While you are developing your business plan or negotiating with suppliers, landlords and banks, you focus on what you need.  It’s important not to carry this perspective with you when you communicate with your clients and referrers.

I recently reviewed the marketing material for a potential client who wasn’t happy with their current agency.  They had put out some innovative material.  The goal was to describe the experience of doing business with their law firm rather than listing the services they performed.  A good concept, but the execution completely missed the goal.  Virtually every sentence used ‘we…’ or ‘our…’.  The document should have used ‘you’ and ‘yours’, talking to the client about ‘what’s in it’ for the client.

Make sure you focus on the benefit to the client.  Most busy people (business people) don’t care ‘how’ you get it done, their main concern is the end result, the ‘what’s in it for me’. And what attracts their attention is the ‘what’ not the ‘how’.

What’s your headline, how’s on second.

Most referrers would like to see their clients/friends benefit from your product or service but you must clearly show the benefit to the referrer in making the referral. Start communicating with ‘what’s in it for them’ then move on to how your product or service works for your client.