You Have A Great Idea, Now How Do You Sell It?

How well you sell your ideas is just as important as how good those ideas are. So, let's get started. How do you sell your ideas? 1. Strategic Positioning 2. Savvy Psychology 3. Slick Presentation 4. Structural Persuasion 5. Solving the Problem Of course I can't give you a complete course in this article, but I can supply you with enough knowledge to become a dangerous adversary in your battle to be heard. 1. Strategic Position: To sell an idea you must have a strategy. Before you begin defining your selling idea, you must create and define a strategy. Your strategy could be as simple as this; "Our strategy is to gain awareness of the dangerous effects that radon presents to the public and to offer a free detection device. On discovery of the danger, we offer a 1-800 number on the detection device to sell our abatement service to effected clients". Or your strategy could be a complex and diverse plan of attack including TV, Radio, Newspaper and Internet Advertising Campaigns. Whatever your strategy may be, the most important is that you believe in it. If you don't believe in your selling strategy, you have a poor chance in convincing the client to believe in it. 2. Savvy Psychology: Selling an idea in any form really comes down to "talking to people". Think about how they feel when they read, see and/or listen to your selling idea. The principle of writing up a good selling idea is in the presentation. Learn to involve others in your selling idea and presentation. Test your ideas out on friends, family and peers involved in your industry. Listen to what they have to say. They will often have very valuable input and will help to make your selling idea better. Pay close attention to the psychology of your client. You client will have one question in mind, "What's in it for me"? Understanding that one point alone can be the difference between success and failure. You need to gain insight into how the client will feel and react to your presentation. This is Savvy Psychology in action! 3. Slick Presentation: A good presentation makes people want to read, watch or listen to what you have to say. Presentation (other than audio alone) requires the joint effort of two distinct facets. One is the actual copy; the other is the layout and graphics. One is an integral part of the other. Presentation of a selling idea is not unlike presenting a play. Writing and presenting it is like writing a script and staging it. It requires a believable script, rehearsal and timing. Layout and graphics are more important now than ever. The client can often fight back the words, but visual stimulation is an unconscious reaction and a strong selling tool. A great layout and a good storyboard will make your client want to "do" the presentation. 4. Structural Persuasion: How do you persuade people? It's simple! By meeting their needs and aspirations, which is not always so simple. Persuasion is not a science, but an art. Art is a form of expression and so is presenting an your selling idea. The most critical part is the entry or the beginning. First impressions are important in any part of life. Presentation is no exception. In everything that you communicate, whether it's the first sentence in your copy or the first thought in your presentation, you must be concerned with that vital step. In today's "advertising congested" world, you must fight to get your presentation noticed. That's why the first words and visual stimuli are so important. You must literally capture your reader or viewer immediately. So what about the rest. Try starting out with a rough outline of the presentation with titles and subheads for each part of the presentation sequence. Think about the toughest questions that will be asked and supply them with the answers. The more doubt a client has, the less likely they are to believe in what you have to say. Always know what you are doing and where you are going with it. Know where the client is and how to get them where you want them to be. Be organized and sequential. Do things step by step and by the numbers. For the best results, learn to organize your thought processes and develop good organizational habits. Your layout and presentations will reflect this. 5. Solving the Problem: What's the problem? The problem, or should I say problems, are "needs and answers". Clients have needs. Knowing what those needs are is an essential factor in solving the problem. You can't present a solution without first knowing that they have a need for one. You must also provide the client with the answers, answers to questions they haven't asked. If you can fill the "needs" and answer the "questions" you can "Solve the Problem"! Remember: Salesmanship = Strategy + Structure + Style - Doubt