The simple truth of sales messaging

I was talking to a business owner yesterday who was telling me how he had been in sales for 25 years and how he knew how to sell…..but….was struggling to sell his new service.

I asked him to describe what it is that he is selling and who his target audience is and he went through a lengthy explanation that left me baffled – and I am normally quick to see where the value is hidden, even when my clients do not.

Therein lies the problem that many business owners experience when trying to sell something clever and new. If their prospects cannot quickly ‘get’ how it could potentially benefit them…..then selling is always going to be a struggle.

I have yet to find a product or service that cannot be bottled down to a simple sentence of 15 words (or less) to explain the essence of the proposition. Finding those 15 words can sometimes take some digging but it’s worth the effort.

If you can spark some interest with a simple sales message then your prospect will have the motivation to listen to more detail. If you confuse them with your initial explanation then you will rarely get a second chance.

Anyway, I told this business owner that I specialise in helping clients generate more leads by simplifying their sales messages… and I am pleased to say we will be doing a workshop together shortly!