Fascination Trigger #3: Mystique

Sally Hogshead is the author of Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation. In it, she talks about seven ways people can harness their natural personalities to be captivating to others. Every Wednesday, I'll be going over one of these triggers.

[If you missed the introduction to this series, click here. If you missed Power, the first trigger, click here. If you missed Passion, the second trigger, click here.]

I like that Mystique comes after Passion, because the two are fairly opposite. Whereas Passion engages the audience, Mystique self-engages, editing their ideas and opinions so as to not over-communicate with others. Just by virtue of being less heard, their opinions are more influential.

Television series have this down pat. They throw enough out there to tease, but not enough to tell the story line. Even news anchors do this...setting up the audience to anticipate receiving the latest breaking news. Mystique is all about raising questions and then not answering them.

Was Lee Harvey Oswald part of a conspiracy theory? This debate still drives people insane. There are more questions than answers.

According to Sally Hogshead, there are 5 defining characteristics of Mystique personalities:

1) Understated - they often stay in the background, out of the limelight. They observe and plan before acting, an never without thoughtful deliberation.

2) Complex -  since the Mystique controls their expressions and emotions, they can be hard to figure out. You just don't "know where you stand" with a Mystique.

3) Rational - the decisions made are based on data and quantitative information, gathered and analyzed thoroughly.

4) Reserved - they are usually guarded, and they never want to reveal with they are truly upset or angry, because this would be admitting a vulnerability.

5) Deliberate - they do not act on impulse, but are usually a bit more self-conscious, and comb through their thoughts and actions so as to only share what it essential.

One author who has Mystique written all over him is Polish author Krystian Bala. He is a convicted murderer serving 25 years for planning and committing the murder of Dariusz Janiszewski in 2000. The police in his town were stumped as to whodunit, until clues were found in Bala's on novel Amok, written in 2003. Turns out, it was a fictional version of his real-life killing, complete with information on the killer could have known. WHAT THE HECK?? Why would he do this? Of course, sales skyrocketed as readers looked for other clues in the book. And yes, that's a picture of him behind bars. Not that many authors have that fresh, jailbird brand.

Let's Analyze

How can Passion learn from Mystique? Vice Versa? Do you know anyone who is a good mix? What other traits might a Mystique have that lends them that certain something we all wish we had? Know any other Mystiques?

How to Fascinate Others...and Why Authors Should Take Note

I've been reading through the book Fascinate, by Sally Hogshead. If you haven't heard of it, you should pick it up, as I've found it, well, fascinating.

Hogshead is a brand consultant and speaker. Her book has been endorsed by Seth Godin and Tom Peters. It's not small potatoes! She based her book on her studies of the psychology, neurology, economics, and history of fascination...and this rings my bell. :)

In today's fast-paced world, you need something to make you stand out. People only have NINE SECOND attention spans. You need something that makes you different and fascinating to others. Why are people going to talk about you? What do you have to bring to the table that's not already there in abundance? 

According to Hogshead (a last name which, before you giggle at it, Sally has totally embraced with a passion--check her website to see what I'm talking about), there are seven ways to "trigger" fascination:

These seven triggers are hardwired into the brain, and Sally says if you can trigger the part of the brain that makes a potential customer wonder if he or she should buy something, then you can shortcut to them actually buying something.

"Fascination is the shortcut to persuasion," Sally says. And persuading readers to buy your first book or subsequent books is exactly what authors need to be thinking about.

You don't learn how to be fascinating, you learn how to not be boring. This is good news for all of us! As I try to think about marketing my own business, I've found this to be encouraging and invaluable. As a result, I'm hoping to share what I'm learning with you all. So every Wednesday for the next seven weeks, I'm going to breakdown the 7 triggers.

If you're chomping at the bits and don't want to wait for my weekly breakdown of the 7 triggers, you can take Sally's trademarked personalty test, The Fascination Advantage ($37), to find out your primary and secondary triggers. From this information, you will be well on your way to determining your personality brand and the strengths that you bring to your own marketing.

It's a competitive environment, and the most fascinating option will always win, according to Sally. She says to "Stand out, or don't bother."

So join me on Wednesdays to see how you can stand out.

Let's Analyze

Have you ever heard of the book Fascinate? What's your best guess of your primary trigger?

If you haven't read my therapeutic review of Krista Phillip's Sandwich, With a Side of Romance, click here for a chance to win your own copy!