For the past year, I’ve been getting ready to show you something pretty cool. It’s a new personality assessment. (We haven’t released our newest personality research yet, but you can get a first look today).

It all began with my researching the science of fascination. I wanted to understand a few simple questions:

» How do certain people immediately captivate us?

» How do certain leaders influence our opinions?

And more to the point…

» What makes your personality fascinating?

My research has revealed that you can become more fascinating. (In fact, if you want to succeed in any competitive environment, you must.)

It all begins with identifying and applying your natural, hardwired strengths of persuasion.

There are 7 fascination triggers. Which 2 does your personality naturally use to fascinate?

Here’s the good news: You already have the ability to create this force of emotional focus. It’s built into your own personality. You don’t have to fake it or rehearse it— it’s already there. You just have to identify it, and use it.

The team here at Fascinate, Inc. is about to release our new system. It pinpoints makes you fascinating to others. We’ll show you how to identify these natural strengths, and then amplify them, to become more persuasive.

This isn’t about how you see the world, but how the world sees you.

The Fascination Advantage is not a traditional psychology test, such as Myers-Briggs or StrengthsFinder. Our test comes directly out of our research, specifically designed to pinpoint what makes you fascinating to others.

Fascination is an intense emotional focus.

The science of fascination begins deep inside the human brain. Fascination isn’t the same as paying attention — it’s an intense emotional focus. This state of intense focus has been studied repeatedly by the most respected academics. You can harness this neurological response, and use it in work.

If you can activate the hardwired “triggers” in your customer’s brain, they will become instantly and intensely focused on you.

Once they focus on you, they are more likely to buy from you, respect you, like you, and trust you.

There are 7 different forms of fascination. Your personality uses 2 of them already, every day. Deep inside your personality, you’re already using 2 of these triggers to persuade others:

» POWER: Taking command

» PASSION: Attracting with emotion

» MYSTIQUE: Provoking curiosity

» PRESTIGE: Earning respect

» ALARM: Prompting immediate action

» REBELLION: Changing the game

» TRUST: Building loyalty

Which 2 triggers does your personality use? Our Fascination Advantage system identifies your pattern of persuasion, and outlines how to nurture your strengths with customers, co-workers, and family.

Anyone can become more influential, once they begin to apply their personality’s own fascination advantages. So what’s your Personality Archetype? Find out here, in a sneak peek of our site.

When you fascinate someone, they open themselves up to you, and your message. That’s when you have an opportunity to sell, and lead.

You can do this. Being fascinating is a choice.

You can choose to create the moments at will.

You can create this intense emotional focus.

You can do it starting today, with your personality’s natural strengths.

Join us at HowToFascinate.com, and sign up for our launch in the coming days.

So, who won the game last night? (No, not the football game. The REAL game. The one played by brands competing for buzz.)

This morning, I’ll be heading over to ABC studios to discuss and debate the Super Bowl commercials with Kelly Ripa, on LIVE! with Kelly. Before I go, join me for a quick stroll down memory lane… a roundup of my previous Super Bowl roundups:

NBC TODAY Show:

Click here to view the embedded video.

NBC TODAY Show:

Click here to view the embedded video.

CBS’s Early Show:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Queen Elizabeth I was known as “The Virgin Queen.” Yet now, ladies and gentlemen, it’s my pleasure to introduce our lovechild.

+

=

How did this Elizabethan portrait My friends Steve and Patrick took my Twitter icon, and added the Prestige trigger (along with a wallop of Photoshop sorcery).

Patrick described how he created the image: “The secret is almost do a forensic layering process – ghosting layers and changing angles so that all the facial planes are the same.” Ooooh. I think that sounds every bit as cool as it looks.

Voila! Royal fascination.

Start by eliminating wasteful frivolity!

How could a marketer squeeze every penny out of the Christmas brand?  Earlier this week, I proposed a number of delightfully ridiculous suggestions. Now in Part II, let’s see how far a marketing company might go to monetize the Christmas corporation.

MEMO
TO: The Santa marketing team

Team, here are our recommendations for maximizing profits for the Christmas brand.

PARTNERSHIPS WE’D LIKE TO SEE:

1. Extra-Strength Mistletoe, brought to you by Viagra

2. “Super Silent Night” made possible by Bose noise-cancelling headphones

3. Mangers with crib-rocking feature, by Babies ‘R Us 

4. Frankincense bath soaps by Body Shop

5. Virgin Mary cocktails for all ages, by V8

HEY! IDEAS FOR REVENUE:

1. Sell ad space on Santa’s sleigh to Expedia.com

2. Bethlehem theme ride at Disney

3. Have our network of mall Santas to build database of toy requests, and sell as trendcasting data to Target

4. Toy delivery merger with Fedex

5. Instead of handwritten letters to Santa, charge for calls with Skype

We look forward to discussing this with you. Please note: Our offices are closed this week for Christmas.

Sincerely,

Acme Marketing Company

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Okay, your turn. What do YOU think should be reinvented from the Christmas brand? 

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Cut and paste these retweetable bits for your holiday cheer:

How Santa can increase profits for the Christmas brand (chock full of hyperbole!) » http://bit.ly/rOMLRc by @SallyHogshead

Christmas products we’d like to see: Extra-Strength Mistletoe, brought to you by Viagra » http://bit.ly/rOMLRc by @SallyHogshead

Christmas products we’d like to see: Frankincense bath soaps by Body Shop » http://bit.ly/rOMLRc by @SallyHogshead

Should Santa sell ad space on his sleigh to Expedia.com? » http://bit.ly/rOMLRc by @SallyHogshead

Should marketers update the Christmas brand?

Imagine if marketers tried to update the Christmas brand. Which classic traditions would supposedly be “improved” through the eyes of a marketing company?

Would eggnog be re-introduced with RedBull? Would elves be outsourced to India? Let’s find out, in this (very tongue-in-cheek) look at the Christmas brand, relaunched for success in 2012.

MEMO
TO: The Santa Claus marketing team

Hello team, great to see you all at North Pole headquarters last week. As discussed, here are a variety of ways to update your Christmas marketing for 2012.

Cooler Jingles: Too many of our jingles (a.k.a. “Christmas carols”) are are outdated.

Solution: Update content with fresher topics. For instance: “This Christmas at Mommy’s, Next Christmas at Daddy’s with His Younger Girlfriend We Call By Her First Name.”

Improve spokesperson image: Parental groups are complaining that Santa is a poor role model, because of his obesity and pipe smoking.

Solution: Consider partnering with Jenny Craig for a “before/after” campaign, and do some Phillip Morris work pro bono.

Improve Santa’s Google search results: Consumers are searching online for Santa under too many different search terms (St. Nicolas, Old Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, etc.).

Solution: Focus all SEO on “Santa.” Cut jargon such as ‘Twas, ‘Tis, O’, and Yon.

Target audience: We’re losing market share to competitors such as Hinduism, and startups like Wicca. Christianity holds a leadership position with two billion consumers, but trending downward. To expand the Christmas brand, start by increasing the Christian population.

Solution: Introduce Redbull vodka-laced eggnog to attract the 21 – 35 demo.

Avoid protest: Animal-rights bloggers could protest mistreatment, since our reindeer activity continues longer than 8 hours on Christmas Eve.

Solution: Check with the legal dept argue that overtime doesn’t count across multiple time zones?

Introduce a lil’ sidekick: Jolly Green Giant had Sprout, Scooby Doo had Scrappy Doo, and Dr. Evil had Mini-Me.

Solution: What kind of lil’ sidekick can we cast with Santa? (Note: The media department says we could broaden demographic appeal by casting taller elves.)

Elf labor: Hourly employee overhead is rising.

Solution: Outsource the Christmas list database to India.

Merge with Winter Solstice or Birthday: December calendar is too cluttered. We need to stand out!

Solution: Co-brand a holiday with Winter Solstice, unless we have the budget to acquire New Year’s Eve.

Christmas vs. Birthday: We are losing retail sales to birthday gifts throughout the year. This needs to stop.

Solution: Stir up some buzz by taking on the competition directly with a Mac vs. PC approach… Christmas vs. Birthday.

Thank you, Santa marketing team, for inviting us to share my ideas. Looking forward to your feedback next month at the annual retreat in St. Thomas.

Sincerely,

Acme Marketing Company

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

What do YOU think of marketers updating the Christmas brand? Yay or nay?

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Share a slap of holiday cheer! Copy and paste these retweetable bits.

Updating the Christmas brand for 2012: Redbull eggnog? http://bit.ly/uyqsuy by @SallyHogshead

What would happen if Christmas partnered with birthdays? http://bit.ly/uyqsuy by @SallyHogshead

Should the Christmas brand merge with New Year’s Eve? http://bit.ly/uyqsuy by @SallyHogshead

The Jolly Green Giant has Sprout, and Dr. Evil has Mini-Me. Does Santa need a sidekick? http://bit.ly/uyqsuy by @SallyHogshead

How Santa can improve his SEO: No more St. Nicolas, Old Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle http://bit.ly/uyqsuy by @SallyHogshead

Do you have the ability to influence the ideas and actions of others? Do you build strong emotional connections? You will, if you use your natural fascination advantages.

When you use your fascination advantages, you win more than attention. You win:
» More respect
» Better conversations
» Higher-quality focus
» Greater loyalty
» Bigger profits (and a higher price!)

So what exactly makes a leader fascinating? The answer goes far deeper than charisma or skill.

Fascination is an intense, intellectual attraction. It lives deep within the human brain, and has the power to overrule any distraction. In a state of fascination, your listener is completely gripped by you and your message. And it is in these moments that you can truly influence behavior.

To discover how effectively you fascinate as a leader, first, take the following self-assessment. Then, take the F-Score Test at  FScoreTest.com to learn more about your personality’s unique fascination strengths.

The following questions will help you start to think about your personal leadership, and how to apply your strengths to your communication. Ready? Let’s go.

Rank yourself on a scale of 1 – 4, with 1 being “disagree” and 4 being “strongly agree.”

1. Do people naturally gravitate to you?

Do others make efforts to increase their sense of connection to you? Are they willing to go to great lengths to talk with you, listen to you, engage with you?

Score ______

2. Is there hunger for your ideas and opinions?

Are people interested in what you’re thinking and doing? Fascinating people generate a lot of curiosity about what they’re doing now, and what they’ll do next. (Would anyone write a biography about you?)

Score ______

3. Do your words consistently prompt clear, action?

Are you provocative enough to generate a spirited discussion, or even heated controversy? Fascinating people elicit action.

Score ______

4. Do you provoke others to think in new ways?

The most fascinating people disrupt usual ways of thinking. There are many ways to do so, from pop culture to . But all fascinating people reveal a different way to think, and if they can absorb our focus, they have the capacity to change our opinions.

Score ______

5. Do others imitate you in their behavior, ideas, or technique?

Imitation isn’t just flattery. It’s a signal that you’re setting a standard of some sort. Fascinating people and things become a sort of “shorthand” for bigger values. In your company and industry, are you a symbol for anything?

Score ______

Tally your score. If your score is 15 or below, you’re probably not yet tapping into your natural fascination talents. (Not to worry, we can work on your force of influence.)

The reality is, you already have natural talents of persuasion. My company’s research with 74,000 participants has revealed: You already have the strengths you need to create this intense emotional focus with customers, employees, and family. We can prove it. And we can help you identify these strengths with our new assessment, starting soon at HowToFascinate.com.

Once you’ve successfully fascinated someone, then— and only then— can you effectively sell to them. It’s not just your customers: it’s also your employees, partners, family, friends, and even your significant other.

After you take the F-Score test, you’ll start to become more aware of your main personality strengths. As you engage in conversations with employees and customers, you’ll begin to notice how others respond to your words and actions. You can create more opportunities to use your primary and secondary triggers in meetings, in emails, in conversations, and in life.

The goal is not to change your leadership style. Not at all. In fact, the goal is to harness your natural leadership style. How can you fascinate differently, and better, than anyone else?

Do you have a career goal that makes you a little uncomfortable? You should.

This goal doesn’t have to be majestic, like ending world hunger. It can be specific to your profession, like helping every single customer find exactly the product they need. Or it can be personal, like saving enough to put three kids through college.

There are only 2 ground rules:

1. Your goal has to expose you to a very real chance of failure.
2. Your goal has to be big and important enough to proclaim a true purpose for your work.

As I’ve said before: If your goal is comfortable, it’s not big enough.

What do you stand for, really? What’s your career about? Once you figure that out, and then steer your life toward it, you can start to realize your true potential. This can be daunting to consider. (At least, it will be daunting if you’re doing it right.) But don’t play it safe.

Here, I’ll go first:

The goal that truly inspires me is teaching people how to become their most fascinating.

Why? Because when you fascinate, you communicate your best self. You are heard and remembered.

When you fascinate, you slice through distraction. You are not ignored or forgotten. You are not irrelevant. You have the chance to actually connect.

When you fascinate your customer, you sell more and earn more. When you fascinate your co-workers, they act upon your best ideas. By fascinating your employees, you’re motivating them to more fully engage.

When you fascinate your family, you build stronger trust.

Only by understanding your natural, authentic fascination strengths can others see your best self.

Then, and only then, can you start to make a real difference in this world.

As part of my goal, I’ll be launching the HowToFascinate.com site in about a month.

Okay, that’s my goal that scares the crap out of me.
Your turn. Go.

(And remember: If your goal is comfortable, it’s not big enough.)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Juicy tweetable bits for your following:

Do you have a goal that scares the crap out of you? You should. http://bit.ly/sWHPaH via @SallyHogshead

When you fascinate, your biggest ideas can actually make a difference. http://bit.ly/sWHPaH via @SallyHogshead

If your goal is comfortable, it’s not big enough. http://bit.ly/sWHPaH via @SallyHogshead

A big goal is one that exposes you to a very real chance of failure. http://bit.ly/sWHPaH via @SallyHogshead

When you fascinate, you communicate your best self. You are heard and remembered. http://bit.ly/sWHPaH 

When you fascinate, you slice through competition and distraction. http://bit.ly/sWHPaH via @SallyHogshead

When you fascinate your family, you build stronger trust. http://bit.ly/sWHPaH via @SallyHogshead

Few professional speakers have achieved the cult-like status of Harvey Mackay. And no wonder. His readers can be found in corner C-suite offices, around management conference rooms, and throughout entry-level cubicles. His best sellers include Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive, which was a New York Times #1 best seller for 54 weeks. Everyone, it seems, can learn a thing or three from this entrepreneurial luminary.

This week, Harvey launches his new book: The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World. I had the pleasure of interviewing Harvey for his book launch, and I’m excited to share this with you. In our conversation, Harvey cracks open his secret vault of insights. It feels like he’s giving us a personal tour of his real-world insight on how to sell more by becoming more fascinating.

CLICK PLAY HERE:

Sally’s Interview with Harvey Mackay

Here are a few of my personal favorite Mackay-isms from the conversation:

ON EYE-CONTACT: When you meet someone, if you want to show focus, just look at one of their eyes. That’ll show that you’re focused, that you’re concentrated, and a great listener. You’re not trying to top the person or their story in the conversation.

ON PRACTICE: The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly right and doing it exactly right. Selling is a skill, and it takes practice to perfect it. People say, “Practice makes perfect.” But that’s not true. You have to add one word. Perfect practice makes perfect. If you practice something time and time again, and you’re practicing it in error, you’re putting a ceiling on how good you can become. For instance, you’re not born with persistence. You can practice and learn all these behavioral things that will be enormously helpful in taking your game to the next level.

ON HUMOR: Light up a room with a sense of humor… Humor is something you develop with poise and passion for your product.

ON SAYING NO: “Never say ‘no’ for the other person.” Don’t assume that the other person will say no. Let them tell you no.

ON TRUST: The number one word in the entire book: Trust. Nothing can happen until a person trusts you. From meeting strangers to cold calling. You have to establish trust. Without trust, all the other things we’ve talked about are meaningless.

ON FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS: Female entrepreneurs are multiplying 2x, 3x, or 4x faster than men (depending on which part of the country you’re studying).

ON WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS: Women business owners employ more people than all Fortune 500 companies combined. And, women business owners outnumber their male counterparts as of 3 years ago.

About Harvey Mackay: Harvey knows a thing or two about selling: he’s one of the world’s best-selling business authors. His new book is The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World. Learn more at HarveyMackay.com and join the conversation at #Mackaymba on Twitter.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Post these retweetable bits for your inspiration-hungry readers:

“Perfect practice makes perfect.” ~ @HarveyMackay talks w/ @SallyHogshead » http://bit.ly/vR0dDQ #MackayMBA 

“Women business owners employ more people than all Fortune 500 companies combined.” @HarveyMackay w/ @SallyHogshead » http://bit.ly/vR0dDQ #MackayMBA 

Want to sell in the real world? @SallyHogshead interviews @HarveyMackay on #MackayMBA launch » http://bit.ly/vR0dDQ

“When you meet someone, show focus by just looking at ONE of their eyes.” @HarveyMackay w/ @SallyHogshead » http://bit.ly/vR0dDQ #MackayMBA 

Your customer is distracted by a thousand shiny objects. You see it happening every day: When they’re busy texting during your presentation or seem disengaged over the phone. These shiny objects aren’t harmless. Each one has the potential to sabotage everything you’re doing to communicate and connect.

You can fight against distraction and captivate your customer. And you can do it using your own natural strengths of fascination.

Fascination is an intense emotional focus.

When you fascinate customers, they become totally, completely focused on you and your message. They stop fidgeting. They stop texting. They stop thinking about to-do lists and what to feed their kids for dinner. They stop focusing on all the shiny objects competing for attention, and focus completely on YOU.

Fascination is the weapon against distraction.

You can achieve this kind of intense emotional focus by understanding your natural fascination strengths. I’ll show you how at HowToFascinate. In the next few weeks, we’ll be launching the Fascinate System, teaching you exactly how to identify and apply your personality strengths according to the 7 triggers of fascination.

You are fascinating. Our research proves it.

Your natural personality is fascinating.

You have a talent for attracting attention. It’s already part of you. You don’t have to invent some “personal brand,” because you already have talents hardwired into your brain. We call it a “Personality Brand.” And it’s your ultimate competitive advantage.

Our new assessment will show you exactly what your Personality Brand is. This assessment will be released in November, and will reveal your competitive advantage. It comes with a custom Personality Brand Report to show you how to apply it in your career.

Once you understand your own Personality Brand, you can clearly see your competitive advantage. You can achieve a level of intense emotional focus. Your listener becomes more alert and focused. Instead of being diverted by meaningless distractions, now, your message is their priority.

When you tap into your fascination strengths, you become far more persuasive in communicating any kind of message. Even messages that are tough to sell: from selling life insurance to 20-year-olds, to inspiring a department during a round of layoffs, to persuading the airport gate agent to give you the last seat on the last flight out.

When shiny objects ruin your message, you become less persuasive. You lose connections and sales.

The good news is, your personality is equipped to fascinate others. In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing exactly how. Look for our newest research and findings at HowToFascinate. You’ll learn how your own unique Personality Brand is hardwired to persuade and captivate.

In the battle against distraction, you are the shiny object killer.

My question to you: What is your most dreaded “shiny object” that you want to eliminate among your customers and clients? For instance, people checking email while they’re on the phone with you? Competitors that have a nasty habit of getting your customers’ attention?

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

RETWEETABLE BITS

Want to kill shiny objects in your own social media? Give your Twitter followers one of these retweetable bits:

You are the shiny object killer. Here’s why: http://bit.ly/rgRKyh via @SallyHogshead

Fascination is an intense emotional focus. http://bit.ly/rgRKyh via @SallyHogshead

When you fascinate your customer, you’re more likely to sell and captivate. http://bit.ly/rgRKyh via @SallyHogshead

With the economy freaking out, we all want to play it safe to protect ourselves. But don’t play it so safe that your spirit– and your options– get castrated.

Your career is strong. It can handle more than you realize.

Let your career run off-leash. Let it find the hole in the fence and run.

Don’t overprotect it.
Don’t shelter it. Don’t underestimate it.
Don’t let it get too precious.
Don’t preserve it like an antique china heirloom, high on the shelf, away from reach.

Take your career out to stretch its legs, to exercise and explore. Send it out on adventures. Let it live.

Give your career room to fail, and fail again, so that you can succeed.

Your choices don’t all have to be perfect (and in a fascinating career they won’t be).

The point is to make those choices for yourself, rather than having them made for you.

When you get right down to it, you must choose one of two paths:

1. You can embrace the fear inherent in living fully and fearlessly, experiencing your career as the profound and glorious and fascinating journey that it is.

2. You can reconcile yourself to a life of so-called “security,” sheltered inside the gray fortress of an office cubicle. (Personally, I can’t think of anything more terrifying.)

So… which path is yours?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Give your Twitter followers an inspiration burst. Pick, paste, and post these tweetable bits:

Refuse to castrate your career. Here’s why: http://bit.ly/r7Bhbu via @SallyHogshead

Don’t preserve your career like a china heirloom, high on the shelf away from reach. http://bit.ly/r7Bhbu via @SallyHogshead

Take your career out to stretch its legs, to exercise and explore. http://bit.ly/r7Bhbu via @SallyHogshead

Refuse a life of so-called “security,” sheltered inside the gray fortress of an office cubicle. http://bit.ly/r7Bhbu via @SallyHogshead

Send your career on adventures. Let it get dirty. Let it live. http://bit.ly/r7Bhbu via @SallyHogshead

Give your career room to fail, and fail again, in order to succeed. http://bit.ly/r7Bhbu via @SallyHogshead

Embrace the fear inherent in living fully and fearlessly, to experience your career as a glorious journey. http://bit.ly/r7Bhbu via @SallyHogshead