No Bull Branding

Taught by Lori Barr, M.D.,F.A.C.R.
(Lori is a partner in one of the most successful radiology practices in the United States.)

Don't brand your product, BRAND YOUR CUSTOMER.

$210, May 25th 2010
9am - 4pm, Lunch is included, 50% AcadGrad discount available

Dr. Lori Barr, the MindTamer, understands why some ideas stick in the mind and other ideas slip away. She enjoys teaching the concepts. Below is an excerpt from the workbook for the “No Bull Branding” Course.

Loyalty Killers

Five Behaviors That Inhibit Customer Allegiance

Just as some habits bolster intra- and inter-organizational loyalty, there are inhibitors that stifle allegiant environment. Below are five inhibiting behaviors contrasted with the bond strengthening steps of business innovators.

Fear
A fear-based individual or corporate culture can only lurch forward toward goals. The Board of Directors smothers a bold ad they fear will offend a segment of the customer base. A web designer is afraid of losing clients if she doesn’t play it safe with SEO. What one is afraid of does not matter. Fear is chaotic. It inhibits coherent decision-making.   Customers buy products and services to minimize their own fears. They intuit fear much like a horse senses a nervous rider.   They have enough of their own fears. If they cannot feel the faith a company has in its own solutions, they will keep looking for another answer. Business innovators weed out ideas and routines that inject fear into their production line. As a result, they glide along the path to their goals.

Blur Reliability and Predictability
Customers want reliable solutions to their problems. They want a pain reliever to work as well tomorrow as it did yesterday. Reliability is key in helping the customer develop repeat purchasing habits.   Predictability, in contrast, is a magic cloak that renders a service invisible to the client. The business leader who underestimates the mind as an adept at ignoring the boring is doomed to invisibility. Small business owners are tempted to spend their entire budget on one great ad and then use it everywhere all the time. When it is overplayed, the customer’s mind searches elsewhere. Innovators seek ways to add novelty and surprise to their presentation without a sacrifice of the product’s reliability.

Misunderstand a Brand
Entrepreneurs and inventors may focus inward as they deliver an idea from conception to production since this is “their baby”. Advisors encourage them, “Establish your brand!” Those mentors fail to remind their protégés of the historic use of brands and how that impacts a customer’s thinking. Ancient Egypt was the birthplace of livestock branding. Human slaves and animals were branded so that owners could easily recognize their belongings in case of co-mingling.   Savvy business owners don’t mind it if their customer wanders in the competitor’s territory as long as he or she comes when called. They nurture the relationship and pay attention to the customer’s journey. They serve as the shepherd and protect their flock from the wolves.

Kick Back and Get Lax
Remember back to dating days. If a guy didn’t call regularly, then the girl was harder to reach. After a certain level of success is attained, there is a trend toward complacency in business practices. Resist the urge to rest on past successes or to take for granted that conditions change. Innovators embrace forward momentum and instigate needed change.

Failure to Create Competition
Try to capture the size of a whale while scuba diving or a mountain while hiking. If there is no human-sized object to add scale to the image, then the viewer doesn’t grasp the magnitude. Customers need a reference point to judge the merits of exceptional products and services. Apple products become bluebonnets when PC’s are as generic as dandelions. Innovative leaders encourage competition. Everybody wins when the best products and services reach the customer.

Spend a day with Dr. Barr.

You will learn:
What makes the mouth repeat what the mind stores
Why some people seem immune to your message
How to sidestep the axe of logic
Who you should be looking for to carry your message
Where you should set your sights

You will:
Prepare Minds
Spark Words
Amp Messages
Track Hits

Fire your words straight into the bull’s eye. From Cupid to Keynote, No Bull Branding helps you hone your message, sharpen your aim, and steady your shot.

Are you ready to up your score?

Are you ready to spend a day with the MindTamer?

We are not able to include lodging at Engelbrecht house for this event. If you are however interested in staying on campus in the student mansion, please contact Coordinator@WizardAcademy.org, (512) 295-5700 for more information.

On-Site Courses Distance Learning Special Events Get Involved