How to Turn Your Messages from Lightning Bugs to Lightning Bolts - Chapter 16 from the book Less Blah Blah More Ah Ha
“Clarity is more important than creativity.” Roy H. Williams, Global Advertising Consultant, Wizard of Ads
If you want to pogo to the pro level and move from Blah-Blah to Ah-Ha, you’ll want to focus your marketing, presentations, and conversations with the clarifying lens of context.
Context sharpens clarity.
Clarity creates relevance and Ah-Ha understanding.
Understanding creates trust.
Trust attracts.
Attraction leads to being chosen and referral recommendations.
Context Sharpens Clarity
Minus context, our messages are received as fuzzy, out of focus, and either uncertain or untrue bullshit. Avoid the fuzzy whenever possible, by adding context and detail.
Clarity Creates Ah-Ha Understanding
Adding a layer of context and detail to what we’re sharing is the tiny extra effort that moves what we have to say and share from featherweight and fuzzy to clear and understood
Understanding Creates Trust
Consumers are naturally suspicious and skeptical. Because they’re bombarded with thousands of buy-this, buy-me, and trust-me marketing messages a day, they keep their BS detector in always-on mode, and their guard up. Generally people ignore the common and predictable sales pitch, shun the unsafe, and distrust the unfamiliar and uncertain.
Adding context and detail to our marketing messages and conversations makes the relevance and the benefits of what were sharing understood. When others understand where we’re coming from and how what we’re sharing clearly benefits them, not us, they are more likely to trust us.
Trust Attracts
We’re all attracted to people and things we trust. Simple, huh? It’s no more than connecting the dots.
Attraction Leads to Being Chosen and Referral Recommendations
If you behave in trustworthy ways, people will trust you. People are attracted to people they trust. People choose to buy things from and hire people they trust. They also share, refer, and recommend trustworthy things and people to their friends, neighbors, coworkers, and relatives.
Let Me Add Some Context and Detail to How to Add Context and Detail
Adding context and detail is fairly simple. I say it’s simple because you already know what you need to know. Like most of the things that will move you way past bumpkin-ordinary, all you need to do is connect the dots and put what you already know into action.
Let me share a few fuzzy, uncertain, and usually ignored message examples, along with a new and improved version that includes context and detail. As you’ll see, the difference seems subtle, but the impact of how the message is received is the difference between a lightning bug and a lightning bolt.
Lighting Bug Statement: Mortgage rates are at an all-time low — buy now.
Lightning Bolt Statement: Mortgage rates are at an all time low of 5%. That means for every $1,000 dollars borrowed, the monthly payment on a thirty-year mortgage is only $5.37 per month. A $300,000 mortgage would be only $1,611 per month.
Lightning Bug Statement: We sell homes for top dollar.
Lightning Bolt Statement: We sell homes for top dollar! According to Multiple Listing Service Statistics, the average sold price to list price percentage for homes in our market area is 94.5%. Our office average is a full 2% higher. It’s 96.7%. What that means is, with an average sold price in our market of $350,000, we net our sellers an additional $7,000 compared to the average.
Lightning Bug: We sell homes fast.
Lightning Bolt: We sell homes fast. According to the Multiple Listing Service Statistics, the average number of days on market (DOM) for sold homes in our market area is 110 days. Our office average is 77 DOM.
There you have it. Listen, you’re already saying and sharing things. With a little awareness and re-tweaking, you can easily add context and detail to your everyday conversations. Here’s a small four-stepper to get you rolling.
Try This Four-Step Lightning Bolt Action Plan:
- Evaluate your written and spoken marketing messages. Include your listing presentation, marketing materials, how you answer questions, and your online and offline advertising and promotional materials.
- Look for and delete the loosely defined and fuzzily described.
- Add context and detail where necessary.
- Re-launch, re-engage, and reap the rewards of contextual clarity.
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Thanks for reading, new week we’ll dive into Chapter 17, How to Gor from Zero Excrow to Boo-Yah in 30 Days.
If I can be helpful, let me know – Ken Brand 832-797-1779
