Monday, April 19, 2010

Magic/The Spirit

Seth Goldin writes about Steve Cohen (I've never heard of him) and how he does his magic.

  1. He sells to a very specific group of people, people who are both willing to hear what he has to say and able to pay what he wants to charge them.
  2. He tells a story to this group, a story that matches their worldview. He doesn't try to teach non-customers a lesson or persuade them that they are wrong or don't know enough about his art. Instead, he makes it easy for his happy customers to bring his art to others.
  3. He intentionally creates an experience that is remarkable and likely to spread. "What did you do last night?" is a great question when it's asked of someone you entertained the night before, particularly if you can give the audience an answer they can give. That's how the word spreads.
  4. He's extremely generous in who he works with, how promiscuous he is about sharing and in his attitude.
  5. He's very good at his craft. Don't overlook this one.

Strangely I see parallels between that and the Pentecostal/Charismatic movements of the Church....