The Power of Positive Spin

Australians are recognised as the best storytellers in the world, yet they fail to turn this strength into loyal, profitable customers.There is a new breed of manager, however, who realises that many leadership functions, including those of influence and persuasion, involve a degree of 'spin'. This may involve putting a positive spin on things to minimise negative perceptions about a product, service or organisation.This chapter introduces aspiring leaders to the new concept of integrity marketing. This marketing style is based on the premise that, in today's crowded, noisy and brand saturated marketplace, managers and leaders need to look at new ways of influencing key stakeholders.The chapter also introduces the brand trajectory model, which is a framework for creating high-level trust with prospects, customers and clients. this model makes it clear that, if leaders/managers are to attract, win and retain profitable customers, they must be better at managing the message. In this way they can build credibility, authenticity and value in their corporate or personal brands.Traditional communications thinking is often based on expensive and ineffective advertising strategies designed to reach consumers. This new approach is based on the leader's role in aligning the values of an organisation with those of its staff and customers. Central to this concept is the ability to generate positive spin to create momentum, leverage and torque.