What the Riddler, Alfred Hitchcock, and Jimmy James can teach you about messaging

By Mike Finley, Corporate Visions

 

“I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, but perhaps there is a key…” – Winston Churchill

The words of Winston Churchill often pop into my head when I think about bad sales and marketing messaging.  In an attempt to be clever, comprehensive, or incorporate the latest buzzwords and acronyms, companies continually turn basic communication into a conundrum.  Fortunately – by following the wisdom of The Riddler, Hitchcock, and James – you can avoid those pitfalls and save your messaging.

Messaging by The Riddler, Don’t “riddle me this riddle me that…”

– The Riddler, “Batman Forever”

Keep your message clear, concise, and simple.  I will stop there to avoid contradicting myself.

Messaging by Hitchcock:“Let them know the bomb is going to go off.  Then make them wait.”

– Alfred Hitchcock

Don’t overload your prospects with information and facts, as if you were asking them to solve a mystery.  Instead, use suspense and tell them about the pain that’s coming – THEN show how you can uniquely alleviate it.

 Messaging by James: Don’t be a “a cipher, wrapped in an enigma, and smothered in secret sauce.“

– Jimmy James, “NewsRadio”

Talk about your products and services in your customer’s language.  Don’t use acronyms and big words.  If they don’t understand what they can DO with your secret sauce, what it MEANS to them, and what it IS, they won’t buy it.

Filed under: Business-to-Business, Deliver Conversations that Win, Develop Messages that Matter, Message Creation Tagged: communicating value, customer conversation, keep it simple, messaging