Dustin Hoffman = Expert Marketer

One of my favorite Hollywood stories involves Dustin Hoffman and Sir Laurence Olivier during the shooting of the international conspiracy thriller Marathon Man.

Apparently, Hoffman was preparing for a scene in which the character he portrayed hadn't slept for days. Ever the method actor, Hoffman deprived himself of sleep for a long period of time. He showed up to the set frazzled and tired.

Despite the obvious dedication to the role that Hoffman displayed, Olivier was surpised by his co-actor's methods. Olivier quickly deflated his counterpart's technique by blurting out, "why don't you just try acting!"

Olivier was the old guard of acting; Hoffman was shaking things up.

The fact that Hoffman shook things up does not make him an expert marketer. What really makes his approach special is the method he used to get into character.

Hoffman didn't just act. He put himself in his character's shoes, all the way down to sleep deprivation. He wanted to feel the pain and the confusion that sleep deprivation causes. He wanted to be as close to the role as possible.

You too should do the same. Take Hoffman's method acting and apply it to your customers. Put yourself in their shoes. Feel their pain and confusion. Live their world.

If you show up to the set knowing what your customers know and feeling what your customers feel, you will undoubtedly provide an award-winning performance (i.e. profit) that will create legions of fans (i.e. customers).