“Win the Crowd! The Secret Of Influence From Ancient Rome”

How can you turn yourself from a virtual unknown into a great and powerful presence online? 

In this blog I am going to show you how you can borrow a strategy from horrible history, which will help you if you aspire to lead your own tribe, or followers in your particular industry.

A lot of people are fascinated by the darker side of history.  But although much of it is as far removed from modern life as it’s possible to get, it occurred to me the other day that Ancient Rome can teach us one key ingredient to becoming successful in any arena – particularly running a business, big or small.   

And this one crucial element  is so powerful that, once ignited, almost nothing will stand in its way. We’re talking about…

The power of Influence

When the famous Gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius, stepped into the arena for the very last time – he had one thing on his side.  On his quest for revenge, ‘The Spaniard’ was very clear on his vision,  and despite having the odds stacked against him he used his contacts and ultimately his influence to achieve iconic status.

Massive crowds would be drawn to the Colosseum to watch the Gladiators clash in a fight to the death.  It was public entertainment on a bloody and visceral scale, and an accepted part of Roman culture.

There was a collective gruesome voyeurism about it (much like public executions in Britain) which temporarily welded people together, in such a way that normal folk forgot their own problems.  Because basically someone else was ‘for the chop’. 

Now, the point to all this is that men are no longer thrown to the lions, however human behaviour is basically pretty much exactly the same as it was back then.  So if you can influence the crowd you have a huge advantage – particularly in the Social Media arena.  

Our Gladiator was given probably the best piece of advice he would ever receive from his mentor…”Win the crowd – and you win your freedom”.  Yes I know it was just a film – but the story holds true…for all of us who yearn for success and the freedom to be their own person, on their own terms.  But few have the courage or the wits to achieve it.

Win the crowd and you win your freedom

Because once the crowd gets to  know you, they started to like you and then  follow you.  Then they will begin talking about you.  If you can create what Seth Godin calls a ‘Tribe’  = when what you say touches and connects with people – you have influence.

There’s nothing more compelling than a crowd of people seeing, hearing and experiencing something powerful together.  Which is the secret ingredient in being successful in most things, including Social Media.   And it’s how you build The Triangle of Trust, which, once formed, is very hard to break. 

So how can you bring a little bit ancient Rome into play here, and influence more people?

How can  you generate the same crowd surge to get people interested in your business for instance? 

• People love to gossip.  People love a spectacle.  This could be for several reasons, e.g. possibly to reassure themselves that it’s not them suffering any pain, or to relieve the tedium of their lives, or to look for inspiration and leadership in others.
• Human Beings are tribal.  Because people like to feel that they belong,they look to each other to see what their peers are doing and what choices they are making before they make their own choices.  With Social Media (with the use of the Facebook Like Button for instance) – it’s easy to see what choices others are making and what decisions they’ve made. 
• The majority of people want to be led and to look up to, and admire, their leaders.  So if you aspire to lead and be known by leveraging Social Media for instance,  start talking with conviction - stand up for what you believe in and bravely share your vision with the world. 
• You don’t have to be the CEO of General Motors to be a great role model.  So even if you come from Devon and make Ice Cream in your kitchen or knit cardigans  – everyone has a unique and compelling story to tell
• Today’s iconic leaders are unique, transparent and talk from a place of authenticity
• Share your story,your opinions and your unique take on the world on Twitter, Facebook and Linked In
• Find the hungry crowd online who wants what you’re promoting – put yourself in the right arena 
• Create a spectacle, an event, a ‘something’ that either makes individuals feel that they are in on something special or part of something innovative and unique.

For example the recent launch of the new iPad and iPhone is a really good example. 

So my question to you is – do you know who your hungry crowd is, where to find them and how you can begin to engage with them?  Tell us what you’re doing by leaving a comment below.