Harry Beckwith Visit

I had the honor and privilege of meeting and hanging out with marketing genius Harry Beckwith last week. Harry came to Charleston, West Virginia, to serve as the keynote speaker at the West Virginia Conference on Entrepreneurship 2006.

For those unfamiliar with Harry Beckwith, he is the author of several best-selling books, including Selling the Invisible, The Invisible Touch and What Clients Love. I have read his books and the pages of my copies are filled with notes, highlighting and tabbed sections. Selling the Invisible was named as one of the top ten business books of all time. Harry is an accomplished brand builder whose clients include Target, Microsoft and Gillette.

Harry was gracious with his time and ideas. He was humble, kind and unpretentious. I had the pleasure of taking him to dinner and a brief tour of Charleston. Most impressively, he was impeccable with his service and quality in engaging with our conference steering committee as our keynote speaker. Whenever we needed information and whenever we had questions, Harry was easily accessible and quick to respond to our queries. [Thank you, Harry!]

From his presentation, I was reminded of the importance of storytelling in marketing. Marketers must be great storytellers. Harry shared many compelling stories and examples with our group. I recall his story of a successful direct-mail campaign for a high-end jewelry merchant--gems and the story of The Yellow Canary.

So, I ask you, fellow marketing geniuses, does your brand tell a story? Do you enable customers and prospects to engage with your brand on an emotional level in compelling fashion?