The Champfrogs Checklist: Goal

If you understand which goal people have on their minds, you can motivate them more easily.

It is said that men have only one thing on their minds, which is a bit of an exaggeration. It is more accurate to say they have two things on their mind. I do not only think about my work. I also care a lot about my garden.

This insight was used not long ago in a creative way by Gillette, the razor blade company. Gillette wants men to shave, anything they can, as often as they can, with as many blades as possible. So, they thought, “What arguments can we use to convince men to trim the… ehm… private area?

Should we argue for personal hygiene?”

Bah! That argument may work on women. I’m a man!

“Maybe we should refer to esthetics?”

Double bah! That argument only works when we talk about my other masculine symbol, my car.

Instead, Gillette came up with a much more convincing argument: On their videos and on their website they said, “Trimming the bush makes the tree look taller!” Genius! And they added, “Use a fresh blade every day, to avoid cutting the tree.” Brilliant! Gillette understands how to tap into a man’s passion (and fear). They know how to align their own objective (selling more razor blades) with their customers’ goal (an impressive garden).

Hoping the effects are cumulative, I ordered a lifetime supply of Gillette blades.

People can be passionate enough to do the silliest things. All your fellow workers are passionate about something. As creative networkers it’s our job to find out what it is, and so we ask:

What Is On Their Minds?

(Image: Nathanmac87)

Also read:

• Champfrogs Checklist: Order
• The 40 Best Influence & Persuasion Books

This is part 9 of a 10-part series about the Champfrogs Checklist, a simple tool for change agents to match their ideas for change with people’s intrinsic motivation and desires. The full checklist consists of Curiosity, Honor, Acceptance, Mastery, Power, Freedom, Relatedness, Order, Goal, and Status. The Champfrogs Checklist article is available for download via the Management Workout mailing list.