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Issue 5 > Does your message rise above the market noise?

Does your message rise above the market noise?

Richard Fouts on differentiation.

You may think your message is good, and perhaps it is. But is it unique or does it sound like everyone else in your space?

Take Accenture. Its message about business performance improvement is not unlike the other six million hits you get when you Google 'business performance consulting'.

However, as colleague Ron Hubsher (of Sales Optimization Group) likes to point out, 'You don't have to be good if you're a premium brand.' Ron argues that companies like Accenture tolerate mediocre sales people since seasoned consultants and brand equity really do the selling.

But, if you don't have brand recognition on par with global giants—and your message isn't that different from those that do—you'll remain stuck in the noise, particularly if you're in a mature market. Sales people get quickly discouraged when they work for boutique firms or start-ups that have little message distinction from the trusted brands.

When I did the 'seven word blurb' exercise for a bunch of Wharton grads, they did some good work. By way of review, I ask workshop participants to tell me what they do in seven words or less, in language their grandmother would understand.

These Wharton guys (which included some crashers from NYU, Columbia and MIT) did some good work. But you certainly don't have to attend B-school to get good at this. You just need to know what you do.

Here are some of the 'before and afters'.

Before: I provide legal advice.
After: I help employers avoid employee law suits.

Before: I'm a CPA.
After: I'm an accountant that helps business people make money.

Before: I'm a financial planner.
After: I help people organize their financial lives.

Before: I'm in competitive intelligence.
After: I help companies take market share.

I really loved the last one, but they are all good because they address what the individual does for customers, and encourage the listener to ask a question.

That second point is especially important—because the goal of your seven word blurb isn't about being conclusive in what you do (after all, how could you really do it in seven words or less?) but more about titillating one's curiosity.

Is there anyone out there that doesn't want to know how they can take market share? Anyone?

Good messages encourage prospects to engage in conversation. And isn't that what selling is all about?

Richard Fouts is a business advisor.

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