Method and Effect
Are you ready to learn a secret of magic that can help your business?
Every magic 'trick' has two parts: a Method and an Effect.
In a successful performance, the effect is perceived; the method isn't.
For if the method is discovered, then the magic is lost.
To amaze the audience, magicians must focus on showcasing their effects.
So while jugglers spend years practicing their methods so they can show them off, magicians spend years practicing their methods so they can hide them.
What kind of methods are we talking about?
Well, they're not as magical as you would think. Sure there's secret compartments, smoke, mirrors, loose sleeves and fascinating gimmicks. But the other methods that are required to create magic are just as humdrum as in any other business. Magicians have to study technical manuals and repeat the same maneuvers for hours until they are mastered; practice each effect for days; script what they're going to say; hire the right assistants to help; rehearse the complete show for weeks - and that's just the preparation. If the magician wants to get paid for his magic, like any business he has to make cold calls, set-up meetings, send proposals, schedule follow-ups, write contracts, deal with legal, accounting, marketing and sales. And then, finally, if he's done all of that well, he gets to deliver the product. If you work in today's business world, then these things might all sounds familiar to you. And now the magician's methods don't sound nearly as exciting.
However, there are EFFECTS to save the day!
This is what magicians live for. What are our effects? To amaze. To astonish. To surprise. To create laughter and screams of "WOW!" Our effect is to make people forget about their everyday lives or troubles and for a few wonderful moments, step into a world of magic where anything is possible. Now doesn't that sound a lot more exciting than technical manuals and cold calls?
What unites magicians with every other profession in the world is simple:
We all have boring methods, yet we all have powerful effects.
Now a quick word of caution: don't confuse the word EFFECT for RESULT.
The method is to run wires ten feet under-ground to every home. The result is power to a city. The effect is the citizens who can now live their lives fully.
The method is breaking down the molecular structure of a cell and spending billions of dollars and thousands of hours doing research. The result is a cure for cancer. The effect is our loved ones living longer lives.
The method is the collective tightening of 17 different muscles. The result is a smile and the release of chemicals in our bodies. The effect is the feeling of happiness.
The method is not the effect.
The method is real, but it is only important to the person that is responsible for the method.
If you've worked hard on something, you want to tell the whole world; magicians aren't allowed.
So next time someone asks you what you do for a living, don't get bogged down telling them about all the methods that fill the hours and days of your life. Keep those hidden; the methods simply ruin the magic, and let's be honest, no-one cares about our methods. People only care about the effects that our methods have on their lives.
The result of the method is not the effect, either.
The result is usually something that can be clearly described. Scientists love results.
But it's like trying to sell a product based on it's features instead of benefits. Sure some people love to analyze facts and consider the results. But sales are emotional. And to get to the emotion you have to focus on the effect.
The effect is the one clear thing that must be perceived to be felt.
The effect may often be real and quantifiable. But most of the time it is solely perceived and emotionally felt within the heart and mind of our audience.
And that's what makes it so powerful.
So if perception plays a role in your business, then ask yourself what EFFECT you want people to perceive. If you want to truly feel the effect, you've got to see it first from your audience's point of view. (See our "30 Seconds to Clarity")
Then, if you can communicate the perception that your effect is important, that it's helpful, and that it's needed - you're one step closer to delivering your service or product into the hands of the customer. Put it simply: if the customer feels the effect, they have a much stronger connection to what you're presenting. And if, like in any good magic performance, they are amazed by your effect, that's when you'll be greeted with the wonderful words that every magician loves to hear: "That was amazing. Do it again!"