I’ve just finished re-reading the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. There is so much in this book to inspire entrepreneurs to think outside the box. The central thesis is that epidemics happen because they tip. They potter along, (Airwalk shoes, crime rates, Sesame Street, Winston cigarettes, suicide rates, hush puppies) at a pedestrian rate and then bang something changes and the volume (sales, viewing figures, crime rates) takes off.
It’s worth noting the elements identified for something to tip, to go viral!
Stickiness, the need for a compelling story. Do you have a compelling story? A simple, laconic narrative of what your remarkable at! Is this messaging reinforced in all marketing collateral?
Contagiousness, why the messenger is unreasonably important. Is your sales team filled with well trained messengers who can diagnose the prospect, who define themselves by the questions they ask, who sound and talk like businessmen not sales people?
Context, how human beings are ultra sensitive to their environment. Are you using vocabulary in your marketing and sales scripts that your prospects understand, recognize, relate to? Do the words you use offer the context of why your solution is relevant to their world? It’s about them not you.
Read it and let it inspire you to improve your compelling story, to gain traction, to reposition your company and build a remarkable business.
The Portfolio Partnership scales businesses by ensuring from Day 1 that your positioning, your story is compelling.
