I was doing shopping in a mall one Saturday afternoon when this lady came up to me to tell me about an insurance product. She first asked me if I had kids and then proceeded to ask me about where I work and how much I am making in year. The nerve! Does she expect me to divulge everything about me to a person I met for less then a minute? She must be out of her mind. The whole ordeal was unpleasant, uncomfortable and definitely unwelcome. How do these people come up with such obnoxious strategies?



The company she is working for must do a complete assessment of how they deal with potential clients? Elevator speeches DO NOT work! Rather than attracting potential customers, it will drive them away the minute you go into your standard spiel.

If you really want to get somebody to listen, you must be able to make a person comfortable. This does not mean that you would have to know every personal detail as in the example above. This just means that in order for you to talk with somebody you must be able to identify what makes that particular person open up. You must find a common ground – a school, a particular community, a favorite restaurant, mischievous toddlers.

Listen to these opening lines:

1. Do you have five minutes? If you can spare me five minutes, I will tell you all about our complete insurance package for you and your family?

2. What lovely kids! Which school do they go to? My toddler goes to ____. By the way, how have you prepared for their education? Can I share with you how I prepared for my kids’ education?

Now, tell me which line you would be likely to respond to.

Marketing is all about being personal. Never, for one moment, think of a person as a mere client or a potential customer. Your customer, your client is a person.

This is not just true for person to person marketing strategies - this should also be a rule of thumb for brochure printing. Most often than not, because of cost implications, brochures are mass produced papers that are mere elevator speeches in print. They do not work. They will just drive away potential customer.

While it is impossible for brochures to be personalized, they can be toned down to be more personal, more human. It is not a substitute for your elevator spiel, it must be able to convey a personal touch as if it is talking to a person.

As you try to convince your clients, avoid jargons in your brochures. Industry jargons are scary words for ordinary people. Why use them in the first place? Your aim is to convince and not to impress. Leave the jargons to industry confabs.

Always remember that in marketing, you talk to a person and not a client.