The Blog of Author David Allen

Category: Advertising and Influence

Are Others Seeing Your Attempts At Honesty As Deceptive?

But If I Flip A Switch, Will Lights Come On?

You want to be trustworthy. Being honest is a part of that, but if you go too far to PROVE that you’re honest, you may come across as scummy. You don’t want to do that.

***

A mumbling mechanic tried his best to explain, but I just left angry.

The Honda Civic I was driving needed fixing, and it was going to cost a lot. When I asked him a simple question: “is the car drivable without doing this?”, he gave me his answer.

“Well…mumble mumble needs to mumble mumble, then mumble your mumble.”

I didn’t want anyone going near my mumble.

If someone who can speak clearly starts to avoid doing so, then they are likely hiding something.

Speaking Clearly Communicates Trust

The lesson was clear. By explaining things in a step-by-step manner, you will make people more comfortable when they do business with you.

But Can It Go Too Far?

Like any new lesson, I went overboard with it. The more I explained, the more honest I was – or so I thought.

In my last job, I helped businesses take credit cards without being charged a high fee. My job was to help business owners lower their costs by switching to us.

One client, a merchant who sold products online, was going to work with a better-known competitor. Thanks to some persistence, and constant reassurance of what we could do, he went with us instead.

Two days later, he gave us a call asking what was going on?

We told him during the appointment that it would take three days to get up and running.

I tried to reassure him, explaining the step-by-step process of how it worked.

“Well, your account is created, but until you update your website with your business address and an about page, it is in probation status. We’ll send you an email with instructions this afternoon so it will get out of probation and into active-approved status.”

It seems simple here, but this was explained in a 30-minute phone call filled with intense back and forth.

He became furious.

I thought I was doing him a favor. Instead, I confused him with details that didn’t matter.

He fell victim to over-disclosure.

Too Much Explaining Creates Doubt

If I am going to shake someone’s hand, and I have clean hands, do I need to explain how I washed my hands, and the previous two days’ history of what I touched? No, because it does nothing but weigh the other person down with details that don’t matter.

So what would I have done different?

“Your account is created. Like I said, you’re on day two of three in your set-up. This afternoon, you’ll get an email with instructions on how to turn it all on and get the service up. Then tomorrow you can start taking customers.”

The more you explain things that don’t hold much meaning for a person’s life, the more you prolong their frustration. They see that you’re not giving them a straight answer, when in reality your response is straight, but a little heavy. It makes them feel like you are being dishonest, even though you aren’t. The effect is no different than if you mumble when explaining a car problem to the car owner.

Does it drive? Yes, it will tomorrow.

July 12, 2013
Overwhelmed? Smash Intimidation With a Simple Break-down
University of Texas at Austin

Hundred of people apply to the Radio-Film-TV program at University of Texas every year.

Many of them do this because they want to learn to direct.

Hopefully, whether they get in or not, they will learn the real truth about valuable skills: It doesn’t work that way.

Directing is not a skill. It is a combination of skills.

A novice can look at Face/Off and think, ‘Man, I could never direct like John Woo. He is SO much better than I’ll ever be.’

Directing is not just directing. It is audio recording, cinematography, writing, storytelling, location scouting, organizational leadership, scheduling, human resources, set design, shot choices, editing, special effects, lighting. I could go on.

If you were asked to direct, it could put you in panic mode.

However, if I asked you to read a book about writing, and you learned that most plots have a three-act structure, you’d be better at writing stories.

If you spent a day on an independent film set listening to a sound engineer, hearing her explain that you have to record a few takes of background noise on each shooting location, to mix into the movie later when all you have are the recorded voices and a soundtrack, you’d know more than before.

You’d be that much better at sound recording.

So, since you just got better at writing and sound recording, and those two skills make up the multi-disciplined craft of directing, you became a better director. It’s still scary, but you closed the gap – just a little bit.

Advertising and marketing is no different. There are multiple skills involved.
- Being a team player
- Coming up with ideas
- Determining which ideas have enough merit to pursue
- Developing those ideas
- Working with the client (especially if you own your own agency or are an account exec)
You may even need to know CRM, Graphic Design, Market Research, A/B testing… AAAH!!

If you get anything out of this post, it should be this: If you find yourself paralyzed with how much farther you have to go in order to achieve your true calling, break that calling down into chunks small enough to handle.

I am no expert blogger, but if you combine this blog with an earlier blog, and some freelance posts I’ve done helping other businesses, I’ve written over 100 posts! A few years ago, I didn’t think I’d get that far. And I know I’ve got a long way to go!

So you do. So break it down, and do what you can in a few days, or a week.

See you later.
July 3, 2013
I Really Should…And Why That Phrase Is Bad For Your Marketing
On Target by LarryLens at sxc.hu

You may have noticed that the people who need to learn something the most are the ones least interested in learning it.

The common phrase you’ll hear if promote your helpful idea to them?

“Yeah, I really Should Do That…”

If you hear this phrase, you’ve missed the mark. Sure, you’ve identified a need, and the people who have that need, but just because you’ve set up an archery target facing East, that doesn’t mean pointing your bow and arrow East will guarantee a hit. You’ve got to aim better.

How do we do that?

Let’s look at spirituality, where I’ll ask you a controversial question:

Who needs God the least?

It’s a trick question, because everyone needs God. If you read my blog, you’ve likely come to a similar conclusion.

In the Bible, it does mention those who THINK they need God the least:

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Revelation 3:17 NIV

Most of the People Who Need Your Product Don’t Care

Those who believe they have it all are less likely to seek answers. If you think you’re healthy, why would you go to the doctor? This is why Jesus mainly took his message to those who were down and out.

This idea may change the way you see marketing and product design forever. It may even change the way you teach others.

Most the people you want to reach won’t give a damn what you have to offer them.

They’ll walk right past it because they are focused on something else.
- Most people don’t buy batteries until their flashlight runs out of power.
- Most people don’t buy candy until they are about to check out of the supermarket.
- And they won’t buy something to drink unless they are thirsty.
Since most people won’t be ready to take advantage of your world changing idea, you need to focus on the small chunk of people who are desperate.

Focus on the Desperate People

Desperate people need answers, and they need them NOW.

So focus on them, and make sure you that you help solve their problem better than any other product out there.

There are many people who recognize that they are pitiful, poor, blink, and naked in some area. They’ll invest in something that will help them.

But Will You Run Out of Desperate People?

As long as the problem exists, people will always need a solution. So, in most cases, no.

There is a cycle that your market will go through.
- I need it but I don’t care
- I really should get it, but [insert objection here]
- CATASTROPHE/Reflection
- I’ll listen and buy in
Each phase in the cycle has a large group of people. Once you’ve helped the ‘I’ll listen’ folks, the people who are reflecting on a recent catastrophe will realize they need what you have.

By the time every group has moved to ‘I’ll listen’, your cycle will be refreshed with new people.

Don’t spend your energy on those who don’t care.

And unless there’s no other way, don’t prey on people right after a catastrophe, because that demonstrates that you value being right over actually solving their problems.

Focus on those who are ready. You’ll gain traction, and get enough positive feedback to stay in business until you reach the other people. By then, you’ve built word of mouth, you have a brand, and you’ve positioned yourself.

You’re the first person they’ll go to, and you’ll change the world, just like you wanted to.
June 22, 2013
How to Select a Target Audience For Your Work Without ‘Limiting Yourself’
On Target by LarryLens at sxc.hu

Let’s talk about TV for a moment.

There are lots of shows out there. Since Netflix, most off-air shows are available at the touch of a button (still waiting on The Waltons, Netflix – get on it!).

Even if you screen out all the stuff that came out yesterday, there’s still so much coming out. You’d never be able to watch everything even if you tried. Even if you pulled it off, you’d go into overload and not have enough energy or time to reflect on what you saw.

Now take TV, and add Books, Blogs, Magazines, Music, Education courses. If you’re anything like me, you could major in about 20 different subjects if money and time weren’t an issue.

But money and time ARE an issue.

So you filter it all out. If something doesn’t apply to you and your situation – you’re not going to pay attention to. You don’t have time for anything else.

Yet you are aren’t likely to find anything put together for your exact situation.

As a consumer, you have to take what applies mostly to you, and run with it.

As a producer, you aren’t going to write a self-help book for a young, professional Asian American in west L.A. trying to date a Christian recording studio engineer in his late 30’s. See what I mean? If you wrote that book, and it actually reached that one person, you’ve spent $1000-$3000+ and made back $15.

What’s a producer to do?

How do you create something that a large group of people will buy, enjoy, and share with their friends, without your hard work getting ignored by everyone?

Here are a few things you can look for:
- All people have universal needs, fears, and desires
- All people have underlying motivations for their desires
- All people have social pressures pushing them this way and that
- All people have different experiences, results, and feedback from their actions, and varying levels of awareness about why they are in their current situation
These apply to everyone. Yet they won’t be the same for every person out there.
- The woman who wants to be beautiful in order to get a career as a model will have a different underlining motivation than another woman who just loves running after work.
- An elderly person who desires security want a gun in their home in case an intruder breaks in and attacks them. That same person, if they grew up in a bad neighborhood on the outskirts of town, may instead prefer renting an apartment next door to a police station.
- The high school student, pushed into a medical degree by their parents, will have different motivations than another graduate who reads books on anatomy and physiology for fun.
If you’re writing for the woman who wants to be a model, you will use the type of words she uses. You’ll illustrate what it will look like when she is on the cover of Marie Claire, and how eating green vegetables will make her skin glow.

The student pushed into studying medicine will appreciate guides on how to get through the tough courses with as little effort and time as possible. You’ll talk about how proud their family will be, and show how they can do whatever they really want on the side, while they use their medical career to finance their dream life.

Or you’ll go the other way and write a book that helps him tell his parents to ‘eat their shorts’.

When you know you WHO are writing to, you’ll know
- What you’re main character will look like (even nonfiction books have characters)
- How they talk
- What they dream about
- What they are afraid of
- What questions they will ask on each step of the journey
By then, you may even know what makes them laugh!

By getting specific, the people who you are writing to will feel like you are writing TO them. At the same time, you won’t be vague. You’ll cut through the clutter. And your work will get the attention it so richly deserves.
June 6, 2013
Anchoring – The Pitfalls and Profits of Describing Your Products by Referencing Others.
metal confusion 1 by shho at sxc.hu
Connecting is easy, but does it cause more problems than it solves?

This is all opinion here, so maybe it will help. If not, tell me I’m wrong…

There is a popular admonition in advertising: If you cannot describe a product without referencing another product, your idea isn’t going to work.

Referencing another product is something I like to call Anchoring.

If what you’re trying to promote isn’t much different from what’s out there, perhaps it’s a product creation problem and not a marketing problem?

Sometimes though, cannot make that choice. You’re an advisor, copywriter, or account executive hired by someone else who hasn’t gone through the product generation process with your level of clarity. If your product is just like another, more popular product, it’s going to be hard to promote it in a unique way.

[polldaddy poll=7119602]

So you have to find an answer and can’t tell them to choose something different. If that’s the case, is it a bad thing to reference another product? Is it a sin 100% of the time?

Let’s go to the movies…

It’s like this, but with [Unique Twist]

Movie lovers do this constantly.
- What is Avatar? Pocahontas in space.
- The Last Samurai? Pocahontas in Japan.
- Dances With Wolves? Pocahontas, but with Sioux Natives instead of Algonquians.
Some of these examples are spot on, some only contain a few major plot links. Oddly enough, I love all three of those movies, but dislike Pocahontas (not the person, though she always cheated me at Bridge).

You’re opening yourself up to a great risk with movies by presenting them like this.

The Real Risk in Anchoring your Idea to Another Idea

Where is the risk? Whether or not the development executive or audience member LIKES the referenced product.

If a development executive lost 50 million dollars marketing Pocahontas, and you were trying to get Avatar made, Avatar would not get funding if you pitched it as Pocahontas, but with a larger production budget.

If you promoted it as The Last Samurai – in space, and an audience member loved The Last Samurai, and science fiction, then he’ll see the movie.

This risk is removed if you know beforehand if your target audience likes similar ideas and products. If they do, you can take advantage of that mojo. Especially if the product is not a physical thing, but an experience.

Experience-based products and services can benefit a lot by anchoring.
- Lotion makes your skin feel like silk.
- Vacationing in the French Riviera is reserved for only the most noble of royal families (and we welcome you and your sweet tourist money).
- Pierogies are as decadent as a fine alfredo pasta, but with potatoes and cream added in.
Other Foreseeable Risks

Homogenous Market Products – Products that exist solely for practical reasons, are best presented without referencing a competitor that the target audience already uses. Now you’re trying to convince them to switch, and that’s not easy – why make it harder by reminding them of what they already use?

The Different / Dependable Conundrum – If you rely on something, and have for a long time, why take a chance on something new?

Is this helpful? I wanna know! Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
May 21, 2013
Research Study – How the “F-Shaped Pattern” Can Help People ‘See’ Your Message
yard gate by jmoconnor at sxc.hu

Does someone ‘get’ your message just because they are on your website?

In this post, you’ll learn how most people read websites – so your message has the greatest possible impact.

—

What People Do When They Get YOUR Message

You worked hard writing a message for someone. The least they could do is pay attention to what you created FOR them, right?

Instead, what happens?
- If people have to click, most don’t get to your content in the first place.
- If they get there, they read the first line and then get distracted- possibly by a squirrel passing by.
- Or they’ll skip down to the bottom of your page to see what your point is, without having any idea why that point matters. Then, instead of going back up to reread it with proper context, they leave.
What’s Really Going On?

It’s not your job to teach people how to think. We can’t be George Costanza, waging war on reality, and insisting that people will pay attention to our content ‘because it’s on TV’.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb5bCDayoAw]

Rather than going up to every potential reader, slapping them in the face, and telling them to ignore thousands of hours of conditioning, lets put all their conditioning to your advantage.

Jakob Nielsen, web usability expert and principal of Nielson Norman Group, published an eye-tracking research study back in 2006 that tracked the eye movements of 236 people at different websites.

The findings?

People typically follow a similar pattern with their eyes when scanning websites.

It looks like this:

1. Left to Right – Is the important stuff there?
2. Left to Right, a bit lower – Is it maybe down here?
3. The side bar on your website – What else is there?

The Takeaway

If your most important message/action steps lie outside that F, most people aren’t seeing it.

Several more takeaways:
1. Most people won’t read everything.
2. The most important info or attention grabbing writing, needs to be said in the first two paragraphs.
3. Have sub headlines and bullet-points so that the rest of your writing is scannable.
For more articles, and for a guide to writing on the web, check out Nielsen’s website.

For a link to the original article, check it out here. I discovered this principle while reading a book by Jon Wuebben.

Don’t get angry. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Instead, put your most important content in the places where people naturally look.

What will you do with this information? Will the Nielsen Eye Tracking study change how you lay out your emails, blog posts, and letters? Let me know in the comments.
May 7, 2013