Marketing Expert Guy Kawasaki Teaches Us To Be Enchanting

We first met Guy Kawasaki at the Empowered Women’s conference in Miami soon after he published his 2011 book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. In it, he explains: “Enchantment transforms situations and relationships. It converts hostility into civility and civility into affinity. It changes skeptics and cynics into believers and the undecided into the loyal.” An enchanting premise, for sure.

Indeed, “Enchantment” charmed millions and hit three bestseller lists: The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly. So we were keen to share his insights with our readers and thrilled when Guy agreed to be our Entrepreneur of the Month in the August 2011 issue of our national business magazine for entrepreneurs, Be Inkandescent.

Since then, we have reviewed another one of his fascinating books, Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition, which was our Book of the Month in July 2012. With this tome, which was originally published in 2008, Guy said hits the mark on what he said was his mission for the book—to provide “hardcore information to hardcore people who want to kick ass.”

Amen to that. And these are some of the topics we’ll talk to Guy about today, and also feature in our upcoming book, “PR Rules: The Playbook.”

We were thrilled to interview Kawasaki, who explains:

• What marketing really is.
• When it comes to marketing his books, and there have been a dozen of them published, what has worked best—and what hasn’t worked very well?
• Does he think marketing books is similar to marketing any product or service? Or does the marketing campaign change depending on what you are selling?
• Kawasaki worked for Apple in its early days. Clearly, they have launched some of the best marketing campaigns in decades. What do he think is the secret to their marketing success?
• His book, Reality Check, is an encyclopedia of essential marketing information — and a must-read for every entrepreneur—including this useful 10-step checklist that includes important questions for business owners to ask themselves (see below). Kawasaki explains how answering these essential questions can help you create a powerful marketing campaign.
• The most realistic, enchanting marketing tip that he can offer our listeners and readers.

Don’t miss this exciting podcast! Download it, at right.

• Click here to read more about our interview with Kawasaki in 2011 when he published Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions.
• Click here to read our review of Reality Check

Here’s Kawasaki’s 10-step checklist:

1. Are you making meaning?
2. Does your project jump to, or create, the next curve?
3. Is your product Deep, Intelligent, Complete, Elegant, and Emotive?
4. Do you have a mantra for what you do?
5. Do you have a 10-slide pitch with no font smaller than 30 points that you can give in 20 minutes?
6. Have you figured out a way to take your product to market with no budget?
7. Are you helping people who cannot help you?
8. Can you blow away any audience with a demo of your product?
9. Would you hire “imperfect” job candidates who love what you do, as well as people who are better than you are?
10. Are you only asking people to do things that you would do, too?