It is often noted that people like to buy from, and do business with, people they ‘like.’ It doesn’t necessarily have to be the most competent or knowledgeable (although these attributes would help) that have people coming back to them over-and-over again. Getting to know people, connecting with them, is important in life, in general—an emotional connection, whether we like to call it that or not.
On one episode of the television show Mad Men, the presenter, Don, believes using emotion is the key to selling Kodak’s Carousel. What’s that? A slide projector, believe it or not. It’s a machine intended to be used in meetings and classrooms to make ideas clearer to rooms full of people with graphics lit onto walls and screens. This device can also be used in homes to show friends and family photos of trips abroad and high school graduations. Don uses the Carousel and his love of his family to connect with his audience of Kodak executives. It’s a great example of how a technology, the Carousel, that has no emotion itself can evoke emotion. Don, the innovative thinker and genius. The clip can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2bLNkCqpuY.