Robert J. Smith, BBA, MBA, MFA, Ph.D., is a business consultant and founder of Robert J. Smith Productions and Smith Profits.
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) logline for the star-studded 1960 movie The Magnificent Seven is “Seven gunfighters are hired by Mexican peasants to liberate their village from oppressive bandits.” Thankfully, as a business owner, no one can call you a “peasant,” and all you have to deal with is your competition. Here are seven game-changing strategies to help you do just that. Incorporate all seven, and your competitors don’t stand a chance.
The taglines for this film fit these seven game changers for business.
“Once You’ve Met Them…You’ll Never Forget Them.”
They Were Seven—They Fought like Seven Hundred!”
In a word, these seven business strategies are “magnificent.”
1. Television Network Placement
Instead of creating old-fashioned press releases in the hopes that some reporter somewhere will interview you for a story, why not hire a firm to create a story for you? Look for accomplished writers who can create stories for you and distribute them for placement by major television networks, in major magazines and other media outlets. Doing so can establish instant credibility for you and your business.
2. Leverage IMDb And The Media
Have you and/or your company been featured on television programs, film documentaries or podcasts? If so, you qualify for a profile in IMDb, an Amazon Company. Creating an IMDb profile can be a fast and economical way for both you and your business to rank on the front page of Google. You could rank in the number-one spot if you do it right. We’ve been creating IMDb profiles for decades, and we’ve seen this cost-effective strategy work time and time again.
3. Leverage Magazine Features And Cover Stories
Seeing you featured in magazines helps your clients and customers take pride in their decision to do business with you and your company. Seeing you on a magazine cover can make them eager to refer business to you. Case in point: I sent a magazine to clients that provided a wealth of information on topics that interested them. Two days after they were mailed out, I received a call from a client right from her mailbox. She was with a friend who wanted an introduction “to the man on the cover.” That referred client hired us on our first visit and paid us an annual consulting fee. On our second visit, she made a million-dollar purchase.
4. Employ The Comic Book Marvel
Comics are more visually appealing than plain text. Comics capture attention and stimulate the imagination. More importantly, comics sell. We found ourselves in competition with six major financial firms, each with a team of advisors, CPAs and lawyers. Each company employed the traditional method of trying to make the sale with complex reports ranging from 50–200 pages in length. Of course, a confused mind always says “no.”
We saw this as an opportunity to simplify matters for this elderly couple who just wanted their tax and liquidity problems solved. I created a comic book outline and created a superhero story to illustrate the key points and make very complex issues easy to understand. The couple immediately understood the concepts and made their decision to go with us on the spot. Our net revenues from that case were in excess of six figures. Thank you, comics.
The successful characteristics of a business comic have been proven to us for the past two decades. Simply follow the same successful storytelling methods that have proven successful since the beginning of time. First, stories must be entertaining to gain the interest of your audience. Second, stories must be coherent. They must follow the same three-act story structure that was handed down to us by the Ancient Greeks. Put simply, your business story must have a cogent beginning, middle and end. Third, your stories must be persuasive. Stories must include proven methods to influence your readers, audience, clients or customers.
5. Arrange Live Television Appearances
While appearing on local and national network television may not be for everyone, appearances can greatly benefit every business owner and professional. When you work with the right firms, you have the ability to cost-effectively book television interviews to bring your products and services in front of millions of buyers.
Television shows are often also glad to receive reciprocal publicity from you by providing you with professionally edited clips of your appearances for placement on your websites for life. This also enhances your credibility and authority with every visitor to your site.
6. Master The Principles Of Influence And Persuasion
If you want to gain more customers, close more sales and close more high-ticket sales, learn to be a master of influence and persuasion. Study research and methods developed by professionals. Study statistics. Numbers don’t lie.
7. Consult Advisors
Hire someone who’s been there before: someone who has reached levels of sales, revenues and profits that you and your company strive for. Don’t try and reinvent the wheel. Save money, time and aggravation by hiring someone to develop a roadmap for you to succeed with.
Of course, we always take our own advice. In the case of the illustrators we bring on for our comics, they are artists who currently work with the biggest in the business.
When you’ve incorporated all seven game changers into your business, you may find that you’ve not only beaten your competition but that they will also no longer be able to compete with you. This philosophy is displayed in a poignant scene in The Magnificent Seven where Chris (played by Yul Bryner) and a villager discuss Britt, played by James Coburn.
Villager: If he’s the best with the gun and the knife, with whom does he compete?
Chris: Himself.
When you’ve mastered “The Magnificent Seven” game changers, the only company left to compete with could be your own. Every week, set out to top your best week. The same goes for every month and every year. This is what it means to be the very best at what you do.
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