What Makes You So Fascinating?
Bisnow is on the ground at the BOMA International Every Building Conference and Expo, where 3,000 property owners, managers, and vendors are buzzing around the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Orlando. That's a lot of people to meet—and when the average attention span these days is nine seconds (the same as a goldfish), you probably need some tips.
Enter speaker, author, and leading expert on the art of influence Sally Hogshead, who keynoted today's general session. Being a fascinating person is key in keeping people's minds on you, she says—especially when you can't be price competitive. "We just don't know the right words to articulate our value and why we're fascinating," she says. Using an Orlando-appropriate Disney reference, she cited Epcot's Mission: Space ride: "The orange ride is hyped, exciting, and perceived as a thrill, while the green ride is for kids and old people." After riding both, she discovered they were nearly the same—but guess which had the longer line?
It's not about learning to become more fascinating, Sally says, but learning to become less boring. After studying 100,000 people, she came up with 49 personality archetypes based on seven "fascinating advantages" that all people have that add value: innovation, passion, power, prestige, trust, mystique, and alert. Above, attendees discover what archetype they are by combining what they believe is their primary fascination advantage and their secondary fascination advantage. (10.5% of BOMA members are Maestros, a combination of power and prestige, which makes them ambitious, focused, and confident, she says.)
These archetypes (which you can find out more about on her website) are how people see you when you're at your best, she explained to Orkin's Terry Steenetti. She says that high performers have four things in common: 1) They provide a specific benefit; 2) They're worth more than they're paid; 3) They overdeliver in one area; and 4) They're still the top choice even when a product is lower quality or at a higher price.
