Making Your Sales Message Matter When it Counts Most

After nearly 30 years working in television and radio as a journalist and marketing guru, I’ve discovered the 7 secrets to a successful thirty second message. It will sell you or your company’s service or product like never before. My goal is to keep you from re-inventing the wheel and avoid all the mistakes I made in the past. Here are the crib notes to help you get noticed in those first thirty seconds (and leave your competitors wondering how they lost the game before it even started):

1. Identify your target audience. The question is do you want to be attractive to corporate CEO’s or small business owners? Pick and choose carefully whom you are trying to target. The wrong answer is “everyone who has money.” Go from a shotgun approach to shooting a pellet at a target.
2. Create a great offer. Make sure you know the difference between a feature and a benefit. At the same time you must encourage action and eliminate risk. My best example is from a carpet company: “The most thorough cleaning ever or your money back.”
3. Do you have a headline? Most businesses believe it’s the name of the company. That is not a headline, this is; “The five biggest mistakes people make when choosing _________.” Fill in the blank with your service. The secret is to speak to the problem and agitate the problem. Make it painful, so they will seek out your cure.
4. Educate and offer knowledge. If you’re out to provide value and real answers you’re educating. Get potential customers to listen, take great notes and find a solution.
5. Use conversational language. Your thirty second ‘elevator pitch’ or commercial should never use industry slang or jargon.
6. Tell your prospect the next step in the process: “go to my website and download a free whitepaper,” or “call this number and get a free recorded message.” Tell them what’s next and always ask or tell them to buy.
7. Always test and track your message. Find what people respond to and perhaps more importantly, what do they seem to ignore.

It took me three decades to create this 7 step process to create an effective message. I hope you’ll take the time now to implement the strategies that could turn around your sales.