#126 Olivia Fox on charisma – A very under-utilised marketing strategy.

Olivia Fox is a leading expert in the area of charisma. And this fireside chat I had with her has convinced me that charisma is a under-used marketing strategy by us motivated small business owners. And the good news is, you don’t need to be born charismatic … charisma can be learned. Phew!

My 3 key learnings from this episode are:

1. Charisma can be learnt.
2. Charisma is a seriously under-utilised marketing tactic which, once nailed, will provide you with a unique point-of-difference.
3. Don’t underestimate the vibe we give out when amongst clients and prospects and how it impacts on our sales process.

However, instead of me trying to convince you, take a read of the following key points below that Olivia shred with me and then listen in to the interview.

The Charisma Basics:

• Charisma myth: that it’s innate. In reality, it’s learned. Usually so young that it then seems innate. The reality is that it is learned, and you can learn it at any age.
• Charisma myth: that it depends on beauty. In reality, it depends on body language.
• What is charisma really? Presence, power and warmth. You need all three to be charismatic, but the degree of each determines the kind of charisma you have.
• High power, low presence low warmth is authority charisma. Colin Powell has that.
• High presence, lower power low warmth is called focus charisma. Bill gates actually has charisma in that respect.
• A good example of someone who leads with high warmth is the Dalai Lama.
• Different kinds of charisma are appropriate for different situations. One of my clients actually had to use four in succession to get one deal done.
• What’s the #1 thing to do to increase charisma? Actually, I’ll give you three: increase eye contact, stand like a big gorilla, speak like a preacher. Slow, confident, resonant and warm.

And some surprises:

• Charisma has serious side-effects; it’s not always great to be charismatic, and all forms of charisma come at a cost.
• Olivia is often asked “Are your clients all nerds?” Actually, many of them are highly charismatic people who need to learn how to handle the side-effects of their charisma.
• Charisma is most effective in a crisis. (Think Hitler / Gandhi / Napoleon).
• In controlled laboratory experiments, researchers were able to raise or lower people’s level of charisma as if they were turning a dial.
• Olivia’s book is 10% tactics, 90% real-life jedi-mind-tricks. These mind tricks can give you more self-confidence, self-esteem, more energy or more calm, and yes, make you more charismatic—this is the new emerging field of neuroshaping, which helps you rewire your brain however you want.  My current field of focus is “the mental side of innovation”, people learn to rewire their brains / shape their brains to achieve breakthrough innovation.

PLUS (there’s always more, isn’t there?!) …. I share a marketing success one of my Deep Dive Mastermind members had. Happy days!

Links & Resources Mentioned In This Episode.

Netregistry – Check out these three exclusive packages for SBBM Listeners. Each one designed by myself and Netregistry to help get your online marketing sorted.

Olivia Fox’s website – You’ll find all your charisma questions answered.

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