The business advice column with Lee Kenny

I see hundreds of Facebook adverts which fail to grasp the mechanics of how to get the prospect to the next step. While they are factually and structurally sound, they lack the necessary oomph to stand out from the crowd.

One of my first mentors in marketing told me “Facts tell, stories sell!”. More crudely referenced in countless sales presentations is “Selling the sizzle, not the sausage”

As a long suffering Newcastle United fan, the girls and I had the pleasure of driving to see them play this week against Burnley and spotted some road signs that summed this up very well.

First came the message that the coming stretch of road was a 50mph zone.

That’s the dry part, the factual part. Then a little while later it said there was an average speed check in place. More dry, factual stuff. Then came the sizzle. A fresh sign explained that 294 people on average had received speeding tickets each month! To say the traffic flowed in compliance is an understatement.

Take a look at your messaging and sales materials, do you simply state the obvious or are you getting to tell a story?

Social media is a powerful tool to be able to communicate on many different levels and is a great way to help differentiate your company and services to your competition.

The great news is that you don’t have to be an innovator to make yourself stand out.

Pimlico plumbers, a multi-million pound operation, identified early that the industry had a few challenges. Namely plumbers weren’t great timekeepers, communicators or concerned about how they left a room having worked in it!

The owner decided to guarantee on-time appearances, gave all the engineers clean and smart uniforms and ensured they always tidied the mess they’d made.

Note there was no “price promise”, no deals. Just delivering what was promised in an industry that had a poor perception problem.

What problems could you solve? Maybe it’s time to start writing a different story for your business?