[Case Study] How to Close Clients without being in the Room.

The year is 1167.

After being captured by raiders and forced to marry, Hoelun gave birth to a healthy baby boy. But something was wrong. She noticed the baby was clenching his fist. She opened it and found him clutching a blood clot the size of a knuckle bone in his hand.

Mongol culture is deep in signs and meaning. And this was a powerful sign meaning the child was destined to become a leader.

The boy is named Temujin who would grow up to build an empire larger than the African continent.

And later claim the title: Genghis Khan.

How did Genghis Khan expand his empire?

By Conquering cities without invading....and insanely good at marketing.

He did it by leveraging 3 Key Factors of his Empire:

• Meritocracy

• Reputation

• Mystique

A meritocracy is crucial for 3 reasons. One reason is the most skilled and loyal rise to leadership positions. Another reason is it destroyed feudal systems, birth rights, and removed any stragglers in high level positions. And the final reason is it motivated people to do their best because anyone—including kids— could replace them if their skills proved better.

From the start, the Mongols had an insane reputation. They lived in mountains with little food, water, or fertile land. They were literally built different. Survivors spread stories of warriors attacking as fast as lightning.

Mysticism helped build momentum and purpose. Like Steve Jobs and his “Think Different” campaign. Genghis Khan used mystics to create a prophecy of success which agreed with the Mongols' successful war campaigns. The more they won, the more the warriors believed in their prophecy.

People want to join successes and Genghis Khan knew it.

Understand the power of words beyond what’s written.

Instead of attacking larger cities, Genghis Khan would do something else.

He would attack smaller tribes and allow the people to run away to larger cities spreading the stories of Mongol ferocity. Free publicity without using any extra resources. The terror of the Mongols spread like wildfire and larger cities surrendered without bloodshed.

Those who didn’t surrender found out why the Mongols were feared.

Genghis Khan captured.

• Scholars

• Mystics

• Poets

Anyone who demonstrated useful expertise.

They would fortify his army, teach the Mongols about other cultures, and spread word of Mongol conquest. And the Mongols kept their word. Anyone who surrendered and joined the Mongols would not be harmed.

Genghis Khan built a reputation to span for centuries.

What can You do?

Storytelling goes beyond what’s written and includes what’s said when you’re not in the room.

I experienced the power of reputations in high school when I did some short film projects for friends. Word got around that I had a good skill set in making movies. Soon, I got called to the principal’s office to make a film for the incoming freshmen class.

Word of mouth is the most powerful type of marketing.

• How do people talk about you/your company when you’re not in the room?

• What do customers think about your business?

You can’t always know what’s said behind closed doors, but you influence it by:

• Sharing Customer Testimonials & Interactions about your business

• Building Meaningful Relationships through giving help/advice

• Offering Genuine Help without being asked

• Doing Quality Work

All these go far with building a reputation.

But none of these matters unless you embrace one important idea:

Building a Quality Reputation is about playing to your strengths.

It’s about you. No one can replicate your uniqueness.

Genghis Khan didn’t follow what other conquerors did. He leveraged what made Mongols unique and adapted what he learned from others. He conquered the world because he remained adaptable and played to his strengths.

Find what makes you unique, your strengths, your interests, and embrace them. Trust me. Focus on what interests you. Share it with the world. You’ll build a solid reputation without realizing it.

Nothing is more infectious than working with a passionate person.