There Ought’a Be a Law:
If they’ve never sold a product or service,
how can they tell you how to sell yours?
BY STEVEN POWELL

THERE OUGHT’A BE A LAW THAT SAYS ANYONE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY KIND OF A MARKETING EFFORT FOR ANY KIND OF A BUSINESS ENTERPRISE—IN ANY WAY, IN ANY PLACE, AT ANY TIME—MUST SPEND A YEAR SELLING DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLIC FIRST.

Person-to-person. Face-to-face. That’s the only way to learn how to sell to people. Then, and only then, should they take a stab at writing marketing copy.

Webster defines marketing as: “The process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service”. With respect, this author offers a slightly different definition. Marketing is nothing more mysterious than selling long-distance.

First-rate sales people have an inherent sense of what buttons to push and how best to push them. They understand their consumers’ pain points and take great pleasure in finding new and innovative ways to “make the pain go away”.

There are so many “answers” to marketing’s never-ending questions that it’s impossible to count them all. Self-help books, audio tapes and CDs, newsletters; everyone’s got the answer. Ready for this? So do you.

If you’ve successfully sold your product or service for any length of time, then you know which messages reach out to your customers and which ones fall on deaf ears. But, when it comes to advertising, direct mail, or the other barrage of communication vehicles, you don’t trust your own instincts. But, you should.

A good marketer understands the importance of effective sales techniques—not just the what, but the why as well. The biggest difference? The sales person gets to say it in person, responding to the customer’s objections or questions in a real-time conversation. Not so the marketer, who must make do with a brand and a few well-chosen words.

So, how do you decide what words to use? Start at the beginning. Think about ideas. Not The BIG IDEA—not yet. Just ideas. Lots of them. Scribble them on napkins in diners.
Keep an idea pad by your bed at night. Schedule an hour of your time during the work day for this. Treat it that importantly. Challenge yourself. How many ideas can you come up with in an hour? Good ones, bad ones, obvious ones, impractical ones. List them all.
Next, cross out all the obviously bad or impractical entries and make a fresh list with the “good” ones. Now, cut this list in half by having the courage to throw away anything less than exciting or funny. Be harsh. Think about it from your potential customers' point of view - not yours. Assuming these ideas truly reflect your marketing message, the only criteria remaining are potential impact on your targeted market and the practicality of an
idea’s execution.

Remember, you want to grab their attention. You don’t want to offend, but you do want to disturb Their sense of normalcy and force Them to pay attention to what you’re saying. If you can do that—whether in print ads, radio spots, flyers, bumper stickers, or even sales conversations—then you have a chance at closing the sale.

After all, that IS the only point of The BIG IDEA. Grab Their attention long enough to accomplish your goals. It’s not really all that complicated to market your business effectively. Just remember, if you wouldn’t say it to a potential customer or client in person, don’t say it in your marketing materials.

Determine your chief sales message (price benefits, quality, convenience, problem solving, etc…) and get it out there. Find that Big Idea that will grab people’s attention and
force them to hear your message. Then say what you’d say if they were sitting right in front of you.

That’s the Biggest Idea of all.