We love buying things, but hate being sold things. We go shopping looking for stuff to buy, but we tell the persistent salesperson to leave us alone. We like searching the web for information, but we cringe when online ads and pop-ups search for us. We enjoy the idea of getting something, but we hate the prospect of being told what we “must have.”
Too often, we answer the question, “What do you do?” with a pitch…a carefully planned, diligently memorized, rapidly recited commercial that we hope, if delivered properly, will generate a sale. We itemize what we sell rather than illustrate what we offer. We focus on building awareness instead of creating interest. We try to impress rather than engage.
In a world where advertisers are continually trying to get us to do, try, or buy something, there’s no benefit to telling people you’re the Grand Poobah of United Widgets Incorporated, makers of the world’s top-rated gold-standard gadgets and gizmos, located at the intersection of So-What Street and Who-Gives-A-Crap Boulevard. If you really want people to respond to your message, it’s time to trade the commercial that tries to convince for an introduction that strives to connect. It’s time to ditch the pitch!