It’s high noon. The hot sun beats down on the dusty road that runs through the center of town. It hasn’t rained in months. The crops are wilting and cattle are thirsty. Everyone is feeling pretty testy. And in rides Black Bart, the meanest scoundrel known this side of the Rockies. There is an almost audible gasp as the townspeople take notice of his shiny six-shooters. Legend has it that he’s a crack-shot, and trigger happy to boot. No one is sure what to expect…
When Sally Hogshead talks Trigger-happy, there’s an audible cheer instead of a gasp. And Sally has seven. The Triggers Sally is talking about are in her book Fascinate: 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation. She suggests getting to know these triggers and how they can be applied to build your personal brand and your business.
Sally is a speaker, author, and brand innovation consultant, and she makes it her business to help companies develop messages that persuade and captivate. She offers this free short survey on her website to help you find your naturally strong points and even your least powerful trait. Of course, I took it right away. According to Sally, I’m intriguing, ambitious and aspiring, and definitely not boring. Hey—that was pretty easy to hear!
Identifying the seven triggers as Power, Passion, Mystique, Prestige, Alarm, Vice and Trust, Sally discusses each of these and gives examples of each in corporate business and branding today. Guiding you through each of these triggers, she helps you learn to implement each of these traits in your work, in innovative ways to promote your own personal brand. Speaking at the OTA conference (a meeting of the minds from the OTA states: Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota) Sally gave these states ammunition on how to use these triggers to promote positive results.
Sally’s 7 triggers to persuasion and captivation on YouTube:
- Power – position of authority, have a strong opinion
- Passion – communicate excitement; tease and flirt.
- Mystique – spark curiosity; build mythology
- Prestige – set a new standard; develop emblems
- Alarm – use distress for positive action
- Vice – fresh, counterintuitive
- Trust – be authentic; hardest to earn
Learning how to develop each of these triggers will help you to grow your virtual company and your personal brand faster than you can have a show-down with Black Bart. Load your weapons and pull those triggers!
