tried to sell you something -- a software product, an ERP solution, or perhaps, professional services. If the salesperson was thorough, she may have used a concept called demonstrated ROI -- invest $100 in my product and in six months you'll get back $250.

Who could resist?

Of course, most of us do resist because we know there's usually an equal amount of change and pain associated with this money-making proposition. What's a salesperson to do?

She could turn to nature and story. Author James Bonnet explains how story guides us to our full potential:

The strategy that the creative unconscious uses to lure us is the same ingenious strategy nature always uses when it teaches. It covers its medicine with a sugar coat… The sugar coat in story is, of course, the entertainment dimension.

You can see this strategy very clearly in children's games… Games are fun to play and that's why children love to experience them, but they have an important and secret underlying purpose -- to exercise the physical body, develop social skills, etc.

Even if your main goal is to solve problems, by adding an entertainment dimension you'll help customers achieve greater results -- and create more business for yourself. Remember, nature also made the human mind and holds all the keys to unlocking it.

What marketing can learn from story

In 1996, I worked for a large telecom company in Dallas. I still remember one project: Our software team was given a budget and asked to create a critical financial system for the CFO.

And yet, my boss had decided to use half of the budget to fund other projects. Probably not the swiftest move when the main stakeholder is the CFO. After seeing a flood of charges hit his project the CFO demanded a demo of the unseen software.

Fortunately, the software team had better moves than our boss -- the software was rolled into the conference room, ready for review. When the CFO arrived, he slammed some papers, pointed his finger, and raised his voice. He fired a volley of questions at us without a space to answer -- So on with the presentation.

As the software demo started, the CFO settled in and focused on the benefits. The application did a number of things that made his life easier. Toward the end, we surrendered the mouse to the CFO. He clicked on two buttons, and then selected a menu option we had passed over -- the “About” menu.

A panel with a white background appeared and a 36-point-bold-Arial letter glided from the top of the panel to the bottom. After coming to rest, another letter would start its descent. When all the letters had dropped, the CFO's department name was in full view. And then the company logo began to appear -- at first transparent; within seconds completely visible.

A slight smile was visible on the CFO's face. He got up to leave, but stopped and said, “I want to see this app running in my department by Monday morning.”

What's the point of this story?

Well… there are several and that's the beauty of story. By telling a story, I've given up control and am willing to let the story connect with you in ways you find meaningful.

Just for a moment, let me do the one thing you should never do after you tell a story or give a demo: explain why it works.

During the demo, we didn't look directly at the audience and say, “This is great software.” And we let the CFO connect the dots so he would discover the benefits. Then we encouraged the CFO to touch the model so he would learn through experience.

It's not what you say that's important, it's what you don't say -- in demos and stories -- that moves your audience. Allow the action of the demo to carry the hidden message to your audience.

This is what author James Bonnet calls hidden wisdom:

In a great story, the wisdom is never obvious. It is hidden for later discovery. If the wisdom in a story is too obvious, it becomes a moral tale or, worse yet, a story with a message, which is something for the intellect and not the heart.

So how do you deliver story to the heart?

In great stories, the lesson is revealed by the main bit of wisdom the action contains. Each great story acts out an important general truth that can be applied to many different situations. The actions of the story demonstrate that wisdom.

What allows us to appreciate music? It's the spaces between the notes; without the spaces there would be only noise. Likewise, it's the spaces -- or resting places -- for the hidden wisdom that makes story and marketing meaningful.

In a Church of the Customer podcast, Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba talk about Izze Beverage Company and how they use stealth marketing.

When most companies sponsor an event and hand out free samples, they'll plastered their name on banners and signs everywhere. Not so with Izze. No banners. No signs of Izze. Instead, Izze leaves a space and hopes that people will discover their product. Jackie explains:

Smart marketers like Izze are learning... that the more people discover stuff on their own, that's the word of mouth that will cause people to tell other people.

And people will tell other people about great stories or pleasing products. Because when the delight of learning happens, a chemical is released in your mind that sears the experience into your memory and gives you that jazzed feeling -- where all the notes have meaning. The feeling that you need to tell somebody about what you just discovered.

Hint: Want to do the impossible and make change happen within your company? Set the stage so a key executive stumbles onto one of your demos, and allow her to uncover the hidden wisdom. You'll know that you have crafted a true story when you hear something like this, "Don't you realize what this means to our company? How much faster we can work? How much money we'll save?"

A Baker's Dozen

In a recent presentation, Tom Peters gives us his baker's dozen. Number 10 caught my eye:

10. Out "O.O.D.A." the bastids!

And later in the deck:

He who has the quickest O.O.D.A loops wins.

Observe. Orient. Decide. Act.
Col. John Boyd, USAF

The Strategy of the Fighter Pilot, a Fast Company article, describes the OODA loop.

Observation; orientation; decision; action. On the face of it, Boyd's loop is a simple reckoning of how human beings make tactical decisions. But it's also an elegant framework for creating competitive advantage.

Blue-Sky Rules for MBAs

Daniel Pink points to a Business Week article that explains how some universities are integrating business and design.

And thanks to Diane Jacobsen for sharing this Fast Company article -- The Business of Design.

Design-Influenced companies understand their customers at a profound level and mobilize around that insight.

Is design school the new MBA?

In A Whole New Mind, author Daniel Pink writes that it's now more difficult to get into UCLA's fine arts graduate school than it is to get into Harvard's MBA program.

Here's why.

A master of fine arts, an MFA, is now one of the hottest credentials in a world where even General Motors is in the art business…

Because of abundance, businesses are realizing that the only way to differentiate their goods and services in today's overstocked market place is to make their offerings physically beautiful and emotionally compelling.

So what skills are needed to thrive in a world of abundance? Daniel introduces six high-concept senses to complement our analytical minds. Two of those senses follow:

1. Not just argument but also Story.

It's not enough to marshal an effective argument. Someone somewhere will inevitably track down a counterpoint to rebut your point. The essence of persuasion, communication, and self-understanding has become the ability also to fashion a compelling narrative.

2. Not just focus but also Symphony.

What's in greatest demand today isn't analysis but synthesis -- seeing the big picture and, crossing boundaries, being able to combine disparate pieces into an arresting new whole.

You may have noticed that some MBA schools have started programs that help graduates navigate uncertainty and see the big picture -- these programs blend business and technology.

Dr. Hasan Pirkul, dean of the School of Management at UTD, said in an interview that graduates of UTD's new MBA program, which combines business and technology classes, are a business dream come true.

And it's true…

With Dr. Pirkul's approach, project managers are transformed into project leaders.

Now, consider those MFA students. If I were allowed to tweak their curriculum, I'd add three or four marketing classes. What's the goal of these additional classes?

• To eliminate corporate lines of communication.
• To break down information silos.
• To help students synthesize marketing and design concepts.

Yes, this does sound like a lot of work. But we can make sense of this extra work through story. In story, the hero makes a personal sacrifice, and people appear who are willing to help and follow the hero.

Without the benefits of marketing classes, some artists who have joined a business may wish they could paint a 3D portrait of Excalibur, and draw upon it to cut the knot of management.

On the other hand, the heroes who have studied design and marketing wield a two-edged sword -- and the ability to create proof. These ambidextrous thinkers can break down silos of information and synthesize the information into coherent action. To the point where they make things happen in an organization that no one else can.

To sharpen your mind, Daniel does more than lecture you about the benefits of right-brain exercise. No, he also provides a list of resources and techniques to heighten your conceptual senses.

Although, I would add one more resource: James Bonnet's storymaking seminar should also be on your list because this seminar gives you the tools to create meaningful stories.