Emotion: "Homeless. Will Work for Food" Works!

People are moved to action more by a single example—as in one sunburned, long-bearded guy at the exit ramp, or one poor up-gazing child—than by the statistics that describe an entire population. Just think about Al Gore’s approach when he ran for president against George Bush. Compare that to his approach selling the concept of Global Warming with his movie, Inconvenient Truth. In the movie, Gore sells a bleak vision. Though he uses statistics extensively, each instance is backed up by a story.

Sell against the pain

Gore moves us to action by showing us what we are losing. Remember, ‘loss’ is more real than ‘gain’ because I can see and touch the elements of my loss. When selling against pain, the communications challenge is much easier. We need only demonstrate significant risk to stir emotion. So seek out pain and risk, find sources of fear, and find headaches. There, you will find emotion. Use stories to show how you can eliminate pain, risk, fear and headaches. Your point of view becomes naturally attractive.

Selling to the pain helps you as the communicator. By focusing on the alleviation of pain, you are more likely to understand your listener’s self-interest. You are more likely to be relevant and you can borrow existing emotional power.

When you must sell the benefit

Future benefits are more abstract. Future benefits require people to envision something that they have never seen. And few benefits elicit an emotional response powerful enough to move people to action. For example, it is difficult to get people to forgo current spending (creates PAIN today) to save money for the future (may offer GAIN in the future).

But when you sell future benefits, use inspirational stories and legends. The schoolteacher retired rich by living modestly. Scrawny, poor kids Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich became world-wide cycling legends by always working harder than anyone else. Warren Buffett cites the Russian immigrant who built a $100 M furniture store chain on $500 cash and hard work.

People only feel for other people, not abstractions. So use stories about people. Relate your facts to people.

Storytelling for Buy-In and "Made to Stick"

Over the past few weeks I read a book on storytelling as a mode of communication. For me, the work by Chip and Dan Heath, Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die: Made to Stick, crystallized an aspect of the work I have been doing in the area of getting buy-in for change. Over the past three years I have been working with organizations and their leaders—CEO’s, sales executives, marketing professionals and executive communications specialists and others—whose success depends upon getting others to come along with them on a trip to the future, to a better place. No matter the situation, the goal is the same: to get people to “buy into” a positive future, a vision they have never seen before, a better place that they have never been.

Prior to reading the book a natural arch of communication evolved from our work in organizational storytelling. We codified the system into what we call ‘steps for getting buy-in.’ And—surprise—our steps contain many of the elements of good storytelling. As a former journalist, present communications professional, copy writer and visual storyteller (www.TellingYourStory.com) perhaps it was inevitable that we would come to something like a storytelling model.

Then as I read Made To Stick and found, conveniently, elements in the Heath’s methodology that mapped to my own. Ideas like “Concrete Steps” and “Stories” that inspire others appear in both. So I bounced my work against what the Heaths. In fact we present the Heath’s model along with our own in the workshop that my company provides on the topic of getting buy-in and storytelling for change in organizations (Seminars & Workshops). Last month (April 2007) we video-recorded one of our workshops, so check back for that in the near future.
In the next few postings I will share with you a high-level summary of the guts of the Heath brother’s approach. It is called the SUCCESs model, a great pneumonic. Now, my posting are my impressions. If you want the Heath’s ideas straight-up, you should read their book. I and clients that have read the book highly recommend it.

By way of preface, let me say that good storytelling starts with listening, real listening. Listening requires humility. You will know that you are humble in your communications when you crave the sound of other people’s voices and shun your own. When you speak it should be to evoke a response, to get other people to speak. When they speak, listen for context. Find the ballpark in which they are playing. Then relate to them with stories on a human scale. If you are effective, your listener will generalize from your story to their situation. In so doing, your listeners will convince themselves. And you will have said precious little.

Now, in the postings that follow, here is my interpretation of the elements of Chip and Dan Heath’s SUCCESs model....

So you have a web site, but is anyone finding it?

One way that business people find goods and services is to search the web. It’s up to you to optimize your site to make it easy for search engines to serve up your site when prospects go searching.

Think you can get people to contact you by just writing about your new technology, great ideas, or by giving away white papers? If what you do is new, what makes you think prospects are searching for it? Rather, consider what prospects are thinking, and typing, when they are in a frame of mind to care about what you offer. You need a strategy. Otherwise, your site will become just one more dark corner on the Internet.


Click here to get more information about search engine optimization as part of a lead-generation program.

Click on the graphic above learn more about search engine optimization. And call us for more information, tel. (314) 772-1185.

Search engine optimization is part of a managed lead-generation program.

Getting noticed on the web takes know-how, and work. The fifty-cent term for it is Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. Your competitors may not be using SEO, which presents you with an opportunity for competitive advantage. This article is first in a series to help your site be found before competitors’, the first step if your web site is going to generate sales leads.

You need execution. Structuring pages and documents correctly, eliminating common mistakes and getting links on related sites is all part of a managed lead-generation program that includes search engine optimization.

Originally published October 17, 2006, as an e-mail sent from the BentonsEdge web site. Written by Dan Davison.

What can you do to get noticed when no one reads anymore?

You try to make your content meaningful, sure. But who among your prospects has the time to read anymore? How many marketing messages do you receive, and how many do you read? Have you considered communicating visually?

Associate your name with value when you communicate on issues. Stand out, when you communicate visually. Build credibility by communicating regularly.

Click on the graphic for a sample illustration.

Click on the graphic above for a sample illustration. And call us for more information, tel. (314) 772-1185.

Visual communication every month, turn-key service

BentonsEdge marketing and is now offering custom, visual content that welcomes click-though, and monthly outsourced management to get the job done. It’s a turn-key email service that includes great content and turn-key management of direct email campaigns:

• We create engaging illustrations rather than wordy, written content that no one reads.
• We create and send a custom e-mail each month to build credibility with your prospects.
• We can manage the landing page on your site and monitor metrics, providing a comprehensive out-sourced service for you.

Originally published September 26, 2006, as an e-mail sent from the BentonsEdge web site. Written by Dan Davison.

Filling your pipeline is more than luck

Dear Customer,

What does it cost to call one prospect? How many times must you call that prospect until the timing is right and he has a need for your product or service? Assuming that you get lucky and call him when he has a need, why should he listen to you? Wouldn’t it be great if prospects called you when they were ready to consider buying?

Lead-generation marketing efficiently touches your prospects, creating awareness, establishing credibility and you or your company as a thought-leader. Make your own luck.


Click on the graphic to learn about lead-generation marketing.

If you sell customized products & services, today your sales may be limited to your capacity to call and check in with prospects, and on lucky timing. Content, a regular process and automation can help you grow your sales pipeline. Click on the graphic to learn more about lead-generation marketing.

Thought-leadership on tough business issues

In the next few releases of the BentonsEdge Reporter, we will explore how to complement your sales efforts by keeping in touch with prospects with valuable, relevant information. Learn how to grow sales without adding sales staff. Learn how a content and communications service can keep your company top-of-mind with buyers and increase the speed and number of deals.

Information will be packaged succinctly and visually, to deliver the kernel of what we have learned and what you need to know. Please sign up to get the next issue of the BentonsEdge Reporter and receive your free visual story.

Originally published July 18, 2006, as an e-mail sent from the BentonsEdge web site. Written by Dan Davison.