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E-ssential
Message # 075:
What you can teach from your mistakes?
Not being a psychologist, I can't explain in clinical terms why the average twisted mind (that includes yours and mine) is more drawn toward wrecks on the highway and colossal business blunders than positive success strategies.
All I know is that's the way we're wired -- and we can use it to engage people extremely effectively when we want to sell, educate and even establish our credibility.
In an interview, Howard Putnam, the former CEO of Southwest and Braniff Airlines and Group VP Marketing for United Airlines, expained that in his speeches, people don't want to hear about his successes (though they were many and impressive). It's his failures that are of greatest interest to his audiences. In other words, he found that his failures are his most engaging and best teaching tools in his speeches on leadership.
Dan Seidman has taken that idea one step further by collecting over 600 sales blunders -- and he has packaged together the 50 best stories in a book titles, Sales Autopsy, 50 Postmortems Reveal What Killed The Sale.
Not only is it a funny book, it's very instructive.
So here's the lesson for you...
When explaining your process or methodology to customers, can you begin by explaining the disaster you had on your hands when you first started out because you missed out one key step -- the one key step that you now include in every sale?
When interviewing for your next career move, can you start by describing the mistakes you made as a young buck in your first job -- and how it taught you the valuable lessons that have since become your biggest strengths?
When you give a presentation, can you start off by telling a story about the worst decision you ever made -- and how it led you to a philosophy or outlook that has been instrumental in helping you succeed today?
The greatest thing about recovering from your mistakes isn't just what you learn from them, it's what you teach from them.
Who is Michel Neray and What's The Essential Message?
The Essential Message is about discovering your true differentiation and then learning how to communicate it in the most compelling way. But higher sales, greater alignment of sales and marketing and a stronger brand position aren't the only reasons why so many independent professionals, entrepreneurs and emerging companies rave about The Essential Message.
Clients also say that one of the biggest advantages of the Essential Message approach is how it helps them gain the confidence, momentum and resilience that can only come from being absolutely clear about their strengths and unique difference – as companies and as individuals.
The Essential Message was created by Michel Neray based on 25 years as an award-winning copywriter, an entrepreneur, a tradeshow pitchman and a senior sales and marketing executive. (He also rides motorcycles, does whitewater canoeing, and has his 2nd degree black belt in karate.)
For information about our corporate facilitation, copywriting and consulting services, or booking Michel to speak at your conference, please call 416 534-4766 or link to www.EssentialMessage.com.
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