Why Aren’t Smart People Wearing Neckties? August 28, 2008

Like many, I took some time off from my business and the world and enjoyed the summer doldrums.  Honestly, it’s time well spent.  Creativity cannot happen with a cluttered mind. 

Today a headline caught my eye, “Are we witnessing the death of the Necktie?”  It was a short article focused around Gallup stating that only 6% of men wear a necktie to work each day.

Guess what?  If I knew that, I’d be wearing neckties every damn day (only I’m a straight girl and that just doesn’t fly!)  In the corporate world where everyone tries to assimilate, look like the boss and then strategically stand out in order to secure the key to the proverbial executive lieu, why the hell wouldn’t you wear a tie?  West Coast has a different view of CEO de rigour, so a tie might be exceptional.  (Particularly when worn with flip flops!)  Case in point:  my husband is in an industry where neckties were mandatory only 6 years ago.  Almost 90% of his peers are no longer there today.  It doesn’t matter that he wears his tie with jeans and tennis shoes.  That’s not the point.  The point is:

If you are trying to stand out in a crowd, why do what the crowd is doing?  The mediocrity and fear in marketing today stifles so many creative people.  It’s sad.  Nothing bums me out more than a business person with great skills and absolutely no risk tolerance.  This holds for business owners, too.  If you want to gain more business you need to in ovate not only in your business, but in your marketing.   As Seth Godin said in Purple Cow,  “Safe is risky.” 

If you are taking a safe path and have the goal of market dominance, you need to polish up your resume.  Remember what made you take the leap into business on your own.  If you blink, your competition will be ready to pick up your creative slack…and your market share.  If you are an employee with goals of greatness in your industry, you need to treat yourself like a product.  Don’t let the market get you down.  This is when the great ones strategize and come out on the other side holding large bags of money.

Script Everything! August 1, 2008

Small businesses seem to underestimate the use of scripts:  sales scripts, phone scripts, introduction scripts (commonly known as an elevator pitch) and product scripts.  In today’s fast paced world you have less that the former 5 seconds to make an impact.  Telemarketers and quacks have hardened people to good messages.  Every individual in your organization that is even potentially customer facing needs scripts.  If they aren’t the right person to create one then you or your marketing organization should consider it. 

Elements of a Good Script:

1. List Your Situations: Assess your regular week and consider what business building situations you encounter.  Include the random encounter where someone asks, “So, what do you do.”
2. Know Your Goal:  Surprisingly, many professionals have not trained their minds to approach business situations with a goal.  Good sales people – maybe, but most others do not.  Each of the above situations needs a goal.  Do you want them to accept your business card, a consultation appointment or something else.
3. Determine Your Hook:  Sales always has a hook.  It might be a free offer, a special or something extremely unique.  Assess each situation for an appropriate hook.  You wouldn’t want to be hawking demonstrations at a private cocktail party, but you would at an industry mixer.
4. Put it Together:  Write each down in as much detail as possible.  Mix and match the different components until you have a good 30 second introduction for each.  If you are working up a longer sales pitch be sure to plan for if/then encounters.  Imagine every possible objection and plan to answer and soothe it in the customer’s eyes.
5. Practice, Practice, Practice:  If you can practice these to the point where any situation can evolve into a selling situation you have succeeded.  It will take time, but you will be able to quickly assess a new situation and deliver the right script effortlessly.

As easy as it seems, scripts should be given plenty of time to incubate.  I recommend writing a lot then walking away for at least a few hours.  Additionally, personal pitch scripts are best written by that person.  Even if you are the boss and want to control the message, let your staff have some wiggle room in the delivery.  What is comfortable for you to say might be cumbersome to your staff. 

If writing scripts is still difficult, I counsel and write scripts as part of my consulting business.  You do not need to be local – phones work fine for this level of work.   Give me a call or email and we can discuss your project.