How To Grab Attention

BursaSnipers

Publish date: Thu, 07 Nov 2019, 09:53 AM

9 Humans’ attention span is falling and now sits at a paltry 8.2 seconds. That’s less than a goldfish’s, according to a study by Microsoft. How do you get noticed when no one is paying attention?

That’s from Brant Pinvidic, author of “The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less To Get More From Any Pitch Or Presentation.” Pinvidic, a veteran TV producer and CEO of production company INvelop Entertainment, studies how to grab attention in a distracted world. His findings will help you get your pitches of new ideas or even presentations noticed.

“It’s never been more important to capture and maintain your audience’s attention and deliver the simplest version of your message,” he said.

Tips to get noticed in a world of Twitter and Instagram include:

› Answer four questions. We often decide if we’re interested in someone’s proposal in the first 15 seconds, Pinvidic concedes. So, to keep your audience engaged, Pinvidic recommends his “WHAC” acronym:

W — What is it? Be very clear about the concept, he says. “Always start with the simplest version.”

H — How does it work? Literally. This doesn’t need fluff or pageantry, Pinvidic says, “just explain.”

A — Are you sure? This is where your facts, figures, logic, and reason come in.

C — Can you do it? It’s what happens next, he says. “What’s the price, how do they order?”

› Prioritize simplicity. Separate everything you want to say from what needs to be said, Pinvidic advises. “Simple is the new sexy, and clarity is the secret to being compelling,” he said.

He recommends creating a bullet point list of the idea or pitch. Keep it to no more than three words for each bullet point. This forces you to “see the idea in small and simple pieces and to segment the idea,” he said.

Then, expand those bullet points “into ‘statements of value’ that can then be placed in an order that will become the narrative story,” Pinvidic said.

› Build trust. Today products are bought, not sold. Buyers of all types are skeptical of salespeople.

That’s from Oren Klaff, author of “Flip the Script: Getting People to Think Your Idea Is Their Idea.”

Klaff has advised GoogleGOOGL , XeroxXRX , CiscoCSCO and others on sales, raising capital and negotiation.

“No buyer is going to listen to you until they feel they’re in the right place at the right time with the right person,” he said.

When your buyer sees you understand who they are, can speak their language and are part of their group, “they’ll grant you equal status, and immediately become receptive to what you have to say,” he said.

› Stay authentic. Flipping the script isn’t about changing yourself to be who the customer wants you to be, Klaff says.

“Stay consistent to your personality, your character, and most importantly, your values,” he said. “This is what the most compelling people and companies in the world have that others don’t.”

› Explain the urgency. Winning an audience takes showing that extinction is imminent unless you do something now, Klaff says. Appealing to survival is “one of those pre-wired ideas that we all share.”

Further, you want to clarify why “the only businesses that will be safe are those that have properly prepared by following you and embracing your strategies,” Klaff said.

When you hit on common human receptors like these, he continues, “you invite engagement, participation, and consumer buy-in. You have raised the stakes. Their very survival is on the line, but fortunately, you are here to save the day.”

› Excite and comfort. It’s a conundrum in sales to hit that middle ground between trusted but also new and improved, Klaff says.

“In order to walk this thin line, it’s important to present your product or plan as status quo, (but) with one pivotal difference that makes it truly unique,” he said.

› Captivate. Remember, people have zero tolerance for long-winded explanations, exhaustive chatter, or linguistic sales tactics, Pinvidic says. They also detest being “sold” anything.

“The key is to capture your audience’s attention with just the quality and flow of your information,” he said. “A good story allowed (director) James Cameron to make you sit through three hours of ‘Titanic’ when you already know the ship sinks.”

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