Placebo Magic

The definition of an expert has been said to be “Anyone from out of town with a PowerPoint presentation.” There’s a ton of truth in that quasi-joke. We see it all the time . . . a cop flashes his badge or wears his uniform, and we blindly trust him. What about the guy flying the plane? Just because he wears that pilot uniform doesn’t mean he knows how to fly. I know that every time I don a pilot uniform (we won’t go into the reasons why), I’m positive that it doesn’t give me the ability to fly airplanes.

How ’bout the doctor? She walks into the exam room wearing a white coat and a stethoscope and we assume that she’s an expert. Is it the uniform? I don’t think so. I’ve had plenty of doctors come into the exam room wearing Levi’s and a button down shirt. I believed they were doctors because of their attitude and their confidence. A good friend of mine, Jack Mahoney, always says that “nothing is more persuasive than determined self-confidence.” Almost everything I know about selling I learned from him. That concept about confidence is absolutely true.

Another “Jack” I used to work with is Jack Bybee. He was the sales recruiter and manager. I was the sales trainer. We had a deal . . . he edified me; I edified him. Once Jack hired a sales person, it would go something like this:

“You start Monday. You’re gonna love it. Your trainer, Jeff Stone, is amazing. He’s an expert salesman, and the best trainer I’ve ever worked with. Be prepared to learn and be thoroughly entertained. He’s amazing!”

I’d like to take credit for being that awesome, but guess what . . . I’m somewhere between my attempt at humility and Jack’s description of me. However, regardless of how good (or not) I really am, the trainees were blown away. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received letters from trainees (even years later) telling me how much I’ve inspired them and changed their lives. I’ve even, on several occasions, run into people in public that I have no recollection of ever meeting . . . yet they swear that I changed their life in a training class years ago.

Again, I’m not claiming full credit for this. These people came into the class expecting to meet the greatest trainer in the world, and they did because they thought they did.

Here’s how the last day of training went:

“Tomorrow’s your first day out on the sales floor. You’ve already met your manager, Jack. As you already know, he’s a great guy, really nice, and personable. What you don’t know is that he is the best sales person I’ve ever known. He really knows how to find out what the customer wants. He’s excellent at relating to people, and will be the best boss you’ve ever had.”

With rare exception, Jack Bybee is the best boss that these people had . . . because that’s what they expected. It’s the placebo effect. There are too many medical statistics and studies proving that a huge factor in healing is merely psychological . . . the belief that you will get better. Too many to deny it’s reality.

Root:

Let’s remember our roots. This month’s root: Believing is Seeing. If you’ve seen the movie The Santa Clause then you may be familiar with the line “Seeing is Believing.” Scott Calvin (aka Santa Claus) seeing the magic and wonder that is the North Pole for the first time (before he accepts the role of Santa) says, “I see it, but I don’t believe it.” The lovely little elf, Judy, clarifies his confusion with her brilliant observation:

You’re missing the point silly. Seeing isn’t believing. Believing is seeing.

Beautiful, no? The point, of course, is that just because someone sees you do something, it doesn’t mean they believe you actually did it. Do they really believe that the coin vanished just because they “saw” it vanish? No, they do NOT. However, they do “See” it vanish if they Believe that it did. What makes them believe is you. How much you get them to believe in you. No, you don’t have to convince them that you’re a grand wizard or master of time and space. But you do have to convince them that you’re a human . . . a human on the same level as them – them being the audience.

You must convince them that you are no different from your audience. You’re just a guy – just like them – who wants to have some fun. You happen to use magic as one of your many proverbial tools for creating fun.

Branch:

Let’s build our branches.  For the next 30 days, focus more on the people, and less on the props, plot and patter. Worry about connecting with your audience through your human-ness, not your magic-ness. Get them to the point where they see because they believe. That’s the opposite of most magic/audience relationships. Usually, the audience is thinking, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Convert them man! Convert them to the truth. Get them to say, “I’ll see it when I believe it.” People experience the magic because they expect to. Your job is to build expectation.

Now go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.