Do You Trust Your Marketing Materials?

At the outset, the question that titles this article seems somewhat trite and unimportant. Believe me, it’s not.

I don’t know how many times we talk to people about their marketing deck only to hear, “Yeah, we know, it doesn’t really explain what we do, but we can handle that when we get into the room.”

There is so much wrong here. First… it’s probably going to be awhile before you are able to consistently be in front of people.

Second, and of greater significance, it is a fairly strong indication that you aren’t entirely sure how to tell your story. Here is a simple test. Can you walk into a room and immediately and concisely explain why someone should care about you in 30 seconds or less? And don’t feel bad if you can’t, it’s not uncommon. It is almost impossible to be concise when you don’t exactly know what you are trying to say.

All said, if you trust your marketing materials, you can send things to people without feeling the need to fill airtime with words when you are afforded the opportunity to speak. In doing so, you will find your demeanor changes. That insistent anxiety of wanting to qualify if someone “understands,” goes away. It is replaced with a confidence that is magnetic. Don’t believe me, invest the time to build a piece of collateral that says exactly what you want to say. And if you have done this… perfect.

Regardless, no matter how many times I explain this to people, there are always those that insist that they can’t be replaced. In my experience… a well-produced video does exactly that. It is almost better than the real thing because you aren’t interrupted mid-speech. In a video, you can tell your story perfectly. In a room, you can’t.