By Ian Ash
What would you say to a prospective customer if you had less than 10 seconds to engage their interest?
Now you may be thinking that this is an artificial scenario, but according to ‘The Treetop Therapy’ the average attention span for a human is just 8.25 seconds.
That is less than that of a goldfish which comes in at a whopping nine seconds!
The reality is that these days, we are all so busy, if you are going to make someone stop and take notice, you have to pitch with something that is going to grab their attention.
In marketing parlance, this is known as ‘the hook’ and is the first step in beginning to acquire interest.
If you believe the assertion that 8.25 seconds is typically the amount of time required to attract attention, then the best way to do this is via an image.
It is very true that a picture paints a thousand words and in marketing, less is more.
It doesn’t matter whether you are surfing the web, looking at a magazine or passing by a newspaper stand, it is most likely an image that will determine whether you decide to look further or not.
A newspaper is a good example of this. Look at most papers and you will see that what takes up at least 60 per cent of the front-page real estate is a picture along with a very large three to four word headline.
If this is of interest, then you may be inclined to read the next bit which is usually a short paragraph or two to three sentences in big bold print that tempt you to find out more.
You read this and before you know it, you are reading the smaller print at the bottom right-hand corner, which does not finish on the front page but instead directs you to turn to page four to find out more and now you’re in.
You are committed to finding out more now that you have got this far and so are then compelled to buy the newspaper.
In business marketing, the ‘elevator pitch’ is the term used for the situation in which you have a limited amount of time to talk to someone and attract their interest in your business.
The term derives from the American word for a lift (elevator) where you have stepped into it at the top of a tall building and the other person there asks you what you do.
You have from the time the lift starts to when it reaches ground level (possibly 8.5 seconds or less) to gain their interest in your business so that they want to find out more (the personal equivalent of ‘turn to page four’).
While this situation may sound wholly artificial, it is directly analogous to attending a networking function or meeting with a prospective customer for the first time – you have limited time to get their attention and
continue the dialogue.
So where do you start? First off, I recommend that you don’t state the obvious.
Rather than just simply say what you do, it is often more useful and interesting to state the ideal end result of your work.
For example, instead of saying ‘I landscape properties’, a landscaper might say something like ‘I transform the surroundings of people’s homes’ or a personal tutor might say ‘I maximise the knowledge of the next generation’.
In both cases, since the specifics of the job have not been declared through each ‘hook’, the next most likely question might be “how do you do that?” and now the conversation has started from which your vocation will gradually become clear.
When you begin to talk about your business, it is important that your own personal passion comes through illustrated by one or two personal examples of how you have been able to demonstrate the sort of results achieved.
Key to success here is not to talk for too long (remember, less is more).
Asking the person to whom you are talking for their perspectives is essential to an engaging conversation since this should necessarily be two-way.
If the conversation continues well, you should also get an opportunity to talk to why you do what you and as Simon Sinek has clearly articulated, this is what brings about real engagement and interest.
Happy pitching!
Ian Ash ACC, AInstIB
Managing Director
OrgMent Business Solutions – ombs.com.au
