Greg's Right FIT Newsletter #71

Techniques for FIT

• How long does it take a message to be heard? Some say three times. With all the clutter, if you're marketing, assume only 1/10 of your messages get to the recipient, making 30 the magic number. The Rule of 30.
• When communicating value to a customer, start with simple and clear, then make it dramatic by using proof.  
• People won't remember what you say as much as they will remember how you made them feel. 
• Great testimonials recreate the client's prior state, before they engaged with you. It's where your future clients are today. 

Being Human - Fear of risk

I don't want to make a mistake

In sales and marketing strategy work, there are three areas of focus. The setting of strategy, making decisions aligned with that strategy, and executing on those decisions. Where do you think we get bogged down? 

Yep. Making decisions. You bet. 

There's a few reasons for it, but the biggest is the fear of taking a risk and exposing ourselves to harm or loss. 

It's natural. It's human. 

How do you work with it? How do you help your people work with it?

First, figure out what's at the root of it. Is it the fear of making a mistake? Is it ego? 

Second, give your team a tool for quantifying it. Years ago, Disney figured out that a quantified wait time in line was easier for customers to deal with than an undefined wait time. Regardless of the length of time. Our brains like to work with specificity. Show your team how you want them to quantify risk. The bank has a different risk profile than the apparel start-up. 

Third, eliminate it. Once you know the cause, either remove it, or reconcile with it. Don't dwell, move on. 

Name it, claim it. Eliminate the fear. 

Random Stuff

I help clients use the latest advances in technology for sales and marketing, but watching these persuasive technologies in action, I sometimes wonder, "Is this right?"

Big tech companies are fertile hiring grounds for those practicing applied social sciences. (so give your kids permission to study the humanities) Why? Because the companies want expertise in the details of how humans work. They want to hack the gray matter.  

This sounds good on the surface, but where do those experts, and the companies that employ them, draw the line on triggering addictive human behavior? When do they go too far in surveilling their users? Just because it can be done, how do they know when it should be done?

My friend Mark Hurst is launching a project called Skeptech. As he says, "Tech got creepy, so I'm launching Skeptech." If you're in the NYC area May 24th, you should join him live. Otherwise, you can join me on the live stream. Details here: 

http://creativegood.com/blog/tech-creepy-launch-skeptech/

Spread the word. It's going to be great. 

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