Does your business connect with people on a gut level?

I just finished reading Allen Adamson’s highly informative and entertaining book titled BrandSimple. In it Allen gives the reader a lot of useful business building tips that are simple to understand, and, with a little bit of practice, practical to master. I enjoyed reading the book, and I highly recommend it.

One the most insightful nuggets told in the above book came from a conversation Allen had with Thomas Friedman, columnist for the New York Times and author of many books. Here it is:

“People listen through their stomachs, not their ears,” Tom said. “If you connect with people on a gut level, they’ll say, ‘Don’t bother me with the details, I trust you with my gut, go ahead.’ If you don’t connect with them on a gut level, you can’t offer them enough details or statistics to bring them around. You have to connect on a gut level first.”

Just about right now your inner voice is confirming this to be true because you most likely do the same—you too listen with your gut.

Case in point: Diane von Fürstenberg’s wrap dress. Do you think people liked it because of the number of stitches it contained? Of course not. People liked it because it spoke to them on a gut level. (To see one of the first ads for Diane’s iconic dress, please click on the image on the right to enlarge it.)

My 2¢:
Chances are you already know what’s essential. Your job is to make the essential possible.