WHEN PRESENTING YOUR “STUFF,” INCLUDE YOUR AUDIENCE

Two weeks ago I was asked to be the guest on a live talk show that would be broadcast over 300 radio stations as well as cable TV.  Up to that point, my interviews were pre recorded with the benefit of editing. This was cause for concern.

Now, adding even more pressure, the two hosts were comedians. They had cleverly developed a unique way of delivering business news and it works. As it turns out, there is a significant segment of business news seekers who appreciate this fresh humorous format.

My dilemma was two fold. How do I handle the live aspect and how can I be funny to fit the format. Preparation seemed to be the answer. I developed an elaborate list of questions to cover anything they could possibly throw at me. To be safe, I developed over twenty. I was sure I had covered every contingency. Upon completing what amounted to seven pages of questions and answers, I realized that it was going to be nearly impossible to find any one question on the fly. My next idea seemed to solve the problem. I simply printed each question on a separate page and spread them around my desk. I had room for my phone, lots of notes and no room for anything else on my four by seven foot desk.

Now, how to be funny? This one I figured out in less than a minute. After reviewing my library of humorous material it became very clear. No jokes for me. I have no jokes. I will match their energy, which is a given for me, and leave the jokes to them. I can live with that.

Now came, air time. I am in my office on the phone with the producer who does a simple sound check. He further advises me to listen to the program and respond when the hosts refer directly to me. I am scheduled to be on in three or four minutes, I sat staring at my desk covered with notes thinking, I’m ready to Rock N’ Roll.

In those final seconds I suddenly had a vision of me scrambling to find the answer to the first question. In the next cathartic second I realized the irony of me taking what was already in my head and reducing it to notes that I would have to navigate through. Without thinking further I tossed them in the trash. It felt good and somehow released me from the pressure of the interview.

I went on, shared my thoughts freely, and had fun doing it. The hosts held me over through two segments and, while on the air, invited me back for a series of additional appearances.

The learning here is to be very prepared, of course, but don’t over control the circumstances. I make presentations on a regular basis. The potential mistake is to over control there as well. All of that control does not leave room for those who are on the receiving end of the pitch.

I am headed out later this week, for a very important presentation to the senior executives of a major corporation. As a result of my recent broadcast experience, I have altered my capabilities presentation to make room for the people listening to participate. I recommend you consider looking at this new distinction to see how it may apply to you.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog with Google, by clicking the link    

visit my site, www.pullbizbook.com

IS YOUR SELLING PROPOSITION A MALE OR A FEMALE?

Trust me, it makes a difference. If you are close on this one you are probably ok, but if you get this wrong it will cost you dearly. The reality is that the gender of your product or service shouldn’t be specifically male or female. The good news is that you have a choice in the matter of its gender because you are in charge of creating and judging it.

It is a well-known fact that over 80% of purchases, by volume, in this country are made by females. Given that, have you noticed that over 80% of all products and services are not colored pink? Why not? The answer is rooted in how comfortable all of us, boys and girls, are with our sexuality.

As it turns out, women are very comfortable with there’s while us boys are a little behind and are still struggling with ours. We will know that the boys have made it when Kobe Bryant introduces his new pink basketball shoes and no one considers it unusual. That may take a while.

Over and above communicating our selling propositions, you and I as marketers must accommodate this gender reality. Over time, I have developed an operating approach that insures gender alignment with both sexes.

Assume there is a left to right horizontal line in the middle of a blank page. It is defined with an “F” at the extreme left and an “M” at its extreme right. That represents female on the left and male on the right. Located smack in the middle of this continuum is a short vertical line that separates the two genders equally.

Let’s assume for this demonstration that we are selling a product or service that is sold to both men and women with the exclusion of women’s fashion. Our example includes everything from cat litter, to dry cleaning, to a travel agency, to condoms. Yes, 35% of condoms are purchased by women. Conventional wisdom would indicate that the gender of your selling proposition should be smack in the middle of our continuum. Not so.

Given that the gender is a judgment call, your personal observation, you will shoot for an image that is approximately 1/3 from the midpoint to the far right masculine side of the continuum. Shooting for this will insure that if your judgment is off, you are still safe. I can assure you that if men perceive your image as feminine you will suffer the consequences. Conversely, women frequently choose both feminine and masculine images with ease.

The learning here is to play this safe and get on with fine tuning your selling proposition, knowing you have avoided the gender trap. Others, unwittingly have not.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog with Google, by clicking the link    

visit my site, www.pullbizbook.com

SOPHISTICATED MARKETING. . . . ON AN 8TH GRADE LEVEL?

As a young kid I had a very difficult time reading and in turn comprehending. In fact I was deathly afraid of the tests that came around from time to time where we were required to read a couple of paragraphs and then write what we recalled from them.

Not too long ago, I was reading a somewhat philosophical book where the author instructed me not to read past any word that I did not understand. He said if I did, I would tune out. WOW! It all came back to me in that instant. That is exactly what happened to me as a kid.

After years of communicating powerful sales messages for my clients, here is what I can tell you. You must communicate your sales message on an 8th grade level.

You say, “But Keith, my product is more sophisticated than that.”

I am not referring to your product; I am referring to the language you use to sell the product. It is absolutely one of the smartest things you can do if you want to be effective.

If you’re in a state of reading or listening, and a word or a graphic is used that you do not fully understand that’s when you will begin to tune out.If the message continues to not be fully understood, that’s when you will tune out completely.

When I am working on a new selling proposition for a client I am not only interested in what each of the communication elements in my message are stating, but I am also very interested in how quickly and how well each is understood. If I discover one is vague, I will replace it immediately. I will dumb the communication down to an 8^th grade level of comprehension. If you explore this phenomenon you will discover that target consumers are easily confused about what you and I consider simple terminology. I dare you to simply expose your selling proposition to your target consumers I promise you will be shocked at how many of them misinterpret your selling proposition.

Don’t overreact to the 8th grade level thing. You can still, very effectively explain complicated concepts using an 8th grade level of communication. In fact it is likely that the 8th grade language will be far more easily understood and enjoyed by your target consumer. If you have been watching the “Universe” TV series on the History Channel, you have experienced it firsthand. Throughout the series, of over 20 episodes, the producers have been sharing very complex concepts that explore the most complicated laws of physics and have done so using 8th grade language so you and I can understand.

The learning here is to be diligent when constructing your sales message, constantly check to ensure your words and images are fully understood. You will be surprised to learn that what you see as a very clear message, your target consumer may not understand at all. When we confuse consumers, we make them they feel insecure. Even a small amount of insecurity on the part of your target consumer is enough to lose them. Do not expect that your target consumer will work to understand your sales message, more to the point, why should they.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog with Google, by clicking the link 

   

visit my site, www.pullbizbook.com

HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH “PULL?”

It’s easy. You live with Pull by leading your category. I know the idea of being the leader in your category sounds like a huge undertaking but nothing is further from the truth. How you lead is by routinely being perceived as the only alternative when compared to your competition. The alternative I am referring to is accomplished by being perceived as having an advantage over your competition.

Beyond price, there are only two ways to accomplish the perception I am referring to. First, you can develop an alternative in your product or service. A simple example would be a dry cleaner offering an unusual new service for its customers, let’s say offering to convert old VCR videos to DVD format. That sets this dry cleaner up as an alternative in the dry cleaning category and successfully differentiates this one from its competition.

Second, is that you can create a remarkable change in your sales message.  My experience is that the cheapest and easiest way to increase sales and profits is to upgrade your sales message in such a way that your product or service is perceived as remarkable. I touched on this in one of my earlier blogs, “How to Make Your Target Consumer Happy” (1/31/10). What I observed is that most businesses talk so much about their product or service that they leave the consumer out of the it sales message.

The car company BMW just did exactly that and I predict they will reap the benefit of having done so. Their new ad campaign is centered on the message “We don’t just make cars, we make joy”. That is 100% about the target consumer and what they will get out of owning a BMW. Works for me…it will for you too.

The RULE here is that if you evolve your sales message on a regular basis you will drive your competition crazy. You will be causing the evolution of your category by creating “what’s next/new” in your category. Target consumers will perceive your product or service as the leader. You will prosper and your competition will suffer. Your competition will be at the effect of your ongoing innovation. Go for it and let me know what happens.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog with Google, by clicking the link 

   

visit my site, www.pullbizbook.com

WHAT IS PULL?

I flew to New York and back several weeks ago and was twice asked, “What is Pull?” Pull is a book title of course, but it is also a marketing distinction I discovered many years ago.

Remember how special you felt when you got your new car? It was exciting and made life a bit more fun. Remember how carefully you drove it and how carefully you parked it. Notice you still have the car but that feeling is gone. Shouldn’t it follow that if you still have the car you should still have the feeling?

You are not alone. It is humanly impossible to keep that feeling. Human beings are “hard wired” in the brain to familiarize themselves with their new car such that the newness and the feeling of excitement simply disappear. What is more aggravating is that we humans have no choice in the matter. We really are “hard wired” to acclimate to anything new because of a need to be comfortable with everything in our lives. We do it with anything that appears newly in our lives. That applies to good news or bad news, a new car or a recession. We humans have to make everything ok.

Being aware of this phenomenon and how it impacts the world of marketing will serve you well. It’s simple. When you create a unique sales message’s you need to understand that target consumers will only react emotionally to it until they make it familiar and get comfortable with it. That’s not bad news. If you think literally about it, you can see that this “Pull” creates a clearing for you and I to create what’s next for our sales message.

The learning here is that even when sales are strong, you and I should be working on creating “what’s next” for our business. Altering your sales message in this way will have your target consumers stay interested in your business and will devastate your competition. You will be the leader in your category.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog with Google, by clicking the link 

 

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON!

If you hang around me often enough, you will come to agree that participating in Free Enterprise is akin to being in a war. Now I know how harsh that sounds but that attitude will keep you from becoming a casualty. As in any war you have some say about the weapons and the battlefield. Those two things go together by the way. Your selling proposition is your weapon and your impact point is your battlefield.

Identifying your impact point is relative simple. It’s where your message is being conveyed to your target consumer. The front of a retail package, the front of a store, a billboard ad and so forth. Your sales message is another matter.

Getting at your sales message is not quite so easy. The biggest misconception is that your message is what you say or write. It absolutely is not. There is only one true message that counts and that is the message that gets through to your target consumer. You and I may write down the message we want to convey and create an ad to convey it but that message is only in our heads. The message that counts is the message that was interpreted and received the target consumer.

What does all this mean? You need to find a way to expose your sales message to your target consumers and listen to what they have to say. Not your friends, your employees or your relatives…your target consumers. BTW, there is a correct way to do so that is covered in chapter twelve of the book. You don’t need formal research. You will have to do a little work.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog with Google, by clicking the link 

 

IS FREE ENTERPRISE A CHOICE?

I remember being taught in college that Free Enterprise was some kind of economic choice that we in America were very proud of having made. It was sold as a doctrine or a policy that was debated and chosen. We in the U. S. like to think we mastered it and promoted it to the rest of the world. Nothing could be further from the truth.

If Free Enterprise is not a choice, then what is it? We live in and around it daily, and yet we have never chosen to live by it and never will. It’s just there.

I say Free Enterprise is a fundamental “law of nature.” Why? Well there are three aspects of human nature that qualify it as a “law of nature.”

• The 1st aspect is that we humans love to collect things.
• The 2nd is that we like to have more things than our fellow humans.
• The 3rd is our innate desire to have some if not all of the things that other humans have.

Given that we have two choices to satisfy these three aspects of human nature, what are they? We go to war and take their things, or those of us that are more civilized, exchange our things for some of their things. Hopefully, over time we do less of the former and more of the latter. What can be learned from these choices?

If we are in this game called Free Enterprise, then learn the game, learn to play it well and learn to be successful and enjoy it. My book “Pull,” is a way to access understanding the true nature of Free Enterprise and how to take advantage of this “law of nature.”

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com