Blog Post: Are You Sticky?

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to sit in the audience and hear Chip Heath, author of the New York Times bestselling book, Made to Stick and regular columnist for Fast Company magazine speak.  Along with his brother and co-author, Dan Heath, the boys have come up with an amazing simple but easy process for making your ideas "sticky."  When your idea, product or company becomes a "sticky" one that people can grasp easily and repeat it to each other around the water cooler, you have a message that will stick.  You also have a message that will make you money, build your business and grow your network.  Using the word "SUCCESS" as an acronym (minus the last "S"), the Heath brothers give us a very easy to follow formula:

Simple: Break down your message into one that is simple and easy to grasp.  If it's more than a sentence, it's too complicated.

Unexpected: Is your idea breaking with traditional thinking?  Out of the ordinary?  Can you catch people by surprise?

Concrete: Can you talk about your idea or message so that others can see it, hear it, feel it?

Credible: Is your idea easily testable?  Believable?  Can others get behind it and support it?

Emotional: Why should they care?  What's the hook that would get people to say, maybe I should listen?

Story: What are the stories, testimonials, examples of how this idea has impacted others?  Nothing hooks people like a good story.   

I recommend you take your message or idea and put it through the Heath brother's SUCCES formula to make sure it's a sticky one.  Chances are your message is too complex and your network really has no idea what you or your company really does.  When you think you have something sticky, start testing it out on your network.  If it's sticky, watch your phone ring, website activity increase and Google ranking rise.   

Here's to stickiness!