The “So What” Factor, by Debbie Ouellet, Echelon One Consulting

I'm often asked by business owners, "How do I find the right words so that prospects ‘get’ what I do and want to do business with me?

The So-What Factor: If you want a prospect to listen to what you have to offer, you have to give them a reason to. I call it the "so what" factor. People are busy. You need to simply and quickly tell them why they should care about your service, your product or your idea. There's only one way to do that…speak to the things that your clients:

• lose sleep over
• value highly
• require for success, or
• hate to do themselves (and need) 

Do that first. That’s right; resist the urge to spout the virtues about how great your company is, how cheap your widget is or the credentials you spent the last decade earning. They simply won’t care until you’ve given them a reason to.
Think Like Your Client: It doesn’t have to be a complicated process, if you put your client first when considering your message. The trick is: don’t tell them what you do…tell them what you do for them.
Make it real. Say it simply.  And, you’ve got their attention.
For Example: I know a yoga instructor who specializes in therapeutic yoga for women. She might say, "Yoga can help your mother stay mobile, remain physically active and sleep better at night well into her senior years. Yoga isn’t just for the young and athletic. If your mother can sit in a chair and wiggle her fingers, she can do yoga." Because we care about our mothers and want them to maintain their independence, chances are good, she’s got our attention.
Once you’ve passed the "So What" hurdle, you’re ready to move to the next question.
Why you? In other words, why should they switch what they’re doing now and work with you?

For more help, you can contact me at al@selfemploymentassistance.ca or by phone through the Barrie BERN office.

- Al

RE-INVENT YOURSELF

“If you’re green you grow, if you’re ripe you rot” ~ Unknown

The point, of course, is about being willing to learn, to accept new ideas.  If we think we know all we need to know about any subject, then we are likely going to “rot”.  However, as a plant grows gradually, so does our learning.  We can “water” and “cultivate” our growth.  Sometimes we recognize the need to prune out long-held ideas that perhaps are stunting our further growth.  This takes humility, recognition that we are “green” in the sense of being inexperienced.  Think of a tree in a forest; it stretches high, competing for sunlight with much older and bigger trees, successfully reaching maturity, even then continually growing. 

Many new business owners resist the idea of becoming a ‘sales person’.  However, for your new enterprise to be successful, it is essential to communicate the benefits of your product or service to potential clients.  This is a crucial ‘new idea’ that you will have to ‘reach out for’. 

Some others with previous experience in sales realize that the methods used have become redundant or ineffective.  This, too, requires a willingness to learn new, more professional methods.

In any case, it requires that we recognize the need for personal growth, and that we make a concerted effort to do so.

What have YOU done lately to re-invent yourself?

 

For more help, you can contact me at al@selfemploymentassistance.ca or by phone through the Barrie BERN office.

- Al