Friday, January 4, 2008

SuperSkill for President?

Happy New Year! I understand the number "8" is lucky in Chinese culture, and I wish every one of you lots of '08 luck. And let's hope our entire country gets a big dose in early November!

As primary season unfolds, I invite you to observe carefully the various candidates. This is an IDEAL SuperSkill learning environment. How do they conduct themselves? What do they say? How do they express their positions to their audiences? And as best as you can tell, what kinds of results are they getting as their campaigns progress?

How did Huckabee come from way back to win? How did Hillary Clinton lose an early, decisive lead?

Nowhere, other than in the world of advertising, is The SuperSkill practiced so masterfully as in politics. Each candidate knows with great clarity who their supporters are, as well as their enemies. They know who has what they want -- uncommitted votes. They expend enormous time and energy figuring out out just what it will take to get those votes. And then, they expertly and eloquently craft their communications to not only appeal to that audience, but to also avoid alienating their existing allies.

As a seasoned marketer, I can assure you that not one thing the candidates do or say is not considered, not designed to move them and their campaigns closer to their ultimate objectives.

How they dress, (Do you think Edwards would wear jeans if he wasn't certain it worked in his favor?), the people they stand next to (If President Clinton wasn't a positive addition to his wife's campaign, he'd vanish.), the catch phrases inserted into their speeches, when they smile, when they frown, when they shed a tear. The polls give them almost instant feedback about how they're doing and what needs to improve.

Those who apply this approach dishonestly typically come across that way, and suffer in the end. Those who are genuine and in alignment with their own beliefs and values, who speak truth and who seek to create positive outcomes, generally prevail.

Is this manipulation? I don't think so. It's a very effective process for building mutually beneficial relationships, in this case between elected officials and their constituencies. But it works just as effectively when applied by individuals just like you.

Win-win. That's what the campaign (hopefully), business relationships and The SuperSkill are all about.

Don't miss a rare chance to observe some of the world's most accomplished SuperSkill Masters do their thing every night on national television. You might learn something interesting about our next president. You'll definitely learn now to get exactly what you want.

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