… and floated off to, “If I only had a brain,” the Scarecrow’s song in the Wizard of Oz.

I’d unravel ev’ry riddle
For any individ’le…
If I only had a brain

In the last couple of years, I’ve noticed many more senior managers and company owners work six-day or seven-day weeks routinely… and seem tired. And, as the wizard in my basement pointed out, it’s amazing how much their focus narrows and their thinking deteriorates when they’re tired and task focused, running one meeting to the next during the week.

Implications for sellers: Be (immediately) relevant, get to the point fast, and spell it out -no warm ups, no veiled references. Our buyers’ massive action lists and web surfing have changed them. “Save 25%? Click here.” Click or not click. Next.

Be immediately relevant – Say something about them personally or their companies and their challenges within the first five to ten seconds. Click.

Get to the point fast – Say something about your business impact — the reason why your intended client should invest any more than ten seconds with you. Here’s what business owners and senior managers hear most of the time. “Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, 23%, blah, blah, blah.” They are multitasking and that’s all they hear. So they ask, “tell me more about the 23%.” Numbers are good. Click.

Spell it out – Explicitly state how you accelerate cash flow, reduce operating costs, reduce risk, whatever you do. Think of your buyers as Scarecrows. They can’t make the intuitive leaps themselves. They’re far too busy. We need to tell them. Click.