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Hello again my friend,
Yesterday we talked about cults.
More specifically we discussed how rites and rituals play a significant roll in building our following and positioning YOU as the authority figure in your niche.
Today I want to expand on this idea by giving you some additional ways you can employ rites and rituals into your business.
One idea is to just get them to do something they wouldn’t ever do on their own. Preferably something that makes them uncomfortable and builds their self-confidence.
For example, Tony Robbins has his fire walk. If you’re not familiar the fire walk is an exercise of mental strength and confidence where followers literally walk across hot coals and find their feet un-singed on the other side.
But the exercise is a gimmick. I won’t get into the physics of it but basically the coals on top are cold and the ones on the bottom are hot. The fire walk is always done at night so the hot coals can still be seen from under the cold ones. You think you’re walking across hot coals when in fact you are perfectly safe.
People have been doing the fire walk since the 1800’s, we know it’s a gimmick. Yet standing in front of that bed of coals in your bare feet I challenge you not to get a little nervous.
Dave Ramsey, a financial guru and popular radio personality here in America has his “Debt-free scream”.
When his followers pay off all their debts they can come to his studios, stand in the lobby and scream “I’m Debt Free!!” at the top of their lungs.
Again, it’s a small thing but how many of us have ever stood in the lobby of a large building and screamed at the top of our lungs?
You get the idea.
Now, you may be saying, “Sure Jason but my business is different. I don’t have the opportunity do get all my customers together and have them walk across fire or scream in public.”
Well if that’s you then shame on you for having such a lack of creativity. But I’ll give you a few more examples anyway.
Remember we want our rites and rituals to do two things. First, is be something out of the ordinary, and two, something that builds their confidence.
One of my mentors, Dan Kennedy started out in the multi-level marketing industry way back in the seventies. A few years ago he shared some of his control tactics that ensured his downline was constantly being reminded of him and their responsibility to the organization.
Here’s a list of just a few:
- The were expected to write using only a green pen. (Green is the color of money…you get it.)
- They were told to back into parking places. The justification being, we want to make sure we start every journy going forward not backward.
- Every member was instructed to start the day with $100 bill in their pocket because we want to reinforce that money is all around us and easy to get.
None of these were terribly intrusive or harmful. In fact one might say they were beneficial. But think about what those rituals did for Dan and his business.
Every time they pulled into a parking lot, jotted down a note, even started their day they were thinking of Dan.
What are some rites and rituals you can employ to boost your customers confidence while reinforcing your authority?
How can you change a habit or daily routine to stay at the top of your customers minds?
Give it some thought. Be creative. Remember the only requirements are that it be something unusual (for them) while building their confidence.
Talk soon,
Jason
English