Like mining for gold, it is often difficult to find nuggets of fresh information that are worth picking up. I found one such nugget I would like to share with you that nails a problem we all face.
“When Simplicity is the Solution”
This is an article that ran recently in The Wall Street Journal.* In a nutshell, the writers begin in a very engaging opening to acknowledge the overwhelming complex world in which we live. They then go on to cite several companies from Trader Joe to the Cleveland Clinic to Google that have managed to make the complex simple and the simple meaningful, resulting in high pay-off results for them and their customers.
The secret to achieving simplicity, they observe, can be boiled down to a combination of empathy and simplifying rational choice.
I would add that these two factors are particularly true as well when your success depends on presenting to influence and persuade others to take a desired action.
Empathy in Presenting Means…
Always be thinking more about how your listener is experiencing your presentation than about what you want to say. Your mouth moves: Is what you are saying relevant, interesting, and exciting for your listener? Are you appealing to his/her emotional right brain? If your answer is “not always,” either eliminate that particular information or re-work it so that it is emotionally appealing.
Rational Choice Means…
Appealing to your listener’s left brain’s need for order, structure, and logic. Does your presentation have a clear beginning, logical supporting arguments in the middle, and a conclusion that leads to natural next steps? Is it easy to follow? Is the length and level of detail just right or do you lose people in the weeds? Remember, a confused mind never says “yes.”
Get Rid of the Fool’s Gold
In a world of too much information, too many choices, and too little attention, more information is not the answer. Simplicity is. Simplicity is the counterpoint strategy that allows you to stand out, be heard, and effect change.
*When Simplicity is the Solution, The Wall Street Journal
Talk about the pay-off in simplicity! Find out how two words landed a $1.2billion sale in my latest book, “The Tall Lady With the Iceberg: the power of metaphor to sell, persuade, & explain anything to anyone.” Test your own billion dollar S.P.E, (Sell, Persuade, Explain) Power as well on my free quiz. http://bit.ly/12u47qM
Having a meeting? Contact me today for creative “golden” ideas for your next sales meeting: 212 876 1875 or amiller@annemiller.com
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