THE people who read newspapers on a regular basis can be divided into two main groups. There is a small group who read everything in the paper from cover to cover, often over a gently cooling cup of tannin infused water. The second, more larger group breeze through the paper looking for headlines that appeal and only read articles that they think are worthy of scrutiny.
This group of individuals makes up the larger percentage of your market.
They will not religiously examine every product on the shelf before making their choice (you are smiling because in your mind you can picture the person you know who does just that), rather they grab the one that has headlines that scream the loudest at them.
This is the same with salespersons or business owners; your voice needs to scream loud and clear if you are to effectively sell your product.
Twitter’s success astounds me. If you told me 10 years ago that allowing people 140 word posts would be a successful communication medium for any length of time I would have laughed at you.
Yet everyday people headline their stories to whoever will listen. Everyone has a story to tell, and amid the billions of stories being told each day yours has better chances of being read if it stands out.
Here are three pointers on making your story the best one possible. They apply to your investor pitches, your staff training, and your consumer interactions.
Firstly, you need to let people know that your product will make a difference to them.
It should be a real difference that they will appreciate. You need to ask yourself why your range of jam is better than the glowing, imported version next to it on the shelf.
What problem will you solve for your consumers? At the end of the day you need to answer the question “Why should people care about what you have to offer?”
You may be selling a steel-reinforced, prefabricated, storage location for vehicles, but what people want to hear is that you are offering car security at a click of a button.
As a customer I do not need to hear you tell me that our well-trained (possibly over trained) staff are on hand to assist you with anything you want at any time of day you want it.
Even though you may have the most amazing staff education programme, what I want to hear is something like “Finally, 24-hour shopping with minimal fuss”, or “Open 24 hours a day — a real convenience store”. Sell a difference people can appreciate.
Second, headline it. Try to tell your story in one sentence. Create a Twitter account and see if it fits in the little “tweet” box that counts down the number of letters you have left to use.
Now remember the first point while you do this, if you can tell me how your product will change my life in one, short sentence I may give you permission to tell me more about it, or, even better, show me how it actually works.
Finally, tell it to me with passion. If you do not believe in your product and the difference it will make then I am not going to believe in it either.
To me this is one of the biggest differentials in business today.
Zimbabweans are just not passionate about what they are selling (perhaps that is because we have been through 10 years of merely trading other country’s goods that we had no hand in creating).
A friend of mine sells hair extensions, he can tell at a glance the type of weave at a hundred yards, whether it is artificial or natural, and if it came from his factory or not.
To see him in action is fascinating, I have sat with him at coffee as he chats to a waitress about the pros and cons of her current style — free advice to make her look better.
He has a passion not just for the hair product, but for the effect it is making in the lives of his clients.
Be excited about what you are selling — not just the product but the revolutionary change it will make to someone.
Many restaurants have daily specials and waiters will regurgitate this information in a rapid monotone as they guide you to your table.
Ask a waiter which cake he or she thinks is the best to have and watch the change in his or her eyes as he or she extols why they enjoy it so much. Passion makes a difference.
The emotion you have for your product needs to be contagious enough to reflect in your staff.
You need to get buy-in from them as to the change you are making in your peculiar pocket of the universe.
If it does not filter down to your salesman then the results will be the same.
How do you sell it to your staff, the same way you sell it to me — sell the difference, keep it short, and tell it like it matters. At the end of the day, the best story wins.
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