Are you saying too much?

Shush One of the constant discussions we have with clients is that usually they try to say too much.  It’s human nature I suppose.  We want to tell a prospect everything and anything.  it’s almost a reaction of panic.  "What if I can’t get their attention again?"

Well guess what.  If your initial communication is so jammed with information and facts that they can’t make their way through it, you won’t get their attention again.  And frankly, you don’t deserve it.

Remember, that all buying decisions are emotion-based decisions.  People have to like and trust you before they can need you.

We create emotional connections with people, places, companies, products and brands.  We do that, little by little, over time.  Getting to know someone isn’t an instantaneous process.  It takes some time and patience.  We learn new information with each meeting.  The information beings to build up and tell a story.

If you are trying to drive one-time sales, then sure…cut to the chase.  But if you want to create loyal, repeat customers — you need to let them get to know your product/service by telling them a little at a time.  Not sticking a fire hose in their mouth and hoping they can drink it all in at one sitting.

We can take a page from the current political landscape and learn a little.  There was an interesting article from Minnesota’s public radio that explored how part of what is working for Obama may be the fact that he isn’t saying much

What do you think?  Take a minute and look at your sales fliers, website, or print ads.  Are you saying too much?

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8 comments on “Are you saying too much?

  1. Karin H. says:

    Hi Drew

    Kind of have a different opinion on this subject. too much information at once might ‘overwhelm’ your prospect, but….
    if that information is based totally on all the benefits your product, service etc can have for your prospect and it is told in a correct way – focus on informing, not selling – you really can’t tell them enough!

    Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

  2. Kelly says:

    Drew,

    I see this all the time: at my blog, where sometimes I remember to leave a few holes for readers to fill in, and sometimes I go too complete when I forget myself; in writing for others; and recently in a simple card for my company, where we tested two lengths of copy. The one that was only a paragraph long pulled twice as well as the two-paragraph card. Big difference in pull for a small difference in length–they were both short!

    A little at a time. If people like what they read, they’ll come back for more.

    Great reminder. Thanks!

    Regards,

    Kelly

  3. Karin,

    I think having someplace, like your website, where they can go to get more information if they are interested is wise. I think trying to cram every fact and feature into an ad or flyer is not so wise.

    Or….having a series of fliers, each with one key message and some supporting data is wise.

    Does that make more sense or do you still disagree? if so…tell me more!

    Drew

  4. Kelly,

    Bite-sized piece of information are a lot easier to swallow than an entire 5 course meal.

    Especially today in our USA Today mentality, over burdening your audience with too much information is an easy way to get them to move on. Without reading your materials!

    Drew

  5. Karin H. says:

    Hi Drew

    No I agree with the notion that even a website like ours (based on sharing knowledge = building trust) should contain many different information pages, all dedicated to one or two subjects. You could even compare that with flyers.
    But at the same time I still am convinced that those pages/flyers should contain as much information as possible – not just: call us for more info 😉

    Karin H.

  6. Karin,

    So how do you account for eye rest and white space?

    Drew

  7. Karin H. says:

    Hi Drew

    If I understand your question correctly it’s about the lay-out of the text/page etc?
    Don’t really think about that, presume I do it with ‘aesthetic’ intuition? I mean, not to brag, I do have a good ‘eye’ for design and lay-out – be it in the home or on a screen 😉

    Karin H.

  8. Karin,

    Yes, I think much of it is about a sensibility. Knowing when enough is enough. For some people, like you, they’re just born with the ability to eye something and others need to learn it through trial and error.

    And…as you and I both know — some people never learn it!

    Drew

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