Back when my business was new and I was trying to figure out how the hell to sell my services, I was intrigued by David Sandler’s sales approach, mainly because it offered a way to sell without coming off as slimy. One of Sandler’s many principles was to make your prospect feel more at ease than you seem, and he offered several ways to acocomplish this, one of which was to accidentally/on-purpose get lost leaving the propsect’s office.
Despite the disingenuious nature of the enterprise, I always liked this tactic and have used it many times. Although I’m not sure it has ever worked or helped me land any business, it serves as a fantastic reminder of what branding (and marketing, for that matter) should do, and that is make people feel so comfortable about your product or service that the decision to purchase your stuff is an easy one.
This is why I have never understood clever advertising, even though at one point in my early career I was dreadfully guilty of practicing it (mea culpa, mea culpa, a thousand mea culpas). Clever advertising says “look at me” and “see how much money we spend to make ourselves seem smarter than you.” Whether it’s high school or high-tech marketing, nobody likes a show-off, and any marketing that places cleverness and coyness above all else is missing the point.
Your prospects don’t want to hear how clever and adroit you are. They want to hear how you can help them solve their problem or make their life easier, and they want to know how you can do it differently, more efficiently and less expensive than other companies. Most of the time, you can give them what they want to hear with candor and sincerity. Sometimes a little humor can give you a more friendly vibe, but just don’t make the humor about how funny you are. Because it’s not about you … it’s about them.
