Hello beautiful people!
Let’s settle in for a big-ass day of branding work.
I’m proud of you.
Today we’re going to learn what makes us fascinating to other people.
Read that again.
I’m going to send you to take a test. This is not your typical online test where the results teach you how YOU see the world. Your results will explain how the world sees YOU. This is incredibly powerful when it comes to what we present to buyers.
Before you go take this test and start chewing on the results, I want to use myself as an example. I want you to read this first because you may find yourself in a similar headspace of certainty about who you are, and these test results may outright challenge you in some “I’m a New Jersey housewife and I’ve gotta flip a table about this nonsense” kind of ways. (╯°□°)╯︵┻━┻
Here’s my story.
I’m an ENTJ. I’m left-handed. I’m an Upholder. I’m from Atlanta. I’m a Cancer (with Libra moon and Libra rising) whose Venus is afflicted in Leo. I’m an 8 birth number. I’m Montessori educated. I’m a leader. I’m folksy. I’m relatable. I’m whip-smart. I’m quick-witted. I’m transparent. I’m fair. These are all things I know about myself going in. So when I take a test that gives me the result “power,” I’m not surprised. Not even a little bit. That’s a softball no-duh level score, where I’m concerned. But when the more dominant result — my primary result — is a word like “prestige,” I’m like, “What the actual fuck?!?”
There is nothing about me that has any measure of prestige. Not a damn thing. I give zero poops about what people think about my status, I do not seek approval, and my wardrobe is a total “tell” that labels mean nothing to me.
Therefore, my initial reaction to the Fascinate test by Sally Hogshead was one of, “What a bunch o’ hooey.”
Now, let’s go back to that line I used up-page from here (the one I asked you to read twice): Today we’re going to learn what makes us fascinating to other people.
The more I dug around about this Fascinate business, the bigger the a-ha moments became. I actually walked toward the results and — by changing just a few words in my own marketing materials — I elevated my business in ways I never imagined possible.
Here’s what I mean (bear with me, read along, and then take the test; I know you’re hankerin’ to do it, but seeing how this plays out could really help you leverage the power in this): Once I learned that “prestige” was my primary Fascinate advantage, I stopped working so hard to convince anyone of what *I* perceive to be the value in my Self-Management for Actors offerings.
See, *I* think it’s the demystification of the industry, the peek behind the curtain of how things work, the collection of powerful tools that allow for some control in a business that doesn’t often give creatives the feeling of any control, the mindset, the muscle-building, all that… that makes up what should be valued in all things SMFA. And that’s how I used to market SMFA: straightforward, no bullshit, tools, resources, mindset, WORK. You get out of it what you put into it. Plain and simple.
So, power (my secondary Fascinate advantage) was always part of my angle. You will be empowered through this work! But after learning prestige was my primary Fascinate advantage (and after flipping a bunch o’ tables over how wrong wrong wrong that had to be), I weaved more “behind the velvet rope” language into my materials. I talked about how SMFA could help you become a booking machine. I laid out the fact that I am still to this day the record-holder for most casting directors ever interviewed. I added photos of my students signing autographs on red carpets to my website. I brought back the strictly-vetted SMFA Facebook group. I defined the tiers. I started leveraging the membership angle that was already (organically) there, but one I had never leaned into before. Meaning, my students started calling themselves — and these SMFA tactics — “ninja” in 2009, but I never “yes, and…”-ed any of that. I just thought it was cute. But when *I* started referring to alumni as ninjas, non-alumni wanted inclusion. They wanted that “badge.”
Just like Sally Hogshead said they wanted from me.
*shrug*
It’s not for ME to understand (because I am not my buyer). But the second I made the shift in how I talked about the exact same offerings I’ve always made available, things changed in my business.
Now, I’m going to send you to take the test… hopefully. This is a little convoluted because Sally likes to hide access from time to time (Driving that prestige factor in her own business, huh?) and as of now, this is what works. Scour the comments below and share your own update if you find another way in.
Sign up for 100 free test codes (and then share ’em below)
How to Fascinate (paid tests)
How to Fascinate (alternate link; Google “how to fascinate sally hogshead free assessment” to get a code that may or may not work)
Next, I’ll let you know that if you’re really turned on by this whole thing, Sally Hogshead’s OLDEST book on this topic is the best. Get it from the library or buy it used. Her newer material has been adapted to be more appealing to the masses. Ironically, she has backed away from how *she* fascinates in an attempt to be more global. (Click through for two really great columns from my archives about how I feel when actors try to “turn down” or “bland it out“. Shocker — I don’t advise it.)
Because — once I fully understood what this test was measuring — I hopped on board with all this the instant one of your classmates here in the dojo introduced me to it in 2012, I use some of the older lingo. (And so do the vids I’m sharing below.) Here is a guide to help you navigate through it all.
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- ALARM (sometimes listed as ALERT): threatens with immediate consequences; creates deadlines; amps up perceived danger; focuses on risks buyers fear; uses distress to steer positive action
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- MYSTIQUE: a puzzle or unanswered question; sparks curiosity; withholds information; limits access; builds mythology
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- PASSION (originally listed as LUST): a desire or craving; uses all five senses; teases and flirts; makes the ordinary more emotional; less thinking, more feeling
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- POWER: creates command over others; controls the environment; rewards and punishes; dominates and leads
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- PRESTIGE: drives respect through symbols of achievement; sets new standards; limits availability; forces buyers to earn the goods; develops emblems
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- REBELLION (originally listed as VICE; sometimes listed as INNOVATION): tempts with the forbidden; creates taboos; leads buyers astray; tempts with a wink; defies absolutes
- TRUST: builds certainty or reliability; repeats and retells; is authentic and familiar; makes the unhealthy un-fascinating
ALARM (sometimes listed as ALERT): threatens with immediate consequences; creates deadlines; amps up perceived danger; focuses on risks buyers fear; uses distress to steer positive action
MYSTIQUE: a puzzle or unanswered question; sparks curiosity; withholds information; limits access; builds mythology
PASSION (originally listed as LUST): a desire or craving; uses all five senses; teases and flirts; makes the ordinary more emotional; less thinking, more feeling
POWER: creates command over others; controls the environment; rewards and punishes; dominates and leads
PRESTIGE: drives respect through symbols of achievement; sets new standards; limits availability; forces buyers to earn the goods; develops emblems
REBELLION (originally listed as VICE; sometimes listed as INNOVATION): tempts with the forbidden; creates taboos; leads buyers astray; tempts with a wink; defies absolutes
TRUST: builds certainty or reliability; repeats and retells; is authentic and familiar; makes the unhealthy un-fascinating
Your primary advantage: PRESTIGE.
WHO YOU ARE: Ambitious • Detail-oriented • Recognized • Uncompromising • Focused
HOW YOU FASCINATE:
» People recognize you as an achiever and/or expert.
» You influence people through your high expectations of yourself and others.
» You constantly envision ways to improve and upgrade.
PRESTIGE TRIGGER LEADERS: Grace Kelly, Lance Armstrong, Ralph Lauren, Meryl Streep, the Kennedy family
Your secondary advantage: POWER.
WHO YOU ARE: Confident • Goal-Oriented • Influential • Opinionated • Decisive
HOW YOU FASCINATE:
» You influence others with self-assured ideas and action.
» You energetically tackle big goals, giving you the potential to motivate large groups.
» People instinctively look to you for cues of how to behave.
POWER TRIGGER LEADERS: Rupert Murdoch, Bill Gates, Arianna Huffington, Jim Collins
The trigger you’re least likely to use: REBELLION.
You are unlikely to fascinate others with creativity and surprise.
HOW THIS AFFECTS YOUR PERSONALITY BRAND:
» You are perceived as stable, trustworthy, and consistent.
» Most likely, you influence others through strong relationships and respect.
» Your word is your bond.
4% Of people who took the Fascination advantage use the same primary and secondary trigger combination as you.
Again, remind yourself that your results are how you fascinate others… NOT what fascinates you!
Interestingly enough, a very high number of *my* buyers have rebellion — now listed as innovation — as their primary Fascinate advantage, followed closely by passion and then mystique. Once I started tracking that pattern, the below chart became a real turn-on for me! It was really like reading up on the typical ninja, thinking through what they may seek out in materials like what I’m offering.
Another example: If you’ve ever wondered why I will say — when asked, “Do I have to maintain a Facebook fan page?” by a client — “Absolutely NOT!” this is why. If your primary or secondary Fascinate advantage is mystique, you’d be crazy to spend your energy maintaining any sort of social networking presence. In fact, it could derail the very thing that turns buyers on about you if you’re sharing details about your personal life!
Whoa.
I told you this shit was gold, y’all.
Dive in, dig in, come back, and let’s work out in the comments here today and for many many many days to come.
But remember: Today we’re going to learn what makes us fascinating to other people. Resist the urge to turn this into a personality test. It’s not.
Finally, always remember this: You are castable for your uniqueness, not your sameness. Be YOU. Unapologetically, fully YOU. Turn down for nothing. These tools will help you back up what your gut has been telling you forever.
’til tomorrow… stay ninja!
