Good business leaders are often not great rule followers.  

But if you want to engage your market, woo your prospects and sell effectively… you have to get these right.

The challenge is this: you think you are being clear.

But you probably aren’t.

You probably undersell yourself by talking about what you do rather than inspiring with potential. Or you are sharing so many facts nobody has any idea what you do.

The website of a client was so clear and precise with so much useful information that I had no idea what they were selling. 

Most people emphasize quantity: throw information at people and hope for the best.  But quantity does not create clarity – we don’t clarify through addition we clarify through subtraction.  Clarity is about precise communication based on how your prospects listen. 

There are three rules you must follow when deciding what is in and what is out:

  1. They aren’t interested in you. Whether in person or on your website, people are not interested in you. They are interested in what you can do for them.

  1. They remember the problem you solve for them, not the details of how you do it. People rarely remember what you do, but if they understand it, they will remember the problem you solve.

  1. People are evolutionarily wired to avoid work. The brain uses a lot of calories, so when we tax people’s brains by forcing them to spend time trying to figure out what we do and why it matters – they physically shut down.

So how do you make it easy for people to understand you? 

Hone your message and tell a story. 
 
Stories speak to the way customers listen and allow them to engage with your message viscerally.  Stories are clear, and they address all three of these critical issues. 

So, look at your marketing – are you following these rules?