Sync Your Mouth To Your Brain!

We’ve all done it, haven’t we... Opened our big fat mouths, said something we thought would be innocuous and then wished the ground would swallow us up when we see other people’s reactions. It is all too easy to offend others, even though we usually speak with the best of intentions.


In this posting we’ll look at the second of the five communications tips - “Think long and hard about what you are about to say!”

“Here, do this...” when trying to help someone sort out a problem or achieve a result is a great example of how ostensibly positive words become our enemies. Superficially it looks like an attempt to offer assistance. However, are some “silent words” that your listener may hear - even though the thought never crossed your mind.

“You’re doing that wrong ”

Think back to when someone said something like that to you - I’ll bet you heard those killer silent words in your head too.

Incidentally, It could be argued that anyone writing a blog such as this is equally guilty - I’m telling you what you should do after all. In fact it’s not the case, because I am not reacting to anything you are actually doing. I am simply offering general advice.

A more positive way to make a suggestion is to begin by praising what someone has done so far. “I see you’ve made some good progress...”

But I wonder if you can guess which word you should avoid inserting here. It is the worst word in the English language and I have used already in this paragraph! It is a word I work hard to avoid (but often fail) using. It is the word BUT.

As soon as you say that word it tends to negate all that came before it. A much better word to use at that juncture is AND.

“I see you’ve made good progress, but you could do better doing things this way...” can easily be taken as quite negative.

“I see you’ve had good results and have you thought of trying this...” can be very powerful. It doesn’t negate their work so far and allows them a chance to save face as they can say “Yes, I was thinking about trying something like that too.”

This can help save YOUR face as well - especially if they have tried your suggestion and it already failed!

“What a mess - who did this...” when analysing a problem is another good way to screw-up your communications at the outset.

Let’s say you have been asked to find a solution to a situation and you say just that when you first engage with the people you’re trying to help.

If they are responsible they could react in one of three negative ways:-

• They will feel offended, perhaps dislike or distrust you.
• They will feel frightened and try and shift the blame.
• They will feel a sense of denial and try to convince you the problem is not so bad, or worse doesn’t actually exist.

None of which will help the free dialogue needed to effectively resolve the issue.

In such a situation it is best not to offer any judgement. Don’t say anything other than to ask open questions about the chain of events - not about the outcomes.

There are many other examples in our day to day lives, far too many to list or account for.

Perhaps one way to avoid these problems and situations is to learn through our mistakes.

Yet wouldn’t it be all the better if we truly did engage our brains before opening our mouths!

Barking Up The Wrong Tree?

In this posting we’ll explore the first of our 5 communications tips. Make sure you understand your customers’ (and colleagues’) needs.

Making sure you understand what your audience needs and wants is the starting point of effectively communicating your message. Some would argue that it comes second to understanding your own objectives. I disagree with that notion!

Getting the right message across is not simply about understanding what you have to say. If you don’t know your audience and what drives them, then how could you possible know that your message (put in any way) is going to work?

For example - imagine you have an important announcement about a new policy to share with your co-workers. Everyone must need to know this right? Sharing a high profile policy is surely a no-brainer! Stop for a moment and put yourself in their shoes.

Are they going to respond by saying... “Wow - another new policy - GREAT!”

My experience tells me they may actually say something such as:-

“Not ANOTHER new policy!” or-
“Damn the policies - why can’t I just get a PC that works?” or-
“Why bother - no one follows policies around here.”

I am sure you will begin to hear the voices of many of your colleagues raising their own objections in your head right now.

Customers aren’t always keen to hear about new products, prices or services. You may be so keen to share your good news you overlook the potential back-lash.

“I’m angry - I just bought the old model now you bring out a new, better, cheaper one !”

Sometimes negative or difficult things just have to be said and done. Conflict is often unavoidable. Marketing strategies can be complex... So wouldn’t it be better to at least be aware and ideally have a resolution for the objections you might experience.

Just ask yourself - is the message you want to communicate necessary, is it relevant, is timely, is it going to backfire on me, do I need to rethink my pitch...

In short - Have I TRULY understood what motivates my intended audience?

You can choose your friends but you can't choose... (5 top Tips for better communication!)

What do you think the last line of that quotation is?

Your family? Your enemies? Your partner?

You're wrong on all counts - We can choose all of the above!





We can choose our family as we have the option to never call them. Many of us are guilty of doing just that just through a lack of time in this modern world. We can certainly choose our enemies. We all have choices as far as our emotions go and even if someone decides they don't want us as a friend (or worse is aggressive towards us) we have the ability to stymie their negative energy by simply refusing to reflect it back. And yes... We can always choose to leave or divorce a partner.

So what is the answer !

You can't choose who you communicate with at work!

If you're in a job you have to communicate with your colleagues. You have no choice but to answer the phone to clients. You cannot get away with ignoring customers who come into your shop.

OK well - yes you can ignore them just so long as you're happy to accept rapid unemployment.

So given that you have to communicate with people in your working life, why not make your job easier by ensuring you (and your customers) get the most out of every encounter.

Here's 5 top tips for effective communications in work & life:-

1. Make sure you understand your customers (and colleagues) needs.
2. Think long and hard about what you are about to say.
3. Say it in a way (and a place) that they can see and relate to.
4. Check they understand what you've said.
   
5. Don't argue. Double-check everyone's understanding.

I expect you are wondering where the detail on those bullet points is...

Well it is coming - in the next 5 posts on this blog!

Each one of those points is important enough to warrant a few paragraphs of its own.

Check back in a day or so to see if I've added something.

In the meantime give each of those points some thought and ask yourself what they mean to you and if not doing any of the above remind you of situations you'd like to have avoided...

Why not share them with me and our readers by posting a comment!

Standby For Action!

Those words bring back such vivid childhood memories of Saturday mornings, eyes glued to an old TV.






For those of you too old, too young or just “uninitiated” the words "Stand by for action!" opened every episode of Stingray - the Gerry Anderson classic.

By the way, the theme tune to that series (sung by Gary Miller) is worth checking out in full. So much drama and passion -most of which is edited out of the broadcast version.

Lack of action is often seen as a weakness in people. Businesses see a lack of action from their prospects as frustrating and annoying.. “Why won’t those damned customers call!!!!”

Well, there may be a very good reason - are you sure you asked them to call?

A “Call To Action” or “CTA” is a fundamental part of any advertising, marketing or business communication. I see so many examples of a missing, poorly written or hidden “CTA” in my daily life. I hate to admit that sometimes in the past I forgot to include a “CTA” in my own work.

So what is a “CTA” - is it some fancy marketing term? Is it difficult to write? Do I need an expert marketeer to make one for me?

NO!

It is simply that prompt or request in your marketing or advertising that makes people do something - that one thing you want them to do - GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU!

“Call 01622 671839 for a no obligation quotation today..:”

“Click here to receive your free promotional magic DVD..”

“For more information pop into our office..”

“Visit www.say-it-now.co.uk for more information”

It all sounds a bit to obvious - but you’ll often see adverts without a clear unambiguous request for the viewer to do something... What’s worse is you’ll sometimes see one that says “call today..” without giving a number to call - or at the least making the number clearly visible.

Some TV adverts seem to have no obvious “CTA” - Guinness adverts are a prime example. They can be very arty and don’t say - “Go drink a pint of Guinness now..”

Adverts like this succeed because the Guinness brand is so well known by us all. We know it's a premium beer, it is refreshing and that if we want one we can go to the supermarket, off-licence or to the pub. In fact those adverts do have a subtle call to action. They use images that attempt to create a desire for a cold beer in the viewer and implant a message that Guinness can sate that need.

However, unless you have a globally recognised brand and well understood product proposition this kind of advertising is not for you.

When you’re trying to build a new business you need straightforward advertising messages and a clear “CTA” backed up by easy to find information.

For every advert, flyer, sales letter, sales email or presentation you create for your business make sure you have a clear “Call To Action”

Make sure you add a CTA now!

For help in writing effective sales copy call 01622 671839 - now or visit www.say-it-now.co.uk for more information.

TW3 - That Was Totally Wasted That Was!

TW3 - “That Was The Week That Was” - was a brilliantly written, topical comedy show that hit British TV Screens in 1962.







It was new, fresh and what really amazed the viewers (and even me looking back at old recordings) was how the team managed to come up with sharp well executed satyr, week after week after week.


If you network through BNI or any similar organisation, you too have an opportunity to come up with a topical ‘sketch’ each week. This is the 60 Second Introduction I have written about before.

We know we should make it a little different each week so that we can, over time, demonstrate the full breadth and depth of our product and service offerings.

A really good idea is to review what you have done in the previous week. I see this done many times and generally the impact is lost and the moment is wasted. Why? Because the speaker usually tries to list EVERYTHING they did in the last seven days, from the mundane and boring to the unique and exciting.

The power and value of saying what you’ve done this week comes from four attributes:-

• Something you’ve delivered that was a break from the normal stuff you’re known for
• Something that won you an award or got a special testimonial from your client
• Something that was for a special customer (e.g. a major company or a celebrity)
• Something you’d like to do more of

However mixing these ‘special somethings’ are typically mixed in with the regular jobs. This is not so effective for three reasons:-

1. You never get enough time to explain the special task in detail
2. It will be forgotten amongst the other stuff
3. People won’t see it as special because you didn’t single it out

For example. This week I have done magic at 3 school proms in Maidstone, a kids party in Tonbridge, another in Rochester, a wedding in Surrey, magic for a Lord’s of the Realm’s granddaughter in London, a 50th birthday in Maidstone and a christening party in Chatham.

The above is all actually true and I know many would simply list all of these as part of their 60 seconds.


One of those jobs was indeed something special. One to be proud of and one that could elevate everyone’s understanding of the level and quality of my work. By mixing it in with the others, it gets lost.

My experience tells me that I should actually say i “I’ve done a real mix of shows this week as ever - including one for a famous family! It was the fourth time they’ve booked me and they said...” then I could read out the testimonial they sent.

Without wishing to be critical, I think simply listing what you have done is an easy option.
By all means say what you’ve done this week - but focus on the different and special parts of your week that add value to what you have to say. Give your preparation a little more thought and see how you can develop your 60 second “sketch” into a classic!

What to do - what to Say!

What have you got to do next?

Forgetting what we have to do or say next seems to be part of the “human condition”. Working as an author and copywriter I often find myself saying “My mind has gone blank!” All writers and wordsmiths experience this kind of blockage from time to time.


Even if our life or business is not about working with words, our heads do seem to empty all too frequently.

Of course our minds aren’t really empty at all. If they were, those important things we need to do and those inspirational ideas would have a clear path into our consciousness. What we are experiencing is just too much stuff in our heads. All those ideas, information and demands on our being just clutter our thoughts preventing, or at the very least slowing down, clear thinking.

Obviously the solution is to attempt to get some order in our head and sort out what needs doing first and concentrate on it. So we have “To-Do” lists for tasks and perhaps a “plan” for our written work.

These can be as simple as untidy notes on scraps of paper or as sophisticated computerised lists synchronised between our PC and our PDA.

They’re great! They help us work out what we need to do, when we need to do it, in which order and even show us which part of our life a task relates to. Yet there is still a problem: in fact they can sometimes make things worse. If you look at a list or a plan there will be many things that are so easy to do, accomplish and cross off as “done”. Equally there are some things that are difficult for us; that we do not know how to do or need some fresh inspiration to begin working on.

No matter how insignificant these things are they can occupy an unfairly large part of our thinking time. We get stressed and distressed about not being able to address them. They throw our minds out of synch and stop us doing the rest of our work effectively.

So here is a suggestion. Rather than just simply segregating your tasks by when, how important, which part of your life etc., add another column for those tasks you cannot do because you do not know how to deal with them. Then you can see them separately from the rest of your objectives and simply by making that distinction you will naturally begin thinking about them more clearly.

If you’re writing for business or creatively a similar approach helps. In your draft or plan, mark out those tricky parts for which you have no inspiration. Underline them or write them in a bold colour.

Take your list or plan and look at these difficult things first. Ask yourself if you can solve the problem and if not, what do you need to do to find a way around the problem.

By giving the issues their own space in your mind you begin to deal with them more effectively.

Of course there will always be problems in life and work that we can never easily resolve. In the next few days I’ll be publishing a new episode of my podcast “The Balance - Simple Tips For Work & Life” in which I’ll take you through an amazing exercise to help solve almost any problem.

Watch this space!

Simply Saying

Being a professional copywriter is like having a bag of Licorice Allsorts to dip into every day! The shape, size, flavour and colour of the tasks I am asked to help with is as varied as a trip to the Pic'n'Mix counter.

We all like sweets - some of us like them a bit too much. The result is rotting teeth and an expanding waistline. If we ate them a few at a time we could enjoy them all the more, as the pleasure would last longer and be without any side effects or guilt.

Words are a bit like that too, especially when we use them in our marketing.

Just as with sweets - less is more when it come to the written word!


Last week I was asked to help a J.R. Safety a firm of Health and Safety Consultants by collaborating with a designer and offering some words to go on a pull-up banner display. This was required urgently as they were exhibiting at a trade show in a few days. Knowing I work as a copywriter in Kent they contacted me.

All I had to go on was their website and the owner's idea of a strap-line "Simply Keeping You Safer" ... My friend and graphic designer Daren of DB Designs came up with a cracking design as you can see from the image.

But the words really needed some thought. Listing all JR's services would simply clutter the design. A quick word with my client and the top few were prioritised.

Then onto the slogan - "Simply Keeping You Safer". Sweet enough, yet I wondered is that truly a reflection of what the company does. They don't make people safe at all. They guide other companies through the minefield of legislation and regulation helping them meet their obligations.

So - the "simpler" (sic) and more direct message "SIMPLIFYING SAFETY" was born.

It saved space on the banner and actually offers the viewer a benefit of using JR's services.

Think about your messages...

Are they sweet enough but maybe a bit too fatty?

Perhaps you need some help cutting down!

Email marc@lemezma.com for some low-calorie copywriting!

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