Month: November 2005

_”Speaker, Entrepreneur, Award-Winning Copywriter, Sales & Marketing Expert, Internet Pioneer, Facilitator, Name Developer, Consultant, Author, Whitewater Paddler, Martial Artist, Idea Generator, Advisor” – that’s how “Michel Neray”:http://www.essentialmessage.com/ (at right with his daughter – photo by Yuri Dojc) describes himself. Michel created The Essential Message for consultants, advisors, coaches and other independent professionals who are tired of pushing so hard to get sales, and are looking for a better way to differentiate, position and brand themselves. As a long time reader of his newsletter I wanted to ask Michel five questions about how the Essential Message concept fits into the world of Internet free agents._
*One Degree: What do you mean by “Essential Message”?*
Let me start the answer to that one by telling you what it’s not. Unlike what most people think when they are first introduced to the idea on an Essential Message, it is not an elevator speech, infomercial or (if you’re old enough to remember this one) your cocktail talk.
These things are all 30-second summaries that you have to memorize, rehearse and spit out without thinking. As a result, elevator pitches end up being boring, contrived one-way communication full of generic statements that make you sound like everyone else.
Look, there are two fundamental ways to go about your sales and marketing. The first way takes you down a road that begins with the question, “How can I modify my services or change the way I speak to people about what I do, in order to appeal to the maximum number of people I encounter?”
The second way takes you down a road that begins with the question, “How can I gain greater clarity about who I really am and my true value, so that my clarity and confidence attracts more of the people who want what I have to offer?”
That’s how you truly differentiate, position and brand yourself. And that’s what your Essential Message is all about. So, when you talk about your business – whether you’re at a networking event, across a boardroom table or on a beach in Mexico, it comes out naturally and conversationally.
*One Degree: Has the Internet changed the importance of having an Essential Message?*