101 Best Sales and Marketing Ideas
IDEA 20:
USE A SPOKEN LOGO
There are many circumstances when it is advantageous to be able to describe to people what you do and what you sell briefly in sentence. Once common occasion is when you meet someone at a conference and they ask, “What do you do?” If you waffle at such a moment you are lose any chance of creating interest, and maybe a specific opportunity to do business
Idea
This idea comes from the book Why Entrepreneurs Should Eat Bananas by Simon Tupman (Cyan Books), a valuable selection of ideas for “growing your business and yourself”. Simon Tupman, who runs Simon Tupman Presentations, is a motivational speaker and author.
He coined the phrase “spoken logo” as an antidote to perhaps unwittingly bland and bald descriptions such as “I am a lawyer”, “We make electronic equipment”, and “We conduct market research”. Simon quotes one of his customers, an accountant, who replies to this question with, “I take the hassle out of keeping books and records up to date for busy people who have better things to do”. This is good example because it gets straight to the point, focuses on the benefit for clients rather than the service provided, and encapsulates a good deal very succinctly.
Along the same lines, that lawyer (if she works I conveyancing) might say, “I take the hassle out of buying and selling a house, and make sure there are no hidden surprises”. The market researcher might say, “I reduce the risk in people’s businesses, and help identify market opportunities that can boost profit”. Such statements are designed to prompt a useful exchange rather than a simple conversation-stopping remark like “oh really”. They also convey sufficient information that if there is any common ground that could lead to a business opportunity; they’ll help to identify it.
In practice
- Finding a phrase like this off your head is difficult, so give it some prior thought. Think about your business, and develop (and keep updated) a clear spoken logo. It will stand you in good stead in variety of networking and other situations. It can be a route into more detailed conversation that allows some real selling.