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Grabbing their attention
How to tell prospects what you really do
by Jim Domanski
Here's the scenario:
You are at a trade show wandering around. Someone comes up to you,
strikes up a conversation. At some point the person asks: "So, what do
you do?"
Quickly: what do you
say? Be honest here! Chances are you say something like this:
•
I am
sales rep with...
•
I am a
sales consultant with...
•
I am a
marketing rep ...
•
I work
for a high tech re-seller ...
•
I'm in
sales...
Now, next question.
What are the two things all these lines have in common? First, they are
dull, unimaginative and ho-hum. Why? Because every sales rep uses these
phrases. Sure they reflect the nature of your job or the company for
whom you work, but that's it. No differentiation; just one of many
vendors. They do not reflect your value proposition.
This leads to the
second point. These paltry statements squander a huge selling
opportunity. By telling people what you do in a more interesting and
compelling manner you can actually promote yourself and your company and
give them an idea of your value. At the very least, you will get the
prospect to say, "Hey, that's different. Tell me a little more."
The WWD or WID
What we are
really talking about is a WWD which stands for "What we do." It is used
in prospecting and typically occurs after you mention the name of your
company. It helps orient the customer by giving them a glimpse at what
you do. A WWD is also an abbreviated elevator speech. In other words,
you could use it a trade show, at a social function, etc.
The two motivators
While a WWD
is only a few short words – more a phrase than a complete sentence
–
it is a powerful way to grab the attention of a prospect during an
initial call. By getting the prospect to listen – and I mean truly
listen – you improve the odds of success. If you sound like the rest of
the vendor pack, prospects will tune out.
Before you can craft
a powerful, in-your-face, go get 'em WWD, you need to know a little about
the two strongest motivators: gain and pain.
Gain
In broad terms, people will be motivated to take
action (listen, review, ask for a quote, buy) in order to gain
or improve upon a situation. For example, people will be motivated to
buy or take action in order to save money, make money, save time,
improve efficiencies, better service, etc.
From a WWD perspective here's
what it might look like:
• We
help engineers and architects get their educational credits quickly and
easily.
• I help businesses and individuals use the phone more effectively to
sell.
• We
work with distributors to help improve cash flow and increase
market share.
• I
help businesses save money on everyday purchases.
Certainly these WWDs
are a marked improvement compared to the examples cited earlier. They are
more effective because they relate a positive benefit to the listener.
They appeal to the gain motivator.
Pain
Prospects will also take action to avoid or alleviate pain.
Pain is just another way of saying avoiding or fixing a problem, concern
or predicament. If something is not right, if something is not working,
if something is not performing well, people respond by taking action to
solve it.
Now this is
important so read closely. The real issue about pain is this: All things
being relatively equal and given a choice between improving a situation
(gain) and fixing a problem (pain), the majority of people will fix the
problem first. In other words, pain is usually the more powerful of the
two motivators.
This makes perfect sense. A gain represents a future
opportunity but a pain is usually a current nagging and persistent
reality that normally requires immediate attention. Pain is like a
toothache: it is constantly throbbing and hard to forget.
What this really
means is that a WWD should actually focus on a problem (pain) that you, your company or your product
can solve.
Here are some examples to illustrate the
point:
• I
work with distributors who are struggling to keep technology hardware and software
costs in line.
• I
work with distributors who are finding it challenging to attract more
clients and manage costs.
• We
work with engineers and architects who find it frustrating and time
consuming to solve plant-floor issues.
Make no mistake
about it, these WWDs are going to turn heads.
And if nothing else, they are different. They cannot help but be
noticed. With proper thought and wording, the phrase touches a raw and
exposed nerve. Prospects who have experienced even the slightest of
pain will want to want to listen further. They'll be curious, no
question about it.
Three steps to
building
a painful WWD
I wish I could take credit for this incredible insight but quite frankly
I got the concept from marketing guru Robert Middleton.
He talks about building an elevator speech and he refers to a WWD
as an audio logo. He offers three steps.
As stated above, the
trick to developing a powerful WWD is to focus on the problem because
problems get more attention than opportunities. What this means is that
you have to sit down and think about the problems you solve. This must
be clear and concise in your mind. What do we fix? What pain do we
remove? What challenges do we solve?
Middleton is emphatic about use hard-hitting, emotion-packed words. Consider the
following words: frustrating,
struggling, challenging. Do they not act like verbal beacons? Do
they not conjure up vivid images? They tell it like it is.
A WWD must
immediately strike a nerve with me. You must hit the nail squarely on the head with
blatant use of the vernacular. So grab a thesaurus
and look for words that relate to the problems you deal with and that
evoke emotion.
A WWD is a
parenthetical phrase. It is not a paragraph. Stick to one idea
–
and as
Middleton points out
–
resist the temptation to balance a problem with
a solution. The objective of the WWD is to get attention, not to sell
them. There will be time for that later. Less is more.
Test the WWD
Unless you are a
gifted copywriter, chances are it will take you a few tries before you
get the right mix of words. Test them by saying them aloud. Practice
them until they flow trippingly from your tongue. Then try the WWD on
friends, associates and family. Tell them what you are trying to do. Get
their feedback. Go back to the drawing board and come up with
variations. As with any skill or technique, with practice it gets easier
and better.
In today's hectic,
high competitive marketplace you need every edge you can get. The edge
is often something small and unique that no one else is doing. This may
be all you need to get one step closer to the sale. Give it a try.
Jim Domanski is
president of Teleconcepts Consulting, a firm that helps businesses and
individuals use the telephone more effectively to generate leads and
sell more product. Focusing exclusively on outbound, business to
business tele-sales, Jim provides both consulting and training services
to clients in the U.S., Canada and Europe. A dynamic speaker and
presenter, he is also the author of three highly successful books on tele-sales skills and strategies. For more information visit his Web
site at
teleconceptsconsulting.com or call 613-591-1998.
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