Be the Hero by Noah Blumenthal

$19.95

Hardcover

In politics they call it the coattail effect when a lesser candidate wins by picking up voters who only really showed up to vote for the larger election but then pulled all their party knobs for every race. Business provides the same opportunity.

A shoe store in my area just threw a Sex and the City 2 pre-screening party. They had men dressed as sailors serving cosmopolitans from silver trays. Then the women who came for the experience proceeded to live it up by buying $700 pairs of shoes.

This shoe store couldn’t have created the same buzz that Sex and the City builds. But they could ride the movie’s coattails.

I spoke to a woman yesterday who owns a cake business. My suggestion to her was to offer to the local children’s museum to supply free cakes to their 12 biggest events each year. She’ll get her product in front of exactly the crowd she most wants to attract.

Baseball’s Willie Keeler said he succeeded because he “hit ‘em where they ain’t.” In business, do the opposite – hit ‘em where they are. Find the buzz, the experience, the event that’s already happening. Then ride those coattails.