Jack Covert Selects – Enchantment

Full disclosure: I have known Guy Kawasaki for over twenty years and have enjoyed each and every one of his books—my favorite being The Art of the Start. But, however biased I may be from past experience, it is safe to say that his new book, Enchantment, continues his mission of spreading fresh, new ideas that are relevant and accessible to all business people.

Online, Kawasaki himself is to many people the very definition of enchantment. And, in this book, he reveals some of the secrets of enchantment, defining it "as the process of delighting people with a product, service, organization, or idea" and describing its outcome as "voluntary and long-lasting support that is mutually beneficial." Of course, there are cynics out there who believe enchantment is just another way to make more money through appealing marketing, but I think Kawasaki has it right when he says "Enchantment is on a different curve: When you enchant people, your goal is not to make money from them or to get them to do that you want, but to fill them with great delight." This struck me as a remarkable statement—transformative, really, to make delight the goal of all your communications with your customers—and it hooked me on the book.

The book is broken into twelve chapters, including chapters on "How to Achieve Trustworthiness" and "How to Overcome Resistance." Two chapters that are particularly useful for people who are trying their hands at social media, but not getting the kind of engagement they seek, are on "push" and "pull" technology. Kawasaki explains the difference: "Push technology brings your story to people. Pull technology brings people to your story."

For example, push technology can be a presentation, or the use of Twitter, while pull technology includes your blog and your Facebook page. Throughout, Kawasaki includes graphics, charts, pictures, lists, and other examples of enchanting work, sometimes clipped straight from the Internet, to illustrate his points. But Enchantment is not just about creating enchanting marketing. Kawasaki also discusses how to be personally enchanting, and even how you can resist others' powers of enchantment.

Whether you're a C-level executive looking to lead people more effectively, a mid-level manager hoping to stand out, or a marketer trying to better spread your organization's message, you'll find Enchantment absolutely, well, enchanting.