If you can’t seem to be getting through to your target audience then don’t assume leaders need more communication tactics to beat them over the head with in order to get them to do what you want. My mentor Alan Weiss says, “It’s the language that controls the conversation, the conversation that controls the relationship, and the relationship that controls the sale.” While the first sale is always to yourself without the right language to be used in the right context it doesn’t matter how many communication channels you plug into the result will be the same.
Let me share with you some diagnostic tools to increase the leadership participation, increase value, and influence you can have on others to take action.
Increase adoption rate of services
Before I invested all in on Apple products I first had to trust that making the switch from a PC to an Apple was going to be well worth the time and money to learn a whole new operating system. I needed peer recommendations from those who had previous success otherwise I wouldn’t have made the switch. If Apple would have blasted me with media then chances are I would have tuned them off and been suspicious about the true value they provide.
Ask leaders in your organization if they trust the true value offered or it is merely lip service to be compliant in their role.
Increase the value
Value can be added not by doing more things but by uncovering hidden benefits not clearly stated in the original message. I didn’t realize that by taking a Identity Theft course would not only save me money in the event of my data be stolen but also the embarrassment of how it would make me look in front of my clients and how much time I would lose from having to contact the credit agencies. The money is well spent when we look at it from multiple benefits that appeal to logic, desire, and fear.
Increase leadership participation
Because each organization has different operations, a different culture, and different processes for reaching their objectives, to prescribe a set of tools without understanding specific needs is not only malpractice but can take you down a rabbit hole of putting the solution before the problem.
First, do you need a stronger bench? Do you need better clarity around the results? Do you need recourse in case something doesn’t get done when it is supposed to?
Which of the following apply to your organization?
- Activity driven
- More re-dos
- Recycled leaders
- Thriving
Having clarity around which area you need to focus on will then help you decide which are the best tools to integrate into your operations.
Final note
The art of selling with the spoken word is called influence. The art of selling with the written word is called copywriting. Before you start sending out emails, writing blog posts, and posting to social media first, create each call to action as a sales letter script according to the best interests of whomever you are attempting to influence. Address the problem first, aggravate the problem, give the solution, mention the benefits, list the features, add the credibility, support with testimonials, etc.
I recommend the following books to become better copywriters which is a skill lacking at every level no matter the size of the organization.
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