Are
You Impressive or Impactful?
Jill Konrath on Opening Statements
Do you put a lot of time and effort into creating the best impression
on prospects? Undoubtedly. Your opening statement, brochures, website,
correspondence and presentations, probably are all designed to make
your best impression. Yet, all this effort may actually be working
against you.
Finding the right words to describe your product or service offering
can be an agonizing task. As you well know, in today's crazy business
environment it's tough to stand out from the crowd and impress corporate
decision-makers. That's why all the time, effort and resources invested
in this valiant effort is so worthwhile.
But is it really? Before you answer, consider this meticulously crafted
statement found on a technology company's website:
"We deliver an innovative, enterprise-class business integration
platform that incorporates proven integration technology with next
generation capabilities into one interoperable set of tools that
delivers a unique combination of efficiency, agility and control."
Or how about this statement used by a business services firm trying
to crack into corporate accounts:
"We facilitate corporate strategic achievement, high-speed
knowledge transfer and employee engagement by utilizing a proprietary
process which incorporates world class intellectual capital, proven
management principles, an in-depth understanding of the human psyche
as well as unique tools."
Are you duly impressed? They're loaded with all those power words
that, according to many marketing gurus, will differentiate your offering
from all your competitors. In fact, I'm amazed both companies were
able to get so many differentiators in just a single sentence. Clearly
they're not only superior to their competitors, but also quite "unique"
- or so they said.
Unfortunately these "differentiated" messages have been
heard a thousand times before by jaded corporate decision-makers who
have no interest in learning more. They're not impressed by your exciting,
leading-edge products or full range of services.
From their perspective, it's a disingenuous self-serving pitch. Without
even thinking, they immediately erect insurmountable barriers that
are impossible for you to overcome. If you've heard comments like
these before, it's highly likely that you tried to impress your prospects:
• We're already working with ...
• It's not in the budget.
• We're not interested at this time.
Simply put, being impressive doesn't work. So what's the solution?
Here are some ideas on how you change the game so that it plays to
your strengths.
Cut out the crap
Throw out all those impressive words and phrases that are utterly
meaningless. They've got to go. Now! They're literally hurting your
sales efforts. Unless you're incredibly diligent, you'll find them
sneaking into your voicemails, popping up when you're networking,
or slipping out during conversations with prospective customers.
Look at your written material too. While you may not be able to influence
the collateral done by your corporate office, you certainly can control
what's in your own emails, letters, PowerPoint presentations or proposals.
Be ruthless in this endeavor. Take out a big red marker and highlight
anything that sounds like you're trying to impress the decision-maker.
Focus on the impact
After you've cut out all the crap, you may not have too much to say
about your product or services. That's good! No one cares about it
anyway. All they care about is the difference you can make for their
organization - which is your value proposition.
It's time to get to the heart of the matter. So get out there, talking
to customers and determine what it is.
What outcomes have they achieved because of your business relationship?
What effect has your offering had on critical business metrics?
What were the ramifications on their business unit, division, or department?
Listen to the words they use. You'll quickly discover that they don't
speak "sales talk" at all. You'll never hear them rave about
your unique methodology, passion for excellence or one-stop shopping.
Instead, they'll talk about shortening time to market, increasing
productivity, reducing error rates and driving sales in new markets.
That's their language. It's time to start using it. Don't get fancy
and try to "Wow" your prospects with highfalutin language.
Get down and dirty. Talk like they do. Discuss the problems they face,
the challenges ahead, and the business objectives they must reach.
Emphasize how you can help by focusing on them - not your "stuff."
When you focus on the impact instead of trying to be impressive, you'll
notice an immediate change in their reactions to you. Instead of erecting
barriers, they'll actually invite you into their company. Instead
of hurling objections at you, they'll ask for your ideas and insights.
Isn't that what you want?
Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, is a recognized
sales strategist in the highly competitive business-to-business market.
A popular speaker at sales meetings, she helps her clients crack into
corporate accounts, speed up their sales cycle and generate demand
for their offering. Konrath publishes an industry-leading online newsletter
and blog. To subscribe - and get a free Sales Call Planning Guide
($19.95 value) - visit www.SellingToBigCompanies.com.
For info on sales training, call 01-651-429-1922.
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