May I Have Your Attention, Please? Your Guide to Business Writing That Charms, Captivates and Converts by Mish Slade

Author:Mish Slade
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nonfiction, Business Writing, Business, 2016
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

SELL THE SIZZLE

“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!” –Theodore Levitt

You’re an accountant? Great… errr, what’s in it for me?

You’re a jeweler? Wonderful… so?

You’re a business consultant? Interesting… now where’s the guy with the crudités?

Almost everyone has heard the phrase “Sell the sizzle, not the steak,” yet it’s bizarre how few companies actually do it. Basically, you need to stop describing WHAT you do. You need to show how your potential customer can BENEFIT from working with you.

People don’t really want an accountant, or a jeweler, or a business consultant… they want an outcome that these things lead to – such as freedom from worrying about the IRS, or a delighted fiancée, or a way to double their business. You’ll be one step closer to getting them as a customer if you can connect the dots and explain the outcome for them. (By the way, saying you do “best practice business consulting” is absolutely nowhere near closer to “selling the sizzle.” Saying you offer “best practice business consulting” is like saying “this is an edible steak.” It means nothing.)

So ask yourself: what will people get out of working with you or buying your product?

The Wow Company (thewowcompany.com) isn’t an accountancy firm. It helps small businesses “make more profit, pay less tax, have more fun.”

Tessa Stuart (tessastuart.co.uk) isn’t a researcher for food brands. She helps your food products “fly off the shelf.”

Innocent (innocentdrinks.co.uk) isn’t a smoothie company. It makes “natural, delicious, healthy drinks that help people live well and die old.”

Zoho (zoho.com) isn’t CRM software. It helps you “attract, retain and delight more customers.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.