On the Sunday before Valentine’s Day, a client of mine hosted a seminar to attract new clients to visit his facility. BioMechanix Strength and Conditioning Clinic in Los Angeles is a training gym.
He was competing with the Grammy Awards down the street, where Lady Gaga arrived, carried in an egg shaped vessel. So, the neighborhood had to choose between screaming as limos unloaded versus getting an extreme makeover for their sex lives. The Grammys out-pulled him, but he did fill all his seats for the seminar so he must have done something right.
We suspect the topic title contributed to the success of the lecture. We could have titled it, “Why You Don’t Want to Clog Your Arteries!” or “Guess What Happens When Lust is Dust?” Why was it dubbed: “Advanced Sexuality?”
Words sell
Sure, the word sex sells – but the topic could have driven away people – if people felt their attendance would reveal they knew little or nothing, or that they had some kind of dysfunction.
The word “advanced” is what appealed to everyone – and allowed a very diverse group of people to feel good about attending. No one was showing up at risk of appearing clueless – after all this was billed as black diamond level skill building. You wouldn’t be getting on the gondola to reach the top of the mountain, if you didn’t have all the bunny hills under your belt.
Dr. Susan Graysen led the seminar, and showed up with posters (yay, no PPT!!!) and a dry sense of humor that made studying the “brain on sex,” as she called it, all the more wink-and-nod smart. She took us through anthropology, MRIs and a whole lot of other data with the goal of illuminating why we’re different than other mammals – and why men and women are different from each other. Even better – we found out that humor is the glue that makes couples stick together – what a golden nugget that was!
As Dr. Graysen revealed the art and science of sex, she also revealed her personal brand. She had whittled down a huge body of academic literature and findings into an engaging one-hour talk on “5 Secrets Sexperts Know that You Should Too.” True, we marketers gave her the title, but she delivered on it. She came across as approachable, knowledgeable and witty: an ideal personal brand for a sexologist.
What are you an expert on?
- When you talk about it, do you sound relaxed yet enthusiastic?
- Do you appear to have a deep and broad understanding of the material, and also an audience friendly approach to sharing it?
- Do you know the work of the thought-leaders who have shaped the field?
- Can you compare and contrast different approaches?
- Do you have success stories or case histories?
- Can you share advanced tips and techniques?
- Are you adept enough to sprinkle in some laughter?
And, can you tactfully take those of us who really need the “For Dummies” version of your topic through a conversation that lets us keep our dignity? CEOs and other managers will appreciate that – and you!
