Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions

When small business owners think about what marketing means, all too often they think it’s about manipulating people into purchasing their products or services.

It’s a tried and true approach. It’s also wrong, according to former Apple evangelist and small business guru Guy Kawasaki. In his latest book Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, Kawasaki argues that the real key to winning business over the long term is to enchant customers, or do something that gives them a good feeling about your business, the way you operate and what you stand for.

Much of the book sounds like common sense—things you should know, and probably did know at one time. For example, Chapter 2 (How to Achieve Likeability) starts with the advice to smile when you meet people. In some ways it’s hard to believe a business author would even have to tell a reader that. Yet think about your recent business encounters from either side (buyer or seller). When you were buying, did the seller sincerely smile and look happy to see you? Or did you seem like an interruption or an inconvenience in an already busy day? What about you? Did you smile and greet the customer or prospect warmly and sincerely, as if you’d reconnected with a long-lost friend? Or did you just gruffly get down to business?

Once it gets past individual traits and techniques to create likeability, the book delves into more of the business aspects, such as building a diverse team. While it’s easier to get things done when everyone is in agreement, it also means the thinking tends to be narrow. Kawasaki says building a team with more diverse points of view keeps things fresh and ensures that more aspects of a decision or a business are considered. This broader view is far more likely to create enchantment among customers versus one that is in lockstep with what the business owner thinks.

The book is simple and easy to follow. In fact, it was too simple for some readers, who compared it to reading a long magazine article or a compendium of past articles. Granted, those opinions might be from more experienced marketers.

If your business is your passion, and marketing and customer service are simply tools that allow you to pursue that passion, Kawasaki’s book is worth a look. It may just give you the competitive advantage you need to overcome a better funded but generally disliked rival.