Corporate Reality

Corporate Reality

I just finished an outstanding book – Rework, by 37signals founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson.  The book is made up of  quick, concise insights to challenge the way we think about business.

In one of the sections, they talk about allowing your customers to go behind the scenes of your company:

Give people a backstage pass and show them how your business works.  Imagine that someone wanted to make a reality show about your business.  What would they share?  Now stop waiting for someone else and do it yourself.

How brilliant is this?  We’ve actually been pitching this idea now for a couple of months – an online “reality show” of your business.  Instead of a simple introductory video or (say it ain’t so) no video at all on your site, what if your current and potential customers were glued to their computers learning about your company?  And what if they kept coming back?  The benefit:

Letting people behind the curtain changes your relationship with them.  They’ll feel a bond with you and see you as human beings instead of a faceless company.

And we’re not talking drama here – we’re talking insight.  Think HGTV rather than MTV.  And yes, just like the “reality” shows you watch now, they can be scripted.  So you can be sure to get your company’s message across.

See the whole “Go Behind the Scenes” section of the book below.  And then go pick up the book.  You can learn more about the book and 37signals at http://37signals.com/rework.

Go behind the scenes

Give people a backstage pass and show them how your business works.  Imagine that someone wanted to make a reality show about your business.  What would they share?  Now stop waiting for someone else and do it yourself.

Think no one will care?  Think again.  Even seemingly boring jobs can be fascinating when presented right.  What could be more boring than commercial fishing and trucking?  Yet the Discovery Channel and History Channel have turned these professions into highly rated shows:  Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers.

It doesn’t need to be a dangerous job, either.  People love finding out the little secrets of all kinds of businesses, even one that makes those tiny marshmallows in breakfast cereals.  That’s why Food Network’s Unwrapped – which explores the secrets behind lunch-box treats, soda pop, movie candy, and more – is such a popular program.

People are curious about how things are made.  It’s why they like factory tours and behind-the-scenes footage on DVDs.  They want to see how sets are built, how the animation is done, how the director cast the film, etc.  They want to know how and why other people make decisions.

Letting people behind the curtain changes your relationship with them.  They’ll feel a bond with you and see you as human beings instead of a faceless company.  They’ll see the sweat and effort that goes into what you sell.  They’ll develop a deeper level of understanding and appreciation for what you do.

Excerpt from Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson reprinted here with permission.

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