When we hear the word disciple we tend to think immediately of the twelve guys that followed Jesus around the pages of the Bible. The truth is that many businesses today are out to create disciples they just refer to them using other titles: Advocates, Raving Fans, Maxxinistas, Trekkies and so on.

These folks are much more than just satisfied customers. They are ardent followers of the brands, products, services, and personalities they espouse and support. They’ve gone well beyond clicking the ‘Like’ button, they’ve got skin in the game!

So how do you know if you’ve got disciples?

I recently “attended”, on Facebook, the cast reunion for the film The Big Lebowski. The Achievers, as these fans refer to themselves, gathered in New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom to celebrate the release of the film on Blu-Ray and all the key players were there on stage: John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Jeff Bridges, the whole gang.  But this wasn’t just a one time event, no sirree. The “Lebowski Fest” happens every year in about a dozen different cities. Hundreds of people drives hundreds of miles to attend these events! Imagine Star Trek convention meets Woodstock in bathrobes and you’ll get something of a picture.

But this type of behavior isn’t a random anomaly.What we have here is the first of four characteristics that are exhibited by disciples:

1. The tend to self-identify and gather

• Disney started the D23 Expo in 2010, an annual event conceived as the ultimate Disney fan event.
• Apple fans flock to the MacWorld conference every year in droves.
• Microsoft is launching “HaloFest” in celebration of 10 years of game play. (Has it been that long?)
• Oracle OpenWorld packs out San Francisco every fall.

To be fair these events aren’t just attended by disciples, the general public comes along as well, otherwise there would be no one to convert. But pay closer attention to some of the conversations occurring at these events and you can start to distinguish the Disciples from the attendees. Watch what people are wearing, it’s a good first clue.

2. They’re typically VERY well informed

A second characteristic of a Disciple is that when it comes to knowing the inside scoop on the brands they support they are connected to the rumor mill, the social media hubs, and the official publications even before they become official. Disciples take pride in knowing things before they’re generally known. They crave this information. They feed on it. They ache to be ahead of the curve. As such they may well know what people are saying about you before you do!

3. They have strong opinions about “their brand”

If you happen to visit Disneyland around the Holidays ask a cast member or two if they’ve heard any complaints from guests about the Holiday changes to some of their favorite attractions. Many Disney Disciples actually find these changes offensive because it smacks of disrespecting of traditions and they’re quite vocal about it! Whether you agree with the opinion of these types of radical zealots or not they can give you insight into how customers may respond to changes you’re considering.

4. The don’t just advertise, they evangelize

Folks who have crossed over to disciple-dom don’t just want you to know about their favorite game, or television show, or computer they want you to adopt it as your own. They go out of their way to try to convince others of the superiority of their brand. They become an unsolicited, unpaid, sometimes undisciplined sales force.

But what if you could harness their energy? What if you could leverage their enthusiasm, provide ways for them to feel even more “connected” to the inside scoop they crave, and give them tools to help them make converts? If you could find a way to create one Disciple out of every five satisfied customers what sort of organic sales force would you have on your hands? There is power here for those that know how to identify it and harness it for good!!

Does your organization have Disciples? If not, why not? If so, how are you mentoring them?