Conor Kenny & Associates

Adverts can be a persuasive sell.

“You will reach a million readers”

If it goes wrong, it can be an easy defense

“We can’t control what your customers want”

You can blame the salesperson or you can blame yourself when the phone doesn’t ring.

Neither are useful.

The real question to ask before you use an advert is this;

What am I looking for the outcome to be?

It could be lots more than ringing telephones.

It could be awareness.

Might be marketing.

Could be a message.

Might be a new thing.

Could be flag waving.

Might be to get enquiries.

Could be to trump the opposition.

Key thing is – do you know?

We are all busy.

Or is it that we are all impatient?

Your big long letter won’t be read.

Your short one will.

Take out the editorial scalpel and cut off every superfluous word.

When you do, remember, it shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

If you want to really damage your brand without hearing the explosion go off, here’s what to do;

Don’t return calls.

Don’t reply to emails.

Be in a meeting.

Promise to call back.

Read the ‘read’ receipt but pretend you never got the note.

Say “I forgot”

Say “I was just about to call you”

See sales people as a nuisance (even though you sell too)

Feel it’s okay not to respond.

Hope they will go away.

Bury your head in the sand.

Be polite next time you meet at a function.

Pretend you are sincere.

Pretend you are a high achieving brand.

Pretend you have standards.

Pretend you care about customers.

Thing is, every salesperson selling to you is exactly that – a customer

But maybe not anymore?

had to ring a very expensive service provider on behalf of someone else.

I was slightly horrified at their incredulous prices (as well as the misspellings littering their website)

I pressed ahead.

I called, no answer.

I called again, no answer but a pleasant voicemail.

I called again and got the pleasant voicemail directing me to a mobile.

I called the mobile, no answer.

I called again and got another pleasant sounding voicemail.

I listened and here’s the best bit;

“We are really sorry to miss your call (you didn’t miss it Love, you just didn’t answer) but please (in pleading tones) do leave us a message and (in hugely sincere tones)

And we absolutely promise you that we will call you back in (wait for it) just a few short minutes”

That was ago.

I’m still waiting.

Well, not really.

We were looking for new people to join our team recently.

The results were astounding.

Not because we were overrun with applications but because of the approach some people made.

Here’s the classic mistakes that sank their ship before it left the harbour;

1. They missed the words ‘hospitality industry’ and fired aimlessly anyway

2. They asked us to do the work “Please tell me what….”

3. They can’t write

4. They couldn’t spell

5. They said they were professional (in spite of the above)

6. Their track record had missing years.

Here’s how a potential employer might respond to these 6 deadly sins but just won’t say it;

1. Desperate. Shoot enough fish you might get one good one.

2. Sorry, I’m busy and I can see why you are not.

3. That matters

4. They can’t represent us if they can’t represent themselves

5. They are not

6. Were they ‘away’?

You don’t meet a brand, you only ever meet its people.

Sounds obvious but often people forget that their behaviour is not ‘their’ behaviour but an expression of their brand.

Imagine being at a seminar.

At the seminar there is a delegate from a famous brand.

You never engaged with that brand or company before but you had heard of them.

More, you admired them. You were keen to learn from Mr. Brand, meet him and rub shoulders.

But sometimes Mr. Brand can forget who he represents.

Worse still, he can forget that all eyes are watching.

It’s no longer about him, it’s about his company.

The 2 collide and one becomes the other.

If the big brand is arrogant, rude or disrespectful, it’s how I’ll see your brand.

It’s also how I will talk about you.

If Mr. Brand is polite, respectful, humble and sharing then I’ll admire you even more.

Thing is, when you are an away day delegate no longer have personal choice.

Your performance will either win new admirers or consign you elsewhere.

Worth remembering that you are on show.

Better to avoid making a Holy show.

This guy overdosed on giving out.

He would go red at the failure of his colleagues.

He would scream, rant and rave.

Failure wrecked his head.

It wastes time, energy and effort.

Failure is past, it’s historic, it’s over.

Much better to seal the hatch and focus on success.

“Sorry Sir, we lost your booking. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do”

Actually there is, lots.

First, you didn’t lose my booking, you, or your system screwed up.

Second, you can blame yourself rather than ‘the system’

Third, you can leave the system alone, it did what you told it too.

Four, there is lots you can do.

Shall I help?

Apologise.

Listen.

Understand.

Digest.

Be creative.

Help.

Listen more.

Propose.

Suggest.

Listen again.

Suggest more.

Solve.

Summarise.

Apologise again.

Tell them it was your system, your fault, your mistake.

Then tell them they were right.

I was at a presentation recently.

It was engaging, professional and very high brow.

There were charts and graphs, quotes and links.

It was creative and even full of colour.

Thing is, I don’t remember much if any of it.

The facts are forgotten.

I’m not sure if the graph went up or down and the data flew over my head.

Instead of flashy facts and figures, tell a story.

Now see what they take away.

It’s easier to paint a picture rather than remember a theorem.

Isn’t that why art classes were more fun than maths?

My very good friend for over 30 years is Padraic Gilligan famous for his global work through MCI and Ovation Global.

He is a passionate professional and lover of language.

He’s very good at using it too.

On Twitter, he has started a campaign to ditch clichés.

I’m with him all the way.

He started with a few diamonds.

The problem is, once you read this, you will never be able to use them again.

Well, you will but you’ll blush.

I have added a few too.

Want to help?

“Low hanging fruit”

“Going forward”

“At the end of the day”

“Between the Jigs and the Reels”

“In the final analysis”

See what we mean?