The YouBlog

Required Reading

JILL KONRATH NAILS IT with the latest post to her blog, Selling to Big Companies. In a piece entitled, “Trash Talk & Delete Buttons: A Candid Letter from Your Prospective Customer”, Jill does an extended riff from the view point of a typical prospect.
        This is longer than many posts, but it’s worth reading all the way through. Sure, we can say we think about things from our prospects’ perspective, but how often do we imagine things with such force and clarity? This IS what the day is like for many (most? all?) of the people we’re trying to influence.
        That’s not to say that you can’t get through to them. Even in the face of droning presentations and self-aggrandizing pitches, people do buy. But you can increase your chances dramatically by paying attention to what their mood and expectations are likely to be before you open your mouth or start your presentation (or before they read your press release or your prospecting email or however you might be trying to reach them).
        So think long and hard before you ever again use a title slide that has your product or service name in big letters. That merely announces — loudly — that your presentation is all about “Me”. Instead, use 3-7 words to set up what you can do for them, and you’ll change their mood markedly.
        Meanwhile, Jill’s post is not just for Sales executives. It’s just as valuable for Marketers, Product Marketers, people in PR, and anyone with a CXO title (or with aspirations for that).

Asking Better Questions

THESE SEEM LIKE HARMLESS QUERIES: “Any questions?” “Any feedback?” “Your thoughts?” “Anything else I can tell you about?”
        But questions like these don’t help you turn your presentation into a conversation, despite the fact that you’re asking them for a response.
        Any query that can be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No” (or variations like “None” or “Nothing”) makes it really easy for your audience or prospects to opt out of engaging with you. They can simply say “Yes” or “No”, and their obligation to participate is met. Meanwhile, your opportunity to get a useful response is gone.
        You can hope that, in the absence of a meatier response, your audience really gets everything you said and buys into what you’re proposing. But chances are just as good that you don’t have them as far along as you’d like them to be.

What to do
Instead of asking them a question that starts with “Any”, go for questions that start with “What” or “How” or anything that cannot be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No”. Here are some examples:

“How well does this capability fit in with what you need?”

“What resonates most for you about what we’ve just discussed?”

“Where do you see this having the greatest impact?”

None of these questions can be answered with just a “Yes” or “No”. Rather, they will prompt feedback that is far more useful to you than a vague “Any questions?” is likely to prompt. They will also give you better insights into what your audience or prospects are thinking.
        You also help your audience tremendously by giving them specifics to respond to. And, in subtle ways, that helps your relationship, as well.
        BUT . . . don’t be manipulative. Don’t ask them a question that forces them to answer the way you want. Actually, those type of questions tend to demand a “Yes” or “No” answer anyway. (Example: “You said you need X. If I can give you X at this price, will you buy?”) There may be times where a question like that is appropriate, but there are usually better ways to phrase it.
        And those moments don’t come up in most presentations anyway, so stick with genuine questions that easily invite your audience to give you a detailed response.

The Power of Words

MY WIFE’S NEW FAVORITE LINE is not “You look fabulous” or “Sure, buy whatever you like” or even “I love you, Mom”. No, her new favorite line — her new OBSESSIVE line — is from a copywriter for a local Colorado ski area, Eldora. She just encountered this line in a brochure promoting the upcoming season and, more specifically, in talking about a special women’s ski program.
        Now, a little background. My wife is Swiss and had skis on her feet when she schussed out of the womb. She’s an outstanding skier, and she knows it. She’s not pretentious about it, but she IS good.
        Still, something about this line has made her all gooey. She immediately called one friend, then grabbed the brochure out of my hand to run across the street to tell other friends. I’m sure by morning she will have sent out an email to every female friend in her address book.
        So after all that build-up, here is the line:

”Some think women are more naturally suited for skiing. Some know it.”

The copy goes on much longer than that, but my wife is sold already. Why? Because even though she didn’t need validation, she still appreciated — greatly! — the sense of recognition that the line conveys.
        So does this mean that we should fawn all over our clients and prospects? No. Does it mean we should respect and honor them? Sure!
        As you might imagine, the line doesn’t hold the same power over me, but then they weren’t writing for me, were they?
        What the writer did that I can relate to, however, is that she (or he?) tuned into what really matters to the core audience, and then crafted a message that spoke to their needs and interests.
        I can assure you that if the writer had, instead, gone on and on about all the snow they get, and how close the ski area is to where we live, and other “features”, my wife would not be burning up the phone lines right now. All because of 12 carefully chosen words . . .

One and Only One

HERE’S A NEW CHALLENGE. Let’s see if you’re up to it. Can you distill your whole story down to one word? That’s it — just one word. Can you do that?
        I promise you, it’s not easy.
        I also promise you, it’s one of the most effective things you can do.
        Here’s why it’s hard: We’re so conditioned to keep talking and talking, or throwing bullet point after bullet point at people, until something sticks (or so we hope). It’s tough enough to get people to edit their pitch, let alone to try to synthesize it into one idea. How could we possibly go from one idea down to one word?
        And (the bigger question) WHY?
        Why bother trying to tighten it down to one single word when there’s soooo much to say?

Well . . .

Suppose we want someone to remember what we talked about after the presentation or pitch is over. What’s more memorable: 80 bullet points with no discernible theme, or a single word?

What’s more memorable: a throbbing soundtrack over a dazzling display of dancing graphics, or a single word?

What’s more memorable: a lot of self-aggrandizing talk about the presenter’s extraordinary company, or a single word?

I think you get the point ('scuse the pun). I’m not suggesting you walk in, say that one word, and then walk out (though I’d LOVE to see someone do that!) Just use that one word to set up the rest of the discussion. And with that type of framing or context, they’ll be with you all the way — and they’ll remember exactly what you wanted them to think about long afterward.
        But don’t settle for something simple like “Money” or “Time”, unless either of those (or similar) are so much an issue that your audience is practically bleeding over it. There are usually much deeper issues than money or time, and those are the things you want to uncover and use.
        For help with this, check out these two earlier posts:

Don’t Sell the Sizzle OR the Steak
(Be sure to read the part about “The Five Whys”.)

The Two-Word Test
(Yes, I let you have two words before; this semester it get tougher!)

One thing you’ll find as you boil your ideas down to only one word — you’re much more likely to use a word that relates to their needs, interests, or goals. And in doing so, you are MUCH more likely to command their interest and involvement than you would be with a typical title slide and vague (or non-existent) purpose.
        It really is an incredibly powerful approach.