When I was younger, I was a serious science fiction fan. At the risk of dating myself, Star Wars was still new, okay?
I had heard over and over about the amazing-ness of Stanley Kubrick’s classic film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was supposed to be this awesome and awe-inspiring cinematic achievement. I was way too young to have seen it during its theatrical release. So, when it came to television, I eagerly tuned in, waiting to be enthralled.
What a let-down. It was boring as all get out. Nobody had told me that it had only like 47 minutes of dialogue and was loaded with classical music. Not exactly a teenager’s formula for film nirvana.
Fast forward a few years. I’m in college and a campus film club had rented a copy of 2001 and was showing it on the huge screen in the College Center. Well, I decided to give the movie a second chance and went to see it. After all, I was only risking $1. (Hey, it was a while ago, okay?)
WOW! Totally different experience. I was indeed awed and amazed this time.
So, what had changed? No, I hadn’t really matured all that much (but thanks for the thought!).
The second time around, I viewed Kubrick’s message in the environment and context he had designed it to be experienced in.
That was the key. Kubrick meant for people to be engulfed in the cinematic experience. The sights and sounds were orchestrated to take you to a place he wanted you to see, hear and feel. It surrounded you. And it moved you.
And that’s what Stanley Kubrick taught me about successful selling. For Kubrick, movie-goers were his target market, his prospects. To win them over, he crafted and delivered an extraordinary experience. Like Kubrick, we need to surround our prospects and customers with the sights and sounds that assure them they’re in the right place at the right time, and that they’re going to be happy to be here.
For us, the sights and sounds are the sales and product messages we convey and the imagery we use to support them. Do our words answer ALL the prospects fears, questions, and needs? Does the art, website, and video we use all support our claims and add reassurance to the buyer? Can we make our prospect feel the genuine care we have for THEIR success, and not just our own?
Our goal as businesses should be to surround our prospects with all the “input” they need to earn their trust that our solution is the right one to solve their problem. Everywhere that person turns, s/he needs to know and feel that they’re understood, appreciated, and in good hands.
Remember, buying decisions run on emotion as well as logic. Build the immersive experience of total customer delight and you’ll reap more revenue and create evangelical customers ready to tell others about your wonderfulness.
Copy Kubrick. You’ll be happy you did.