Made to Stick

Checklist
Message 1
Message 2
Simple




Unexpected
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Concrete



 
Credible



  

Emotional
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Story
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P U N C H   L I N E :  
When we use statistics, the less we rely on the actual
numbers the better. The numbers inform us about the underlying re-
lationship, but there are better ways to illustrate the underlying rela-
tionship than the numbers themselves. Juxtaposing the deer and the
shark is similar to Ainscow’s use of BBs in a bucket.
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T h e   S i n a t r a   Te s t   a n d   S a f e x p r e s s
We’ve seen that we can make our ideas more credible, on their own
merits, by using compelling details or by using statistics. A third way
to develop internal credibility is to use a particular type of example,
an example that passes what we call the Sinatra Test.
In Frank Sinatra’s classic “New York, New York,” he sings about
starting a new life in New York City, and the chorus declares, “If I can
make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” An example passes the Sinatra
Test when one example alone is enough to establish credibility in a
given domain. For instance, if you’ve got the security contract for Fort
Knox, you’re in the running for any security contract (even if you
have no other clients). If you catered a White House function, you
can compete for any catering contract. It’s the Sinatra Test: If you can
make it there, you can make it anywhere.
Safexpress, a family-owned business based in India, used the Sina-
tra Test to its advantage. Safexpress competes in the shipping busi-
ness, where competition is fierce. And, while the competition led to
low prices, there was a catch: Most shipping firms would not guaran-
tee safe, on-time deliveries. With some firms, you couldn’t be guar-
anteed that deliveries would be made, ever.
To distinguish itself from the competition, Safexpress assured its
customers of safe, on-time delivery. International companies operat-
ing in India—companies accustomed to the reliability of FedEx—
embraced Safexpress immediately. But Safexpress struggled to attract
business from Indian companies that weren’t accustomed to paying
higher rates. Rubal Jain, a member of the founding family of Safe-
xpress, was determined to make inroads with Indian companies.
To do so, Jain set his sights on winning the account of a major 
Bollywood studio. When Jain proposed that Safexpress distribute the
studio’s films, the reaction was “Are you kidding?”
The skepticism was predictable and plausible: Piracy is a major
concern in India, as it is in the rest of the world, so distribution is
C R E D I B L E
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mission-critical. If films end up “misplaced” en route, bootlegged
versions show up a few weeks later on street corners. This risk wasn’t
one that the movie studio could take.
Fortunately, Jain had a powerful credential ready. Safexpress had
handled the release of the fifth Harry Potter book—every Potter book
in every bookstore in India had been delivered there by Safexpress, an
insanely complicated delivery: All the books had to arrive in stores by
8 a.m. on the morning of the release. Not too early, or the bookstore
owners might try to sell them early and the secret would be blown;
and not too late, or the bookstore owners would be irate at lost sales.
Also, the Potter books needed the same piracy protections as the stu-
dio’s films—there could be no leaks.
And Jain had a second story. He knew from an earlier conversa-
tion that the Bollywood studio executive had a brother who had re-
cently taken his high school board exams. After telling the Harry
Potter story, Jain mentioned, “By the way, we also safely delivered the
examination papers for your brother’s boards and carried the return
answer sheets.” Safexpress handles the distribution of all the central
examinations for high school and university admissions.
Two months later, the deal was signed.
Both of Jain’s stories passed the Sinatra Test. Jain could have used
statistics instead of stories—“98.84 percent of our deliveries arrive on
time.” Or he could have drawn on an external source of credibility,
such as a testimonial from the CEO of a multinational company:
“We’ve used Safexpress for all our deliveries in India and we’ve found
them to be an excellent service provider.” Both of these are good
credibility-boosters. But there is something extraordinary about being
the company that carries completed board exams and the latest Harry
Potter book. Their power comes from their concreteness rather than
from numbers or authority. These stories make you think, “If Safe-
xpress can make it there, they can make it anywhere.”
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E d i b l e   F a b r i c s
For an example that unites all three of the “internal credibility”
sources—details, statistics, and the Sinatra Test—we can turn to Bill
McDonough, an environmentalist known for helping companies im-
prove both the environment and the bottom line.
Most executives tend to be skeptical and suspicious when ap-
proached by an environmentalist, even a “business-friendly” environ-
mentalist like McDonough. To overcome such skepticism—to prove
that there can be perfect consistency between business goals and envi-
ronmental goals—McDonough tells a story that passes the Sinatra Test.
The story goes as follows. In 1993, McDonough and a chemist,
Michael Braungart, were hired by the Swiss textile manufacturer
Rohner Textil, which produces the fabrics for Steelcase chairs. Their
mission was one that most people in the textile industry considered
impossible: Create a manufacturing process without using toxic
chemicals.
The textile industry routinely deals with hazardous chemicals. Most
dye colors contain toxic elements. In fact, the trimmings from Rohner
Textil’s factory—the excess cloth not used on the chairs—contained so
many questionable chemicals that the Swiss government classified
them as hazardous waste. Furthermore, the trimmings couldn’t be
buried or burned in Switzerland—to comply with government regula-
tions, they had to be exported—shipped to a country with laxer regula-
tions, such as Spain. (Note the vivid, concrete detail.) McDonough
said, “If your trimmings are declared hazardous waste but you can sell
what’s in the middle, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know
you’re selling hazardous waste.”
To tackle this problem—eliminating toxic chemicals from the fur-
niture-manufacturing process—McDonough needed to find a willing