Friday, February 24, 2006
Your Metaphor Can Set the Stage for Others to Picture the Scene
"With emergency lights and sirens or silent speed through the dark, a metaphor travels outside of the usual lanes of logic to gain attention, anchor memory, cause hearts to beat again, and douse doubts, said Anne Miller, author of the book *Metaphorically Selling*
in an interview with marketing coach Marcia Yudkin.
A metaphor (an implicit, vivid comparison) works particularly well to overcome a blind spot in someone's thinking, says Miller. Using an unexpected, well-chosen idea, a metaphor "can transport someone from the place where he has dug in his heels to a whole new place, where he cannot bring his emotional baggage."
For instance, an insurance broker who couldn't get a particular client to sign the contract sensed that the client thought the idea was wise but didn't feel any urgency to act. The broker learned that the client had a passion for growing apples, visited him in his orchard and asked why he was spraying the trees that day.
"The client understood now, and signed," wrote Yudkin in her newsletter.
Try using Yudkin's free "Business Name & Tag Line Generator" to create a product, cause or company name, or tag line that "sparkles with distinction.".
in an interview with marketing coach Marcia Yudkin
A metaphor (an implicit, vivid comparison) works particularly well to overcome a blind spot in someone's thinking, says Miller. Using an unexpected, well-chosen idea, a metaphor "can transport someone from the place where he has dug in his heels to a whole new place, where he cannot bring his emotional baggage."
For instance, an insurance broker who couldn't get a particular client to sign the contract sensed that the client thought the idea was wise but didn't feel any urgency to act. The broker learned that the client had a passion for growing apples, visited him in his orchard and asked why he was spraying the trees that day.
"The client understood now, and signed," wrote Yudkin in her newsletter.
Try using Yudkin's free "Business Name & Tag Line Generator" to create a product, cause or company name, or tag line that "sparkles with distinction."
