BY Stephen Key | November
15, 2013|
You believe in the importance of
your vision, but how do you get others to stop and listen to you? There will be
many instances when you don’t have a lot of time to grab someone’s attention,
be it a potential investor
or a licensee. That’s why you need to be able to summarize the benefit of your business idea
in a single, powerful sentence -- a sentence that is so direct and compelling,
it stops whoever reads or hears it dead in their tracks. A good one-line
benefit statement should make someone think: "I want to know more about
that."
I’ve learned that if I craft just
the right sentence, it’s all I need to get people to listen to my pitch, open
my emails and
answer my calls. I still remember the day the iPod
launched and Steve Jobs called
it “a thousand songs in your pocket.” Wow. That's captivating. He didn’t have to
explain any further. We wanted it already!
People don’t care about how
something works.They want to know what it’s going to do for them.
Newspapers, tabloids, and these
days, Twitter have been
making use of the headline for years. How often do you find yourself on a
webpage you never intended to visit, all because a headline was so tempting,
you had to click on it? That should give you an idea of what I’m talking about.
Creating excellent one-line benefit statements isn’t an easy skill, but it’s an
important one, because it can be used to explain your idea in so many different
kinds of situations in an attractive, successful way.
Sometimes, you only get one chance
to make an impression. Cut through the clutter to make it count! Here three
ways to create an awesome one-line benefit statement:
1. Make it emotional.
Why should people care about what you have to say? Grab them with something they can relate to. Benefits sell ideas, not facts. What is your idea going to do for the consumer or the world? Don’t be afraid to use emotion. People are motivated by their emotions more often than they are motivated by reason. Emotion also evokes visual imagery -- if people can begin to see your idea, that’s a good thing. Some emotional words include: "free", "incredible" and "unbelievable."
Why should people care about what you have to say? Grab them with something they can relate to. Benefits sell ideas, not facts. What is your idea going to do for the consumer or the world? Don’t be afraid to use emotion. People are motivated by their emotions more often than they are motivated by reason. Emotion also evokes visual imagery -- if people can begin to see your idea, that’s a good thing. Some emotional words include: "free", "incredible" and "unbelievable."
2. Keep it short.
Like -- really short. I’m talking no more than 10 to 12 words, ideally less. Remember, you don’t have much time. If your statement is too long, people may move on before they’ve even finished reading or hearing it. Don’t be intimidated by using fewer words. This is a really good exercise in general. Too often, I ask an inventor or entrepreneur to tell me about his or her idea and I’m overwhelmed with a five-minute speech. "What is he talking about again?" I find myself thinking. I’m not even sure. Brevity forces clarity.
Like -- really short. I’m talking no more than 10 to 12 words, ideally less. Remember, you don’t have much time. If your statement is too long, people may move on before they’ve even finished reading or hearing it. Don’t be intimidated by using fewer words. This is a really good exercise in general. Too often, I ask an inventor or entrepreneur to tell me about his or her idea and I’m overwhelmed with a five-minute speech. "What is he talking about again?" I find myself thinking. I’m not even sure. Brevity forces clarity.
3. Use numbers.
Numbers convey specificity. Look around you. Headlines with numbers dominate our world. One has only to look at Buzzfeed to understand the power of numbers.
Numbers convey specificity. Look around you. Headlines with numbers dominate our world. One has only to look at Buzzfeed to understand the power of numbers.
Here are some examples of one-line
benefit statements my students and I have used with great success in the past:
- “The most versatile organization system available.”
- “The store all, carry all, go anywhere elevated pet feeder.”
- “This label will increase space on your packaging by 75 percent.”
Try out potential statements on
everyone you know. Which one has the greatest impact? Ask for feedback. Then,
start using this line all over the place. When someone asks: “So what is it
you’re working on again?” you will have a great answer!
Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com
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