Business Development Tip: Keep it real

"It's very very different from anything that's ever been tried before"

Wow - that's certainly a bold claim from the businessman who emailed me promoting a new service he was offering. It certainly caught my attention and to be fair to him, the strength of this statement alone encouraged me to sit through the entire two minute video on youtube just to make sure I didn't miss anything.

So congratulations on the title, but sadly it only got worse from there because as he explained his USPs in his video, there was clearly no substance to back up his claim.

So What?

It left me feeling disappointed with what was being offered and frustrated that I'd wasted two minutes of my time watching the video.

Outcome?

I won't be using his service and when his next email arrives, I'll unsubscribe because I don't trust him. In my experience, people who make bold claims which they can't substantiate are not worth spending any time on.

Fact: 

Your ability to attract new business is far easier if you have knock-out claims, which stop people in their tracks ... but those claims must be genuine if you want to be taken seriously. If people suspect that you're exaggerating, then your credibility gets damaged and if your credibility is damaged, it's very difficult to influence people.

Tip:

Consider how you promote your service/business in all situations ... at networking events, at presentations, on video, or on your website. Are all your claims really true? Or has your desire to win business caused you to go over the top? Develop a message for your business which is attractive, yet which has integrity at it's heart. 

Example:

It's very very different from anything that's ever been tried before

1) It's a fresh approach to X, because ...
2) You'll love it when you try it, because ...
3) Being part of it will make a huge impact on your business because ...

I've protected the identity of the businessman who sent me that email to spare his blushes, but knowing what he's offering, the above statements (1, 2 and 3) would have been fine.

Not even Carlsberg claimed to make the best lager in the world, they just argued that it was probably the best!

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Thanks for reading

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