Grabbing a Prospect's Attention

Has someone important forgotten you? A potential client perhaps?

Introducing yourself is the first way to start building rapport with people who are important to your business. Unfortunately, this task is often relegated to automatic signatures at the end of emails. Out of some misdirected sense of either modesty (why would anyone want to know more about me?) or vanity (everyone already knows who I am), many people simply neglect to introduce themselves at the beginning of a letter. Don't make that mistake.

Think of an introduction as the headline of a marketing message. Its function is to give someone an immediate, compelling reason for continuing to listen to you. If you're competing for a person's attention on the floor of an industrial exhibition with thousands of people milling around, or in a foot high stack of proposals on the desk of a partner in a venture capital firm, you’ve got tough competition.

Michel Fortin, the Success Doctor, once described a technique for headlines called "The Gapper." It involves focusing attention on the gap between a problem a prospect may or may not be aware of and its solution. In his article, Michel Fortin made it clear how to use it in a headline, but what does that mean for an introduction?

Let me give you an example of something I might say when introducing myself to a group at a presentation. "Hello. I'm Rochelle Treister, the CEO of Correct Me If I'm Wrong. I help people look as smart as they really are." Here I am not only reinforcing awareness of a problem that many people think they have, but also presenting them with a potential solution.

The same holds true when meeting people one on one. When I go to an industrial convention and there's someone whose business I would like, I find some basis for introducing myself and establishing myself as someone who can help. "Hi. I'm Rochelle Treister, CEO of Correct Me If I'm Wrong. I couldn't help noticing that the nametag they gave you has your company’s name spelled incorrectly. Your prospects are never going to be able to find you that way." A conversation about the importance of nametags and correct English generally evolves from there and I'm on my way to making a new customer.

In a letter to a potential customer, I might write

Dear Sir,
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rochelle Treister and I’m CEO of Correct Me If I’m Wrong, a company dedicated to ensuring that the quality of a company’s English language business material is as great as the quality of its product or service.

Of course, a little appropriate humor never hurts. (Remember, I said appropriate humor.) For instance, if you’re in a foreign country and the people around you find it hard to pronounce your name, then you might help them out by saying, “Hi, my name is Itzhak but, if you prefer, you can call me Izzie – as long as you don’t call me late for dinner. I’m …” and here you would continue with your Gapper.

If you follow this simple formula, connecting your name with people’s problems and your solution, you will find that more people will not only remember your name, they’ll also remember why your solution can help them with a problem they’re experiencing. And when it comes to doing business, that’s exactly what you’re hoping to achieve.

Now, for the quiz – What’s the name of my company and how can I help you?