I am currently reading Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation. I’m not 100% sold on all of the ideas, but overall sold book and has been great at getting me to refocus on some of the core principles of branding, marketing, and promotion. I just completed my Fscore personality test on http://sallyhogshead.com. Here are my results:
YOUR PRIMARY TRIGGER: POWER
You, my friend, are an alpha dog: an authority of the group, and in control of your actions.
Blindly following someone else’s orders? No, thanks. You prefer to actively lead situations, rather than sitting back and passively watching from the back row. You’ll follow other people’s rules, if needed, but you prefer to define a new set of rules on your own terms. You exude influence, compelling others to pay attention. Your strong opinions and bold action often spark reactions from others.
Your messages command influence, and your opinion carries weight. When you excel in positions of leadership, others look to you for cues of how to behave. By steering your use of power productively toward your goals, you’ll become more motivating and inspirational.
At times, perhaps, you’re intimidating or even overbearing. When you expect others to obey your message, you define deadlines and demands of the alarm trigger to make them comply. Make sure that you’re also using the trust trigger, to help others feel more comfortable.
You’re a natural leader, and comfortable with authority, making you well-suited to creating messages that inspire large groups. Next step? Hone your power trigger for greater respect, bigger audiences, and more loyal advocates.
You know the expression “keeping up the Joneses”? If prestige is your secondary trigger, the Joneses probably want to keep up with you.
Discerning and ambitious, your plans might seem impossible to others, but you think big. You’re highly aspirational, and unafraid of goals. Even if you don’t care for overt displays of wealth or status, you appreciate the meaning behind symbols of achievement. You value the respect of others, and work to maintain a certain standing.
You’re motivated by the admiration of your peers, and most likely, your peers are motivated by you. People in your group watch what you’re saying and doing, measuring themselves in relation to you, seeking cues of their own standing within the group. Keep in mind: Prestigious people can evoke admiration, but also competition and envy.
Among corporate circles, fascination might be triggered by a framed Princeton diploma or an invitation to speak at the TED conference. In a second-grade classroom, the same status might mean winning a round of Spore video game. Both represent achievement, and carry implied “value” to the group.
Just as prestigious brands and objects hold a greater value, so do prestigious people. Become attuned to the ways in which you’re applying your innate prestigious charisma to make your personal brand more valuable.