If I say,
“I can make you an extra $100 million a year in revenue.”
You’ll say,
“Yeah right, you hustler.”
If I say,
“Big Australian mining company made an extra $100 million a year using our software.”
You’ll say,
“That’s interesting, tell me more.”
If big Australian mining company CEO says,
“We made an extra $100 million a year using this software.”
You’ll say,
“How do I get some of that.”
It’s the same fact in each sentence, yet each version becomes more and more powerful.
The first one is dismissed instantly as typical sales and marketing BS.
Version number two is more powerful, and you’ll see many businesses using some variation of it.
However, version three is the real killer. It has far more power and credibility than the other two.
This is the one that will win you business.
The Secrets That Make it Powerful
It’s powerful because of the following reasons...
- It uses a simple and tangible fact like “an extra $100 million a year.”
- The fact is easy to understand and hard to argue with.
- It’s about a real customer, not you.
- It’s a company or situation that your prospective customer can identify with and see themselves in.
- It’s far more compelling when someone else states the facts.
- There’s no WeeWee
No WeeWee or MiMi
If you find yourself using the following pronouns “I, Me, We, Me, My, Us, Our” then you’re doing it all wrong.
Eliminate all such words from your promotional material.
It’s not about you; it’s about the benefit your prospective customers can get from using you.
The same rules apply when writing your company “About” page, your resume, LinkedIn profile or any business profile.
The way to successfully brag about yourself of course is to have other people do it for you, otherwise known as testimonials or recommendations.
If you can’t get the testimonial then revert to option two, which will at least get your prospective customer’s interest.
For more tips see also How To Talk About Yourself Without Peeing on Your Leg.
So, until next time, stay humble.
