Succinct Marketing Statements Count

I sat in a winged back paisley chair facing another one occupied with a lovely woman with a British accent. I wondered where this complimentary 20 minute marketing discussion was going to go. Her first question out of the gate was, “Tell me the mission of your company in 15 seconds.” As I spoke her crystal blue eyes looked slightly confused. I thought I nailed the mission statement my intern and I had worked on diligently for a couple days in our office. My new British friend did not think so.

“Say it again Tracy but in a more simple sentence,” she said. Okay I responded, “I help women entrepreneurs increase their revenue potential by allowing them to use my 20 year marketing platform.” Her crystal blue eyes just stared at me intently and then I heard, “That was better. Remember to keep it simple and concise so people understand immediately what you can do for them.” Her cool stare alone imprinted that statement in my mind.

Women entrepreneurs love to embellish their mission statements because it’s the way we converse. I’m guilty of adorning my written and spoken words with descriptions to provide emotion. I learned from my British friend not to emote your simple mission statement. It should be delivered succinctly, concisely and quickly. There is no room for mumble, jumble language in your corporate statement.

Later in the conversation she asked me to elaborate on my current “Point of View” (or POV) on a woman possibly being elected President of the United States so I could get some national media attention. I delivered it succinctly. I had learned in this 20 minute session I better deliver my POV precisely too. As she complimented me on the delivery she said, “Save storytelling for other parts of your marketing but never in your introductions or POV statements.”

As I walked away feeling slightly scorned, considerably enlightened and grateful for the 20 minute crash course, I realized it is impossible to know enough about a business subject. I consider myself a marketing expert in many ways but this experience demonstrated I still need to keep learning.

Today’s blog is to remind you that you do not know everything there is to understand about certain business topics even if you think you do, that’s why it is essential to keep learning. Whether you sit down with an English woman for 20 minutes, attend one of our educational programs for two hours or listen to a tutorial online for an hour, realize there is always more to learn in business. There is deeper content to contemplate.